Armored Core 4 Update

Source:IGN

From Software is already wowing gamers with Chromehounds, its first Xbox 360 project, but another, even more impressive mech title is ongoing concurrent development at the company. First announced under the name Project Force at Sony’s PlayStation Meeting in July, Armored Core 4 showed its true form at the Tokyo Game Show as an Xbox 360 and PS3 multiplatform project.

At long last, the game’s director, From Software CEO Naotoshi Zin, has started talking about Armored Core 4. In interviews featured in the latest issues of Famitsu Xbox 360 and Hyper PlayStation, Zin offers details on the game, its Online support and some of the differences we can expect between the two versions.

The PS Meeting trailer, which was later reedited for the TGS showing, was a stunning sight, but Zin is actually quick to point out that it doesn’t compare to the highest quality pre-rendered visuals out there. Ray Tracing techniques, where light rays are bounced about a scene in order to get realistic lighting, are still the stuff of pre-rendered imagery, he states, but Armored Core 4 does manage approach pre-rendered levels in the area of polygon counts. He doesn’t go into specifics, but you can see the quality of the visuals for yourself in the trailers that we grabbed at TGS and the PS Meeting.

Armored Core 4 is currently in the “test stage” of development, Zin reveals. Due to the switch from current generation to next generation hardware, From has had to rethink some of its plans for the series from scratch. While the developer is planning some things that could not be done on current generation hardware, Zin’s first goal is to complete the ideas of the current generation titles — things that made it in partially but couldn’t be complete. The basic plan for the game is also being worked on in order to best use the new power at the developer’s hands.

The first trailer suggested that we can expect multiple Armored Cores to appear in battle simultaneously. This will be true of the final game. Zin reveals that while getting multiple units onto the play field was possible in the current generation, calculations involving gun fire bogged down the systems. The next generation systems can handle such calculations. In fact, Armored Core 4 will feature more precise collision calculations, allowing for area specific damage. Zin feels that having multiple opponents and more precise damage will change the feel of the game.

Customization has always been one of the attractions of the Armored Core series, and while this will continue with part 4, Zin reveals that we can expect some changes. He feels that in the Armored Core series, players tend to make modifications based exclusively on parameters, so even if they don’t like a particular form of Armored Core unit, they’ll use it just because it’s the most powerful. The main concept of part 4 is to do away with this, giving players a better feel of having their very own Armored Core. The system will resemble buying a car and then fine tuning it. Creating your very own machine in this way was the original concept of the Armored Core series, and with the next generation platforms, From is at last making it a reality.

Famitsu Xbox 360 asks Zin to comment on Xbox Live support for Armored Core 4. He reveals that rather than focusing on battles through Xbox Live, he wants to offer a place for people to use the Armored Core units that they’ve created. This is taking the main focus, with battles secondary. Online battles will be difficult to implement, he admits, thanks to the large amount of on-screen fire, the precise collision zones and the need for a total lag-free experience.

Hyper PlayStation asks a question everyone’s been wondering: what’s the reason for taking Armored Core, which has traditionally been a single platform title, multiplatform? Rather than “mutliplatform,” Zin prefers to think that From is making a change in order to expand the series. It’s become difficult to go with a multiplatform strategy, he states, and adds that from a business point, games will have to be released on multiple types of media, just like movies.MO< From plans on making use of the features of both Xbox 360 and PS3 in making Armored Core 4, though. We can expect the two versions to differ — in fact, making the exact same game is something that Zin isn’t interested in doing.

With the game currently in the test and planning stages, you might think that we’re in for a long wait before finally getting our hands on Armored Core 4. And you would be right. Zin states that, although From is known for fast development, it takes at least a year to finish a game. Work is progressing, though, with the game set for Japanese release in the Summer of 2006.

Source:IGN

From Software is already wowing gamers with Chromehounds, its first Xbox 360 project, but another, even more impressive mech title is ongoing concurrent development at the company. First announced under the name Project Force at Sony’s PlayStation Meeting in July, Armored Core 4 showed its true form at the Tokyo Game Show as an Xbox 360 and PS3 multiplatform project.

At long last, the game’s director, From Software CEO Naotoshi Zin, has started talking about Armored Core 4. In interviews featured in the latest issues of Famitsu Xbox 360 and Hyper PlayStation, Zin offers details on the game, its Online support and some of the differences we can expect between the two versions.

The PS Meeting trailer, which was later reedited for the TGS showing, was a stunning sight, but Zin is actually quick to point out that it doesn’t compare to the highest quality pre-rendered visuals out there. Ray Tracing techniques, where light rays are bounced about a scene in order to get realistic lighting, are still the stuff of pre-rendered imagery, he states, but Armored Core 4 does manage approach pre-rendered levels in the area of polygon counts. He doesn’t go into specifics, but you can see the quality of the visuals for yourself in the trailers that we grabbed at TGS and the PS Meeting.

Armored Core 4 is currently in the “test stage” of development, Zin reveals. Due to the switch from current generation to next generation hardware, From has had to rethink some of its plans for the series from scratch. While the developer is planning some things that could not be done on current generation hardware, Zin’s first goal is to complete the ideas of the current generation titles — things that made it in partially but couldn’t be complete. The basic plan for the game is also being worked on in order to best use the new power at the developer’s hands.

The first trailer suggested that we can expect multiple Armored Cores to appear in battle simultaneously. This will be true of the final game. Zin reveals that while getting multiple units onto the play field was possible in the current generation, calculations involving gun fire bogged down the systems. The next generation systems can handle such calculations. In fact, Armored Core 4 will feature more precise collision calculations, allowing for area specific damage. Zin feels that having multiple opponents and more precise damage will change the feel of the game.

Customization has always been one of the attractions of the Armored Core series, and while this will continue with part 4, Zin reveals that we can expect some changes. He feels that in the Armored Core series, players tend to make modifications based exclusively on parameters, so even if they don’t like a particular form of Armored Core unit, they’ll use it just because it’s the most powerful. The main concept of part 4 is to do away with this, giving players a better feel of having their very own Armored Core. The system will resemble buying a car and then fine tuning it. Creating your very own machine in this way was the original concept of the Armored Core series, and with the next generation platforms, From is at last making it a reality.

Famitsu Xbox 360 asks Zin to comment on Xbox Live support for Armored Core 4. He reveals that rather than focusing on battles through Xbox Live, he wants to offer a place for people to use the Armored Core units that they’ve created. This is taking the main focus, with battles secondary. Online battles will be difficult to implement, he admits, thanks to the large amount of on-screen fire, the precise collision zones and the need for a total lag-free experience.

Hyper PlayStation asks a question everyone’s been wondering: what’s the reason for taking Armored Core, which has traditionally been a single platform title, multiplatform? Rather than “mutliplatform,” Zin prefers to think that From is making a change in order to expand the series. It’s become difficult to go with a multiplatform strategy, he states, and adds that from a business point, games will have to be released on multiple types of media, just like movies.MO< From plans on making use of the features of both Xbox 360 and PS3 in making Armored Core 4, though. We can expect the two versions to differ — in fact, making the exact same game is something that Zin isn’t interested in doing.

With the game currently in the test and planning stages, you might think that we’re in for a long wait before finally getting our hands on Armored Core 4. And you would be right. Zin states that, although From is known for fast development, it takes at least a year to finish a game. Work is progressing, though, with the game set for Japanese release in the Summer of 2006.

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