Everything Known About H-Hour

[[mXm] kotaco]

This is a copy/paste job from their forums [Last Updated 7/24]:

Great Overview of H-Hour (back of the box pitch):
Genre: Shooter (3rd Person)
Sub-Genre: Tactical Close-Quarters-Combat
H-hour has features that fuel an authentic, immediate shooter experience. Responsive characters, great animation, unusual twists on game modes, a fun but "driven by reality" ballistics model. Stuff like that. And around this core experience, tools that promote team play and communication, community building and clan building/management tools that go beyond what our competition offers. And then the whole analytics slant (OP Edit: analytics is a key market differentiator, it will power lots of facets of the game)--features designed to improve the skills of players who aren't the best to at least a competitive level. We intend to raise the number of good players online all while promoting fair play and good conduct. Which really sounds like a huge job. So I'd rather focus on a great core experience and a great meta experience and leave things like killstreaks and localized smart bombing to other guys. They do it well but that's not us.
Platform(s) [*]PS4 & PC Confirmed [*]Digital Distribution Only (download from PSN or Online) [*]PC Demo to launch Dec 7th (based upon timeline in kickstarter- link to come).
Release / Important Date(s) [*]Donate (basically a pre-order system) to the Kickstarter here: closes July 7th, 2013. [*]http://www.kickstart...-worlds-elite-0
[*]There will be a Developers vs Kickstarter Backers tournament at some point.
[*]Mobile app March 2015 (tentative).
[*]Single player is scheduled to launch 6mos post the multiplayer release of H-Hour. It is likely to be less than 20hrs of gameplay, DLC will add to the single player.
[*]First H-Hour DLC will launch 3-4mos after the initial release.
[*]David Sears state there will be bi-weekly updates (blogs, vids, etc.) on the game progress post the Kickstater.

Beta Timelines [*]There will be a beta for PS4 & PC, not likely at the same time though. [*]July 2014 (closed beta- early kickstarter backers, etc.) [*]Beta registration will likely prioritize Kickstarter backers, but there will be plenty of room for a lot of beta testers through the various phases. [*]Beta updates are likely to happen in 1.5 week increments. [*]Participation (commenting on the kickstarter page) is a great way to get recognized for the H-Hour beta.
H-Hour Features
Technical [*]7.1 Surround sound. [*]1080 on PC, maybe PS4 (not confirmed). @ 60fps. [*]Patching / Content will generally be simultaneous, however patches may be developed per platform to fix bugs. [*]If there are 1000 donations for a Linux version, they will make it. -I think Valve should pitch in and help make this happen! [*]LAN play will be available. [*]H-Hour will have a SKU that comes with a custom designed HS for Kickstarter backers @ the 500$ tier (pre-order here): http://www.kickstart...-0/posts/524144 [*]There will be no map editor, however you can make your own maps, for LAN use. [*]Music will be scored via an orchestra and with similar feel to SOCOM with a new composer: (http://www.penkakouneva.com/) [*]Not confirmed, by David yet, but I would like to see an API to H-Hour which would enable eSports sites (MLG, Urgent Furry, etc.) to get stats for clan matches direct from the H-Hour servers to verify CB wins, or enable those sites to create rooms for CB matches directly via the API...
General [*]H-hour will be very akin to SOCOM I & II: realistic, tactical, close quarters, but certainly fun ("arcadey" where necessary). [*]Game will ship as a multi-player experience only, at first. A campaign will follow down the road. [*]H-Hour will be round based. [*]H-Hour will only take 2-3 bullets to kill, keeping the game tactical and cover based. [*]H-Hour will be 3rd person, with a 1st person view ala SOCOM I & II (Zoom), the camera will be centered behind the back, like old SOCOMs. [*]There will be similar maps to some of our old SOCOM favs, but of course will different names and likeness to limit liability (ie, being sued). [*]Vote to Kick (thank GOD!). SOFS will address the issue of votes giving warnings to alive team-mates. [*]DLC will always be free for "maps, guns, etc." (aka: non-exclusionary & non-pay-to-win). Vanity, etc., will be plaid for. [*]Every map will be focused on a particular game mode, if it happens to support more than one game mode naturally, it will, otherwise there will be one map per game mode- ala SOCOMs of yore. [*]There will be 2 DLC packs per year (currently scheduled). [*]There is already an H-Hour 2 on the roadmap. [*]Personnel / Characters: Special Forces (globally) vs Terrorists (awesome!) [*]May have a training mode to play SF vs SF, but all other games will be SF vs Terrorists [*]Lean will return, ala SOCOM I & II, no sticky cover system. [*]Victory Dances of course will return, along with taunts and more... Customizable dances! [*]After action reports with detailed stats / anayltics (largely built from the server back-end). Basic stats will be displayed at end-of-game screen. [*]No vehicles in MP. [*]All weapons will be available from the start of the game (no-unlocks). [*]There will be customizable taunts: text & possibly speech. [*]Game modes will be 8v8. [*]Game rounds will NOT be alternating now (looking for source, can't find it yet...), like SI & SII. [*]Map sizes will vary, ala SOCOM II, there will also be a balanced map for tie breakers. [*]Ranking system will follow closely the SOCOM II (ELO: http://en.wikipedia....o_rating_system) design. [*]Info-graphics will enable new player experience / non-clan players to find games they're interested in playing. [*]SOFS is investing in options for players to find clans / players that can complement their strengths & weaknesses. [*]Kickstarter donors will have their name in the credits, displayed first before the developers. [*]Shotguns will knock you down. [*]There will be segmented lobbies (ala SOCOM II) whereby the top 1% can play together (Admirals) , the top 10% can play together (cookies & wings - commanders & captains), top 50% can play together (Lieutenant), then everyone else. [*]
Gameplay "Feel" [*]No health regen (thank God!) [*]Strafing is likely in the game- Sears likes it and so do I! [*]Movement and running speed will be similar to SOCOM II. [*]Shooting & jumping will be allowed, but will come with accuracy penalty (ala SI & SII). [*]Likely no body armor- thank God! [*]No radar at launch (but Sears is considering it for the future- PLEASE DON'T!) [*]Jump to climb is up to the community (Thread: http://sofstudios.co...o-climb-thread/). [*]Re-load animations and weapon swaps will happen at "special forces" speed. AKA really fast, but still realistic. [*]Draw distances will be more realistic than SOCOM I & II. [*]Seeing around walls is confirmed via a static 3rd person camera, ala SOCOM 1 & 2. [*]Grenades will have to be selected via gear switching ala SOCOM I & II. [*]There will be a quick select, custom available by the user (pick 2 items for quick select) at the beginning of each round (may have a default option as well...). [*]Melee / knifing is not likely. But the knife may come to be a discrete weapon. [*]The game will feature push 2 talk. [*]You can open and close doors! [*]Environment destruction will be limited, due to issues it can cause online. Since destruction changes cover vectors, it has to update to all player, which coupled with lag, could cause hit detection issues.. Some damage will be supported; pock marks, chipping, scorching, etc... Also there will be bridge explosions, etc, which are part of map design, ala SOCOM II. [*]May not be able to throw grenades from either hand... [*]Limited ammo count (no exact number, will vary slightly per mag size). [*]There will be asymmetrical maps (the demo will be asymmetrical as well). [*]Analogue stick will be used for analogue based running; faster as you push the stick forward. [*]Grenade arc is currently in. [*]No encumbrance planned ATM. [*]Proxity chat may be in (SOFS will be asking the community). [*]There will be ghillie suits (like in DLC). [*]Weapon equipment (attachments, etc.). [*]Likely infinitely hand-gun ammo. [*]There will be a thermal scope. [*]There will be tie-breaker style maps with very balanced layouts for either SOFS or Terrorists. [*]Night maps are in. [*]Ligths can be destroyed, affecting the lighting. [*]Snipers / high-power guns will be at least a 2-hit kill, unless there is a HS (all HS will be insta-kill). [*]HUD off options being researched. (like no tags from SII?) [*]No dual primaries of course. [*]Dive to prone will likely return (pending final community feedback). [*]Picking up bombs / triggering demolitions will be "special actions" ala SOCOM I&II.
Discrete Features [*]There will be separate rankings for non-traditional SOCOM players, which don't affect lobby access. [*]"Eshla grenadaaa" is in! [*]Weapons will have attachments. [*]Backblast from rocket launchers is in. [*]Medleys will return (composite of most game modes)!!! [*]Spectator slots will be available for matches on top of the 8v8. [*]There will be character uniforms that can be customized. [*]Analytics Sergent™ in H-Hour will feature a ton of stats / analytics on player performance (exposure analysis, cooperation, responsiveness to orders, sportsmanship, hits, hotzones, etc), & clan performance, probably akin to KZ2, with a lot more stat tracking and details (but even more detailed): [*] [*]There will be FREAKING BADGES *******! to show off your good or bad, deeds Sear's loves badges ala MAG . [*] [*]H-hour will have dedicated servers, not player hosted. [*]Anti-cheat systems will be in place as well as analytics to identify "superhuman" behavior which can be auto-flagged and banned. [*]There will be a clan ladder system and in-game clan battles. [*]Lobby GFTU (green up) aka ready to play game will be a feature, likely after 70% green- game will launch ala SOCOM II. [*]PC version will support gamepads. [*]Mobile App for clan management / community features (leader-boards, analytics, etc.). -launching a few months post release. [*]Shooting will be from the hip with cross-hairs, to zoom you must hit up on the d-pad ala SOCOM I & II. [*]PS4 & PC players may co-exist at some point, it's under research. [*]Second Screen experience being researched: extend beyond a "shooting" experience on the PC (ala a second screen gameplay)- performance analysis, etc... Direct quote: "but there's the possibility to offer PC gamers different roles to play during matches other than those involving lethality or unfair situational awareness advantages. Shared data could be interesting even if only for comparative purposes. Not committing to anything specific at this point of course, but it would be cool to hear ideas about this from the community." [*]PNM mines will return in H-Hour, hoping for launch, but may come in 1st DLC. [*]Lobbies: text chat & voice chat will be enabled (no word on P2T or Open Mic in lobbies, likely P2T). [*]Seth Luisi will be a terrorist character (bad guy) in the game. (Seth offered) [*]There may be some extra "bonus" content, ala SOCOM I & II with videos- nothing confirmed... may be online... [*]A special Kickstarter gun for a donation of (XXX) will look bad-ass, but also be very lethal- but not overpowered. [*]There will be blood trails- confirmed for tracking your dying opponent! [*]Game replays are under investigation and may be delivered after launch (ala KZ2). [*]Fat Chick Hostage (confirmed!) [*]Hostages can be given orders, ala SOCOM II- this time they will respond quickly .
Ranked Games [*]No re-spawn in ranked games, but again, there will be options for non-ranked / custom games to have respawn on as an option- ALA SOCOM I & II. [*]Grenade launchers are not in Ranked games, but allowed for custom games. No word on un-ranked "standard" games... [*]Infinite Tie Breakers are in ranked, but there will be options for non-ranked / custom games to have an easier system. [*]There will be a main ladder for ranked games which are to be similar to SOCOM II.
Room Customization [*]In non-ranked games you can choose the number of player for each side down to 1v1... [*]User created rooms with savable configs, ala SOCOM II. [*]Custom Ranked rooms is open to the community (thread here: http://sofstudios.co...dders-there-of/). [*]Overall room customization will have features similar to SOCOM II, with some additional options: [*]
Clan Features [*]Practice modes for clans and players in general. [*]Clan constitution describing the vision of your clan. [*]Detailed clan management features with different roles (ala Dust 514 / Eve). [*]Built-in clan match rooms / lobbies. [*]Built-in clan forums / communication features- likely to happen on h-hour.com. [*]Every clan will have a dedicated clan room that enables larger than 16players to meetup. [*]Clan-deploy option (not clear yet). [*]In-game clan battle & tournaments with moderation capabilities. [*]Ranked clan leaderboards. [*]Detailed analytics regarding actions & statics of your players. [*]Ability to assign a moderator (or two) to take spectator slots in matches. [*]Spectating may have a delay to help mitigate cheating.
Single Player [*]Co-Op may come later after SP launch. [*]SP AI will have a sense of emotion: fear, surprise, anger, etc...
Game Modes [*]Suppression [*]Escort [*]Demolition [*]Breach
Weapons & Confirmations [*]Basic weapon attachments will be available in H-Hour.
Confirmations [*]Handguns [*]Desert Eagle [*] [*]Rifles [*] [*]Sub-Machine Guns [*] [*]Attachments [*] [*]Snipers [*] [*]Grenades [*]Smoke [*]Flashbang [*] [*]Deployables [*]PNMines (feedback thread: http://sofstudios.co...ussion-on-this/) [*]Claymores
The Demo [*]First demo map will be asymmetrical . [*]PC Demo to launch Dec 7th (based upon timeline in kickstarter- link to come).
Investments & Partners [*]Kickstarter self funded [*]No word on VC yet. [*]No word on Publisher yet.
Developers (So far Confirmed) [*]David Sears [*]Russ Phillips

[*]Full release January 2015, but i'm hoping they move it up to Nov 2014....

[[mXm] kotaco]

Note: The kickstarter is closed but they are still taking donations. $20 gets you a copy of the game and apparently preference into the beta after the $150 backers.

[[mXm] andy19]

oh sweet jeebus I'm looking forward to this.
Now I just need to work out a way to get a PS4 when it comes out.

[[mXm] BalzOnYer4Head]

Time to ask for Gift cards to Canadian Gamestop for all occasions, to include your sons birthday

[[mXm] kotaco]

[quote name='BalzOnYer4Head' timestamp='1374724244' post='2915']
Time to ask for Gift cards to Canadian Gamestop for all occasions, to include your sons birthday


Lol, yeah Andy think of it as an investment for your sons entertaintment that you just borrow multiple nights per week :P