The Official PlayStation Thread Vol. 5 | State of Play Today | Death Stranding 2 | Silent Hill on PSN | Hell Divers | Stellar Blade | Rise of Ronin

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Fozz said:
Just saw a clip of the gameplay.

Gross.
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Looks weak asf compared to the PS Spiderman games. They really shouldn’t have pushed him to be a console exclusive in hindsight. No story missions either. Complete waste.
 


The Forbidden West is vast and deadly, filled with ancient ruins, awe-inspiring machines, and hidden threats. Surrounded by danger, its human inhabitants need places to train, rest, and improve their gear. The game's settlements form these sanctuaries, and they are just as vital to Aloy as they are to the tribes that live in them.

The living world in these settlements is a complex character of its own. Every detail establishes credibility, creating an authentic environment through visual storytelling. For example, the Nora live in relative solitude in the isolated valley of the Sacred Land, making it difficult for them to communicate with the outside world. As a result, they are less technologically advanced than other tribes, and more wary of outsiders. Their settlements are made of wood and rope, featuring minimal furnishings other than what is needed for daily life. Food and resources are obtained through hunting and gathering, so there'll be pelts, baskets, or sheaths full of arrows lying around. All the objects and people within such a settlement feel like they belong, and more so: like they've always been there.

Spoiler Alert: Please note this article may contain some spoilers for Horizon Zero Dawn and its storyline.

World building with intention
With hours and hours of exploration in the Forbidden West, how do you create a lush and thriving world filled with activities, but without overwhelming people, or detracting from the overarching story? Espen Sogn, Lead Living World Designer at Guerrilla, explains how his team is central to this very question.

"When you walk through the Forbidden West, everything should feel like it belongs there. The Living World team at Guerrilla works on aspects of the game that make the world feel authentic and alive: the tribes, the settlements, and the people within them. There's an intention behind everything we place within the world."

Clarity on those intentions comes from collaboration with the narrative team. "At the start of a project, we put a lot of thought into every tribe we're going to encounter," says Annie Kitain, Senior Writer at Guerrilla. "What their conflicts are, how they fit into the story, and how they interact with the world around them. Take the Tenakth, for instance. Many of their beliefs are influenced by the ancient ruins of the Forbidden West, and unlike other tribes, they're comprised of three distinct clans. Their shared history, convictions, disputes – all of that is important to developing the characters that Aloy will meet on her journey."

"Our main challenge is translating this narrative framework into visuals that are integral to the world itself," says Espen. "For example, the Tenakth are known to be competitive and combat-focused, but so are other tribes. So how do we distinguish them, and how do we communicate that visually?"

'It then becomes all about the details, the animations, and the behaviors. Within their settlements, you'll see the Tenakth working out, readying themselves for battle. They're often younger because they need to be capable warriors. Their base is an ancient ruin, from which they've picked up certain Old World gestures that they may not fully understand – like using a military salute to say hello.'

'Ultimately, our goal is to make sure NPCs feel connected to where they live, and we work closely with other internal teams, such as Narrative, Quest, and Environment, to make sure that every location feels authentic."

"The Living World team does a fantastic job, and it's so great to see it all come together," says Annie. "Each tribe starts as a bunch of ideas, then is translated into these amazing settlements. Like the Utaru, who were imagined as an agrarian society that's deeply connected to the land around them. Once the tribe is in-game and the Living World team has done their magic, you're walking around the Utaru's fields, interacting with them, and you think, 'whoa, they nailed it.' Now this tribe feels real."
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Heading to Chainscrape
One of the first places Aloy will visit as she travels west is Chainscrape, an Oseram outpost settlement on the border. It offers abundant natural resources and opportunities for adventure and risk. Its tenants have come here for many reasons: to flee problems back home in the Claim, to make a few quick shards, to embrace a dream, or for the thrill of exploration. It's a busy hub, featuring a town bar where Aloy can meet some interesting new characters.
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Espen continues: "With so much activity, so many visual cues, Chainscrape was a place where we could demonstrate many new systems and animations that make the world and its people feel much more alive. In Horizon Zero Dawn, there were a lot of assets and things in the background. In Horizon Forbidden West, they're not just textures: they've been elevated into actual objects that are being used by people in-game.'

'Where you previously saw a person standing in front of a forge, they will now actively engage with what's around them: moving materials, leaning on walls, drinking from cups, talking to friends, and just living their daily lives. They move and exist with purpose."
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Settlements of the Forbidden West

Of course, the world isn't just visually detailed – it's a constant threat. Aloy relies on settlements and NPCs to sustain and equip her. Progression, skills, upgrades, health, and tools are all part of a larger ecosystem that structures the huge and intricate open world of the Forbidden West.

"When designing the core features that form the progression systems of a game, these features always have to be built in dialog with the rest of the game's design!" says Steven Lumpkin, Senior Designer at Guerrilla. "Beyond the narrative of Horizon, it's imperative that all our systems work together in harmony to give our players a fantastic experience from the first time they pick up their controller.'

'Balancing progression is a leading focus for us, making sure that every player is readily able to acquire a set of gear that feels great to them in combat, while remaining powerful enough to tackle all of the challenges over the course of the game. We've built an ecosystem that rewards the player for engaging deeply with the whole world of Horizon Forbidden West, while remaining friendly for those who want to stay focused on the core narrative."
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blog.playstation.com

Horizon Forbidden West: An authentic world

The team at Guerrilla tell all about creating a world filled with adventure, culture, and opportunity.
blog.playstation.com blog.playstation.com
 
swendro said:
You may want to take a look at They are Billions. It's on sale for 9 bucks right now.
Traditional RTS gameplay in which you build up your city/resources to defend against increasingly large hordes of zombies.

They Are Billions

They Are Billions is a Steampunk strategy game set on a post-apocalyptic planet. Build and defend colonies to survive against the billions of infected that seek to annihilate the few remaining living humans. Can humanity survive after the zombie apocalypse Campaign The New Empire - Available...
store.playstation.com

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Ended up grabbing it, along with this game I found on sale as well.

Its been extremely addicting, but so easy to play in small chunks.

 
Been hearing ppl say how good days gone is now esp on the PS5


Might have to give it a try. Hopefully there's a huge black Friday sale for it
 
Enjoyed the CoD Vanguard trial.


A few things i didn't like were those short *** maps. You respawn right in front of gunfire :smh:

Also, those dogs :lol:

You can empty a magazine and it won't go down yet one bite from it and you die :smh:
 
アキラ said:
Na. All my subscription and multiplayer games are on Xbox.
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Just get ps plus and play it for free. As far as the game goes, it starts off slow and you will hate having to constantly fill your gas tank up but once you get past the first zone and learn how to “cheese” fast travel and gas it opens up more and becomes quite an enjoyable experience. You ain’t fighting hoards till like 24 hours into the game tho :lol:
 
Nobody told me saints row got pushed back from February to august :smh:

Probably will still be before cyberpunk PS5, so guess it is what it is
 
Death loop is $25 on Amazon. Should I scoop or wait since it hasn’t been favored in the reviews.

EDIT: just scooped it just because. If I decide against my decision I’ll just return or gift it.
 
Last edited:
Picked up GT: Sport again for $5. I was glad that my cars were still saved in the cloud and didn’t have to start over. Game looks great playing on the PS5.
 
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