As a seasoned game developer who has navigated the labyrinthine world of console development, I can tell you that each new generation brings its unique set of challenges and opportunities. The PS5 and Xbox Series X, with their respective teraflops and SSDs, are no exception.
Today marks the launch of “A Quiet Place: The Road Ahead,” which may not be as widely anticipated as a new “Resident Evil” or “Silent Hill,” but is certainly a game that many horror enthusiasts have been eagerly watching. As it takes place in the universe of the “A Quiet Place” movies, this first-person horror adventure promises an intense stealth experience inspired by some of the most atmospheric video games available. In preparation for its release, we had the opportunity to quiz the game’s development team at Stormind Games about their innovative stealth system, the games that have influenced them, and other interesting tidbits. You can find our comprehensive interview below.
NOTE: This interview was conducted prior to the game’s launch.
In the game A Quiet Place: The Road Ahead, we crafted the stealth mechanics to offer a rich and thoughtful experience, while avoiding unnecessary complexity or annoyance.
As a gamer diving into “The Road Ahead,” I’m curious about how closely this game is connected to the movies, particularly with it being a prequel. Will there be numerous references, Easter eggs, or storyline connections that hardcore fans will appreciate? What sort of nods to the movies can I expect in my gaming journey?
Luca Esposito (Senior Narrative Designer): Instead of being a prequel, The Road Ahead is a tale set within the narrative world of A Quiet Place, occurring between Day One and the beginning of the first film. Although it presents a fresh group of characters, the narrative we present shares connections with the films primarily through its themes and circumstances. There are no explicit references to the characters or events from the movies, but players will notice similar survival predicaments and interactions from the cinematic series.
In the context of the game’s plot and its fictional world, it’s clear that stealth will play a significant role. However, how intricate and rich with mechanics the stealth gameplay is expected to be remains to be seen.
Manuel Moavero (Lead Game Designer) explained that in “A Quiet Place: The Road Ahead,” we aimed for a stealth gameplay experience that was rich and tactical, yet not overly complicated or aggravating. The core of the game lies in managing sound, and players need to be extremely attentive to the sounds they generate, ranging from everyday actions like walking or opening doors to more intricate interactions with the environment such as tossing items or moving on noisy surfaces.
Each surface possesses a unique “acoustic signature,” making it safer to walk on sand compared to walking on corroded metal that might draw nearby animals’ attention. This feature introduces complexity to the game’s stealth system, necessitating thoughtful planning for each action taken by players.
As a passionate gamer, I can’t overlook the indispensable role of the phonometer. Essentially, it’s a device that gauges noise levels and offers visual cues, helping us comprehend the potential danger we’re exposing ourselves to. The fact that it can camouflage sounds through natural elements like water or wind opens up even more tactical possibilities for gameplay.
Simply put, the stealth system has been carefully crafted to provide an engaging experience for all players. It’s designed to be both intuitive and rewarding, encouraging players to adapt their strategies based on the game environment, as opposed to relying excessively on intricate mechanisms.
What can you tell us about the game’s progression mechanics?
Progress in “A Quiet Place: The Road Ahead” doesn’t rely on a typical method of enhancing the main character’s skills, but rather on an organic development of resources, equipment, and strategies that the player can utilize. As Alex, the protagonist, navigates through progressively challenging and perilous scenarios, she will need to adapt by learning to use novel tools and maneuver intricate environments.
At each stage, fresh strategies come into play, including items like flares, sandbags, or gadgets such as fuses and valves. These resources not only broaden your strategic possibilities but are crucial for unraveling puzzles and overcoming obstacles as they appear.
Although lacking a conventional leveling system, the diverse problem-solving opportunities and escalating challenge in the game situations keep the experience engaging and challenging. The consistent, unforeseen presence of creatures introduces an additional tension, compelling players to frequently revise their tactics. At certain points within the game, players must also utilize creatures’ vulnerability to electronic gadgets, enhancing the gameplay with further depth and versatility.
During the creation process, we pondered over incorporating a stronger emphasis on survival horror. The key ingredients of tension and dread are central to “A Quiet Place: The Road Ahead“, with an ever-present threat of death lurking in every scene. However, we aimed to strike a balance between delivering a horrifying experience and preserving the adventurous spirit that’s synonymous with the movies.
Was there any discussion during the development process of “A Quiet Place: The Road Ahead” about emphasizing its survival horror aspects rather than just a horror adventure game?
As a game developer working on A Quiet Place: The Road Ahead, I must admit there were times when we pondered over amplifying the survival horror vibe. Creating an atmosphere brimming with tension and fear was crucial, but we didn’t want to lose sight of the adventure-centric essence that defines the movies. So, we aimed for a delicate balance between delivering a harrowing horror experience and maintaining the excitement of exploration characteristic of these films.
In this game, we’ve incorporated survival elements like managing noise levels and careful movement, but we aimed to avoid overemphasizing the traditional survival horror aspects, such as severe resource scarcity. Our primary objective was to design an immersive yet approachable experience that maintained a high level of suspense and fear without being excessively challenging for players due to inventory management.
Ultimately, we chose a strategy blending excitement, apprehension, and creativity to deliver an immersive and tough gameplay experience. Emphasizing audio cues over direct confrontations with creatures was key to our unique approach, deviating slightly from typical survival horror standards.
Does the recent surge in popularity of horror video games offer creators a chance to innovate and explore different tones and styles in their horror productions? Which games have served as influential sources during the creation process of The Road Ahead?
Definitely, the revival of horror video games over the past few years has given creators a chance to delve into fresh concepts and techniques within this genre.
As technology advances and new ideas in gameplay unfold, players are increasingly open to diverse gaming experiences. This openness empowers creators to explore beyond the confines of conventional horror games. Today, we witness a broader spectrum, ranging from action-packed titles to psychological survival horrors and atmospheric terrors, such as the case with A Quiet Place: The Road Ahead.
In the course of creating our game, we drew inspiration from numerous titles that skillfully combined fear and ambiance in distinctive manners. Specifically, Alien: Isolation served as our primary muse, particularly its handling of tension and the sensation of being pursued by an adversary you can’t engage head-on directly. The dread instilled by the ever-present unseen danger is what we aimed to evoke in A Quiet Place: The Road Ahead, leveraging a unique sound-based gameplay mechanic.
In the crafting of tension, The Last of Us served as a significant inspiration through its resource management and immersive environmental interactions. Similarly, the game Amnesia impacted our creative process in generating fear by employing strategies that don’t rely on constantly showing enemies, instead focusing on exploiting feelings of vulnerability and solitude.
Additionally, we took creative cues from games such as “Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory” for its intricate stealth elements, and “Thief” for emphasizing environment and sound to dictate survival chances. Each of these games imparted valuable lessons on us regarding how to skillfully blend tension, exploration, and peril, creating an immersive horror experience that is both intense and not overly harsh.
Ultimately, the diverse and thriving market of modern horror games has granted us creative liberty for invention, enabling us to venture into an immersive, audio-focused approach without compromising the essential horror game elements.
Roughly how long will an average playthrough of the game be?
Alessio Alfonsi (Producer): The playing time ranges from 8 to 12 hours, based on the level of challenge selected and your personal desire to finish the game completely, gathering all collectibles and accessing extras via the main menu. Additionally, playtime can extend if you opt for multiple runs, where a player revisits the experience at a more challenging setting.
Alien: Isolation served as our primary source of inspiration, primarily due to its skillful handling of suspense and creating a sense of being pursued relentlessly by an adversary that cannot be engaged head-on directly.
Since you’ve worked with all the latest gaming consoles, I was wondering if we could discuss some differences between them. Specifically, I’d like to understand the implications of their GPU performance. The PS5 has a GPU clock speed of 10.28 teraflops, whereas the Xbox Series X boasts a higher figure at 12 teraflops. In practical terms, how significant is this disparity when it comes to game development?
The difference in teraflops between the PS5 and Xbox Series X is real in terms of raw computing power, but during development, the actual impact often depends on how well-optimized the game is. In many cases, both systems can achieve similar results since development tools and middleware are designed to maximize the hardware potential of each console. The difference in GPU performance becomes more noticeable in scenarios requiring heavy rendering. However, with good optimization, these differences are often near imperceptible to the end user.
How might game creators leverage the blazingly quick SSD on the PS5, which boasts a raw bandwidth of 5.5GB/s, and how does this speed stack up against the 2.4GB/s raw bandwidth offered by the Xbox Series X’s SSD?
The blazing-fast SSD of the PS5 significantly cuts down on the time spent waiting for game levels and sections to load, eliminating or minimizing conventional loading screens. This is a significant advantage for continuous asset streaming. For developers, this means they can create levels with smoother transitions and fewer interruptions. While the Xbox Series X’s SSD speed may not be as rapid, it delivers impressive performance thanks to internal enhancements and its compatibility with the Velocity Architecture.
In terms of their central processing units (CPUs), both the PS5 and Xbox Series X utilize Zen 2 architecture; however, there’s a discrepancy in the number of cores and clock speeds between the two consoles. Specifically, the Xbox Series X houses 8 Zen 2 cores running at 3.8GHz, while the PS5 has 8 Zen 2 cores operating at 3.5GHz. What does this difference mean for gaming performance?
In simpler terms, while the processors in these two gaming consoles run at similar speeds, it’s more about how well they handle heat and power distribution that makes a significant difference in performance. The type of processor in each console doesn’t drastically affect the overall gaming experience, but both platforms need specific adjustments during development.
Does the Xbox Series S, which offers less powerful hardware than the Xbox Series, present any challenges when you’re developing games for it, given that Microsoft markets it as a console capable of 1440p resolution at 60 frames per second?
Compared to the Xbox Series X, the Xbox Series S has fewer hardware capabilities, particularly with its graphics processing unit (GPU) and memory. Yet, developers can optimize games for it effectively. Creating highly ambitious or visually intricate games poses technical hurdles that may necessitate adjustments such as lowering texture quality or employing a more aggressive dynamic resolution to ensure smooth gameplay.
Recent horror games have been diverse and successful, giving us the liberty to try new things and be creative. This has enabled us to delve into a more ambient, audio-focused approach, all while preserving the essential elements of the horror genre.
What frame rate and resolution will the game target on the PS5 and Xbox Series X/S?
Our goal is to offer two modes on both PS5 and Xbox Series X: a Performance Mode targeting 60 FPS at 1440p with dynamic resolution scaling, and a Quality Mode targeting 30 FPS at 4K with dynamic resolution scaling. On the Series S, we’re aiming at 1440p at 30 FPS with dynamic resolution.
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2024-10-18 03:11