makingmusic476 on 27 May 2010
They seem to be really focused on upping the variety as well:
Steven Ter Heide: In this level which we have on show today we have four distinct experiences, which was something we wanted to focus on in Killzone 3 as well. In Killzone 2, in was much more, well, I wouldn't say it was just one experience which you got, but it wasn't as varied as we wanted it to be. This time around we're introducing a lot more gameplay experiences, in this level you start on the intruder, shooting - which was something else people said about 2, you spend all this time on an intruder and you don't get to fire the gun - this time around you're allowed to do that.
Then there's the regular gameplay, where you get your combat rifle and off you go, you encounter the jetpack enemies, and then you get the jetpack, which opens up this whole new experience - all of a sudden you're able to jump around and do this aerial combat and reach new areas and have new routes open up. Then we introduce the big rocket launcher, this portable weapon of mass destruction, and suddenly you're able to take out tanks and vehicles really easily, that feels really powerful. So there's these really distinct experiences, even in the scope of a single level, and that's going to happen throughout the game. We want to keep the user experience really fresh.
Then there's the regular gameplay, where you get your combat rifle and off you go, you encounter the jetpack enemies, and then you get the jetpack, which opens up this whole new experience - all of a sudden you're able to jump around and do this aerial combat and reach new areas and have new routes open up. Then we introduce the big rocket launcher, this portable weapon of mass destruction, and suddenly you're able to take out tanks and vehicles really easily, that feels really powerful. So there's these really distinct experiences, even in the scope of a single level, and that's going to happen throughout the game. We want to keep the user experience really fresh.
Absolutely. The idea is that, not even going from level to level, but within individual levels, we'll be switching it up a lot more. I wouldn't say we'll be introducing a lot of colour because that's never been what Killzone is about, we've got this very distinct look, but we do want to get a lot more variety in the environments - so, different colour schemes, different things going on, throughout the game. Right at the beginning of the game, if you remember how Killzone 2 finished, on the steps of the Palace with the cruiser coming in, that's exactly where this game begins. It's completely seamless and continues on - so it starts in that nuked urban environment, the environments you played in Killzone 2, but since the bomb went off everything's changed. Then you're taken off on a journey, across the entire planet, basically.
Levels are also apparently much larger (up to 10x that of Killzone 2), and they'll have multiple ways to get around, allowing you to completely avoid some enemies if you wish. They've also worked on the AI to allow them to make good use of a more open level design.
Well, as Hermen mentioned in the presentation, the footprint of the levels is much bigger - today's level is about ten times the size of a typical Killzone 2 level - so not only do you have these great viewing distances and these incredible vistas, you also have multiple routes and new ways of dealing with situations. You don't even always have to engage enemies, some of them you can sneak past. Obviously the jetpack opens a whole new realm of possibilities as well, you're on these oil rigs and whatever way you want to attack these guys, you can do that.
Given our AI and the way we've set up the game, it's not scripted, in the way that you'd see in other games - our AI is much more responsive in terms of what is the current situation, where is the player and how should I behave? So we've taken that from Killzone 2, but rather than having confined spaces we now give them a lot more space to breathe in so now you start to see them do a whole host of new things because they've got a lot more room to play with.
So rather than you always being able to sidetrack them, they'll be able to hunt you down and find you, a whole new kind of encounter set up. So however you take it, however you play it, it's going to be different.
Given our AI and the way we've set up the game, it's not scripted, in the way that you'd see in other games - our AI is much more responsive in terms of what is the current situation, where is the player and how should I behave? So we've taken that from Killzone 2, but rather than having confined spaces we now give them a lot more space to breathe in so now you start to see them do a whole host of new things because they've got a lot more room to play with.
So rather than you always being able to sidetrack them, they'll be able to hunt you down and find you, a whole new kind of encounter set up. So however you take it, however you play it, it's going to be different.
