Hello everyone! A Plague Tale: Nicolas Bécavin, Lead Engine Programmer at Requiem. The game will launch on his October 18th. Here’s a little preview of what you can expect on the technical side.
Leaping into the next generation
We decided to develop A Plague Tale: Requiem on PlayStation 5 to fully break free from the constraints of the previous generation and take full advantage of the capabilities that the new generation brings. The possibilities it offers are incredible! For example, take loading time. It’s shortened in a way that allows for new map and level designs. More memory on top improves draw distance. This means you can see farther. The horizon literally expands! The result is a much more open environment than the first game introduced.
release the rat
Rats are a key feature in A Plague Tale, and for this second game we wanted to push the full potential of a new generation to take rat-inflicted terror and trauma to the next level. The number of rats on the screen was 60 times his number, increasing from 5,000 to 300,000. It’s a good number to convey the vision of the apocalypse that continues to oppress our hero more and more. It’s like a tsunami rushing towards you. Luckily, we use our own in-house engine and rely on this engine to tackle such challenging renderings of elements that are entirely unique to A Plague Tale.
shed new light on a clouded world
Thanks to the power of the new GPU, the quality of lighting is significantly improved. A variety of technical tools and constraint relief can highlight the role of light and introduce new situations where light is involved. Hugo and Amicia travel south and discover new sensations. So does the player!Thanks to this new level of detail, you can experience an enhanced atmosphere with beams of light and enhanced lighting for atmospheric elements such as volumetric fog.
A new generation feast for the eyes
Requiem’s technology not only takes players into more vivid atmospheric settings, but also adds depth to visual simulations in general. This includes geometric quality improvements. Technically, there are more polygons on the mesh! Texture resolution is also improved. A good example of how these advancements affect the in-game experience is the high level of detail with which terrain is rendered. For example, we rely heavily on parallax occlusion mapping to add small volumetric details to terrain and props. There are also more physical and dynamic objects that affect how the clothing is rendered.
3D space
In addition to all this magic, the spatial experience is enhanced thanks to 3D audio. This means that you will be able to recognize where the speaking character is: behind or in front, above or below… Players are completely surrounded by the game and can engage in it in a more realistic and immersive way.
DualSense, the new controller for PlayStation 5, is also one of our core focuses. Haptic feedback and adaptive triggers bring extraordinary immersive technology. To explain this further, I’m going to pass it on to two of my fellow studio members.
Break down the barrier between screen and player with DualSense controllers
Hey, guys! Asobo Studio leads his programmer, Cyril Doillon, and audio director, Aurelien Piters. We’re super excited about everything the next gen brings to the game…with a special mention to the PS5 DualSense controller! Many new features have been added following Innocence and a brand new addition to the plague story. It brings you a level of realism and immersion. We have worked hard to get the most out of this amazing technology. Here we discuss the DualSense innovations that are in store for the next chapter of the plague story.
Haptic feedback and adaptive triggers
One of the most groundbreaking innovations brought to you by DualSense controllers is haptic feedback and adaptive triggers. While working on the next-gen adaptations of Innocence, I started thinking about implementing them. This gave us an idea of the most relevant choices for the new game.Requiem introduces real physical reactions and related gameplay improvements. The sensory feedback provided creates a realistic feel in using weapons and tools.
For example, if a weapon requires more pressure, adaptive triggers adjust the sense of effort given to the player. As for the sling, pressing the button too much reduces accuracy. The adaptive trigger gives the impression that it makes shooting harder. This also serves as a marker for players to gauge the proper time to shoot.
Amicia also has a new weapon: a crossbow that answers the same laws. More powerful, but slower to use and equip. Such sensory properties can find their place in the simulation thanks to her adaptive triggers. It must be pressed first to equip the crossbow, then pressed again to fire. This next-generation vibratory technology that allows us to connect physical responses to player input is pretty cool for us developers. We were used to manipulating images and sounds, but now we can create effects directly on the player’s fingers, simulating real-life tools.
There are also new features for communicating character movements. It uses haptic feedback to simulate the effects of every step during a sprint, generating small impacts to make the player feel the rhythm of the sprint, giving the impression of being right next to the character and enhancing their senses. share.
Haptic Enhanced Audio
The audio has also been completely reworked with haptic feedback. A swarm of rats can be subtly felt through the pad through stereo vibrations. It’s as if you can touch the sound. This also applies to explosions and real-time cinematics. Physically influenced thanks to the range of sensory inputs provided by the DualSense controller. The opportunities it presents bring a whole new dimension to gameplay. You can feel the movements around you, such as where the mice are coming from. The game provides a richer context with increased awareness of the environment, including not only direct interaction but also semi-distant elements.
dual sense speaker
Another innovation brought by DualSense is the built-in speaker. Used to play weapon sounds when the headset is not in use, and gives the player audio his feedback when using slings and crossbows. It offers a much more dynamic experience, you can hear arrows and stones in the air, this is his third speaker given to the player, it works independently of the music and surrounding sounds, and the sound Allows you to deliver subtle feedback over the rest of the track.
Plague Story 2.0
In summary, we’ve taken full advantage of all the new tech opportunities to provide a more open environment with more light, more detail, more geometry, and more textures. Oh, and more rats!
We hope you enjoy all these prospects and are ready to take on Amicia and Hugo’s next journey on October 18! The game is now available for pre-order on PS5.
