It’s higher to consider The Division 2 as an iteration on the primary game quite than an overhaul. Two years of post-launch help for the primary game have improved it immeasurably, leaving Ubisoft and Massive Entertainment with the duty of releasing a sequel that comes with all of these learnings whereas nonetheless altering sufficient to get new and previous gamers excited concerning the sequence once more.
Changing the setting from snow-covered Manhattan to muggy midsummer Washington, D.C. is the obvious distinction between the 2, however look deeper and also you’ll discover numerous refined tweaks that purpose to make the method of looting and capturing as engrossing as potential. Meanwhile, sweeping changes to the best way well being and armour work, extra abilities and talent mods, new development mechanics, and a few of the slickest UI design inform the story of a developer who’s clearly in tune with its core gamers.
We sat down with artistic director Julian Gerighty at a latest press occasion for The Division 2 to study extra concerning the tactical shooter, from expanded character construct choices and balancing, to ramping up efforts on endgame with raids.
PCGN: How have you ever tried to increase on the primary game’s character construct choices?
Julian Gerighty: First off, we’re going to present gamers way more management over the creation of their characters. In the primary game you would solely select your head, some scars, and a few sun shades that you would be able to by no means take away afterwards. Here, we’re supplying you with sliders in order that you’ll be able to outline tiny issues about your character, so the individual on display screen actually appears like who you need to play as. Of course you’ll have a variety of self-importance choices so you possibly can change issues like piercings, glasses, facepaints, and clothes, too.
When it involves the character construct, we’re specializing in the gear items and the weapons. You can have mods in your gear items, but in addition in your weapons, so similar to within the first game, there’s an enormous quantity of depth obtainable to individuals who need to participate in concept crafting with their construct. This additionally applies to Talents, which you’ll unlock by finishing sure achievements. Our purpose is to maintain the identical depth of the primary game however to make it barely extra accessible.
Is that accessibility via additions like model units?
Yes, which add bonuses as effectively.
Are Talents random rolls or are you able to study them and apply them all through your stock?
So Talents are randomly rolled, however then you possibly can reconfigure your weapons, too.
Is that so you possibly can preserve utilizing a gun you like all the best way into endgame?
I would like gear drops to really feel important
I really like that query, as a result of I’ve precisely the identical downside the place I discover a weapon at stage 15 and it turns into pretty ineffective in a short time. What you are able to do on this circumstance is use blueprints, which you’ll unlock by finishing sure tasks in settlements, and you may convey these blueprints into endgame so you possibly can preserve upgrading your favorite weapon.
I can foresee gamers spending a variety of time of their stock swapping out weapons and kit for the perfect construct, do you suppose you’ve struck the correct stability?
Well, at the moment with this construct, I’m discovering that an excessive amount of gear is dropping within the game and there may be an excessive amount of loot typically. I would like the gear that drops to really feel important for you. At the identical time, crafting can be going to be crucial, so we wish you to be deconstructing all the gadgets you don’t need, however lots of people are inclined to hoard gadgets, so it’s troublesome. I don’t have a sure reply, however we’re attempting to make the loot that drops extra related to you.
Are character builds nonetheless going to be necessary in The Division 2 regardless of gear being normalised within the Dark Zones?
Absolutely, 100%. I don’t suppose we had been clear on what normalisation is. Your character construct is extremely necessary within the Dark Zone – it actually does matter. All that we’re doing is squishing the peaks and troughs of that concept crafting and min/max constructing mentality, however your construct continues to be actually necessary and can make a distinction. And then you’ve got the Occupied Dark Zones, which is the Dark Zone with not one of the normalisation utilized, the place pleasant fireplace is on, and every part is excessive danger, excessive reward. The construct tinkering in there may be going to be unbelievable.
Related: Gear up for The Division 2 end-game
So we might nonetheless see one-hit builds and tanks in The Division 2’s PvP?
Yes, completely. The Occupied Dark Zones solely seem and rotate between the totally different DZs weekly when you hit max stage.
What did you study from The Division’s endgame that you just’ve utilized to the sequel?
The first a part of the reply to that is that we didn’t have an awesome plan for the endgame with The Division 1, and it was solely when patch 1.four got here out and we added issues like world tiers and kit rating did endgame come into its personal. For The Division 2 we’re launching with a very fleshed out endgame, which isn’t simply the Black Tusk faction and invasions, it’s all the different actions and faction strongholds as effectively. On prime of that you just’ve obtained the jewel within the crown of endgame actions, which is the raid, which comes out very quickly after launch.
We’ve performed missions at the moment that take as much as an hour to finish, so what sort of scale have you ever obtained deliberate for raids?
We did not have an awesome plan for the endgame with The Division 1
Much, a lot greater, nevertheless it’s additionally very totally different conceptually. Raids actually lean into coordination between teammates, and that is the primary time we’ve had eight gamers working collectively in a problem. Plus there’s a puzzle component that’s tremendous enjoyable to work out and attempt to crack.
Has it been enjoyable experimenting with a brand new mechanic like puzzling?
Well, the final Incursion that we did on The Division 1 was Stolen Signal, the place you bought your first style of that type of puzzle mechanics. The similar staff that labored on Stolen Signal are engaged on the raids for The Division 2, in order that they’re pushing it a lot, a lot additional. The problem is to discover a credible and real looking slant on raid mechanics, however there must be some suspension of disbelief.
It seems like talent is extra necessary in The Division 2, whereas having the perfect stats was key within the first game. Was that an lively resolution?
We needed to create one thing that felt extra credible, but in addition that felt extra like a shooter. This additionally reduces the bullet sponginess of the enemies. It’s nobody factor, however time-to-kill is lowered for each you and enemies, there’s the armour stat as an alternative of simply well being, animations are localised and replicate the place you hit targets, armour chips off and flies away. We’ve labored on a variety of issues to make it really feel instinctive and intuitive as a shooter.
Breaking down the armour on the tanks feels superb.
The weak factors I feel rework the game additional. It’s a lot enjoyable aiming for the grenadier in a bunch of enemies, hitting their pouch of explosives, and watching the our bodies fly all over the place.
What type of method will you’re taking to balancing gear and weapons, particularly for PvP?
We can stability on the server aspect, so we don’t must do a client-focused patch. If one thing is imbalanced we’re going to must cope with it and care for it, however we are able to do this pretty shortly and comparatively now, which is a serious change from the primary game.
Are you anticipating gamers to interrupt builds pretty shortly?
100%. I’ve thought of this so much, nevertheless it doesn’t matter if we check the game extensively with large check groups in Bucharest, professional gamers, and internally, there’s no comparability to giving the game to over 1,000,000 folks and letting them play it.
Things are found right away so we simply must react.
Read extra: All the data you want for The Division 2’s release date
What are you able to inform us concerning the endgame faction, Black Tusk?
Nothing. We’re trapped, as a result of it’s a story and gameplay hook that we need to go away there for the endgame. It includes an enormous change to the map, it provides all the important missions into the dwelling world, so you possibly can stroll down the road and see Black Tusks dominating the Hyenas or Outcasts, however we nonetheless need to preserve them as secret as potential. Narratively, I can’t inform you a lot.
Is it a narrative that may unfold over the course of the game’s first post-launch 12 months?
Yes, that’s the plan.
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