The Heavy Gear world dates back to the 90s as a tabletop boardgame and card combat game, and came to the PC after Activision lost the rights to the Battletech/Mechwarrior series. There were two games introduced that brought the Heavy Gear world to gamers, with the second game being very well received as the best game in the genre at that time … but then the franchised remained dormant until last summer when Stompy Bot Productions announced they were bringing back Heavy Gear in a new game based on cutting edge Unreal Engine 4 technology. Now they are seeking help to complete their vision and bring it to the market!
Project Title: Heavy Gear Assault
Status: Active
Closing Date for Funding: Saturday Jun 29, 11:10am EDT.
URL of the Project: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/stompybot/heavy-gear-assault-0
From the developer: Here are some key features:
•E-SPORTS — Compete in tournaments and organized matches for fame and fortune. Spectate and sponsor other players. Vote on performances. Put bounties on poor sports and pay their enemies to take them out.
•DYNAMIC COMBAT — Rip apart the arena with fully destructible terrain. Blow an opponents limb off and use their weapon against them. Pull the trigger at range or melee up close. Play as your pilot and move freely in and out of Gears.
•CUSTOMIZATION — Stealth or armor? Guns or melee? The choice is yours. Customize your weapons or powerplant, sensors or CPU. Fine-tune your performance, and hire a support staff to keep your Gear in the fight.
•SOCIAL INTERACTION — Create a profile and cultivate your fan base. Stream your matches and highlights to your favorite social media site. Rate players and spectators on their sportsmanship, teamwork, cooperation and style.
•FREE-TO-CHOOSE — Choose your level of involvement to pay and play how you want. Play entirely for free or pay for premium membership that doesn’t break the balance of the game. The free-to-play model has evolved.
•UNREAL ENGINE 4 — Battle for dominance in photo-realistically beautiful arenas. Enjoy performance that scales to high- and low-spec PCs. Watch fully destructible environments and Gears rip apart, changing the shape of the fight.
Why I think you should back this effort:
Mech games are ‘dead’, and for that reason alone I support this effort. A few years ago adventure games were ‘dead’, but thanks to TellTale Games vision we have seen a tremendous resurgence in the genre. Gamers thirst for great games – and this looks like a compelling new entry in a long under-fed genre!
Business Model and Gameplay
Heavy Gear Assault is an online game, and will feature a free-to-play model. The goal is to allow users to play freely but provide plenty of incentives to pay the subscription price and be a ‘premium member’. This is always a tricky balance, but the way the developers are approaching things I feel confident they can pull it off.
Heavy Gear Assault immerses you in a futuristic, gladiatorial world by allowing you to pilot Gears and compete for glory and honor in the arena circuit of Khayr ad-Din. Imagine sitting in a Gear when the CPU boots up. The Gear straightens up, the HUD comes online, the V-engines start to roar – and you feel like you’re in a sports car on legs. The Gear begins to move onto the Arena field as thousands of people start cheering. Music pumps, lights flash, the score clock ticks — your heart pounds. Everything is on the line, and everyone is watching.
Here is a look at the game:
For more info and to keep up-to-date on Heavy Gear Assault progress:
‘Heavy Gear Assault’ main site
‘Heavy Gear Assault’ Facebook Page
‘Heavy Gear Assault’ Twitter Page
And of course head to the Kickstarter page to get more information about how you can support the game!