The survival MMO H1Z1 takes away the axe that players started with. This aims to place more emphasis on player survival.
Observed many people during the first hours in H1Z1
Jimmy Whisenhunt, the developer responsible for the combat system in H1Z1, delivered the news to players: The starting axe is disappearing. Thus, players began each time anew after every brutal death. They could use it to chop down trees and defend themselves against zombies and other players.
According to Whisenhunt, the decision to take away the axe from players came after contacting many players at SOE Live and Pax Prime. The combat system in the early phase needs more excitement and the crafting progress could be steeper – these two aspects were taken home as feedback after observing x people during the first steps in H1Z1.
The removal of the starting axe emphasizes the elements that made H1Z1 appealing to the SOE team: Surviving in the world, scavenging for loot, and the crafting system.
Small items spawn indoors, larger tools in the open world
They are also changing the spawn logic in the world.
Axes and other typical tools like crowbars or machetes should be found by players in the open world. They should not be overlooked. If a zombie horde is chasing the player, the survivor should be able to spot a crowbar or an axe from a distance and grab it. As classic “loot”.
From now on, crafting materials should almost exclusively spawn “inside” of items. This aims to prevent the player’s view from being too obstructed by a multitude of small items.
Introduced a rudimentary combo system in combat
The combat with the axe is now being replaced in H1Z1 by fist combat. Here, they want to allow combinations that increase damage when the player initiates another attack within a certain time window. Such a “combined” attack inflicts higher damage and has a different animation than a normal punch. This aims to bring more action into the world of H1Z1 and make it clear to the players that in H1Z1, they need to refine their strategies if they want to survive.
With grabbing and clinging zombies, they want to spice up the combat additionally. Although it looks terrible at the moment, according to Whisenhunt, it will surely be great.
