We were invited by the developers of Escape from Tarkov (Battlestate Games) to attend Gamescom 2017 and receive a preview of what upcoming features we can expect. They were very informative and gave us great detail about the quest system, player base, new weapons as well as the next playable location. On top of that, there were also a few gimmicks that they showed us that we thought you might like.
Escape from Tarkov – The Player Base is Coming
After the pretty dire release of the Beta build, a lot of criticism was given for it’s low content and performance issues, which left people assuming that Battlestate Games was simply lazy. Though the developers of Escape from Tarkov aim to change this opinion, attending Gamescom 2017 in Cologne to ask the players how they can improve.
During the first hands-on preview of the playable build, our character started off in an underground bunker with doors that strongly reminded us of all the exit points in the game map. Within a few seconds, our editors quickly realised that they were actually in the player’s base.
The Hideout is available to players and ready for expansions. The warehouse is full of various pieces of equipment, food and also includes a shooting range. The space can even be upgraded to produce food and water. It was delightful to hear that they had planned this feature already for one of their upcoming updates. Don’t get too excited just yet though, that’s not even the half of it!
The Quest System
Up next in this new preview comes a quest system which is somewhat of an extension of the dealership. Tasks will begin with simple challenges – such as obtaining an item or sending out a signal – whilst at higher levels you will be required to traverse the entire map whilst gathering interesting stories.
Unfortunately, there are annoying desync issues that can cause trouble, but they were fairly minor. Oh, with the Beta start also came plenty of server issues to deal with. Coder “Teh Snake” gives us our information very bluntly – there need to be more servers added to obtain high quality performance for all the new players.
New Weapons and Features
A larger selection of detailed, virtual guns for you to have fun with are planned for the game. Though in terms of weapons being added, Escape from Tarkov aims to retain it’s title as a hardcore Russian shooter and add a diverse selection of weaponry. Here is a more specific list of new weapons for the game:
- Glock 17: 9mm Pistol
- MP5K: Short 9mm sub-machine gun
- AKM: The classic 7.62mm AK-47 machine gun
- PP-19: 9mm machine gun
Another nice added feature to be expected from the game is the improved shank of the AKS-74U. This can now be folded in and out using a hotkey, allowing the more tactical of militants to use their guns in both close and long ranged environments.
In a heated firefight, it is possible to peek your head out of cover a little, though it is not necessary, as there is an option to just blindly fire. As shown in the above picture, the character is able to hold their gun above cover to shoot at random.
Gestures and Hand Signals
In Escape from Tarkov, silent and non-verbal communication is promoted. Soon it’s going to be possible to select from various gestures and signals to be done with your hand using a dial menu which everyone can then see the character perform. In addition to motioning the way forward or giving a friendly thumbs up, it will be possible to give a more tactical approach.
What’s Next Before the Full Release?
The next phase in development marks the Open Beta, predicted for the end of the year. Right now there is no news on an actual release date so we have no concrete news to share about the full release of the game. However, from this quote we can assume that the developers aim for late 2018 at the absolute latest.
“2019 would be a shame”
Even though the new location “Shoreline” to be released with the Open Beta isn’t quite completed, the developers assured us that a lot of work is being put into creating their newest map. And that means.. Drum roll please.. Streets of Tarkov! That’s right, the community’s long anticipated city location is the next playable map in Escape from Tarkov! We can only hope it goes well for the developers and we will be seeing these changes sometime soon. Of course, we’ll be right here to cover the news!
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