Get ready to immerse in an emotional journey as the long-awaited K9 Attack Dog is finally here to bring a new dimension of companionship and camaraderie to your missions. Iconic firearms like the Smith & Wesson Model 57 and Berreta M9, and strategic utility like the Drone have been added to enhance your tactical arsenal. Weapon aesthetics are now available, making personalization possible for each weapon in the arsenal. To make things more exciting, Daily Challanges and Streaks have been included in the game. This update is also bringing Paradise City to PvP as exclusively DM FFA mode.
K9 Attack Dog
The K9 Attack Dog feature brings an immersive and emotional experience to your missions. As the game starts, you're assigned as a dog handler, initiating your journey with a small, nameable puppy. Initially resting in a cage, the puppy soon becomes interactive and starts playing around, following the player through the training facility. After successfully completing three missions, the canine companion becomes available for mission deployment.
As missions vary, the dog arrives equipped with various gears, a feature aimed to be customizable in the future. The dog grows and improves its abilities with each mission completed together, enhancing its detection skills and bite success rates. However, caution is crucial, as the dog can be fatally wounded by suspects which will prompt a longer wait for a new dog to be assigned. In case the K9 meets its end in the mission, players can bid farewell to their fallen companion by offering a final goodbye and a heartfelt display of respect with one last pet.
Daily Challenges & Streaks
Daily Challenges & Streaks is being introduced as a dynamic feature to amp up your daily Zero Hour experience. Catering to mostly PvP players with some co-op challenges in the mix, this feature presents a fresh set of four challenges every day, allowing players to earn BDT upon completion. Successfully completing all four challenges not only rewards you with valuable BDT but also secures a streak, which is activated on the next day. The stakes are raised with a little competitive edge as the streaks are displayed on a leaderboard, showcasing the players with the highest streaks in the game. This system aims to elevate your daily Zero Hour gaming experience by providing additional challenges for those seeking a more engaging gameplay, but rest assured, the challenges are completely optional.
Revolver & M9 Barreta
Two iconic firearms, the Smith & Wesson Model 57 and the Beretta M9, are finally available to be played in Zero Hour. The Model 57 marks the game's first secondary revolver, renowned for its .41 Magnum caliber, sleek design, and precision, delivering exceptional accuracy and stopping power. Meanwhile, the Beretta M9, known for its reliability and widespread use by military and law enforcement, boasts a 9mm caliber, impressive magazine capacity, and a perfect balance of accuracy and durability, making it a valuable asset for operators in Zero Hour. When playing PvP, the revolver is exclusive to the terrorist’s side, whereas the beretta can be solely played by the counter-terrorist side.
Weapon Aesthetics
Prepare to personalize your arsenal like never before with the introduction of weapon aesthetics in Zero Hour. These aesthetics come in three categories: Free, DLC, and paid (in-game currency). Notably, players can earn BDT (in-game currency) to acquire the paid aesthetics, which gives the players the chance to enhance their weapons without spending real money. The in-game customization menu allows you to preview each aesthetic by applying it, enabling you to assess and visualize the skins before making a purchase. Purchasing weapon aesthetics isn't limited to a single weapon; once collected, the skin becomes available for use across multiple weapons in your inventory. For those interested in DLC aesthetics, store links are available below.
https://store.steampowered.com/app/2751840/Zero_Hour__Aesthetics_Pack_Titanium/
https://store.steampowered.com/app/2744030/Zero_Hour__Aesthetics_Pack_Serpentine/
https://store.steampowered.com/app/2726300/Zero_Hour__Aesthetics_Pack_Platinum/
https://store.steampowered.com/app/2726290/Zero_Hour__Aesthetics_Pack_Gold/
https://store.steampowered.com/app/2616600/Zero_Hour__Aesthetics_Pack_Redline/
New Utility: Drone
This new utility has been introduced to amplify the players' surveillance capabilities. The drone offers uninterrupted monitoring until its battery runs out. Excitingly, it gives the player the ability to command the Squad AI while piloting the drone, thus, allowing the player to complete the mission without having to even get inside the operation building.
Squad AI improvements
Enhancements to the Squad AI have been made to significantly assist players during missions. The improvements include better pathfinding, addressing and fixing known bugs, including team kills, and a refined understanding of suspect motivations. The Squad AI now shows a better comprehension of player movements and actions, and more efficient breaching and clearing tactics, contributing to more strategic and synchronized gameplay. With this update, the Squad AI will be even more of a formidable asset in completing objectives.
Paradise City PvP
Get ready for an electrifying competitive battle ground as Paradise City, a long-time co-op exclusive map, is now opening its doors to the PvP mode. With its introduction to PvP, the map now offers a competitive lighting mode, optimizing the environment for an immersive and engaging PvP experience. However, it's important to note that it's exclusively available for Deathmatch Free-For-All only.
Hotel Improvements
Enhancements have been made to the hotel environment within the game, focusing on refining the aesthetic experience. These improvements involve the implementation of carpeting across all maps, adding a touch of authenticity to the hotel setting. Additionally, there have been upgrades to the reflection maps, ensuring a more visually stunning experience.
Conclusion:
We are thrilled to finally bring you the much anticipated additions including the attack dog and the flyable drone, and we sincerely hope you enjoy them. Your feedback has been invaluable in shaping the game and enhancing the overall experience. The development of these new features have been a tedious but exciting journey, and we can't wait to hear your thoughts on them. We appreciate your unwavering support, which allows us to create the game we've always envisioned. Thank you for being part of this incredible journey.
Update Logs
Additions
- K9 Attack Dog in Co-Op
- K9 Puppy in Training Ground along with variations
- New Utility 1 option : Drone
- New Handgun "SW Revolver" Both Sides
- New Handgun "M9" CT Side Only
- Daily Challenges System
- New Leaderboard for "Daily Challenge Streaks"
- Weapon Aesthetics Options
- Weapon Aesthetic Pack "Beige" FREE
- Weapon Aesthetic Pack "Camo 1" PAID
- Weapon Aesthetic Pack "Snow White" PAID
- Weapon Aesthetic Pack "Solid Blue" PAID
- Weapon Aesthetic Pack "Gold" DLC
- Weapon Aesthetic Pack "Redline" DLC
- Weapon Aesthetic Pack "Platinum" DLC
- Weapon Aesthetic Pack "Serpentine" DLC
- Weapon Aesthetic Pack "Titanium" DLC
- Deathmatch FFA game mode spawn check
- Ability to command Squad AI while using Drone
- Atmospheric scene SFX for certain maps that lower based on the number of suspects alive
- Temporary TK mute for players that TKed to complete 3 missions until it gets set off
- Welcome prompt for team kill penalty stayover
- Paradise City to PvP Deathmatch FFA only
- Loadout autosave for co-op & training
- Ability to vault over specific Procedural Prop Placement obstacles blocking entry
- Loading sequence in main menu for additional assets (textures & audio)
- Weapon aesthetics to be visible during MVP and lobby animations
- New main menu OST
Fixes
- Stuck in loading bug caused by several types of triggers
- Residential House procedural prop placement variant allowing spawn peek
- Squad AI move to function not checking floor difference
- Bot characters showing in intro cutscene even when playing with other players
- Animation cutout in transition for full body motions
- Clipping through wall when kicking doors
- Squad AI team mate friendly firing
- switch team button still visible when one team is full
- Falling animation was not getting triggered most of the time
- Weapon Customization menu in Main Menu
- C4 Remote position in hand
- SW11 using the wrong icon
- SW11 missing floor difference weapon SFX
- Weapon audio load error
- Molotov team damage not reflecting
- Switching from defender side to attacker side causes TPS view to toggle on/off continuously causing the AKA sprint bug
- C2 not resetting when respawning in Deathmatch FFA
- AKU scope model one of the sights were floating
- Joining wrong team, on first attempt during on going mostly if timing is off
- Network unnecessary overload
- DM FFA matches shown as loss in match history
- Co-op sniper shooting constantly even when not in view
- Terror house spy cam floating under the ceiling
- Reporting dead Squad mates bugged in Co-op
- Getting stuck in training ground behind a pile of board
- Dropping hostage every time you interact with door
- Arresting Suspect while trying to secure weapon
- Hotel trouble 1st floor bench blocking door way
- Sunlight not casting on player fps body mesh
- Suspect spawning on "Object" objective spawn locations
- Join on-going and round won not syncing up
- Squad AI not reacting to Suspect's warning fire while not in sight
- Co-op suspect shooting is not synced
- Squad AI keeps rotating when exactly on move position
- Breaking Meth stool table blocking path
- Suspect arrest can cause desync in number
- game breaking and getting stuck if you try to command once all squad members are dead
- Terror House “Spawn peek” in stairwell
- Rat’s Den randomly-generated-prop can get player stuck in a corner
- Weapon not staying in hand during some universal animations
- Different bullet decals are not instantiating variants
- Melee not triggering to get out of low ready pose
Improvements
- Squad AI movement during gunfight while following player
- Co-Op starting mission load time
- Co-Op intro presentation
- Suspect AI to shoot even when talking depending on scenario
- Optimized Rain VFX particles
- Suspect AI to not lose aggressive state during last moments
- Player camera near clipping
- Suspect AI networking sync
- Squad AI command: Move To is only available when there is direct path available
- Spawn in load buffer
- Squad AI can defuse and take intel automatically when in position
- Training ground lighting slightly
- Training ground Texture quality
- Network optimization vastly
- Co-op suspect AI optimization
- Co-op squad AI optimization
- Co-op NPCs now react to melee hit
- Player weapon damage properties in co-op
- weapon lighting in local FPS view
- Hotel Trouble Lighting, texturing & reflections
- Squad AI to move away if walking in their direction
- Squad AI to move away if aimed at their direction
- Suspect Detection Optimization
- Overall match statistic log checks
- Breaking Meth pathfinding
- Magazine Ammo check UI
- Smoother transition between action animations
- In-game FPS counter accuracy
Changes
- Match Points Leaderboard has been reset
- Changed Default walk speed to max
- Changed Breaker switch cool down time in FFA to be longer
- Changed MK12 gunshot SFX
- Changed ES36 unsuppressed gunshot SFX
- Changed M4 suppressed gunshot SFX
- Changed Valkyrie unsuppressed gunshot SFX
- Changed Base weapon textures for M4
- Changed Base weapon textures for G36C
- Changed Base weapon textures for P10C
- Changed Base weapon textures for SCAR
- Changed Base weapon textures for Kyanite
- Changed Base weapon textures for Honey Badger
- Changed Base weapon textures for MK12
- Changed Inspect wrist animation to Inspect weapon animation
- Changed Default start pose in Co-Op and Training grounds to Low Ready
- Changed Main Menu elements
- Decals are no longer spawned if you are running the game below 30fps
- Added Auto achievement (Training completed) for when Dog is ready
- Increased slightly ADS transition speed
- Increased Default lighting brightness slightly
- Increased Competitive lighting brightness slightly
- Increased Falcon fire rate slightly
- Reduced SW11 damage slightly
- Removed ability to continue to main menu without loading background non SSD
Thank you for your patience, please make sure to report toxicity, feedback & suggestions in our Discord server using the following links.
Discord Global Community : Zero Hour Official
Discord French Community : Zero Hour France
