After a bit of tweaking, we try it out and see how it feels. Then we tweak again, and test again, then tweak again, then… It’s repetitive work, but all this testing is essential to make NieR: Automata feel exactly as it should. Sometimes we end up spending an entire day just working out the perfect way to position enemies in a single fight scene!
Nier, which creative director Taro Yoko has stated is the direct follow-up to Drakengard 2, follows suit perfectly for what these games offer up. Nier might take place a thousand-plus years in the future, but that changes nothing. There could easily be a whole essay on how all the games are connected (there probably is), but that’s not what this article is about. The series is asking deep questions, questions that might not be as obvious at first. The series, for as wacky and bombastic as it can be, is a reflection on events taking place in our world and how "we" fit into that world. It flips over rocks that might be hiding something nasty and at other points opens doors most people never want to peer behind. Not everyone wants to look at these things, nor should they be forced to. For those who usually let curiosity get the best of them or are looking for a deeper understanding of something, it’s worth pulling back the veil.
As producer Yosuke Saito explains, the first step in the production of the sequel was all about making amends for the missteps of the first title. As it turns out, the harsh reaction from critics about the original game's lacklustre action sequences is exactly what led Saito to team up with Platinum Games this time around, a studio which had previously worked on Bayonetta and Metal Gear Solid: Revengeance . As we played a short period of the game in the boots of the android 2B, the studio's action experience was immediately apparent: combat felt very fluid, and it was easy to hack and slash with 2B's sword as she jumped and dashed across a battlefield of tin-can looking robotic enem
It took three different designers to arrive at the character you see now: One made the original concept, another made the full rough design, and a third (that’s me!) added all the additional details. I also worked on the designs for the other machine lifeforms you’ll find in NieR Automata boss Guide|https://nierautomatafans.com/: Automata, making sure they have an appropriate amount of visual detail. I also check over all these designs with an eye towards what configurations and mechanical details would make for the best possible 3D character models.
Here’s a common situation: You’re patting yourself on the back for making an animation that looks super-cool and flows really nicely. Then, you put your perfect animation into the game engine and try controlling it, and it dawns on you that it’s too slow, too clunky. With tears in your eyes, you go back and cut away huge parts of your magnificent creation until it finally feels good.
A new year is right around the corner and with it comes a slew of new games that the video game community is already giddily awaiting. Of course, there is the dreaded first quarter. Usually, anyone familiar within the video game community knows that most triple A titles will be coming out sometime in the Q3, leaving Q1 looking a bit sparse. Just look at 2016 as an example. Three major shooters all came out one after the other for a few weeks and it can create some discord; getting to all those games can be difficult. With 2017 on the way, though, things are already looking a bit different. Q1 is looking more fleshed out with titles and one of those titles is Nier: Automata , not a triple A, but worth all the attention.
Like all the machine lifeforms in NieR: Automata, this character is made of rough, raw metal. Keeping her consistent with similar characters while also giving her a uniquely feminine atmosphere was pretty tough!
Here’s a distinctive landscape! Rows and rows of nearly identical housing units stretch across the desert as far as the eye can see. To be honest, I’m not crazy about having to draw the same thing out over and over again like this in 2D, so I started making this piece by digitally placing models of the buildings in 3D space and painting over that. To keep it consistent with the overall game world, I brightened the scene up and toned the colors way down until it’s nearly monochromatic.
The beginning of the game was playable at the show, and it was absolutely fantastic. The full thing isn't so far off, and if this demo is any indication, with further polish on top of it, we're in for a real treat.
The two developers talked about a variety of topics, including the game's campaign and quests, platforms, music, and more. Saito-san also teased at least one other settlement that will be shown in the future, and over ten androids that will be revealed with a trailer at Tokyo Game S
YS: We have been asked this before during other interviews at Gamescom, and I have been telling everyone that it would be 25 hours, because that's just how I felt. But when I told that to my Japanese staff yesterday night, they were like "no, it'll probably take a lot longer than th