Killing Floor 2

Killing Floor 2
Developer(s)	Tripwire Interactive
Distributor(s)	Iceberg Interactive
Director(s)	Bill Munk
Artist(s)	David Hensley
Engine	Unreal Engine 3
Platform(s)	Microsoft Windows Linux PlayStation 4
Release date(s)	Microsoft Windows (early access) WW April 21, 2015
Genre(s)	First-person shooter
Mode(s)	Single-player, multiplayer
Distribution	Download

Killing Floor 2 is a first-person shooter video game developed by Tripwire Interactive. It is a sequel to the 2009 video game Killing Floor, which was originally released as an Unreal Tournament 2004 mod in 2005.^[1] An early access version of the game was released for Microsoft Windows via digital distribution service Steam on April 21, 2015. The full version is scheduled for release in 2015 on Windows, Linux, and PlayStation 4. The game utilizes Epic Games' Unreal Engine 3.

Gameplay

Killing Floor 2 is a first-person shooter video game, that can be played alone or cooperatively with up to six players.^[2] Gameplay consists of players fighting through waves against zombie-like specimens, known as Zeds. Players are equipped with melee weapons and firearms used to kill enemies, a healing syringe used to heal themselves and team-mates, and a welder used to block entrances and exits. Once a player dies they will not respawn until the end of the current wave; the mission is failed if all players are dead simultaneously. As waves pass, the enemy count will increase and different enemy types are introduced with the final wave culminating in a boss fight. The game has four difficulty levels.

The game will feature ten perks, with four weapon tiers spread across them.^[3] Each perk provides the player with a set of passive bonuses and skills.

Setting

The game takes place in continental Europe in a time when a deadly outbreak has spread, gathering "unstoppable momentum" and "essentially paralyzing the European Union."^[4] Set just a month after the events of the original Killing Floor, Killing Floor 2 drops players into a world where society is in total disarray.^[2] Communications are down, governments have collapsed, and military forces are nowhere to be seen.

Development

Killing Floor 2 is being developed by Tripwire Interactive, who began work following the release of their 2011 video game Red Orchestra 2: Heroes of Stalingrad. The game was announced for Microsoft Windows and Linux by PC Gamer on 8 May 2014. Tripwire president John Gibson stated that Killing Floor 2 is the first time that they had been able to develop a game with what he thought was a reasonable team size and budget. The original Killing Floor was developed by ten people in a three-month period; by 2014 the studio had expanded to a team of fifty employees.^[5] The game is being developed using Unreal Engine 3. The developers considered using Unreal Engine 4 but decided against it as they didn't want to scrap their current work in progress and because of concerns that the game might not scale down to run on lower end computers.^[6] The team launched the game on Steam's Early Access program to get feedback from players on weapon and perk balance.^[7]

The increased budget meant that this was the first project where Tripwire could use motion capture.^[5] Motion capture was recorded in San Diego at Sony Computer Entertainment's motion capture studio and the process was used for creature animations and weapon animations in both first- and third-person perspectives.^[5][8] This allowed them to record high frame rate weapon animations for additional detail and fidelity in Zed Time, a slow motion mechanic used in the series. The team aimed to designs guns that feel realistic but capture the authenticity of games they had previously developed. They researched firearm speed reloading to create multiple reload animations, and matched the rate of fire of the game guns to their real life counterparts.^[3]

Three focal points of the game's initial design were bullets, blades, and blood. These pillars lead to the creation of the M.E.A.T. (massive evisceration and trauma) system to depict dynamic gore and detailed graphic violence. Art and creative directors, David Hensley and Bill Munk both cited Soldier of Fortune‍ '​s GHOUL system as an inspiration for the M.E.A.T. system employed by Tripwire.^[7][9] Bloodstains are a permanent fixture on maps in Killing Floor 2. Instead of blood being rendered as a texture that is projected onto objects in the world, they created a system which, in real time, modifies splatter map textures covering the map to display blood with little rendering overhead.^[7][10] In the original Killing Floor each of the enemy specimens had five individual points of dismemberment; in Killing Floor 2 this number of points has been increased to twenty-two to provide substantially more variety in the dismemberment animations.^[9] In Zed time, all colours except red become desaturated to enhance the visuals of the blood and gore.^[10]

The game also features dynamic and destructible lights and other breakable objects, which didn't exist in the first game. The melee combat has been revamped with the addition of a blocking mechanism; attack motions are now dictated by the player character's direction of movement. Tripwire are also introducing a new perk progression system, that allows for more customisation.^[11] To alleviate the perk levelling grind from the first game, the number of levels has been increased drastically to allow players to level up more regularly. Each perk now has configurable skills along with passive bonuses.^[12] Tripwire are planning to implement support for Steam Workshop and release a software development kit to allow for extensive modding.^[7] The game's soundtrack features a mix of original compositions and licensed rock and metal tracks.^[13]

A PlayStation 4 version was announced on December 6, 2014, at the PlayStation Experience.^[14] Gibson addressed concerns from PC fans about the console release and reassured them that it won't compromise the experience.^[15]

Release

Following PC Gamer‍ '​s coverage and reveal of Killing Floor 2, they announced that subscribers to the US version of their magazine would receive an exclusive character skin in Issue #254.^[16] The next day Tripwire released a teaser trailer for the game.^[17] In June and August 2014, Tripwire released two videos showcasing a selection of the enemy specimens featured in the game.^[18][19] On 31 July 2014, Iceberg Interactive announced a partnership Tripwire to bring Killing Floor 2 to retail stores in Europe and other non-Steam digital platforms.^[20] On 18 February 2015, Tripwire released a live action short film, titled Killing Floor: Uncovered, created in collaboration with film production company Type AB. The film is set prior to the events of the first Killing Floor game and details the events that lead to the Zed outbreak.^[21]

On April 10, Tripwire gave away keys for an existing beta version of Killing Floor 2 that ran until April 16.^[22] On April 21, an early access version of the game was released on Steam for Windows.^[23] The game's original soundtrack was released on the same day, under record label Solid State with songs from Living Sacrifice, Demon Hunter, and Impending Doom.^[13] A Digital Deluxe Edition of the game will be available; bonus features include the soundtrack, a digital artbook, several in-game virtual items, and a copy of the original Killing Floor game.^[24]

References

External links

• Official website