SPACE MARINE 2 CREATIVE DIRECTOR OLIVER HOLLIS-LEICK REVEALS NEW DETAILS ABOUT THE NEW MULTIPLAYER MODES AND CONFIRMS CROSSPLAY
Warhammer 40000: Space Marine 2 is expected to be one of the most action-packed games to be released this year. In advance of the release on September 9, 13 years since the original game launched, Focus Entertainment and Saber Interactive have revealed all the multiplayer options an integral part of this surprisingly rich pack which we’ve also had the opportunity to have a talk to the Director of creative Oliver Hollis-Leick on everything.
The original 3D shooter featuring hack-and-slash features from Relic Entertainment, Saber is adding to the game vast experience in acclaimed IPs, including World War Z and Evil Dead. Additionally Hollis-Leick’s resume includes a number of major Saber projects has become a well-known name in the cutting-edge field in motion recording. It gives his vision, and is a unique aspect that we have briefly talked about.
In the beginning, and following the recently released multiplayer trailer of Space Marine 2, I wondered if he or his team were looking at certain classic games from the PlayStation 3 time period, for instance Uncharted 2, which launched immediately and was stuffed with multiplayer-oriented content evidently crafted from materials already created to promote the game instead of making bets on seasonal releases’ or live-service updates which ‘completed’ the game or increased their value in a lengthy period post-launch.
“There’s the recognition that people get tired from that sort of playing it’s like when paying for something that you receive 75% and you then have to make a payment for more afterward. This is like wanting to launch a complete game that has all the features that players are used to and you know, we’ve made the most amazing toys and this was a matter of letting us find numerous possibilities to use them as we can,” Hollis-Leick says. Although they don’t have anything official to announce about content once the game’s launch but they’re not ruling out it also. However, the idea is to start the game using the old-fashioned method and it appears.
As we watched the exciting announcement of a new player-versus-player 6v6 mode that most gamers are sure to be thrilled about the game, we at GameWatcher were also wondering if the group had thought of expanding and increasing the size on the huge-scale battlegrounds we’ve seen on the trailers for the campaign so this far. Creative director John Davidson provides a compelling explanation of the reasons why this could have wasted energy and resources.
“We’d put so much money into this whole swarm tech with Tyranids and other creatures in between, and have lots of resources… We could have had one large battleground, but… gamers naturally concentrate on the type of vendetta element that is based on getting the other player to getting them out. We chose to focus on this aspect… The idea could be tempting to incorporate everything else in the decor, but the game would be not seen as a necessity.” If you’re pondering the long-term viability of the game beyond the initial couple of months, you’ll be pleased to learn from the creator that crossplay is available across every platform.
Space Marine 2 also seems to be a very customizable feature that’s tied to progress of the character for both co-op and PvP mode. The glimpse of the MP aspect of the game appears to be brief in the trailer, and I was wondering if there’s an “army painter’ style method or just a more straightforward method that applies skins, and other pieces of armor, and other.
Hollis Leick explains that the process is a little tangled because of the risk that there could be “people abusing the system and doing all kinds of crazy things,” however it seems like we’re getting an adequate number of possibilities in all likelihood: “We approached it as an if it was the tabletop we were miniature enthusiasts… what do we like to do? We’d like to paint them in the manner we’d like to paint them. We’d like to position the decals as well as the other accessories at the correct place. We would like to be able to decide how we place items on our bodies… Therefore, we tried to add this feeling of customization of the game.”
Of course, the subject of personalization and giving gamers the chance to design designs of their own creates a dilemma of what kind of freedom IP owner such as Games Workshop, is willing to allow its partner. Hollis-Leick isn’t afraid of affirming that the rules are in place in regards to what is and can’t be accomplished with Warhammer 40K:
“Games Workshop have a strict policy on what is included in their world and how it’s presented… There’s no way to create things from scratch. The process doesn’t work this way.” The majority of the game’s development According to him is about digging to figure out the elements that can go into games “down to the smallest level of detail.” The fact is that it’s unusual to find brand new Star Wars games letting their creators run wild together with Lucasfilm’s Story Group, but it appears to be the case that Games Workshop is much more specific about what goes in the 40K universe.
One of the most surprising aspects of the conversation was hearing about how they tie the cooperative operations that can be played by up to two other players, the story of the campaign’s main storyline:
“As you go through the tale, Titus will come up with challenges he can’t tackle together with two of his teammates He’s therefore given the command of teams that are smaller which he then sends teams off to accomplish the other tasks. However, they’re not like “fire and forget. Titus is within radio contact with them through these mission, consequently, during the story’s adventure there will be boxes conversations with Titus and his team. Then you’ll be on with the opposite side of the team while playing the mission with the other members of the team as well as hear similar conversations with the opposite side.”
The primary reason behind these operations, which will add more content from co-op for the player, is the ability to provide “multiple perspectives of the same war,” and these aren’t separate from the primary experience but rather adds to the overall experience.
“Once you’ve completed the story campaign, the PvE missions continue to evolve and change with mixtures of different enemy types and different objectives,” He says without getting into more details.
Concerning the timeframe from “winter 2023′ through September 9th, 2024 the date which appears to be staying for the moment Hollis-Leick has the following to add: “I should tell you that it was not an easy task to secure this prolongation… This kind of thing can be classified as financial year which is why people expect for them to be released at a timely pace, however our game director Dima insists that he wants to launch the game with a complete state which is why we worked so hard on the game. It was wonderful to witness how the players reacted to this. They’re grateful we decided to give them the time.” Additionally, he says that the testing inside is ramping up, and there is a great deal of effort going towards not polishing only, but “fine-tuning all things” in advance of September.
As I mentioned earlier, Hollis Leick is a prolific resume-holder as an actor in mo-cap and writer. So I was interested in the way that this influenced his work as the creative director of Space Marine 2 (and Jurassic Park: Survival) and had an impact on the film in general.
“One strength is, in light of my experience is character and story. I’ve spent years researching the character and story as well as creating games for the past twelve years at this point… It was the only way I can ensure that the narrative was as strong as it can be but motion capture also is all concerned with physical representation… Space Marines are giant juggernauts that measure nine feet tall, therefore I could imagine it from the standpoint of ‘How can they move? What can we do to get the most amount of force out of them and in motion capture shootings, we had the actors wear American football pads. Then they were wearing huge military boots on them as well as large weapons. They carried helmet-mounted cameras and batteries as well as everything else.”
Then, I brought up the issue of mixing and sound design within video games which feature heavy characters, and the way the sound design and mixing sometimes aren’t enough, leading to hulking creatures that feel floating. However, this seems to not be an issue with Space Marine 2. Actually, it’s the reverse.
“The audio design is essential in this. Each kind of terrain we can encounter within the game, we’ve got many sound effects that match how they sound for the boots to sound like they are squeezing through the thick swamp mud or breaking down the thick marble, or the metallic material or whatever. In addition, the sound produced by the joints moving along with the servos, magnet field… The game received a great deal of thought was put into the sound effects from the standpoint of the sound.”
For a final wrap-up while also considering both Saber Interactive’s and Hollis Leick’s potential collaboration with some of the most well-known IPs I delved deeper into the way in which the whole design process of a large game is affected when it’s other people’s games. Creative director, as it turns out, was exuberant about how hard yet rewarding it can be finding a good balance
“You should approach the process with respect. You’re allowed to go into this world and create stuff however, you’ll need to be able to summon the confidence to propose innovative ideas and possibilities in addition to challenging licensees… The entire process of diplomacy itself is extremely fragile… Similar issue is in the case of Jurassic Park… I believe it’s the focus on the finer details, digging and the trust you develop with the holder of your license that will be crucial to the procedure.”
