Hi guys! I’m Nicolas Bécavin, Engine Programming Team Leader in The Plague Story: Requiem. The game launches on October 18th and I’m here to give you a small preview of what you can expect technologically!
Take the next generation leap
We decided to develop A Plague Tale: Requiem on PlayStation 5 to completely break free of the constraints of the last generation and take full advantage of the features brought by the new generation. The potential it offers is unbelievable! Take load time for example: it’s been reduced in a way that makes new map and level designs possible. With the memory boost, we get better draw distance, which means you’ll be able to see further distances. The horizon will literally expand! The result is a much more open environment than what was introduced in the first game.
Free the rats
Mouse is a key feature of A Plague Tale and for this second game we wanted to push the new generation capabilities to the max to take the horror and trauma caused by rats to the next level. follow. The number of mice on the screen has been multiplied by 60, increasing from 5,000 to 300,000! It’s a good number to convey an apocalyptic vision that increasingly oppresses our heroes. We also changed the aspect of their movement, so that they look like a giant wave, like a tsunami crashing down on you. We’re fortunate to work with our own in-house engine and rely on it to tackle challenging renderings like this one, of an element that’s completely unique to A Plague Tale.
Shine a new light on a gloomy world
Thanks to the power of the new GPU, the quality of light can be significantly improved. With a wide range of technical tools and reducing constraints, we can highlight the role of light and new light-related situations can be introduced. Hugo and Amicia will discover new sensations as they head south, and so will the players! Thanks to this new level of detail, they will experience an atmosphere enriched with chandeliers and enhanced lighting on atmospheric elements such as volumetric fog.
A new generation party for the eyes
Requiem’s technology not only transports players to a more atmospheric scene, but also brings more depth to the visual simulation in general. This includes increased geometry quality: technically, there are more polygons on the mesh! The resolution of the textures is also improved. A good example of how these advancements affect the in-game experience is the high level of detail of the terrain that will be rendered. For example, we mainly rely on parallax mapping to add small volumetric details on terrain and props. There will also be more physical and dynamic objects, which will affect how the clothes are rendered.
3D Space
Above all this magic, the spatial experience will be enhanced by 3D Sound. That means you will be able to perceive the position of the character speaking: behind or in front of you, above or below… Players will be completely surrounded by the game and engaged in a realistic way. and much more immersive.
The new PlayStation 5 controller, DualSense, is also one of our focus points. It delivers exceptional immersive technology through haptic feedback and adaptive triggers. I’ll hand it over to two of my studio members to further explain this.
Use the DualSense controller to break down the barrier between screen and player
Hey everybody! We are Cyril Doillon, Lead Programming, and Aurelien Piters, Sound Director of Asobo Studio. We’re excited about everything next-gen brings to the game… with a special mention of the PS5 DualSense controller! It brings a whole new level of realism and immersion to A Plague Tale, with a host of new features added after Innocence. It’s been amazing to work with and we’ve tried to make the most of this amazing technology. This is to let you take part in the DualSense enhancements we’ve made available to you in the next chapter of A Plague Tale!
Haptic Feedback and Adaptive Triggers
One of the most groundbreaking innovations that the DualSense controller offers is haptic feedback and adaptive triggers. We started thinking about their implementation while working on the next-gen adaptation of Innocence, which gave us an idea of the best options for our new game. . Requiem will introduce real physics and the gameplay improvements associated with it. The sensory feedback provided creates a realistic feel in the use of weapons and tools.
For example, if a weapon requires more pressure, adaptive triggers will adjust the sense of effort for the player. Regarding the sling, if you hold the button for too long you will lose accuracy. Adaptive triggers will give the impression that shooting has become harder, which also serves as a marker for measuring the right time to shoot.
Amicia will also have a new weapon: a crossbow, which will respond to the same rule. At the same time, its physics is not like a sling. It is more powerful but slower to use and equip. Such sensory qualities will find their place in the simulation thanks to adaptive stimuli. You will have to click the first time to equip the crossbow, then click the second time to shoot. This next-generation vibration technology that allows us to link physical response to player input has been pretty incredible for our developers. We’re used to working with visuals and sound, now we can create effects directly on the player’s fingers to simulate a real engine.
There are also new features coming to communicate character movement: haptic feedback is used to simulate the effect of each step during sprinting, creating small jerks for the player to feel. Get the rhythm of the sprint, make the impression of being right next to the character and share how they feel.
Haptics Advanced Audio
The sound has also been completely reworked with haptic feedback. Rats can be subtly felt through the mattress, through stereo vibrations. It’s as if you can touch the sound. Such is the case with explosions and real-time footage; they will affect you physically thanks to the range of sensory input provided by the DualSense controller. The opportunities it presents bring a whole new dimension to the gameplay; you will be able to feel the movements around you, such as where the mice are coming from! The game will offer richer scenarios thanks to a higher awareness of the environment that will include not only direct interaction but also semi-detached elements.
DualSense Speakers
Another improvement brought by DualSense is its built-in speaker. We use it to play weapon sounds when not using headphones, providing acoustic feedback to players when using slings and crossbows. It offers a much more dynamic experience, with the possibility of hearing an arrow or a stone in the air. It’s a third speaker provided to the player, allowing subtle feedback to be distributed above the rest of the soundtrack, working independently of the music and ambient sounds.
A Plague Tale 2.0
In short, we have fully embraced all the new technological opportunities to provide a more open environment, with more light, more detail, more geometry, more texture. Oh, and more mice!
We hope you enjoy all of these prospects and will be ready to embark on Amicia and Hugo’s next journey on October 18th! You can pre-order the game right now on PS5.
