A new faction and location in upcoming survival FPS Survarium are detailed by Vostok Games in a developer diary released this week.
In this spiritual successor to the failed Stalker 2, Survarium's black market is described as a space first founded by a leader of a marauder gang. It is located on an ex-car lot, now a spacious biker lot — an area in which players can meet marauders, gangsters, fighters and other factions. The black market is used to trade weapons, drugs and slaves, while the new Black Market faction is styled after the bikers, with gear that includes leather jackets, spikes, heavy gloves and boots. Black Market equipment consists of plundered and modified biker goods.
"In relation to their outfit, Black Market could be compared to the Mongol-Tatar Horde," says project lead Ruslan Didenko. "That is, they could easily add armor elements that are of no functional value. The fighters of Black Market cherish their armor in a special way, as they believe the armor is no only a functional body protection but also a certain indication of status. The particularly experienced members apply an image of a skull to their clothes, as a symbol of their fearlessness of death. The Black Market residents believe that good equipment brings them luck, so it is not uncommon that after a legendary fighter's death his equipment is handed over to his friends."
Black Market weapons are designed to be light and compact for mobile warring. These can include anything from a sawn-off shotgun, UZI, AKSU, revolver and pump-action shotguns.
The video also offers an in-game look at the new school location, described as a former shelter used by refugees when the city was initially dying, in order to protect themselves from mutated animals and birds. These mutated animals later gained entry into the school when an underground system of mutated roots broke through the school, opening up a passage through their barricade. This area is now rumored to house unique artifacts, the residual effect of strange anomalies within the building. One of these artifacts can brings people back from the dead.
The area's map is designed with numerous hills and fortified bases that can be used by sniper classes. The school's lower floors and basement are dark, requiring players to use flashlights, night vision devices, machine gun pistols and shotguns for close-range combat. In addition, the school features two anomalies, and players must first understand how they work in order to survive them.
According to Vostok, Survarium's weapons model is based on a realistic model of weapons, featuring gunshot recoil, as well compensation and automatics response when the lock hits the back of the weapon to make it shake. Aim is based on the shooter's position, the weapon's parameters and the player's skill, while firing is affected by the kinds of ammo used by the player.
Finally, the team has moved away from the traditional health bar system; Instead Vostok opted for a zone-based damage system. This means if the player is shot in the arm, this can affect their shooting and gun control, while if they are shot in the leg then they lose the ability to move quickly.
Survarium is a free-to-play MMOFPS slated for late 2013. The upcoming title is being developed with the help of a number of former Stalker 2 staff who joined the studio following the fallout of the Stalker sequel.
