Guerrilla Games made a post on the PlayStation Blog, telling us about metal monsters that inhabit Globalism from Forbidden horizon westThe new PlayStation exclusive will be released on February 18, 2022 on PS4 and PS5. Community Head Bo de Vries then explains how deadly they are and how to survive them, and also gives us some information on what the actual gameplay is.
The world of Horizon Forbidden West, the same world as Horizon Zero Dawn, is dominated by machines in the form of creatures that already existed on planet Earth. Some we’ve already seen in the first chapter, others are completely new. Among the returns there will be Vedetta, and Celermorso, while among the new articles We refer to the Squarciavento, agile and graceful, and Tremorzanna, a huge beast that is extremely difficult to eradicate. Let’s read more details from the PlayStation blog post:
Unbelievable metal monsters
Blake Politeski, chief machine designer, has been a part of Guerrilla since the first machines appeared, right up until the start of work on Horizon Zero Dawn. His team, along with asset graphics chief Maxim Fleury and others, have created new mechanical wonders for the upcoming second chapter.
“We’ll be able to explore a new area of the Horizon world,” Blake begins. “We wondered what kind of machines can live in different ecosystems and how they interact with each other, with the environment and of course with humans. Machines are kind of the guardians of this world, so it seemed interesting for us to think about how they perform their duties and how they can The player can take advantage of it.
“While developing Horizon Zero Dawn we came up with a lot of ideas, many of which are left in the tray. But now, with Horizon Forbidden West, we can combine some of these great ideas, previously unattainable, with new and interesting concepts.! “
Maxim adds: “The Blake team has provided us with a design document describing the general appearance of the machine, the (interactive) parts it has and the attacks it can perform. The document is enriched with some detailed illustrations, but the real visual design work goes to the team dealing with the robotics and weapons assets.”
“Animators is a 3D study that is reviewed by different teams (artistic direction, game design, animation, art graphics) until they are all satisfied. At this point, we create, mount and animate a model to see if everything works as expected. And then the designers work The bots and the weapon graphics team are on it, putting all the details in. After a few more steps in the different teams, in the end, the whole model is animated, coloured, textured and double checked, before being implemented in the game instead of the temporary model. It takes a long time to develop each machine!”
Add new machines
It wasn’t easy to finish all 25 machines in Horizon Zero Dawn. “In the first game, we had to start from scratch, so we started from the ground up by defining the different roles,” Blake says. “The Observatory was a kind of surveillance camera, Harem is a guardian of law and order, and so on. Once those roles were established, we started In experimentation by blending bot methods, specific skills and functions, and of course interesting weapons and attacks.”
“With Horizon Forbidden West, we wanted to expand our catalog of machines. For example, the desire to create a flying machine a little larger than Emery led to the creation of Solcasole, which needed a place and a role in the world. We studied many primitive flying reptiles and birds for inspiration, and developed The idea of wings that store solar energy on sunny days. This idea, in turn, created an interesting play dynamic: when recharging with solar energy, Solcasole is more vulnerable but also more attentive to the presence of potential predators in the vicinity.”
“We start from these unique behaviors and try to expand them further as we define the roles of machines in the game world. We want all the machines to be connected in some way and have their own significance, so we get an eco… just like in the real world.”
Creating an authentic world has always been a priority for Guerrilla, and this includes creating reliable machines that roam the world of Horizon. “The design approach that started with Horizon Zero Dawn is still very important to us,” Maxim explains. “At the same time, we want the new machines to be different and unique, presenting players with a much richer world. The fact that the machines in Horizon Forbidden West have many more features than in the past has been a challenge from a design point of view. But we hope that guarantees that Always different and exciting encounters.”
New and dangerous enemies
In a previous post we introduced some Aloy’s abilities and specific combat moves she can learn in the Forbidden West. They will certainly be very useful against stronger, faster and more deadly machines.
Maxim explains: “Aloy has a huge selection of weapons and ammunition – she will have to use all of them to beat different types of machines!” “Without expecting too much, we can say that each machine can be defeated in different ways. We have tried to suggest it through careful design choices, but also by adding textures to highlight weaknesses or reactive components. Each machine must be carefully studied to discover the different ways to counter it.”
Blake adds: “Many machines have weapons and behaviors that can be exploited to gain advantage. I’m not just referring to the ability to separate components and use them against them. Some machines have more passive states where they let their guard down. For example, a resource mining machine raises a cloud of Dust aloes can use for infiltration.”
“Horizon Forbidden West machines move in every possible way: they jump, swim, cling to surfaces, etc. This is why Aloy can use new movement mechanics, without which they cannot compete with their agility. We have also improved Aloy’s ability to observe and plan before combat, As well as being able to escape in case of difficulty.”
The ability to climb or throw a smoke grenade to cover escape gives Aloy a certain advantage when fighting machines, but the improvements aren’t just about the mechanics that the player can use. For sure, the machines of the Forbidden West are more dangerous, but you just need to open your ears to study their behavior and even anticipate their movements. For example, a machine makes characteristic sounds when it is idle, raises an alarm or makes an attack. In the PlayStation 5 version of the game, all this is achieved even more precisely thanks to the 3D sound, which guarantees an unprecedented sensory participation in the massive game world when combined with stereo headphones or other compatible devices (analog or USB).
Tremorzanna mighty
In the trailer for Horizon Forbidden West, we see Aloy facing one of the greatest machines ever: Tremorzanna. He’s an amazing opponent as hard to beat.
Tremorzanna is basically a giant with some references to great war elephants of historical and cinematic inspiration. It has many different attacks and a body stuffed with weapons. In addition to using its fangs to attack at close range, it possesses various elemental weapons, Maxim explains: “Tremorzanna seen in the trailer It is controlled by a rebel faction of the Tenakths, but specimens can be found in the wild in the prairie.”
“It reminds me of a cross between a war elephant and one of those large siege towers that were used to attack fortresses in the Middle Ages – hard to destroy, slow and massive firepower,” Blake adds. “This was our basic idea of the Tremorzanna, which turns out to be a well-armored but slow machine, and an almost unstoppable force. In Horizon Forbidden West, enemy human factions can control the machines: we naturally came to combine the two and create our own version of war elephants, Equipped with a platform through which humans can attack Aloy.
“Going back to the discourse of the (ecosystem) of machines, we must remember that its function is to maintain balance on Earth and prevent humanity from causing a new extinction. To protect other machines so that they can perform their functions without interference from humans.”
Blake and Maxim agree that Tremorzanna is one of the strongest opponents in the game, one that requires a lot of preparation to defeat: “We recommend resorting to traps and using the wrestling hook. Although he is slow, he can reach a speed that can overwhelm Aloy. , so you better be prepared to dodge. Finally, watch out for the flamethrower chest…”
Turn the tide with overflow!
It is true that the machines have always yearned to fight, but they also make a huge contribution to the world of Horizon and can sometimes help Aloy. Just think of the Collilunghi, the absolutely non-hostile machines that actually provide Aloy with valuable information when you get overtaken!
“As in Horizon Zero Dawn, Aloy can control the machines and make them fight alongside him,” Maxim says. “This time we’ve added new ride machines, like the Windbreaker that appears in the gameplay show.”
Blake adds, “Some machines can inadvertently assist an Aloy. If a machine is looking for resources while an Aloy is on its way, that can lead it to hidden supplies. Also, now during Override Aloy the machine’s position can be adjusted by choosing between an aggressive or defensive state.” .”
Guerrilla is happy to know which of the new machines will be the most popular with players. Of course, we have our preferences, too. Maxim, for example, is crazy about thunderstorms!
“It was the first Horizon Zero Dawn machine I saw a drawing of, and it has stuck in my heart ever since,” he smiles. “I love its design and characterization. Of the Horizon Forbidden West machines, however, I prefer the Foraterra: small and agile, one that can beat the most obscure players in an instant.”
And Blake’s favorite car? “Storm Watcher. It was one of the first designs we made, when we were still quite unaware which way to go. When I pitched the idea to a colleague, I imagined a cross between an eagle and a fighter plane, capable of sending electric shocks out of the sky. It can hit the player like Lightning and descending with a thunderous strike! When we heard the passing, the game director turned to us and said, “What a great idea!” This is how the Storm Watcher was born!
“In the sequel, my favorite is Gusciatroce. It’s a machine I was thinking about making in the first game, so I’m glad I found it in Forbidden West. It’s a great game and has skills that will blow players away, with both attributes. Realistic and inspired by what we saw in The world of cinema, as well as some weird details we’ve come up with from scratch. I’m eager to see how players react to this new machine as soon as I look for it!”
“Unable to type with boxing gloves on. Freelance organizer. Avid analyst. Friendly troublemaker. Bacon junkie.”
