Horizon Zero Dawn - The Making of the Game

VPRO Backlight have taken a look behind the scenes at the making of Horizon Zero Dawn.

The role playing game Horizon Zero Dawn created by the Dutch company Guerrilla Games is extremely successful: Horizon Zero Dawn has already sold more than 2.6 million copies, giving the gaming community a whole new world to explore, discuss and analyse. How did Guerrilla Games create Horizon Zero Dawn? And what is so attractive in this virtual world? Find out in Horizon Zero Dawn - The making of the game.

VPRO Backlight got the unique opportunity to follow the team of Guerrilla Games, behind the scene, during the final sprint before the release.
With a multi million Euros budget, 240 people have worked on a new PlayStation world for 5 years in Amsterdam. Horizon Zero Dawn is an "open world game" and gives the players the possibility to explore very detailed futuristic worlds from the perspective of a redhead girl called Aloy.
The character Aloy was created by using the face of a Dutch actress, the voice of an American woman, and the body of a British acrobat. The motion capture that took place in Oxford to give her life is amazing to watch, especially for the Horizon Zero Dawn fan, but not only.
During the highly anticipated game preview in Anaheim, California, the marketing machine was running at full speed on a mega-event where thousands of gamers and players, cosplaying as Aloy, were pouring out anticipation and fun. After such an event, how can the real world still stand a chance against the temptation and the beauty of virtual games? The Horizon Zero Dawn community is ever growing and shares all day online the best Horizon Zero Dawn tips, or Horizon Zero Dawn gameplay, and speculate about the Horizon Zero Dawn ending. Sony Entertainment is even talking about a potential Horizon Zero Dawn franchise, with a switch to virtual reality. This PS4 game and RPG in general certainly have a bright future coming ahead.

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More information.

mmm, VPRO is a Dutch television company and I can't watch this video from the Netherlands on YT… great

Edit: can watch it on the website though, so no harm done!

Is this "roleplaying game" coming to the PC?

Moorkh said:

Is this "roleplaying game" coming to the PC?

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Its an RPG but PS4 only.

Moorkh said:

Is this "roleplaying game" coming to the PC?

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Currently no, which makes it too expensive for me (whatever price for inferior hardware I'd use only for that title then toss in the trashcan + the game itself).

Wrote in another thread, it's a shame it took one console exclusive "dev diary" to show how important code optimization is. This video should have been sent to Ubi and WB.

It's a great game, but barely an RPG. Not everything needs to be an RPG.

It's simply astounding how complete and nearly bug-free this game was on release. It's similar to Witcher 3, down to following glowing trails to solve mysteries. There's little C&C, as it's a straightforward action story.

The combat is lightyears beyond W3's combat though.

I thought it was a really well done game, but I got frustrated because I kept getting my butt kicked by the pseudo boss fight battles with bigger machines. I just don't seem to be very good at dodging and aiming at the same time.

fadedc said:

I thought it was a really well done game, but I got frustrated because I kept getting my butt kicked by the pseudo boss fight battles with bigger machines. I just don't seem to be very good at dodging and aiming at the same time.

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Tripcaster is your friend

NewDArt said:

Tripcaster is your friend

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I had been using the tripcaster a lot for tough fights, but sometimes it's easier than others to set up. I haven't used the rope caster though, I was just reading that it can make some big machine fights easier (?)

fadedc said:

I had been using the tripcaster a lot for tough fights, but sometimes it's easier than others to set up. I haven't used the rope caster though, I was just reading that it can make some big machine fights easier (?)

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I haven't used the rope caster yet, either.

Still have a long way to go - but I've comfortably taken down most of the tougher enemies with the shock ammo for tripcaster to leave them vulnerable.

But the combat is definitely challenging. I'm playing on Hard - and I love that the game pushes you to learn patterns and timing.

Some of the best combat in a modern action RPG I've tried.

NewDArt said:

I haven't used the rope caster yet, either.

Still have a long way to go - but I've comfortably taken down most of the tougher enemies with the shock ammo for tripcaster to leave them vulnerable.

But the combat is definitely challenging. I'm playing on Hard - and I love that the game pushes you to learn patterns and timing.

Some of the best combat in a modern action RPG I've tried.

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The fight that made me give up was one of those giant flamethrower machines along with several watchers. The trip caster was helpful but only to a certain extent, because it was hard to predict the big guys movements, and the watchers tended to blow up my traps instead of him.

There was some kind of smaller stealthed long range machine that I couldn't come anywhere near beating too, but that one was easier to just come back to later.

fadedc said:

I thought it was a really well done game, but I got frustrated because I kept getting my butt kicked by the pseudo boss fight battles with bigger machines. I just don't seem to be very good at dodging and aiming at the same time.

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I can't doge and aim at the same time but I have manged to use the environment as cover for petty much lot of fights.

I did not use rope caster much but its only good for taking some mobs off the fight. For example if there is pack of mobs then you can tie couple of them down while you pick one off etc. Also good for flying ones where you can bring them down to ground.

My trick was to use Tearblast Arrow with your bow moded to match that. You can knock stuff of the dinos. The t-rex is easy once you tear blast certain item off its back

fadedc said:

The fight that made me give up was one of those giant flamethrower machines along with several watchers. The trip caster was helpful but only to a certain extent, because it was hard to predict the big guys movements, and the watchers tended to blow up my traps instead of him.

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Are you taking about Cauldron XI end fight? That was hard but you can put lots of trip casters on the ground. I mined the whole place! Also the two watcher that pop after the boss come from a fixed location. So I activate the boss using the override (there are 4 of them) close to this place and kill the watcher as they pop. You can put trip caster here as well to speed up the kill.

http://www.escapistmagazine.com/art...comics/critical-miss/17498-Horizon-Zero-Bones

Ovenall said:

It's a great game, but barely an RPG. Not everything needs to be an RPG.

It's simply astounding how complete and nearly bug-free this game was on release. It's similar to Witcher 3, down to following glowing trails to solve mysteries. There's little C&C, as it's a straightforward action story.

The combat is lightyears beyond W3's combat though.

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I'm not one to fret about genres - and I don't really care about labels.

That said, HZD has:

Skills
Levels
Loot
Crafting
Modification
Combat
Quests/Sidequests
Exploration
NPC interaction
C&C
Puzzles

… and more.

Why isn't it an RPG?

lostforever said:

Are you taking about Cauldron XI end fight? That was hard but you can put lots of trip casters on the ground. I mined the whole place! Also the two watcher that pop after the boss come from a fixed location. So I activate the boss using the override (there are 4 of them) close to this place and kill the watcher as they pop. You can put trip caster here as well to speed up the kill.

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Yep that's the fight. I think I put down an entire "clip" worth of both shock and explosion tripcasters, but maybe I should have then crafted a new batch and put down even more. I remember one of the times I came closest I did manage to get a tearblast arrow shot in which looked like it tore off something important.

http://kotaku.com/lets-appreciate-this-fine-video-game-hair-1794994339

When it comes to porting games to PC, suddenly I don't care about RDR any more, that train passed.
I want this game!

NewDArt said:

I'm not one to fret about genres - and I don't really care about labels.

That said, HZD has:

Skills
Levels
Loot
Crafting
Modification
Combat
Quests/Sidequests
Exploration
NPC interaction
C&C
Puzzles

… and more.

Why isn't it an RPG?

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Most action games nowadays have all or most of those things. HZD is definitely not an RPG, it's an action/exploration game, very similar to Tomb Raider.

lostforever said:

Its an RPG but PS4 only.

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Why those exclusive games don't vanish from history? They should, but they probably don't because, firstly the simulators bizarrely tolerated, secondly because teens are exaggeratedly excited by anything that smells a bit cult, that isn't known by everybody, that makes them like knowing some secret, that makes them look smarter, that puts them in some clan, that promote them into some elite group. Sigh.

wolfing said:

Most action games nowadays have all or most of those things. HZD is definitely not an RPG, it's an action/exploration game, very similar to Tomb Raider.

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Didn't play HZD it so can't say for sure.

Tomb Raider is an environment puzzler. And it doesn't hide it nor is it's publisher trying to falsely advertise it like Ubi does with their MMO Division.

XP, levels, skills, loot, crafting, etc it's all in TR, but the game is not built around that, in fact all those RPG elements are added only as mechanics to provide solutions to environment puzzles.
While in classic adventures you'd need to pixelhunt for a critical item or exhaust dialogues for some skill, in TR you get skills by leveling up with XP and critical items by exploration or crafting. Because in TR there is also combat, it's marked as an action adventure. I use environment puzzler as a more precise description to differentiate it from usual annoying "action" grinders.

Sure, one could say you're roleplaying Lara Croft, just as you roleplay certain witcher, but there is a huge difference.
While roleplaying Geralt of Rivia, you're in control what choices he'll make, what skills he'll practice and what impact on his and others' lives the game will have at it's end. Lara Croft in TR (and RoTR) is limited to a predefined set of skills, the game is designed so a player gets all of them by the end and whatever you do the outcome will always be the same.

Dasale said:

Why those exclusive games don't vanish from history?

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Because discrimination.
Me, just an irrelevant consumer, discriminate platforms. I'm not doing it from some shady or evil reasons. Those platforms generally can't do what I want and I don't want to pay for them. Another reason is the offer of products where 99% of available catalogue entries is something I don't feel it could be fun (or are obvious scams).

Certain software developing companies are forgetting they're in business where the point is to earn $ from as many sources as possible. Instead of thinking like that, they're discriminating audiences. Not sure why are they forgetting they're a company and not a person.
Seems some of them are (slowly though) switching their business model. Sega is the best example. They're porting old exclusives like crazy and those sell almost like a cure.