Madfinger Games (who you may remember from mobile games like Dead Trigger and Unkilled) is rapidly iterating upon Gray Zone Warfare based on player feedback, but there’s a plan for the game long-term, too. A whole slew of features is coming before the 1.0 release, in fact.
Some of the particularly interesting examples include the ominous-sounding Ground Zero area, seasonal events, and faction-based AI, but it’s still very early days for Gray Zone Warfare. This Escape From Tarkov competitor only launched via Steam Early Access recently, and Madfinger already clarified that the game’s 1.0 build is likely still years out. The fact that a feature implementation plan exists this far ahead, though, should be excellent news for fans of the genre and, in particular, those who aim to stick with Gray Zone Warfare for a long while.
Features coming to Gray Zone Warfare before the 1.0 release
As per Gray Zone Warfare‘s Steam page, Madfinger Games aims to implement all of the following features into the game before it officially comes out of Early Access:
- A full GZW map with all of the planned locations and biomes
- Ground Zero, featuring endgame enemies, encounters, and storylines
- Multiple different AI behaviours that change based on the enemy type, situation, time, and/or weather
- Faction-based AI chasing its own quests, patrols, scavenging, and more (which sounds similar to the legendary STALKER‘s A-Life system)
- Instances of environmental storytelling featuring “mature and engaging” plots
- Advanced questing system featuring both the main narrative and side stories
- Game-changing seasonal events
- Crafting system
- Dynamic weather that changes the gameplay loop
- An accelerated day and night cycle
- A unique skill system based on the player’s achievements rather than grind
- Customizable player headquarters
- Improved weapon customization system
- Improved gear customization system
- Player trading feature
Madfinger also highlights that the studio will be adding unplanned features and content, too, “sparked by the input and desires of the community,” which is a good sentiment for sure.
If we’re being cheeky, some of the developer’s outlined features do sound a fair bit vague and out there for now, but we are missing oodles of context as to what they are exactly. Further, Madfinger is clever not to be overly specific about what’s coming and what isn’t, as plans are bound to change both in the short and the long term, and who knows what the future holds for Gray Zone Warfare.
For the time being, Gray Zone Warfare needs to find its footing and position itself as a competent Tarkov competitor. Even with ‘Mixed’ reviews on Steam, things are already looking good.
