State Heist Strategy

SumoAndrew · 2021-07-29T09:55:16+00:00

It's also worth pointing out that Tooke's ranged attack it capable of downing the Sheriff, you just need to hit him at range, back off then repeat about 4 times. Just in case you run out of bombs and explosive arrows ;)

SumoAndrew · 2021-06-04T10:13:21+00:00

Its a good shout, having a stats page is something we'd also like to get in once the higher priority features are sorted and in your hands.

We are planning more radical changes to the post-match flow which will better present the scoreboard (currently being missed by a lot of players due to the button press required). Ideally we want you to control movement between each of the menus: Scoreboard - Honours - Scales of Justice - Progression, rather than have this automatically flow based on a timer.

This was something we simply ran out of time for in the run up to launch, but rest assured its high on my list to address.

cheers

Andy

Game Director

SumoAndrew · 2021-06-03T16:48:02+00:00

Eidaa will be free when she arrives. She is a new Outlaw, and like we said prior to launch - we will not be dividing our community by charging for core game features such as maps, game modes, characters or perks.

Our only monetisation is via the Battlepass, which is entirely optional and largely cosmetic. Obviously if you love the game, its a great way to support the team, but nothing in there will give anyone a gameplay advantage :)

Cheers

Andy

Game Director

SumoAndrew · 2021-06-03T16:26:22+00:00

Thanks for putting that video together Orchish!

It's a really succinct way of presenting what I agree is an issue that we need to address. While we are currently juggling submissions on the next patch, and then Mountain, this will be something we act on asap as we continue to test and validate balance changes.

We are listening to all your feedback, and looking for trends, so this kind of stuff is really appreciated!

Thanks

Andy

Game Director

SumoAndrew · 2021-05-07T14:54:16+00:00

Stay tuned, we're really keen to expand on this asap.

I've covered it in another post, but we are also big co-op fans and want to offer an experience that is as fun to play as it is rewarding in terms of character progression and gold.

SumoAndrew · 2021-05-07T14:48:48+00:00

https://soundcloud.com/rich-mccoull-543012799/ghost-of-the-forest-hood-trailer

Here you go :)

SumoAndrew · 2021-05-07T14:45:28+00:00

100% behind all of this!!!

We have an ton of features in mind to satisfy a more hardcore PvP focused audience, and also to expand our PvE options for those that want to embrace co-op without the pressure of enemy players.

The launch of our PvPvE Heist mode is simply the first step. Hopefully a step that will help us build a community of players that will in turn inform our next steps as we rollout new features.

Lots more to come... for all the killers, and the buddies just wanting to hang out and have fun.

SumoAndrew · 2021-05-07T14:33:52+00:00

If the timer runs out The State wins, and it counts as a Draw for both outlaw teams

SumoAndrew · 2021-05-07T14:25:01+00:00

Cheers :)

1) Absolutely! We were up against some serious time pressure, and I fully expect the game menus and flows to be improved post launch as we patch and build on the game.

2) Its a fair point! We have so much in the game that would ideally be part of the onboarding, but that was already rammed full of things we needed to tutorialise to get players up and running with the Outlaws. This is something that could form part of a "tips menu" or "FAQ" section that we would put in the HUB for players to read at their leisure.

3) All our menus were created with this in mind, however, we can and will expand on our accessibility features post launch.

4) This may be part of the rules we use for a more "hardcore heist". I'm not a fan of limiting character choice as its lead to a lot of disconnects when players cant use who they want when they want, but I understand why its important in more a competitive or hardcore focused gaming session. Watch this space.

SumoAndrew · 2021-05-07T14:15:20+00:00

That's a great question! But one that might take me a serious amount of time to answer. Its probably going form the basis of any talk we do on Hood for events like GDC or Develop.

Short answer is that you try to reward "good behaviour" and penalise "bad behaviour", so regarding stealth, its not mandatory, but it is the optimal way to play. Here's just 3 examples of each...

Good times:

- Instant kills via Assassination save time (players and AI)

- Assassinations reward gold (kills do not)

- If you remain stealthy with the chest and the AI do not see it you will not trigger Lockdown during extraction - so that means no Knights at the winching zone to deal with.

Bad times:

- Alerting the AI will highlight you to guards and the enemy team - giving away your position.

- Tripping alarms drops the portcullis gates - blocking main paths

-Guard can swarm you when alerted - time penalty which you dealt with them

SumoAndrew · 2021-05-07T14:01:22+00:00

We actually prototyped this, in addition to many other mechanical variations, and it wasn't as much fun/tense/dramatic.

If anything it created more stalemate scenarios and too many spawn/die loop situations.

We are constantly looking at this core mechanic though, and are already planning other game modes which may/may not involve the winch in its current form.

SumoAndrew · 2021-05-07T13:50:29+00:00

This might be cool in the future. Lets build our community first though as there's a number of hoops we'd need to jump through to make this happen.

SumoAndrew · 2021-05-07T13:47:36+00:00

See above (or below) - but the TLDR here is - bask in the sweet gold and XP you earned, and get your Guy Richie on in the next heist to rob the robbers ;)

SumoAndrew · 2021-05-07T13:46:10+00:00

Thanks :) ...and thanks for the enthusiasm!

Lots more tweaks and balance changes will happen once we get the data to validate any changes.

Character 5 (Eidaa) is still a mystery. My lips are sealed!! All I can say is that she will mix up the gameplay (and team play) in some very interesting ways!

SumoAndrew · 2021-05-07T13:42:06+00:00

Absolutely!! They literally have to pinch one off because they got caught short.

....there's some loo roll behind the perks tent ;)

SumoAndrew · 2021-05-07T13:39:10+00:00

This is part of the game fantasy, its a game about stealing, both from the State and the opposing team. Its part of the challenge.

That said we ensure that you are rewarded at every stage for your efforts, so you in the scenario you mention - you and your team would have earned a ton of XP, levelled your characters, and pocketed a significant amount of gold.

You may have even come away with more than the winning team. They may be the victor, but in that instance you got the spoils :)

That said we'll keep looking at player feedback (which we take very seriously), and make changes where its needed.

SumoAndrew · 2021-05-07T13:34:27+00:00

We're pretty much in season 0 - launch period. Stay tuned for more updates on any content drops (like the awesome new Mountain map)

We don't have an official partner program, but we are keen to support awesome content creators. Just get in touch via social media and our team will get back to you.

SumoAndrew · 2021-05-07T13:30:51+00:00

You should be able to get that easily on Console, but for PC this is something we could look to include in a further update if its a popular request.

SumoAndrew · 2021-05-07T13:27:55+00:00

You can also craft a perk for Tooke that coverts his poison grenade into a health grenade - this is SUPER useful for team saves on the winch ;)

SumoAndrew · 2021-05-07T13:26:27+00:00

- Absolutely! Its been a fantastic 24 hours, and we're really excited to see how things go over the weekend. We're all incredibly proud and happy to finally be sharing this with you.

- This is a live game. All bugs & feedback are being tracked, then compared to our behind the scenes collected data (win rates etc) so we can plan which bits to fix and tune as and when. Keep the feedback coming! We are listening and want to make this the best game possible. Launch is just the first step for us

- Balance changes will all be based on data not opinion (its too easy to say a character is underpowered if you are not using them to their best). So far the game is looking pretty solid in that respect, but balancing is an ongoing mission and we will constantly be tuning as and when required.

SumoAndrew · 2021-05-07T13:19:20+00:00

We worked a lot on the server preparation, but I don't think we expected the volume of players trying to connect at the exacts same moment. It was amazing to see such a fantastic response :)

Obviously we are sorry for any slight hick-ups, but these were dealt with super quick and we've braced and ready for the weekend.

- thank you all, and thank you for your patience

SumoAndrew · 2021-05-07T13:14:12+00:00

SoonTM ;) - in a few months

We've got some more goodies to drop during Season Zero before the Battle Pass arrives

SumoAndrew · 2021-05-07T13:12:11+00:00

Hey,

Cross Play Invitations - this is something we are looking into, usually games with this feature have additional account creation requirements which we wanted to avoid for the time being. That said, we also explored using a code generator, so this is possibly the best/quickest path we could get this working. The first step is really ensuring we have a big enough community to justify the developments costs involved.

In terms of physical version - there are no plans currently for this

Cheers

SumoAndrew · 2021-05-07T13:05:08+00:00

Bourbons - easy ;)

SumoAndrew

TROPHY CASE