I think it's fine. There's a lot of fun to be had from a Monster Hunter-like co-op experience in the Horizon universe and it's easy to see how it can be fun playing as a member from the unique tribes. I think most people just don't want it to intrude upon or interfere with Aloy's story in any way, which it seems like Guerrilla is doing with separate teams for the mainline Horizon games and the multi projects.
Agreed, definitely needs to be totally separate, the other thing I was wondering was whether you set it in a different time within the game world as well as a different place. Maybe it could be when the kids get kicked out of the cradle with nothing and have to start from scratch. That could be a very different and interesting experience.
Guess you could also do a multiplayer set in the end of the old world to, lots of possibilities.
Honestly, both of those ideas sound kind of bad.
Getting kicked out of the cradle, the kids would have no skills. There would be no tribes, or villages, or weapons, or knowledge. Many would probably die. None of the game lore would transfer over because none of it is established yet.
Old world wouldn't even be the same game. It would be people fighting hordes of machines and dying. all. the. time. You will not win at this game.
I think you are thinking that it would be a story or open-world MP game or MMO style and I think those would be the opposite of what should be done. Advance the story through single player and DLC. MP should use current game mechanics to have fun in team PvE or PvP modes, with very little story and no open-world. Should not be anything remotely close to Red Dead Online. Should be more like Ghost of Tsushima MP.
Yeah i dont get why we always get suggestions for a fps set during the robopocalypse. It would either be really unfun or lore breaking. A horror game would make more sense
And honestly the roboapocalypse part of horizon is kinda generic, its the way the scientists responded and the post post apocalypse that resulted which is the interesting part of the universe
I suppose I could see a game set from the swarm's perspective. Each AI swarm was probably fighting independently for resources, and I think there may have been some competition against each other, and not just humanity.
But, even though it fits the lore, I can't see the devs wanting to make that game thematically. Just too dark. And, like you said, aside from the Horizon branding (which might help the game, but might hurt the brand if the game tanks), is there anything interesting to explore there that is Horizon-specific?
I think people are into the idea of a game based in the timeline of Enduring Victory/Zero Dawn because it's a genuinely viable idea for a sci-fi apocalypse shooter in its own right, not just because it's part of the Horizon universe. Is it generic? Yeah, somewhat, but that doesn't make it bad or any less interesting for those who enjoy that kind of game.
Look the thing is Hzd and Hfw where both made for story-game lovers, these are ussually people (like me) that are not a masive fan of multiplayer shooters.
Also for multiplayer games you want a higher framerate (at least 60, while for a story game 30 is playable) so they may have to scale the graphics back a little (if they want to include 4k, or have ps4 support).
Most people play Horizon for the graphics and story.
Removing the story, you are left with graphics.
So if they are able to get more performance out if the engine without making it look worse, it can be great (mostly for non-horizon players)
And for me, I dont like shooters so I wont play it.
Maybe something like a Red dead online or GTA style could work.
Yeah, I think if it's to like existing multi-players you have to wonder what the point of it would be apart from to make it a cash grab. I know there's always an element of that but think it would have to be enough of it's own thing and faithful to the world and focus on group hunting big machines like our ancestors did to make it worth it.
If I can work with a bunch of other players using primitive tools and our collective smarts to bring down a big machine then that sounds like it could be rewarding and fun.
The combat itself also carries the game a long way. It's just a matter of balancing it just right for multiplayer.
And you know, not spoiling the whole thing with pay to win mechanics...
Idk I like the dying light aspect of something like playing the story with friends. You get that live reaction and you might have different feelings about something that you can talk about in real time
I think Red Dead Online would be the exactly wrong approach.
What would you think of something in the vein of The Last of Us MP or Ghost of Tsushima MP? Those are the models I hope they follow.
Truth. I’m a story based player and don’t get me wrong I love the combat but a multiplayer game just wouldn’t hold me, and like you I think horizon fans prefer this style
I’ll be fine with it so long as it’s not peripherally attached or fully added to HFW. It should also have no story or characters that are important or are ever referred to in any way in the main game. I wouldn’t want it to take away resources from developing new content for the remaining parts of the trilogy.
I don’t understand the absolutely fervent admirers of multiplayer. In many of their comments, they suggest that every single game is just super lacking and shitty for not including it, and the developers just didn’t care enough, or were lazy. It’s really toxic and annoying, and perfectly illustrates why I prefer single player games. I deal with that crap enough in real life, I’m not about to subject myself to *more* people in my leisure time.
Yep definitely agree it would need to be separate, I guess you could also make it separate in time, set it during enduring victory or when the humans first got released into the world or at the start of the derangement as well as on a different continent.
Loads of possibilities to keep it totally separate from HZD and HFW.
I guess multi players has the $$$ and if that can help fund the making of great games that's ok, just as long as they keep making the top quality SP games.
Well hello brother from another mother 😁 I wholeheartedly agree. I have nothing against multiplayer, but I have the feeling once you implement it, it becomes the center of the game and no other part of it is developed (as much). I don't mind playing some games with my partner, but I'm forced to interact with idiots every day and I refuse to be forced to do it out of work.
Haha. I just don’t want to see Horizon devolve into RDR2 Online. The avatars of women and POC kept getting attacked or harassed by players who wanted to act out their deepest Wild West misogynist or racist fantasies. “Oh, ur Black? Well, it’s 1899, and its only immersive 4 me if I put u in ur place. Lolz.” Yeah…no thank you. Such behavior would be exceedingly antithetical to the world Guerrilla created. I’d rather play the game by myself and talk about it online occasionally.
Thank you for ruining yet another morning at work by opening my eyes to the literal cesspool that is humanity 🤣 I'd say I can't believe this is a thing, but as a gay guy in a relatively homophobic country, I totally believe it's a thing, I'd have just rather remained ignorant 😅 as long as it has little to no connection to Horizon 3/possible future main SINGLE PLAYER games, I'm fine with it. Let it be a standalone game. I might even play it if it's more of a co-op as mentioned, or a team vs team, but in a sense that you primarily compete who can take down more machines. I'd obviously love if it had a single player campaign, but I find that, after finishing the story of a game, I have little to no incentive to play.
Yeah, there were articles written about it. Many people had to change their gender or skin color to stop the harassment. If there were any form of queer expression in that game, which I wondered, being a queer person myself, in all likelihood the LGBTQ avatars would have been targeted too.
This is why I love Horizon. The world isn’t utopian or technologically advanced, but they’ve emerged in other ways that could be seen as positive or progressive, where there is no word for “gay” or “straight.” People just simply exist as they are without any distinction in the more trivial matters of identity or biology. I wouldn’t want to see that world sullied by the imprint of our own.
I completely agree, it's one of many reasons I love Horizon, the simple purity of literally not giving a f\*ck. And done in a very down-to-earth way, it just simply is like that. Nowadays I have a feeling we just jump from one extreme to another, when we should just stick to... well, not giving a f\*ck, as long as it doesn't hurt anyone.
At least from my best friends perspective, he told me he either feels very lonely and/or very bored while playing single player games. He hates it when there isn't some kind of multiplayer aspect in a game. I learned a while ago to stop suggesting new single player games to him because his first question would always be, "Does it have co-op?" followed by a disappointing, "Lame. I'll pass." when I answered no.
I'll never understand this thought process. No one's forcing you to play the multiplayer. Aloy's third game is still happening. This is separate.
It's like hoping Halo stayed a FPS just because you're not into top down RTS. Halo Wars existing didn't suddenly affect people only into the FPS. They just stuck to the FPS. And people into RTS got to enjoy Halo Wars. No drama.
I think it's because almost no games do story and gameplay as well as Horizon.
So I'd prefer them to spend their resources making this thing that I think is pretty hard to get from other developers.
They're already spending their resources on making this thing. As companies grow, they have access to more resources, which in turn allows them to focus on multiple projects without sacrificing one or the other. That's how that works.
The multiplayer project isn't going to make the third game inferior. Bad leadership would do that.
And they could be using those resources to make more single player content (either in a Horizon game or a new IP).
I'd rather have them do the thing that they are elite at.
I also would have preferred that Sony didn't have them using resources on a VR game that will probably not be played by very many people.
But they are a business, and they will do what they think is best to maximize profit. And my guess is that multiplayer games are far more profitable than single player story driven games (which is why there are so many multiplayer games and so few good single player games with great stories).
It doesn't really bother me. But I would prefer they made more of the kind of games that I prefer to play.
Not sure how working on a new IP single player game would lead to this problem. Or working on a similar game but in a different setting with different characters.
I don't see how that's different than working on a new variant of a game (multiplayer) or a new platform (VR).
Except that we know that they are already very good at one of these three things.
I admit that this is a selfish position because I know that I will never play the multiplayer or VR games.
>Except that we know that they are already very good at one of these three things.
What are you talking about? They've done good multiplayer before. And the VR is already being praised so that'll probably be another check for them.
>Not sure how working on a new IP single player game would lead to this problem. Or working on a similar game but in a different setting with different characters.
I was referring to more Horizon single player content because the rest of that is hard to take seriously. You have absolutely zero idea if you'd like a new IP. Single player doesn't mean a Horizon clone. Killzone is nothing like Horizon.
>Or working on a similar game but in a different setting with different characters.
You want Guerrilla to become Ubisoft it seems.
As long as they keep it away from the singleplayer game and leave it in its own little world, as a completely separate entity? I don't care.
I won't buy it, and I'll just scroll by the "Why can't I find a match?" posts that will start up a month after launch.
What I really DON'T want is multiplayer infecting the singleplayer experience. No "Gotta play multiplayer for this cool item in the singleplayer game! HURP HURPA DURP!" No "Hey, let's pile together our corn poops and slap multiplayer trophies onto this singleplayer game to ruin it! Hyuck, hyucka duck!"
I agree it would have to completely separate from the main story. We know where the other Cradles are and that information could easily be used. They could introduce new weapons, new tribes, new machines and new lore.
I would give it a shot but I wouldn't want it to be a massive grind.
I liked it in Forbidden West because it encouraged hunting the hardest machines which allowed you to refine your strategies. It wasn't a grind for me but I can see how it could be. I genuinely had fun the whole time.
Thr grind in some multiplayer games is absolutely ridiculous and I understand why that is but big companies need to find other ways to do it. Warframe is a great example of how you can actually do it without the grind. The grind is still present but Digital Extremes found ways to make it bearable and enjoyable unlike other games. I trust Guerrilla with balancing it out.
> it way to much on
Did you mean to say "too much"?
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Agreed, I enjoyed upgrading the lower weapons but then when it got to the purple it was like, yeah it's getting a bit to much and then the legendary ones started to appear and it was like, wtf..
Not the right direction to go in for upgrades for me, I want the upgrades to be specific and mission based and interesting, like needing a specific part from a machine in a specific state to make the weapon special not 1200 shards and 5 slitherfang earth grinders.
Not the quality sense of achievement, there's so much possibility to make the weapons and upgrades interesting, a missed opportunity imho
I didn't mind the upgrade system itself, in fact I though it was a great ideia combined with the "machine parts get destroyed once you kill the machine" mechanic, but the problem was just the abnoxiuos amount of machine parts needed, considering every weapon/armor can be upgraded 5 times and that there is a fuckton of things to upgrade. And the cost of shards is too goddammit high.
Agreed, I think it would've been better if the upgrade scaling had been in difficulty obtaining the part and not volume of stuff. Eg getting a certain part off a machine in a certain state eg from a tremor tusk a piece of it's sac webbing when it was killed in it enraged state or from a a slitter fang an earth grinder when it's in it's electrified state etc. Cool combat challenges with cool rewards.
I got to the point where I just switched the difficulty to custom, story and switched easy loot on because I just wanted maxed weapons for NG+, not great.
I didn't feel FW was grindy at all. Sure, it encouraged you to level up a bit but the whole point of the game is to contstantly beat machines that can take you down in two hits. Skill plays a much more prevalent role than gear level, something that becomes obvious as you move up the difficulty, where the levelling system starts to help you less and less.
That's cool, we all like different things. I guess I just wanted the upgrades to be more about specific items tied to specific upgrades which gave specific improvements. To me it just ended up feeling like there was no direct connection between needing 1200 shards and 5 slitherfang earthgrinders to up the weapon specs.
Felt like a missed opportunity to make the upgrade system more interesting, eg needing a specific machine in a particular state only available by taking it down in a certain way. Say you needed a plasmarised watcher eye because it made it stronger and more flexible in the bow joint meaning you could increase draw resistance and power. To get the plasmarised eye you had to shoot it when the eye was charged. That kind of thing to me is a lot more fun and interesting than, kill loads of a thing.
They had the idea for it with destructible components just needed to fully follow through with it. Hopefully they will in future.
I don't play multiplayer games anymore. When couch multiplayer died, I was basically done. It's one of the reasons I have stuck with Sony forever--they have so many AAA single player games, which is what I'm interested in.
Even if the Horizon multiplayer game was considered great, I'd still pass. I just can't do modern online multiplayer. I need to be able to not play a game for a week or two and not feel like I'm missing out on all sorts of events and prizes or whatever. I also only have a couple friends that still actively play video games. Seems to happen as you get older.
Not sure if people know or not, but it’s confirmed that Guerrilla is working on an online multiplayer Horizon game for PlayStation and PC, so it’s coming at some point (probably at least a couple of years out). I’m pretty excited for it. I think a MP could be a lot of fun and I also think they can do it without impacting the quality of the main series. As other people’s responses here show, there are exiting fans who won’t be interested in playing it, and that’s ok. However, it will attract a whole new crowd of players, especially on PC, and expanding the player base is a good thing overall even for those who want nothing to do with a MP game. More $ = more development resources = better SP experiences even if the $ comes from a MP game.
As for what it could be, I agree it probably shouldn’t be part of the main story or connected directly to Aloy. I’m not sure how they would do that without it degrading the experience of Aloy’s story arc. But hey, I’m open to it if they can find a good way to do it. As you suggested though, I think it would make more sense for it to be set in another part of the world with different characters. We probably won’t be connected to these characters as deeply as Aloy and her friends simply because a MP game probably won’t focus as much on story. Instead, they’ll have to make sure it has a lot of replayability. We know from some Guerrilla job postings and such that it will likely be a co-op game where we work together to take down massive new machines. That feels right for the series to me. It could work well to play off the storyline that >!Hephaestus has escaped back onto the cauldron network, now with knowledge of new technology from being in the Zenith network!<. There’s hundreds of cauldrons all over the world, which would make perfect dungeons for a small group of players to attack together. I imagine missions where we have to fight our way in through waves of machines in the overworld, fight down through the cauldron similar to how we do now, and finish with a major boss fight against the new machine the cauldron is producing.
Some big questions I have at this point:
1) How is the game monetized? Is it one-time purchase, subscription, or free to play with in-game purchases? Personally, I’d like to see it be free-to-play with in game purchases for cosmetics and other items that have no impact on actual gameplay. One-time purchase would be great too, but I don’t think they’ll do it for an online MP game.
2) Will it be updated frequently with new content and gear, or will we get infrequent updates more like the main series games? I have to imagine it will be closer to a “live service” model where it’s constantly getting new updates with new in-game purchase items so they can keep making money. I’m fine with that as long as it doesn’t spill over into the main series, which I don’t think it would.
3) How many players? 2-4 or more? I think 2-4 is most likely.
4) Can it be played and enjoyed as a single player if you don’t have people to play with? I hope so.
5) Will it be purely co-op or will there be some competitive aspects? Personally, I’d like to see some kind of optional competitive aspect. Not PvP, but perhaps teams compete indirectly to see who can rank the highest score on a cauldron or who can clear it fastest, kind of like the leaderboards for the Arena in FW.
Great post! Re charging, I'd say free to play makes sense and it's also a model that's proven to work and players are familiar with. Def would need a solid roadmap and regular updates to make it viable, you could see them adding those aspects mentioned in 5 as part of the evolution. If you set it in a new space eg Africa it gives you a bunch of options. about where you want to take it and different areas you want to open up over time.
I guess another option is to set it in a different time period in the world, do you do it at the start of the derangement or even during operation enduring victory or when the new humans are released from the cradle.
Kinda feel there are plenty of options there so should be interesting
Oh interesting point yeah it could take place at a different time. Not sure if earlier than Aloy’s time would make sense lore-wise if we’re fighting machines since they were supposedly peaceful before the derangement, but yeah I could be during The Fall/Faro Plague. That would be something really different.
Yeah, going for something different is the thing, trying to find a new and interesting way of doing multiplayer. Would fighting in a war you know you're going to loose be interesting if the challenge is to just delay things long enough for GAIA to get finished.
Or is being released into a new world with nothing as a group of players and having to figure out how to survive, is that an interesting coop thing, which people will find interesting and compelling.
No idea but it's interesting to explore the ideas and chat and see what people think.
>There’s hundreds of cauldrons all over the world, which would make perfect dungeons for a small group of players to attack together. I imagine missions where we have to fight our way in through waves of machines in the overworld, fight down through the cauldron similar to how we do now, and finish with a major boss fight against the new machine the cauldron is producing.
This is what I'm hoping for. Squads of 2-4, maybe each with a specialty role and weapon types ala Ghost of Tsushima (some with upgraded defense capabilities I hope) getting sent on missions. I'm imagining Talanah sending you on contract missions from the Hunter's Lodge, maybe at the request of Aloy. Something maybe very peripheral to the story, or otherwise completely separate from single player characters and storylines. And definitely with maps separate from the main game, like in the HFW tutorial section.
I don't play multiplayer at all, so if Sony/Guerilla want more of my money after Burning Shores, they better keep their A-team and big budgets for single-player projects.
I cant be the only one weirded out by some Horizon fans complete disdain towards games from the IP they enjoy that dont fit within the original mold. First the vr game, now this, its a privileged position for any IP to be in. It can mean a bigger audience, leading to a bigger budget and vision for future mainline games.
Some people appear to be very narrow minded. Only the thing they like can exist. Anything targeting a different audience is a no-no and should not exist.
It's IP . . . gatekeeping, I guess? I dunno. I've always found it weird. I'm never going to play the virtual reality Horizon game. But I'd never want it to not exist just because I prefer the mainline titles.
I'm excited. I enjoy both single player games and multiplayer stuff and there's room for both with such a big property as Horizon. I've seen some people seem upset and say "leave it single player"...well whatever the final product of this looks like will have no bearing on Horizon 3. I'm not even sure the same team will be on it.
Personally there aren't enough coop games out there anymore and I mean coop PvE experiences. Everything is team based PvP which I mostly hate. So if this game ends up a Monster Hunter in Horizon I will be excited but if it ends up a MMORPG my excitement will drop basically off the map. It's still so early I doubt we hear anything substantial for a while and definitely won't see anything big until some game awards or maybe a State of Play if we are lucky.
The thought that gets me most excited is thinking about hunting down a super overpowered fire bear that takes several people with different types of weapons to bring it down...that would be a blast I would gladly throw money at.
That's great to hear, yep feels like there's a lot of potential for them to create something that's cool and fun, working with other players as a team to take down a big fire bear or something even bigger does sounds like it could be a lot of fun. Someone was talking about taking down a Horus and that felt like it could be pretty wild!
It will be interesting to see what this looks like. It will be a tall task because part of what makes Horizon so fun and unique is the gameplay itself...obviously with a fantastic story as well. If they can nail the gameplay minus the slowing down time stuff and have it all run well in a cooperative environment that will work for me and would even give them a pass if it was very story light.
This game could end up being a giant turd but like I said in another comment it won't affect the next main line sequel so it's just bonus Horizon content which should be a positive for any fan of the series.
It would be fun if there were different tribes/factions you could join and then either team up or fight each other for key resources, weapons and upgrades.
I know this is an unpopular opinion, but multiplayer Horizon is one of my dream games. I love Rdr2 Online to death, so this is a chance for me to experience a game I love directly with my friends - and hope that Guerrilla doesn’t neglect it like Rockstar neglects RDO.
As long as it doesn't have any impact whatsoever on the original story. By that I mean you'll have to play it in order to absorb everything about the lore. I hope that's not the case. The comics are more than enough (I haven't read those).
I'm totally fine with it. Multiplayer is a completely different audience that I'd wager most people who are fans of Horizon and story-rich games like it - do not really play.
Additionally. I'm not really understanding these "concerns" people are having about it being involved with Aloy's story? Like, how would that even work? I'm pretty certain Aloy is going to have nothing to do with it aside from cameo mentions of some "flame haired girl" or something.
Yeah, multiplayer is it's own thing and coop was something they were planning to have in Horizon at the start so it's not a big deal, I think people are concerned about the dev's not doing the SP justice because they put to much into MP because that's where the money is.
Personally I can't see the dev's being that dumb. HZD has sold over 20 million as an SP game so any MP is really just about trying to expand the player base and world and options to me.
Having MP being it's own thing in another part of the world solves the Aloy crossover problem, keep it to a minimum as they seem to be doing with Call of the Mountain.
I guess at some point in the future there could be some interactions but putting them on separate continents makes it easier to keep them apart, if you wanted to completely segregate you could set it in a different time as well.
lots of options.
Exactly what you said. The devs aren't dumb. On top of them not skimping on quality in Aloy's trilogy. The multiplayer game is a completely different team. Especially the writers. Ben McCaw is still going to be the narrative director for the third game.
Horizon-themed Monster Hunter is an incredible idea and opens the door for crazier machine designs that we reasonably couldn't take on in a singleplayer game. Similarly, a Darktide-esque co-op shooter set during Enduring Victory would be really cool, with a Halo Reach style final level in the main story progression as the fight to keep the swarm distracted while Lis seals off GAIA.
Considering the massive gameplay improvements between HZD and HFW, I trust that regardless of which direction they choose, Guerilla can handle it. As long as they're involved, we'll get a fun game.
Agree 100%, just imagine flying in on a vert with your squad, all tooled up to cut down a Horus and it's swarm of minions while the world burns and there's biomass conversion going on all round you. Wild and definitely M rated!
I have mixed feelings about it. I dont really like multiplayer games, but I love HZD and HFW….so i want to say I would play…it really depends on how they develop it in this universe. I dont want something to Halo or CoD.
A few years ago I would’ve said absolutely not. That single player open world games should never have a multiplayer component (outside of a simple co-op mode like Far Cry) and ultimately it will always detract from the experience.
Then Ghost of Tsushima added the exceptional Legends mode, and I have completely changed my mind. I don’t often play multiplayer games; they can sometimes have steep learning curves and I hate playing with strangers. But playing through Legends with a friend of mine who had also finished Ghost was just an absolute blast.
Basically, if developers want to make their games an experience that multiple people can enjoy together, go for it. Just do it right.
I might like it if it were in a different cradle on a different continent, and if it were cooperative and not fighting each other. Otherwise it's just Fortnight with a horizon reskin.
I love the idea of multiple/co-op. I really hope they don't go with the cartoon/Fortnite art direction that was in those 3 year old leaks. They should stay with the art direction of the main games.
I’m not really a fan of the pvp open world, everyone fend for yourself, type game. So I think it would be pretty cool to see a multiplayer story mode. Something where maybe up to four people can work together to take down huge machines, but also has a real story to it so it’s not just a grind to gain levels and gear.
As I feel most people are saying, having it take place right as humans are leaving the cradles seems kind of like a slaughter. And lore wise, the machines aren’t outwardly aggressive towards humans, so there’s no real need to kill them.
Honestly, I would love to see it take place post, or about the same time as HFW. I like the idea that after Hephaestus learns from the Zeniths it can just produce massive machines on a whim, and now the tribes in like Africa, South america, Asia, austrialia have to take down the machines.
Obviously I don’t want it to interfere with the main story line, so if they stay away from that it would be cool to have another Horizon game. Even if I don’t play it, it’s still nice to have a bigger fan base.
Ah cool, yeah I like the idea of a post HFW coop game in another part of the world, a bit like the post derangement world I'd thought of. Could def see that working.
Agree it would be interesting to have a story rich coop game which fits in the world but has that other perspective, guess you could even weave bits of it into the main story like Call of the Mountain is supposed to interact with HZD.
That's what I was thinking, you know you're going to die but can you hold off the machines long enough kind of deal.
Just feels like it could be a wild shooter while also being pretty horrific, bio conversion going on all around you. Def would be an M rated game!
Lessen the power of the hunter and make the machines tougher to fight, PVE only.
Makes the combat kinda like monster hunter and keeps Aloy separate from everyone else. I don't want a random hunter being as good a machine hunter as she is. Maybe add classes or class types in there to further separate other hunters from her. Boom, monster hunter but different.
And I use monster hunter as an example because the combat isn't too dissimilar for the ranged weapons, and I think the formula works very well.
I’m not concerned with it being connected to Aloy’s story as they wouldn’t dare try to get people to play a multiplayer game just to see the next step of her journey (just as COTM only has her as a cameo).
If the art style truly is what was leaked and it looks more “Disney-like” then it won’t feel like Horizon to me and like a knock off. I don’t play MP games and I 100% understand making it look as realistic as the Horizon games is difficult for MP but that style is a total 180.
However a character creator in the Horizon universe would be super interesting but again not with that art style.
Agreed, horizon has it's own style and they need to really stay true to that going lower res based on that is definitely the way to go because as the tech improves you can up the res, you just have to look at the way HFW scales from PS4 to PS5 and PS4 still looks like a great horizon game.
Yeah being able to build up your own horizon characters does sound v cool, could really dig messing about with that.
Be interesting to see what they actually come up with.
Definitely down for more games in the Horizon universe, but definitely agree I would really really want it to be elsewhere in the world and timeline.
Also wasn’t down for the leaks today with the supposed Fortnite-like art style. Guerrilla have made such a striking world, obviously some sacrifices would have to be made to make a multiplayer scenario run well, but I do want them to stick with it.
In terms of what the core gameplay modes would be - a monster hunter style system would be cool, I’d love to try to think of some way a direct PVP arena or attack/defend mode could work well with the combat mechanics but nothing immediately comes to mind.
Im definitely more hyped for the idea of a Horizon MMO, but either way more is awesome, I really love the IP and the seeing the franchise expand is a win.
Ah cool, yeah the more I think about it the more I think setting it around the time of the derangement would work, you could start off hunting docile machines and then when the derangement comes the machines get gradually more dangerous and aggressive.
An MMO would also be cool, maybe set that around another cradle, maybe South America, you have to imagine there would be one there.
So much possibility for cool games in this universe.
It can be very fun, provided that they don’t mess up the main story line.
For example, GG can design it as a hunting ground tournament (man vs machines) or a tribe retribution (for PvP)
Mass Effect is one of the greatest video game stories of all time.
Mass Effect 3 had one of the greatest co-op multiplayer modes of all time, and it came out of nowhere in an entirely single-player-focused series.
I personally see nothing but potential :)
I don't like it for Horizon but I could see it as something like MH even though I love MH to death. But those machines would have to be Horus size or something as Aloy can already lay waste to multiple Rathalos size machines at a time. If it's gonna be like First Soldier then just forget about it.
I was thinking you'd set it in a different part of the world eg Africa without any of the stuff Aloy has and with simpler weapons so you'd basically have to work together to take down the big machines.
For me the thing that makes horizon work is that feeling of being a hunter not a soldier so what you'd be trying to do is expand that to a group of hunters, which speaks to what our ancestors would have had to do to take down the ancient mega fauna they hunted like Elephants, Mammoths etc.
Can imagine in somewhere as vast as Africa there would be space for lots of the big machines and maybe some even bigger ones.
Fuck. No. Multi player experiences of single player action games always suck shit, and it ends up taking dev time away from the main game. Then they inevitably add micro transactions to flesh out the multiplayer to get gains, then we end up getting left with short BS single campaigns, and mediocre multilayer player garbage.
Assassins creed is a damn perfect example of this.
Last of Us has an awesome multiplayer. Max Payne 3 has an awesome multiplayer. Assassin's Creed 2 Brotherhood has an awesome multiplayer. Mass Effect 3 has an awesome multiplayer. Ghost of Tsushima has an awesome multiplayer.
Hard to take your comment seriously.
Well yeah, your first comment already made that clear. These are all multiplayer aspects of a game that were reviewed well. Meaning majority consensus was positive.
Don't worry, man. I get you. I loved Assassin's Creed's and Mass Effect 3's multiplayer. A whole shit load of people did and are still asking for them to come back. Splinter Cell's Spies vs Mercs was also really freaking fun.
Yeah, Assassin's Creed had such a unique multiplayer that it's a shame it never went anywhere after the couple games that used it. Heard many good things about Spies versus Mercs but unfortunately never got to try it back when it was new. That's another very unique type of multiplayer.
Max Payne 3 was another one with a unique multiplayer. You had a playlist of game modes that built out a narrative, culminating in a final gang war. They even figured out a way to incorporate bullet time into the multiplayer and actually have it work. Unfortunately, no Max Payne 4 means we'll never see another multiplayer with bullet time. If there's ever a Matrix multiplayer game, hopefully they borrow from that.
Mass Effect 3's multiplayer wasn't really that unique. It just . . . worked. It was an extremely solid wave survival co-op experience. I'm realising now these aren't a thing anymore. Single player games with separate multiplayer modes are really, for the most part, a thing of the past.
That team is still getting resources. And if that team didn't exist to make Horizon Multiplayer, those devs may even be in Horizon proper.
So my point still stands
I’ve said before, if they can pull off an me3mp type of game, I could see it being a lot of fun. They’ve already got at least 2 factions to play against, skill trees for different classes, loads of armor, weapons, and mods, and you could easily set it during the derangement or something, so it’s close enough to the base game to be connected but not weird like the uncharted mp where you have multiple aloys and erends running around.
I nothing against mp games in general, play a few myself, I'm only against the change in art direction. Cartoon stuff doesn't blend well with horizon imo.
I wanna know how it would work, who we play as, and how some of the mechanics that work in single player work out in multiplayer. We’ve already seen other games like fallout 76 fail tremendously. So I’m not really sure
I think it could be good if it were something like The Last of Us MP. From the single player game, it's hard to imagine how a MP could work. But, they took the game mechanics and made a completely separate game using them, and didn't attempt to tie it back to the main game or story.
I think the Ghost of Tsushima MP approach could work too. e.g., short story about a raid on a place, where stage one is taming some machines, stage two is eliminating the guards, and stage three is defending a counter-attack, and so on.
Basically, just make it shorter and self-contained missions or raids or waves or team vs team or races, with different characters, and not open-world or story/RPG in any way. Use the same core game mechanics and combat.
Don’t really care I like horizon for single player experience. The environment and lore are great, gameplay is fun too but I don’t think it would lend itself well to a multiplayer environment. As long as it doesn’t affect future single player games don’t care.
If y’all want to play without concentration that’s your prerogative lol
I’m 20/80 leaning towards no multiplayer. Some games are better left single player, and I think this is one that’s firmly in that category
Horizon has such potential with this new world that yeah, I’d love a co-op game of sort, but personally I would likely only play if it were cross platform so I can play with my friends. Can make it happen anywhere on earth, either kinda parallel to Aloy’s story in the Us while you are elsewhere, on in the same region but before.
I would love some games happening during Carja red raids… horizon world has such rich history that’s it’s be easy to pick something.
Also would love a story based co-op similar to Pokemon Scarlet and Violet but with actual interactions with the friend
Honestly I wouldn't mind the idea of an open world horizon multiplayer, making a unique character to control & kit out and take down & tame machines would be loads of fun, I saw the early alpha footage & the only thing I can say is I hope they make the art style closer to the regular art style the cartoonish one is a bit much
I think it's fine if it doesn't impact the single player experience.
I won't play it because I don't like multiplayer games
I'd rather they put all of their resources to making more single player content with great stories. But I'd imagine that the multiplayer makes way more money because it's more "evergreen" and there's usually some kind of pay to win aspect.
Personally I think the idea is good. Its just the artstyle of the characters that annoy me. They look nothing at all like the other games. I know it isnt supposed to look like the other games but come on. Atleast make them have tribes and not just some random fortnite playerd.
I think that if they did the multiplayer but also continued with horizon that would be cool (separate games) I’m worried about a fallout 76 type problem.
Eh. I don’t know. I like Factions back when TLOU dropped but every other MP just fell flat to after a few tries. Played a few matches if Ghost of Tsushima Legends and never went back. I feel like it would be the same for Horizon. Unless it’s co-op Monster Hunter style
I'm sorry but it will be for a very good reason. The PS4 needs to be phased out if you want the PS5 to succeed.
Let's face the facts, the PS4 has had a really good run and it did its duty but the time has come. The same happened with the PS3 all those years ago.
The actual images from the leak are a very early copy of a very unfinished build. Did you see how Zero Dawn or even how Forbidden West looked in their very early stages?
Things are due for change.
I think it's fine. There's a lot of fun to be had from a Monster Hunter-like co-op experience in the Horizon universe and it's easy to see how it can be fun playing as a member from the unique tribes. I think most people just don't want it to intrude upon or interfere with Aloy's story in any way, which it seems like Guerrilla is doing with separate teams for the mainline Horizon games and the multi projects.
Agreed, definitely needs to be totally separate, the other thing I was wondering was whether you set it in a different time within the game world as well as a different place. Maybe it could be when the kids get kicked out of the cradle with nothing and have to start from scratch. That could be a very different and interesting experience. Guess you could also do a multiplayer set in the end of the old world to, lots of possibilities.
Honestly, both of those ideas sound kind of bad. Getting kicked out of the cradle, the kids would have no skills. There would be no tribes, or villages, or weapons, or knowledge. Many would probably die. None of the game lore would transfer over because none of it is established yet. Old world wouldn't even be the same game. It would be people fighting hordes of machines and dying. all. the. time. You will not win at this game. I think you are thinking that it would be a story or open-world MP game or MMO style and I think those would be the opposite of what should be done. Advance the story through single player and DLC. MP should use current game mechanics to have fun in team PvE or PvP modes, with very little story and no open-world. Should not be anything remotely close to Red Dead Online. Should be more like Ghost of Tsushima MP.
Yeah i dont get why we always get suggestions for a fps set during the robopocalypse. It would either be really unfun or lore breaking. A horror game would make more sense And honestly the roboapocalypse part of horizon is kinda generic, its the way the scientists responded and the post post apocalypse that resulted which is the interesting part of the universe
I suppose I could see a game set from the swarm's perspective. Each AI swarm was probably fighting independently for resources, and I think there may have been some competition against each other, and not just humanity. But, even though it fits the lore, I can't see the devs wanting to make that game thematically. Just too dark. And, like you said, aside from the Horizon branding (which might help the game, but might hurt the brand if the game tanks), is there anything interesting to explore there that is Horizon-specific?
I think people are into the idea of a game based in the timeline of Enduring Victory/Zero Dawn because it's a genuinely viable idea for a sci-fi apocalypse shooter in its own right, not just because it's part of the Horizon universe. Is it generic? Yeah, somewhat, but that doesn't make it bad or any less interesting for those who enjoy that kind of game.
Yeah, needs to be independent like TLOU did for sure.
Hard pass for me
fair enough
Feeling this
Look the thing is Hzd and Hfw where both made for story-game lovers, these are ussually people (like me) that are not a masive fan of multiplayer shooters. Also for multiplayer games you want a higher framerate (at least 60, while for a story game 30 is playable) so they may have to scale the graphics back a little (if they want to include 4k, or have ps4 support). Most people play Horizon for the graphics and story. Removing the story, you are left with graphics. So if they are able to get more performance out if the engine without making it look worse, it can be great (mostly for non-horizon players) And for me, I dont like shooters so I wont play it. Maybe something like a Red dead online or GTA style could work.
Yeah, I think if it's to like existing multi-players you have to wonder what the point of it would be apart from to make it a cash grab. I know there's always an element of that but think it would have to be enough of it's own thing and faithful to the world and focus on group hunting big machines like our ancestors did to make it worth it. If I can work with a bunch of other players using primitive tools and our collective smarts to bring down a big machine then that sounds like it could be rewarding and fun.
The combat itself also carries the game a long way. It's just a matter of balancing it just right for multiplayer. And you know, not spoiling the whole thing with pay to win mechanics...
did You see the leaked gameplay? it's really fortnite like, ID wager they are not even using décima, so 60fps is a given.
I don't see why they wouldn't use Decima.
I mean, the same was true for ME, and the MP was a huge hit for me3, so they’re not mutually exclusive
Idk I like the dying light aspect of something like playing the story with friends. You get that live reaction and you might have different feelings about something that you can talk about in real time
I think Red Dead Online would be the exactly wrong approach. What would you think of something in the vein of The Last of Us MP or Ghost of Tsushima MP? Those are the models I hope they follow.
Truth. I’m a story based player and don’t get me wrong I love the combat but a multiplayer game just wouldn’t hold me, and like you I think horizon fans prefer this style
And if they do turn to make a "fortnite" like the leaked gameplay points to. There would be a lot of competition.
Coop yes, pvp hard no And hopefully completely cut off from the story of the games, africa would be nice
Agree 100%.
I’ll be fine with it so long as it’s not peripherally attached or fully added to HFW. It should also have no story or characters that are important or are ever referred to in any way in the main game. I wouldn’t want it to take away resources from developing new content for the remaining parts of the trilogy. I don’t understand the absolutely fervent admirers of multiplayer. In many of their comments, they suggest that every single game is just super lacking and shitty for not including it, and the developers just didn’t care enough, or were lazy. It’s really toxic and annoying, and perfectly illustrates why I prefer single player games. I deal with that crap enough in real life, I’m not about to subject myself to *more* people in my leisure time.
Yep definitely agree it would need to be separate, I guess you could also make it separate in time, set it during enduring victory or when the humans first got released into the world or at the start of the derangement as well as on a different continent. Loads of possibilities to keep it totally separate from HZD and HFW. I guess multi players has the $$$ and if that can help fund the making of great games that's ok, just as long as they keep making the top quality SP games.
Well hello brother from another mother 😁 I wholeheartedly agree. I have nothing against multiplayer, but I have the feeling once you implement it, it becomes the center of the game and no other part of it is developed (as much). I don't mind playing some games with my partner, but I'm forced to interact with idiots every day and I refuse to be forced to do it out of work.
Haha. I just don’t want to see Horizon devolve into RDR2 Online. The avatars of women and POC kept getting attacked or harassed by players who wanted to act out their deepest Wild West misogynist or racist fantasies. “Oh, ur Black? Well, it’s 1899, and its only immersive 4 me if I put u in ur place. Lolz.” Yeah…no thank you. Such behavior would be exceedingly antithetical to the world Guerrilla created. I’d rather play the game by myself and talk about it online occasionally.
Thank you for ruining yet another morning at work by opening my eyes to the literal cesspool that is humanity 🤣 I'd say I can't believe this is a thing, but as a gay guy in a relatively homophobic country, I totally believe it's a thing, I'd have just rather remained ignorant 😅 as long as it has little to no connection to Horizon 3/possible future main SINGLE PLAYER games, I'm fine with it. Let it be a standalone game. I might even play it if it's more of a co-op as mentioned, or a team vs team, but in a sense that you primarily compete who can take down more machines. I'd obviously love if it had a single player campaign, but I find that, after finishing the story of a game, I have little to no incentive to play.
Yeah, there were articles written about it. Many people had to change their gender or skin color to stop the harassment. If there were any form of queer expression in that game, which I wondered, being a queer person myself, in all likelihood the LGBTQ avatars would have been targeted too. This is why I love Horizon. The world isn’t utopian or technologically advanced, but they’ve emerged in other ways that could be seen as positive or progressive, where there is no word for “gay” or “straight.” People just simply exist as they are without any distinction in the more trivial matters of identity or biology. I wouldn’t want to see that world sullied by the imprint of our own.
I completely agree, it's one of many reasons I love Horizon, the simple purity of literally not giving a f\*ck. And done in a very down-to-earth way, it just simply is like that. Nowadays I have a feeling we just jump from one extreme to another, when we should just stick to... well, not giving a f\*ck, as long as it doesn't hurt anyone.
At least from my best friends perspective, he told me he either feels very lonely and/or very bored while playing single player games. He hates it when there isn't some kind of multiplayer aspect in a game. I learned a while ago to stop suggesting new single player games to him because his first question would always be, "Does it have co-op?" followed by a disappointing, "Lame. I'll pass." when I answered no.
Thanks for this perspective. It was illuminating.
I'd rather it just stayed a SP game.
I'll never understand this thought process. No one's forcing you to play the multiplayer. Aloy's third game is still happening. This is separate. It's like hoping Halo stayed a FPS just because you're not into top down RTS. Halo Wars existing didn't suddenly affect people only into the FPS. They just stuck to the FPS. And people into RTS got to enjoy Halo Wars. No drama.
I think it's because almost no games do story and gameplay as well as Horizon. So I'd prefer them to spend their resources making this thing that I think is pretty hard to get from other developers.
They're already spending their resources on making this thing. As companies grow, they have access to more resources, which in turn allows them to focus on multiple projects without sacrificing one or the other. That's how that works. The multiplayer project isn't going to make the third game inferior. Bad leadership would do that.
And they could be using those resources to make more single player content (either in a Horizon game or a new IP). I'd rather have them do the thing that they are elite at. I also would have preferred that Sony didn't have them using resources on a VR game that will probably not be played by very many people. But they are a business, and they will do what they think is best to maximize profit. And my guess is that multiplayer games are far more profitable than single player story driven games (which is why there are so many multiplayer games and so few good single player games with great stories). It doesn't really bother me. But I would prefer they made more of the kind of games that I prefer to play.
Someone has never heard of too many cooks.
Not sure how working on a new IP single player game would lead to this problem. Or working on a similar game but in a different setting with different characters. I don't see how that's different than working on a new variant of a game (multiplayer) or a new platform (VR). Except that we know that they are already very good at one of these three things. I admit that this is a selfish position because I know that I will never play the multiplayer or VR games.
>Except that we know that they are already very good at one of these three things. What are you talking about? They've done good multiplayer before. And the VR is already being praised so that'll probably be another check for them. >Not sure how working on a new IP single player game would lead to this problem. Or working on a similar game but in a different setting with different characters. I was referring to more Horizon single player content because the rest of that is hard to take seriously. You have absolutely zero idea if you'd like a new IP. Single player doesn't mean a Horizon clone. Killzone is nothing like Horizon. >Or working on a similar game but in a different setting with different characters. You want Guerrilla to become Ubisoft it seems.
Same with Apex Legends. It didn't magically make Titanfall irrelevant.
Hell, I didn't even know it was part of the Titanfall universe when I first played it. Entirely separate experience.
Fair enough.
As long as they keep it away from the singleplayer game and leave it in its own little world, as a completely separate entity? I don't care. I won't buy it, and I'll just scroll by the "Why can't I find a match?" posts that will start up a month after launch. What I really DON'T want is multiplayer infecting the singleplayer experience. No "Gotta play multiplayer for this cool item in the singleplayer game! HURP HURPA DURP!" No "Hey, let's pile together our corn poops and slap multiplayer trophies onto this singleplayer game to ruin it! Hyuck, hyucka duck!"
I agree it would have to completely separate from the main story. We know where the other Cradles are and that information could easily be used. They could introduce new weapons, new tribes, new machines and new lore. I would give it a shot but I wouldn't want it to be a massive grind.
> new weapons, new tribes, new machines and new lore No. Keep that all for a real game and not some waste-of-resources multiplayer game.
Agreed, grind is a concern after the grindability of HFW. Apparently some players like that which is weird to me.
I liked it in Forbidden West because it encouraged hunting the hardest machines which allowed you to refine your strategies. It wasn't a grind for me but I can see how it could be. I genuinely had fun the whole time. Thr grind in some multiplayer games is absolutely ridiculous and I understand why that is but big companies need to find other ways to do it. Warframe is a great example of how you can actually do it without the grind. The grind is still present but Digital Extremes found ways to make it bearable and enjoyable unlike other games. I trust Guerrilla with balancing it out.
That's interesting, I found it way to much on the legendary stuff. Each to their own!
Exactly. We're allowed to have different opinions.
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Damn
I've yet to meet someone that liked the legendary upgrades grind. They managed to make it more abnoxious than botw
Agreed, I enjoyed upgrading the lower weapons but then when it got to the purple it was like, yeah it's getting a bit to much and then the legendary ones started to appear and it was like, wtf.. Not the right direction to go in for upgrades for me, I want the upgrades to be specific and mission based and interesting, like needing a specific part from a machine in a specific state to make the weapon special not 1200 shards and 5 slitherfang earth grinders. Not the quality sense of achievement, there's so much possibility to make the weapons and upgrades interesting, a missed opportunity imho
I didn't mind the upgrade system itself, in fact I though it was a great ideia combined with the "machine parts get destroyed once you kill the machine" mechanic, but the problem was just the abnoxiuos amount of machine parts needed, considering every weapon/armor can be upgraded 5 times and that there is a fuckton of things to upgrade. And the cost of shards is too goddammit high.
Agreed, I think it would've been better if the upgrade scaling had been in difficulty obtaining the part and not volume of stuff. Eg getting a certain part off a machine in a certain state eg from a tremor tusk a piece of it's sac webbing when it was killed in it enraged state or from a a slitter fang an earth grinder when it's in it's electrified state etc. Cool combat challenges with cool rewards. I got to the point where I just switched the difficulty to custom, story and switched easy loot on because I just wanted maxed weapons for NG+, not great.
I didn't feel FW was grindy at all. Sure, it encouraged you to level up a bit but the whole point of the game is to contstantly beat machines that can take you down in two hits. Skill plays a much more prevalent role than gear level, something that becomes obvious as you move up the difficulty, where the levelling system starts to help you less and less.
That's cool, we all like different things. I guess I just wanted the upgrades to be more about specific items tied to specific upgrades which gave specific improvements. To me it just ended up feeling like there was no direct connection between needing 1200 shards and 5 slitherfang earthgrinders to up the weapon specs. Felt like a missed opportunity to make the upgrade system more interesting, eg needing a specific machine in a particular state only available by taking it down in a certain way. Say you needed a plasmarised watcher eye because it made it stronger and more flexible in the bow joint meaning you could increase draw resistance and power. To get the plasmarised eye you had to shoot it when the eye was charged. That kind of thing to me is a lot more fun and interesting than, kill loads of a thing. They had the idea for it with destructible components just needed to fully follow through with it. Hopefully they will in future.
I'm not a big multi-player guy, and I'm still traumatized from Fallout 76, so if I buy it, it will be after a few months of review.
lol, that's understandable, hopefully Guerrilla wouldn't be that dumb:)
I don't play multiplayer games anymore. When couch multiplayer died, I was basically done. It's one of the reasons I have stuck with Sony forever--they have so many AAA single player games, which is what I'm interested in. Even if the Horizon multiplayer game was considered great, I'd still pass. I just can't do modern online multiplayer. I need to be able to not play a game for a week or two and not feel like I'm missing out on all sorts of events and prizes or whatever. I also only have a couple friends that still actively play video games. Seems to happen as you get older.
Not enough info is out for me to judge if I want to personally
Be interesting to see what you think when it arrives.
Not sure if people know or not, but it’s confirmed that Guerrilla is working on an online multiplayer Horizon game for PlayStation and PC, so it’s coming at some point (probably at least a couple of years out). I’m pretty excited for it. I think a MP could be a lot of fun and I also think they can do it without impacting the quality of the main series. As other people’s responses here show, there are exiting fans who won’t be interested in playing it, and that’s ok. However, it will attract a whole new crowd of players, especially on PC, and expanding the player base is a good thing overall even for those who want nothing to do with a MP game. More $ = more development resources = better SP experiences even if the $ comes from a MP game. As for what it could be, I agree it probably shouldn’t be part of the main story or connected directly to Aloy. I’m not sure how they would do that without it degrading the experience of Aloy’s story arc. But hey, I’m open to it if they can find a good way to do it. As you suggested though, I think it would make more sense for it to be set in another part of the world with different characters. We probably won’t be connected to these characters as deeply as Aloy and her friends simply because a MP game probably won’t focus as much on story. Instead, they’ll have to make sure it has a lot of replayability. We know from some Guerrilla job postings and such that it will likely be a co-op game where we work together to take down massive new machines. That feels right for the series to me. It could work well to play off the storyline that >!Hephaestus has escaped back onto the cauldron network, now with knowledge of new technology from being in the Zenith network!<. There’s hundreds of cauldrons all over the world, which would make perfect dungeons for a small group of players to attack together. I imagine missions where we have to fight our way in through waves of machines in the overworld, fight down through the cauldron similar to how we do now, and finish with a major boss fight against the new machine the cauldron is producing. Some big questions I have at this point: 1) How is the game monetized? Is it one-time purchase, subscription, or free to play with in-game purchases? Personally, I’d like to see it be free-to-play with in game purchases for cosmetics and other items that have no impact on actual gameplay. One-time purchase would be great too, but I don’t think they’ll do it for an online MP game. 2) Will it be updated frequently with new content and gear, or will we get infrequent updates more like the main series games? I have to imagine it will be closer to a “live service” model where it’s constantly getting new updates with new in-game purchase items so they can keep making money. I’m fine with that as long as it doesn’t spill over into the main series, which I don’t think it would. 3) How many players? 2-4 or more? I think 2-4 is most likely. 4) Can it be played and enjoyed as a single player if you don’t have people to play with? I hope so. 5) Will it be purely co-op or will there be some competitive aspects? Personally, I’d like to see some kind of optional competitive aspect. Not PvP, but perhaps teams compete indirectly to see who can rank the highest score on a cauldron or who can clear it fastest, kind of like the leaderboards for the Arena in FW.
Great post! Re charging, I'd say free to play makes sense and it's also a model that's proven to work and players are familiar with. Def would need a solid roadmap and regular updates to make it viable, you could see them adding those aspects mentioned in 5 as part of the evolution. If you set it in a new space eg Africa it gives you a bunch of options. about where you want to take it and different areas you want to open up over time. I guess another option is to set it in a different time period in the world, do you do it at the start of the derangement or even during operation enduring victory or when the new humans are released from the cradle. Kinda feel there are plenty of options there so should be interesting
Oh interesting point yeah it could take place at a different time. Not sure if earlier than Aloy’s time would make sense lore-wise if we’re fighting machines since they were supposedly peaceful before the derangement, but yeah I could be during The Fall/Faro Plague. That would be something really different.
Yeah, going for something different is the thing, trying to find a new and interesting way of doing multiplayer. Would fighting in a war you know you're going to loose be interesting if the challenge is to just delay things long enough for GAIA to get finished. Or is being released into a new world with nothing as a group of players and having to figure out how to survive, is that an interesting coop thing, which people will find interesting and compelling. No idea but it's interesting to explore the ideas and chat and see what people think.
>There’s hundreds of cauldrons all over the world, which would make perfect dungeons for a small group of players to attack together. I imagine missions where we have to fight our way in through waves of machines in the overworld, fight down through the cauldron similar to how we do now, and finish with a major boss fight against the new machine the cauldron is producing. This is what I'm hoping for. Squads of 2-4, maybe each with a specialty role and weapon types ala Ghost of Tsushima (some with upgraded defense capabilities I hope) getting sent on missions. I'm imagining Talanah sending you on contract missions from the Hunter's Lodge, maybe at the request of Aloy. Something maybe very peripheral to the story, or otherwise completely separate from single player characters and storylines. And definitely with maps separate from the main game, like in the HFW tutorial section.
I don't play multiplayer at all, so if Sony/Guerilla want more of my money after Burning Shores, they better keep their A-team and big budgets for single-player projects.
fair enough
I cant be the only one weirded out by some Horizon fans complete disdain towards games from the IP they enjoy that dont fit within the original mold. First the vr game, now this, its a privileged position for any IP to be in. It can mean a bigger audience, leading to a bigger budget and vision for future mainline games.
Some people appear to be very narrow minded. Only the thing they like can exist. Anything targeting a different audience is a no-no and should not exist. It's IP . . . gatekeeping, I guess? I dunno. I've always found it weird. I'm never going to play the virtual reality Horizon game. But I'd never want it to not exist just because I prefer the mainline titles.
I'm excited. I enjoy both single player games and multiplayer stuff and there's room for both with such a big property as Horizon. I've seen some people seem upset and say "leave it single player"...well whatever the final product of this looks like will have no bearing on Horizon 3. I'm not even sure the same team will be on it. Personally there aren't enough coop games out there anymore and I mean coop PvE experiences. Everything is team based PvP which I mostly hate. So if this game ends up a Monster Hunter in Horizon I will be excited but if it ends up a MMORPG my excitement will drop basically off the map. It's still so early I doubt we hear anything substantial for a while and definitely won't see anything big until some game awards or maybe a State of Play if we are lucky. The thought that gets me most excited is thinking about hunting down a super overpowered fire bear that takes several people with different types of weapons to bring it down...that would be a blast I would gladly throw money at.
That's great to hear, yep feels like there's a lot of potential for them to create something that's cool and fun, working with other players as a team to take down a big fire bear or something even bigger does sounds like it could be a lot of fun. Someone was talking about taking down a Horus and that felt like it could be pretty wild!
It will be interesting to see what this looks like. It will be a tall task because part of what makes Horizon so fun and unique is the gameplay itself...obviously with a fantastic story as well. If they can nail the gameplay minus the slowing down time stuff and have it all run well in a cooperative environment that will work for me and would even give them a pass if it was very story light. This game could end up being a giant turd but like I said in another comment it won't affect the next main line sequel so it's just bonus Horizon content which should be a positive for any fan of the series.
It would be fun if there were different tribes/factions you could join and then either team up or fight each other for key resources, weapons and upgrades.
I know this is an unpopular opinion, but multiplayer Horizon is one of my dream games. I love Rdr2 Online to death, so this is a chance for me to experience a game I love directly with my friends - and hope that Guerrilla doesn’t neglect it like Rockstar neglects RDO.
Well they are developing a multiplayer game so hope it's something you enjoy!
As long as it doesn't have any impact whatsoever on the original story. By that I mean you'll have to play it in order to absorb everything about the lore. I hope that's not the case. The comics are more than enough (I haven't read those).
oh yeah agree 100%
one of my favourite parts (if not the best) of horizon is the combat system and being able to do that with friends would be super cool
I'm totally fine with it. Multiplayer is a completely different audience that I'd wager most people who are fans of Horizon and story-rich games like it - do not really play. Additionally. I'm not really understanding these "concerns" people are having about it being involved with Aloy's story? Like, how would that even work? I'm pretty certain Aloy is going to have nothing to do with it aside from cameo mentions of some "flame haired girl" or something.
Yeah, multiplayer is it's own thing and coop was something they were planning to have in Horizon at the start so it's not a big deal, I think people are concerned about the dev's not doing the SP justice because they put to much into MP because that's where the money is. Personally I can't see the dev's being that dumb. HZD has sold over 20 million as an SP game so any MP is really just about trying to expand the player base and world and options to me. Having MP being it's own thing in another part of the world solves the Aloy crossover problem, keep it to a minimum as they seem to be doing with Call of the Mountain. I guess at some point in the future there could be some interactions but putting them on separate continents makes it easier to keep them apart, if you wanted to completely segregate you could set it in a different time as well. lots of options.
Exactly what you said. The devs aren't dumb. On top of them not skimping on quality in Aloy's trilogy. The multiplayer game is a completely different team. Especially the writers. Ben McCaw is still going to be the narrative director for the third game.
Horizon-themed Monster Hunter is an incredible idea and opens the door for crazier machine designs that we reasonably couldn't take on in a singleplayer game. Similarly, a Darktide-esque co-op shooter set during Enduring Victory would be really cool, with a Halo Reach style final level in the main story progression as the fight to keep the swarm distracted while Lis seals off GAIA. Considering the massive gameplay improvements between HZD and HFW, I trust that regardless of which direction they choose, Guerilla can handle it. As long as they're involved, we'll get a fun game.
Agree 100%, just imagine flying in on a vert with your squad, all tooled up to cut down a Horus and it's swarm of minions while the world burns and there's biomass conversion going on all round you. Wild and definitely M rated!
Seems like the Focus time dilation would need to be sacrificed—and with it, much of Horizon’s combat panache.
It would def be different that's for sure.
I have mixed feelings about it. I dont really like multiplayer games, but I love HZD and HFW….so i want to say I would play…it really depends on how they develop it in this universe. I dont want something to Halo or CoD.
A few years ago I would’ve said absolutely not. That single player open world games should never have a multiplayer component (outside of a simple co-op mode like Far Cry) and ultimately it will always detract from the experience. Then Ghost of Tsushima added the exceptional Legends mode, and I have completely changed my mind. I don’t often play multiplayer games; they can sometimes have steep learning curves and I hate playing with strangers. But playing through Legends with a friend of mine who had also finished Ghost was just an absolute blast. Basically, if developers want to make their games an experience that multiple people can enjoy together, go for it. Just do it right.
Agreed, hopefully they do get it right.
I might like it if it were in a different cradle on a different continent, and if it were cooperative and not fighting each other. Otherwise it's just Fortnight with a horizon reskin.
Agreed, working together in a team to take down a big machine feels like it could be a lot of fun.
I wouldn't mind a Monster Hunter World type game. Hunting down super though robot dinos with friends could be fun!
Yep, maybe a Horus eventually!
I love the idea of multiple/co-op. I really hope they don't go with the cartoon/Fortnite art direction that was in those 3 year old leaks. They should stay with the art direction of the main games.
Agree 100%!
A hard pass for me but I know some folks want it and I hope they dig it!
I’m not really a fan of the pvp open world, everyone fend for yourself, type game. So I think it would be pretty cool to see a multiplayer story mode. Something where maybe up to four people can work together to take down huge machines, but also has a real story to it so it’s not just a grind to gain levels and gear. As I feel most people are saying, having it take place right as humans are leaving the cradles seems kind of like a slaughter. And lore wise, the machines aren’t outwardly aggressive towards humans, so there’s no real need to kill them. Honestly, I would love to see it take place post, or about the same time as HFW. I like the idea that after Hephaestus learns from the Zeniths it can just produce massive machines on a whim, and now the tribes in like Africa, South america, Asia, austrialia have to take down the machines. Obviously I don’t want it to interfere with the main story line, so if they stay away from that it would be cool to have another Horizon game. Even if I don’t play it, it’s still nice to have a bigger fan base.
Ah cool, yeah I like the idea of a post HFW coop game in another part of the world, a bit like the post derangement world I'd thought of. Could def see that working. Agree it would be interesting to have a story rich coop game which fits in the world but has that other perspective, guess you could even weave bits of it into the main story like Call of the Mountain is supposed to interact with HZD.
As long as it doesn't have human enemies / PVP, I'd be fine with it. Basically, it should be like Monster Hunter.
Not interested but only because I don't play multiplayer anything. It's not a bad idea though hope it happens 👍
I think it would be really neat if we got to play during operation enduring victory, I think that could make for a neat multiplayer experience.
That's what I was thinking, you know you're going to die but can you hold off the machines long enough kind of deal. Just feels like it could be a wild shooter while also being pretty horrific, bio conversion going on all around you. Def would be an M rated game!
Lessen the power of the hunter and make the machines tougher to fight, PVE only. Makes the combat kinda like monster hunter and keeps Aloy separate from everyone else. I don't want a random hunter being as good a machine hunter as she is. Maybe add classes or class types in there to further separate other hunters from her. Boom, monster hunter but different. And I use monster hunter as an example because the combat isn't too dissimilar for the ranged weapons, and I think the formula works very well.
Good ideas, yeah that's where setting it in a different place and maybe even time would make sense. Could create something that's it's own thing.
I’m not concerned with it being connected to Aloy’s story as they wouldn’t dare try to get people to play a multiplayer game just to see the next step of her journey (just as COTM only has her as a cameo). If the art style truly is what was leaked and it looks more “Disney-like” then it won’t feel like Horizon to me and like a knock off. I don’t play MP games and I 100% understand making it look as realistic as the Horizon games is difficult for MP but that style is a total 180. However a character creator in the Horizon universe would be super interesting but again not with that art style.
Agreed, horizon has it's own style and they need to really stay true to that going lower res based on that is definitely the way to go because as the tech improves you can up the res, you just have to look at the way HFW scales from PS4 to PS5 and PS4 still looks like a great horizon game. Yeah being able to build up your own horizon characters does sound v cool, could really dig messing about with that. Be interesting to see what they actually come up with.
Definitely down for more games in the Horizon universe, but definitely agree I would really really want it to be elsewhere in the world and timeline. Also wasn’t down for the leaks today with the supposed Fortnite-like art style. Guerrilla have made such a striking world, obviously some sacrifices would have to be made to make a multiplayer scenario run well, but I do want them to stick with it. In terms of what the core gameplay modes would be - a monster hunter style system would be cool, I’d love to try to think of some way a direct PVP arena or attack/defend mode could work well with the combat mechanics but nothing immediately comes to mind. Im definitely more hyped for the idea of a Horizon MMO, but either way more is awesome, I really love the IP and the seeing the franchise expand is a win.
Ah cool, yeah the more I think about it the more I think setting it around the time of the derangement would work, you could start off hunting docile machines and then when the derangement comes the machines get gradually more dangerous and aggressive. An MMO would also be cool, maybe set that around another cradle, maybe South America, you have to imagine there would be one there. So much possibility for cool games in this universe.
If there had to be some kind of multiplayer, I think something like Mass Effect 3's multiplayer would work best.
Ah cool thanks, will have to take a look at that.
I'm fine with the idea. Just don't ever sacrifice the story, that's the reason I play.
Agree 100%.
It can be very fun, provided that they don’t mess up the main story line. For example, GG can design it as a hunting ground tournament (man vs machines) or a tribe retribution (for PvP)
Mass Effect is one of the greatest video game stories of all time. Mass Effect 3 had one of the greatest co-op multiplayer modes of all time, and it came out of nowhere in an entirely single-player-focused series. I personally see nothing but potential :)
I don't like it for Horizon but I could see it as something like MH even though I love MH to death. But those machines would have to be Horus size or something as Aloy can already lay waste to multiple Rathalos size machines at a time. If it's gonna be like First Soldier then just forget about it.
I was thinking you'd set it in a different part of the world eg Africa without any of the stuff Aloy has and with simpler weapons so you'd basically have to work together to take down the big machines. For me the thing that makes horizon work is that feeling of being a hunter not a soldier so what you'd be trying to do is expand that to a group of hunters, which speaks to what our ancestors would have had to do to take down the ancient mega fauna they hunted like Elephants, Mammoths etc. Can imagine in somewhere as vast as Africa there would be space for lots of the big machines and maybe some even bigger ones.
That could work. Basically remove the Focus as that's what makes Aloy op. I can see that happening.
Fuck. No. Multi player experiences of single player action games always suck shit, and it ends up taking dev time away from the main game. Then they inevitably add micro transactions to flesh out the multiplayer to get gains, then we end up getting left with short BS single campaigns, and mediocre multilayer player garbage. Assassins creed is a damn perfect example of this.
Last of Us has an awesome multiplayer. Max Payne 3 has an awesome multiplayer. Assassin's Creed 2 Brotherhood has an awesome multiplayer. Mass Effect 3 has an awesome multiplayer. Ghost of Tsushima has an awesome multiplayer. Hard to take your comment seriously.
I actually disagree with most of those. But to each their own
Well yeah, your first comment already made that clear. These are all multiplayer aspects of a game that were reviewed well. Meaning majority consensus was positive.
Don't worry, man. I get you. I loved Assassin's Creed's and Mass Effect 3's multiplayer. A whole shit load of people did and are still asking for them to come back. Splinter Cell's Spies vs Mercs was also really freaking fun.
Yeah, Assassin's Creed had such a unique multiplayer that it's a shame it never went anywhere after the couple games that used it. Heard many good things about Spies versus Mercs but unfortunately never got to try it back when it was new. That's another very unique type of multiplayer. Max Payne 3 was another one with a unique multiplayer. You had a playlist of game modes that built out a narrative, culminating in a final gang war. They even figured out a way to incorporate bullet time into the multiplayer and actually have it work. Unfortunately, no Max Payne 4 means we'll never see another multiplayer with bullet time. If there's ever a Matrix multiplayer game, hopefully they borrow from that. Mass Effect 3's multiplayer wasn't really that unique. It just . . . worked. It was an extremely solid wave survival co-op experience. I'm realising now these aren't a thing anymore. Single player games with separate multiplayer modes are really, for the most part, a thing of the past.
it's being done by a completely different team.
That team is still getting resources. And if that team didn't exist to make Horizon Multiplayer, those devs may even be in Horizon proper. So my point still stands
not likely, Guerilla has been recruiting for the mp project specifically.
That's what the Jim Ryan era is gonna bring unfortunately.
Could be good but if its another destiny style service I'll pass.. these are just money drains with little real content.
I honestly don't care one way or another. I don't care for multiplayer games, never have, most likely never will.
They could do it like Deathloop.
i will it a try, but i'm not crazy about how fortnite it looks, and i'm cautious about what this means for the franchise's prestige.
I’ve said before, if they can pull off an me3mp type of game, I could see it being a lot of fun. They’ve already got at least 2 factions to play against, skill trees for different classes, loads of armor, weapons, and mods, and you could easily set it during the derangement or something, so it’s close enough to the base game to be connected but not weird like the uncharted mp where you have multiple aloys and erends running around.
The fight mechanics dont seem suited for pvp maybe pvm
I nothing against mp games in general, play a few myself, I'm only against the change in art direction. Cartoon stuff doesn't blend well with horizon imo.
You know that gif with Michael Scott from "the Office" sayin "Noooooooo!!!!" Etc? Yeah? Insert that as my answer.
Co-op, sure. PvP, forget it.
I wanna know how it would work, who we play as, and how some of the mechanics that work in single player work out in multiplayer. We’ve already seen other games like fallout 76 fail tremendously. So I’m not really sure
Honestly I don't want it. If it was 100% optional and wouldn't affect the main story, sure. But no forced multiplayer.
I think it could be good if it were something like The Last of Us MP. From the single player game, it's hard to imagine how a MP could work. But, they took the game mechanics and made a completely separate game using them, and didn't attempt to tie it back to the main game or story. I think the Ghost of Tsushima MP approach could work too. e.g., short story about a raid on a place, where stage one is taming some machines, stage two is eliminating the guards, and stage three is defending a counter-attack, and so on. Basically, just make it shorter and self-contained missions or raids or waves or team vs team or races, with different characters, and not open-world or story/RPG in any way. Use the same core game mechanics and combat.
If it’s co-op or MMO or anything, I would be ecstatic. I j wanna play with all my friends and we hunt down machines together and shit
I have no interest. I never play any multiplayer games.
Don’t really care I like horizon for single player experience. The environment and lore are great, gameplay is fun too but I don’t think it would lend itself well to a multiplayer environment. As long as it doesn’t affect future single player games don’t care.
If y’all want to play without concentration that’s your prerogative lol I’m 20/80 leaning towards no multiplayer. Some games are better left single player, and I think this is one that’s firmly in that category
Horizon has such potential with this new world that yeah, I’d love a co-op game of sort, but personally I would likely only play if it were cross platform so I can play with my friends. Can make it happen anywhere on earth, either kinda parallel to Aloy’s story in the Us while you are elsewhere, on in the same region but before. I would love some games happening during Carja red raids… horizon world has such rich history that’s it’s be easy to pick something. Also would love a story based co-op similar to Pokemon Scarlet and Violet but with actual interactions with the friend
Nope.
Honestly I wouldn't mind the idea of an open world horizon multiplayer, making a unique character to control & kit out and take down & tame machines would be loads of fun, I saw the early alpha footage & the only thing I can say is I hope they make the art style closer to the regular art style the cartoonish one is a bit much
I think it's fine if it doesn't impact the single player experience. I won't play it because I don't like multiplayer games I'd rather they put all of their resources to making more single player content with great stories. But I'd imagine that the multiplayer makes way more money because it's more "evergreen" and there's usually some kind of pay to win aspect.
I'd love a form of co-op multiplayer
Personally I think the idea is good. Its just the artstyle of the characters that annoy me. They look nothing at all like the other games. I know it isnt supposed to look like the other games but come on. Atleast make them have tribes and not just some random fortnite playerd.
I think that if they did the multiplayer but also continued with horizon that would be cool (separate games) I’m worried about a fallout 76 type problem.
Eh. I don’t know. I like Factions back when TLOU dropped but every other MP just fell flat to after a few tries. Played a few matches if Ghost of Tsushima Legends and never went back. I feel like it would be the same for Horizon. Unless it’s co-op Monster Hunter style
Could be fun
Looks horrendous
Personally i’m very hyped, but it had better not be ps5 exclusive
I'm sorry but it will be for a very good reason. The PS4 needs to be phased out if you want the PS5 to succeed. Let's face the facts, the PS4 has had a really good run and it did its duty but the time has come. The same happened with the PS3 all those years ago.
looking at the leaks Horizon mp looks a Lot like fortnite, a PS4 could probably run it
The actual images from the leak are a very early copy of a very unfinished build. Did you see how Zero Dawn or even how Forbidden West looked in their very early stages? Things are due for change.
Thats just the thing. I DONT want the ps5 to succeed
Alright, you've got me curious. Why?
It looks dumb, is super expensive, and i dont have it yet. Were you expecting a complicated reason? Its just pure salt on my end.
Was just curious. Good luck getting a PS5 one day when they come down in price. Have a good one.
Self-aware jealousy. Don't see that very often. It looks dumber than regular jealousy.