The developers of the upcoming PSP game God of War: Chains of Olympus were available for questions from gamers on the Playstation Forums tonight from 7pm EDT – 8:30pm EDT. Ready At Dawn team members Dana Jan (Lead Level Designer), Garret Foster (Programming Director), Marc Turndorf (Producer) and Ru Weerasuriya (Creative & Game Director) answered questions on the development and what to expect from the PSP version of Kratos’ adventure.
Some highlights on God of War Chains of Olympus on the PSP:
- Set 10 years before God of War 1 (“after the murder of his family and Kratos renounces his service to Ares”)
- Kratos’ dodge action performed by PSP’s L/R shoulder buttons with analog stick
- Multiple weapons and magic powers
- Expect unlockable content and difficulty modes
- It’s been in development since Daxter shipped on the PSP (est. March 2006)
- Story focuses on Kratos’ “human side”
- Will run at 30 fps
- Ready At Dawn Engine upgraded since PSP Daxter to version 2.0
- Ready At Dawn Engine allows possibility of porting to PS2 or PS3′s PSN
- Will be kept to single-player to be true to God of War games
- UMD storage space was not a concern
Read the full chat transcript below!
Visit the official God of War Chains of Olympus website here.
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Transcript for Live Forum: ‘God of War: Chains of Olympus Chat’, Fri Aug 03 19:04:23 EDT 2007
ilike2game: Is there going to be multiplayer?
bobispoor: When is Chains of Olympus coming out?
rweerasuriya: To bobispoor: Winter
mocman: Will GoW:CoO feature multiplayer? If so, Infrastruce or just Ad-Hoc?
gfoster: To mocman: we are not currently planning a multiplayer version
Light_Jak: Send: Hey, I’d like to ask if you guys are keeping this new God of War true to the God of War franchise regarding the controls since the controls are different on the PSP?
rweerasuriya: To Light_Jak: We are staying as true as we can, there are really no compromises between the PS2 and PSP versions.
amir8: Will this game continue from God of War 2?
mturndorf: To amir8: This game is set in a time before GOW2: following Kratos in his service to the Gods during the 10 year period before the events of GOW1.
Kal-EI: What was it like developing God Of War: Chains of Olympus?
rweerasuriya: To Kal-EI: Definitely a challenging development. I think everyone expects as much of this game as the others regardless of the platform. So the pressure is definitely on us… but all in all, it’s a blast.
subrosian: What challenges did you face taking the epic gameplay experience of God of War on the PS2 to the portable platform of the PSP?
djan: To subrosian: We put a lot of work into ensuring that the gameplay felt like God of War. The combat had to be fast and engaging, there had to be big enemies, and we knew we were going to tell a big story even on the small screen.
PSP ONWER: What should we expect from the game, graphics wise
mturndorf: To PSP ONWER: Everything you expect from the first two GOW games…
Riadom: How will the controls differ from the PS2?
mturndorf: To Riadom: The controls are slightly different because of the one analog stick on the PSP. However all the fuctionality you expect will be there…
Dax101: Dodgeing was an important concept in God of War to avoid getting hit by various attacks. Without a second analog stick how do you plan to accomplish roll-dodge on th psp?
gfoster: To Dax101: You can dodge by holding the shoulder buttons and using the analog stick.
bruce2010: graphics wise how will it stand up?
mturndorf: To bruce2010: Extremely well…
ilike2game: Will any chracters beides Cratos return from the past games?
mturndorf: To ilike2game: Because the game continues the overaching story of Kratos there will be some characters in this game which have appeared in other GOW games.
JoRdAn VeSt: will there be multiple weapons like God of War 1 & 2
rweerasuriya: To JoRdAn VeSt: Yes, you will have multiple weapons with a new twist on how they intergrate into the storyline.
joeorc: the design of the enviroments look very unique from what i have seen is there any region of the world that may have inspired the land scape of chains
djan: To joeorc: We started with reference material from Greece and went straight to the look and feel of the environments in the GOW series. GOW has a distinct style of its own and we used it as our basis for Chains of Olympus. Our artists had to push the PSP to the limits to bring you the amazing environments you’ll see in GOW:Chains of Olympus
Khalid: Where will the game’s story fit in the trilogy? and will it be part of future installments?
mturndorf: To Khalid: The events take place before GOW1…
jasquarefan: Will there be unlockable modes and extras like the PS2 versions have shown us?
rweerasuriya: To jasquarefan: We’re still exporing that aspect but we hope to give players more outside the single player game.
jitty9: How long have you been working on this game?
rweerasuriya: To jitty9: Since Daxter shipped.
tony21489: What is the game save system like?
mturndorf: To tony21489: Very similar to the other GOW games…
JamesL007: The battles will they still be as intense as before??
mturndorf: To JamesL007: We are working to make them every bit as intense as the first two GOW games…
.PaR.: How is the evasion going to be used without a second analog stick?
gfoster: To .PaR.: Kratos can evade by holding the shoulder buttons and using the analog stick.
Iconshock: Will there be the ability to counter-attack, like the Golden Fleece?
djan: To Iconshock: This game will feature counter attacks. I can’t say what they are at the moment, but rest assured that the combat system and moves Kratos will have/unlock will be expansive in Chains of Olympus.
mocman: I’m have only played a demo the 2nd ps2 version, do you think that this game will be easy to get into if you haven’t played before?
mturndorf: To mocman: Yes, one of the many cool things about GOW games is that because the combat system is so intricate, both newbies and experts can play the game in entirely different ways bothing having loads of fun while doing it…
nick18542: What is being done to replace the rage of the titans/gods?
rweerasuriya: To nick18542: We are toying around with a few options but haven’t settled on on yet.
Vanila Gorila: Will there be any crosstalk objectives between GOD/COO and either GOW or GOW2?
gfoster: To Vanila Gorila: there will be no communication with any previous gow title
Kahonee: Can you give tell us how many magic powers – if any – will be in the game?
rweerasuriya: To Kahonee: There are multiple and the interesting part on how you obtain them is that they will each be used against you by an enemy before you are able to use it yourself.
JamesL007: Since this Chains of Olympus is before GOW 1, will we learn more about Kratos family??
rweerasuriya: To JamesL007: One of the areas we are focsuing on in this story is Kratos’ human side, I’ll let you imagine what that entails… : )
Seraphim: With the PSP hardware being somewhat limited how does Chains of Olympus compare to the PS2 counterparts? More precisely how is the AI, actual combat, and in general the overall feel. Were you able to implement everything we’ve come to expect from GoW in Chains of Olympus?
mturndorf: To Seraphim: Our goal is for people to play this game and think they are playing a GOW game regardless of platform. In every way this is a GOW game and happily people who play it (in focus tests and what not) generally say this looks and feels like GOW on the PS2.
Kal-EI: Will there be a difficulty setting for beginners and experts???
mturndorf: To Kal-EI: Yes there will be different difficulty modes.
jitty9: How do think first time GOW players would feel about this game?
gfoster: To jitty9: we’re hoping that first time GOW players playing chains of Olympus will feel the exact same way we felt while playing the first game…completely blown away.
Light_Jak: In what ways was this game challenging to develop?
djan: To Light_Jak: This game was bigger in scope than our last game and extremely demanding in terms of design, art, and technology. It’s a detailed world, there’s a lot going on. The PSP is a tremendous system when you put the effort into pushing it.
jaydogg691: Will there be multiple control schemes to choose from?
gfoster: To jaydogg691: If we find that there is a need for multiple control schemes we’ll provide them.
Supagohan: How will the Boss Battles compare to the versions of the Previous games?
rweerasuriya: To Supagohan: They will be as epic if not more than what you’ve seen before. The diversity of the enemies and bosses you will encounter is really vast and should give the player some cool challenges.
jasquarefan: What sort of new additions to the gameplay can we expect? God of War 2 introduced the icarus wings, will this have a new addition to the gameplay as well?
mturndorf: To jasquarefan: There will be plenty of cool new weapons, items and magic in this game.
bruce2010: can we expect the same mind bending puzzles that we have grown to love?
djan: To bruce2010: We like puzzles too…and yes you will get to flex your brain in Chains of Olympus.
Dax101: seeing as the game takes place within Kratos’ 10 year service to the Gods, will the story take place the day he became Ares’ servent of after?
rweerasuriya: To Dax101: The story takes place after the murder of his family and Kratos renounces his service to Ares. He decides to serve the other Gods on Olympus hoping they will rid him from his nightmares.
JimyD: Can we expect the same level of gore as in the PS2 games?
mturndorf: To JimyD: Absolutely. It would be a GOW game without it.
Elemental52: What do you expect the frame rates will average out to for the whole game?
gfoster: To Elemental52: The game will run at an uncompromised 30fps
scxzor: Since the Ready at Dawn engine can run on multiple platforms–is there a chance we’ll ever see GoW on PS2/PSN?
rweerasuriya: To scxzor: We haven’t explored that possibilty yet but our tech is multi-platform.
Light_Jak: Who is doing the music for Chains of Olympus?
mturndorf: To Light_Jak: The same talented folk that did the music on the first two games.
Trill-Figga: Since GoW focuses on greek mythology do you find it harder to come up with a story line that uses different gods than the previous versions has used
mturndorf: To Trill-Figga: Because Greek mythology is so rich with content the hard part was actually figuring out which ones to pick from such a large selection.
geograndia: Was there anything that had to be removed or added to make GoW more accessible as a portable game?
rweerasuriya: To geograndia: We didn’t remove anything from the a franchise – This is part of the the GOW franchise. In fact, we added more to what was already there to give the player a grandeur experience of God of War.
krate: where does most of the game take place
djan: To krate: on the PSP :)
FlyersMat4: what will set this game over the top
mturndorf: To FlyersMat4: It rises above anything you have ever seen on the PSP.
rodband: If someone hasn’t played the first two games will this one make any sense?
rweerasuriya: To rodband: Yes, absolutely. You’ll be able to play this without knowledge of the previous games, but you’ll experience events that will have connections to the other 2 games.
JamesL007: In the God of War 2, after you beat the game you were able to wear different costumes, anything like that this time around in Chains of Olympus?
mturndorf: To JamesL007: We have plans for some cool additional content … more info will be available soon…
krate: will this game explain story bits from god of war 2 that we didnt seem to know about like the conversation with atlas
rweerasuriya: To krate: There will be many answers to the questions asked previously as well as new ones that you will die to know the answers of.
someidiot: Will there be any of thoee funny/crazy mini game type things like with the…eh hem…bed scene on the boat in the first GoW?
mturndorf: To someidiot: I am not sure what you are referring to??? :)
KratosKilla: Is this game in flashback form or just a present telling of the story between the two God of wars
rweerasuriya: To KratosKilla: Linda Hunt will be narrating the story as she has with the previous games, so in some way, it is told as a story that already took place. But it won’t be a flashback.
Kahonee: Will some of the questions left behind by GOW 2 be answered in the game?
rweerasuriya: To Kahonee: Yes and more questions will be asked.
JamesL007: Do you guys believe you have pushed the envelope with Chains of Olympus
mturndorf: To JamesL007: We strive to push the envelope with any game we make and GOW for the PSP is no exception.
Ace810348: whats the biggest differance between God of War on PSP and God of War on PS2
mturndorf: To Ace810348: The size of the screen.
PeteDawg: Your team obviously puts a lot of effort into the visual details, so how much of a limiting factor was the small screen size?
djan: To PeteDawg: I actually forget that I’m playing this game on a handheld sometimes. I put on my headphones, and just become immersed in GOW. It’s awesome.
Riadom: Will the game be rated M?
gfoster: To Riadom: We have never shyed away from the fact that GOW is an M rated game – it is part of the GOW franchise…I couldn’t imagine it getting a lower rating :)
.PaR.: How will the camera be controled, Will it be one button to center it behind him or constantly following his back?
mturndorf: To .PaR.: The same way it is controlled in GOW 1 and 2…
bruce2010: what inspired you to bring arguably one of the best franchises to the psp?
mturndorf: To bruce2010: We love the franchise and wanted to be a part of it…
gamingangel: God of War has become such an iconic game for gaming fans. How do the expectations affect your development of the PSP version, and what is the funniest thing that occured during development?
djan: To gamingangel: GOW definately made us work harder than ever. Being fans ourselves, we didn’t want to let anyone down. It’s a great epic with a cool hero. No pressure…hehe.
Iconshock: Will each weapon you obtain be used against you first, similarly to the magic?
rweerasuriya: To Iconshock: We thought about it but that won’t necessarily be the case.
KHCloud: How have you tried to make this game match the previous two? Have you struggled at all trying to live up to the expectations?
mturndorf: To KHCloud: We love a challenge and creating a GOW game that lives up to expectations is quite the challenge. The whole team at Ready At Dawn is commited to rising to the quality level that is expected and so far I am happy to say it looks and plays like everything you would expect from a GOW game.
C-h-a-o-s: After this game will there be any story left for a possible second GOW on the PSP if a second will ever be in the works?
rweerasuriya: To C-h-a-o-s: There is still so much to explore in God of War’s overarching storyline. It’s an epic saga that really spans beyond the characters you’ve already encountered. There are many more stories in this universe.
mturndorf: To C-h-a-o-s: Because the game takes place in the 10 years that preceed GOW, there’s room for many more adventures that could take place during that time frame after Kratos became the Ghost of Sparta…
Riadom: What is your favorite thing about making a God of War game?
mturndorf: To Riadom: Making a GOW game. It’s Kratos in your palm!
Supagohan: Will there be a quick-save option in the game?
gfoster: To Supagohan: The game will have a similar save structure to the previous GOW games, but with an added benefit of the PSP having a power suspend feature.
Shi-san: In one or two words, how would you describe the game?
djan: To Shi-san: Grab some spare undies…no really.
gfoster: To Shi-san: @#$ing Balls
scout21: To Shi-san: morally void
rweerasuriya: To Shi-san: More than epic…its Epicidal.
Lord Hades: Will you be able to keep the weapons and magic that you gain in one skill level and carry them onto the next skill level?
mturndorf: To Lord Hades: Once you obtain a weapon or magic it is yours to use and upgrade the rest of the game.
LittleNinja: Approximately how many designers/artists worked on GOW: Chains?
djan: To LittleNinja: Our team has grown some since our last game. As far as numbers go, I’d have to ask around. It’s a pretty good mix though.
PSX_Cheatster: Make sure to get your questions in soon. We’ll be closing the message queue shortly!
Bigmac3869: What have you found you could do on the PSP that you could’nt on any other platform?
djan: To Bigmac3869: You can play GOW, stop, put it in your pocket, backpack, etc. then turn it back on again and play right where you left off. You can play it anywhere!
Elemental52: Will GoW’s storyline be like the first GoW where we found out things that had already happened as we progressed through the game (in media res), Or will it be a start to finish storyline?
rweerasuriya: To Elemental52: Yes, there will be some events that will be revealed as the story progresses
Zarkon: What were some of the modifications done to the Ready at Dawn game engine from Daxter to make it work on GOW Chains of Olympus?
gfoster: To Zarkon: We improved almost every aspect of the engine: renderer, animation system, physics, game system…I’m sure I’m missing something.
Kahonee: Will the gods and other characters retain the design of the first game, the second game or are you giving them a totally different look? An example of that would be like Poseidon having tentacles as legs and feet in the first game and actual legs in the second.
mturndorf: To Kahonee: Huh ?!? The player learns that the King got is powers when he was bitten by a radioactive spider.
KratosKilla: Will more information about the barbarian’s backstory be revealed?
jasquarefan: Will classic items such as Gorgon Eyes and Pheonix Feathers still be there to increase magic and health bars?
djan: To jasquarefan: Yes, you will definately want to spend the time scouring the levels looking for secret/hidden chests in Chains of Olympus. Gorgon Eyes and Phoenix Feathers will help you in combat.
Light_Jak: Are you going to have any cool tricks with the O button on Chains of Olympus?
djan: To Light_Jak: The O button will work as you have come to know and love it in GOW. Expect great, brutal things to happen. Afterall it is the ‘fun’ button.
Shi-san: Will the concept art be released?
mturndorf: To Shi-san: Yes… and it is quite amazing.
tony21489: Will the game take advantage of any extra features outside what’s on the game disc such as peripherals or wireless connections or memory stick content?
rweerasuriya: To tony21489: We explored a multiplayer option but really wanted to stay true to the franchise: GoW is an epic single player experience.
subrosian: What is the most compelling reason to buy this new game for someone who already owns the previous two God of War games
rweerasuriya: To subrosian: This will give you more insight into overarching story of GoW. There is much more to learn and experience in Kratos’ cursed life.
mturndorf: To subrosian: Adds the the GOW cannon, new weapons, new magic, new adventure, new enemies, new bosses and everything you expect from a GOW game. GOW: COO is pixel for pixel GOW.
KratosKilla: Will the titans have anything to do with Kratos’s rebellion?
mturndorf: To KratosKilla: Seems this question was more than answered in GOW2…
Josh_O: When in the timeline of GOW does this game take place
mturndorf: To Josh_O: Before the events of GOW1 but after Kratos became the Ghost of Sparta.
Khalid: In the PS2 version of God of War, the right analog was used to direct the camera, how will you overcome the fact that the PSP has one analog stick, and how will the controls differ from that of its home console counter-part.
djan: To Khalid: The God of War series utilizies fixed pre-defined cameras to maintain good framing on the action as well as direct the player and compose beautiful cinematic imagery. Chains of Olympus handles the camera in the same manner. The second analog stick was used for Evade on the PS2.
dagundam: Since Chains of Olympus takes place before the first two games, how will you balance out the powers and abilities that Kratos will have in the game so that it does not affect the overall story yet is still satisfying for the players? (as in… cool powers that are not forced to be weak simply because the story would not allow it) -This is if you DO think the abilities he will get will affect the overall story of the series.
rweerasuriya: To dagundam: We’ve tried to stay true to what was done previously. The powers you will obtain are new and will have some effect on the game and story, but we made sure that they fit in the overall progress of the franchise.
Dax101: Will Chains of Olympus answer some questions that were left in the first two games?
rweerasuriya: To Dax101: Yes.
HiroyukiBatosai: Hello, How did the size of the UMD disc affect the game? and where did you get all your information on the mythology of this game. who are your favorite person from the mythology?
rweerasuriya: To HiroyukiBatosai: It didn’t affect us much, actually it hasn’t been a concern at all. As for the information on Greek Mythology, a few of us had studied it previously and were already very familiar with it.
JamesL007: From the Gates of Hades to the Depths of Tartarus is this the Journey we can expect through Greek Mythology?
rweerasuriya: To JamesL007: There is much more to this story. You will play and experience an event that will change the course of the GoW mythology, that will take you far beyond where Kratos has ever gone before…[cue scary music =) ]
__TyE__: is there any humerous parts in the game?
mturndorf: To __TyE__: Kratos if nothing else is a comic genius. When he gets in a pie fight with Athena well, lets just say comedy ensues.
Vince4587: Can you talk about any features or modes that can be unlocked after beating the game? Will the ‘Challenge of the Gods Mode” return?
rweerasuriya: To Vince4587: We are still exploring that. We haven’t decided on which unlockables we will keep but you can bet that there will be some.
InTheZoneAC: will there be some sort of collector’s version of the game? like bonus modes or other in game extras?
rweerasuriya: To InTheZoneAC: We haven’t made any annoucements on that. But the demo you’re getting is going to be a collectors=).
Elemental52: Will there be any ways to imput codes (invincibility, magic, etc.) or will they have to be unlocked like in the first GoW?
gfoster: To Elemental52: no, the player will need to earn their cheats.
mturndorf: To Elemental52: Isn’t it nice to earn your cheats?
mturndorf: Thanks for taking the time to be part of the chat…I look forward to you playing the game. Not only because you will love it but also because that will mean we are done!
mturndorf: Dana says goodbye.
gfoster: Goodbye and we hope you enjoy the demo.
rweerasuriya: Thx all for joining in. If you’ll excuse us, we need to go chain ourselves to our desks and finish this game. Hope you enjoy the demo!
scout21: Kratos says bye
PSX_Cheatster: Thanks everyone for coming, and a special thanks to the developers for coming to speak with us!
