Fortnite reveals details on classes, worlds and gameplay

Love it or hate it, but Minecraft has created a new genre in gaming over the years. A genre that is just now starting to come to life. The first real threat to the open-world creation game might just be Epic Games’ Fortnite, which combines a faster pace of gameplay with some zombies that happen to know what they’re doing.

Described as “a co-op sandbox survival game” Fortnite is all about finding resources and using them to build a fortification that can withstand an assault from monsters.Here’s some of the details gleaned from the latest issue of Game Informer, via CVG:

Classes

There’ll be four classes in Fortnite. They are:

• Constructor – Builds quickly, uses less resources. CAn place class-specific base devices to strengthen forts
• Ninja – Optimised for melee combat,the ninja is fast, mobile and can stun enemies with shurikens and smoke bombs
• Commando – Jack of all trades combat operative, the Commando can deal more damage, debuff enemies and has more explosive ordinance
• Scavenger – Combined with the Constructor, the Scavenger can harvest resources quickly and make supply runs

Gameplay

• Fortnite will be a combination of exploration, action, customisation and building
• There won’t be much of a story, with the game setting referred to internally as “The World”
• Players will be in charge of Atlas devices that keep away storms, but are magnets for the undead
• Each stage is procedurally generated and features high levels of destructible objects
• Gameplay will feature an over the shoulder perspective that is similar to Gears of War
• Fortnite is at its core all about exploring The World to find material with which to construct forts
• All players start the game with a board that has a nail in it, which can be used to chip away at objects
• Unexplored areas house materials, treasure chests, weapons and schematics
• The main campaign length can be varied, from 10, 20 and 50 hour versions
• Procedurally generated worlds are made up of hexagonal tiles, with each tile representing a stage
• Players will need to focus between crafting and harvesting at the start of each stage
• Fortnite will boast quicker, more practical construction in comparison to Minecraft
• Players will select a surface to build on, and which materials to use
• Walls floors and ceilings are made out of three core elements: Wood, metal and stone
• Surfaces can be modified with a 3×3 grid overlay
• Traps can be placed in forts, and include spikes, electric surfaces, poison gas, sentry guns and land mines
• Enemies in the game are known as Husks, and are dropped in forts by the daily storm, attacking in waves
• Husks are spawned by an AI director that analyses what forces are needed to break down your defenses. These Husks have specific goals to achieve, and it will be up to players to counter this
• Stage progression unlocks more hexagons and route options

Structure

• Epic will release more classes after release
• Fortnite will feature drop-in and drop-out gameplay that is “easy”
• Notifications will allow you to see if friends are ready to join your game
• Classes max out at level 20
• Fortnite will be free to play, but Epic still needs to work out the details and is looking at League of Legends, Hearthstone and DOTA 2 for inspiration

Sounds interesting. Fortnite has no release date yet, but expect that most likely change around E3. If you’re keen, don’t forget that you can join the Alpha sign-up with this link.

Last Updated: April 11, 2014