[scooby_dooby]

Extended 2 Minute Trailer:
http://media.xbox360.ign.com/media/7...83/vids_1.html (Direct Feed Trailer)


4 Page Interview: http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/657/657404p1.html

"Although Too Human has very advanced technology, it takes place in a very distant past on world that has known nothing but war for thousands of years. One of the results of these wars is an ice-age that has lasted three thousand years. The human population has dwindled and most of the population rests in one area under the protection of the Aesir, a military organization specializing in high tech research.

Making things worse, ancient machines of war seemingly without purpose have begun to invade and kill the remaining humans. These races of machines, once tools of war for mankind, now have become self sufficient and evolved far beyond what man once thought possible. These machines were once so rarely seen that they were often referred to as myths and monsters.
Standing between the machine monsters are the gods of Aesir. The gods are elite warriors that are cybernetically enhanced to the point where their powers make them appear godlike to normal men. In Too Human you play the role of Baldur, a cybernetic god, charged with the role of defending mankind against the machines. "

This game just came out of nowhere (for me) and skyrocketed to hugely anticipated, man this sounds great. 2006 is gonna be one sweet year with Mass Effect, Too Human, Lost Odyssey and Gears of War all droppin...

[Acert93]

IGN's interview with SK (Silicon Knights) on Too Human is excellent, but what really caught my attention was their opinion about framerate. It is candid and detailed look at how SK is weighing the "30fps or 60fps?" issue. I wish more developers were this open about these types of issues because they really give us an insight in the design/market perception of a developer.

IGN: What framerate are you striving for in the Too Human games?

Denis Dyack: It is too early to really discuss this but we will aim for a frame rate that is most appropriate the game. With Eternal Darkness we averaged 60fps at a true 640x480 resolutions on the NGC, which not many other games achieved. However, we are not sure the players noticed this and in many respects we feel that reducing the frame rate to 30fps and adding substantially more effects as we did in MGS is more favorable to gamers. We are currently leaning towards a heavy effects approach in games for next generation as you see in games like MGS 4. The Xbox 360 is very powerful and the final hardware is beyond our expectations for performance and we are confident that it will allow us to go in any direction that we choose to during the development. Whichever path Too Human takes, we are very aware of the improved game experience a smooth and steady frame rate provides and we will always keep that paramount.

I know it has been discussed back and forth, but hearing it from a developer is very informative IMO. I can definately understand the let down of hitting 60fps in a game and it not being a major selling point--that would be VERY frustrating. Obviously some games (and gamers!) or more/less sensative to framerate. A slow stealth 3PS can be a great experience at 30fps while a fast paced shooter like UT99 or Quake 3 really is make or break based on framerate.

It is good to hear for their design goals the Xbox 360 is very powerful and beyond their expectations--this should mean good things for gamers who are interested in Too Human! It seems they are keeping a "smooth framerate" in mind as the bottom line so if their game needs 60fps it sounds like they will aim for that although they seem to be leaning toward 30fps and a LOT of effects. Based on the images below, well, I can dig that!

Interestingly they are using MGS4 as a reference point for "effects heavy" game. Based on their comments about picking up a lot of gameplay design tips and story telling from Miyamoto while working on ED and the importance of production value and cinema from Kojima I think they are ready to spread their own wings some. They really have a nice vision so I hope it can be executed as they are planning![/b]

The interview is excellent as it explores the issue of "Why use UE3?" (which really highlights, from a developers perspective, what advantages UE3 has), their camera angle decisions, production values, a general outlook on the plot (sounds very cool), and some small teasing about gameplay, online, and other features. Too Human (developers of the critically acclaimed Eternal Darkness on the GCN and MGS Twin Snakes on the GCN) is Silicon Knights brain child of the last 10 years.

Based on their history it should be good! As a GCN owner I got to be spoiled by SK, they really are a quality development house. I hope their trilogy is as good as the former work!

[Acert93]

I had beaten you by 5 minutes (you must have still been typing!) on this, so I copied my post over so the other thread could be closed.

I agree, I like the plot and SK is a pretty good dev house. I am looking forward to them releasing more info on Online play.

[drpepper]

Man Acert, I'm playing thread tag with you, here's my post from your thread...

And yes, Lost Odyssy looks cool, though I doubt I'll be picking up a 360.
----------
For me if a game is a steady 30 fps, especially in shooters, then I'm happy, although I'm not a fan of shooters. But after playing Gran Turismo 3 and 4 on 60 fps, I'd like to see more games employ higher frame rates.

Animation and movement just seems more fluid.

I think it's cool he recognizes MGS 4, or at least the trailer. At least the developers respect each other. I didn't see a lot of effects in the trailer. Was he refering to the dust/debris effects and the HDR?

[Acert93]

Originally Posted by drpepper

I think it's cool he recognizes MGS 4, or at least the trailer. At least the developers respect each other. I didn't see a lot of effects in the trailer. Was he refering to the dust/debris effects and the HDR?

The MGS4 trailer had a ton of shader effects. The best effect is the one you do not notice

Everything from the hair, how Snake's eyes looked moist, to his skin (skin shader, maybe some sub surface scattering), the smoke from the cancer stick, the rubble crumbling, his suits neat glisten and rubbery look, normal maps, etc... The MGS4 trailer is full of nice effects that come together in an orchestra of beauty. It really is art direction at its best--nothing seemed out of place.

Basically everything that is more than a static texture is an effect.

SK worked with Konami in bringing MGS to the GCN so I am sure they have a lot of respect for them; ditto Nintendo. I know their issue with Nintendo is they wanted to make MATURE games and Nintendo is going the other direction. To make a profit they really needed to look elsewhere (kind of like Factor5). But even then they had a very "nice" breakup. SK is not the type to really rock the boat it seems. Very respectful and their games have been very good in the past.

[AlStrong]

I'm very interested in the story and am excited to to see how the trilogy pans out.

[Mefisutoferesu]

A number of things that peaked my interest... I'll relay a few... some of them are a little too we'll see...

1) I hate IGN! They tell me it's extended, when it's the EXACT same trailer shown at X05, and more over I have to watch a stupid commercial before I can download it!!! Grah!

2) Deep battle system involving right analogue stick you say? Um, yeah, you might wanna talk to Namco about that before you commit... *cough*Death by Degrees*cough* Seriously, though, that comment does have me worried about the depth of combat we'll be seeing in this game. If I recall there were comments made saying this'll blow God of War out of the water, which suggests it'll be an action type game, and every use of the analogue for that type of game has produced a VERY forgettable battle system.

3) Foo... I forgot the point I was gonna make... I think something about maybe UE3.0 looking old by the 2nd round of games... don't think so though... foo.

[scooby_dooby]

1) The X05 trailer was 1:30, this was 2:00, it has much more battle scenes then the original.

2) BOTH analogue sticks, and both the trigers make up the fighting controls. Obviously has alot of potential for being fairly complicated.

3) It's based on UE3.0. Also Splinter Cell 5 is using UE3 so I don't think it will look dated at all.

[dukmahsik]

this game, mass effect, and GOW are my def must haves in 2006

[Mefisutoferesu]

I dunno about you but I've long since seen the extended trailer. Can't remember where though, but I KNOW I've seen it. I'm taking a stab in the dark, but it might have been on G4.

As to the analogue... If both are used for fighting then how do you move the character? 3-thumbed aliens need not answer, thank you very much. Seriously, though, action games that have relied on the analogue for fighting have so far been mediocre... Silicon Knights is talented, but gameplay isn't their strong suit... atmosphere and story telling is however, so I'm still apprehensive.

As to UE3, fair enough, honestly I don't remember what my 3rd point was, so I just kinda rambled that off. The engine will probably grow and advance over the 3 or 4 years the trilogy takes.

[Bohdy]

Thanks for the heads up! I still remember the ol' IGN trick, so I got the high-res version.

[Mefisutoferesu]

Oh! Care to share the trick? ^^

[scooby_dooby]

Originally Posted by Mefisutoferesu

I dunno about you but I've long since seen the extended trailer. Can't remember where though, but I KNOW I've seen it. I'm taking a stab in the dark, but it might have been on G4.

As to the analogue... If both are used for fighting then how do you move the character? 3-thumbed aliens need not answer, thank you very much. Seriously, though, action games that have relied on the analogue for fighting have so far been mediocre... Silicon Knights is talented, but gameplay isn't their strong suit... atmosphere and story telling is however, so I'm still apprehensive.

As to UE3, fair enough, honestly I don't remember what my 3rd point was, so I just kinda rambled that off. The engine will probably grow and advance over the 3 or 4 years the trilogy takes.

Hmm, I hadn't seen that trailer until it was posted yesterday on IGN, but maybe G4 had it, that could be possible.

About the fighting, the biggest thing I'm looking forward is the way the camera becomes part of the fighting, this sounds really really cool, the camera is an integral part of the fighting. It also seems like it will be very deep with many different moves. I've never played an action game that used the analogue controls, it does sound a little wierd but until we see it in action who can say?

Bohdy - what's the IGN trick?

[Powderkeg]

Originally Posted by Mefisutoferesu

I dunno about you but I've long since seen the extended trailer. Can't remember where though, but I KNOW I've seen it. I'm taking a stab in the dark, but it might have been on G4.

As to the analogue... If both are used for fighting then how do you move the character? 3-thumbed aliens need not answer, thank you very much. Seriously, though, action games that have relied on the analogue for fighting have so far been mediocre... Silicon Knights is talented, but gameplay isn't their strong suit... atmosphere and story telling is however, so I'm still apprehensive.

As to UE3, fair enough, honestly I don't remember what my 3rd point was, so I just kinda rambled that off. The engine will probably grow and advance over the 3 or 4 years the trilogy takes.

One stick controls the player, the other the camera. This is no different from how the majority of console FPS's work.

[Bohdy]

Originally Posted by scooby_dooby

Bohdy - what's the IGN trick?

The moderators would probably frown upon it if I told you.

[dukmahsik]

Originally Posted by Bohdy

The moderators would probably frown upon it if I told you.

PM Pls

[scatteh316]

Originally Posted by Bohdy

Thanks for the heads up! I still remember the ol' IGN trick, so I got the high-res version.

Any chance u could be a good un and PM it to me please???

[Confidence-Man]

Originally Posted by Powderkeg

One stick controls the player, the other the camera. This is no different from how the majority of console FPS's work.

You don't control the camera at all. One stick is for movement (I presume), the other is somehow used in combat.

[mckmas8808]

Another great looking game for the X360. Like others have said this game, Mass Effect, and GOW are the must haves of 2006. If I were a 360 owner I would pick Mass Effect before the other two. Something about that game just looks so epic. Star Wars like, I don't know.

[drpepper]

Originally Posted by Acert93

The MGS4 trailer had a ton of shader effects. The best effect is the one you do not notice

Everything from the hair, how Snake's eyes looked moist, to his skin (skin shader, maybe some sub surface scattering), the smoke from the cancer stick, the rubble crumbling, his suits neat glisten and rubbery look, normal maps, etc... The MGS4 trailer is full of nice effects that come together in an orchestra of beauty. It really is art direction at its best--nothing seemed out of place.

Basically everything that is more than a static texture is an effect.

Thanks for the insight Acert93, I have next to no knowledge of graphics technology, all the information I get I actually get from the discussions here on this board. Even then it's still over my head. I guess your eyes can spot these things naturally while I need people to point them out.

Anyways, this game, Too Human looks nice, though I probably can't play it since I'm only picking up a PS3. Plus I don't think the SO would like me to have 2 or 3 game consoles in the house.

[Laa-Yosh]

UE3 games start to look a bit too similar to me...

[Powderkeg]

Originally Posted by Confidence-Man

You don't control the camera at all. One stick is for movement (I presume), the other is somehow used in combat.

I beg to differ.

From the article.

Denis Dyack: Although we are not going into detail in this regard we will say that we have designed a dynamic and responsive combat system that can only work in tandem with our dynamic camera system. We think that gamers will be very happy with how accessible and deep Too Human feels. Both analog sticks in combination with the triggers are the main controls the gamers will use.

So you have a dynamic combat system with a dynamic camera system. Two sticks required for full control.

Although we are not going into detail about the system at this time, we will say that cameras in the game will be very dynamic and intelligent. They will adjust contextually to what the player does at all times and the cinematography in Too Human will be on par with movies while being completely interactive and without compromising playability.

And that clearly says the camera is "Completely interactive."

[Carl B]

I'm not sure I understand what gameplay will be like *at all* from the trailer, but it's looking pretty good graphically. Honestly, the story is what appeals to me most right now, as well as the fact that it's clearly going to be a trilogy. Love those 'epic' storylines! But the fighting itself looks kind of like... "what?"

@Laa-Yosh: I know what you're saying with UE3.

[Confidence-Man]

Originally Posted by Powderkeg

I beg to differ.

You're misinterpreting what he's saying. The camera is "dynamic and intelligent" adjusting contextually to what the player does on it's own. You have no control over it.

Elsewhere he's discussed cameras in general and his dissatisfaction with user-controlled cameras. Here, for example:

http://www.gamasutra.com/features/20...ohler_01.shtml

Originally Posted by Denis Dyack

Ever since Eternal Darkness we've strongly believed that you should not give the players control of the camera. I think Prince of Persia: Sands of Time did it too. And ICO. A lot of the research and development we've been doing has been in camera systems.

[mckmas8808]

Originally Posted by Laa-Yosh

UE3 games start to look a bit too similar to me...

I ditto this comment.