The competitive post apocalyptic survival title H1Z1: King of the Kill will be heading out of Steam’s Ealy Access program on September 20th developer Daybreak Games has announced via press-release.
A number of additional features will come with the launch of the game including an improved user interface, support for multiple competitive seasons, a new scoring system that takes the number of kills & other factors into consideration and Twitch.TV integration as well.
Here’s hoping that all of these improvements lead to a smoother overall experience. We preview H1Z1: King of the Kill – the Battle Royal style multiplayer mode that was once part of the entire H1Z1 package before being split off into it’s own stand-alone game– back in early 2016 when the game launched. To be honest over the 20+ hours I’ve put into the title I’ve found King of the Kill to be a love / hate kind of game. There’s always a pile of tension as you’re in the top 20, wondering who or what might be around the next corner but getting to that tension means 20 – 40 minutes of wandering around a barren map looking for crafting items.
Here is how Daybreak games described the ranking system they will be implementing:
- Scoring System – Progression outside of matches is evolving to foster the natural competitive spirit of the H1Z1: King of the Kill community. A new and more dynamic scoring system after each match will award points to players based on their placement, their kill total and when in the match those kills took place, with higher points going to kills that take place later on. This new system will give players immediate feedback on their performance, as well as the opportunity to earn in-game rewards. It will apply only to solo matches at launch.
Updates to the world map will also be coming down the line. If you’ve spent dozens of hours like I have learning the trek from co-ordinates like H9 to A4, be prepared for a few curvle balls to be thrown your way with “The Arena”.
As the devs outlined:
The Arena, a Totally Revamped World Map – This larger map is designed to improve the pace and performance of matches overall, with additional points of interest for showdowns and surprises, better loot distribution for player spawns, and greatly improved graphics and lighting.
- The Arena will be a focal point of action for those playing H1Z1: King of the Kill at PAX West this weekend at Booth #1909, and later when some of Twitch’s top streamers and players compete in the second annual H1Z1 Invitational on Oct. 2, 2016 at TwitchCon.
Perhaps all of these changes will lead to a more immersive survival experience. I’ll be at PAX West and will try and go hands on with the new Arena map if time allows. Worst case I’ll snap a few pictures of the booth!