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God of War’s impressive camera trick inspired the Dead Space remake

DeepEnigma

Gold Member
A new EA blogpost lists a host of changes coming to Dead Space’s remake later this year

isaac_in_game_render.jpg.adapt.crop16x9.1455w.0.jpg


The Dead Space remake is finally coming in early 2023, and it’s bringing with it a beloved feature from 2018’s God of War: the game will play out over one continuous shot for the entire time.

In a new blog post from EA, which takes quotes from some of the key devs working on the remake from EA Motive, the publisher offers some developer insights on the upcoming horror game. There are interesting details about Dead Space’s community council — a group of hardcore fans who helped advise development — and the new graphical effects for shredding enemies. But the most interesting bit of information concerns the game’s camera and its new content.

In the original Dead Space, the camera followed pretty closely to Isaac Clark for the entire game. But the USS Ishimura was segmented, and you’d need to hop a train — which came with a long load — to get from one side of the planet cracker to the other. In the remake, you’ll be able to transport around the entire ship without ever seeing a load screen, and the camera will never cut. It’s currently unclear if the trains will still be in the game.

God of War pulled off this trick in 2018. And while it may sound like a bit of a gimmick, it did help pull players into the game’s world and keep them there. In a game like Dead Space, camera cuts and load times are almost freeing experiences, as they allow you to breathe a bit. By taking those away — unless you die — the new Dead Space will potentially have an even more tense atmosphere than the original, with fewer breaks to catch your breath.

The blog also discusses some additional content coming in the game. Part of this will come from the new 360 degree space flight, which is a major improvement on the first game. (The Dead Space sequels handled flight much better than the first). This new flight system will provide new “challenges” for players in the sequel, which sounds like remixed encounters from the original game.

However, there will be some straight-up new side content in the game as well. Players will be able to take Isaac on “narrative side quests” to learn about Nicole — Isaac’s girlfriend — and what she was up to during the initial attack on the Ishimura. Characters like Dr. Cross will also get some screen time in the game, rather than being banished to audio logs.

Players can check out the new version of the USS Ishimura — as well as the game’s new camera — when EA and Motive launch the Dead Space remake on Jan. 27, 2023, for PlayStation 5, Windows PC, and Xbox Series X.
 

Danjin44

The nicest person on this forum
Dead Space has better chance doing one shot camera better because of it’s diegetic UI.

in God of War that one shot breaks once you go to menus to equip your gears but in Dead Space you can go to your inventory without cutting camera.

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Kenneth Haight

Gold Member
Don’t fuck this up EA. Looks fantastic so am pretty confident they will do the original justice. We are eating good with this and Callisto protocol dropping soon!
 

DeepEnigma

Gold Member
This is not a God of War thing, it was done in the second Dead Space game (and much better than in GoW because everything is real time, no menu pause for your items)
DS2 wasn't one seamless shot. It had some scenarios while fewer than the seamless parts, where there were loads and cuts/fades. Same with 3.

Yes, the inventory was innovative and added to the overall tension and experience.
 

DeepEnigma

Gold Member
2018's god of war camera is awful, it's too close and you cant see much who is on the sides and behind you. Farther cameras are superior in every way.
That's... that's not what this is about. And... have you played Dead Space?

Hint: It's literally in the screenshot above.
 
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Vick

Member
With the entirely real-time "in world" inventory and HUD, that's going to be really special here. Can't wait for this Remake, first EA game bought since Battlefront.

2018's god of war camera is awful, it's too close and you cant see much who is on the sides and behind you. Farther cameras are superior in every way.
Yes, for feeling like you're playing a video game instead of being the one fighting multiple enemies.
The same people who had you play as Kratos the size of a pixel in the old games went the opposite direction here for a reason.

Here explanations behind GoW camera (and every single core element):

 
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DeepEnigma

Gold Member
I finished Dead Space for the first time this year a few months ago and from what I remember it was pretty much a "single cam" experience already.
It literally had cuts/fades and loading screens. I don't think some people have played GoW to understand what "single cam" means.
 

Gudji

Member
It literally had cuts/fades and loading screens. I don't think some people have played GoW to understand what "single cam" means.
I don't remember it having loadscreens during the gameplay but yeah you're probably right. For me single cam means the camera stays with the character at all times.
 

DeepEnigma

Gold Member
I don't remember it having loadscreens during the gameplay but yeah you're probably right. For me single cam means the camera stays with the character at all times.
Single shot in this instance means, no loading screens, no camera cuts or fades to load a prerendered cut scene. It is all one seamless continuous shot which will make this game even more tense than it was back then as noted in the article, and the immersion will be greater as pointed out by some due to the real time inventory/HUD.
 
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Puscifer

Member
With the entirely real-time "in world" inventory and HUD, that's going to be really special here. Can't wait for this Remake, first EA game bought since Battlefront.


Yes, for feeling like you're playing a video game instead of being the one fighting multiple enemies.
The same people who had you play as Kratos the size of a pixel in the old games went the opposite direction here for a reason.

Here explanations behind GoW camera (and every single core element):


"Yes, for feeling like you're playing a video game instead of being the one fighting multiple enemies."

But that's exactly what I'm doing...
 

Vick

Member
What he really wants to say is I hate Playstation WWS games lol
Like if that was some well kept secret..

"Yes, for feeling like you're playing a video game instead of being the one fighting multiple enemies."

But that's exactly what I'm doing...
You know the old IGN meme "it makes you feel like.."? It applies here.
I had never felt like a God of War in 13 God of War games before playing the 2018 one, despite the fact you're much more vulnerable in the new one. Why? Because I've felt in the combat. Something hit me on the back? It's my fault, I wasn't minding my surroundings.

Granted, if you suck at the game you'll just feel like a loser. But if you're good.. and maybe manage to take no damage at GMGOW Difficulty on the 100 enemies Muspelheim challenge..

pleasure-principle
 
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adamsapple

Or is it just one of Phil's balls in my throat?
That's fine. Dead Space is meant to be a claustrophobic game so a single-tight perspective will do great. I think the original was almost entirely a single cut too, if I'm not mistaken.
 

Gambit2483

Member
I still say MGSV: The Phantom Pain had the best use of long/single cut camera use.

That Opening Hospital scene had some of the best single cuts I've ever seen in any form of media
 
I'll bite. What are some of the examples you felt it was underused, and what are some of the things you would do to build upon them?
First things first: I am coming from a place of GoW 2018 is a masterpiece and technical achievement. One of the best designed games I have ever played; All Killer and No Filler.

So. I am not hating here. I have huge expectations for Raganarok.

In terms of the camera work. Is easier to say that the first battle with Baldur and the boat sequence are examples where the "no camera cuts" adds a substantial level of sophistication. And: "this shit accomplishes an unprecedented level of immersion"

But the nature of video games themselves, deflates this huge commitment (as in live action Filmmaking). Why?

Because in gameplay (generally speaking) these kind of games (Third Person and First Person) we already have this kind of visual language/cinematography

This kind of narrative (while visually striking and ambitious) implies a huge restriction in the way you can tell stories (you can't have scenes in different times and places) with different characters.

And this is what I could expect too see being use in Ragnarok (if they want to keep the "no cut" shit):


1. Speed up passage of time. I.e: camera lock on on tree for example, Katros walks out of frame, night falls?, Thor enters the frame and we now, follow him.

2. Flying camera:
Gameplay camera (mid shot) flies away (extreme long shot) then we arrive to another character and thus being able to see the machination of the drama around other characters.
 

FeralEcho

Member
Am I missing something here? The original Dead Space was already a one shot camera experience...the damn loading screens were still part of the game scene as monitor screens of the trams...hell I'd say DS does an even better job than GOW at it since the upgrade menu and inventory screens are part of the gameworld not just a menu.So it sounds like EA don't even know the game they're supposedly remaking....
 

DeepEnigma

Gold Member
You will end up dying and killing the immersiin no matter what.

This trick is mostly pr talk.
They literally said that, lol.

And who the fuck cares, sour puss, gaming is all about “tricks” and “suspension of belief” … it’s why we escape into it… along with books, film, music, etc.

Sassy Red Wine GIF by Married At First Sight
 
What the fuck is this title lmao. Dead space did it before God of War and it was truly seamless (whereas in god of war you break the shot every 5 minutes by opening the menu and thus lose any sense of continuity)
Naw, yall aint about to just take a dump on GOW. Dead Sapce did the one shot camera view before, and hardly anybody noticed. Thats because their one shot view was limited by being mostly in tight corridor areas. There wasnt enough room for there to be any memorable moments for cinematography. We get it, the in game menu made it feel more immersive in Dead Space, but the difference is GOW has much more action sequences and open space to give the game more of a cinematic experience, as the one shot camera view shines through big set pieces.

Even this film director pointed out how the devs did some impressive camera work for a video game. Pausing the game doesnt break immersion for what GOW accomplishes. Its not trying to suprise you with jump scares and mutated creatures.


 
The biggest issue with DS1 was that The game quickly stopped being scary as you could almost always anticipate where the enemies would appear. Couple this with environments that felt copy pasted and a game that felt very… repetitious - I just couldn’t find myself scared at all. Still loved the game as it was just a blast to go through, but I do hope they fix these issues. The camera and lack of loading screens won’t making the game any scarier if you can always tell when the enemies are coming and where they are coming from.
 

Vick

Member
The biggest issue with DS1 was that The game quickly stopped being scary as you could almost always anticipate where the enemies would appear. Couple this with environments that felt copy pasted and a game that felt very… repetitious - I just couldn’t find myself scared at all. Still loved the game as it was just a blast to go through, but I do hope they fix these issues. The camera and lack of loading screens won’t making the game any scarier if you can always tell when the enemies are coming and where they are coming from.
Yeah, this is true. I've always loved the game to death, but never felt scared once.

On the contrary, that's something the second game managed to achieve.

Back on the Ishimura, when exploring the ship with Nicole whispering into my ear I was fucking shitting myself. Got goosebumps even now recalling those moments, even if nothing really happened. It was a great example of fear of the fear itself.

Man I fucking love these two games. Finishing DS2 on Hard Core with only 3 checkpoints will forever be one of my proudest achievements.
 

skit_data

Member
I remember Dead Space as being almost oneshot in the original as well?

I’ll never forget I almost crapped my pants when doing some mods on a weapon at a bench and all of a sudden a Necromorph came out if fucking nowhere. I swear I had been in the room for like 5 minutes and it didn’t show up until I was fully busy putting nodes on the plasma cutter.
 

Cryio

Member
Now you're gassing.
Dead Space 2 has ONE camera cut in the entire game.

Everything else, cutscenes, gameplay, suit upgrades, weapon navigations, menu navigation, traversal, story set pieces, ALL is one shot.

Even that one camera cut, it could've been avoided but it's easily seen as costing too much time and money to implement (it looks and feels very random compared to the rest of the game - it's the rock grinder near the end of the game).

God of War - just the menu is hilariously breaking the "one camera shot" all the time, lmao.
 
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