God of War was one of the best games of 2018, and with the release of the PC version of the game, the game is expected to dominate the charts again in 2022. To find out why this game is so good, read our God of War review. To find out what the developers thought of the game, or why they didn't plan to provide MOD support, here's our interview with Matt DeWald, Creative Director of Sony Santa Monica Studios, and Matt DeWald, Senior Manager of Technical Production.
GI: Let's get to the point. Now that God of War has landed on PC, what do you think will appeal to players?
Cory Barlog: Because silent Hill is secretly hidden in the game? I'm kidding. To be honest, I think for developers, the fact that the game landing on a PC means that there will be a lot of potential players who haven't tried the game and can enjoy the charm of the game on their high-end PCs, which makes us very excited. I don't have a 3090 graphics card, but I think a lot of people do. And, even if you've played it once, I've beaten it a few times myself, but it feels great to play with a widescreen monitor.
Matt DeWald: Our console version sold about 19.5 million copies, but there were a lot of people who never played it, which is amazing. If they haven't played the console version so far, they shouldn't be playing on consoles. So this time landing on the PC gives them the opportunity to play on their favorite platforms. Like Cory just said, we've added a widescreen mode and enhanced the game to support 4K resolution. Players can further increase the image resolution and experience the ultimate picture effect.
GI: The game supports new technologies such as 60 frames and widescreen, is this helpful for the final boss battle?
DeWald: Yes, I mean, it depends on how well you play. But I think an increase in frame count will definitely make the player react earlier. We used NVIDIA Reflex technology to optimize reaction times as well. I hadn't even played Higruen, so I didn't know what the final boss would look like. I haven't played in 4 years and basically gave up. Planted in her hands.
GI: Looking back, over the past few years, you have accumulated some new ideas, do you have any new ideas and new emotions about "God of War"?
Barlog: I still have that kind of injury... I don't want to use the word "trauma," but this one is the most appropriate, so I wanted to talk about the trauma I suffered during the production process. The production of the game can definitely be said to be very long, so after such a long time to review, I am very pleased to be able to clearly reflect on and judge my approach and decision at that time. I don't think development completion means the end. To be honest, I'm proud, but I keep looking back, analyzing every decision I made at the time, thinking , "Oh, did I do it right?" Is it wise to do so? Another option might be better." It drives me crazy because I just want to look at and play the game calmly, and now that there are more new people on board, I'm excited to learn about the new reactions to games, like "I don't usually play console games, but now I have the opportunity to try it, and it's a big surprise."
GI: In this PC release, have you ever gone back and made some adjustments, some modifications?
DeWald: I asked if I wanted to do it, and then Cory what do you say? "Similar to the bridge section in Star Wars where Han First shoots?"
Barlog: Right? That's right, I definitely don't want to go back and make any changes. For example, stuffing a flashlight or something in a soldier's hand, or letting Gredo shoot first, etc., but I always can't help but want to change something. I had to suppress my desire to modify, because I knew it wasn't a good thing, at least for me. If there is a problem in the game, and everything is related to it, then let's get straight to the point and fix it, but if we change the part that is not a problem, it feels like doing so will upset the tone of the game. I feel like we should always look forward, like, "Okay, let's wait until the next step to fix that." And then we'll look ahead and get things done." But the main thing we have at hand is, how to make the game more brilliant? How do we handle PC functionality for players, some players will say, "I spent tens of thousands of dollars on computers, and I hope the game looks great."
GI: Do you know why Sony decided to land this game on PC? Is this the result of what you have earned?
Barlog: I think it's because all the studios are talking about the idea and saying we should think about it. Finally, I think your comments have finally paid off. After we've made so many suggestions, they're probably going to say, "It's annoying, okay, just do it." That's how progress has been made. As a company, as a separate studio, we're still exploring how this kind of thing should be handled, and we're also exploring processes and strategies.
GI: So, do you think God of War: Twilight of the Gods will be able to get on PC within 4 years of being released on the console?
Barlog: I don't know. Now we're troubleshooting game by game, looking at each game and judging, "Look, did you do it best?" It is then evaluated. Do players love this game? Are we doing it right? Is there anything wrong? Could it be better if I did it again in the future? But in any case, in the end, it will depend on Sony's decision.
GI: How much do you think about playing God of War with key rats?
DeWald: I thought about it a lot because we recognized early on that if we wanted to land on a PC, that's a point that had to be focused. We have to be clear about the actual experience. One thing is to create a custom interface that can customize all the keys. There is no such thing on the host platform. It took a lot of effort just to do this. Then figure out how to set the default settings? Does the default feel natural? One of the findings we've found is, for example, to cross an obstacle on a hosting platform, press the Circle key. Whether it is climbing over obstacles, moving obstacles, or climbing through cracks, etc., it is all operated by pressing the circle key. On the PC side, we use the E key to interact, this operation system is very common, but we found that when we look for players to try it out, they are used to pressing the space bar to jump over the crack, even if the pop-up prompt says press the E key, for keyboard operation, it is more in line with the habit of pressing the space bar to skip the crack. So we have to go back and find all the jump points with the jump mechanism, and then set the option to use the space bar. This is not required on the host platform. This allows two keys, the E key and the space bar, to implement the same function. But everyone will think it's natural.
Barlog: I'm going to play with my Nintendo Bongo controller.
GI: That sounds really good. How do you feel about the experience of playing this game with keyboards and mice, or is it more convenient to use a gamepad?
DeWald: Actually, I'm mainly playing with keyboard and mouse now, because I've been studying how to play with keyboards and mice for the past two years, and it's become my default option. Using keyboard and mouse to play is very natural to me.
GI: A lot of people play PC games with their Xbox controllers. What do you think of people playing God of War with an Xbox controller?
DeWald: It's great. We also thoughtfully made key pattern hints so that players don't make a mistake in keystrokes. That's right, we didn't mind at all. Players can even play with the Switch controller. Play with any third-party controller. We've added as many options as possible to make it easy for anyone who wants to try this game.
GI: What do you think of people giving mods to games?
DeWald: Actually, we've all seen things like Master Yoda incarnating as the God of War, Glogu incarnating attrius. I think it's interesting to watch players make some funny combinations. We are not supported by Mod. We didn't make that kind of tool when we were developing. The things we do are fixed, so it's very difficult for them to do that kind of thing. But I'm sure there's going to be some talented players who come up with something great, and we're looking forward to seeing that.
Barlog: That's right, when I play PC games, I try if there's a MOD available. I think it's interesting to do that. One of the great pleasures of playing PC games is that some people will add some material to the game, or improve the game to enhance the gaming experience. Grand Theft Auto and The Elder Scrolls: Skyrim are two great examples, and Mod takes the experience to the next level as players will want to try something new. There's no such level of interaction on the console, so it's an option, and I think it's great. But you know, my views don't represent those of the rest of the company.
GI: Do you have any plans to add Mod support in the future to make Mod's creation easier?
DeWald: There are no plans at the moment, but anything is possible. Putting Maya models into the game was tricky, so we needed to create a user-friendly tool, which would take months to train our artists and deploy some of the processes in place. Therefore, it takes a lot of effort to develop a tool for users that is intuitive enough to implement this kind of function. Many of the tools we use are made during the development process.
Barlog: Our tools are different. That's how we work. We love complex tools. Our engines are not made to support that kind of thing. Our tools are all tailored and inherently complex. So I think this kind of support is unlikely to happen in the future, but no one can say for sure.
GI: Finally, any other ideas? What else is not mentioned?
DeWald: The most important thing is pcs going live. I was very excited and uneasy about the reaction to the game after it was launched, because the players' computer configurations, software and hardware combinations were so strange, I wanted to see how the game worked. But we've spent a lot of time doing tests to ensure game performance, and I hope that these efforts will work out.
Barlog: You've done a great job. I'm looking forward to that.
DeWald: Can you quote him in your article and say that we're doing a great job?
Barlog: That's why I'm talking about it at this point, and it's enough to just say it once, because it's going to be published, and I don't have to repeat it.
God of War landed on PC on January 14.
Translation: Wellin Tsin Editor: Tonkotsu Ramen
By Ben Reeves
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