Ace Combat 7 #hype

Ace Combat 7 is playable at PlayStation Experience with a new PlayStation VR demo, and Producer Kazutoki Kono gave DualShockers a few interesting details about PS4 Pro support, and balancing development between the traditional console experience and virtual reality.

Kono-san mentioned that the team intends to support PS4 Pro, but the game is still in development and isn’t fully optimized yet, so the way the power of the new hardware will be used is still not fully decided.

“We still don’t know what it’ll look like, but we do intend to do something.”

Asked how working on VR and PS4 Pro in addition to PS4 changes the development pipeline, Kono-san also explained that this is the first time the team works in Unreal Engine 4, and that enables developers to shift the pipelines and focus development and the experience on each platform, whether it’s a traditional flat-screen experience, or the PS4 Pro, or virtual reaility.

Allocating recources has become a lot easier due to the capabilities of the engine, which has mechanics in place that really streamline that process.

We also asked Kono-san if it’s challenging to push the visual quality on the PS4 and PS4 Pro, while at the same time supporting VR, which has to achieve a higher frame rate and render for both eyes.

He explained that the core direction between normal gameplay and the VR experience is the same, with an area of 100 x 100 Km on the maps, allowing players to immerse themselves in the game.

That said, the restrictions are different: with VR the game has to be locked at 60 FPS, so the other elements have to be worked around that fixed variable. On the other hand, on a flat screen at 1080p, the focus is more on the details. That’s why the main campaign and the PlayStation VR experience are being developed almost separately.

In case you missed it, the game’s story and characters were showcased yesterday in a really lovely trailer. We also have plenty of new screenshots, if you want to enjoy some really beautiful fighter jets.

Ace Combat 7 is scheduled to release in 2017, exclusively for PS4, including PlayStation VR support, even if the headset is entirely optional.

Ace Combat 7 is bringing the franchise back to the fictional world nicknamed Strangereal, that was featured in previous numbered titles of the series, and was abandoned for the real world in Ace Combat: Assault Horizon. During a chat with Producer Kazutoki Kono, DualShockers learned that the new game will definitely be more similar to Ace Combat 5: The Unsung War and Ace Combat 04: Shattered Skies for PS2 than to the latest title.

I would definitely say that it has a similar tone to 4 and 5, because the person who is working on the script is Katabuchi-san, who wrote the script for 4 and 5. Of course, there are going to be different perspectives that we’ll explore in the cutscenes, so we have got backstories of the different parties at play in this fictional world. And we also take a look at the theme of war in general, kind of taking a step back and examining what that means.
Kono-san also mentioned that a lot of story information will still be conveyed via radio chatter, exchanging information that helps progress the narrative, and that fans of Ace Combat 4 and 5 are probably going to love the new one.

“I’m pretty sure that you’ll love this one too, if you liked 4 and 5”

Kono-san also clarified that the protagonist is going to be more in line with the faceless ones in Ace Combat 4 and 5, as opposed to William Bishop in Assault Horizon. He will be basically a neutral canvas in which the player can imagine himself.

We also learn that the cutscenes in Ace Combat 7 will show the events of the war from different points of view. While there is one truth, events will appear differently depending on how the onlooker believes they took place. They will show different perspectives depending on different people’s values.

Kono-san then explained the reason why the team decided to go back to the world of Strangereal, instead of sticking to the real world.

“Unlike Assault Horizon, as far as numbered titles go, it’s been ten years since the last one has been released, Ace Combat 6. I wanted to keep in mind the fictional world that has been established through the previous numbered games, that the fans fell in love with, because it is a sort of flagship representative version of all that Ace Combat should be.

At the same time, what the fictional world allows us to do, is to have – you might have seen it in the trailer – this orbital elevator, as well as cutting-edge weapons that wouldn’t really exist in the space of reality.

So it is a very “accommodating” world, so to speak. But it allows us to do it wit a sort of sense of reality, it’s not completely out there to the point that it doesn’t seem at all realistic. It’s a balance with fiction with experimental weapons and massive airship carriers.”

He also mentioned that when he approached Sunao Katabuchi for the game, he actually didn’t think he would have time, as he was working on a movie. Initially, he just asked if Katabuchi-san could recommend someone for the job. When the writer responded that he wanted to work on Ace Combat 7 as well, he gave Kono-san the confidence bring back Strangereal while doing it justice.

Back in April, Ace Combat 7 Producer Kazutoki Kono asked his followers on Twitter which Ace Combat games they would like to see remade on modern hardware. The result leaned heavily towards Ace Combat 5: The Unsung War, with Ace Combat 04: Shattered Skies and Ace Combat 3: Electrosphere following.

Since Ace 4 and Ace 5 are among the most beloved titles of the series, and they really could use a visual overhaul from their PS2 graphics, DualShockers asked Kono-san whether a PS4 remake for either or both games is on the menu.

“In terms of remakes, I’m very thankful that there are a lot of fans and voices saying “hey, we want to experience the story again.” Should the chance present itself, I would certainly like to examine it, but there are a lot of tricky issues that we took on with the past wars, thematically, so it would be a very tricky thing to navigate.

But if the chance presents itself, then I would like to explore it, absolutely.”

Looks like we’ll have to wait and see if anything of this front ever happens, maybe in the wake of a possible successful launch of Ace Combat 7. One thing is for sure: while remakes might not come, the new game appears to be very close to the beloved approach of Ace Combat 4 and Ace Combat 5, so my hype and hope are literally through the clouds.