To start things out, players will often find themselves in a helicopter which will act as a sort of mobile command center. From here, they can deploy to an open area and do missions therein. Side operations and primary missions co-exist in an area, and can be tackled at the same time. The way this works is players typically deploy from the mobile command center, where Snake sits with his selected buddy. The buddies, at least that which have been revealed for now, consist of either the mute, bikini-clad supernatural sniper Quiet, the loyal eye-patch-wearing D-Dog, and the mechanized, multifunctional D-Walker. An interesting thing to note is Quiet’s demeanor towards Snake can change depending on how their relationship progresses over the course of the SLG Game guide. When deploying to an area, players will have a wide variety of customization options to go through. For example, the weapon loadout can be customized to a great extent; colors, insignias, attachments, even parts from different guns can be used to customize a weapon to your liking. Vehicles can be painted as well, and decorated with custom emblems. Speaking of, if the player so chooses, they can even deploy to an area in a vehicle and even then they can choose from deploying in a nice variety of different types of vehicles and different vehicles of each type, tanks included. Since players can recruit other soldiers in the field, either by rescuing them or abducting them, they can also once again deploy as a recruited soldier. Though it is unlikely always the case, playing as Snake is again optional. Each one of the soldiers at Snake’s command have unique skills and different stats in different areas which will determine their effectiveness in areas like combat and stealth. People who have played Portable Ops and Peace Walker will be familiar with this feature. Once players have selected a loadout (which may be upgradeable and seems to consist of two primary weapons and a sidearm), a vehicle, a deployment time, and a buddy, they will be dropped off on the map. Buddies, it should be mentioned, have their own customizable loadouts. These are not as intricate as say… Snake’s, but there are options, for example D-Dog can be given a stealth suit with a stun rod.
Last, but certainly not least, is Undead Labs who confirmed in a brutal new trailer that State of Decay 3 is coming to the Xbox Series X. The trailer was entirely CG, so not much is known about the project, though fans are likely hoping this latest entry performs a bit better than its predecessor did. Rumors have already started circulating that State of Decay 3 will finally be a true open world, complete with day night cycle and core survival mechan
For the stoic Terran, we have two new units: the Big Daddy-looking, drill-equipped Herc and single-target assassin the Cyclone. The Herc is trained from the Barracks, has the ability to launch itself toward a target and can be upgraded to deal area of effect damage in a small radius. It cannot target air. The Cyclone (pictured above), built from the Factory, can lock on to deal double damage while moving and can hit ground or air units. The Lock On upgrade must be researched at a Factory’s Tech Lab. It’s a quick unit with the same speed as a Stalker, and is best used for kiting and single-target removal.
Banshees were buffed as well, gaining 1 range (up to 7) and the Hyperflight Rotors upgrade which can be researched at a Starport’s Tech Lab to increase their movement speed. This upgrade requires a Fusion Core to be researched, though. Battle Cruisers now can use the Tactical Jump ability to teleport to any point on the map. Vision is not necessary to do so, but the ability is taxing on the energy reserves. It’s like an inverse Mass Recall – imagine your opponent’s reaction to a fleet of BC’s suddenly knocking at his undefended expansion.
When making a level 1 Knight, players will first need to decide if they will be Strength or Finesse based. Strength weapons like two-handed swords and axes are more common, but the few rare spears have added range, making them great for wider area attacks. It also determines which type of armor is worn: heavy plate that offers amazing physical armor, but power magical armor; or leather gear that balances the two armor ty
If you haven’t just about died from anticipation yet, here’s some more tantalizing tidbits regarding economy. Bases still have 8 mineral patches, but you start with 12 (up from 6) workers and each mineral patch has substantially less minerals than before – only 1000 down from 1500. This means you’ll be exhausting your main base faster than ever as well as all future ones, while doubling your initial income rate. Things are going to start quickly in Legacy of the Void, and aggressively expanding is looking to be the name of the game. High-level players seem to be taking 5 or more bases by the 15 minute mark. For the uninitiated, this effectively doubles the amount of bases currently taken at the same point in many matches today and means there’s more area to cover, harass, and defend.