Saints Row IV Hands on with the Saints Row IV press preview

[50percentJoe]

Considering that Volition no longer own the IP? I wouldn't hold your breath.

Oh durp, I forgot about that... Sorry!

 

[[V] EndfinityJon]

Now that you've spent some more time in the game, how annoying (if at all) is the constant darkness? Does it ever get bright? I know you said in your other blog post that as the story progresses the colors and stuff change, but does the sun ever come out? SRTT didn't have a true day/night cycle but it still had static day and night. Is SRIV like that at all?

Thanks!

Hey There,

I'm Jon, a new Lighting Artist at Volition. While I probably can't say a lot about what we're doing, the lighting is definitely motivated and thought out; it's not just night for the sake of night. The city wide time of day is changed by player action and by how you far along you're getting toward breaking down Zinyak's simulation. We used color to drive a lot of the player feedback - hotspots and flashpoints are lit with harsh, oppressive reds and when taken over by the player, they turn to a soft, safe feeling blue. It's one of the first times I've been motivated to actually really push toward 100% city takeover because the visual change accompanies it and I feel like I'm actually accomplishing. It's a pretty refreshing addition that's subtle, but brings a great mood and feeling. Same with time of day - can't go into full detail, but the nighttime that you're seeing isn't the only time of day you'll get in the city and there's a pretty cool surprise when you beat the game as well.

Hopefully that answers the question without a lot of spoiling. Can't wait for you guys to play it!

-Jon

EDIT - I also wanted to quickly mentioned that the fact that you stated an "annoyance" means that the phycology we're using in the lighting is working. We made some choices to make the simulation feel oppressive and stifling but you'll find that as you progress, things certainly start feeling much better.

 

[3Hunt.]

Was there anything on the romance? If so, where there certain options?

 

[[V] IdolNinja]

Was there anything on the romance? If so, where there certain options?

Not in the preview build, no. I did get to see some of it in LA back in April though. It's more like a simple menu choice with a mini little bit of dialogue/cutscene. It's nothing fancy like you might be suspecting.

 

[3Hunt.]

Not in the preview build, no. I did get to see some of it in LA back in April though. It's more like a simple menu choice with a mini little bit of dialogue/cutscene. It's nothing fancy like you might be suspecting.

Who was it with? (unzips jeans)

 

[[V] IdolNinja]

Who was it with? (unzips jeans)

I don't kiss and tell.

 

[Arglaar]

Well.. if you watch the newest trailer, you know that Kinzie is an option.

 

[Beepboop007]

Hey There,

I'm Jon, a new Lighting Artist at Volition. While I probably can't say a lot about what we're doing, the lighting is definitely motivated and thought out; it's not just night for the sake of night. The city wide time of day is changed by player action and by how you far along you're getting toward breaking down Zinyak's simulation. We used color to drive a lot of the player feedback - hotspots and flashpoints are lit with harsh, oppressive reds and when taken over by the player, they turn to a soft, safe feeling blue. It's one of the first times I've been motivated to actually really push toward 100% city takeover because the visual change accompanies it and I feel like I'm actually accomplishing. It's a pretty refreshing addition that's subtle, but brings a great mood and feeling. Same with time of day - can't go into full detail, but the nighttime that you're seeing isn't the only time of day you'll get in the city and there's a pretty cool surprise when you beat the game as well.

Hopefully that answers the question without a lot of spoiling. Can't wait for you guys to play it!

-Jon

EDIT - I also wanted to quickly mentioned that the fact that you stated an "annoyance" means that the phycology we're using in the lighting is working. We made some choices to make the simulation feel oppressive and stifling but you'll find that as you progress, things certainly start feeling much better.

Hmm...that's interesting. But what if the player doesn't feel like hopping into the story right away and just wants to goof around Steelport doing open world stuff? Are they stuck with the darkness until they get annoyed enough to feel like they have to do the main missions? As an open world fan, I almost never jump into the story right away.

 

[Bring the Noise]

Considering how Zanny/Whacky the SR series is, will there be any weapon that match's or beats the rainbow shooting unicorn from RF:A???

 

[[V] IdolNinja]

Hmm...that's interesting. But what if the player doesn't feel like hopping into the story right away and just wants to goof around Steelport doing open world stuff? Are they stuck with the darkness until they get annoyed enough to feel like they have to do the main missions? As an open world fan, I almost never jump into the story right away.

I feel the same way. Being stuck in darkness until you're forced to do missions and advance the plot makes the open world stagnant and less fun to roam around in. It feels like an artist trying to force their aesthetic on the gamer rather than make things actually fun.