Why was Dying Light delayed to 2015?
We decided to delay the game so that we can spend additional time to give the game the polish it deserves. We wanted no compromises when it comes to quality of Dying Light. We have posted a lengthy letter to gamers with our previous press release to inform about the reasoning for this decision. It can be found in media and on Dying Light forum.
What can you tell us about the player character? Will there be different characters to choose from? Will there be a female character?
Dying Light’s story is about a specific character, a character whose background and personality will heavily affect the happenings in the quarantine zone. Because of that, we had to create that character. His name is Kyle Crane, and through our story we will closely follow the impact he will have on the city of Harran, and the influence of Harran changing him.
Will there be an option to use vehicles in the game? There’s a lot of cars standing around in gameplay videos.
Harran is littered with cars, and originally we intended to give the players ability to drive. However, during testing, it turned out that our Natural Movement simply eliminates the need for driving. There was just no incentive to limit yourself to driving, when you could get anywhere quickly and efficiently using Natural Movement.
Are you working on Dead Island 2/ Dead Island: Epidemic as well?
Dead Island IP belongs to Deep Silver. The game is being developed by another company.
Do you plan to use the unique next-gen features, like voice control, PS4 pad support, Kinect support. If yes, then how exactly?
We will include support for next-gen features for both PS4 and XBOX ONE. Kinect gestures, voice commands, navigating the menus through PS4 Touchpad, and the PS4 Lightbar working with in-game flashlight, all of those features are supported in Dying Light.
Will Dying Light support user-generated content?
There are no plans for user-generated content at the moment.
What can you tell us about the story of the game?
The story focuses on Kyle Crane, one of the survivors in the city of Harran. The city was a site of a viral outbreak, turning its citizens into aggressive and deadly infected. Harran was subsequently quarantined, effectively cutting all the communication with the outside world. There are a lot of mysteries and secrets to uncover, and learning more about the game world is something we want players to experience through gameplay.
Will the PC version feature good mouse + keyboard support, or will it be better to play on a PC gamepad?
The controls were designed with the gamepad in mind, but the PC version will feature a fully optimized, customizable mouse + keyboard support. We don’t want PC players to feel like they are playing a console port. We intend both systems to be fully interchangeable, so players will be able to choose according to their preferences.
How exactly does co-op work? What about progressing through the main story with friends? Will people just run around doing stuff alone, or will there be incentive to really play together?
What sets Dying Light apart from other co-op games is that we place up to 4 players in an open world, free to do what they want. We do not want to impose limits on players. Of course, the integrity of the story line will require the team to co-operate and stick together, but that’s the only moment when anything is required of the players.
Are there any survival mechanics present in the game, like hunger/thirst, fortifying safe houses, scavenging for supplies, etc.?
We already looked in detail at implementing a hunger and thirst system into the game. In the end, we decided not to include it into the game, because it proved to detract too much from gameplay and break the pacing of the game. The player has quite a lot to keep track of, even without the need to constantly look for food and water. The game will still have you scavenging and competing over air supply drops, just without having to be constantly aware of your hunger and thirst levels.
Can you tell us some more about all the cool weapons in the game? How does crafting/weapon durability work?
Dying Light features more than 100 weapons, and except the simplest ones all of them are really cool. Dead Island showed we know how to make melee weapons and crafting fun and awesome, and we will use that knowledge to improve this feature in Dying Light. High-voltage hatchet or a machete with a flaming blade are only a small sample of what you will be able to create in Dying Light. Scavenging for parts and crafting the weapons is much more intuitive and streamlined compared to that in Dead Island.
The gameplay looks extremely gory and graphic. Isn’t it a bit too much? Aren’t you concerned about the level of violence in the game?
Dying Light will offer the option to turn off the gory elements of combat, but it is a game targeted at mature users. The violent and graphic nature of combat serves to really give the players a feeling of real danger and fighting to survive, which is integral to the game.
Dead Island was notorious for a very buggy launch. What counter-measures do you take to avoid a similar situation in Dying Light?
Well, one of the reasons for the delay was polishing the game and bug-hunting. Also, our company has grown a lot since the days of Dead Island, which means we have a lot more resources to devote to quality assurance. We intend for our game to revolutionize the genre, and we will do whatever it takes to ensure its success.
How do you plan to support DL after launch? DLCs, bug-fixing, servers, content patches?
Dying Light is a AAA title, and it’s our biggest and most ambitious project yet. As such, it will get all the support it deserves.
Do i get access to both the Be The Zombie, and the Punk Queen DLC if i pre-purchase Dying Light on Steam?
You indeed do get access to both DLC if you pre-purchase Dying Light on Steam.