In Escape From Tarkov and other FPS games that pursue rich realism, opposing combatants are typically the main threat on your mind. But to feel truly immersed, the world itself has to inspire caution, intrigue, even fear – it needs to influence and define your tactics as you adapt to nature itself. New Gray Zone Warfare update Winds of War is all about exactly that; developer Madfinger Games is integrating a dynamic weather system and dozens of new locations to make the island of Lamang feel alive like never before.
Following its Night Ops update last year, the next major milestone for open-world game's environments and locations are changing.
There are eleven weather presets being introduced with Winds of War, from clear skies to dense, visibility-reducing mist and dangerous lightning storms. Initially, these conditions will apply across the entire island, although Madfinger is planning to expand the system to create more localized conditions in different parts of the map in the future.
Given the ultra-realistic nature of GZW, these various weather types will impact everything from ambient light to wind speed and direction. Rain will create puddles and flood rice fields; a heavy storm might cover your footsteps, but when it ends the residual water could make it difficult to move undetected. Wet clothing can slow you down, your scopes might fog up, and the rainfall could impair your visibility if you aren't wearing equipment to counteract it.
Moving about during hotter, more humid conditions will drain your hydration faster. Overflowing rivers could impede movement across certain paths, while more extreme conditions might force your air to remain grounded. Lightning strikes are of course inherently dangerous, but even if they aren't landing close to your location the flashes could give away your spot if you're trying to slip across open areas.
To further enhance this, Madfinger has also overhauled the FPS game's ambient audio, with weather and wildlife now providing both clues to danger and distractions that could mask incoming threats. The local fauna will also react to the current conditions.
Winds of War isn't just a systems upgrade, however. The patch will introduce more than 60 new locations across Lamang, providing new areas for fights, potential loot locations, and opportunities to uncover more about the disaster that's shaped the world's current state. Some larger additions are also visible from range, making them useful navigation landmarks.
Among these new spots, Madfinger is introducing combat outposts, or 'COPs.' There will be 36 to discover, spread between major and minor variants. Manage to capture and hold one, and it'll prove a powerful defensive position. While only one group may hold a COP in the PvEvP Warfare mode, if you're playing in t Operations, the pure PvE mode, all factions are able to take and use the same outpost as a shared safe zone.
Two major COPs are of particular note, as they grant access to an elusive black market dealer known as Vulture. A vicious and mercenary sort, Vulture's network combs the island for valuable gear, including equipment lost by other PMCs, and makes it available to whoever pays the most. The COPs that give access to his contraband stash will rotate periodically, so you'll have to stay sharp if you want to take advantage of his offers.
Gray Zone Warfare update 0.3, Winds of War, is set to launch in the spring. As the launch closes in, Madfinger thanks players for their help testing the game's experimental build and continued suggestions for future improvements.
If you can't wait until then, try another of the best battle royale games if you want to prove yourself against all odds.
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