Developer GFA Games has announced today that its upcoming MMOFPS game Pioner will host an Open Beta test at some point in October. The game is still scheduled to launch later this year on PC, with consoles to follow at a later time.
Pioner was actually already available for a limited time as part of June's Steam Next Fest. Following that test, GFA Games shared some adjustments planned for Pioner's PvP mode:
- Current Capture Point Method: We’re working on making the “Capture the Flag” mode feel more classic. Players will no longer be forced to spend excessive time capturing a flag.
- Point Names: We'll assign point names — A, B, and C — to make it easier for players to navigate the map and communicate with each other.
- Enemy visualization in TDM: We're addressing visibility issues by adding a special type of visualization for enemies (NPCs and players) that makes them stand out against the environment. We're also adjusting lighting components that interfere with visibility.
- Player movement: We’ll work on fixing player movement desynchronization, which can cause noticeable "jitter" in the movement of enemies and allies.
- Hit registration: The netcode is still being fine-tuned. It’s not fully polished yet, which may cause hits not to register or kills/deaths to happen much faster than intended.
- Hit collision: We’ll improve hitbox accuracy on certain environmental objects. We tried to identify as many of these issues as possible before the test, but some may still remain in certain areas of the map.
- Balance: We’ve gathered all the current feedback on PvP weapon balance and will make additional adjustments in the near future.
Honestly, though, the game generally felt rough during the Steam Next Fest demo. As someone who has been looking forward to Pioner for a while (you might have guessed it from the two interviews I previously conducted with GFA Games), I think it could use some additional time in the oven to improve its polish. Still, maybe there was a big improvement in the last four months, so let's check this new build first. Meanwhile, check out the new gameplay trailer embedded above.
About the author: With over two decades of experience in gaming journalism, Alessio Palumbo has led the gaming vertical at Wccftech since August 2015. He started working at a young age for Italian websites like Everyeye.it, Gamestar.it, Nextgame.it, and Multiplayer.it before kickstarting the indie English-language publication Worlds Factory as its founder and Editor in Chief. In the last decade, he has coordinated the overall output of Wccftech's gaming section, managed PR relations, assigned reviews, produced daily news coverage, edited gaming content as needed, and delivered game reviews. Arguably, his trademark content is the long series of exclusive developer interviews that have been cited by Wikipedia and by the biggest news media and gaming publications. His passion for technology also makes him knowledgeable when it comes to gaming hardware and tech. His favorite genres include RPGs, MMORPGs, and action/adventure games.
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