Friday, December 25, 2020

Escape from Tarkov - developer shows third faction and game mechanics

At the current developer conference GDC 2017 in San Francisco, the developer Battlestate Games presents a new playable faction and game mechanics for the shooter MMO Escape from Tarkov.

The "looters" (English: Scavs) are marauders who stayed behind in Tarkov. Their motivation is to get hold of the possessions that were left by residents after the government closed the city. In doing so, they fight against all units that are trying to »re-establish law and order in the city«.

The Looters will be the third playable faction in the game after the USEC and BEAR already featured. Nikita Buyanov, COO of Battlestate Games and the game's project manager explains:

"As a looter, it's like playing the game without rules, which leads to a completely different gaming experience with a focus on ruthlessness and ignorance. Players of this faction start together with the computer-controlled looters, for example, at a specified place on "the map at one point in time to interfere with the mission of the USECs and BEARs. In doing so, they influence the decisions of the other two factions, while at the same time targeting other groups of looters."

More on the topic: Escape from Tarkov - Beta, Steam, System Requirements: What We Know

Also, raids from escaped Tarkov should be in the future as a "renegade raiders" can be entered. Then players are given a random name, equipment and weapons. The spawn time is set randomly for looters and they should be able to form groups of up to four players. If a looter survives the raid, he can bring the collected loot into the hiding place of the actual main character. However, the opportunities to play as a looter should be limited.

Monday, December 21, 2020

Escape from Tarkov - Launch of the extended alpha, looking back on 2016

 After some gameplay videos from the alpha version of the survival shooter Escape from Tarkov were recently circulating on the Internet, the developers have now spoken up again. Just in time for the turn of the year, the Battlestate Games studio looks back on the achievements and progress made in 2016.


The 18:45 minute long developer video deals, among other things, with newly established graphic effects, the handling of weapons in the game and the importance of light and shadow for gameplay.


Extended alpha phase started

At the same time, the developers announced the start of the extended alpha phase of Escape from Tarkov. All the features of the previous Alpha are still included - but there are also a few new functions. Weapons can now break and be repaired, which should provide a completely new gaming experience.


The new raid area "Forest" is also intended to bring perfidious tactics into play with its dense vegetation. In addition, groups can now be created so that players can more easily go on a raid together.


Battlestate Games will select new testers for the extended alpha over the next few days. Owners of the pre-order packages "Prepare For Escape" and "Left Behind" are taken into account. Chances are greater for early pre-orderers.

Friday, December 18, 2020

Escape from Tarkov - 20 minutes of gameplay from the survival shooter

 Escape from Tarkov should go into beta soon. If you do not want to wait so long to take a look at what's going on in the game, you will find it on YouTube: The well-known Let's Player JackFrags has published a gameplay video with a total of 20 minutes of game scenes on the video platform.


There are some firefights and loot actions in an abandoned warehouse. In addition to human players, the YouTuber apparently also uses AI fighters as opponents.


Escape from Tarkov has been in an alpha phase for quite some time. With the early start of the beta, new content should also find its way - including new game modes and a dynamic weather system.

Wednesday, October 28, 2020

Escape from Tarkov - closed beta registration started

While a first alpha test for Escape from Tarkov is scheduled for February 2016, a closed beta phase is to be held towards the end of the first quarter of 2016. And interested players can now register for them on the official website of the shooter survival MMO.

If you want to take part in the test run, all you have to do is enter your name, date of birth, country of origin and email address in the corresponding online forum. It is not yet known when the participants will be notified.

Escape from Tarkov takes place in a post-apocalyptic world in which it is all about your own survival. Zombies are left out. Instead, the focus is on the escape from the encircled city of Tarkov.

Sunday, August 23, 2020

Escape from Tarkov - Alpha Access and Content: This is how the test works

 The developer Battlestate Games has revealed further details on the technical alpha test of its online survival shooter Escape from Tarkov.


Access to the test run is therefore granted in waves. The interested parties will gradually be allowed into the game, they say - according to the greyhound principle.


Guaranteed access only in the most expensive pre-order edition

Means: Whoever pre-ordered first, will also get access first. However, the respective pre-order version also plays a role. A guaranteed access Alpha i st only in the limited and 110-euro "Edge of Darkness" -Edition included. Those who pre-order the Standard Edition only receive guaranteed closed beta access.


Those who own the "Prepare for Escape" edition, on the other hand, have a 50 percent chance of getting an alpha key. The "Left Behind" edition is still 25 percent.


The goal is to let all eligible players on the alpha server within two weeks. Anyone who pre-orders during the alpha test will also be provided with alpha access, depending on the version ordered. The same applies here: the more expensive the pre-order version, the higher the chances.


The contents of the alpha version

The alpha version of Escape from Tarkov contains the two locations Customs and Factory. The only parliamentary group available is the PMC. There is also a trading system and access to an in-game dealer.


There are also around 15 weapons and various items of equipment such as night vision devices. A complete list of all alpha content can be found in the relevant news post on the game's official page.


The test run of the early alpha version of the survival shooter peppered with RPG and MMO elements starts on August 4th, 2016. Players should expect technical problems, bugs and server failures. How long the stress test is carried out is unknown.

Wednesday, June 10, 2020

Escape from Tarkov - The highlights of the alpha livestream

On May 18, 2016 there was the first, somewhat sympathetically chaotic alpha livestream from the Battle State Games developers for the shooter MMO Escape from Tarkov and our colleagues from Survivethis.news put it under the microscope. The gameplay as well as the handling of the weapons and equipment were shown in the stream.

The objectives, i.e. the tasks in the scenarios, were also explained in the approximately 90-minute stream. There are also scenes with the previous interface and a look at the level selection. What is unfortunately still missing: A date for the start of the Alpha.

In Escape from Tarkov there are so far two factions that the player can join. One is pro-Russian, the other group is pro-western. The game has also been called a stalker MMO for the past few months. Anyone who sees the gameplay in the video will immediately recognize similarities in the setting, as both games are recognizable in areas of the former Eastern Bloc.

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There is a story
In between the gameplay sections, the developers also answer some questions from the audience. Among other things, it's about the story. The story of the game is told as a flashback in television interviews in which two contemporary witnesses report on the events surrounding Tarkov.

Surviving in the raids is tough
The scenarios (or raids) are part of the basics of the game. As the name "Escape from Tarkov" already suggests, the player must escape from Tarkov. Alone or with up to three friends you can make your way from zone to zone - there is no coherent open world, but large, open levels. In the livestream, the developers show one of these raids and up to 70 minutes they try to escape twice, but fail because of the opposing NPC's called Scavenger.

In the 8km² area you look for keys to open the transition to the next zone. The player also collects weapons, ammunition, food and other aids on the go.

In addition to the scavengers, foreign players can also join the raid and hunt down the player. Also environmental influences and the harsh area of ​​Tarkov should not let the player come to rest.

Beware of ricochets
Escape from Tarkov features amazing ballistic physics that can be seen in the livestream from 1:17 hour onwards. For example, bullets ricochet off hard surfaces such as steel or pierce soft objects such as plastic or meat. The balls change their career and can hit other opponents.

The type of bullet should also have an impact on the shooting behavior. For example, an inferior quality bullet can damage the barrel and render the weapon unusable.

The shot
The exit hole

The shot If you shoot at soft objects like plastic barricades ...

Looting objects should be carefully considered
If you want to loot finished enemies, you should keep a close eye on the area. In contrast to games that are similar to the genre such as DayZ, you can not see directly what is in the respective pockets. The player has to search them first and while a timer is running, he is defenseless to other players.

Modification of weapons
Modifying weapons is also a big part of the MMO shooter, so we can replace every imaginable component or attach additional weapon mods to the respective places. With this feature, the player should be able to assemble his own weapon in order to be perfectly equipped in every situation.

The weapon parts first have to be found in the world of Tarkov or bought from various dealers.

The Steam also shows that the player can lean left and right in Escape from Tarkov.

Thursday, January 2, 2020

Escape From Tarkov - Start of the closed alpha testing dated

 Escape From Tarkov will enter the alpha phase in summer 2016: The test run of an early version of the survival shooter, which is peppered with role-playing and MMO elements, will start on August 4, 2016.


However, access to the alpha test is limited: There is no point in opening the test phase directly to the general public, according to the developers.


The aim of the closed alpha is not only to polish individual aspects and implement new content, but also to work out the balancing and optimize details of the game mechanics. And for that you need a smaller and more focused group of testers.


How many testers will be approved in the end and according to which criteria is not yet known. However, interested players can register on the official website and hope to be invited later.

An update with weight: Escape from Tarkov is getting heavier - and easier

 Update 0.12.4.6440 for Escape from Tarkov is live, as developer Battlestate Games announced via Twitter. The patch makes adjustments to the...