'H1Z1' Gets a New Name and a "Re-Formed Dev Team"

H1Z1's PC version is changing its name Z1 Battle Royale with a "newly re-formed dev team" heading the game's development.

An announcement on the game's Steam page (via PCGamesN) discussed the new name and the developer's initiative to work closely with the community and return the game to its roots. Followed by patch notes for the 1.0 version of Z1 Battle Royale, the announcement revealed the new name and some of the goals for the project.

"H1Z1 on PC will soon be known as 'Z1 Battle Royale'!" the announcement said. "This release is the first major step in that transition. The newly re-formed dev team worked closely with the community to prioritize features and changes that return the game to its roots as the world's most competitive BR Game."

Among the first games to make a name for itself in the battle royale genre, H1Z1 preceded Fortnite and others with a PC version released in early access format. It eventually made its way to console, but with the release of other battle royale games, its popularity has dipped despite being able to maintain a playerbase amid its competitors.

Z1 Battle Royale's 1.0 release contained changes to gameplay, match systems, and other improvements which can all be seen here, the weapon-specific changes found below.

Gameplay

• Weapons
  • The AR-15, AK-47, M-9, Shotgun* & Magnum have been adjusted based on their Preseason 3 characteristics:
    • Bullet Speed
    • Bullet Drop/Drag
    • Fire Rate
    • Reset Time
    • Recoil
    • *The Shotgun's pellet pattern will remain the same as Season 1 & 2.
    • No changes have been made to bleed mechanics or pass through damage.
  • Other weapons that were not present in Preseason 3, such as the Hellfire and the M40 Sniper Rifle, have not been changed. We want the community's feedback before determining how we will deal with these items.
  • Weapons that were present during Preseason 3 but have since been removed, such as the 1911 and R380, may be addressed in a later update, pending feedback from the community.
  • The "Classic Camera" was changed to behave the way it did in Preseason 3 (zoom, shake, lerp, etc…)
  • The AR-15 firing sound effect from Preseason 3 now plays for the person firing the weapon.
  • The "muzzle flash" has been removed from the AR-15, AK-47 and Magnum
  • "Aiming Down Sights"
    • Players can now aim down sights while jumping and fire accurately.
    • Players can now shoot while in the process of aiming down sights.
    • Movement
      • Jumping is now more responsive so that players should always jump if they press jump while on the ground.
      • Loosened the ENAS restrictions so that players are less penalized when moving in a way that triggers the system.
      • Players can now swap seats while a vehicle is moving, as long as it is not accelerating.