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H1Z1 Gets A Big Update And Brings Back The Remastered Outbreak Map
H1Z1 has been growing its player base on PlayStation 4 since its release last month but on PC where it all began, it's virtually vanished from the battle royale conversation. When it launched (and included a new Auto Royale vehicle-based mode), H1Z1 needed to go free-to-play just a week later. It currently sits with a few thousand concurrent players as Daybreak attempts to push forward with the game's Pro League.
But there's more to come for active players, newcomers, and returning veterans. Daybreak Games today released a massive game update on the PC for H1Z1, higlighted by the remastered Z1 map called "Outbreak". It's a post-apocalyptic, 8x8 square kilometer world designed to enhance H1Z1’s frantic and fast-paced gameplay and is now available in Solos, Duos, and Fives Modes on Windows PC.
The update also includes changes to gameplay mechanics that allow players to "recapture the classic feel of H1Z1." This includes new run and jump movements and animations to create a faster and more responsive system that keeps combat fun and intuitive. Classic audio cues also make their return with this update.
Veteran players may notice a few smaller POIs in the northern and western areas of the map, along with new loot spots in the otherwise sparse areas. The terrain has been refined for improved navigation and to make it clearer where you can and can't drive a vehicle. Buildings have been updated to be more performant and visually appealing. While most building layouts are unchanged, some were revised to better fit within area, window, and door metrics to make combat and navigation more consistent and less frustrating. All of this was done with an overall development philosophy to keep the footprint of the classic map and retain what made each city and POI fun and interesting.
The new map Outbreak is now available for play in all regular modes - Solos, Duos, and Fives - as we are currently in an off-season until Season Two kicks off in July. Based on community feedback and survey results from the Test server, spawn selection has been disabled for Outbreak. In addition, there are multiple lighting and climate schemes for Outbreak that will randomly rotate from match to match (take a look at some examples here). Finally, as we know many of you are fans of the Z2/Arena map as well, keep an eye out for how it could reappear in Arcade mode moving forward!
H1Z1 GAMEPLAY UPDATES
- Spawn selection has been disabled in all Outbreak game modes.
- The AR-15 and AK-47 have been adjusted to allow two to three (depending on how fast you're firing) extra shots put on target before recoil growth kicks in. This does not affect tapping shot behavior.
- The AR-15 and AK-47 are now 60% more accurate when hip-firing.
- Crouch fatigue has been removed, so players are no longer restricted with the crouch action regardless of how often it is used.
- Jump animations have been shortened to provide a more responsive jump action, allowing players to jump more frequently without having to wait for animations to complete. Additionally, player momentum and velocity persist in the direction of the jump, allowing you to freely aim and look around without prematurely shortening your leap.
- Running and sprinting animations have been restored to Preseason 3 versions, with the Rifle class of weapons having a prominent forward-facing position.
- Much-beloved bullet impact sounds have returned. Helmet break, headshot, and laminated/makeshift armor break sounds are all back from Preseason 3.
In celebration of the update - and to ensure interested players login again - there are also a pair of limited time rewards available this week only - the Homecoming Scrubs Set and the Z1 Zombie Mask! For the Homecoming Scrubs Set all players need to do is play one match of Solos, Duos, or Fives between 12:01AM PT on Wednesday, June 27 and 11:59PM PT on Wednesday, July 4. For the Z1 Zombie set, the same condition must be met, but it's only for old school players who created their account before September 20, 2016.
There's also a new "Apocalypse" crate but we hate loot boxes. H1Z1 and PUBG need to move away from that ASAP.
