Right now, Hunt's very first live event is underway! For one week only, players can try out Hunt's solo mode, where up to ten solo players face off for a single bounty as they track monsters through murky Louisiana swamps. Buy Hunt now on Steam to try it for yourself, or follow us on Discord, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Steam to stay up-to-date on everything Hunt-related. To tell you a little about solo play, what it was like to add a new mode to the game, and how playtesting has gone, we have Lead Designer Dennis Schwarz. Take it away Dennis:
So far, there have been two ways to play Hunt: with a partner (whether random or a friend on Steam) or solo. But because teams and solo players are playing together, solo players have felt they were at a disadvantage. When you are up against teams as a solo player, you're up against people who have double the firepower, double the strength, and a partner to cover or revive them. All that can make it harder for a solo player to survive a match of Hunt. At the moment on the Hunt feedback page, solo mode is ranking among the top community-requested items—which is one of the reasons why we're doing this event and looking forward to seeing how it resonates.
During the Solo Event, every single person in the match is a solo player. It's a solo haven—every player you encounter is on even ground. There is nothing to stop players from making makeshift alliances when they meet other players, but since there is only one bounty token at the end of the line, you're going to end up shooting each other either way.
In a standard Hunt match, everything follows the rule of two: every ammo box can be used twice, there are always two bounty pieces for each boss. We didn't want there to be any competition between teammates, so the rule of two keeps both players focused on working together instead of competing for resources.
But for the Solo Event, there is only one bounty token per boss, and that really changes the dynamic. With only one token in play, there can only be one winner, and you probably won't see many people making alliances. It's a situation that adds even more tension to the game and that results in different play styles. You could play Solo Mode the same way you play when you're on a team. Or you could just go in, find a few clues, kill a few grunts, and extract to level up your Hunter. But if you want to go for the big prize, the fact that there is only one bounty token is really going to escalate the intensity of every match.
Personally, I've had a really great time testing the solo mode as we developed it. Just the fact that you know you are this lone wolf, and walking around the map knowing that everything and everyone you encounter is hostile. It makes Hunt a different experience. If you see one guy, you might take the shot instantly, when during a standard game you might have waited to see if their partner is around or just wanted to avoid making noise at all costs. I expect these all-solo games to be a bit more competitive overall. People are going to be going in searching for fights rather than going in and being careful. You aren't going to let anyone slip past you when you know that in the end you are all competing for that one bounty token.
Live It Up
The Solo Event is our very first live event, so of course we're really excited. We're really curious just generally to see how many people prefer the solo mode., Fun is what is at the heart of this event: if you're having fun, let us know! If you're not having fun, tell us that too! Launching Hunt on Early Access has always been about getting the community involved in the development process, and in order to keep moving the game in the direction that you want it to go, we need to hear what you think. So we hope that after you play a few rounds you'll let us know what you think on the feedback page, and we'll keep working on the next set of additions and improvements.