The Order: 1886

[Flawless]

PS4 exclusive from Ready at Dawn.

<iframe width="640" height="360" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/MbAhOB-59Ag" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

[LambertandHam]

Re: The Order: 1886

Finally something uses a Victorian setting. The game looked interesting, I'm hoping it doesn't go down the Zombie path.

[Burns11]

Re: The Order: 1886

Things in the trailer definitely looked like werewolves.

[myghty]

Re: The Order: 1886

Things in the trailer definitely looked like werewolves.

Yeah. Reminds me of a Van Helsing movie.

[Fresh Tendrils]

Re: The Order: 1886

Is this a launch title or 2014? Either way I definitely need this game.

[TheLetterZ]

Re: The Order: 1886

Looks like 2014 at this point.

[Flawless]

Re: The Order: 1886

Ready at Dawn's Ru Weerasuriya provides new details on their new IP, The Order 1886.

<iframe width="640" height="360" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/v1_DOeFyUxE" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

[The_Wise_One]

Re: The Order: 1886

The vibe from the trailer intrigued me. Really looking forward to more info on this game.

[Flawless]

Re: The Order: 1886

E3 2013: The Order: 1886’s Obsession With Alternate History

The Order: 1886 is a third-person action adventure game that relies a great deal on battling with futuristic-looking guns, as seen during the latter half of the trailer. However, Weerasuriya noted that The Order doesn’t rely on a “single tone.” It will deliver different kinds of gameplay experiences and combat situations in its campaign, which is story-driven and linearly delivered.

In The Order, players take control of Galahad, the bearded male prominently displayed in the game’s lone trailer. However, there are three other characters in the game that are part of his group, not surprisingly known as The Order. In the game’s lore, The Order’s existence spans a millennium of alternate history, as humanity finds itself in perpetual combat with a mysterious, decidedly inhuman force.

Real people from history are set to appear in The Order: 1886, though that doesn’t necessarily mean that those people will be as they are in the real historical timeline. When asked if a character like Jack the Ripper would appear in the game, considering the game at least partially takes place in the London district of Whitechapel during the decade when the Ripper’s murders took place, Weerasuriya was evasive.

What Weerasuriya was decidedly candid about was his game’s complex mythology and backstory. “There have been a lot of branches in this history that have happened very early on, way before 1886,” he said. “The big change that really happens and the reason why we picked 1886 is the change that happened during the Industrial Revolution… the moment where the most amazing minds in the history of humanity, where man basically changed from an agricultural society to an industrial society… we used that as a catalyst for something else, this war that was going on for a long time was stagnating. As a matter of fact, humans were losing the war for a long time. And the Industrial Revolution allows man to basically get weaponry that finally puts the advantage in their hands.”

The Order is a group that has a presence the world over – “the IP is broad,” Weerasuriya noted – but 1886 will take place entirely in England. “I’m a history buff, I love the Victorian era,” he later continued, noting that late-19th century Britain was the perfect place and time for a game that melds so many different, conflicting elements. Just don’t call it steampunk.

“We didn’t want to make it to the point where it felt too futuristic. That’s why we wanted to stay away from steampunk. It’s not that far, it’s not [The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen],” he noted. “We picked this moment because it felt right visually, it felt right contextually, it felt right for everything we wanted to build.” Bladerunner and From Hell were two licenses that Weerasuriya admitted helped influence the game, especially the latter, “where you see the dark, gritty side of London.

The Order: 1886 is a ways out yet; neither Weerasuriya nor Sony would confirm when the game was slated to be released for PlayStation 4.

[Flawless]

Re: The Order: 1886

The Order: 1886′s advanced physics system revealed at gamescom 2013

Ru spent most of the session talking about how The Order: 1886 uses a revolutionary physics system which allows individual objects and its constituent materials to be realistically broken up or deformed ad infinitum. During his presentation the audience was treated to two live prototype gameplay demonstrations (running on a PC with PS4-approximate specs) showing these features in action, and also demonstrating how objects in the environment such as flags are affected by the physical forces associated with a particular environment (in this case wind). Each of the three flags we saw in the second demo fluttered independently of each other, seemingly affected by their position in relation to the wind.

Whereas most games don’t feature deforming materials, Ready at Dawn is determined to create a true next-gen experience by allowing players to interact with the game’s environments in unprecedented ways using the various weapons you’ll be able to equip over the course of your adventure. During the first demo we saw how throwing a grenade into a wooden box blows it into tiny splinters. If you throw another grenade into the newly formed mass of splinters then the resulting explosion will blow them into even smaller fragments. The effect really is astonishingly realistic!

In the second demo Ru demonstrated how objects in The Order: 1886 will deform according to what material they’re made out of. For example, a bronze bucket or metallic wall will visibly dent when shot, while a teddy bear (dumped onto the level for the purpose of this demo) will break up into separate pieces when the same treatment is handed out. Obviously, the type of gun and ammunition being used will also influence how materials in the game react based on the real-world laws of physics which govern them.

Based on what we saw in the two live gameplay demonstrations, The Order: 1886 will be a cover-based shooter with an over-the-shoulder camera perspective in the style of Resident Evil 4 or Gears of War.

The game will be released exclusively for PS4 sometime during 2014.

Building a New London for The Order: 1886 on PS4

When creating our alternate history in The Order: 1886, our goal was to make the environment as believable as possible while at the same time adding our own twist to real places. With the release of our trailer back at E3, we hinted at our vision of an alternate London.

This Neo-Victorian London will seem familiar to everyone, however, advances in technology will take center stage in many ways as you navigate the city. One of the main examples is the advent of electricity throughout the city, well before its time. Gas lamps are replaced by electric street lights. Everywhere you go, you can hear the hum of electricity running through the city.

The London subway system is present in our version of the world, but it’s much more advanced than it was in real life. Certain sections of the subway system run above ground in between buildings throughout the city. Electric signs line the streets making some areas of London almost look like Times Square.

The other big change you will witness is in the skyline of London. Although the familiar sights of Big Ben, St. Paul’s, and the Tower Bridge are present, the skyline is broken up by watch towers. Their searchlights are constantly scanning the city and the skies. The other change in the skyline is the presence of airship mooring towers. In The Order: 1886, London is patrolled day and night by a squadron of dirigibles called the Sentinels. All of these are a constant reminder that the world is not as it seems.

These changes are the result of our Industrial Revolution, mankind’s chance to take the upper hand in a centuries-old war. Mankind now has access to advanced weapons, one of which you saw in the trailer — a rifle that can fire electricity.

Communicators give you the ability to converse with the rest of your squad. A thermite gun allows you to shoot a cloud of inflammable thermite that can be ignited by a flame or by shooting a flare into it. In contrast to these advanced weapons, you’ll still be able to use more traditional black powder guns. These give a sense of realism and believability to the world and make the atmosphere feel dirty and palpable, reminiscent of the way we’re used to viewing the real, post-Industrial Revolution Europe.

Art:

[LingeringRegime]

Re: The Order: 1886

Love the art style. Makes me cold just looking at those pictures.

[Burns11]

Re: The Order: 1886

Edited those into desktops, figured I'd put them here in case anybody else wanted:

[Flawless]

Re: The Order: 1886

VG247

The game has dynamic destruction, and while we’re not talking about Battlefield 4 levels of military bombast, Ready At Dawn’s surface and environmental destruction is rather impressive. We saw Weerasuriya jump into a stone courtyard and pumped rounds from the protagonist’s Combogun – an assault rifle and shotgun hybrid – into a brass fixture set into a wall. The object crumpled and imploded with force after each round found its mark, deforming it in real-time.

He then spawned in a bunch of teddy bears and went all Robocop on their stuffed asses, first blowing off a head, and then four limbs one at a time. This might sound like a gimmick, but we were all assured that dynamic destruction, texture warping and convincing object physics lie at the heart of The Order: 1886′s gameplay. When the crowd asked why, we were told it wasn’t yet time for that particular discussion.

What I can tell you is that the game looks brilliant, as in next-gen brilliant, not just a small leap in fidelity. We were treated to a fly-over through an underground plaza lined with pubs, meandering NPCs and street lamps so convincing you could almost hear the bulbs hum. At the end of the street sat a mosaic, with each raised tile impacting the way those lights dances across its surface.

This is what a large part of next-gen gaming is about; the dynamic factor, and The Order: 1886 already seems to have that in spades. It’s an intriguing project that both Sony and the developer are being coy about, but I’m intrigued to learn more, especially to see how on earth textures and destruction impact gameplay as Weerasuriya promised. I’m looking on with keen interest for some sort of clarity.

...

[Fresh Tendrils]

Re: The Order: 1886

Edited those into desktops, figured I'd put them here in case anybody else wanted:

Nice Zeppelin.

[VTPack919]

Re: The Order: 1886

This game looks so awesome. The art style and everything really set a mood for the game. I'll bet the soundtrack will be fantastic. I love that.