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Game Informer: Horizon Forbidden West – Introducing The Mighty Slitherfang

Zones

Member
Such a simple premise, large robotic animals. You fight them and strip them for parts…

genius GIF
In a post apocalyptic world, in which humans are more primitive...

backing-you-get-yours.gif
 

Haggard

Banned
that snake is incredible. but seriously, why can't they improve the sand and water physics? They're so static here
Same reason there is no full blown RTGI and most light sources still don't throw shadows.
It runs on a 500 dollar box, not a 2k PC.

But for the hardware they have this looks pretty great, despite being cross gen.
This will be one of the best looking games for quite a while.
 
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Markio128

Member
Same reason there is no full blown RTGI and most light sources still don't throw shadows.
It runs on a 500 dollar box, not a 3k PC.

But Ffr the hardware they have this looks pretty great, despite being cross gen.
This will be one of the best looking games for quite a while.
You seem to be obsessed with Horizon FW lighting. Be careful you don’t make an asp of yourself.
You Got It Reaction GIF
 

DeepSpace5D

Member
Looks like a tough fight with the Slitherfang.

I have to admit that I put off Horizon: Zero Dawn for far too long because on the surface it didn’t look like my kind of game. But I’m about 30 hours into it now and am thoroughly hooked. I just came across a Thunderjaw for the first time yesterday and got my ass whooped, died in like 2 hits from these lasers that dropped on Aloy’s head.

It’s way better than I thought it was going to be, but it’s impressive that Forbidden West looks improved in pretty much every area.
 

Gamerguy84

Member
Looks like a tough fight with the Slitherfang.

I have to admit that I put off Horizon: Zero Dawn for far too long because on the surface it didn’t look like my kind of game. But I’m about 30 hours into it now and am thoroughly hooked. I just came across a Thunderjaw for the first time yesterday and got my ass whooped, died in like 2 hits from these lasers that dropped on Aloy’s head.

It’s way better than I thought it was going to be, but it’s impressive that Forbidden West looks improved in pretty much every area.
I grabbed it because it was made by GG and honestly was bored. Ended up in my top 5 from all of last gen.

The combat in this game is amazing.
 
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Woggleman

Member
I ran across my first Thunderjaw in the cauldron where it is especially dangerous because there is no cover and no place to get a height advantage so you have to be quick. It was one of the most exciting boss fights I have had. It is not perfect but the fights against machines are sublime.
 
I ran across my first Thunderjaw in the cauldron where it is especially dangerous because there is no cover and no place to get a height advantage so you have to be quick. It was one of the most exciting boss fights I have had. It is not perfect but the fights against machines are sublime.

I pretty much laid like 20 traps around it before i activated the fight lol
 

DeepSpace5D

Member
I grabbed it because it was made by GG and honestly was bored. Ended up in my top 5 from all of last gen.

The combat in this game is amazing.
The combat is definitely the standout, really nuanced combat for an open-world game. Each robotic animal has their own weaknesses and vulnerable points and you have to develop a strategy for them all. I just started fighting Glinthawks and Snapmaws and the combat is really starting to open up.

It could be my opinion is influenced by Death Stranding being the last open-world game I played extensively, but it feels like Horizon’s open-world was designed around just having fun. I’m having a great time exploring the land, collecting metal flowers, finding vantage points, completing side quests, expanding the map with Tallnecks.

I’m in no rush with the main story, although the story is another area that is surprisingly well done. There’s alot of mystery to unravel with it and it makes you want to continue.
 
that snake is incredible. but seriously, why can't they improve the sand and water physics? They're so static here
It could be work in progress or when and on what build of the game this was recorded, for example in the Video Game Awards footage we saw that water was reacting to the turltle machine :



The sand reaction to ALOY doesn't look bad to me :

 
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It could be work in progress or when and on what build of the game this was recorded, for example in the Video Game Awards footage we saw that water was reacting to the turltle machine :



The sand reaction to ALOY doesn't look bad to me :


They did say in an interview they were using ray-tracing for different things including physics, maybe they'll also be using it for sand/snow and environmental deformation when Aloy's feet/arms come into contact with such things.
 

DeepEnigma

Gold Member
Looks like a tough fight with the Slitherfang.

I have to admit that I put off Horizon: Zero Dawn for far too long because on the surface it didn’t look like my kind of game. But I’m about 30 hours into it now and am thoroughly hooked. I just came across a Thunderjaw for the first time yesterday and got my ass whooped, died in like 2 hits from these lasers that dropped on Aloy’s head.

It’s way better than I thought it was going to be, but it’s impressive that Forbidden West looks improved in pretty much every area.
I grabbed it because it was made by GG and honestly was bored. Ended up in my top 5 from all of last gen.

The combat in this game is amazing.
Same reason I didn’t play it yet, didn’t look like my kind game (thought that about Bloodborne too and HUGE MISTAKE, since it ended up being one of my favorite games of all time after being hooked in every way)…

Buddy even dropped off a copy around the time it came out after he beat it, swore up and down by it, but I never got the urge to play and gave the copy back weeks later without even trying it.

Bought the CE digital when it was on sale one time for like $15 or so, and still have yet to play it as I chip through the backlog.

Definitely going to dive in soon on the PS5 with HZD for the 60fps. I shouldn’t doubt GG. The game graphically, always looked remarkable to me.
 
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SlimySnake

Flashless at the Golden Globes
Same reason there is no full blown RTGI and most light sources still don't throw shadows.
It runs on a 500 dollar box, not a 2k PC.
the 500 dollar box runs matrix which does RTGI and RT shadows. This is due to the cross gen nature of the game.

They are running the game at native 4k 30 fps. If they really wanted to, and had the tech to do it, they couldve increased water and sand fluid simulations while targeting 1440p 30 fps.

Anyway, the water splashes are definitely in the game. Or were at one point. The latest trailer had this gif.

5a1135aa302439a7b477ee961b83767a2ef2e62e.gifv


the reveal trailer had some pretty next gen looking fluid simulation.


52835304282263a929ad3ae14362f0807cbfb524.gifv

W5MjoKo.gif


It will be interesting to see if the trailing water bubbles in second gif and the realistic displacement of water is in the final game.
 
the 500 dollar box runs matrix which does RTGI and RT shadows. This is due to the cross gen nature of the game.

They are running the game at native 4k 30 fps. If they really wanted to, and had the tech to do it, they couldve increased water and sand fluid simulations while targeting 1440p 30 fps.

Anyway, the water splashes are definitely in the game. Or were at one point. The latest trailer had this gif.

5a1135aa302439a7b477ee961b83767a2ef2e62e.gifv


the reveal trailer had some pretty next gen looking fluid simulation.


52835304282263a929ad3ae14362f0807cbfb524.gifv

W5MjoKo.gif


It will be interesting to see if the trailing water bubbles in second gif and the realistic displacement of water is in the final game.

That whirlpool effect isn’t in the final game. It’s just a spray of bubbles…while it doesn’t look as cool is more true to life.
 

8BiTw0LF

Banned
I have to admit that I put off Horizon: Zero Dawn for far too long because on the surface it didn’t look like my kind of game. But I’m about 30 hours into it now and am thoroughly hooked. I just came across a Thunderjaw for the first time yesterday and got my ass whooped, died in like 2 hits from these lasers that dropped on Aloy’s head.

It’s way better than I thought it was going to be, but it’s impressive that Forbidden West looks improved in pretty much every area.
Same. I skipped it on PS4 because 30fps and just tried it when they released the 60fps patch for PS5 - then realizing I had a backlog of games to complete before I got lost in Zero Dawn.
Will complete it before Forbidden West is released.
 

Winter John

Member
Have they mentioned anything about improving the A.I and the Ubisoft gameplay? All I've seen em talk about so far is the graphics. Personally, if all they've done is pretty it up with more bushes and a few dinosaurs they can shove it
 

vivftp

Member
the 500 dollar box runs matrix which does RTGI and RT shadows. This is due to the cross gen nature of the game.

They are running the game at native 4k 30 fps. If they really wanted to, and had the tech to do it, they couldve increased water and sand fluid simulations while targeting 1440p 30 fps.

Anyway, the water splashes are definitely in the game. Or were at one point. The latest trailer had this gif.

5a1135aa302439a7b477ee961b83767a2ef2e62e.gifv


the reveal trailer had some pretty next gen looking fluid simulation.


52835304282263a929ad3ae14362f0807cbfb524.gifv

W5MjoKo.gif


It will be interesting to see if the trailing water bubbles in second gif and the realistic displacement of water is in the final game.

The water bubbles were in the State of Play game demo:



(skip to 4:50 and play at 1/4 speed)
 
the 500 dollar box runs matrix which does RTGI and RT shadows. This is due to the cross gen nature of the game.

Lumen's software solution is being hardware accelerated on The Matrix demo but it's not the same as ray traced global illumination.

RTGI with something like Nanite (millions of polygons per frame) would cripple a GPU like a 3080 so lord knows what it would do to a PS5 or Series X.
 
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SlimySnake

Flashless at the Golden Globes
The water bubbles were in the State of Play game demo:



(skip to 4:50 and play at 1/4 speed)

Yeah i have replayed that section several times before and while the bubbles are there, the trailing effect isnt nearly as impressive as the one we saw in the reveal. The almost gooey like expanding of the water is definitely missing from the state of play conference.

W5MjoKo.gif
 

SlimySnake

Flashless at the Golden Globes
Have they mentioned anything about improving the A.I and the Ubisoft gameplay? All I've seen em talk about so far is the graphics. Personally, if all they've done is pretty it up with more bushes and a few dinosaurs they can shove it
Yes they have.
Finally, we wanted to design challenging enemies that encourage players to use all their abilities and skills. A whole new set of machines as well as advanced human enemies will keep players on their toes throughout the game!”
The AI team has played a big role in improving the combat system, especially when it comes to increasing the challenge level. Lead AI Programmer Arjen Beij: “We wanted enemies to feel more authentic by improving the fluidity and continuity of motion, like making enemies (and companions) more capable of traversing rugged terrain. The AI in Horizon Zero Dawn already supported some dynamic terrain changes, but we wanted to take this further by adding jumping and climbing as a systemic part of their behavior. As you are playing the game, the AI will be searching for opportunities to take shortcuts, where it previously was a cumbersome detour.’
‘Another example is that more machines are now capable of swimming and have the ability to dive and chase Aloy underwater. Amphibious enemies can also use jumps to get in and out of the water, so if you are unlucky they will combine this with an attack.”
‘You can also escape from combat by breaking line of sight and sneaking away. When enemies discover that you are not where they expected you to be, they will start searching. Human enemies team up and search for you as a group, with the team leader giving orders and coordinating the work. Through animation and context-dependent speech, the player will have plenty of cues to figure out their next move!”

New enemies to deal with​

Aloy does not just encounter many threatening machines in the Forbidden West… She also has to deal with an increased number of human enemies, for example with Regalla’s rebels, a faction of the Tenakth tribe. This led Guerrilla to focus on a more in-depth combat system for encounters against humans, including new enemy classes with their own combat behavior and functions.

Richard begins: “The goal was to make human combat as deep and challenging as machine combat. This meant extending the combat system and adding more variety in the way you encounter human enemies in the world. We want to give the player the option to engage in their own playstyle, whether they prefer ranged or close combat encounters. Switching between strategies resulted in a lot of transition animations which feel smooth and reactive.”

The combat team added a neat new feature to make switching between ranged and close combat feel even more rewarding, according to Charles. “The resonator blast rewards players for using spear combos: whenever Aloy attacks with melee, the resonator in her spear stacks up some energy. This energy can be blasted at the enemy and will stick to them for a short duration. Shooting it with an arrow before it dissipates will deal a huge amount of damage! This mechanic creates a powerful synergy between close combat and ranged combat, encouraging players to transition smoothly between both.”


“Since there are a lot of new archetypes in human enemies, we had different Mocap sessions to help bring these characters to life,” Richards tells us. “We worked with an experienced Mocap actor who knew how to deal with heavy stunt work and was a master in portraying different combat styles and personalities. We would explore idle behavior for specific classes, as this would tell us a lot about the kind of choices we were making for the character. For example, with the Champion class, it was key that the character came across as confident and experienced. So, the actor moved calmly, looking for gaps in the opponent’s defense and circling around while not losing eye contact and continuously closing in. It almost felt like a wolf stalking its prey!”

That starting point of idle behavior and linking the acting to a certain animal really helped clarify the different personalities and approaches for the team, Richard continues. “The Rebel Soldier enemy behaves a lot like a hyena, which resulted in a rowdy and versatile personality with a lot of uncontrolled and ungraceful motion. The posture is hunched over and from a behavior point of view we think of them as being aggressive in groups, but at the same time hesitant in small numbers. They don’t always exactly behave like this from a combat and AI perspective, but it gave the team a better understanding of the character and helped us define choices in poses, combat attacks and personality.”

 
Have they mentioned anything about improving the A.I and the Ubisoft gameplay? All I've seen em talk about so far is the graphics. Personally, if all they've done is pretty it up with more bushes and a few dinosaurs they can shove it


The AI team has played a big role in improving the combat system, especially when it comes to increasing the challenge level. Lead AI Programmer Arjen Beij: “We wanted enemies to feel more authentic by improving the fluidity and continuity of motion, like making enemies (and companions) more capable of traversing rugged terrain. The AI in Horizon Zero Dawn already supported some dynamic terrain changes, but we wanted to take this further by adding jumping and climbing as a systemic part of their behavior. As you are playing the game, the AI will be searching for opportunities to take shortcuts, where it previously was a cumbersome detour.’



 

vivftp

Member
Yeah i have replayed that section several times before and while the bubbles are there, the trailing effect isnt nearly as impressive as the one we saw in the reveal. The almost gooey like expanding of the water is definitely missing from the state of play conference.

W5MjoKo.gif

Could be an example of an in-engine cutscene versus gameplay, or there could be multiple fluid reactions to diving. Plus of course we're looking at different angles.
 

Winter John

Member
Yes they have.








Well, that's good. My biggest problem with the first one was the terrible A.I. Looks like they're attempting to fix it. I'm not to sure about this line - "You can also escape from combat by breaking line of sight and sneaking away." Sounds just like the first game. Sit in a bush and press A for instant kill. Time will tell I guess.
 

SlimySnake

Flashless at the Golden Globes
Could be an example of an in-engine cutscene versus gameplay, or there could be multiple fluid reactions to diving. Plus of course we're looking at different angles.
I can see lighting and character model differences, especially hero lighting, between cutscenes in gameplay, but entire fluid simulations? Why would they design one sim for cutscenes and one for gameplay? Unless, the first trailer was prerendered and they never had anything that extensive for the actual game.

Like I said, it will be interesting to see just how close they come to the reveal trailer which was supposedly captured running on a PS5.
 
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Hobbygaming

has been asked to post in 'Grounded' mode.
Have they mentioned anything about improving the A.I and the Ubisoft gameplay? All I've seen em talk about so far is the graphics. Personally, if all they've done is pretty it up with more bushes and a few dinosaurs they can shove it
Then you haven't been paying attention

piping season 1 GIF by Patriot
 

vivftp

Member
I can see lighting and character model differences, especially hero lighting, between cutscenes in gameplay, but entire fluid simulations? Why would they design one sim for cutscenes and one for gameplay? Unless, the first trailer was prerendered and they never had anything that extensive for the actual game.

Like I said, it will be interesting to see just how close they come to the reveal trailer which was supposedly captured running on a PS5.

It was running on the PS5, not pre-rendered. Indeed, we shall see but at this point there's no reason to assume any sort of downgrade has occurred.
 

Inviusx

Member
the 500 dollar box runs matrix which does RTGI and RT shadows. This is due to the cross gen nature of the game.

They are running the game at native 4k 30 fps. If they really wanted to, and had the tech to do it, they couldve increased water and sand fluid simulations while targeting 1440p 30 fps.

Anyway, the water splashes are definitely in the game. Or were at one point. The latest trailer had this gif.

5a1135aa302439a7b477ee961b83767a2ef2e62e.gifv


the reveal trailer had some pretty next gen looking fluid simulation.


52835304282263a929ad3ae14362f0807cbfb524.gifv

W5MjoKo.gif


It will be interesting to see if the trailing water bubbles in second gif and the realistic displacement of water is in the final game.

I think it's clear now that these are target renders and not actual gameplay. Possibly rendered in engine but more likely pure CG.
 

ANDS

King of Gaslighting
Still not a super big fan of how "gimmicky" the fighting areas seem to be (reminds me a lot of DOOM: Eternal with the areas that basically scream "this is a fighting arena. . ."). I hope the actual overworld doesn't suffer for this transition (while giving us more action at the same time).
 

Winter John

Member
Your complaint was that they only talk about Forbidden West's graphics then you said you don't pay attention to the developers of Forbidden West

Gordon Ramsay Reaction GIF
I didn't say "they only talk about Forbidden West's graphics."
I said - "All I've seen them talk about so far is the graphics." It wasn't a complaint. It was an observation based on what little I've read about the game, which is why I asked if they'd said anything about improving the A.I.

Reading comprehension ain't your strong suit is it son
 

SLB1904

Banned
I didn't say "they only talk about Forbidden West's graphics."
I said - "All I've seen them talk about so far is the graphics." It wasn't a complaint. It was an observation based on what little I've read about the game, which is why I asked if they'd said anything about improving the A.I.

Reading comprehension ain't your strong suit is it son
Where did you see them talk about graphics? Sounds like new info we missed.
 
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