Delta Force: Hawk Ops Will “Absolutely Not” Have Pay-to-Win Elements, New Season Incoming Every 2-3 Months, Name Change Considered
In case you didn’t know, there’s a new shooter incoming, and it seems to be taking on the Battlefield franchise head-on! I’m referring to Timi Studio’s Delta Force: Hawk Ops! While the Delta Force series has mostly been relegated to mobile games and the like, this time around, it’s aiming at the top as the game is currently being tested on PC, and is headed to consoles as well.
With the Delta Force: Hawk Ops closed alpha in full swing on PC, the developers recently answered some fan questions on the PCGaming subreddit by hosting an AMA (Ask Me Anything). In the Q&A, Delta Force: Hawk Ops game director Shadow Guo answers a few burning questions, and confirms a good number of things in the process.
According to Guo, Delta Force: Hawk Ops will “absolutely not” feature any pay-to-win elements, and confirmed the in-game currency will be used to buy cosmetics and the Battle Pass.
When it comes to each new season, Guo confirms that it will take 2-3 months before a new season is introduced, which seems to fall in line with most live service games. Read on for the complete AMA, soldier!
Delta Force: Hawk Ops AMA
Q: Will you support 21:9 and 32:9? I’m rocking 3440×1440.
ShadowGuo: We’re aware of the issues users are experiencing in widescreen resolutions. We want our players to experience our game the way you want, in any device/monitor you want. We’ll try to address those issues as soon as possible!
Q: How many operators, maps and weapons are you planning on for release?
ShadowGuo: We are receiving excellent feedback from the community during this alpha stage, and aligning our development roadmap according to it. We plan to have a new season every 2-3 months, and each season will include new maps, new gameplay, new vehicles and more. In fact, we’re already deep into designing content for Season 3. While we can’t share too many details yet about the final version’s content, we can assure you that there will be much more to explore than what you’ve experienced in this Alpha test so far.
Q: Are you planning on being pay to win like arena breakout?
ShadowGuo: We’re extremely happy to receive feedback from experienced players, such as yourself. Those are fantastic games that many members of our team hold in high regard – and some of us have even worked as developers in some of those titles. I believe that every game has it’s own unique features and dedicated player base.
We plan to regularly update our content, with new seasons every 2-3 months. Each season will bring new maps, new gameplay modes, new vehicles, new weapons, new Operators, new events, new skins and more.
We’ll also be working hard to continuously adjust and balance the weapons and equipment within the game. Apologies for not answering all your questions, but rest assured we’re taking all feedback into consideration.
Q: Will you be improving audio in havoc mode? It’s just constant explosives overrun everything else
ShadowGuo: Definitely! We’ve received a lot of feedback, regarding audio issues, among other things, it’s something that we’re always working on. Thank you for your feedback!
Q: Will you have paying for in game currency? ABI said no pay to win yet you can pay to get in game currency which is pay to win and ruins the integrity of the mode.
ShadowGuo: I can promise that this will absolutely not happen – this is a clear standard that we wanted to set for our game. As a dedicated FPS gamer myself, I made sure our team placed great importance on the global player experience and community. The primary content we offer for our players to purchase includes weapon skins, character cosmetics, and battle passes.
First and foremost, our large-scale Havoc Warfare mode has no pay-to-win elements. We also promise that Tekniq Alloy and equipment in Hazard Ops will never be sold – they must be earned through gameplay, participating in events, or trading with other platers in the auction house. We will not sell these items directly, unlike other games. The highest level of safeboxes (3×3) will also be available for free, by completing missions in our Hazard Ops mode.
Adding to that, a large number of safes in Hazard Ops will be given away during our community events, and more seasonal rewards will be provided through the battle pass. We also promise that all multiplayer content will be free to experience, with no game content locked behind a paywall.
Q: What is your opinion regarding the players’ reception to the return of delta force, are there any release dates, beta?
ShadowGuo: We always believed in the power of the Delta Force brand, as it’s something we grew up with and have held a deep love and respect for since we were kids. Delta Force was also the first FPS game I was introduced to. As a matter of fact, it became a nationwide phenomenon here in China in the 2000s, being available everywhere in Internet Cafés, so many people here are familiar with it. Having said that, we were surprised and delighted by the positive reception we got from fans of the series once we announced that we were working on an all-new entry. This project is truly a labor of love for everyone on our team, and we hope that even in this early stage, that passion is reflected in the quality of the experience.
We’ve also been humbled by the reception to our current PC Alpha test, and this positivity is driving us to work hard on releasing a game that all Delta Force fans can be proud of.
As far as release dates go, right now we’re focused on our Alpha test. But we promise we’re doing all we can to ensure the wait won’t be too long for the full release version!
Q: I know you won’t answer this but, will console players get an update on the console versions? You’ve said next to nothing about console, and ignored every question and post asking about it.
ShadowGuo: We’ve actually been addressing this question in every meeting we’ve had so far. We’re working on it with the utmost urgency – internally, it’s already possible to play Havoc Warfare mode with a controller, on our development consoles. We ask for a bit more time to share more information, and we’ll gradually share some gameplay footage from the console version. Expect updates very soon!
Q: Delta Force seems like a AAA experience and will be able to compete with Battlefield. However, the destruction is currently in a lackluster state. Will you guys be able to refine and increase destruction so that it matches competitors such as the Battlefield franchise?
ShadowGuo: Our main purpose during this alpha is to identify and correct issues players are having, while also measuring the demand for certain features that might currently be lacking. Destructibility is definitely and important factor in enhancing immersion, and it’s something we’re actively working on. However, our current primary focus is to ensure that every player has a smooth and consistent gaming experience.
While we continue to refine the game, we’re also paying close attention to community feedback, which will help us determine what current issues need to be dealt with the quickest.
Q: How did ye manage to make an unreal engine game that doesn’t stutter every 5 seconds?
ShadowGuo: With lots of love and – erm – sleepless nights… (haha)
Q: Will there be Linux support? Not asking for a native port just proton compatibility.
ShadowGuo: Currently, we’re focused on refining the core experience of Delta Force: Hawk Ops, during this alpha test phase. However, we’re absolutely listening to all our player’s feedback. While Linux support is not on the top of our priority list at this moment, we’ll seriously consider it. We recognize how important it is for the players, and for us, as we want everyone to have a chance to play our game.
Q: Why “hawk ops”? It sounds almost like a joke title. Personally didn’t think it was an actual game title.
ShadowGuo: Thank you for the message, it’s actually something we wanted to address soon. During this Alpha test, we’ve received some interesting feedback on the name, and we’re currently discussing internally the possibility of a name change. We’ll confirm any decisions with everyone soon.
Q: I have noticed that there are “bots” disguised as real players with dog tags in some matches and it’s 100% not real players. Is there any plan to completely remove the bots besides maybe your very first match? I think it’s very unnecessary to have bots disguised as players to make people feel like they are doing good.
ShadowGuo: We’re certainly aware of the feedback we’ve received in our community regarding the bots in Havoc Warfare. This is indeed a challenging issue we’ve been trying to address. Indeed, we introduced bots and have actively been making several adjustments to the AI.
The main reason for this is that, during the Alpha test, the number of players is relatively low. To reduce matchmaking times and ensure players can start games quickly during off-peak hours, we used bots to fill-in empty positions. At the same time, we’ve received feedback that the AI is too strong and we will be making adjustments to address this issue.
Q: With the title being free to play, the discussion of anti-cheat is paramount. How will you guys approach this?
ShadowGuo: We take this matter very seriously, and have established an entire team to focus on this: G.T.I. Security. You can find out more from our dedicated anti-cheat video, but rest assured our team are very experienced when it comes to detecting and counteracting malicious plug-ins and software.
As you may have seen in our community, once a report is verified, the cheater is quickly banned – much faster than in similar games. Adding to this, to ensure full transparency, we’ll release a ban list every week. If you encounter any issues, please submit your all details you may have through the in-game report system, or the official website’s G.T.I. security page right here.
Q: Why did you guys choose to add operators with unique abilities/gadgets rather than nameless, class based characters like the old battlefield titles? It’s just as easy to monetize and easier to keep the game balanced.
Most games that have operators usually devolve into a few meta characters and the rest are never touched by the playerbase. How do you plan to address the issue of balancing operators or getting people to engage with the “weaker” operators? Especially over time as you guys add more and more playable operators with unique abilities?
ShadowGuo: We believe that our Operator’s abilities can provide a more stylized combat experience, enabling players with different playstyles to enjoy the game in their own way. Our game design direction allows us to keep the game fresh and modern, while helping maintain a strong connection between the game and the players, so we chose to have our Operators as the core of our game. We will try our best to update Delta Force with new Operators every season, please try them for yourself and share with us your feedback to help improve Delta Force.
Q: This probably wont get answered and isn’t a question as much as it is a statement. I grew up on the OG Deltaforce and Black hawk down/ Joint operation games and absolutely loved them. If your company wants to maximise their success then all we need is a remaster of any of the original games or atleast follow the formula to what made them successful in the first place.
That combined with modern graphics= Unlimited potential. Anyways i wish you guys all the best and hope you consider these words with great thought
ShadowGuo: Hey, BoneTrippa, thank you for your kind words. I’m here with Shadow by my side, helping him translate his message to you. Our team has been focused on developing three game modes that cater to different audiences. Currently, we’re playtesting Hazard Ops, an extraction shooter, and Havoc Warfare, a large-scale, intense battle mode where squads can play against each other. During our current Alpha playtest, Cracked in Havoc Warfare is a classic remake of the old Delta Force: Black Hawk Down and many more classic maps from several old Delta Force titles will be added later to these game modes.
However, we’re also hard at work in our story-mode campaign, Black Hawk Down, which will be designed to capture the essence of the classic experience, combining it with modern graphics – as you said. Hopefully it will be a great experience for both new players, and veterans – such as yourself – who have been following Delta Force from the beginning.
Delta Force: Hawk Ops has no release date set just yet, but odds are it’ll be out this year given the state of the game’s alpha (at least on PC). Don’t forget, it’ll feature a campaign as well running on Unreal Engine 5.
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