Gameplay

Q: First or third person? What kind of teams? 

A: Nine to Five is a tactical online multiplayer FPS. In each match there are 3 teams of 3 players playing over 3 rounds. We call it the “Power of Three”.  

Q: How do you balance a game where 3 teams play against each other? 

A: Already 3 months into the development we tested the game mode and map for the first time with players in Canada (closed test), following up every 3 months by testing both internally and in staged tests with players around the world.  

The feedback from these tests has been very positive and we are excited about the new things the 3v3v3 brings on the table, many surprising twists and turns when the third team joins the party. We are curious what you guys will think about it and we are excited to hear your feedback in alpha!  

Q: How realistic is the game?  

A: Nine to Five is not a military simulator nor are we making the game sci-fi. We're keeping everything in a modern time-based theme, but we’ve put a lot of effort into making the guns feel fun, responsive, and believable. 

Q: What can you tell about the gameplay?  

A: In the game you have three teams playing 3 rounds against each other. The gameplay is tactical, leaning on teamplay, strategy and tactics more than your reflexes and your ability to headshot. There will be different kinds of maps and game modes, with varying objectives. The objectives change for each round, encouraging players to constantly adapt to new situations and find ways to outsmart their enemies  

For example, one game mode is based on gathering intelligence and escaping with it. The first round starts with each team trying to gather three codes to open the vault. The winner of this round tries then to defend the location and is pitted against the two other teams. Quite often the two teams work together to take down the leading team. Equally often they betray each other leading to fun and exciting moments. In the last round, the winner of the second round tries to escape using one of two escape points while the other two teams try to prevent this, building new asymmetric gameplay specifically crafted for the 3rd round.  

For more info, check out our Dev update!  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uz3VTJ61KbA

Q: What kind of equipment / gadgets are there?  

A:  In Nine to Five you will find a variety of items to help you in battle. These vary from support to defensive to offensive items and gadgets. 

Q: Will there be a mini-map? 

A: There will not be a mini-map, you will however be able to open up a map that shows the currently known objective locations as well as positions of your teammates. 

Q: Respawning 

A: In each round you only have 1 life, you will respawn when the next round starts. We do however have mechanics in place for you to still be valuable to the team beyond death. 

Q: Will there be classes, class bound weapons or tools? 

A:  In the world of Nine to Five there are no classes or hero characters. Instead you’ll be able to freely create a loadout however you see fit. So, if you’d like you could play as a medic while giving people hell with an LMG. 

We will talk about armor, loadout customisation and items more in an upcoming Dev Update so please subscribe to our YouTube channel if you are interested. http://www.youtube.com/c/NineToFiveGame/  

Q: Can you upgrade / customize weapons? 

A: Yes! You will be able to upgrade and customize your weapon parts to your playstyle and liking. We want to provide you the possibility to use the weapons you enjoy all the way through your mercenary career and to improve them however you like, rather than have you switch to another “better” weapon you don’t enjoy using.  

Q: Are there abilities? 

A: We have a perk system called “Automated support system” also known as “A.S.S.”. While creating your loadout you’ll have an amount of A.S.S. points which you can use to go into battle with various perks. 

Q: Will you have leaning mechanics?  

A: Yes.  

Q: Will you have destructible maps / things?  

A: We’ll have some destruction like breaking doors and windows but won’t go too deep into things like destructible covers as we have a few new mechanics at play already. We want to keep the game as accessible as possible while also providing tactical depth.  

Q: How large will the maps be? Will you have multiple maps or just one?  

A: We are going to Alpha with two maps, The Old New York and Varmstaad. While the Old New York is a lot about size, mid-range combat and verticality, Varmstaad offers more close combat encounters and way more dangerous crossings. For more info about Old New York (or ‘Flood’), check out our Dev Update! https://youtu.be/fZq2TJRigdw 

Q: With some maps having a lot of verticality are you able to use an item to get down from buildings faster than walking or ladders? 

A: Currently not, there are right now no plans for it but that could potentially change in the future 

Q: Will there be solo queue? Can you make premade teams?  

A: Yes, you can play the game alone and solo queue. Yes, you can also make your own premade teams with up to 2 friends. 

Q: Will you have AI / bots?  

A: We are building PvP and focusing fully on having fun with friends and other real players at this point. 

Q: What can you tell about the game lore/world?  

A: The game is set around 30 years in the future, and in the game world governments have been basically replaced by powerful corporations that now rule the world, which isn't necessarily too different from the world we live in today. Nine to Five is not a military game, but instead you play as a mercenary that is hired by these different corporates to do various tasks for them.  

Q: Will we get skins? What kind of character/exp system will you have? Cinematic mode? Ranked system? Spray patterns? E-sports? Battle pass? Etc...  

 A: We understand that you are eager to hear more, but detailed feature questions are something that it's a bit too early to answer at the moment. We will share more details down the road and many things you will be able to experience yourself already in alpha. Please note that in alpha many features are still missing or in development and will be added to the game later or developed based on player feedback, so answering some questions at this point is impossible. But please, don't be afraid to ask us anything, as the questions help us to understand what is important for our community and what you would like to see in Nine to Five in the future.  

Q: Will the game cost money?  

A: You can play Nine to Five for free.  

Q: How will you handle monetization, will there be Pay to Win? 

A: At Redhill we believe in a fair free-to-play monetization model, so randomized loot boxes or over-powered items only available through purchasing will not be our way of doing business. We will be opening this up further at a later stage, but during the alpha we are focusing on honing the second to second gameplay experience in order to have a good foundation to build the rest of the game on. In alpha there are no ways to use real money. Until we have a great game, having monetization doesn’t make any sense.