In a new season of developer diaries, Remedy takes a look at Control's customizable gameplay and destructive environments ("wrecking shop") as they put player choice and exploration in the spotlight.
In the sixth episode, released earlier today, we hear from Thomas Hudson (Senior Game Designer), Sergey Mohov (Game Designer), Mikael Kasurinen (Game Director) and Paul Ehreth (Lead Designer).
- Episode #1: Introducing the Story
- Episode #2: Introducing the Gameplay
- Episode #3: The Oldest House
- Episode #4: Introducing Jesse Faden
- Episode #5: The Key Players, Directors Old and New
What we found out: In the latest episode, we found out that discovery is at the heart of Control with the developers referring to exploration as a "core experience". Things at the FBC are not explained right away, encouraging the player to delve into lore and environments.
While Control is an open world game, there are ways in which the game guides the player, such as the in-game map, signage around the FBC, landmarks, and distinct sections. By exploring, the player can find new upgrades to gear, side quests, and larger and stranger bosses.
We know that there will be optional narrative content around the FBC such as logs which Jesse can stumble across, but with the game's destructive environments, the topic of safeguarding story content was brought up. For optional story content, the items and surfaces won't actually be destructible, allowing players to safely retrieve the content.
The Encounter Director allows for an "optimal experience" in terms of combat, and encounters are determined based on location, completed missions, and encounters up to the point, to allow players to be surprised by the enemy's attacks.
