Female characters a ‘top priority’ for H1Z1 devs

Sony Art Director Mat Broome has shed some light on the development and creation of various characters in SOE's upcoming post-apocalyptic zombie survival MMO H1Z1, revealing the team's focus on creating female characters.

"Early access is going to be awesome, because we won’t just be adding our own items, we’ll be carefully listening to the community on feedback for what’s important to them," Broome wrote in a blog post titled The Gruesome and Gory details of H1Z1. "Top priorities are female characters and their own wearables as well. That means kick ass new boots, and more options for head gear and fatigues."

Broome said SOE will be "testing out" female characters ,multiple character races, and even multiple new zombie types as well as "massive brawlers that won't let anyone stand in their way."

The "key," he said, is designing a malleable paper doll system "that allows us to use all of these pieces and keep the silhouette feeling unique and special to each player. It's a challenge but FUN!"

"I’m also excited about bring more characters to life that feel like our male lead Ivan, a guy you would want to fight alongside of in the backwoods of a post-apocalyptic North America," he said. "The internal teams focus is to make these as “real” as possible and feel like someone you could know. That means the tough guy next door, or the endurance runners you meet at the gym or cross fit competitions. Hey, look, we all love Tom Cruise, Denzel Washington, and Scarlett Johansson but when it’s survival time we, care more about what they have to offer and less about fame!"

"The new races and genders will provide us with a strong range of characters," he continued, adding that zombies in H1Z1 will also have a "wide range of movement appearance and combat."

"The slow moving zombies are the corner stone of game play, but you can look forward to fast movers and creepers alike. Next up to test in game are the brawlers, larger and stronger zombies that can force their way through packs and attack a target with little resistance," he explained, concluding: "There’s no limit to what we can do, and there will be great reference in early access to make sure we keep you alert, well-armed and ready for combat!"