Why Early Access?

“Many have gotten it wrong because they’ve ignored their community. Heavy Gear is an awesome franchise with an incredible lore. We don’t want to mess this one up. We have the passion, dedication, and knowledge to make Heavy Gear Assault amazing. But we can’t do it alone. We need your help. Many of our developers got their start as creative gamers, as modders, hacking away at their favorite big stompy bot games such as MechWarrior. Through those experiences, we’ve learned that nothing is more important than each other’s opinion. Heavy Gear Assault is our flagship title and it is being released through a modular release strategy and we are humbled by the ability to involve you, the gamer, and obtain your feedback for our game. As we progress through Early Access, more and more features will be implemented and released through the modular release strategy - with aggressive patching cycles planned. This strategy gives you, the gamer, the ability to provide us with critical feedback before we release Heavy Gear Assault as a final release. Interested in more information? Please follow our forum and public Trello board. Don’t hesitate to contact us! We need you!”

Approximately how long will this game be in Early Access?

“We have zero interest in a perpetual early access. We plan to release in approximately 1 year, with a full release planned for December 2017 coinciding with the console versions.”

How is the full version planned to differ from the Early Access version?

“Heavy Gear Assault is being developed using a modular release strategy. This strategy makes plenty of sense for an Early Access game. When modules are complete - players do not have to wait for the final version of the game. As iterations happen - we as developers can push patches and updates and obtain feedback from the community to improve the game for final release.

The full version of the game will contain the following modules:

• Battle Module - Released
  
• Gear Bay Module - Released
  
• Market Module - In development
  
• Melee Module - In development
  
• A.I. Module - In development
  
• Corporate Module - In development
  
• E-Sport Module - In development
  
• VR Module - In development
  
• Single Player and Co-op PVE Module: Mission 1 - In development

Maps
In addition to the modules which speaks mainly to development and engineering aspects - we also plan to continue to improve upon and iterate on our core in-game worlds. We currently have the following maps in-game:

Pioneer Outpost - Released
Citizens of the UMF are known to have a keen business sense. When the Northern Guard had to downsize after the Interpolar War, a string of base closures followed. One of those was Pioneer Bravo Outpost, a small Northern Guard garrison and space tracking facility nestled in the alpine mountains around Pioneer. The base was stripped and left abandoned. A venture group from Rapid City decided it was a golden opportunity to create a gear dueling circuit that would radically contrast in terms of environment with their competitors in Khayr ad-Din. The area around the arena also include exclusive ski resorts.

Port Oasis - Released
Nestled on the shores of Lake Esperance is a beach resort just outside of Port Oasis. The Rich Elite of the Republic have built a Dueling arena on this pristine area to bring the excitement of Gear combat to their favorite get-away spot in order to entertain themselves while they soak up the rays. The "arena" is a cordoned off area encompassing a small chain of mini-islands with shallow water close to the beach. Caverns and open sand beaches lead to an interesting combat environments rich in tactical options. When not in use for entertaining the elite, the arena serves as a training facility for maritime Gear regiments practicing amphibious landings.

San Lopez - Released
A once thriving mining homestead called Sand Drift in the Western Desert, has long since fallen victim to the many roving bandit gangs operating in the area and forgotten to sand and time. That is until it was rediscovered by a prospecting team from nearby Prince Gable. With most of its mineral and material wealth gone, there was still potential to turn a profit by refitting the place for Gear dueling and joining it to the nearby dueling leagues.

Hydro Station - Released
A dysfunctional water pumping station that was directly tapping into a branch of the MacAllen Network in the Eastern Mekong Plains. A young enterprising Mekonese businessman has since turn the facility and surrounding ghost town into a gambling and gear dueling resort.

Tershaw Valley - Released
No current description.

Terra Nova Horizon - In Development
Space is a dangerous place. Nestled in high orbit over Terra Nova, the derelicts of the Colonial Expeditionary Force (CEF) Cruiser "Varyag" and the CEF Strike Carrier "Moskva", remnants of the War of the Alliance, have floated lifeless for cycles. That is, until the Terra Nova Sports News Network, in a joint venture with Hermes72, decided to spend the money to refit the wrecks and general area into the most exciting and dangerous arena yet. Floating debris fields, and claustrophobic hull wreckage contrast harshly with empty expanses. The Moskva's hangar was refitted to maintain and repair Gears for zero-G combat.

Chop Shop - In Development
A recycling and parts business turned into a dueling arena at night. The area is owned by the infamous "Trasher Queen", who grew up in the Heaps of Khayr ad-Din. The map features a working foundry that spews molten metal periodically down ducts towards a recycling area. Players can fight in the ducts, but the molten metal can destroy gears outright. There should be indoor work spaces and warehouses as well as outdoor junk heaps to hide in.

Web Arena - In Development
The most prestigious arena on Terra Nova. Built by the infamous Spider Jahmoon king pin, the web arena took Gear Dueling to the main stream sports market. Only the best get invited to fight here.

Paradise Lost Oasis - In Development
The North and the South always love fighting in the Badlands. Unfortunately for the people who live there, foreign wars often arrive in their backyard. This Oasis tower community has fallen to the power plays of the planet's two superpowers during the Interpolar War. The displaced inhabitants has since moved on to other Badlands community. Many cycles later, an old veteran and several original founders of the tower returned to the ruins and have built a new community around the area. Their main economy is tourism and gear dueling, having retrofitted the old tower into a world class close combat arena.

Highlands - In Development
Crashed Colonial Ship - In Development
Swamp Haze - In Development
Old China - In Development

Gears
The following is a complete list of the Gears from Heavy Gear that we plan to bring to HGA with your help! Our unique skeletal mesh system developed for UE4 allows us to reuse parts from similar Gears to implement these machines faster and faster - think of it as a lego kit. Once your kit is big enough - you can build almost anything with the exception of a few specialty items.

• Anolis Refit: The post-war efforts of Territorial Arms to make the Anolis a profitable Gear by aiming it at the local militia market, both in the AST and the southern Badlands has not been accompanied by any company-led modernization efforts.
  
• Argos: The Argos was developed as an Advanced Heavy Strike gear. Built on the frame of a fire support Gear, the Argos incorporates the same targeting systems as those found on the Warrior IV.
  
• Asp: The Asp is an inexpensive alternative to the Jager that is ideally suited for civil defense.
  
• Basilisk: Although it was most often used as a scout vehicle, the Basilisk was conceived as a light general purpose Gear.
  
• Bear: The Bear was the first Northern Gear designed to be a true fire support specialist unit from the onset.
  
• Black Adder: An older assault and heavy weapons Gear, the Black Adder was a further development of the Sidewinder heavy trooper Gear.
  
• Black Mamba (Airborne): The AST began deploying the Black Mamba just before the War of the Alliance, where it was used to great effect.
  
• Black Mamba Military Police: The Black Mamba MP is a feared sight on MILICIA and Republican bases, not so much because of its capabilities as a machine but because of the nature of its pilots.
  
• Boa: Designed as the super heavy fire support Gear in the Constrictor series, the Boa never made it to the field as a general use Gear.
  
• Bobcat: The Bobcat is both an advanced gear and a throwback to an earlier time. Developed in the beginning of the TN 1690s, the Bobcat was the first dedicated scout/recon Gear on Terra Nova.
  
• Bricklayer: The Bricklayer is a specialist engineering unit derived from the Hunter military walker.
  
• Chargeur: Designed off the Lancier Chassis, the Chargeur is used in both military and civilian markets and manufactured by Neil Motor Works.
  
• Chasseur MK I (Airborne): The Achilles heel of the first Terra Novan Gear designed with a hover movement system was its fuel economy.
  
• Chasseur MK II (airborne): Co-developed alongside the MK I, the MK II included most items on the R&D teams’ wishlist.
  
• Cheetah: The Cheetah is the North’s dedicated recon and EW Gear. Its blinding speed and maneuverability allow it to dodge incoming fire, all the while relaying firing coordinates to its allies.
  
• Cheetah Military Police: The Cheetah MP is a relatively recent addition to the Military Police arsenal. With awesome mobility and a slightly smaller size, the Cheetah MP is better suited for many police operations than its larger brother.
  
• Chevalier: Early in the development of the Hussar, NuCoal and PAK commanders identified the need for a less specialized fire support vehicle for mass production.
  
• Civilian Hunter: While the Hunter is the primary trooper model for the North, the basic chassis of the Hunter is used in civilian designs as well.
  
• Civilian Jager: Due to its long history, durability, and versatility, the Jager has seen far more action than any other Southern Gear model.
  
• Copperhead: The Copperhead Gear was designed to replace the aging Rattlesnake’s role on the battlefield.
  
• Crusader IV: The Crusader IV was much better than its predecessors and was even used by some desperate polar forces in the War of the Alliance.
  
• Crusader V: The Crusader Mk. IV is a heavyweight Gear descended from the Crusader.
  
• Cuirassier (Airborne): Originally conceived as the Humanist Alliance’s answer to the Territorial Arms Black Mamba.
  
• Dart Jager: One of the strangest Jager variants ever produced. Nicknamed "Bug-Head" by the soldiers assigned to it.
  
• Den Mother: An outgrowth of the Bear, the Den Mother was introduced by Northco in the TN 1820s as the very first artillery command-and-control Gear.
  
• Desert Viper: The Desert Viper was built as a no-nonsense close-support Gear employed by the forces of the AST.
  
• Diamondback: The Diamondback is one of the newer Gears to appear on the market, produced in direct competition with the aging Black Mamba. Like its predecessors, it included improvements to pilot survivability.
  
• Dingo (Airborne): The Dingo saw extensive use by the 08th during the Interpolar War and during the postwar anti-rover operations.
  
• Engineering Cobra: The Engineering Cobra is an all-purpose engineering Gear chassis based on the frame of Territorial Arm's famous support Gear. It is a somewhat basic machine designed to enhance a worker's lifting capacity and performance on heavy duty jobs.
  
• Engineering Grizzly: The Engineering grizzly is a field engineering vehicle based on the basic frame and chassis of Northco's and Shaian's popular Grizzly fire support vehicle
  
• Fer-De-Lance: The most elite units in all of the Southern Republic. It was designed for one purpose: to look impressive and thereby raise morale.
  
• Ferret: The Ferret is one of the most unique Gears ever put in service of Terra Nova. Its design was probably influenced by that of the Bobcat, the first dedicated scout Gear of the Northern forces.
  
• Ferret MK II: The Ferret Mk II is a small, fast, and nasty Gear.
  
• Gila: The initial concept behind the Gila was to make a rapid and small Gear which could get into close range with other small and medium Gears and chew them up.
  
• Gladiator: Designed by Paxton to fill the demand of a high end underground dueling Gear, the Gladiator was originally an expansion on their Warrior chassis.
  
• Greyhound: Communications, command and control have always been central tenets to the structure of Peace River’s armed forces. The Greyhound reflects this philosophy.
  
• Grizzly: The Grizzly is a heavyweight Gear designed for fire support operations. The first result of cooperation between industrial giant Northco and Kenema's Shaian Mechanics.
  
• Harrier: The Harrier is the bastard child of a Cheetah and Chasseur.
  
• Hunter: The grandfather of all Heavy Gears. It was the first dedicated Gear design produced on Terra Nova and subsequent designs have been based on it. It’s continuously upgraded to meet the needs of the modern battlefields of the 62nd century and is expected to serve for years to come.
  
• Hunter Recon: The Hunter Recon was one of the first variants of the Hunter, developed in TN 1687 at the beginning of the Merchant War.
  
• Hunter XMG (Airborne): The Hunter XMG is a next-generation Gear designed and built by Northco, intended to ultimately serve as a replacement for the venerable Hunter.
  
• Iguana: After problems with failed scout designs like the Anolis, Territorial Arms was commissioned to design a new purpose-built dedicated scout Gear. The end result of this commission was the Iguana, which not only fit the role of a scout Gear but can also fill the role of a light Trooper Gear in a pinch. Called the "Iggy", the Iguana is the favorite of daredevil pilots in the Arena.
  
• Iguana Military Police: The Iguana MP Gear was designed to complement the larger (and more expensive) Black Mamba MP.
  
• Iguana Paratrooper: The Iguana, the South's standard scout Gear was a good candidate for a paratrooper.
  
• Jackal: It is a less a reliable and most importantly cheap design used by some desperate polar forces in the War of the Alliance
  
• Jaeger: The oldest and most basic of the Gears fielded by Southern forces. Although its rounded composite Southern armor creates a distinct appearance, the internals are nearly identical to the Northern Hunter.
  
• Jaguar (Airborne): The Jaguar is the North’s premier strike Gear. It is an advanced Gear that is slowly phasing out older designs.
  
• Jaguar Military Police variant: The Jaguar MP is commonly outfitted with an Armoglass visor over its primary sensor cluster.
  
• Jerboa: The Gear that would eventually become the Jerboa was originally designed by competitive rally racers.
  
• King Cobra: The King Cobra could be considered the most poewrful Gear ever produced. It was designed in response to the AST's need for more firepower when combating CEF hovertanks.
  
• Koala (Airborne): The Koala system is an upgrade kit to the aging Bear support Gear.
  
• Kodiak: The Kodiak is a heavyweight Gear designed to perform brutal frontal attacks against opposing forces' strongholds.
  
• Lancier: Conceived originally by Neil Motor Works engineers as a top of the line mining Gear capable of accessing remote mines along the Westridge Mountain Range, the Lancier evolved into a dedicated mountaineering Gear.
  
• Leopard: No Description
  
• Lynx: Though officially designated as a gear, many would consider the Lynx to be more akin to a transformable power armor system.
  
• Mad Dog R: The Mad Dog "R" (for revised) is perhaps one of the strangest hybrids in Terranovan military history.
  
• Mauler Ferret: The Mauler Ferret is not strictly speaking an "official" variant of the stubby little Northern scout.
  
• Mustang: The POC has little use or need for the heavy firepower of Paxton Arm’s military range of gears. However they do need gears that are capable of traversing the region quickly.
  
• Panther: The Panther is a stealthy variant of the Northco Jaguar. Its first line of defense is its ability to avoid detection.
  
• Paratrooper Cheetah: The Cheetah Paratrooper variant was born out of the Northern armies' need for a rapid scount/strike unit that could replace the outdated Gears.
  
• Paratrooper Hunter: The Paratrooper is a variant of the Hunter developed near the end of the War of the Alliance, incorporating airdrop equipment.
  
• Paratrooper Jager: The Paratrooper is a specialized variant used by the elite escouades of the Rapid Deployment Air Wings and other southern airdropped units.
  
• Pitbull: The Pitbull was designed by Paxton Arms for use by law enforcement officers in urban control situations.
  
• Python: The Python was the first long-range support Gear introduced for the Southern military.
  
• Rattlesnake: The Rattlesnake was the first Southern gear to appear alongside the Jager and the first of the successful "serpent" family developed by Territorial Arms.
  
• Razorback: The Razorback was released by Northco in the TN 1770s as one of the first original Heavy Gears to appear after the debut of the Hunter.
  
• Recon Jager: The Recon variant transformed the standard Jager soldier chassis into a scouting and light assault unit by removing most of the arm and leg armor plates and replacing them with lightweight ballistic cloth.
  
• Salamander: No Description
  
• Sapeur: Massive tool arms and a powerful engine make this worker Gear a popular construction and heavy lifting option for both military and civilian markets.
  
• Sidewinder: A product of the South’s Vehicle Modernization Program, the Sidewinder marked a shift in design focus in the South towards multi purpose machines with dedicated Southern design.
  
• Silverscale: The Silverscale was conceived as a scout variant, capable of handling all the necessary tasks a patrol leader would be faced with.
  
• Skirmisher (Airborne): The Skirmisher long-range patrol and harassment Gear was the result of the Protectorate Defense Plan’s call to replace all polar vehicles with Paxton-produced models.
  
• Spartan: The Spartan is deceivingly agile for its size. Paxton Arms has used this new configuration to announce to the world that they are back "Bigger and Badder" then ever.
  
• Spitting Cobra: The Spitting Cobra is the heaviest mass-produced Gear chassis currently in service with the Southern MILICIA and Republican Army designed to fill the operational role of a heavy weapons platform.
  
• Stone Mason: The Stone Mason is the Jager's first and foremost field engineering variant.
  
• Street Viper: One of the later incarnations of the earlier Desert Viper, the Street Viper was begun as an attempt to make a cheap and effective Gear that could be utilized by peace officer forces within the Southern Republic.
  
• Strike Cheetah : Designed to be a raiding unit, the Strike Cheetah is an up-armored variant of the stock Cheetah.
  
• Tiger: The Tiger originated from the United Mercantile Federation out of a necessity to replace the Hunter Mk 1 design. Sporting advanced fire control system and surprising maneuverability for its size. Due to the arrival of the Jaguar, it was never fully deployed. Tigers are still favored by the UMF, Arena pilots and Mercenary units.
  
• Valence: A general purpose work Gear designed by Paxton with very little armor. A Gear more a kin to a heavy Infantry trooper with its exposed cockpit.
  
• Warrior: The Warrior is Paxton Arms’ entry into the military Gear market. Although it has not been adopted into polar forces to the extent Paxton hoped for, it has found a home in hearts of Badland militias and pro-duelists alike.
  
• Warrior IV (Airborne): The Warrior IV was introduced by Paxton Arms in TN 1922 as a replacement for the venerable Warrior within the ranks of the Peace River Defense Force.
  
• Weasel: The Weasel was created as the first real step towards accomplishing complete specialization in the realm of electronic warfare.
  
• White Cat: The White Cat and its recent Silver Cat variant are designed primarily for offensive electronic warfare, with a secondary use in defensive electronic warfare.
  
• Wildcat: The Wild Cat was an early Keimuri joint design with Northco. For the most part it was utilized to protect more expensive reconnaissance Gears.

And Beyond...
There are 1000s of weapons, equipment, sensors, and military grade hardware that are also planned to be implemented as we continue to bring new Gears online.

In addition to Gears we are also planning to bring Striders, Gear Striders, Tanks, Hover Tanks, and other armored combat vehicles into the game.”

What is the current state of the Early Access version?

“Currently HGA is in a stage where two major modules have been finalized, and one is still in development - but we will continue to iterate on those modules during Early Access. We also have custom support for up to 3 Joystick devices and Xbox 360 style controllers.

Battle Module
First and foremost, the Battle Module consists of the core gameplay mechanic. All of the major systems and subsystems will be introduced which are necessary for core gameplay such as the movement, inventory, damage, & weapons systems. This module also contains a community lobby system, our basic matchmaking system, and our dedicated server system all supporting a certain level of world persistence.

Gear Bay Module
The Gear Bay Module focuses the ability for players to customize their Gears. Enter the Gear Bay where you have complete control over your ride. Swap out weapons, equipment, and systems to tweak your Gear’s performance to maximum efficiency. Introduced in this module are hydraulics and energy which added a whole new layer of simulation to Heavy Gear Assault. Excess horsepower is used by the hydraulic pumps to restore hydraulic pressure, which is used when the Gear makes certain maneuvers. Energy is created by the engine and stored in the Gear’s battery, where it’s used to power various Gear systems, including the ONNet, sensors, SMS mode and energy weapons. Install or upgrade actuators, pumps, valves, batteries, and servos to fine tune the balance between your Gear’s Hydraulics and Energy outputs and consumption. Also included in this module are additional Northern and Southern Gears, weapons, and equipment.

Market Module
Currently in development

EVE and other amazing economy based games have been the inspiration for this module. This is a full on economy based system engineered by some top graduate level and capital markets based minds at Stompy Bot. It is truly one of the most important aspects of HGA. This futuristic market is sophisticated with an endless amount of possibilities. Everything in Heavy Gear is controlled by powerful corporations on both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres of Terra Nova. There is even a stock exchange in the Mekong. The Badlands which is the desert region of the planet is where most of the Black & Grey Market activity happens. The Market Module introduces various aspects of HGA’s meta-game including the Market, Economy System, and an integrated world persistence. Central to this module is a plethora of weapons from all weapons classes and an assortment of equipment in the Heavy Gear universe. Players will enjoy the addition cosmetic customization options that alter the look of their Gears such custom paint jobs & decals. With the inclusion of the Threat System, all items installed on a Gear are assigned a Threat Value which are used to determine the Gears global Threat Value. Players can now purchase equipment, gears and weapons as well and will soon be able to sell them on the Black Market.

The Heavy Gear lore has an incredible base of pull from and we hope the Steam community will see why we plan to support it through a sensible development strategy. Over the next year, the game will be rapidly regressed & iterated on with an aggressive patch strategy planned, almost always including new features, content, balance and polish improvements, and bug fixes. We are extremely fast at development, and will continue to push forward with maximum energy to make the game the best stompin’ mech game on Steam.”

Will the game be priced differently during and after Early Access?

“Yes, the game will be lower price through Early Access providing complete access to all core modules of the game.”

How are you planning on involving the Community in your development process?

“Currently HGA developers are very active on our Forums, Discord, Reddit, & Social Media, gathering feedback and bug reports to improve our game. We will be hosting town hall meetings. Live discussions via Twitch. We also have a dedicated community manager that is serious mech gamer and will make sure developers hear your voice. We are also actively integrating many aspects of the Heavy Gear lore and are actively engaging the DP9 Community for guidance. Finally, we remember our roots. Originally from the MekTek MechWarrior mod community, we plan to add some serious modding capabilities to HGA in 2017 including a user based mission/map editor so the community can build their own maps, objectives, and campaigns in HGA. We also provide users with the ability to host their own dedicated servers including the ability to host with custom house rules.”