Killzone 2 pre-release discussion thread

[Gradthrawn]

Considering there is no solid release date, why wouldn't they just take more time to make a more solid release package instead.

Isn't that what they're doing by delaying features until post release and concentrating on the others for release?

 

[eastmen]

The game isn't ready but sony wants it out and thus we will see patches. I guess when I heard it was delayed again , this may be what the out come of that.

 

[patsu]

Sony has announced more features for KZ2 along the way. My guess is they are just prioritizing their deliverables it to stay focused. We don't know how many players are supported in the co-op yet right ? Vehicle balancing may take time too. As a reference, they tested regular online for 2 years now.

It looks like we will get SP, MP with badges and bots, PS Home support at launch. Split screen is unknown or not supported. That's good enough for me (for now !).

EDIT: Put it another way, by the time it launches, KZ2 will have to face:
* Resistance's 8-man co-op and practically lag-free MP (based on RFOM's performance since I have not played R2 yet)
* Socom's loyal user base
* Metal Gears Online's "heroes"
* CoD4/5's domination
... and who knows what else. I'd say they need to polish the heck out of their MP gameplay to attract new customers and keep them.

 

[jandlecack]

I do believe the MP part of Killzone 2 will be different not in the way it plays, but in the way it feels, viscerally and visually. Judging from the trailers, the MP has much more a gritty war setting feel to it than the regular-shoot-things like CS, BF, or Resistance.

They're basically copying what works for other games and adding their candy wrapper to it...(reference Battlefield classes)

 

[-tkf-]

Coop via patch? That cant be good.

Very soon can be everything from 1 week to 6 months.

 

[AlNom]

Isn't that what they're doing by delaying features until post release and concentrating on the others for release?

I don't think you understood what I meant... But I'll repeat it to clarify: Why not take the time to implement all features to make a more solid retail release instead of relying on patches. Anyways, the answer is clear in that Sony actually wants the game before the end of the decade.

 

[RenegadeRocks]

No co-op at launch does come as a bummer since in both the levels they had shown, we always saw one guy following Sev around.That itself made me think that co-op is in the game.
One thing's for sure, when KZ arrives it will be at a position where it has to steal players from R2 and COD5(if it is a hit). That would be tough as people like me would be just getting warm with R2 MP, after finishing the SP.

Though Sony kept a breather between the games, Killzone will have to prove to be better as it is coming later.But the way Sony is hellbent on making it Shine, I hope the support for the game continues throughout 2009 to make its life longer.

EDIT: Put it another way, by the time it launches, KZ2 will have to face:
* Resistance's 8-man co-op and practically lag-free MP (based on RFOM's performance since I have not played R2 yet)
* Socom's loyal user base
* Metal Gears Online's "heroes"
* CoD4/5's domination
... and who knows what else. I'd say they need to polish the heck out of their MP gameplay to attract new customers and keep them.

What are you upto? I haven't seen you online since you got invited! GO PLAY ! .......


EDIT: The impressions on 1up seem very positive about the MP !

http://www.1up.com/do/previewPage?cId=3169561

(an all-out firefight in Killzone 2 multiplayer really is a sight to behold). Still, with the multiplayer gameplay already so good, and with all of the other multiplayer goodies Guerrilla's supplying -- from clan support to online leaderboards -- I'm convinced Killzone 2 is going to keep playing long after the single-player campaign's complete.

 

[patsu]

I got to play some but weekend belongs to my family. ;-)

 

[Gradthrawn]

I don't think you understood what I meant... But I'll repeat it to clarify: Why not take the time to implement all features to make a more solid retail release instead of relying on patches.

Ah, I see. By more solid, you meant with increased feature set. I thought you meant just more polished.

Anyways, the answer is clear in that Sony actually wants the game before the end of the decade.

Looks that way, although February is a strange target month. I do wonder what the reasoning behind that was.

 

[Archgamer]

Looks that way, although February is a strange target month. I do wonder what the reasoning behind that was.

Feburary is generally a slow month. There is no big titles out that month so KZ2 has the whole month to itself.

 

[RenegadeRocks]

The Multiplayer Screenshots

I must say They really really have the mood I was looking for in the trailers ! The first trailer at last year's E3 had it, and these MP shots have it too! Some of the shots look really Spot-on !

 

[catisfit]

Looks that way, although February is a strange target month. I do wonder what the reasoning behind that was.

To avoid competing with Resistance 2, and for the reason Archgamer said.

 

[liolio]

To avoid competing with Resistance 2, and for the reason Archgamer said.

It can also a side effect of the multiple GT5 demos, within this price range Sony has already fed quiet some gamers that may have bought the PS3 for this game.
It makes the need for a good( or excellent not my point) filler even more relevant.

 

[Terarrim]

KZ devs use Houdini + In house Engines for big set pieces

Found this on the offical web site. KZ devs say they use Houdini which is sfx software for the movie industry for advanced physics type sfx and apparantly used for the first time for a game.

1. Build Model in Maya
2. "break" up buiding and use houdini
3. Run physics simulartion and record results (on server farm using Houdini again)
4. Add results to game.
5. Add their own real time physics engine (i.e. in game realtime) for further impact.
6. As above for partical effects (e.g. dust clouds etc).

link: http://www.killzone.com/kz/news.psml?kz_news_article=Smoke,+Mirrors+and+Lots+of+Rubble

Creating an immersive game environment is as much magic as science. Detailed graphics and atmospheric lighting are only part of the formula; in order to provide a tangible sense of realism, the game world also needs to react to player actions in a convincing manner.


For Killzone 2's theater of war, the design brief goes one step further: the environment shouldn't just react to player actions, it should do so dramatically. To some extent, this form of 'Hollywood realism' can be achieved by adding small-but-impressive details, such as bullet holes glowing red-hot from the impact of depleted uranium shells, or bits of plaster and concrete chipping off a wall when subjected to gunfire.

But sometimes, bigger really is better, and more really means more. A spectacular setpiece event, when initiated through player actions, can help strengthen the player's sense of control over the theater of war. It also serves as a reminder that the game environment is not a static, unchanging backdrop to the action, but very much a part of the action itself.

The meat of the article + screenshots can be found @ link provided.

 

[jandlecack]

Holy Moly. I knew KZ2 had a very advanced engine but that stuff is awesome.

Didn't even know the environment was that destructible, most importantly, looked so great when destructed.

*Flamebaiting comparison removed. Phrase yourself different if you want to actually talk comparative techs*

 

[DrJay24]

That implies the destruction is the same every time? Not that I will notice.

 

[Shifty Geezer]

Holy Moly. I knew KZ2 had a very advanced engine but that stuff is awesome.

It's pre-calculated. They determine the destruction offline, then embed the animation data, using realtime stuff only to add a little dust and stuff. It'll be destroyed in exactly the same way every time you play, and it's only this building or other scripted events that'll look this good.

 

[RenegadeRocks]

Found this on the offical web site. KZ devs say they use Houdini which is sfx software for the movie industry for advanced physics type sfx and apparantly used for the first time for a game.

1. Build Model in Maya
2. "break" up buiding and use houdini
3. Run physics simulartion and record results (on server farm using Houdini again)
4. Add results to game.
5. Add their own real time physics engine (i.e. in game realtime) for further impact.
6. As above for partical effects (e.g. dust clouds etc).

link: http://www.killzone.com/kz/news.psml?kz_news_article=Smoke,+Mirrors+and+Lots+of+Rubble



The meat of the article + screenshots can be found @ link provided.

This is old. It was posted earlier in the thread too. Houdini is used for all the VFX in the TV ads and Movies you see, what is interesting is how much of realtime data is added on top of it to make it unique every time(if the motive is to make it unique).

http://www.killzoneunit.com/kz/?p=1426

New MP screenshots ! Enjoy ! You can see aliasing in some areas, so the screens are in-game for sure !

 

[Terarrim]

Sorry missed it earlier in the thread .

 

[Cheezdoodles]

Holy Moly. I knew KZ2 had a very advanced engine but that stuff is awesome.

Didn't even know the environment was that destructible, most importantly, looked so great when destructed.

*Flamebaiting comparison removed. Phrase yourself different if you want to actually talk comparative techs*

scripted damage animations is advanced suddenly? Surely, its much more impressive if it would have been realtime physics, not some offline render.

i fail to see whats advanced about this sort of destruction, looking at how few objects that actually have "physics" (only some floor tiles and certain parts of the wall?) if the entire building had physics, it would be impressive, but scripted damage like this is hardly advanced, and hardly new.