We’re here to answer all your questions about the game and its development!
[h2]General Questions[/h2]
[h3]
– Will the game ever become free to play?[/h3]
There are no such plans for it right now. While we’d love to make Active Matter available to more players, moving to a free-to-play model would be tough – and it tends to attract more cheaters, since F2P titles usually carry lighter penalties for cheaters upon being banned.
[h3]
– How will the game deal with potential cheaters?[/h3]
We’re already using BattlEye, and have implemented an in-game report system. We’re also working on adding a Raid replay system similar to other Gaijin titles. This will take a bit of time to roll out, but it’s in our plans.
[h3]
– Is there a set release date for 2026?[/h3]
Not yet. We have a lot of feedback to adress and many features still in development. We hope to share a more concrete timeline by the end of October.
[h2]Gameplay Questions[/h2]
[h3]
– How many other players are in a Raid, and will you add more players into PvPvE raids?[/h3]
That depends on the exact Raid and the queue - in fact, we’re experimenting with these numbers right now. Usually you’ll see anywhere between 4 and 20 players per Raid.
[h3]
– Will Isolated Raids (PvE) be more available in the future? Any plans to increase the number of tickets earned per day?[/h3]
We need to examine player behavior, demand for the Isolated Raids, their impact on rewards and progression, and our average server load. Isolated Raids are a brand-new feature (not tested in CBTs), and we’ll definitely iterate on them - hoping to focus on them at the end of this week or next.
[h3]
– Can you fully explain the Nexus mode in more detail with the lore? Why are there bots in Nexus Raids? Will there be only players in future? Will rewards be increased, since they feel very small right now?[/h3]
Nexus Battles are driven by player groups - called ‘Factions’ (or ‘Agencies’) - who set up node-specific and default rewards according to their goals and their resources. Currently, we’re just testing the Nexus Map feature in general, so you’re seeing ‘minimum rewards’ for now. However, there’s also no risk in Nexus battles for mercenaries yet, so you can think about these runs as ‘training’ or ‘experiments’. We’ll add more Faction-driven involvement later.
[h3]
– Can you explain the impact a suppressor actually has in-game on monsters and other players being able to hear your shots?[/h3]
A suppressor makes shots quieter! However, it strongly depends on the gun itself. We model it pretty realistically: some guns have subsonic ammo and others don’t. So, guns with subsonic ammo are quieter (with a suppressor) because the shot doesn't make a big boom. Guns using regular, non-subsonic ammo with a suppressor are still quieter than without one, but they remain fairly loud.
For example, the AS VAL and VSS Vintorez (with built-in suppressors and subsonic ammo) are noticeably quieter than an AK with a suppressor.
[h3]
– Many players think the PvE combat is too difficult. Will we see adjustments to it, for example, reducing the number of monsters at extraction points, or reducing the number in PvPvE raids to make PvE raids relatively more difficult with more of them? Will there be any differences to make solo play more enjoyable with fewer monsters, or maybe a pure solo mode? What kind of ideas do you want to try?[/h3]
We are thinking about adding some ‘solo-only’ raids. However, as we see on streams and by our own experience, most players quickly adapt to the current monsters, and after enough runs it stops feeling challenging (or even a challenge at all). Yes, sometimes you need certain equipment or tactics for an easier extraction, but usually it is doable with enough practice. It’s a challenge similar to that in a souls-like game (but easier). We are going to add even harder Raids in the future for those who want more challenge.
[h3]
– What does Raid "difficulty" change precisely?[/h3]
For most Raids, difficulty depends on the number of monsters and the environment (time of day, weather). Your personal difficulty is also set by the contracts that you need to finish before extraction - you choose your risk level. Objective-based Raids are like common Raids with extra mandatory primary objectives, making them tougher.
[h3]
– How do you plan to "balance" the game for casual players versus competitive players?[/h3]
We’re leaning on Isolated Raids to offer a more relaxed experience. However, that said, Active Matter is not designed as a casual game and doesn’t pretend to be.
[h3]
– Will there be a more obvious storyline and corresponding tasks to follow? Can you give us some more hints for the story and lore?[/h3]
Yes, there will be more of a clearer narrative and task chains. We prefer players discover the story and lore in-game, rather than outside of it.
[h3]
– Will there be a wider variety of tasks? Will there be more varied loot too?[/h3]
Absolutely. Expect more Raids, Boss Raids, objective-based Raids, and new tasks too. We also plan to expand loot categories - no more details for now!
[h3]
– The Robot Dog, Quad Bike and other signal grenades are interesting, as well as the Scout Drones - will there be more of these high-tech equipment options?[/h3]
For sure.
[h3]
– Please explain the full wipe mechanism – the lore, what will happen, will everything be reset or do the self-sacrifice rewards and edition bonuses remain?[/h3]
Self-sacrifice rewards, dog tags, any unused Crystallized Active Matter (or the items bought with it), and other edition bonuses will stay. Any bonuses tied to multiverse resets also remain.
[h3]
– Will you ever implement a self-wipe system, so we can start at the same level as some new friends we play with, change starting Body Sleeve or to reset any mistakes we made? It could fit with the lore.[/h3]
We already have a self-wipe option when you finish the Monolith progression.
[h3]
– What new maps are planned? When can we play maps like Epicenter, Park or Dam? Will we be able to explore the whole piece of land connecting all the different maps? Will there be special limited-time events on these maps to spice them up?[/h3]
We hope to be able to deliver all of this content this year - or at least most of it!
[h3]
– What other anomalies, or "utility anomalies" are planned? Gravity zones have utility but there aren’t too many others. What about anomalies that evolve (mutating, spreading)?[/h3]
We plan to fully remake the old fire anomaly, but its "utility" is very straightforward - it burns! A new plant anomaly was teased in our main trailer, where a sprout grasps the body, but it's a concept for now and may change a lot during development.
[h3]
– What is the point of turning into a monster? What can you do, especially if few other players are still alive in that Raid?[/h3]
You still are able to complete your quests while being a monster, however, it’s primarily a PvP feature - you earn more by hunting other operatives as a monster. We will definitely do more – we have 2 more playable monsters to come, we plan improvements to existing monsters, as well as a way to find more operatives.
[h2]New features[/h2]
[h3]
– Will proximity chat be added? It could create some great funny moments for clips, and feels important for a game like this. What about other social features like a lobby chat?[/h3]
Yes - there are already plans for proximity chat and it’s being tested internally right now! We also aim to introduce a lobby chat. Both features unfortunately require robust moderation and reporting tools alongside a dedicated team for doing so, which we don’t have for now.
[h3]
– Will there be a "replay mode" and/or killcam to allow players to analyze how they were killed, or CDK (Content Development Kit) sandbox feature to help content creators with a free camera?[/h3]
We are going to add a replay system with the replay mode later. No CDK is planned for now.
[h3]
– Will more Body Sleeves be added in the future (or more character skins per Sleeve), and can we get a sneak peak? Will gun and vehicle cosmetics also be added?[/h3]
More Body Sleeves will appear for sure. We have options for gun and vehicle cosmetics too, but that will come later.
[h3]
– Will Crystallized Active Matter be a purchaseable currency? [/h3]
We have no such plans for now.
[h3]
– How in depth will weapon modification become? The "modding" panel looks great, but feels like it needs more options and is a bit empty.[/h3]
Tactical flashlights and muzzle brakes are weapon mods that will appear in the game in the near future. We are also going to add more types and items to this system. We are going to make weapon mod system that is simple but diverse, offering lots of useful upgrades but not making it overcomplicated.
[h3]
– Can the "Our Future Plans" dev blog be considered a roadmap? If so, will developers let the community decide on changes to it and to new content?[/h3]
It is not a Roadmap because there is no certain sequence or certain dates for any new features. We are closely listening to our community and watching what they actually do in the game, and with that, we will decide on what new features and content should stay in game, get removed or changed.
[h3]
– Will the game have DX12 and FSR4 support?[/h3]
There are plans for both. Currently, DX12 is less stable than DX11 so we decided to set DX11 as default.
[h3]
– When will the "factions" or "clans" feature go live and what are the precise plans for its functionality?[/h3]
This year, but the exact timing depends on the amount of ongoing feedback we get and the number of things we should fix or improve first. However, without clans, our Nexus Raids are just a weak mirage of what we wanted it to be.
[h3]
– How do we plan to update the game once it’s fully released? What kind of regular updates can we expect?[/h3]
We were thinking that big updates every 2-4 months is a good pace. More frequent releases do not allow us time to develop big features.
