How Vidoegame Tech Helped Make The Mandalorian

Unless you've been living under a rock and haven't played video games, or seen the Mandalorian this article is going to miss big time. If however you've accomplished either of those things then we're all good.
Disney+ has of course been talk of the town of late with its stunning rendition of the expanded Star Wars universe with The Mandalorian, the Fett-esque mysterious bounty hunter sci-fi western that has reinvigorated the era of the original Star Wars trilogy in the same way Rogue One did.

Usually, sci-fi shows like this are effects heavy affairs, requiring large sound stages draped in green screen to pull off the post produced backdrops to the weird and wonderful settings and diverse universe of the Star Wars galaxy. For Mandalorian a different and more flexible approach allowed FX artists to adapt the effects work required in The Mandalorian by utilising modern video game technology. In a way this technique is very much like back projection which has been used in movies for decades, except with this particular tech it allows a very high resolution version of it. This is possible thanks to a 20-foot high, 270-degree semicircular LED video wall, which displayed various locations in the Mandalorian from the ice world of Maldo Kreis to the sinister hideout of The Client. These environments were edited in real time projected on a giant LED wall and all powered by Epic Games’ Unreal Engine 4.

This technique allows the actors to act in real time within a physical space but more than that allows FX artists to manipulate different elements in the background in real time, they can instantly change elements on the background from time of day, move environments and add other dramatic setting elements all in real time rather than in post production saving time but also providing instant results.

Check out the video below.

The Biggest console RPG of 2020 is out now

Sequel to Award Winning RPG Delivers an Engaging Table Top RPG Adventure on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One

Independent games publisher Versus Evil and developer Obsidian Entertainment  announced that Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire - Ultimate Edition is now available on Xbox One and PlayStation 4, with a Nintendo Switch version following later in the year. Originally released for PC and Mac, Deadfire received universal critical acclaim and picked up numerous awards. 

Priced at $59.99, Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire - Ultimate Edition features all the major updates and expansions available for the PC version made up of Beast of Winter ,Seeker, Slayer, Survivor and Forgotten Sanctum.

With an enormous open world to explore and comprehensive cast of characters, Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire - Ultimate Edition builds on the foundation of classic tabletop gameplay more than ever before, providing players with a deeper single player RPG game experience with either Turn-Based Mode or Classic Real-Time with Pause.

Players on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One can now experience and craft their very own sprawling RPG adventure and explore the infinite possibilities that await them from detailed character customization to the individual meaningful choices they make in-game. 

When asked about the challenges of bringing Pillars of Eternity II:Deadfire to console, Obsidian's Production Director Alec Frey commented...

"There are always a large number of things to consider when it comes to moving a game to consoles that was originally developed for PC. The two biggest things that present difficulties for Deadfire are performance and controls. The consoles have significantly less processing power than most computers these days, so we must pay attention to the optimization of features that use that power such as AI. This can be a challenge to do without creating new bugs and issues in the game. When it comes to controlling the game there are a ton of changes that need to be made from navigating menus to moving the character around the map. Luckily, with Deadfire we had solved many of these moving the first Pillars of Eternity to console, however there are some new improvements to that we’re excited about."

The game gained huge critical success on PC when it launched in May 2018 with PC Gamer calling it "A massive, bountiful RPG with richly descriptive writing, a well-realised setting, and deep tactical combat.

In Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire players will embark on a dangerous voyage of discovery to become master of the seas as they command their ship across the new open world region of the Deadfire. Pillars II builds on the foundation of classic RPG gameplay with vastly improved graphics, deeper game mechanics and a whole new handcrafted adventure where choices truly matter. Players can immerse themselves in exploration and discovery as they navigate the rich and exotic Deadfire archipelago by ship, discovering new races, visiting tropical islands, interacting with their inhabitants and engaging encounters at every port. 

The biggest selling point for it on console has to be that the Ultimate Edition launches with the Beast of Winter ,Seeker, Slayer, Survivor and Forgotten Sanctum DLC packs that all supported the PC version making it perhaps one of the most comprehensive and complete RPG's to grace console in 2020.

The game will be launching on Nintendo Switch later in the year.

Be sure to check out the trailer here

 

 

Feeding The Beast - Googles Stadia and the Netflix Model

Now that Google has made its intentions to become a major player within the gaming space with the launch of Stadia, its cloud based gaming platform complete with full streaming functionality, 4k at 60fps (disputed)  and other bold claims of any device from phone to TV how does it stack up?

How Can Stadia Succeed?

First off major I.P owners haven't rushed in to fill the catalogue straight away, rather they'll wait and see what the fuss is all about and then decide if their I.P fits the business model and how they can benefit from it or figure out if they have the technical attachment to make their brands work on the platform.

Google could, if it wanted, spend stupid amounts money in creating killer platform I.P it can use to show off Stadia, and buy studios but doesn't have to if larger I.P creates bespoke player experiences that differ from traditional console. In a similar way that Microsoft and Sony buys studios for own brand talent and I.P creation (Obsidian), Stadia will need to at least consider the same tactic. Jade Raymond and Phil Harrison both have the experience to help Google navigate the space where studio created I.P can flourish but it'll need to establish it's very own potent  brand I.P to bring in the masses by the millions. Much like Netflix has promoted its own brand through its original own I.P content with shows like Stranger Things, The Irishman and The Umbrella Academy, Russian Doll and Mindhunter, its content exclusives which can really help drive adoption.
Phil Harrison tends to jump ship pretty quickly so I can't really see him dedicating a long term commitment to Stadia, but I've been wrong before.

Amazon is another example and promotes its own powerhouse brand I.P with shows like The Grand Tour, Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan etc, both services rely on a vast catalogue for consumers to browse and enjoy but in order to survive these streaming services know that its their own in-house original content that retains audiences and builds brand recognition and its an ongoing never ending battle as more services compete for our attention as consumers.
Stadia is an exciting proposal in gaming but its actual execution hasn't exactly gone to plan.

Stadias Catlogue - Buffet dining and discoverability

Stadia will suffer the same inevitable issues that the Apple Store, Google Play, Netflix and Steam all suffer, and that's  discoverability for individual titles, how smaller game developers utilizing Stadia can survive through a subscription based model. Truth be told there hasn't been a rush of developers getting content on Stadia which may mean there's a mix of premium and free to play content which may help the platform succeed but its got a long way to go yet.

What Stadia shouldn't be is an excuse to just fill it with ports of familiar franchises but rather explore new innovation with familiar I.P to create new player experiences.How this all affects larger brands and I.P that rely on higher priced retail models to pay for development, games like Assassins Creed and Grand Theft Auto spend vast sums of money on the development cycle which is recouped (hopefully) at launch is something that probably points to monetized DLC and added bolt on experiences. You pay your flat subscription fee to Stadia which gives you access to a decent sized chunk of say, the next Assassins Creed game but to fully explore the larger aspects of the game it'll charge you a fee to buy / access the larger experience which is designed to bring the revenue back to the developer.

The mere fact that Stadia can take a large triple A title like Assassins Creed Odyssey and stream it to a Chrome browser in 1080p on a simple laptop with no real loss of quality speaks for itself(done during test via Project Stream but reality has shown differing results). The aim for Stadia is to allow users to jump in and be playing a game within 5 seconds with no download, no patches, no delay, no update and no install, its a pretty big aim - but one where tech is inextricably being puled towards - in the age of technology we want faster connectivity, less downtime, we expect immediacy with technology and its no different where games are concerned and for Stadia its about reducing the friction of being excited about a game and actually playing it.Being able to play any game regardless of device across mobile, tablet, PC and TV with no need for a console and only a chromecast streamer via HDMi is insane tech but if its initial reviews are to be taken into account Stadia has a long way to go to fulfill that dream.

This technological leap, as much as it sounds quite bold is where console first party owners now need to take stock, updates are the absolute bane of any consoles owners life ( Call of Duty Modern Warfare PS4 update anyone?) so immediacy itself is a true console killer feature if ever there was one, and while Stadia hasn't immediately set the world on fire with its physical launch (as rough around the edges as it was) it's still a concept where the future of gaming is headed.