The Order: 1886

[Daft]

 

How Uncharted influenced PS4 exclusive The Order: 1886

 

There is no doubt that, like Naughty Dog with Uncharted, Ready at Dawn wants to tell you a story with The Order. Weerasuriya says it's a "story-driven" game, with the aforementioned moment-to-moment gameplay providing a unique twist. What does this mean, exactly?

 

"It's the way the characters play out, the animations we use, the motion capture sessions we have," Weerasuriya says, his answer as unclear as London drenched in fog. "We try to make sure every single tool we have at our disposal, and that includes gameplay as well, serves the purpose of the goal, which is to drive people through this story.

 

Gamescom: Technology Goes Victorian in PS4’s The Order: 1886

 

Weerasuriya went wild with Galahad’s weaponry, showing the destruction of fences, tables, and other items lying around a sterile, textureless environment. The idea was to show that little items act realistically. A wooden pail blown off of a table will roll around with its handle interrupting its movement; most games would treat this object like any other, or ignore your ability to interact with it completely. If he shot metal, it would dent instead of showing bullet holes. Glass, on the other hand, shatters. At one point, he threw one of Galahad’s grenades – which look a great deal like World War II potato mashers – into a box suspended in the air. It detonated into dynamic shrapnel that look like a far cry from a current-gen explosion.

 

The second demonstration showed an outdoor courtyard that looked a little rudimentary and simple, but may very well end up being in the final game in an updated form. Here, Weerasuriya showed similar features. The most interesting thing he talked about here was in relation to flags hanging around the courtyard. Each waved independently of one another; each looked different and unique not in design, but in movement. This is due to them reacting not to code that tells them to wave, but rather to in-engine wind physics. Little things like this sound minor – and many of them are – but it’s intriguing how all of these little things, when combined and taken together, could create an environment that’s more real and more believable than the environments many games of the current generation take place in.

 

After reading the Eurogamer article, I'm really excited about this. A story-driven game is exactly what I want.

[bryanee]

Yum.

 

Edited October 9, 2013 by bryanee

[Cube]

That street shot looks incredible. Reminds me of Chester (which is should, considering a lot of the layout and buildings from that period are still there).

[Daft]

• In concept since 2005
  
• Trailer graphics are what you can expect it to look like in-game
  
• Everything in the world is rendered with soft body physics
  
• Metal beams react for example to magnetic forces, bending and shifting in real time
  
• Incredible attention to detail: Lens flare catches light as you rotate the camera, oil lamps flash independently in an underground scene, light bouncing off every object provides uncanny realism, insane attention to material detail like wood, leather and cloth.
  
• Clouds and particles of dust float around lamp flames, subtely settling down on the camera lense
  
• Ready at Dawn spent a lot of time making the weapons unique, giving each personality. Grounded in understandable science but also have behaviors that you wouldn't expect
  
• Examples of guns: Arc Gun like you saw in the trailer, Combo Gun has two different settings, you can blow enemies back with a non-lethal charge to make space as well as using standard rifle fire, Thermite Rifle can shoot a chemical onto enemies, using secondary fire to shoot flares to light them on fire, frag grenades can be used typically or hoisted onto the environment via spikes
  
• Around 7th or 8th century, humanity splinters, with many getting 'beastial traits', becoming 'half breeds'
  
• Thus begins the conflict
  
• Humanity basically forms a version of the Knights of the Round Table, in this case, The Order to fight off this enemy
  
• Through a strange turn of events, they discover a substance called "black water", giving them unusually long lives and unique ability to recover from injury
  
• The Knights continue to age, but at a much, much slower rate which they use to battle for centuries
  
• It's basically a curse given they continuously see everything around them leave and die off, it's both a salvation and a curse for them
  
• This leads up to the 19th century and the changes facilitate the unique futuristic Industrial Age you see before you
  
• You play as Grayson, known as "Sir Galahad" (guy with the porn stache)
  
• A new threat emerges as parts of society (humans) begin to rebel against the rulership and are disgruntled with the inequality between layers of society
  
• Battle scenes are chaotic and exciting, with use of cover, somewhat similar to of Gears of War
  
• "While the focus is on third-person gunplay combat, The Order sometimes pulls back for slower paced moments of investigation and exploration."
  
• Ready at Dawn took a unique twist to QTEs, sometimes melee attacks occur during gameplay, time slows down and you can rotate your camera and find different things in the environment to give you an edge. These can range from dodging a punch or grabbing an improvised weapon for example
  
• Focused on a very strong story driven single player now, not willing to talk about any multiplayer
  
• Interactive cutscenes keep players in control of part of the action (like shooting) while a preset dramatic moment plays out.
  

 

Sounds really exciting.

 

Edit: Few more details.

 

• "Even counting the increasingly impressive collection of next-gen titles announced in recent months, The Order: 1886 boasts the most impressive in-game visuals we've seen."
  
• They go on to point out that what we saw in that reveal trailer is exactly what the actual game looks like since RaD is using the same models and special effects for cutscenes and gameplay
  
• Script is being written by Ru Weerasuriya and Kirk Ellis (writer for the HBO series John Adams)
  
• Director by Dana Jan (GoW: Ghosts of Olympus director). Creative director is Weerasuriya (Game/creative director of GoW: Chains of Olympics and creative director on GoO)

 

Edit Edit: This is what IGN had to say about the physics.

 

Weerasuriya went wild with Galahad’s weaponry, showing the destruction of fences, tables, and other items lying around a sterile, textureless environment. The idea was to show that little items act realistically. A wooden pail blown off of a table will roll around with its handle interrupting its movement; most games would treat this object like any other, or ignore your ability to interact with it completely. If he shot metal, it would dent instead of showing bullet holes. Glass, on the other hand, shatters. At one point, he threw one of Galahad’s grenades – which look a great deal like World War II potato mashers – into a box suspended in the air. It detonated into dynamic shrapnel that look like a far cry from a current-gen explosion.

 

 

The second demonstration showed an outdoor courtyard that looked a little rudimentary and simple, but may very well end up being in the final game in an updated form. Here, Weerasuriya showed similar features. The most interesting thing he talked about here was in relation to flags hanging around the courtyard. Each waved independently of one another; each looked different and unique not in design, but in movement. This is due to them reacting not to code that tells them to wave, but rather to in-engine wind physics. Little things like this sound minor – and many of them are – but it’s intriguing how all of these little things, when combined and taken together, could create an environment that’s more real and more believable than the environments many games of the current generation take place in.

Edited October 9, 2013 by Daft

[Daft]

Tomorrow...

 

[tweet]435352426925682688[/tweet]

[Retro_Link]

My eyes actually lit up when I saw a thread bump for this game! Nice to be excited about something.

[Hero-of-Time]

 

EDIT: Gameplay video!

 

[liger05]

Looks badazz

[Shorty]

Don't want to raise my hopes for this one. It looks gorgeous, but it also looks kinda like a generic cover shooter.

[bryanee]

Stunning visuals, MAH GAAAWD.

[dwarf]

Don't want to raise my hopes for this one. It looks gorgeous, but it also looks kinda like a generic cover shooter.

 

It doesn't look very smooth to play either.

[drahkon]

21:9? Fucking stupid.

 

Well, doesn't appeal to me, anyway. Looks boring and generic.

[Daft]

Why is 21:9 stupid?

[Cookyman]

Can't believe all the moaning on here!

 

"There are no new games on the PS4"

 

"PS4 need more exclusives"

 

What happens? You get a truly next gen game, it's a new IP and it's exclusive to the PS4.

 

What happens next:

 

Don't want to raise my hopes for this one. It looks gorgeous, but it also looks kinda like a generic cover shooter.

 

It doesn't look very smooth to play either.

 

21:9? Fucking stupid.

 

Well, doesn't appeal to me, anyway. Looks boring and generic.

 

 

 

I give up!

 

[dwarf]

It's called opinion buddy. I don't understand what makes this 'next-gen' other than the graphics, which don't appear to be the best on the system anyhow. I'm a bit of a gaming grump these days I suppose, it takes something a bit more interesting to make me sit up and pay attention, and I think people are well within their rights to say this looks a touch generic.

 

I do want to be impressed by the PS4, honest I do! That I can't muster excitement right now doesn't mean I think the future is dim.

[Cookyman]

It's called opinion buddy. I don't understand what makes this 'next-gen' other than the graphics, which don't appear to be the best on the system anyhow. I'm a bit of a gaming grump these days I suppose, it takes something a bit more interesting to make me sit up and pay attention, and I think people are well within their rights to say this looks a touch generic.

 

I do want to be impressed by the PS4, honest I do! That I can't muster excitement right now doesn't mean I think the future is dim.

 

I know grumpy - opinions are like arseholes, everybody has one. Don't worry I reckon one game will tickle your prostate soon!

 

[drahkon]

Why is 21:9 stupid?

 

I assumed that would mean I get black borders on the top and bottom of my TV screen unless I have a 21:9 TV?

No idea if I'm right. I have no clue about those resolutions/aspect ratios blabla technical stuff. :p

 

@Cookyman

Yes, the graphics are amazing and it's nice that the PS4 gets a new IP/exclusive.

The gameplay, however, looks bland, generic and boring to me. We haven't seen much, but what I've seen...makes me lose interest.

[bryanee]

Yeah the black borders are stupid. I couldn't stand them in Beyond I doubt that'll change with this no matter how good it looks.

[CoolFunkMan]

To be honest, when it comes to 21:9, it doesn't bother me too much. I really end up not noticing it if I'm immersed enough in a game (which was the case with Beyond.) Still, each to their own.

 

As for the gameplay, it does look generic, and I'm a bit on the fence about it for now. However, I don't think we've seen anywhere near enough to make a definitive opinion on it yet, so I'm still open minded on the subject. I can't deny that it looks phenomenal though, it's got to be one of the most visually spectacular games I've ever seen. I also love the steampunk-esque aesthetic too.

 

Now for people going on about "next-gen gameplay", I have no idea what could even classify as that, unless we're talking about the usage of new hardware. In which case, I don't see how we'd see that demonstrated in trailers. Let's face it, everything has been done before, and nothing is original any more in terms of gameplay mechanics. The originality comes from the presentation, which very few games manage to pull off, because it's quite a challenge. Even if the gameplay in The Order does end up being similar to other games, at least it'll feel somewhat unique in terms of art direction and style.

Edited February 18, 2014 by CoolFunkMan

[Cookyman]

@drahkon

 

and everybody else I've quoted, I'm not having a go at you for having an opinion I'm just remarking how bloody negative we all are. The best game ever could come out and some folks on here would moan about it. Seriously - lighten up you miserable gits!

 

Edited February 18, 2014 by Cookyman

[gaggle64]

I really like the Defoe style universe, I hope the central characters are worth sticking with.

[dwarf]

@drahkon

 

and everybody else I've quoted, I'm not having a go at you for having an opinion I'm just remarking how bloody negative we all are. The best game ever could come out and some folks on here would moan about it. Seriously - lighten up you miserable gits!

 

My opinion shouldn't have any bearing on yours, but the way you get sensitive to negativity makes me think it does affect you. I could say you're being overly optimistic and that you're too ready to shower the game in praise, but I'd be wrong to do so because I'd be calling you a liar. I don't think anyone here has lied. You can have both sides of the debate.

 

To me the game showed promise after the initial teaser trailer, but to delay gameplay footage for so long only to show off that uninspired cover-based corridor shoot-out, it does raise some doubts.

[Retro_Link]

My opinion shouldn't have any bearing on yours, but the way you get sensitive to negativity makes me think it does affect you. I could say you're being overly optimistic and that you're too ready to shower the game in praise, but I'd be wrong to do so because I'd be calling you a liar. I don't think anyone here has lied. You can have both sides of the debate.

 

To me the game showed promise after the initial teaser trailer, but to delay gameplay footage for so long only to show off that uninspired cover-based corridor shoot-out, it does raise some doubts.

To me this gameplay showing seems similar to that of X during the Nintendo Direct. In that I think they felt they needed to show something, but actually after what they chose to show, maybe they shouldn't have bothered.

 

To me this felt like it could have come from the games tutorial level or something. Let's wait for the next trailer and E3 before judging it.

[Shorty]

and everybody else I've quoted, I'm not having a go at you for having an opinion I'm just remarking how bloody negative we all are. The best game ever could come out and some folks on here would moan about it. Seriously - lighten up you miserable gits!

All I said is that I'm not getting my hopes up based on what we've seen. There's a difference between being "a miserable git" and not hedging all your bets on something just because it's a new IP. Remember how people thought Knack was going to be PS4's Super Mario 64?

[Daft]