This week Futuremark Games Studio is at Gamescom in Cologne, Germany to show off Shattered Horizon to the press from around the world. The presentation concentrated on what to expect from the closed beta that is due to start very soon and included some interesting tidbits of new information.
We also have a fresh set of four new screenshots that show some real action.
What's going to be in the beta?
First of all, the closed beta test - coming very soon - is planned to include;
3 levels - "Moondust", "Flipside" and "ISS"3 game modes - Battle, Assault, Skirmish16 vs 16 (32 players) per serverA multi-function assault weapon with a scope. It also doubles as a melee weapon.3 types of grenades - ICE, EMP and MPR
The team emphasi2240zed the main point of the game, the unique zero gravity FPS combat gameplay and the controls to make it easy and accessible. Based on what was shown it also seemed that the amount of levels and features are kept fairly limited to concentrate on the core gameplay. While there is no large selection of weapons to choose from, the assault rifle could also be used for sniping and the grenades appear to bring some interesting tactical options - for example, smoke grenades act as mobile cover while EMP grenades can shut down suit thrusters for a limited time.
Launch plans were also discussed and Shattered Horizon is going to be launched as a digital download - no boxed version is planned at this time, but they would not rule out the possibility completely. It was also revealed that Shattered Horizon would not be a full-priced game - it would be "sensibly priced, in line with what you'd expect from a game with this kind of scope". The game uses Steamworks so Steam is pretty much a sure bet as a distribution venue, but it was implied that the game would be available from multiple digital distributors. Also, it was confirmed that, assuming everything goes to plan with the beta test, the release is planned for late 2009.
"Ask Antti" - Live Q&A
While the game is unfortunately not shown in the main area of Gamescom that is open to public, the team has reserved an hour for a live public Q&A session. So, this Friday, 21 August at 14.00 CEST (noon GMT, 1PM UK time) the Futuremark Games Studio guys are going to hold a Q&A session online, from the Shattered Horizon booth at Gamescom in Germany. You can ask anything and Antti Summala, lead designer of Shattered Horizon has promised to try to come up with the answers. You can submit your questions during the Q&A via Twitter or Facebook. If you can't make it for the live session, you can submit a question in advance to the Shattered Horizon Forum.
New Shiny
Futuremark Games Studio has also released four new screenshots that, for the first time, shows off the characters and some actual zero-g action in orbit.
On a related note, it is still possible to sign up for the Shattered Horizon Beta but if you have not yet done so, you should hurry - Beta sign up period is scheduled to end on Monday, August 24th and the beta invites are going to be sent out after that.
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