Killzone 3

[Jonesy]

Re: Killzone 3

Yeah i liked the "heavy" controls. It made for a less 'knee jerk' reaction game and more a game of strategy and planning imo. Ah well, looks like it'll end up another COD clone.

[Flawless]

Re: Killzone 3

Killzone 2 vs. Killzone 3 - Controls

One of the most characteristic qualities of Killzone 2 was its control scheme, which underscored the weighty feel of the game's first-person animations. It was also Killzone 2's most divisive quality: some players loved the sense of realism it provided, while others believed it impacted the responsiveness too much.

For Killzone 3, Guerrilla's developers are aiming to keep the unique sense of weight in the game while ramping up the accuracy and responsiveness of the controls. We talked to Game Director Mathijs de Jonge to get a better idea of the considerations involved with the redesign.

"Our first priority when we started working on the controls for Killzone 3 was to listen closely to Killzone 2's players - what they liked, what they disliked, and how they felt things could be improved," Mathijs says. "Accuracy and responsiveness consistently came up as the top issues. At the same time, a lot of players were saying they loved the weighty feel."

That might sound contradictory, but one doesn't have to preclude the other. "For the most part, the unique sense of weight in Killzone 2 comes directly from the first-person animations, not from the control scheme," Mathijs explains. "The speed of movement and the way the camera bobs up and down are consistent with the view of a person carrying around heavy equipment."

When the team went back to the drawing board, they began by exhaustively analyzing every aspect of the underlying system, taking into consideration factors like input lag, acceleration and dead zone [the amount of movement on the analog stick required to produce a reaction in the game –Ed.] and how each affected the overall gameplay. Their findings were used to make improvements to the accuracy and responsiveness of the controls.

The results so far have been very encouraging. "Right now it's still a work in progress," Mathijs says, "but we're definitely getting there. We’ve recalibrated the dead zone to be more responsive and significantly reduced the input lag, resulting in far better accuracy. Best of all, we've managed to retain that sense of weight that set Killzone 2 apart from other shooters. I can't wait for people to try it out."

Interview

Another thing that a lot of the hardcore fans commented on was controller lag is something that we are addressing as well. Obviously Killzone has it's own kind of scheme of how you move around, that all of the animations have a bit of "weight" to them. That's something that we want to keep but we want to make sure that when you press a button something happens on screen immediately. There shouldn't be any lag between you pressing a button and stuff happening on screen. So that's pretty much gone in the build that we have here already, but we're working it out to get rid of it completely.

[Flawless]

Re: Killzone 3

Looks like there will be a beta and the multiplayer will be unveiled at GamesCom. Guerrilla Games has said the multiplayer got an "overhaul".


Killzone 3 Beta Website Launches

A web site featuring the words "Killzone 3 beta login" in the url and heavy Killzone 3 branding has recently appeared.

It currently warns that users need to "sign-in and have the right permission to view the rest of the site." There is a field to enter a PlayStation Network login, but so far we haven't been able to gain access. It looks like the first confirmation that Killzone 3 will follow in the footsteps of its predecessors and have a beta program before launch.

[LingeringRegime]

Re: Killzone 3

I will be all up in this one. Missed the KZ2 beta.

[LingeringRegime]

Re: Killzone 3

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[Flawless]

Re: Killzone 3

Gamescom: Multiplayer and Move Preview

The multiplayer of Killzone 3 is similar to that of the previous game (it's still a competitive first-person shooter, after all), but two new modes called Guerilla Warfare and Operations are thrown in to help keep things fresh. Guerilla Warfare is a team deathmatch game that features dynamic spawning (where you spawn all over the map but always close to your team), while Operations is an objective-based game whose major feature is the inclusion of story elements. An Operations match includes several cutscenes that play out as objectives are completed, telling the story of what's going on or occurring as a result of the objective and featuring the best-rated players in the scene. It may not sound all that exciting when you read it, but the hope is that players will really get into competing for the objective so that they can have their few seconds of fame among their peers.

Clan support returns, but now there will be regional clan leaderboards (with matches that put you against clans in your area to maximize the quality of your connections), as well as unranked practice matches for clans. Playing with clans will also have added benefits, with clans getting experience bumps for completing certain tasks like saving clanmates during a match. The hope is that this will encourage more people to participate in clans, extending the life of the online play considerably and helping to make this part of the game more accessible.

Careers also return in Killzone 3's multiplayer, but how you advance them has been changed to give the player more options. Each time you earn enough experience to level up, you're given points you can spend, allowing you to pick what unlocks you want. This means that with the game's five careers having six weapons, as well as six unique abilities to unlock, players will have a huge amount of combinations to unlock as they see fit.

Not everything in Killzone 3's multiplayer is simply building upon what's come before, though, with vehicles being the biggest addition. Just like the single player game, multiplayer will now include exo-suits and jet packs. The levels have been completely reworked to be balanced for the vehicles, and during my hands-on time, players had little difficulty in taking out the random exo-suit that tried to push too far into enemy territory. That being said, vehicles did seem highly effective at helping your team push forward and flank enemies if you have a player who's skilled with the jet pack.

Unfortunately, I didn't get to try this out in multiplayer matches, but I did get to play through the E3 single-player demo with the Move in-hand. It controls a lot like a Wii FPS, with the pointer acting both as your cursor and as the means by which you turn the camera. Additional Move specific controls include the ability to twist the Move controller to reload, and the ability to do melee attacks by holding down L2 and pushing forward with the controller. It's a little jarring to learn the control scheme, especially if you're used to playing the game with a DualShock, but the hope is that this additional option will open up the game to a wider audience who's intimidated by using dual analog controls.

In practice, I thought the Move controls functioned well, but I don't think I'll be using them over the DualShock. The biggest question in my mind is how they'll balance out Move vs. DualShock controls in online play?

[mikenoob]

Re: Killzone 3

Once again, damn you Russ! I saw you were playing Killzone 3

[LingeringRegime]

Re: Killzone 3

Once again, damn you Russ! I saw you were playing Killzone 3

I. MUST. PLAY. IT.

Russ, you gotta help out us KZ2 vets. I am almost a three star general.

I know that DTX3 and bcruise need a code too. Marino? Not so much.

[DTX3]

Re: Killzone 3

Haha, I wish. My PS3 died on me a few weeks ago. FML.

[LingeringRegime]

Re: Killzone 3

Haha, I wish. My PS3 died on me a few weeks ago. FML.

Damn man, that sucks. I hope that you are just MIA for a while. I won't delete you man, too many good times.

[DTX3]

Re: Killzone 3

I know right? I'm pissed that I didn't jump on that GameStop trade-in deal but oh well. I need to get another one down the road, as of right now my blu-rays are worthless to me.

[Flawless]

Re: Killzone 3

More:

• Player count reduced from 32 to 24.
• No weapons customization. The scopes on the weapons are now standard.
• Warzone will be returning with "much more".

...

Game Modes

• There are three game modes: Warzone, Operations, and Guerrilla Warfare. Operations is brand new.

Key Goals

• It's all about your play style, everyone from casual to veteran can play.
• There are colossal and immersive experiences that only the PS3 can offer.
• Rewritten matchmaking system. Now easier to find friends.
• Specific rewards. There's always something to earn no matter how many times you play the same level.
• Bots are bigger and better than ever before.
• Stay with your friends going game to game. There's just three simple and straightforward to getting into each multiplayer game.
• There's now a squad priority headset channel.
• There's now a squad member HUD.
• There are special squad rewards.
• The multiplayer is designed to be immersive and story driven!

Entirely Reworked Career System

• There are five different careers/classes.
• There are six weapons per career.
• You can rank up and earn unlock points to select abilities and weapons.

New Medic Class Abilities

• The Medic has been revamped. Has a protector bot that follows him around.
• The Medic special ability called 'Survive Bleed Out'. He Can respawn right where he died.

Tactical Spawn Points

• New tactical spawn points can be claimed by Tacticians. These allow your team to spawn in better locations. Extremely useful on bigger maps and for ambushing/rushing to weapons. These can be claimed back by the other team if not held.

Spotlight Your Character

• If you score the most points/are the most valuable team member, your multiplayer character features in the cut-scenes so everyone knows it was you.
• Explosive events now affect entire levels. EMP that kills all jet packs etc. Nerve gas that blocks off certain areas of map.

3D/Move

• Full 3D and Move support. No compromises for multiplayer.

Website

• Fully integrated community website.
• Track friends' news first.
• Contribute to the Killzone franchise.
• Track rewards.

Tournaments

• Clans and tournaments are back - bigger and better than ever.
• Unranked practice games are included.

[LingeringRegime]

Re: Killzone 3

Thanks Flawless. Sounds amazing.

[iAM-IncReDiBLe-]

Re: Killzone 3

I had some long nights with KZ2.

[Mintsa]

Re: Killzone 3

How do you get a beta code for KZ3 ??