Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered Devs Detail Improvements to Foliage, NPC Behaviour, and More

As a seasoned gamer with over two decades of gaming under my belt, I must say that the upcoming release of Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered has me absolutely thrilled! The dedication and attention to detail from Nixxes Software is truly commendable.

In a blog post on PlayStation, game developer Nixxes Software recently shared insights into the improvements and updates they’ve made to “Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered,” which is scheduled for release this month. These updates include details about the technical aspects of enhancing the 2017 original title.

Initially, the developers have hinted that players will find a more lush and thick plant life spread across the game’s environment. Notably, this was a defining aspect of the map in Horizon Zero Dawn, but it appears that Nixxes Software is striving to match the quality of this feature with its 2022 sequel, Horizon Forbidden West, in this particular aspect.

To achieve a similar quality of vegetation in our revamped version as seen in “Horizon Forbidden West,” we’ve made significant improvements to the shaders, textures, geometry, and interactions with foliage, according to senior environment artist Patrick Blankenzee. This involved upgrading all foliage assets from “Horizon Zero Dawn” with these new features, which included hundreds of plants, bushes, flowers, and trees.

As a gamer, I delved into the original game’s biomes, side by side with the concept art for comparison. I spotted areas that could be amplified to align better with the game’s initial vision, and the rainforest biome served as an excellent demonstration of this. Leveraging robust procedural technology, we infused fresh foliage and elevated the quality and density to unprecedented levels. The riverbanks have also been revitalized, teeming with more biodiversity to mirror the original vision hinted at in the concept art.

Environmental artist Julian Hofman noted, “Collaborating with Guerrilla’s original team allowed us to discuss and assess their progress on Horizon Forbidden West side by side with our remaster work. This comparison helped establish clear objectives for us, such as the new generation of moss noticeable in the remastered version of Horizon Zero Dawn.

To put it simply, the changing leaves add a sense of realism that makes the game seem more lively and truly meet the exceptional quality set by the Horizon series. This results in a consistent universe that’s enjoyable whether you’re playing it again or experiencing it for the first time.

One area where Nixxes Software has made significant strides is in the development of Non-Player Characters (NPCs) and their behavior. In essence, players can anticipate that towns, cities, and settlements will appear more populated, while NPCs will now demonstrate a wider range of natural and varied behaviors, contributing to a more lively and authentic game world.

According to senior technical game designer Brian van Nunen, we thoroughly examined every village, outpost, and city, marking spots that seemed barren or required enhancement for a more realistic and immersive experience. The PS5 platform’s expanded memory capacity has been a great asset, enabling us to substantially increase the number of non-player characters (NPCs). We added numerous locations for NPCs to position themselves, rest, work, and fulfill their requirements. We also gave them diverse schedules to enhance movement and vitality across various areas. Furthermore, we aimed to creatively employ existing animations.

Just like how foliage and vegetation are enhanced to match a higher standard of quality in a game like “Forbidden West,” so too does “Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered” aim to elevate its visuals by refining its terrain, objects, structures, and other elements to be on par with “Forbidden West.

Senior technical artist Sander Bronkhorst explained that they initially swapped out all the terrain textures from “Horizon Zero Dawn” with their updated versions from “Horizon Forbidden West”. This was just the initial stage, as the sequel’s terrain materials didn’t always fit with the original style. To rectify this, they meticulously adjusted and refined each individual terrain material to closely resemble the appearance of the first game, while preserving the high-quality visuals of the terrain materials in “Horizon Forbidden West”.

Apart from revamping all the terrain textures and materials, we’ve added dynamic elements such as malleable snow and sand. The snow deformation effect was initially introduced in the ‘Frozen Wilds’ expansion pack, but in this updated version, you can experience this feature across various areas, not just within the expansion zone.

As a dedicated fan, let me share my take on Bronkhorst’s statement: I personally participated in enhancing each man-made Building Block by conducting an individual process, resulting in high-definition geometry for assets that could truly shine with this upgrade. In our findings, it was clear that buildings saw significant improvements with the addition of more detailed geometry. Previously, many structures were adorned with brick-like textures on their walls, yet the actual brick structure was not mirrored in the geometry.

To improve the detail of these structures, we created specialized software that generates intricate architectural designs. Our artists employed this software to produce fresh designs, which they then finessed and refined by hand for optimal visual appeal on an individual basis for each building.

As a gamer, I’m super stoked about this upcoming remaster! Not only does it boast an incredible 10+ hours of fresh motion capture for those engaging chats, but the lighting has also received a significant upgrade. Dive deeper into the details right here.

Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered launches for PS5 and PC on October 31.

2024-10-18 00:11

Read More