Pioner

The MMOFPS Pioner will throw players onto an island that has survived a technological catastrophe. They will have to survive by avoiding dangerous anomalies, fending off unusual mutants and hostile factions. The setting of the project is a Soviet post-apocalypse. Players can engage solo or in squads, completing quests against computer bots or real people. These PvE and PvP activities are evenly distributed.

The action of Pioner takes place in the late 1980s in the USSR on an island. A well-settled place suddenly became deserted after a large-scale catastrophe, the reasons for which are unknown — an anomaly isolated the island from the "mainland". Only a few managed to break through the veil.

From them, it is known that the laws of physics and biology have changed on the island, and a "Burial Ground" has appeared in the center of the island. Rumor has it that it is a "creepy alien structure" that provokes the appearance of anomalies, mutants, and even predatory plants. Picturesque landscapes of the Russian hinterland have almost everywhere been replaced by post-apocalypse.

Previously densely populated territory quickly depopulated and degraded: settlements are abandoned, buildings rot and collapse, and equipment is overgrown with earth. Nature aggressively takes back what is hers, changing the island in just a couple of years as if 50 years have passed. Only one large city has survived well. The few survivors have banded into factions and divided the territory into spheres of influence.

The overwhelming majority of Pioner content is "from the USSR": cars, weapons, household items, and buildings are recreated in the Soviet architectural style.

The open world in Pioner is not seamless. The available large locations can be explored freely, while inaccessible ones still need to be unlocked. The world consists of different biomes and is divided into a large and safe zone for PvE and a smaller area for PvP ("Empty Lands"). There is a gradient of environmental difficulty, with it getting harder as one approaches the center of the island.

The game world constantly tries to kill the player. There are areas with radiation and chemical hazards where one cannot stay for long. There are zones with anomalies — gravitational, electrical, psionic, and others — in unusual forms. Biological danger is represented by mutants — animals and plants, as well as two-legged bandits and mercenaries.

The behavior of all NPCs and bots depends on the time of day. Most two-legged and four-legged creatures are active during the day and rest at night. But with the sunset, the game world is inhabited by the most dangerous creatures, like the Leshy.

The island and its creations are considered the main enemies in the game. In this regard, Pioner is compared to S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl and Escape from Tarkov.

Pioner is positioned as a first-person shooter that requires a constant internet connection. The game will offer a wide range of various types of firearms, with each "gun" having attachments that improve or even change its characteristics. After such reassembly, the weapon can differ significantly from the original version. Players can also create attachments and weapons themselves using a workbench.

Once on the island, at first you need to survive and get at least some weapons, armor and equipment. Survival in an aggressive and dangerous environment is the second important part of the gameplay. But without complex controls, playing Pioner is comfortable; the authors are counting on a balance between arcade and simulation.

Dozens of different types of armor and other equipment will help you survive, and they will have to be changed to fight anomalies, mutants and people. So, ordinary bullets will easily kill a person, but will not help against thick-skinned monsters. They must be “disassembled” by modifying the weapon with an artifact and adding an electric or incendiary effect to the shot.

In Pioner there will be no system of levels and health bars for opponents; in terms of progression, the authors are guided by Tarkov.

It is stated that Pioner will offer 15-20 hours of fascinating history, which can be completed either alone or in the company of friends. As with most MMOFPS, NPCs are responsible for advancing the story. They give out quests that players complete in separate locations or designated areas of the game world.

A variety of story and faction quests are promised, and decisions made during the passage will have an impact in the future. Decisions will also affect the position of a particular faction, the state of a region of the world, and even the finale.

Players will have to get used to the role of a soldier who went through Afghanistan, abandoned on an island with a group of colleagues. The landing was unsuccessful and the protagonist appears to be the only survivor. As the story progresses, he will learn about the causes of the disaster on the island and the appearance of anomalies, artifacts and mutants, visit the mysterious “Boneyard”, and also, perhaps, find one of his partners.

After the prologue, the player will have to explore the world, go through the story and complete simple quests. Once you get used to it and get good equipment, you can try your hand at raids and battles with marauders. These are all PvE activities.

Players can test their strength, collected loot and leveling up their character in closed arenas in the PvE part and in a separate PvP part of the island, where there are no rules or restrictions.

From an MMO, the game has a system of factions (guilds), there are four in total. Civilians have gathered in Istovikov, the military have united in Brigadiers, and there are also ordinary marauding bandits. Each faction has its own views and interests, which often leads to violent conflicts. You need to build relationships with factions, increase loyalty and receive certain bonuses from friendship both with the entire group and from the merchant.

Pioner will feature several online competitive modes, both one-on-one and squad-on-squad. They will be announced later.

The hero's development is non-standard. Experience for quests and other activities accumulates into Influence levels. They do not increase characteristics, such as speed and endurance, but provide more opportunities: opening up new weapon suppliers, quest givers, etc.