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Gameinformer: Why Guerrilla Needed Horizon Zero Dawn To Be An RPG

IvorB

Member
The pattern I am noticing in these Horizon threads is becoming really annoying.

Within first few posts someone will question if it's really RPG. Add in couple of mentions of Tomb Raider and Far Cry and we have a derailed thread. Followed by posts quoting said earlier posts explaining to them how we have footage that proves that it is in fact RPG. At some point Loudninja will make a list of all the features that makes it RPG, still someone else will waltz in and question it again. And another round begins.

At some point someone will bring up Killzone in a negative way, forgetting that it is critically acclaimed, one of top selling franchises spanning multiple generations and consoles.

Then there will be a post questioning enemy variety and combat design, which is probably the most bizarre thing because we have plenty of hands on evidence that combat is great and we have already seen variety of creatures with lot more yet to be seen (which they have deliberately kept secret).

Can we just make a thread titled "Concerned for Horizon" and get this shit out of some of your systems?

I mean those are all relevant questions and not everyone has seen all those videos you mentioned. Maybe you just want a thread full of people gushing about how awesome everything is?
 

Loudninja

Member
I mean those are all relevant questions and not everyone has seen all those videos you mentioned. Maybe you just want a thread full of people gushing about how awesome everything is?
All of this stuff has been answer several times from the devs,previews,interviews and gameplay videos.
 
GG working their wizadary...O.O...that looks amazing for a PS4 game and being open world at that. They always have been top tier in terms of tech. Just amazing.
 

jayu26

Member
I mean those are all relevant questions and not everyone has seen all those videos you mentioned. Maybe you just want a thread full of people gushing about how awesome everything is?

They would be valid questions if they weren't answered in every damn thread.
 

Eppy Thatcher

God's had his chance.
Guerilla Gods... good lord man that gif.

My excitement for this game really knows no bounds. Just... i'm in. 100% in.

And I'll throw another tip in the hat for KZ2 being god-tier. The chirp will never be replicated in quite the same way. God that multiplayer was just... Mmmmhmm. sogud.
 

Memento

Member
Damn, did you guys see that city in the desert footage? At least it looked like a city entrance or something. Looks amazing.

Edit: oh someone gifed it. JESUS IT LOOKS UNBELIEVABLE
 
GG we need night gameplay.
keto8rcdob6c3jpk4cyb.gif
 
I agree with both of these. I get the feeling we're going to see a take on either the classic Ubisoft-like open world or Sucker Punch's model which is the epitome of style over substance.

I hope I'm wrong, and there's a decent variety to environments, weapons, quests, enemy AI, and is fun to play.

Tbh I think some of the fault is the players who got way too excited for open world ~ 5 to 8 years ago and bought like every game that promised it.

It's the fatigue kicking in. I skipped all those AC games, Far Cry 3 and 4, and Watch Dogs and Ubisoft collectathon games.

Be more selective imo.
 

farmerboy

Member
The pattern I am noticing in these Horizon threads is becoming really annoying.

Within first few posts someone will question if it's really RPG. Add in couple of mentions of Tomb Raider and Far Cry and we have a derailed thread. Followed by posts quoting said earlier posts explaining to them how we have footage that proves that it is in fact RPG. At some point Loudninja will make a list of all the features that makes it RPG, still someone else will waltz in and question it again. And another round begins.

At some point someone will bring up Killzone in a negative way, forgetting that it is critically acclaimed, one of top selling franchises spanning multiple generations and consoles.

Then there will be a post questioning enemy variety and combat design, which is probably the most bizarre thing because we have plenty of hands on evidence that combat is great and we have already seen variety of creatures with lot more yet to be seen (which they have deliberately kept secret).

Can we just make a thread titled "Concerned for Horizon" and get this shit out of some of your systems?

You win "most coherent sensible post of the week".
 

HStallion

Now what's the next step in your master plan?
I havent rewatched it since E3, but I remember he was looking for a specific kind of animal to kill to craft something, popped up the world map to find the animal (which was behind the rock next to him) and it was litteraly a far cry moment

then we get the tower video...

This is hardly unique or exclusive to Far Cry or even other open world games.
 
I mean those are all relevant questions and not everyone has seen all those videos you mentioned. Maybe you just want a thread full of people gushing about how awesome everything is?

No but don't you remember how in every No Man's Sky thread there'd be some annoying guy saying "BUT WHAT DO YOU DO IN THIS GAME?!?" and everyone had to patiently explain again and again that there'd be plenty to do and that such questions were ridiculous? Then sure enough, the game came out and those skeptical people felt like fools. Fools!
 
I havent rewatched it since E3, but I remember he was looking for a specific kind of animal to kill to craft something, popped up the world map to find the animal (which was behind the rock next to him) and it was litteraly a far cry moment

then we get the tower video...
What does this mean? I don't play Ubisoft games.
 

excowboy

Member
The real story here is that Game Informer has finally replaced their broken ass video player!
Might be picking up a PS4 tomorrow and Horizon is one of the main reasons why :)
 
No but don't you remember how in every No Man's Sky thread there'd be some annoying guy saying "BUT WHAT DO YOU DO IN THIS GAME?!?" and everyone had to patiently explain again and again that there'd be plenty to do and that such questions were ridiculous? Then sure enough, the game came out and those skeptical people felt like fools. Fools!
I don't think that was what happened. It wasn't so much about how much there was to do (it was in there though) but it was more about exactly what you do. That was an annoyingly repeated question that had been answered numerous times. Regardless of how NMS turned out, it remains true that people consistently pulled that "what do you do?" nonsense even when the answers were all about.
 

aadiboy

Member
What are the RPG elements of this game? Does Aloy have stats or levels? Will you need to train her to level 40 because level 35 is too low to beat a boss?
 

Kalentan

Member
So this will be an RPG like Zelda is an RPG?

I'm willing to buy a PS4 if this game turns out to be good.

Pretty sure there are dialogue choices that effect parts of the story. I think the gave the classic example of a character appearing later on in the story depending on your choices.

So unless Zelda has dialogue choices... Then no.
 

Memento

Member
What are the RPG elements of this game? Does Aloy have stats or levels? Will you need to train her to level 40 because level 35 is too low to beat a boss?

Crafting, stats, different armor sets, different weapons, leveling up, NPCs, towns, quests, dialogue choices, etc.
 

Loudninja

Member
What are the RPG elements of this game? Does Aloy have stats or levels? Will you need to train her to level 40 because level 35 is too low to beat a boss?
It has levels.

The game is seems to be skill base,if you used the right tools and plan you can beat the boss.

Jeff M:I was surprised and impressed by how difficult it was, first of all. A lot of games get compared to Dark Souls nowadays, but it evoked the same kind of pressure and challenge from me. At the same time, it felt less scripted, like these are just machines you will occasionally come across in the world – you don’t have to walk through a fog door in order to trigger a battle with them. The corruptor I fought ended up chasing me all over the forest; I would launch an attack, find out that it wasn’t doing much damage, and then be forced to retreat as I came up with a better plan. It wasn’t frustrating though, in part I think because the controls hold up and you have a bunch of options at your disposal. When I finally defeated it, I felt a real sense of achievement. I know you played more of the game than I saw at E3. Did anything new stand out during your extended playtime?
Kim: I don’t know if you had much of this in your demo, but the ability to climb up mountains to set up my strategy was really helpful. I also thought the A.I. was really smart. Although I used that strategy to get an edge, as soon as they saw me, they’d go straight for the mountain and target me. One even jumped over my tripcaster; I was shocked that happened. I think you hit the nail on the head earlier. Battles do get challenging, but they never feel frustrating because you always feel like you have an "out" or can just retreat and find something else. For instance, on one big boss, I died like two or three times, but I kept coming back with determination to beat it. I love when games do that to me, where I feel like I want to get right back in the ring after getting my butt kicked.
.http://www.gameinformer.com/b/featu...our-hands-on-time-with-horizon-zero-dawn.aspx

Crafting, stats, different armor sets, different weapons, leveling up, NPCs, towns, quests, dialogue choices, etc.
To add to that you have mounts,and sometimes allies in combat,day/night cycle,different weather and optional bosses.
 
Maybe I'm a jaded asshole, but the more I see of the game the less excited I get. Looks like Yet Another Open World Game, albeit with some cool flavor.

Not sold on the game yet minus the visuals because I'm getting vibes of infamous second son that looked great but then felt boring. Glad they experimented with rpg after doing killzone so hope the game delivers.
These types of posts are really getting old now. I now I'm not supposed to complain, but wow it's literally the same types of post each time.

I agree with both of these. I get the feeling we're going to see a take on either the classic Ubisoft-like open world or Sucker Punch's model which is the epitome of style over substance.

I hope I'm wrong, and there's a decent variety to environments, weapons, quests
, enemy AI, and is fun to play.
Even though there has been videos and written articles explaining these things we're still receiving this.
 

HStallion

Now what's the next step in your master plan?
No but don't you remember how in every No Man's Sky thread there'd be some annoying guy saying "BUT WHAT DO YOU DO IN THIS GAME?!?" and everyone had to patiently explain again and again that there'd be plenty to do and that such questions were ridiculous? Then sure enough, the game came out and those skeptical people felt like fools. Fools!

We've also seen TONS of gameplay footage both on the regular PS4 and the Pro as well as having hands on from journalists to fellow gaffers and the comments have been all saying the same thing. The game looks incredible, it plays and controls very well, and the thing people are most hesitant on are the fact its such a drastic change from their older games and that the story/lore might not live up to everything else looking so damn good.

This is in NO WAY a similar situation to No Man Sky. A super ambitious procedural generated galaxy sized game that was the second game from a studio whose first game was in no way as complex or by any means similar. This comes from a huge talented AAA studio trying something new after so many years of FPS shooters. We know they've hired great talent, they've been very open in both doing interviews and giving us footage, and we have a fairly clear picture of what this game is and what their aim is.
 

Alo0oy

Banned
Sorry, I'm not into RPG realm, what do you mean by "janky" thing? Does it constitute to be one of RPG element?

99% of ARPGs are very janky, I think that's what's throwing people off here, being janky is not an RPG element lol, people just don't expect something smooth in an ARPG.

Look at FO4 or TW3, there are PS2 games on 32MB RAM that are less janky (like DMC3).
 

Loudninja

Member
Yeah sounds mostly skillbase
The demos we've encountered haven’t been easy, but Guerrilla assures us they’ve made a game players of all different experience levels can play. Advanced optional bosses are out there for those who revel in taking on the biggest challenges, but nothing should be so difficult that players throw their controllers in frustration. Players constantly have ways to improve their characters with various quests, from taking down corruption zones to helping tribes get stronger. Nothing is out of reach. If you’re into stealth, you can play that way. If you want a more aggressive approach, that’s also an option. When we first started our demo, we found the learning curve just right. Once you pick up on the controls and start looking at all the tools at your disposal, things start to click, such as using advantageous tools like the tripwire to stun enemies or the ropecaster to pin them down. Plus, if you ever feel overwhelmed in a situation, you can run away and come back later with a better strategy. Guerrilla isn’t going to just hand you victories; it does want you to experiment and find what works best for you.
http://www.gameinformer.com/b/featu...ur-biggest-fears-about-horizon-zero-dawn.aspx
 

jayu26

Member
Sorry, I'm not into RPG realm, what do you mean by "janky" thing? Does it constitute to be one of RPG element?

It's a joke about how lot of the RPGs have several menu systems that you have to learn to navigate to do simple tasks. For games like Persona that is fine because you spend half your combat time in menus by necessity. Action RPGs tend to streamline those because the developer wants you to spend most your time doing reflex action things. There have been posts in earnest (not just in Horizon threads) about how the games that take the streamlined approach are not really RPG.
 

wenaldy

Member
99% of ARPGs are very janky, I think that's what's throwing people off here, being janky is not an RPG element lol, people just don't expect something smooth in an ARPG.

Look at FO4 or TW3, there are PS2 games on 32MB RAM that are less janky (like DMC3).

Oh I see. I already played FO4 and compare it to NV (in term of combat and movement), FO4 seems smoother but it's dumbed down on narrative, options and "role-playing" itself which is what NV shine.
 

HStallion

Now what's the next step in your master plan?
that is my point...

Well that's great but its not really a fault in my opinion, it just is. A game could be terrible in realizing that gameplay element and failing to do anything interesting with the idea or it could knock it out of the park. Its not bad in of it self which it sounded like you were trying to paint it as.
 

a916

Member
Really exciting to see that rain and a different locale... really excited for this game.

99% of ARPGs are very janky, I think that's what's throwing people off here, being janky is not an RPG element lol, people just don't expect something smooth in an ARPG.

Look at FO4 or TW3, there are PS2 games on 32MB RAM that are less janky (like DMC3).

The Witcher is butter smooth relative to the ratcheted up jank fest that is all Bethesda games...
 

IvorB

Member
All of this stuff has been answer several times from the devs,previews,interviews and gameplay videos.

They would be valid questions if they weren't answered in every damn thread.

Not everyone follows the game that closely and is in every thread. Unless it's the same people constantly asking this...

No but don't you remember how in every No Man's Sky thread there'd be some annoying guy saying "BUT WHAT DO YOU DO IN THIS GAME?!?" and everyone had to patiently explain again and again that there'd be plenty to do and that such questions were ridiculous? Then sure enough, the game came out and those skeptical people felt like fools. Fools!

Ha ha. Truly I remember this.
 

Rainer70

Member
Tbh I think some of the fault is the players who got way too excited for open world ~ 5 to 8 years ago and bought like every game that promised it.

It's the fatigue kicking in. I skipped all those AC games, Far Cry 3 and 4, and Watch Dogs and Ubisoft collectathon games.

Be more selective imo.

You're right, I was definitely on the open-world train back in the PS3 era, but my fatigue also kicked in then too. Honestly my GOAT open-world game probably goes to Hulk: Ultimate Destruction.

These types of posts are really getting old now. I now I'm not supposed to complain, but wow it's literally the same types of post each time.


Even though there has been videos and written articles explaining these things we're still receiving this.

I try to stay away from as much pre-release media as possible with the hopes of being pleasantly surprised upon first play. I do watch all of the big press conferences though, and based on what I've seen since E3 2015, I'm not sold on the type of game I think it wants to be.

I got the same feeling from Days Gone, and even from the new God of War. I'm a big fan of TLOU, but it seems like ever since its commercial and critical success, all of Sony's first party games are trying to apply these Hollywood-like presentations and tropes to their games at the expense of unique and fun gameplay. It was unique and fun the first time around in TLOU, but not as much so on subsequent playthroughs and made Uncharted 4 a chore for most of the game the first time around.

Anyway, I wanna like Horizon so I'm hoping the game is more fun than it looks and not as shallow as it looks. I'll take your word that there are videos and articles showcasing more overall variety, thanks for pointing that out.
 
You're right, I was definitely on the open-world train back in the PS3 era, but my fatigue also kicked in then too. Honestly my GOAT open-world game probably goes to Hulk: Ultimate Destruction.



I try to stay away from as much pre-release media as possible with the hopes of being pleasantly surprised upon first play. I do watch all of the big press conferences though, and based on what I've seen since E3 2015, I'm not impressed with the type of game I think it wants to be.

I got the same feeling from Days Gone, and even from the new God of War. I'm a big fan of TLOU, but it seems like ever since its commercial and critical success, all of Sony's first party games are trying to apply these Hollywood-like presentations and tropes to the game at the expense of unique and fun gameplay. It was unique and fun the first time around in TLOU, but not as much so on subsequent playthroughs and made Uncharted 4 a chore for most of the game the first time around.

Anyway, I wanna like Horizon so I'm hoping the game is more fun than it looks and not as shallow as it looks. I'll take your word that there are videos and articles showcasing more overall variety, thanks for pointing that out.

I don't see the likes of TLoU in Horizon. There is not much scripting and the emphasis is on gameplay in every demo so far, with combat that looks far better and smoother than other open world RPGs like TW3.

Every hands-on so far really praises the controls and combat.
 

jayu26

Member
Not everyone follows the game that closely and is in every thread. Unless it's the same people constantly asking this...
Maybe the poster can do little bit research, even one minute of googling would suffice (maybe even go the GameInformer), before question what makes this game RPG in a thread titled "Gameinformer: Why Guerrilla Needed Horizon Zero Dawn To Be An RPG Reply to Thread."
Ha ha. Truly I remember this.
No you don't. The gameplay loop of No Man's Sky is exactly what was described over and over again in those threads. Missing advertised features didn't change the core gameplay loop.
 

Venture

Member
Sounds like there may not be difficulty settings, or maybe they're just not talking about it yet. I'm really hoping resources will be limited. Making decisions about whether or not to use a precious arrow and having to forage for resources adds a lot to a game like this for me. I realize this may not be fun for everyone so that's why I'm wondering if there will be options.
 

Afrodium

Banned
The pattern I am noticing in these Horizon threads is becoming really annoying.

Within first few posts someone will question if it's really RPG. Add in couple of mentions of Tomb Raider and Far Cry and we have a derailed thread. Followed by posts quoting said earlier posts explaining to them how we have footage that proves that it is in fact RPG. At some point Loudninja will make a list of all the features that makes it RPG, still someone else will waltz in and question it again. And another round begins.

At some point someone will bring up Killzone in a negative way, forgetting that it is critically acclaimed, one of top selling franchises spanning multiple generations and consoles.

Then there will be a post questioning enemy variety and combat design, which is probably the most bizarre thing because we have plenty of hands on evidence that combat is great and we have already seen variety of creatures with lot more yet to be seen (which they have deliberately kept secret).

Can we just make a thread titled "Concerned for Horizon" and get this shit out of some of your systems?

I'm noticing a pattern where anyone expressing concern over a Sony first party game gets routinely shouted down only for the games to release and prove that the "concern trolls" had it right all along. Horizon could turn out to be great, but if it's becoming common for people to see videos of this game and think it will have a shallow Ubisoft open world and lite RPG mechanics then maybe there's something there?
 

Loudninja

Member
Sounds like there may not be difficulty settings, or maybe they're just not talking about it yet. I'm really hoping resources will be limited. Making decisions about whether or not to use a precious arrow and having to forage for resources adds a lot to a game like this for me. I realize this may not be fun for everyone so that's why I'm wondering if there will be options.
There are difficulty settings btw.
 

HStallion

Now what's the next step in your master plan?
Sounds like there may not be difficulty settings, or maybe they're just not talking about it yet. I'm really hoping resources will be limited. Making decisions about whether or not to use a precious arrow and having to forage for resources adds a lot to a game like this for me. I realize this may not be fun for everyone so that's why I'm wondering if there will be options.

Mats might be rare but this is a game that has a feature where you can make the game generate a random questline for you to take on and finish to get a rare or hard to get material.
 
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