Outbreak - FAQ and Information

[Dead Drop Studios]

Hi everyone! We're approaching the release of Outbreak, so we're beginning to formulate a FAQ to handle common questions. Please feel free to reply to this thread with any questions or comments and we'll try our best to address them. In-depth information for many of the topics below is covered in the Outbreak Official Steam Guide.

I have a technical support question!

Please check out the Technical Support FAQ to see if your question has been answered already. If it hasn't, feel free to post a new thread there with your question and steps to reproduce your issue.

When is Outbreak scheduled for release?

Outbreak will be released on January 17th, 2017! You can find out all of the details here!

Can I use a gamepad (Xbox One, Xbox 360 or PS4) with Outbreak?

YES! Outbreak features full gamepad and keyboard support for all UI and gameplay!

Outbreak supports user-customizable keyboard and gamepad controls. Many different types of gamepads will be supported, including Xbox One, Xbox 360 and Playstation 4 (among many more). Although Outbreak supports a wide number of gamepads, it will only support in-game button prompts for keyboard and Xbox controllers out of the box. The user can fully customize their controls through an in-game menu. Outbreak is fully playable entirely with a gamepad.

Who made Outbreak? Why should I support it?

Outbreak is the first game by Dead Drop Studios, a one-man indie studio. Outbreak is a passion project to help fill a void in a genre that rarely sees new entries. Classic survival horror from the 90s has been neglected and multiplayer variants of it are almost non-existent. I want to help revitalize this genre and Outbreak is the initial attempt at doing so. If you support Outbreak (and the game finds success), it will help fund additional survival horror titles. My hope is to eventually have the opportunity to work on additional survival horror titles in different mediums and graphic styles.

What is Outbreak? What does it play like?

Outbreak is a multiplayer cooperative survival horror experience. Its gameplay is meant to harken back to original survival horror titles like Silent Hill and Resident Evil. You play as one of four characters, each with different attributes and starting equipment. Your player is fragile and only has a single life. They also have a very limited inventory, meaning you need to be careful about which items you choose to take with you. This is meant to be a proper return to the world of survival horror.

What kind of difficulty-level can I expect in Outbreak?

Although Outbreak features multiple difficulty modes, it is designed to be a hardcore, difficult experience. Even on normal, your character is fragile and a little slow. Supplies are not abundant and there is not a lot of hand holding during each scenario. As you ramp up the difficulty mode (or add additional players to your game), you'll find enemies appear in greater numbers and inflict greater damage. Outbreak is intended to be relentless and frustrating, as there are no checkpoints ingame. If you die, you're out and the rest of your team is on their own.

If I die, it's game-over for that current level?

Yes. You have a single life. When you die during a game, you will be able to spectate other players (and cheer them on to survive). But you will not be able to come back until the next level is reached or the level is restarted. Outbreak is a hardcore experience, take your mortality seriously.

What gameplay modes are available?

Outbreak features two gameplay modes. The first is a typical campaign story scenario covering the characters attempts to explore and escape a hospital overrun with the undead. Their adventure will take them across the hospital, through underground tunnels, to different buildings and ultimately a high tech laboratory. As they play, they will be constantly hounded by enemies chasing them. Players will need to keep moving at all costs, or they will quickly run out of supplies and be killed.

The second mode is called Onslaught. Where the campaign features greater horror elements and methodical pacing, Onslaught is the inverse. It's an action mode where players try to survive waves of enemies. As they kill enemies, they accumulate credits which can be used to buy better equipment. Can you survive past the 31st wave?

All scenarios and game modes in Outbreak can be played in online 4-player cooperative gameplay or offline single-player.

How is the online mode handled in Outbreak?

Outbreak uses a cloud-based server system to host multiplayer games. Outbreak games are not P2P but there will be a game leader. You will be able to select your region, connect to a master server in that area, then either host or join an existing games. Games are locked to the region they are hosted in, but you can always pick any region you'd like (at the cost of lag!). You should have virtually no NAT/Firewall punch-through issues and connecting with friends should be a breeze.

Players can host public or private games. Players can ONLY JOIN games when they're in the lobby. Once you're ingame, you will need to return to the lobby to gather additional players. This is for balancing reasons.

What's the easiest way to play with friends?

First, ensure all players are set to the same region (see the options menu). After that, have one player create a game with an easy to enter name and ensure it's set to a private server. After that, have the remaining players enter the game name and join directly.

Can I play Outbreak alone without an internet connection?

Yes! All modes in Outbreak are fully playable alone, even when you're offline!

What kind of weapons are in Outbreak?

The player will have access to multiple types of melee weapons, firearms and explosive ordinance. Weapons range from handguns, to shotguns, to grenade launchers and more. During each game, the player must scavenge these weapons by searching the environment thoroughly. You will also be able to earn equipment that can be added to your starting loadout at the beginning of a scenario, but they are single-use consumables.

How is additional starting equipment earned? What can I do with it?

Additional single-use consumable starting equipment is awarded based on playtime. You can expect random drops to pop up rather frequently. Once you've been rewarded an item, you can use to spend it and begin a scenario with it in your inventory. You can also trade this equipment with your friends on Steam! None of these consumables are for sale, you can only earn them through gameplay and trade directly over Steam.

How can I communicate with my team?

You will be able to communicate through text chat and voice chat in both the lobby and during actual gameplay.

Is there a beta test or demo scheduled?

A FREE single-player demo is now available on the store page! It includes the full Tutorial Campaign scenario and a short glimpse of the Captive Nightmares scenario. Check it out today!

Where can I find out more about Outbreak?

Check out the Outbreak website[www.outbreakzone.com] and our Twitter page for more information!

Please feel free to post any questions or comments below. I'll do my best to provide timely answers when possible! Thank you for supporting Outbreak!