Such are the harsh realities of virtual reality (VR) videogame development that quite often a title appears, heads into early access then simply fades away. This can be from lack of community support but usually its the developer either going under or refocusing efforts. Military shooter Zero Killed seemed to fall into this area until its creator Ignibit made its first announcement in a year, revealing an official release date for September.
The team released a statement via its relatively dormant Discord channel this week, apologising for the silence when it came to updates for the videogame. It sounds like the studio has been hard at work polishing the first-person shooter (FPS) as it wasn’t the smoothest experience when it arrived on Steam Early Access in 2018.
“We are on the last straight for making the final version of the game,” notes the developer, before going on to say: “We still have many things to do, but there is hopefully nothing left that could ruin the fun. We finished all fixing, debugging, optimizations, and so on.”
Ignibit has now set itself a deadline, with an official launch taking place on 4th September 2020. Ahead of this the team will be unveiling a Trello board with a roadmap of its plans whilst giving those players which have stuck with Zero Killed a chance to provide feedback. Those plans include a shooting range to practice on first, another map, hero and a gameplay mode.
The studio will have some work to do, however. Current Steam and Oculus Store responses from players aren’t good, mainly due to the fact that it only offered online PvP, there were few players and no bots to make up numbers. When VRFocusoriginally previewed Zero Killedit wasn’t an appalling experience but it did need work, and continual support, which it didn’t really get.
Zero Killed pits two teams of four against one another across four gameplay modes and three locations. Players can choose between 10 characters, each with their own particular loadouts of weapons, gadgets and perks.
Titles like Onward, Contractorsand Zero Caliberalready offer solid military FPS VR gaming so Zero Killed needs to do something special to turn its fortunes around. As further updates are released, VRFocus will let you know.
Earlier this year the developers behind the virtual reality (VR) multiplayer shooter Zero Killed launched a closed beta in order to test the gameplay and gather feedback from the potential player base. Now that the Beta is completed, developers Ignibit have decided to release the title into Steam Early Access.
All HTC Vive and Oculus Rift owners can now enter ‘The Zone’ and test their shooting and tactical skills before the title is ready for its full launch, which is currently scheduled for November.
The development team behind Zero Killed have taken inspiration from a range of highly-regarded FPS and tactical titles, claiming to employ a mix of the tactical gameplay from Rainbow Six Siege, the fast-paced PvP of Counter-Strike and the variety of equipment of gadgets from SWAT 4.
The player takes on the role of a ‘Zero’. Professional soldiers who have broken with their previous employers and become mercenaries after they were employed to attempt to extract a powerful superconductive element ‘Petronium’ from a ruined area known as ‘The Zone’.
Zero Killed has been designed to require team cooperation and communication, as players need to quickly respond to changing conditions. Players have a choice of ten different characters, such as the heavily armoured Big Foot, to ex-Navy demolition expert Ox.
Movement in Zero Killed is said to be free of simulation sickness, even without using teleportation. Players will be able to run, climb or slide down ladders, as developer Ignibit say they have perfected technology will allows players to traverse the world of Zero Killed without teleportation and without simulation sickness.
Zero Killed is available on Steam Early Access for HTC Vive and Oculus Rift, priced at £11.39 (GBP). The full version is set to be released on 30th November, 2018. A PlayStation VR version is set to follow at a later date.
For future coverage of Zero Killed and other upcoming VR titles, keep checking back with VRFocus.
There are several military style shooters available for virtual reality (VR) fans, with the likes of Onward already seeing inclusion in esports leagues. Polish indie studio Ignibit is looking to break into this market with its realistic first-person shooter (FPS), Zero Killed. Offering a wealth of loadout options, there’s reasonable variety in the gameplay, yet there’s still work to be done to make it a polished experience.
Zero Killed is a purely online multiplayer experience, and while that can have its own issues as a fledgling title looking for players, the lack of a single-player option just means you’re thrown into the thick of it right from the start.
The videogame revolves around 4 vs 4 team gameplay, with any combination such as 2 vs 2, 3 vs 3, or 2 vs 4 if you like a challenge. Unlike mech multiplayer Vox Machinae, Zero Killed doesn’t add bots to make up numbers so finding other players is crucial. This can be the make or break for any VR multiplayer, with many goods ones falling foul to the lack of players.
For the Early Access Zero Killed will feature four game modes: Data Steal, Domination, Hunt and Tournament, each offering the usual options like deathmatch and capture the flag. These take place across three locations: Nuclear, Suburbs and Sewers. While each of them may offer different strategies depending on the mode, they all feature that drab, utilitarian design, akin to Soviet era designs with endless browns and greys to enjoy.
The overall layouts may not look particularly amazing, but the loadouts do help to make up for it. Before a round starts you get to choose from one of 10 characters, each one with their own specific deployment of weapons and accessories. These range from your standard sniper class, to a heavy with a machine gun, and different assault classes. It can be a bit bewildering to begin with as each characters loadout can be further customised with three primary gun options, secondary pistol, various grenades and so one. This really does allow you to tailor and fine tune your character precisely.
Another area Ignibit has obviously spent time on is the movement system. There’s no teleportation here folks, pure direct locomotion. Movement is finely intertwined with the left controller used for gripping the gun – there didn’t seem to be a left-handed option at this stage. Using Oculus Touch, pushing forward on the stick won’t necessarily move you in that direction, as the controller also needs to be facing the correct way. This encourages the use of gripping the weapon, improving accuracy whilst making walking through the areas much easier (this does mean there’s no dual wielding).
Ignibit has wisely chosen to enter Early Access ahead of full launch to iron out the experience, as there were a number of bugs VRFocus came across. These ranged from glitches on level starts to accuracy issues with certain guns. Nothing too over the top and something that the studio can easily fix. It’s important that it does, anything less than a perfect rollout and players can quickly lose interest.
Currently, Zero Killed offers a gritty, option laden experience. The videogame may not be overly original – when are military shooters – but it doesn’t necessarily need to be, it just needs to provide solid FPS gameplay. In that regards it’s on the right path, and VRFocus will be interested to see how it progresses.
Having launched its closed beta for tactical multiplayer Zero Killed, indie studio Ignibit has today announced that the process has been a success, seeing overwhelmingly strong support from the community. To this end the team will be moving from closed beta to Steam Early Access on 3rd October.
Inspired by first-person shooter’s (FPS) like Rainbow Six Siege, Counter-Strike and SWAT 4, players take on the role of a Zero, pro’s who were once hired by companies to illegally extract superconductive element Petronium from the devastated territory called The Zone.
Heavily focused on team cooperation and communication, Zero Killed allows players to choose between 10 different characters, from the heavily armored Big Foot, the fully loaded with technology A.N.D., to Ox – an ex-navy general with a love for demolition.
The beta began on 17th September and is currently still running. “The feedback we’ve received from gamers during the closed beta tests has been amazing,” says Sebastian “Sunbro” Kropiwnicki, the producer and community manager for Zero Killed in a statement. “The players told us what worked well and what needed polishing and we realized that we want to make this game with the community. So, it’s only natural to go for Steam Early Access.”
“We want to get the game in front of as many players as possible before its full release and we think that Early Access is our best way of achieving that. We don’t want to remain in EA forever though, and we’re targeting a release on the November 30, 2018,” adds Maksymilian “themorfeus” Michalski, the game’s designer. “We think that’s more than enough time to cross all the t’s and dot all the i’s.”
Zero Killed features 4 vs. 4 multiplayer gameplay across four game modes: Data Steal, Domination, Hunt and Tournament, with three locations to choose from: Nuclear, Suburbs and Sewers. As well as revealing the Steam Early Access launch for 3rd October, Ignibit has confirmed the title will fully launch on 30th November 2018. For any further updates keep reading VRFocus.
PSVR’s Firewall Zero Hour wasn’t the first tactical VR shooter ever made, but it’s certainly had the largest splash in the market to date. Games like Onward and Pavlov paved the way for Firewall, which we praised in our review, especially when played with the PS Aim Controller. Fortunately for fans of the genre, PC headsets are getting their own new shooter to sink their teeth into very soon called Zero Killed — and the similarities don’t just end with the name, either.
Zero Killed is being touted as a “tactical multiplayer VR shooter” with a mixture of solid PvP gameplay, tons of equipment choices, and an assortment of characters to pick from. Each of the 10 characters have different potential weapon loadouts, a unique gadget, and unique perk. For example, Big Foot, the one that I gravitated towards, has the best armor and is a heavy weapons specialist that also carries a gas mask and door breacher. On the flip side there’s also Ghost, who excels as a marksman and wears AR glasses that allow him to see tagged objects for much longer than other characters.
So yeah, there’s a lot of similarities to both Firewall Zero Hour and (as a result) Rainbow Six: Siege in that you’ve got various characters, multiple load outs, and even a focus on no-respawn game modes. During my play session with the developers from Ignibit, they showed me two different game modes on one of the three maps. First up was Data Steal.
In Data Steal you’re either on the Attacking or Defending team and as an Attacker you must track down and secure access points spread across the level. It plays out almost just like a typical round of Contracts in Firewall Zero Hour. The major difference I spotted is that the level I tried was very, very large and open. The teams are still 4v4, but there were tons of tunnels, passageways, and a variety of elevations to mix things up.
Gameplay feels about like something in between Onward and Pavlov. It’s not quite as fast-paced as Pavlov, given the lack of respawns for most game modes, but it’s also not as hardcore and realistic as Onward. I played on Rift which meant miming a gun in my hands by holding them out in front of me as if I were holding an invisible rifle. The variety was nice and switching around between different contractors actually did seem to yield meaningful differences in gameplay style and strategy.
A lot of thought went into each of the characters, but the demo I tried was noticeably unpolished. I played it only a week ago and the Closed Beta testing is supposed to start today, but honestly it didn’t feel ready yet unless there was a much farther along build I didn’t try. There were no hit marker visuals or sounds to show when you’ve shot someone and there is no way of knowing when you’ve done damage or killed another player. The UI could use a lot of work and it all feels very rough around the edges with incorrectly labeled menus and other visual elements.
Those are all minor things though and should be fixed easily with some time.
The other game mode I got to try during my play session was Tournament, which was basically Last Man Standing. Instead of being on teams all eight people are dropped into the map and it’s a battle royale to be the last survivor. I preferred this game mode since I didn’t know the maps well enough to play Data Steal appropriately and enjoyed the tension of slowly creeping around corners in an attempt to not get ambushed.
According to the Steam page, Zero Killed will also feature Domination, which is likely a point control mode like in Destiny and Call of Duty, as well as Hunt, which I don’t know any details about yet. Whereas Firewall Zero Hour launched with one game mode and nine maps, Zero Killed is aiming for four game modes and three maps.
There’s certainly a lot of content here at first glance, but I’m not sure how well the progression and pacing will hold up. I didn’t get the feeling that there were any meaningful ways of editing or changing loadouts and it seemed like most everything would just be unlocked from the beginning. Maybe that’s not the case for launch because even though that’s been fine for games like Onward and Pavlov, in the latter half of 2018 when a new shooter comes out I’d expect to see a bit more in the way of pushing the genre forward.
For a chance to join in on the Closed Beta today, you can check out the details here. Zero Killed is slated to launch on Steam with Vive and Rift support on September 26th, 2018. A PSVR version is planned for a future date. Let us know what you think of Zero Killed so far down in the comments below!
Developer IgniBit announced in August that it was opening sign-ups for its virtual reality (VR) tactical mutliplayer first-person shooter Zero Killed. Now the studio has revealed that the title will be on HTC Vive and Oculus Rift by the end of September.
The best is due to begin on the 17th September, so those who signed up can get an early start on learning the gameplay and tactical tricks. The full release is due on Steam for HTC Vive and Oculus Rift on 26th September, with a PlayStation VR release due to follow soon after.
Zero Killed was inspired by popular tactical multiplayer FPS titles such as Rainbow Six Siege, along with taking the fast-paced PvP of Counter-Strike and the wide array of equipment and gadgets available in SWAT 4.
Players take control of mercenaries known as Zeros, who have broken contact with former employers who tried to hire them to carry out the dangerous and illegal task of retrieving a mysterious superconductive element known as Petronium from a strange, devastated area known only as The Zone.
According to the developers, Zero Killed relies heavily of team cooperation and communication, which will allow teams to react to the rapidly changing conditions on the battlefield. Players will be able to choose from ten different characters, all of whom have their own specialities and equipment, such as the heavily armored Big Foot or demolition expert and ex-Navy general Ox.
IgniBit say they have created a method of allowing realistic movement, including sprinting, climbing or sliding down ladders that will not generate simulation sickness. Players can also expect to use realistically modelled weapons which include recoil and damage penetration.
The developers also say that players can behave as if they were on a real battlefield, such as tossing back a thrown grenade, or handing a spare magazine to a teammate who is out of ammo.
Further information can be found on the Steam Store page. For future coverage of Zero Killed or other upcoming VR titles, keep checking back with VRFocus.
There are a number of team-based tactical shooters on the market – or due to be released – with titles like Pavlovand Onward proving to be popular on HTC Vive and Oculus Rift, whilst PlayStation VR fans can look forward to Firewall Zero Hournext month. Looking to muscle in on the market is Polish studio Ignibit, with its first virtual reality (VR) project for PC headsets, Zero Killed.
Much like Firewall Zero Hour, Zero Killed is a team-based military style first-person shooter (FPS), where groups of up to four players compete against one another to complete specific objectives.
Zero Killed is a pure multiplayer experience yet Ignibit has crafted a fairly elaborate storyline involving governments and corporations devastating an entire territory for a fictional substance called Perunium. When the minerals acquisition was halted everyone left and the area cordoned off. Naturally, illegal miners and scavengers started appearing in what was dubbed the ‘Zero Zone’, eventually calling themselves Zeros. After a few years these Zeros become professionals at what they do, and you so happen to be one of them.
Gameplay revolves around 4 vs 4 matches, with players having 10 different characters to choose from, all with unique gadgets, equipment, perks, and personalities. There are four modes to play through: Data Steal, Hunt, Domination and Tournament, across three locations; Nuclear, Suburbs and Sewers.
One of the important aspect of Zero Killed is the realism. There’s no teleporting in the videogame, players traverse the world by sprinting, climbing or sliding down a ladder. “Our motion sickness free technology will allow you to fully immerse yourself in the game world, without the risk of your enemy teleporting out of nowhere and attacking you from behind,” states the studio.
Other realistic aspects include being able to throw back enemy grenades or chucking teammates extra ammo clips, whilst being able to destroy the environment around you.
Zero Killed is coming to HTC Vive and Oculus Rift this September with a PlayStation VR release to follow. For any further updates on the title, keep reading VRFocus.
