Capcom’s Hideaki Itsuno sits down to answer questions about Dragon’s Dogma 2, including the game’s frame rate, new armor system, exploration and vocations.
The release of Dragon’s Dogma 2 is almost upon us and many prospective Arisen still have burning questions about the game.
The Reno Gazette Journal and USA Today Network recently caught up with Dragon’s Dogma 2 game director Hideaki Itsuno at Capcom’s U.S. headquarters in San Francisco to ask some questions about the upcoming title.
Jason Hidalgo, Reno Gazette Journal/USAT Network: So my first question is one that a lot of people are asking about online. Will Dragons Dogma 2 have the option for 60 frames per second on consoles?
Hideaki Itsuno, Capcom: For Dragon’s Dogma 2, we’ll feature uncapped frame rate performance around 30 FPS or above on consoles. For PC, it will depend on the specs of the machine. But for consoles, we are aiming for an uncapped frame rate around and above 30 FPS.
RGJ/USAT: Does picking either a human or Beastren character affect the story? Will there be multiple character slots or are we limited to one character and one save file?
Itsuno: So the main storyline is the same for both, whether your main character is human or a Beastren. However, some minor details as to how your character proceeds in the game and how other characters treat your character — those will have differences depending on whether your main character is human or Beastren.
Regarding your question about multiple characters, the game features one save slot. It’s one character per player and one main Pawn per player. However, the looks and characteristics of both the main player and the main Pawn can be modified throughout the game by going to specific locations that allow that option. That said, based on what we just mentioned about there being minor differences between you selecting your main character as human or Beastren and how other characters perceive you, the one thing that you cannot change is the race of your main character whether your main character is human or Beastren. That’s the one aspect that you won’t be able to change because that impacts how characters perceive you.
RGJ/USAT: There are a lot of games with big areas but nothing to do or they just send you out on fetch quests without a story. How have you designed exploration to make it interesting?
Itsuno: First and foremost, we put a lot of emphasis on the density of the map. When it’s your first time visiting some place, we try to design it in a way so that you could see the goal where you’re going to, but there’s no clear path. This is based on the idea that well, if you’re going to a place and you can see the road and it’s just a straight road, it’s not that exciting to go through the straight route. But if you can see where you’re going to but you’re not sure how you’ll get there, you’ll get a bit more excited. Like, OK, how how will I get there?
Also, as far as getting to one destination, we prepared multiple routes. We also prepared points of emphasis along the way so you have multiple options and it would be difficult to experience them all at once. So even though you’re visiting the same place, you will get different experiences and find different things. One of the things we also emphasized is that when you visit in one location, the enemies don’t show up in the same way but show up in varied ways so that even though you visit the same location multiple times, it will still provide some value to the player.
RGJ/USAT: Will there be a New Game Plus option like the last game? And will you have challenging endgame content like Bitterback Isle?
Itsuno: Endgame is something that we can’t comment on now because we don’t want to spoil it so please just look forward to it.
RGJ/USAT: So does that mean you also can’t answer any questions about the Eternal Ferrystone returning as well?
Itsuno: I don’t know about that (laughs).
RGJ/USAT: What is your favorite vocation in the game and why?
Itsuno: Initially, the Sorcerer was my favorite vocation but lately, I’ve been enjoying the Warfarer.
Personally, I really enjoy doing multi casting, which is when multiple characters invoke magic at the same time. You can do this with Sorcerer and you’re able to do that with Mage, too, and it makes the spell more powerful if you release it at the same time. However, if you get a party of four sorcerers, then healing becomes quite a headache. It can actually be pretty challenging.
But if you make your party with a Warfarer plus Sorcerers, then you can do healing while also multicasting. I find that idea to actually be quite fun and exciting. But yeah, if you put together a party like that, wolves and hobgoblins will wipe your party. It’s really strong against bosses, though.
RGJ/USAT: So far, 10 vocations have been revealed. Are there more vacations than that?
Itsuno: So currently, we have 10 vocations announced and that’s as much as we currently have plans for at this point right now.
RGJ/USAT: Are you able to talk about the changes to the armor system and the reasons behind them? It seems like it has been simplified. Is the Under Armour or clothing layer gone? Will there eventually be a transmog option? And will players be able to do equipment presets?
Itsuno: So for Dragon’s Dogma 2, we changed the armor system and simplified it with the goal that people choose different things to have more visual variety. We wanted to balance it in a way so that people wouldn’t end up always choosing the same things.
In that regard, we added more variety and simplified the system. Rather than having an inner and outer, we divided the equipment for the upper half of the body and the lower half of the body. We added helms and capes. There are some presets but overall, well, something that happened in the previous game at high levels was that people would go for the same kind of equipment in the end. This time we made a conscious goal of trying to create something that even at higher levels, people would be encouraged to choose different things. So there will be some visual variety into what people were choosing.
RGJ/USAT: So you mean everybody pretty much started using the same gear and looking the same in the previous game?
Itsuno: Yeah, so because of that, we tried to make it very consciously so that the higher your level, the more variety you would be encouraged to choose from.
RGJ/USAT: How are character stats determined in Dragon’s Dogma 2? Is it pretty much the same as before? Do you have a base stat now or is it mostly based on your vocation or leveling? Do players have more freedom to pick or allocate them? Will it be possible to reset or re-allocate them?
Itsuno: I guess your question is asking how stats increase and grow, right? So it works in a similar way. It’s based on the vocation. However, one of the things that we tried to adjust is to make sure that it doesn’t feel like your stats are capped. We made adjustments in a way that your stats wouldn’t get stalled based on your level. However, players won’t be able to reallocate their stats freely.
RGJ/USAT: Does a character’s body type still come with advantages and disadvantages? If I make a huge character, will there be areas I can’t get into?
Itsuno: So in Dragon’s Dogma 2, you won’t have any situations where you won’t be able to enter a place because of your body type. However, body type will still have an impact on your character’s stats or characteristics. If your character is taller then there will be characteristics that match that. If your character is shorter, there will be characteristics that match that.
For example, body type can impact the amount of weight they can carry or how fast their stamina recovers. Also, the length of their limbs affect the speed in which they move or the reach of their attacks.
RGJ/USAT: Will you still be able to play catch with your Pawn? How much freedom do players have in designing their Pawn?
Itsuno: Yes, you can play catch with your Pawn. Also, one of the main themes of the Pawns is their individuality. Based on what a Pawn is like, you can figure out what kind of person created the Pawn, right? So that’s something that we stressed this time, too. The more characteristics we have available, the more options players have to make their own Pawn unique and we wanted to emphasize that.
RGJ/USAT: Will there be collaborative types of gameplay with other players?
Itsuno: There’s indirect collaboration with other players. You can do a high five with other players’ Pawns, for example. Other players’ characteristics will also be reflected in the Pawns so you’ll feel like collaborating with them. Personally, I don’t like constantly picking up items so there are specialties or special characteristics that you can assign to Pawns, including one where they pick up items. So those kinds of elements from the creator of the Pawn will be reflected on the Pawn itself.
RGJ/USAT: In terms of consumer-friendliness, will there be a need for a constant Internet connection? Will there be any microtransactions and if so, how will they be applied?
Itsuno: The game can be played offline. However, in order to hire Pawns from other players, you will need to be online and that’s definitely encouraged.
In terms of microtransactions, Dragon’s Dogma 2 has DLC like “A Boon for Adventurers,” which will be available in the Deluxe Edition but will also be available as DLC when the game releases. Some of the elements include Rift Crystals and Wakestones, which are included in the Deluxe Edition, and will also be released as individual DLC in limited amounts per account.
RGJ/USAT: How difficult or challenging is the game going to be? Is it going to be mostly like the first game? Do you have options to pick your difficulty? Has there been any changes in balancing compared to the first game for consumables like Throwblasts, which kind of became game-breaking?
Itsuno: It’s a pretty hard game compared to the previous one.
Usually, difficulty is determined by factors such as the time required, the technique required and the knowledge required. We made a conscious effort to reduce the elements that depend on time required.
In terms of the difficulty as an action game, one change that we’ve made is putting in a system that optimizes the difficulty according to the player. We also feel that we’ve successfully added some difficulty that people will enjoy as far as the role-playing elements that require you to play a character within a specific role.
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