Category: Population: One

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Population: One Is Now Free-To-Play On Quest 2

Population: One developers BigBox VR announced that the game will be going free-to-play on Meta Quest 2 and Meta Quest Pro from March 9.

Update: This article was republished on March 9 with an updated title to reflect the move to free-to-play. The original article, published February 28, continues below. 

After launching in late 2020 for $29.99, Population: One will be free-to-play for everyone on the Quest platform from next week. Existing owners of the game (or those who buy and open a copy before March 9) will receive the ‘Original Banana Bundle’ as compensation, which includes the legendary PJ (Potassium) character, the Prestige Arsenal (four legendary characters and 14 rare guns), an exclusive spray, 1000 gold and more. You can check out the full details in the graphic below.

population: one

After March 9, new free-to-play players will be able to earn experience and unlock rewards up to level 10 on the progression track. Those who want to continue unlocking rewards will have to pay for ‘All Access’, which will cost 750 in-game gold (available for $14.99 in the Quest store at the time of writing).

Population: One is also available on Rift and Steam for PC VR, but will not be going to free-to-play on those platforms and will see a price reduction down to $19.99 instead. BigBox says that “similar to other games, the value price on those [PC VR] platforms will be used to prevent potential cheaters from making a new account on Steam/Rift easily.” However, those who purchase the game on PC VR will receive 1200 in-game gold, equivalent to $19.99 in value.

The move to free-to-play on March 9 also comes alongside a game update that includes sandbox changes, a new single-player mode with dynamic bots, map changes, balance changes and a graphics update featuring improved resolution and real-time shadows.

BigBox says that more modes, features and maps are planned for the rest of 2023.

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Hit Battle Royale ‘POPULATION: ONE’ is Going Free-to-Play on Quest in March

POPULATION: ONE, the hit battle royale shooter from BigBox VR, is going free-to-play next month on the Quest platform.

Initially released in late 2020, Population: One has essentially become VR’s de facto battle royale, bringing large-scale cross-platform battles to Quest and SteamVR headsets.

Now Meta-owned studio BigBox VR says it’s going free-to-play on Quest 2 and Quest Pro starting on March 9th, which will also include a host of new goodies to previous owners of the game, coming in addition to an update which will include new content.

Notably, it’s not going free-to-play on PC VR platforms; both the Oculus Rift and Steam version of the game will be priced at $20 starting March 9th, which is a $10 discount from the original price.

Those PC versions will include 1,200 ($20) worth of the in-game currency Bureau Gold (BG), something the studio says is being done to prevent potential cheaters from easily making a new account on Steam/Rift platforms.

All owners of the game before the March 9th at 10AM PT free-to-play update will get a bundle, called the ‘Original Banana Bundle Rewards’, which the studio estimates at an $80 value. This includes:

  • Legendary “PJ Potassium” Character Skin
  • Legendary “Prestige” Character Skins (4)
  • Rare “Prestige” Full Gun Set (14)
  • Exclusive Title: “Original Banana”
  • Exclusive Calling Card: “Celebration”
  • Exclusive Spray: “I Was Here”
  • 1,000 Bureau Gold
  • Full Access to the Level Progression Track
Image courtesy BigBox VR

There’s also a host of new content coming to the game to kick off the free-to-play update on March 9th, including a new single player mode with dynamic bots and in-game rewards, new player lobbies, a larger sandbox limit of 12 and 24 players, and an all-new shop featuring over 100 new character and weapon skin. You can check out the full changelog in the Meta blogpost.

As for the upcoming roadmap, BigBox VR says both a Sandbox Battle Royale Mode and Sandbox Battle Royale Playlist are slated to arrive on March 30th. The studio says we should also expect new weapons, updates on the Evolving Map, Sandbox features & modes, and matchmaking improvements in the near future.

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Population: One Will Revamp Its Gun Mechanics In June

Population: One’s next major update will overhaul its gun mechanics alongside other features.

Developer BigBox VR confirmed as much in a blog post about the game’s future following the recent launch of the new Metropolis section in the battle royale VR shooter. The developer explained that the game’s next major update will happen in June and teased four key additions. And, no, none of them are permanent solos and duos modes. Sorry.

Perhaps the most interesting note is for ‘Gun Mechanic Revamps’. The studio says it’s working on bringing “new and improved” mechanics for the game’s arsenal. No specifics on what that actually means, but, in our opinion, there’s definitely room to improve on Population: One’s relatively light weapon handling.

Another big addition will be new guns, which the studio says will allow for “more intricate strategies and higher intensity battles.”

Elsewhere, the game will also overhaul its leaderboard and statmaster systems, including the introduction of Leaderboard Events or, in other terms, a Ranked Mode. Finally, there’s expansions coming to the Social Store too which will allow you to earn past items.

Big things to come to Population: One, then. For now, the game’s Metropolis update is one of the biggest additions we’ve seen to the game yet, and continues to give the game its own sense of identity.

What do you want to see from the Population: One update? Let us know in the comments below!

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Population: One Metropolis Update Available Now, New Details Revealed

The Metropolis update for Population: One is available now, with an entire new section of the map and a new game mode to highlight it.

As we wrote about a week ago after going hands-on with the new update, the Metropolis area is one of the most drastic changes and additions to Population: One’s map since launch. It’s a whole new area tacked onto the existing map which surpasses the rest of the existing map in size.

population: one metropolis

Here’s what Jamie had to say after trying the update out last week:

You can see new opportunities for combat around every corner. Computer terminals in one room make for quick cover thanks to the game’s flexible climbing system, and the street-level maze is just begging for unfortunate souls to stumble their way into a rifle’s line of sight. To counteract the complexity, there are new jump pads that instantly catapult you above the city skyline, either to reach vantage points fast or glide to safety.

While it is one section of the existing map, if you’re keen on just checking Metropolis itself, there’s now a game mode for that too. The Metropolis Royale game mode will drop 18 players into a game that is centered only around the new environments, letting you explore without having to play in other areas of the map that have been available for the last year or more.

All games also now have a 1-in-3 chance to a launch in ‘Neon Night Mode’, which puts a ‘old school retro-futuristic vibe pulsing with vibrant neon lights across the buildings and skyscrapers’ to match Metropolis’ new aesthetic.

Will you be checking out Population: One’s new Metropolis map? Let us know what you think in the comments below.

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VR’s Most Popular Battle Royale Just Got Its Biggest Map Ever

POPULATION: ONE (2020), VR’s most popular battle royale, just got an update across all supported platforms that includes the game’s largest map to date, which comes along with a few other cyberpunk goodies.

Called ‘Metropolis’, the new map promises to let you fight across a neon megacity, replete with a nightclub, fortress, gun store, and apartments. To play the new map on SteamVR and Quest 2, simply select ‘Metropolis Royale’ as the game mode to play.

Developers BigBox VR says Metropolis has “more total square footage than the rest of the entire map combined.”

The new map also comes with a ‘Neon Night Mode’ which renders the map darker to make the neon pop, making for a pretty cool cyberpunk aesthetic.

The Metropolis Royale game mode not only lets you and your team battle in the 18-player shootout, but it is also introducing jump pads to the game, which let you quickly ascend skyscrapers for some new verticals.

There’s a few other features in the game’s Metropolis update, however the most interesting is undoubtedly a new speed-increasing sword, called Cyberblade. Cyberblade is a neon-cast sword that deals up to 75 damage directly to health and increases speed by 25 percent. You’ll light up the night, but you’ll be fast and deadly.

Check out the full change log here for a list of all of the new features and bug fixes in Metropolis.

Population: One is available on Steam and the Meta platform for Rift, Quest and Quest 2, priced at $30.

The post VR’s Most Popular Battle Royale Just Got Its Biggest Map Ever appeared first on Road to VR.

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BigBox VR Pull out all the Stops for Population: One’s Metropolis Map

If you’re looking for a battle royale shooter in virtual reality (VR) BigBox VR’s Population: One is tough to beat. The studio has continually reiterated upon the map design by adding new locations such as the wild west-themed Frontier and the medieval Kingdom Age, giving players new tactical possibilities. Tomorrow sees the arrival of Metropolis, a cyberpunk corner of the map that’s surely going to be a favourite among players thanks to its verticality and rabbit warren streets.

Population: One - Metropolis

Given a chance to explore these streets early, gmw3 was presented with Population: One’s biggest map update to date, a huge sprawling complex that dwarves the other areas. From nightclubs to slums and giant skyscrapers, BigBox VR has packed an absurd amount of stuff into this one corner of the Pop: One map. Make no mistake, you’ll head here and want to spend the entire match frantically exploring.

It was clear for the outset that Metropolis isn’t the sort of map where you can instantly find a good spot to ambush other players, there are just too many little cut-throughs and random alleyways to do that. There are plenty of high vantage points if you love sniping but areas like the slums see building tightly nestled together so there’s plenty of cover to work with.

Or then there’s the kill box that is the weapons shop. Whilst it wasn’t littered with loot during the demo, BigBox VR assured me that the full version will feature enough kit to fully equip two squads. A really tempting proposition early on in a match although you can imagine what sort of chaos that’ll cause. Another building that caught gmw3’s eye was a tall hollow skyscraper that was inspired by the building from Dredd. Tight, winding stairwells that are great for shotguns or shooting down at other unwary opponents.

Population: One - Metropolis
(Left) new Metropolis map and (Right) the old map. Image credit BigBox VR

Talking of giant buildings it would be remiss of me not to mention the colossal skyscraper that’s at the very north end of the map. The same height as the infamous “The Tower” at the very centre of the Population: One map, this new beast can easily be scaled with a nice shoulder workout. It is so high that you’re unlikely to snipe anyone from up there but it offers a wonderful view plus you could in theory glide most of the map from up there.

BigBox VR has made it even easier to ascend these structures or simply provide an escape route with the new jump pads. These glowing yellow areas give you a nice boost into the sky and the motion isn’t jarring in the slightest. Granted, most people playing Population: One aren’t going to be novices but even so, the studio has done a superb job in delivering a smooth shot straight into the sky.

There is, of course, lots more going on in the map than that so gmw3 won’t spoil all of it. Even getting slaughtered playing against some Population: One experts didn’t dampen the feeling that Metropolis has a lot of potential depending on your team like to play, and certainly enough hiding spots to be easily revived again and again.

Population: One – Metropolis arrives 17th March for all supported VR platforms.

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Population: One’s Metropolis Map Is Its Biggest, Most Complex Area Yet

Sometimes changes to a game are practically invisible. Quality of life updates, stat buffs and nerfs, bug fixes; developers are constantly improving their games in ways that are seamless to the untrained eye.

Population: One’s updates, however, have been anything but invisible.

Population One Sword

As I stand atop the highest tower in the new Metropolis section — which is certainly tall enough to rival the central tower if not surpass it — I realize just how drastically BigBox VR’s battle royale shooter has changed over the past 18 or so months. Huge sections of the once-evergreen map have been uprooted and replaced by massive new areas, including the towering castles from the Kingdom era and the western-themed canyons added in the second season of the game’s short-lived battle pass structure. For anyone that dropped off of the shooter after the first few months, parts of the map are practically unrecognizable.

Metropolis, though, is easily the most drastic change to the game’s map yet. Like other map changes, it replaces an old section of the original design, sitting where the Refinery area once was in the northeast. But the surface area of Metropolis, I’m told, is so large that BigBox VR had to extend the entire map slightly, or risk the new design encroaching on other sectors. It even has its own mode that only allows you to play within the new sector.

Despite its size, Metropolis is densely packed, dotted with multi-story apartment blocks and car parks, and actively plastered with billboards and neon signs. There’s a nod to the monolithic housing complex from 2012’s Dredd, with an open courtyard and rows and rows of balconies to repurpose as sniper nests, and you can jump into nightclubs, museums, and lecture halls for some close-quarters combat.

You can see new opportunities for combat around every corner. Computer terminals in one room make for quick cover thanks to the game’s flexible climbing system, and the street-level maze is just begging for unfortunate souls to stumble their way into a rifle’s line of sight. To counteract the complexity, there are new jump pads that instantly catapult you above the city skyline, either to reach vantage points fast or glide to safety.

Population One Metropolis Map

It’s really impressive to see just how different and expansive Metropolis is compared to what’s come before, and BigBox VR confirmed to me that all of this will still run on the original Quest. With that said, I do have to wonder if the developer might be able to again push team sizes in the future to help accommodate the change. It’s already raised that cap to 24 players, but the map is now so large and varied that it definitely feels like there could be more to stop the game from feeling empty in areas (though, obviously, that becomes less of an issue as zones push opponents closer together).

Personally speaking, I’d also like to see more done on the visuals front. Pop: One is a herculean technical achievement given it’s running on the original Quest but, as that headset gets older and less prevalent, it’d be great to see BigBox VR push for more visual detail in the currently identikit textures and empty warehouses that populate the map right now, especially for those that play on PC.

For now, though, Population: One’s Metropolis update goes live on March 17 as a free addition to the base game. As with past changes, you can expect it to kick off a new phase of modes and updates for the game (you can see a new sword an image above), but there’s no sign that BigBox VR plans to return to any premium battle pass plans at this point. Are you going to be checking the game out? Let us know in the comments below!

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Population: One’s All-New Map Revealed, Coming In March

Following on from teases last week, BigBox VR has confirmed that Population: One is getting an all-new map next month.

The map is called Metropolis and goes live on March 17. A tweet confirmed the news after we speculated that last week’s teaser would be for a new section of the existing map and not, in fact, an entirely new area.

Population: One New Map Revealed

But the tweet confirms this new map offers a full battle royale mode in the futuristic urban sprawl, where neon-lit cities dominate. The new environment will look to mix things up by adding more verticality and twists and turns to the game.

Metropolis, then, is arguably the biggest change to Population: One since BigBox VR put its premium battle pass plan on hiatus in summer last year after two seasons. Since then, the developer has been pursuing a strategy of free updates and events for the game, bringing in limited-time duos and solos experiences.

There’s still a lot to learn about this coming update, though. Will players still be able to access the original map? Will there be any other new concepts or ideas added into the game at the same time? We’ll be sure to let you know as soon as we have more information.

Will you be heading into Metropolis next month? Let us know in the comments below!

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Population: One Teases Sci-Fi City Addition To Map

Hot off the back of wrapping up its first-ever Duos event, Population: One is teasing a new area for its map.

Yesterday developer Big Box tweeted a picture of what looks like a futuristic city. It features several buildings, airships resting on rooftops and a poster for chicken that’s definitely not a jab at any other fast-food brands. Theskyline also gets a neon tint.

Population One New City

There aren’t any details about when this new area of the map might roll out just yet. Don’t forget, though, that Pop: One’s new areas traditionally replace existing sections of the map just like in other battle royale games such as Fortnite, so this is likely to be an expansion of the overall surface area.

Big Box also just launches a new Laser Focus weapon skin bundle, which looks tonally appropriate for the new area, so it may be coming sooner rather than later.

What else would you like to see brought to Population: One with this new theme? Let us know in the comments below!

 

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Population: One Launches Duos Mode For A Limited Time This Week

Population: One is finally getting a duos mode, though it’s in the traditional limited-time fashion.

The VR battle royale shooter launches its Valentine’s-themed Heartbreakers Event from Feb 10 – 22. During this time, you’ll be able to pair up with just one other player as opposed to the usual teams of three. Further details haven’t been confirmed yet but, presumably, the same last man standing rules will still apply, you’ll just be in smaller teams.

Population: One Duos Mode Coming

Population: One Duos

Population: One is fond of changing up its team sizes for limited-time events, though developer BigBox still insists on keeping the core game to a strictly three-person team experience. For the game’s first anniversary last October it ran a solos event, and it often changes up the dynamics for its War modes, too. You can still customize your games to your liking in private matches, of course.

Heartbreakers is the first big event for Population: One in 2022. Now that BigBox is owned by Meta itself, though, you can expect plenty more updates for the title. That said, the developer put its premium battle pass plan on hiatus in August of last year, and has yet to return to the format, instead favoring free updates. It will be interesting to see if the developer plans to further change how it releases new content for the game this year.

Will you be checking out Population: One’s duos event? Let us know in the comments below!