Thief Producer: Immersion Is "Amazing" On PlayStation 4

[Andy Chalk]

Thief Producer: Immersion Is "Amazing" On PlayStation 4

Thief Producer Stephane Roy says the new technology of the PlayStation 4 allows the game to achieve a level of immersion that's simply not possible on the PS3.

Thief is being developed for a number of different platforms, among them the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4, and while all involved will no doubt tell you that both versions are excellent, it will likely come as no surprise that the PS4 will be, well, better.

"It's very important for us to immerse players in our universe. We want to make sure players really feel like they're Garrett, that they're part of the environment," Roy said in a PlayStation Blog interview. "So on our side the immersion is key. And honestly, with the PS4, it's just amazing to see how far we can push this immersion."

He cited "an AI component, an audio component [and] an art component" as necessary to the heightened experience, and noted that the DualShock 4 controller offers new technologies that will be put to use in the game as well. "For the DualShock 4, we use the light bar to reflect the light gem in the in-game UI, which indicates if Garrett is in the shadows or not. It creates a nice feeling when you play in the dark to see it illuminate or darken as you move through the environment," he said. "Additionally, the touch pad allows for better menu navigation and makes for a more intuitive way to perform various actions, like navigating the map or selecting weapons."

Players will also be able to use the "share" button to show off their solutions to the problems that confront a thief as he plies his trade, while the improved motion controls lets players adjust their bow aim with a "really impressive" level of accuracy. And while it's not unique to the PlayStation releases, the third-person view option from Thief 3 is out.

"Thief is primarily a first-person game. We worked a lot to create a really immersive environment, and integrate body awareness that really makes you feel like you are standing there in the shadows, about to steal that golden cup," Roy said. "To achieve this level of quality, we needed to focus on one view for those sequences. We still use some third-person camera, but only in specific moments when it fits the most, like a navigation segment or performing takedowns."

Thief is scheduled to launch on February 25, 2014.

Source: PlayStation Blog [http://blog.us.playstation.com/2013/09/24/thief-on-ps4-developer-qa/]


Permalink

 

[Phrozenflame500]

Yeah, we want the players to feel like they really are Garrett. Because you can't jump whenever you want in real life!

Sorry, I'm still really sore about that.

 

[MrBaskerville]

I really hope we stop using the word Immersion soon, it just seems silly that it's thrown around so casually all the time. And i really doubt that next-gen games are going to be more or less immersive than current-gen games or games before that... I didn't know that superficial details and touchpads made gameplay more absorbing and engaging .

 

[BabySinclair]

Why is it when producers talk about "Immersion" I get worried?

 

[ShirowShirow]

There's that word. "Immersion".

Imma tell ya straight up. When I'm playing a game I don't particularly care for any attempts to make me forget I'm playing a game.

 

[Nurb]

He used that word 4 times in a short statement trying to justify taking sony's money to include stupid gimmicky crap for their new controlers.

"Immersion" just means "LOOK AT THESE EXPENSIVE GRAPHICS!!". Corporate PR buzzwords.

Doesn't change the fact they're pushing a PC game into consolized "action stealth" with QTE instead of combat, forced action scenes, removing different paths to completion, and choosing the voice actor based on how well they can deliver lines while rolling around in a MoCap suit... because MoCap is the more important factor in a game y'know.

They're just showing off the corpse of a game they killed and painted up all purty-like

 

[Rad Party God]

You know what other game is amazingly "immersive"*? Thief 1/2.

That's a 15 year old game that didn't needed a stupid "advanced mocap" for it's voice actors.

[small]*I hate that word with a burning passion.[/small]

 

[anian]

You know what other game is amazingly "immersive"*? Thief 1/2.

That's a 15 year old game that didn't needed a stupid "advanced mocap" for it's voice actors.

[small]*I hate that word with a burning passion.[/small]

I get your point, but to be fair a bit better graphics and effects would've actually helped in gameplay and atmosphere.

Now days developers seem to forget that even without "immersive" graphics, people still loved those games. So much was based on options and freedom, but now "immersion" comes along and we're stuck walking down very detailed corridors with as little of interaction with objects as possible.

 

[Dr.Awkward]

I think at this point, I think it's reasonable to ask game companies for a wide, wide, wide expanse of skills that affects interaction in games like the Thief series, and as a compromise be absolutely fine with the lack of visual refinement or even the possibility of breaking the game just for those options. Thief fans don't care if the mechanics are rather crude, they just want multiple options at their disposal while knowing that missing a specific detail or mistiming their actions can land them in hot water.

 

[Sectan]

I played Thief 1 and 2 for the first time a few months ago so without any nostalgia goggles I gotta say they were very immersive with the limited graphics. Putting QTEs and forced 3rd person cameras for takedowns....TAKEDOWNS?! You hit him in the head with a fucking blackjack and hide the body in a dark room, you don't go WWE on his ass! You're a thief!

God damn it...

 

[Evil Smurf]

Fuck, does this guy know what "immersion" means? I get immersed in books and music, none of which have a GPU.

 

[Voulan]

The light bar is a nice idea in theory, but why would I want to keep glancing down all of them time? Wouldn't that ruin my immersion?

 

[fluxy100]

Wow would you look at that, a post about the new thief game and immediately people have to complain about it, who woulda guessed!?

I think the uses for the controller sound interesting, although the light bar seems kinda superfluous if there's already a gem doing the same thing in the UI

 

[Something Amyss]

I really hope we stop using the word Immersion soon, it just seems silly that it's thrown around so casually all the time. And i really doubt that next-gen games are going to be more or less immersive than current-gen games or games before that... I didn't know that superficial details and touchpads made gameplay more absorbing and engaging .

This post is ruining my immersion!

...But I agree. It's a buzzword that devs know we'll eat up because we've been tossing it around like a holy grail. Or Holy Hackey Sack.

 

[Chimpzy_v1legacy]

I propose that whenever some pr person utters the words 'immersion', 'the cloud' or any other meaningless buzzword, we push them into a deep vat of boiling acid.

But then I guess they'll just say how impressed they are with this fully immersive experience.

The light bar is a nice idea in theory, but why would I want to keep glancing down all of them time? Wouldn't that ruin my immersion?

I'm not completely sure, but seems like the old UI light bar is still there in-game and the controller just mirrors it.

 

[Andy Chalk]

I think "immersion" (or "immersive," if you prefer) is a fair term for game devs to use. It's an admittedly broad term but we can all agree on a general understanding of what it means, and in many games, particularly first-person, it can be a very important factor in making a game a success.

But you don't necessarily need "more" to achieve a deeply immersive experience. Thief 1 and 2 are both leagues ahead of Thief 3 in that regard (and probably Thi4f, too) because they lacked what T3 (and T4F) bill as a big feature: a central "hub" where you can dick around between missions. Dishonored had the same thing, and it took away from the experience because it felt artificial and drove home the point that you were playing through a string of individual (and effectively disconnected) missions. A continuous string of missions, uninterrupted by "down time," makes for a much more effective narrative, and thus a deeper feeling of immersion. What does Garrett do between jobs? Who cares? He eats, he sleeps, he hangs out with Basso and Cutty - so what? It's ultimately a distraction from the "purpose" of the game, and thus is more likely to pull players out of the experience than to draw them in deeper.

 

[ffs-dontcare]

I'm a massive fan of immersion in games. But I don't think they need to focus on immersion all that much - if they make their game right, it'll be immersive in its own way and suck me in. STALKER, Mirror's Edge, Thief: Deadly Shadows, Tiberian Sun and Homeworld 2 are all viable examples of games with amazing atmosphere, as they've effectively imprinted themselves into my brain as rather fond memories/experiences due to, in no small part, the combination of their respective music and visual styles. They each got it right.

But from what I'm seeing so far, the next Thief will not be very immersive for me, particularly since it has "performing takedowns" and, as another person pointed out in this very thread, context-sensitive jumping.

Context-sensitive jumping.

 

[Atmos Duality]

Uh, Ms. Roy? Saying a buzzword repeatedly with only vague context isn't useful or informative, it's actually quite annoying and borderline pretentious. If the graphics and audio are better, please, just say so.