Update 52 - Development Update: DICO, Zangetsu, etc.

Hey croc you could also include in the notes that the interview video has several short segments of new gameplay clips.

This was a good update.

I liked the interview with DICO's tech director and I appreciate how Fangamer respected his privacy, and with the silly moment near the end. That was your doing, wasn't it Fangamer Steve ?

The updated environments are a huge improvement, especially the village! I'm glad ArtPlay listened to feedback.

I also appreciate the links to the interviews that came out between this update and the last one, the forum post explaining 20-30% progress, and the tweet of IGA in the recording booth. There's probably a bunch of backers seeing those for the first time.

Thank you to everyone involved with making the update!

Okay, so I guess we functionally have two update threads. I'll repost my thoughts from the other thread here.

For ease of reference, I am going start calling the DICO technical director "Dullahan."

So, not a bad update today. Kind of subtly showcasing changes in the game during that interview. I was kind of surprised that UE4 wasn't commonly used in Japan, but I guess I shouldn't be. Hopefully that won't be an issue.

So... I'm going to reserve judgement until we get the new demo, but I still find myself wishing that they were using a more aggressive shader for the environments. I'm just really not a huge fan of tying obvious 3D presentation to a 2D perspective. But, like I said, I'll wait until the demo to really get into that. I do agree with some others that the added color is a welcome change.

Beyond that, I think I'd just like to say that that fan art of Gebel is pretty fantastic. There have been some good contributions before, but that one just really stands out in my mind. Great job, pandanoi!

I have to agree, the improvements to the visuals are MASSIVE, and I already thought the demo looked great! I do also agree I hope later stages of development add some physics to the environment, having Miriam jump on rope hammocks and chandeliers that don't move is a bit odd, but I trust adding some basic animations is a late-development addition.

As for showing off the same areas, at this stage with still a year or so left, I think its good for a number of reasons: It shows off the improvements in a much more immediate manner. Seeing the Miverva, Entrace Hall and Village again made the visual enhancements so much more obvious than showing off a brand new area; and with so much dev time left, they can show us these improvements and keep 90% of the environments a mystery. I'd actually rather not see a new zone every time they have footage they want to show us for this reason. I really want the Castle to surprise me when I explore it next year!

The interview was a good touch with some interesting insights and it let us see a part of the team besides the ones we always talk about (IGA, Yamane etc.) They're all important and deserve some spotlight for their hard work.

Excellent update, and I cannot wait for e3!

Copypasting my own words on the Kickstarter comments:
"I really like the way the graphics improved! Just about every environment we've seen in this update has had significant graphical improvements and that's wonderful. As people on the forums have mentioned - now the environments just need some more motion, physics and life to them.
Like, when Miriam jumps onto a chandellier, it should move. Leaves in trees should have some movement to them. Maybe add some particle effects like dust or fireflies to the background. That could all contribute to making the world feel more real."

Wait seriously? That beautiful footage is months old? As in the e3 demo might be even better? Good lord folks we've really got something here XD

I didn't notice it myself until CastleDan pointed it out in the shoutbox. I had even watched everything individually as closely as I could and didn't see it at first, only really noticed the stage shapes there.

I see it now. Awesome. Thanks, pws!