Shattered Horizon is a multi player first-person shooter with unique freedom of movement and realistic zero gravity combat.Design principles
* The real space setting of Shattered Horizon offers gameplay, tactics and freedom of movement that cannot be found in any other shooter.
* Simple and intuitive controls let you take full advantage of the distinctive zero gravity environment.
* A sci-fi game you can believe in. Shattered Horizon uses real-world technology and physics as the basis for a fun and accessible game.
* Astonishing visuals combined with functional art design immerse you in the cold reality of combat in space.
Game Description
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Shattered Horizon is a multiplayer first-person shooter game with unique freedom of movement and realistic zero gravity combat.
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Shattered Horizon is a multiplayer first-person shooter where players fight in zero gravity surrounded by rocky debris
from a huge explosion on the Moon. With simple and intuitive controls players have complete freedom of movement
to create gameplay and tactics impossible in games constrained by gravity.
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Shattered Horizon is a multiplayer first-person shooter where players fight in zero gravity surrounded by the broken remains of orbital infrastructure and billions of tons of rocky debris thrown into orbit by a huge explosion on the Moon. With simple and intuitive controls players have complete freedom of movement, making full use of the distinctive environment to control the battle. Shattered Horizon rewards players with gameplay and tactics impossible in games constrained by gravity.
Stunning lighting effects and zero gravity physics give the look and feel of real space, bringing to life an extraordinary and epic vision of the future.
Background Story
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When a catastrophic accident on the Moon fills near-Earth space with debris, the survivors must fight or face deathin the cold of space.
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Man is back on the Moon but greed soon leads to a catastrophic accident, when an explosion fills near-Earth space with debris. Survivors on the Moon are forced into conflict with those trapped on the battered International Space Station. Control of limited supplies means the difference between survival and death.
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Man is back on the Moon and the companies that took him there are reaping huge profits. Their greed soon leads to the largest mining accident in history, when an explosion throws billions of tons of rocky debris into near-Earth space. Fragments of the Moon settle around the Earth and become known as the Arc. With Earth surrounded by debris there's little chance of rescue or return. Survivors on the Moon are forced into conflict with those trapped on the battered International Space Station. Control of the Arc means the difference between survival and death in the cold of space.
Shattered Horizon beta
In late August a limited number of gamers will be taking part in a technical beta for Shattered Horizon. At Gamescom, Futuremark Games Studio revealed the first details of what gamers could expect.
Moondust
Moondust is an oxygen-rich fragment of Moon rock where MMC miners have set up a mining facility. This is a risky venture, as the Arc's rotation brings it right under the ISA's nose. The MMC has little choice: with most of Moon's oxygen farms destroyed, they are literally fighting for air. Moondust is designed to be accessible to new players. It features a lot of indoor spaces, corridors and caverns. There are man-made structures which give a natural sense of “up” even though there’s no gravity. Combat tends to be close range and sudden.
Flipside
The remains of Hadley Science Station now orbit the Moon. The station contains stockpiles of high-purity nuclear fuel that could sustain the conflict for years. Determined to cut the MMC's fuel supply, the ISA launches a mission to confiscate the supplies or destroy them. In Flipside players fight on both sides of a broken disc of Moon rock, moving between the two through cracks and fractures in the level. As players move from one side to the other, up becomes down. Teams must control both sides to win.
ISS
A meteoroid impact has severed the International Space Station nearly in two. MMC troops seize the opportunity to raid the crippled and understaffed station. A skeleton crew of ISA astronauts must hold out against the attack. ISS is the most open of the three beta levels. The long axis of the station provides clear direction for the players. In this level players can make full use of zero gravity resulting in fast paced tactical play.
Players
The beta will support 32 players simultaneously.
Game Modes
Battle
In Battle two teams compete to capture control points and dominate the map. Teams must defend their own control points while attacking the enemy’s.
Assault
Assault is a turn-based control point capture game. Teams take turns attacking and defending. Control points cannot be recaptured by the defending team once lost. The attacking team must capture all control points in order to win the round.
Skirmish
Skirmish is a team deathmatch game mode. At the end of the round, the final score determines the winning team.
Weapons
In space it is impractical for an astronaut to have a large amount of weapons and equipment. With too much gear something is bound to float away. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wvUhFwNxEqU
For that reason each player in Shattered Horizon carries a single multifunctional assault rifle. Using this weapon, the player is equipped for every type of combat scenario: up-close melee attacks, medium range fire fights and accurate long range combat.
Tactical Grenades
Grenades are fired with the rifle’s under-slung launcher. In zero gravity, grenades have special properties: they fly straight and true, with no drop to limit the range. Players can also ricochet grenades off surfaces to attack beyond their line of sight.
All the grenades in Shattered Horizon are non-lethal. Rather than provide cheap one-shot kills, they are designed to support team tactics and enhance the zero gravity experience.
ICE
The ICE grenade releases a fine cloud of water particles which flash freeze in the vacuum of space. The ice crystals block both sight and radar. This grenade can be used to provide cover, block lines of sight or disorient enemies caught in the cloud.
EMP
The EMP grenade disables an astronaut’s suit electronics. When a player is caught in an EMP blast their HUD crashes, taking away their radar and audio simulation. Their rocket pack also becomes less responsive, inhibiting movement until the suit’s OS reboots.
MPR
The MPR grenade’s blast pushes away astronauts and floating objects. Players can use the MPR grenade to dislodge defenders from their cover, or protect themselves from charging enemies by knocking them back.
Genre
Multiplayer first-person shooter
Tactical shooter (gameplay involves teams capturing control points)
Science fiction shooter (set in near-Earth space 40 years from now)
Platforms
Windows Vista, Windows 7 - DirectX 10 graphics card required
Developer
Futuremark Games Studio
Game Engine and Technology
In-house DirectX10 engine using PhysX and optimized for multi-core PCs.
Shattered Horizon carries the NVIDIA “The Way It’s Meant To Be Played” seal.
Rating
The game has not yet been rated by ESRB, PEGI or other rating bodies.
Release date
Ready for release holiday 2009 (dependent on this summer’s technical beta)