Thank you for yesterday's AMA Session! Here you can find all questions and answers!
Community question Answer
1. What helicopters can we expect to see in the future? Currently we are in talks with Augusta Westland and Airbus/Eurocopter. Btw. that's why we asked you to fill the survey what models do you expect the most :) You can still submit your answers at https://forms.gle/nKLThfoBBfDsxhuw5. Bare with us. It can take time.
2. What changes to the Discord server are coming? There will be not so many changes on Discord. In our opinion, this is a great way to communicate with you. We would like to say "Thank you" to all current moderators who are willing to help us. Their help is something that is very important for us. Of course, we will be looking for new ones. Recrutation will start soon!
3. Will the player from Heliborne get a discount or any other things for the definitive edition? IMPORTANT: Everyone who owns Heliborne will get the Definitive Edition for FREE! :)
4. What are your (the company) goals for this year (in reguards to Heliborne)? We are planning to provide you full roadmap about the developement of the game in march (the latest). The most important goal - Definitive Edition in 2020.
5. How will the previous devs be incorporated into future development of the game if at all? There is a new Dev team for Heliborne, but we are in contact with JetCatGames. The details of cooperation are TBC but really want them to be on-board with us. At first they will help us with current bugfixing and issue solving. Later, we will see :)
6. Will you alter the current gamemode or simply add new ones? Both! We will be working on matchmaking algorithms, new single player missions but also we would like to add new multiplayer/coop modes! If you have any ideas, feel free to suggest! We want to keep best things from original Heliborne and add functionalities that we hope to enrich the game.
7. Will devs/employees be on the game regularly (playing/streaming)? The dev team consists of 7 devs and it will be supported by 5 publishing/marketing person strong team. We will actively participate in community not only by developing the game, providing you news, but also by playing and interacting with you.
8. Non-war ideas will be a possibility? Like SAR in Coop? Yes, indeed. SAR, mountain rescue etc. are on the way too! :)
9. Can we expect small details such as animated landing gear? It's not on priority list, but on "Nice to have" list.
10. How are you planning to monetise the game in future? We will stay Premium + Paid DLCs
11. What should we expect from the definitive edition? We are now working on first mock-ups of Definitive Edition. You can expect more efficient matchmaking, new UI and a lot of new content (new historicial single player missions, new multiplayer game modes, more events, rankings, new helis, badges etc.). We have already started talks with helicopters producers to accquire the rights to the new helis & stuff!
12. Will there be a story mode of some kind/single player mode/Campain mode? Story mode/historical missions is one of the key things we want to add in DE, we will see how many and what kind of missions will be avaialable. There will be a lot new content coming this lane.
13. Not sure if this been asked yet, but can we have more realistic sounds for guns? Because a 20mm rotary cannon sounds like a 30mm autocannon for some reason Yes. SFX and music is on the list of things to be improved/redesigned in DE.
14. Have you confirmed yet if we're going to lose our progress or keep it moving onto the future? It is inevitable - yet it is to early to elaborate on details.
15. Can we expect AI enemy helis? AI is a complex issue. To early to say. Currently we work ground units AI augmentation.
16. Are you planning to change the way Helicopter loadouts work?nExample: Selecting Missles and guns. We want to redesign loadout system totally. We know it is important. We still need to make some research and consult community.
17. Will there be submarine hunting missions with sonar dipping? TBD. We want to add marine warfare specific maps - submarine hunting is one of the options we currently research.
18. Will we have cross play with consoles and pc? Console crossplay is on the way. PC vs consoles, not.
19. Do you guys have a rough estimate of when new content will start being released? Like how long do you expect to settle into the game and start working on new features? In Q1 we want to make the opening ballance, by March provide you with a Road Map and in Q2 deploy first new things.
20. Games are mostly PVE right now, can we expect some changes so PVP is more viable/rewarding to entice more people to play PVP? Most likely. New, dynamic, matchmaking, additional servers, redesigned ranking system, new badges and rewards and seasonal events.
21. Will certain transport helis be able to carry light vehicles/ artillery? We plan to add tow rope mechanics
22. Will you fix the network problem? Yes. That's a priority - new servers, new regions
23. How many hours of heliborne has the dev team on the clock? Some team members are with Heliborne since 2016, one team member is actually a real-time pilot.
24. Helibrone was made with a lot of historical accuracy in mind. Which directions are your visions? We want to be historicaly accurate in single/Coop missions part. In multiplayer we will focus on more arcade approach.
25. Will you keep the strict divide between Russian and American helos (ties into the historical accuracy question)? We will keep current trees system and perhaps we will augment it with european trier - TBC.
26. Also how do you vision future updates more arcade or more direction simulations or trying to hold the current sim arcade balance? Both - arcade in new multiplayer modes, ranking, badges. Pro-simulations in historical single player/coop missions.
27. How knowledgable are you about military aviation and helicopters and will you try to keep the game as authentic as possible? We will use JCG gathered materials and also we work with avionation experts - Polish millitary.
28. Can you please add 3D visual navigation for taking creates and droop them off. Now is only text version!!! It's on the to-do-list
29. Are other trees to be expected (Europe and Asia for example) Yes. We plan to enrich maps and flora in order to diversify maps regionwise.
30. Will detailed cockpits for a full cockpit view be concidered? No. Maybe its a sound of the future (possible in sequel)
31. How we gonna get a big enough playerbase so that we get easy match make We also plan an investment on marketing side (new user accquisition).
32. Will there be a voting system where players can votekick/voteban teamkillers or idlers? Report system is an important system of a healthy community. It will be implemented
33. Mode for 2 players controling one helo? (cooperative) Not for DE. Maybe in the future
34. Are there plans for Urban-Warfare maps? Yes, we humbly dream of recreating a Mogadishu, Somalia. Fingers crossed!
35. Will there eventually be weather effects? (wind, rain, tornados blowing debris around) Yes, weather effect are to be implemented - weather effect vs physics TBC
36. Does the remastered version mean a game engine upgrade/change? Yes. New Unity 2019.
37. Will you keep the multiplayer features as is (drop in/drop out, custom games, offline play etc)? This will be totaly redesigned. Automatic matchmaking instead of custom games.
38. Regarding the roadmap for this year: in the upcoming months you will be releasing constant updates for the original Heliborne, is that correct? and the DE will contain all those new features from the updates + more? Or do we have to wait for the DE to get all the new features you are planning? We will rather work on DE that will include all the changes that we described above, but it doesn't mean we will not be patching the current version.
DE will be an UPDATE downloadable for FREE for all the veterans (who own the orginal game).
39. Will custom games still be an option? Yes, we plan to leave it in game.
40. How will the translating continue? TBA. First, we would like to polish current translations. After that, we will be looking for new translations.
AMA Session!
1 hour left to our first AMA Session since Heliborne - video game brand takeover!
If you are curious about future plans for the game, join us at Heliborne Discord channel! (discord.gg/z239w3c)
#AMA_Session Monday, 20.01.2020 from 4:00PM CET (6:00PM MSK; 8:00AM EST) to 6:00PM CET (8:00PM MSK, 10:00AM EST)
Everything about the Heliborne takeover!
Salute!
Let’s make it really official! I’m Bartek, new community manager for Heliborne and your first line of contact when it comes to anything related to the game. I’m happy to let you know that yesterday Klabater purchased Heliborne - video game and brand!
Since some of you expressed some doubts about our “takeover” ;) on FB and here we would like to organize a special AMA session so we can answer all your questions. Maybe we won’t be able to answer all questions about the brand's expansion (as some of it are a subject of our internal discussions now and it may take a while longer) but we definitely tell you everything we already know! :)
The session will take place on Discord, here are the specifics: #AMA_Session Channel Monday, 20.01.2020 from 4:00PM CET (6:00PM MSK; 8:00AM EST) to 6:00PM CET (8:00PM MSK, 10:00AM EST)
We will update you on nearest future plans for the whole brand.
What is really worth underlining - please be sure that there's GREAT time coming for Heliborne game and fans! Klabater was working very closely with JetCatGames as a game's publisher for years, we know this brand very well and we strongly feel that Heliborne is only speeding up and requires active support in terms of production, maintaining the attention of the community and further marketing activities such as gaining new users. And we will provide that, pilots!
We will not turn Heliborne into F2P or P2W experience – that is for sure. We have purchased the brand because we love it in first place. We want to assure you that no evil plans are afoot:). Moreover, we had a strong feeling that dedicated players were really expecting something more from the game in terms of quality improvement, new content and community support for a loooong time. As a publisher only our influence was limited – now we can finally start to fulfill promises that were given to you long time ago.
This means a lot of news and fresh content coming to you this year! We have VERY ambitious plans for the whole brand and its expansion. In the nearest future we plan to develop and release Heliborne: The Definitive Edition, fully re-mastered, taking into account the expectations of our community and with new content, a new version of the game. Stay tuned, more info soon! At the same time, the porting department at Klabater will be working on releasing the game on console platforms - PlayStation 4 and Xbox ONE.
Last but not least, we created a form for your suggestions about the game. We would like to thank all of you for filling it! Here is the link: https://forms.gle/nKLThfoBBfDsxhuw5
Over and out!
Winter Sale!
The temperature here is above zero, but forecasts predict up to -66 on Steam!
We have already informed you about Crossroads Inn game in one of our previous Steam announcements. This game, developed by friends of ours from Kraken Unleashed, in now available on Steam!
Crossroads Inn is a really cool management sim where you run your own fantasy tavern. So, if Fantasy and Beer (or alcohols in general:P) are your thing you should definitely check this one out! But the game is much more than that, not only you have a wide range of sim options here but Crossroads Inn offers cool RPG-inspired Campaign mode with pretty interesting plot as well. What’s not to love?:)
Today we are happy to introduce you a PvE objectives update for three game maps: Night Kosovo, Sahara, and Binomo Islands. They feature two completely new large-scale PvE missions, Amphibious Landing and Tank Attack, as well as several other improvements to the cooperative game mode.
Be ready to check them out!
Changelog 0.98.5:
Night Kosovo PvE mode has been reworked — now it's Counter-insurgency. Players need to contain enemy attacks and provide logistical support to allies on the ground.
New large-scale PvE objectives on Binomo Islands:
Support amphibious landing of allied naval assault force,
Defend against enemy amphibious landing.
New large-scale PvE objectives for Sahara and Night Kosovo:
Defend against enemy tank attack.
New PvE objective for Sahara:
Search and eliminate enemy artillery batteries.
Award points when other players use cargo (repair kits and ammo crates) you have transported have been introduced.
Door gunners' angle on IAR-330L has been fixed. Price of A-129 modifications has been slightly changed.
Portuguese localisation has been updated (obrigado SpreeK).
Other bug-fixes and improvements.
Team JetCat
Heliborne 0.98 — Reinforcements
Greetings pilots!
Good news from Heliborne hangar: it got 4 new helicopters. Two of them are Chinese attack helicopter Z-10 and Chinese attack reconnaissance Z-19 available for the Soviet-Russian side. The NATO side has received two European birds: German scout Bo 105 and Italian attack reconnaissance A129 Mangusta.
And now you also have several additional options to test them. We've added single and cooperative PvE to the biggest Heliborne maps Khost and Binomo Islands, both over 70 sq. km! Together with PvE functionality they have got exclusive PvE game mode — Counter-Insurgency. You need to defeat or contain enemy insurgency, find and destroy enemy staging grounds, protect and provide logistical support to existing positions. Apart from that, the Binomo map will receive several more thematic PvE objectives with a separate mini-patch by the end of the week.
All of that will be even more lively than before thanks to new background radio chatter which will accompany your and your team's activity.
And we also have a special treat for Spanish-speaking pilots. From now on Heliborne is fully available in Spanish language! Send all your love to our Mexican player Raul Valenzuela who's done all of that work alone.
To commemorate the update we announce a -50% discount for the base Heliborne game which will start tomorrow at 10 AM US Pacific Time / 5 PM GMT and will last for 4 days!
Heliborne 0.98 changelog:
Four new helicopters: - German scout Bo 105, - Italian attack reconnaissance A129 Mangusta, - Chinese attack helicopter Z-10, - Chinese attack reconnaissance Z-19.
Two biggest maps, each with more than 70 sq. km of operational area, that previously were PvP only now available in single and cooperative PvE — Khost and Binomo.
New PvE game mode for these maps — Counter-Insurgency. You need to defeat or contain enemy insurgency, find and destroy enemy staging grounds, protect and provide logistical support to existing positions.
Counter-Insurency game mode features 15 new objective types besides some objectives from existing PvE game modes. Also this game mode has objective sequencing mechanic. Objectives relate to each other and build up into bigger operation in certain area of the map.
New background radio chatter: your and your team's activity now will have radio chatter footprint.
Various improvements and fixes.
Spanish translation.
Team JetCat
Heliborne is 40% OFF!
Hello Pilots! The Steam Lunar Sale is on, which means that Heliborne is -40% off! Don’t miss out!
We hope you don't forget about the Steam Autumn Sale! It's such an amazing time, when prices fell down as orange leaves from the trees. It's also a fantastic chance to buy Heliborne cheaper by 40%! Just jump into your helicopters and soar into the air! Like leaves ;)
