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GameInformer Cover Reveal – Horizon Forbidden West

Coolwhhip

Neophyte
This game looks good, and I'm looking forward to give the first game another try but...

What the fuck? Can you debate with people without going down to the level of an edgy teenager? Are you guys even professionals in the field to talk like a know it all? Or you just watch youtube videos and wikipedia pages?

Looking at his tag, seems like he will vanish soon.
 
Looking at his tag, seems like he will vanish soon.
Yeah, it's pretty ridiculous, but I shouldn't be surprised.

Also, I always find it funny seeing some people always discussing these topics with such certainty of what they're saying, without any experience on the field, no actual technical knowledge, just some reads from wikipedia and some videos out of Youtube. TFLOPS this, GI that, Mesh Shader like this and like that. I mean, there's nothing wrong with being enthusiastic about it and deepening your knowledge level, but talking with such arrogance about something they think they know but actually don't (or only at a surface level), that always gets me. Discuss, yeah that's pretty cool and can lead to some interesting conversations, but don't go telling others to fuck off with your youtube knowledge.
 

SLB1904

Banned
Yeah, it's pretty ridiculous, but I shouldn't be surprised.

Also, I always find it funny seeing some people always discussing these topics with such certainty of what they're saying, without any experience on the field, no actual technical knowledge, just some reads from wikipedia and some videos out of Youtube. TFLOPS this, GI that, Mesh Shader like this and like that. I mean, there's nothing wrong with being enthusiastic about it and deepening your knowledge level, but talking with such arrogance about something they think they know but actually don't (or only at a surface level), that always gets me. Discuss, yeah that's pretty cool and can lead to some interesting conversations, but don't go telling others to fuck off with your youtube knowledge.
How about you follow the conversation instead of jumping in the bandwagon?
 

Roxkis_ii

Member
Maybe GG will introduce a slider in the visual options for those averse to a more rounded figure 😂
You might be on to something.

Maybe game devs should give us a masculine/feminine slider in game where we don't make our own character. This way you can please multiple demographics

Imagine how may people wouldn't have minded Abby in Tlou 2 if she was hot.
 
How about you follow the conversation instead of jumping in the bandwagon?
Nah mate, I'm good. Just wanted to point out why your tag is so fitting. I'm not on the same level as you where i can call others stupid fucks.


Anyway, the game looks damn good, that's all I wanted to say.
 
More game details from the issue, ignore if you want to go in completely blind


Cool

I am gonna put all my skill points into ranged, Traps and stealth.

I am still not sure they needed to upgrade melee other than making it more functional and feel good.

I still feel horizon was unfairly criticised for its weak melee. Nobody expects doom to have deep melee. Or devil may cry to have amazing shooting mechanics
 

Markio128

Member
You might be on to something.

Maybe game devs should give us a masculine/feminine slider in game where we don't make our own character. This way you can please multiple demographics

Imagine how may people wouldn't have minded Abby in Tlou 2 if she was hot.
Or some gamers could just get hypnotised.
people GIF
 

Haggard

Banned
I still feel horizon was unfairly criticised for its weak melee. Nobody expects doom to have deep melee. Or devil may cry to have amazing shooting mechanics
Neither Doom nor DMC force the player to utilize these elements.
In HZD fights against human enemies could not be avoided and due to the weak melee mechanics they were very....very... boring.
 
Neither Doom nor DMC force the player to utilize these elements.
In HZD fights against human enemies could not be avoided and due to the weak melee mechanics they were very....very... boring.
Well in doom 2016 and eternal you kinda do. When were you restricted to just melee in zero dawn? Human combat was weak all round in ZD ranged or melee.

Like I said its important that it looks and feels good. I don't know if it's has to be as deep and complex as the ranged combat though.
 

GymWolf

Member
Neither Doom nor DMC force the player to utilize these elements.
In HZD fights against human enemies could not be avoided and due to the weak melee mechanics they were very....very... boring.
Nobody forces you to use melee against humans since ranged weapons are far better against them, the first game was nothing if not elastic in how you can deal with combat scenarios.

Combat against humans was still utter shit but for other things, not because you were forced to use melee.
 
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GymWolf

Member
Can't remember. Probably the standard difficulty?

I found Halo Infinite Heroic difficulty a tad too easy so I guess I'm a pro gamer. I'll bump it up for Forbidden West.
Well shit if you play on normal, no game is gonna ever challenge you dude, next time start at the max difficulty available, normal is basically super easy mode in almost any game.
 
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Nickolaidas

Banned
Not the best looking, but it captures what I presume the story is about... Aloy stopping climate change.
That's what I thought as well. However, if you think about it, the entire premise of the lore is that humans fucked up the ecosystem to the point they had to reboot it via machines.

So it's fair to say that the game always had a 'protect your environment if you don't want everything to be fucked' kind of vibe. Which is a fair message, to be honest.
 

GymWolf

Member
That's what I thought as well. However, if you think about it, the entire premise of the lore is that humans fucked up the ecosystem to the point they had to reboot it via machines.

So it's fair to say that the game always had a 'protect your environment if you don't want everything to be fucked' kind of vibe. Which is a fair message, to be honest.
Humans didn't excatly fucked up the ecosystem, the robots did because humans were greedy and stupid.

But tbf, the world of horizon before the faro plague was already fucked up a little, they had to use IAs and stuff to save the planet, so i guess you are still kinda right.
 

[Sigma]

Member
These screens so far not doing it for me. And that cover looks like art you see at Dollar General in the back near the detergent.
 
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That's what I thought as well. However, if you think about it, the entire premise of the lore is that humans fucked up the ecosystem to the point they had to reboot it via machines.

So it's fair to say that the game always had a 'protect your environment if you don't want everything to be fucked' kind of vibe. Which is a fair message, to be honest.
Major destructive climate change already happened in the horizon universe in the 2030s to 2040s. In the big dev walkthrough you can see at the end florida is underwater.

That not to say it couldn't happen again!
 

GymWolf

Member
Other infos from the article, the game sound a bit like MH\surge with all this emphasis on specific parts to detach from the dinobots to craft stuff, also the more robust rpg part had me salivating:

New Mechanics/Gameplay

Mathijs de Jonge, the game director of HFW, says that they hope to improve melee and "traversal." He also said that there were lots of new ideas for new machines and new weapons that they couldn't fit into the first game that they will fit into this one.

The first new mechanic that was discussed is the new skill tree. In the interview, de Jonge says that the old skill tree from HZD was "completely thrown out of the window" and redesigned from scratch. With the improvements coming to melee, HFW is becoming more of an RPG where you can decide your playstyle and maybe mix-and-match different skills and playstyles if you wanted to. There are six different skill tree specializations, each with 20 to 30 different skills: warrior (melee), trapper (placing/disarming traps), hunter (ranged weapons), survivor (health/resource), infiltrator (stealth), and machine master (hacking/overriding). There are active skills (using fewer resources in crafting) and passive skills (low health regeneration). A specific melee skill that was mentioned in the video interview was Resonator Blast, where Aloy builds up the charge on the spear and blasts the enemy, creating a more sensitive damage point that can be hit with an arrow.

Valor Surge is a meter that fills up when you "play tactfully" and once you fill up the meter you can use your preferred skill tree's Valor Surge. Things that fill up the meter include headshots on humans or removing a machine component while fighting machines. The "hunter" one is called Powershots Valor Surge, which increases your shot damage for an unspecified amount of time, and can be leveled up, maybe to increase the amount of time the damage is increased or just increase the amount that damage is increased.

Outfits and weaves can improve skills well "past their level cap, raising some stats 300 percent." Outfits can have three to five upgrades, which usually increases resistances but may also improve skills learned on the skill tree.

A new Focus scan feature can analyze machines and "cycle through their components." In the article, Alot is using it to scan the Burrowers, new machines that resemble weasel-like animals, like otters or meerkats. The new scan shows that the Burrowers are weak to fire, have a detachable component on them called the "Burrower Soundshell," and that their eye is a weak spot. The article says, "This feature conveys a lot of different information, from letting you know if a machine contains a key upgrade resource to if a part is indestructible." The option to tag machine parts and important components is there, in case you are looking for something specific and it comes off during the fight with the machine. You can also use the Focus to scan for and highlight climbing and grapple points in the environment.

In Game Informer's video interview back in July, the writer asks de Jonge if the new traversal mechanics of the paraglider (Shieldwing), the grappling hook (Pullcaster), and the oxygen mask were the only traversal improvements that they made. De Jonge said that you are free to climb on any mountains, rocks, or cliffs now, so the world should feel a lot more open. They also talking about Aloy's jumping, and how she's able to "high-vault" onto ledges that seem just out of reach.

Melee pits "offer challenges to test your skills," and are utilized to teach melee combos. Ben McCaw says that there is a "cool little story hook into the melee pits as well." This makes me think that melee pits are going to work like the Hunting Grounds. The article says that there is a melee pit in Chainscrape.

The developers mentioned more rewards for quests in their sequel. Instead of just shards, the incentive to complete side quests include new outfits, new weapons, or resources.

The workbench is a new mechanic that I mentioned that Aloy was looking for in her journey to Chainscrape, used to upgrade weapons and armor, and also to craft traps, potions, and "special gear." Ammo and trap crafting can be done without a workbench, so no worries there. The demo shows Aloy putting her common bow on the workbench. It has three different upgrades - the next upgrade gives Aloy a new ammo type (acid arrows) and increases the bow's stats. The upgrades cost more than just shards in HFW. De Jonge says, "In this game, we tried to bring encounters with machines more into play. A lot of these upgrades also cost specific machine resources, so you have to go out and hunt specific machines."

Workbenches are usually in settlements and villages - de Jonge says, "We were looking at how to make settlements more interesting and how we can add more interactivity to settlements, so they become like safe havens for the player." McCaw says, "Settlements are also hubs for all kinds of different content in the game as well. So, sort of drawing the player back to the workbenches makes a lot of sense because you become aware of quests and activities, and even activities within the settlements."

While searching for a specific machine to acquire a specific component might seem tedious as it was in HZD, now there's an option in the menu to create a job to locate the components that you're searching for to upgrade your gear. The article mentions that at the workbench, Aloy's Nora Anointed outfit requires two "Fanghorn Antlers" to upgrade. The demo shows the menu creating a job which puts a quest marker and a marked path to the machines that have that component. Aloy is led to a Lancehorn herd, and Lancehorns have the Fanghorn Antlers.



This is all so exciting and made me realize that the release of this game isn't too far off! Not to be dramatic but I would eat glass and rocks to be able to play this game right now. I'm going to be making a speculation/discussion/theories post about all of this soon, so stay tuned!
 
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I've got Haggard and VX on ignore your life is that much better without having to talk to a couple of graphic whores who actually dont know as much as they say. Wait for professionals to go over this game so we can actually talk about technical progress with the Decima engine.
O, i got VX on ignore for a long time Haggard is next, does guys are so full of them selfs that i want to puke when i read theyr comments so i ignore them.
 
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Other infos from the article, the game sound a bit like MH\surge with all this emphasis on specific parts to detach from the dinobots to craft stuff, also the more robust rpg part had me salivating:

New Mechanics/Gameplay

Mathijs de Jonge, the game director of HFW, says that they hope to improve melee and "traversal." He also said that there were lots of new ideas for new machines and new weapons that they couldn't fit into the first game that they will fit into this one.

The first new mechanic that was discussed is the new skill tree. In the interview, de Jonge says that the old skill tree from HZD was "completely thrown out of the window" and redesigned from scratch. With the improvements coming to melee, HFW is becoming more of an RPG where you can decide your playstyle and maybe mix-and-match different skills and playstyles if you wanted to. There are six different skill tree specializations, each with 20 to 30 different skills: warrior (melee), trapper (placing/disarming traps), hunter (ranged weapons), survivor (health/resource), infiltrator (stealth), and machine master (hacking/overriding). There are active skills (using fewer resources in crafting) and passive skills (low health regeneration). A specific melee skill that was mentioned in the video interview was Resonator Blast, where Aloy builds up the charge on the spear and blasts the enemy, creating a more sensitive damage point that can be hit with an arrow.

Valor Surge is a meter that fills up when you "play tactfully" and once you fill up the meter you can use your preferred skill tree's Valor Surge. Things that fill up the meter include headshots on humans or removing a machine component while fighting machines. The "hunter" one is called Powershots Valor Surge, which increases your shot damage for an unspecified amount of time, and can be leveled up, maybe to increase the amount of time the damage is increased or just increase the amount that damage is increased.

Outfits and weaves can improve skills well "past their level cap, raising some stats 300 percent." Outfits can have three to five upgrades, which usually increases resistances but may also improve skills learned on the skill tree.

A new Focus scan feature can analyze machines and "cycle through their components." In the article, Alot is using it to scan the Burrowers, new machines that resemble weasel-like animals, like otters or meerkats. The new scan shows that the Burrowers are weak to fire, have a detachable component on them called the "Burrower Soundshell," and that their eye is a weak spot. The article says, "This feature conveys a lot of different information, from letting you know if a machine contains a key upgrade resource to if a part is indestructible." The option to tag machine parts and important components is there, in case you are looking for something specific and it comes off during the fight with the machine. You can also use the Focus to scan for and highlight climbing and grapple points in the environment.

In Game Informer's video interview back in July, the writer asks de Jonge if the new traversal mechanics of the paraglider (Shieldwing), the grappling hook (Pullcaster), and the oxygen mask were the only traversal improvements that they made. De Jonge said that you are free to climb on any mountains, rocks, or cliffs now, so the world should feel a lot more open. They also talking about Aloy's jumping, and how she's able to "high-vault" onto ledges that seem just out of reach.

Melee pits "offer challenges to test your skills," and are utilized to teach melee combos. Ben McCaw says that there is a "cool little story hook into the melee pits as well." This makes me think that melee pits are going to work like the Hunting Grounds. The article says that there is a melee pit in Chainscrape.

The developers mentioned more rewards for quests in their sequel. Instead of just shards, the incentive to complete side quests include new outfits, new weapons, or resources.

The workbench is a new mechanic that I mentioned that Aloy was looking for in her journey to Chainscrape, used to upgrade weapons and armor, and also to craft traps, potions, and "special gear." Ammo and trap crafting can be done without a workbench, so no worries there. The demo shows Aloy putting her common bow on the workbench. It has three different upgrades - the next upgrade gives Aloy a new ammo type (acid arrows) and increases the bow's stats. The upgrades cost more than just shards in HFW. De Jonge says, "In this game, we tried to bring encounters with machines more into play. A lot of these upgrades also cost specific machine resources, so you have to go out and hunt specific machines."

Workbenches are usually in settlements and villages - de Jonge says, "We were looking at how to make settlements more interesting and how we can add more interactivity to settlements, so they become like safe havens for the player." McCaw says, "Settlements are also hubs for all kinds of different content in the game as well. So, sort of drawing the player back to the workbenches makes a lot of sense because you become aware of quests and activities, and even activities within the settlements."

While searching for a specific machine to acquire a specific component might seem tedious as it was in HZD, now there's an option in the menu to create a job to locate the components that you're searching for to upgrade your gear. The article mentions that at the workbench, Aloy's Nora Anointed outfit requires two "Fanghorn Antlers" to upgrade. The demo shows the menu creating a job which puts a quest marker and a marked path to the machines that have that component. Aloy is led to a Lancehorn herd, and Lancehorns have the Fanghorn Antlers.



This is all so exciting and made me realize that the release of this game isn't too far off! Not to be dramatic but I would eat glass and rocks to be able to play this game right now. I'm going to be making a speculation/discussion/theories post about all of this soon, so stay tuned!
If the game is challenging the rpg elements will really compliment it. Hopefully it won't end up like ghost of tsushima where your actively removing armour to bring back the challenge. Hopefully it will take more than one playthrough to max out the skill tree.

That Resonator Blast sounds awesome I may rethink my skill tree prioritys
 
You might be on to something.

Maybe game devs should give us a masculine/feminine slider in game where we don't make our own character. This way you can please multiple demographics

Imagine how may people wouldn't have minded Abby in Tlou 2 if she was hot.
How about let the developers decide how they want to make theyr caracters, its theyr game. You dont like the looks of the caracter you think its "woke bullshit" so you dont want to play the game, thats your choice, but dont try to convince others. Move on.
 
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You might be on to something.

Maybe game devs should give us a masculine/feminine slider in game where we don't make our own character. This way you can please multiple demographics

Imagine how may people wouldn't have minded Abby in Tlou 2 if she was hot.

Will you ask for that in god of war also?
 

GymWolf

Member
If the game is challenging the rpg elements will really compliment it. Hopefully it won't end up like ghost of tsushima where your actively removing armour to bring back the challenge. Hopefully it will take more than one playthrough to max out the skill tree.

That Resonator Blast sounds awesome I may rethink my skill tree prioritys
Dude can you gently gtfo of my head?
 
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Roxkis_ii

Member
Sounds like a horrible way to design a game character
I'm not asking devs to change their vision. The default would probably be set on max masculinity for Kratos, and that's cool. I just think it would be awesome, hilarious, and interesting to be have the ability to change how masculine or feminine a character is in the story of a game.

This isn't something I'm imaging game devs would accommodate in the near future, but look how unreal engine 5 has an AI that can computer generate life like people, how long before an AI could simulate human behavior and mannerisms. That could possibly give players the the ability to edit characters behavior in context of the games story. Maybe in like unreal engine 8 or something.
 

Dodkrake

Banned
I never said there would be 0 differences between the two games. I said they would look roughly the same.. and they do as the screenshots show. The only thing readily apparent is the backscatter specular lobe for the hair. I am not sure why the HZD pic is so saturated though. Other than that, their clothing looks very similar. It's the same engine with a lot of the same techniques used from the last one.

Pretty much the same, can't really tell them apart.

HZD (PC 1440p ultra)

VAxgyXL.jpg


HFW

hfw_market.jpg



Indeed, just a change of scenery if we ignore all the textures, polygon counts, draw distance, etc.
 
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Roxkis_ii

Member
It fits with the actual person she takes the likeness on?

Hannah+Hoekstra.jpeg
sx07ayzis5781.jpg

The model looks great, but man does Aloy in game model not do her justice.

Maybe it's the hair style that makes her look so unflattering in game. It's like the way her hair is pulled back from her temples accentuates her jaw line making her jaw almost look swollen.

Maybe a head band would make her face look more even in game.
 
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