The race for best post-apocalyptic zombie game is on like Donkey Kong. In one corner you have the painfully slow development of DayZ, a masterpiece in concept, even if the mechanics can be clunky. In the other corner you have H1Z1, which as far as your average gamer is concerned, is nothing more than an idea, although they’re fairly certain it’s as real as presents on Christmas morning… it just seems to be taking forever to arrive.
As lovers of the genre, we here at Prima Games intend to play both, and in the case of DayZ we already do. As far as H1Z1, all we can do is stalk it’s developers on Twitter, tune in to some live streams, and spend far too much time combing through its page on Reddit. It’s not all an exercise in futility, however, as we’ve used this obsession to compile a list of ten features that will make you want to get your zombie slaying fingers on H1Z1… whenever it does actually release.
Player Servers
The concept of Player Servers is that each person is given a token that they can use to vote on a particular configuration. When that server configuration receives enough tokens it will be created. This could mean changes to the rule set, such as stronger zombies, no weapons, first-person only, and likely a laundry list of other possibilities. To the best of our knowledge this is not the same thing as player purchased servers, which we can’t confirm will happen one way or the other.
Destructible Environment
At this point in the development we’re not entirely sure how much destruction will be involved, but we do know that there will be gas barrels that explode, fences that will fall, breakable windows, trees that can be chopped down, and even the potential for buildings to be destroyed. We also know that if a human or zombie happens to be near something when it’s destroyed, the potential is there for them to take damage or even die. It’s probably best not to do a lot of shooting next to a gas station.
Zombie AI + Features
This may not seem like a big deal, but when zombies are placed in the world of H1Z1 they are free to go where they want, doing what they want. This means they could wander all the way across the map. In contrast, the zombies in DayZ just sort of hang around until they see you from 300 yards away, then sprint toward you, clipping through every wall or fence ever created. Not that we’re bitter about it.
What’s even cooler is that when a player dies in H1Z1, their corpse will reanimate after a certain amount of time, and whatever items they had on them will now be carried on the zombie as they wander off. If another player kills zombie-you, they’ll be able to loot your gear. Words cannot describe how excited we are for this, so instead check out a perfect summary of our reaction when we read about it. Now we’re wondering if there will be kittens in the zombie apocalypse. Oh, that reminds us (although we’re not sure why), there will be children zombies.
Houses + Bases + Safes
Just in case anyone out there who has done some reading on H1Z1 wasn’t aware, the game will include the ability to construct houses, bases and safes. Although we believe they can be attacked and destroyed, this still gives people a bit of a safe haven to kick their muddy boots off and enjoy some moonshine (yes you can make it, but only for vehicles if we’re not mistaken).
In-Game Vehicles
So far the game only has one vehicle (a jeep), but there are plans to add more as the development process continues. The team over at SOE intends to make sure that every vehicle is balanced and serves a purpose. As we mentioned earlier, you can farm corn to make moonshine and ethanol for vehicles, although no word on whether you can get silly with whatever is left over.
Confirmed Weapon List
It’s been said that guns will be somewhat rare in H1Z1, and we’re very happy to hear that. Still, the list of confirmed weapons is impressive. Anything with [EA] on the list below indicates it has been confirmed for early access. As a side note to the Bow and Arrow, it was mentioned that if you shot a zombie with an arrow, then retrieved it, the next person you shot with that same arrow would also become infected. This hasn’t been confirmed, but that is also way up on the cool list.
- Fists [EA]
- Wood Axe [EA]
- Crowbar [EA]
- Machete [EA]
- Combat Knife [EA]
- 1911 [EA]
- AR16 [EA]
- Torch [EA]
- Bow & Arrow [EA]
- Crossbow [EA]
- Bear Trap [EA]
- Spike Trap [EA]
- Staff/Stave [EA]
- .308 Hunting Rifle [EA]
- Spear [EA] (throwing & stabbing)
- Shotgun [EA]
- Landmine
- Molotov Cocktail
- M1911A
- M16A4
- M1911A1
- AR-15s (semi-auto)
- M16
- 12-20GA
- Grenade
- Explosives.. . At some point
Potential Crafting List
We know you love bullet points, so we figured you’ll appreciate another list being thrown at you. This one contains items that you can craft in H1Z1, although we must say that we can’t confirm it. If we were to sift through every interview and live stream we likely could, but for now take this with a grain of salt.
Survival/Tools:
- Bandage
- Saline
- First aid kit
- Animal Trap
- Dew collector
- Campfire
- Charcoal Filter
- Basic Fire Starter
- Wood Axe
- Torch
- Furnace
- Barbeque
- Satchel
- Bow Drill
- Ground Tiller
- Deer Scent
- Snare
- Backpack Frame
Foodstuffs:
- Coffee
- Coffee with sugar
- Deer/Wolf/Bear Steak
- Corn & Wheat from farming
- Moonshine
Base building:
- Shed
- Shed door
- Storage Container
- Structure wall
- Metal Wall
- Metal Gate
- Metal Shack
- Small Shack
- Barbed Wire
- Various foundations
- Lockable Gate
- Large Shelter
- Barricades (over doors/windows)
- Makeshift Shack
- Structure Stairs
- Wooden Door
- Storage Container
Weapons:
- Sharpened stick trap
- Machete
- Combat Knife
- Pipe
- Bullets
- Arrows (+Fire)
- Wooden Bow
- Wooden Spear
- Hatchet
- Explosives?
- Improvised Gun?
- Crossbow Bolt?
Stuff:
- Wood Plank
- Wood Stick
- Scrap Metal
- Metal Shard
- Metal Bits
- Metal Bracket
- Scrap of Cloth
- Gunpowder
- Bio Fuel
- Ethanol
- Charcoal
- Sheet of metal
- Cloth Sheet
- Pipe
Farming + Living Off the Land
Not a lot is known about farming, but it has been confirmed as a concept in the game, allowing players to essentially live off the land. Where a current lack of options forces a lot of DayZ players to simply seek out and kill one another, this is mechanic should help to balance the play-styles so it’s not all just player-versus-player. As we mentioned earlier, corn will be one of the items gamers can farm in order to make their own fuel and moonshine. Mmm… moonshine.
Animals + Pets
H1Z1 will embrace the full circle of life, including humans, zombies, pets and even wild animals. So far it has been confirmed that deer, wolves, bears, rabbits, ravens, rainbow trout and even chickens will make it into the early access. It’s also been confirmed that there will be horses and pets, although not much is known about the latter. Maybe we can get a feline companion after all.
Purchased Supply Drops
In fairness, this one hasn’t been confirmed that we know of, but it’s definitely something that has been discussed, and likely continues to be. The idea wouldn’t be military gear, but rather food and water that would be dropped at a random location. Everyone in the area would know what’s happening, and this would turn the event into something of a Hunger Games. Hopefully some version of this does eventually make it into the game.
H1Z1 has yet to receive a date for its early access release, but judging by this small list of (mostly) confirmed features, it seems as if the folks at SOE are on the right track. Quite frankly, we can’t wait to start making some moonshine… for our jeep.
For more information on H1Z1, keep it locked on Prima Games, and if you’re looking for further reading, check out the H1Z1 Reddit, a primary source for the creation of this article.
