Zero Hour developers M7 Productions and Attrito continue to add new features to the upcoming big update called Operation Black Dawn.
At the start of this month, Zero Hour announced the new Operation Black Dawn update, which is supposed to introduce a new map, better character animations, and many more quality-of-life changes. The devs are now doubling down on this upcoming patch by introducing more features, which will significantly improve the player experience.
In “Devlog #2”, the developers highlighted the new changes being added with Black Dawn, including a smoother movement and control system, weapon modifications, better animations for rappelling, new prone system, and more. Check out the new changes showcased in the video below:
Find the Zero Hour Devlog #2 below: (via Steam)
CONTROLS AND MOVEMENT
With operation Black Dawn we have been working deeply with the movement system and even recreating few elements from scratch. The current versions of movement don’t have proper transition time as you can change direction with no account to inertia. This is getting changed as with the new movement we are making transitions smooth and adding inertia to direction change. This along with the new feature of being able to control your walking speed with mouse scroll wheel should allow players to move more accurately with the situations. Due to the fact you will also be able to fast walk, stamina drain for running will be increased by 10%.
- The transitions between movement states are now smoother
ANIMATIONS
There is also a great deal of smooth transition works that have been done for the third person character animations. These may sound like simple changes however a lot of research was done to get it just right. Also, a big change is coming with the rappelling system as with Operation Black Dawn you will no longer be able to instantly rappel as rappelling will now have a transition for throwing rope and getting to position. We feel this will ultimately also make rushing vertically a lot slower which is always a plus point for us. The new prone system will allow players to take point in tighter spaces and allow for more dynamic outcomes.
WEAPONS MODIFICATION
The Zero Hour community has always been patient with us and as requested by many we are having a weapon modification system in place. You will be able to select between rails, sights and barrels. (Note that initial number of mods available can be small but we have plans to increase it with time). This time around you will need to select between IR sights and flashlights as customization for your weapons. This means you will no longer have flashlights by default and will need to carry it with the weapon. The weapon modification menu will be available in the main menu where you can save your settings with every weapon and will also be available in the weapon selection phase for quick changes. This system can also be expanded on with future updates.
- The following is an experimental customization menu and will be changed a lot as we reach the release of this update
WATCHES WATCHES WATCHES!
The initial collection of watches that will be available with Operation Black Dawn includes 5 designs of watches with each having its own cosmetic perks.
SEVERAL IMPROVEMENTS
We have improved the weapon object avoid system big time as with Operation Black Dawn the character will now take note of objects in front with greater accuracy. Along with this we have greatly improved on short stocking; allowing players to be able to get closer to walls and still keep their weapons pointing forward.
- We are also planning to add procedural prop placements to make each round play differently and so the same tactic wont work twice. This feature however is still very experimental and we will announce more in the future.
Zero Hour’s future is looking promising as the devs are listening to the community and adding the much-requested features.
Operation Black Dawn is set to release sometime in May, with more updates planned for the future.
