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QDream · 07-25-2008, 11:09 PM

General info:

Not much is known about Quantic Dream’s latest project, entitled Heavy Rain. All the info thats been released on it thus far is a trailer called “The Casting” and a movie poster - neither of which are even necessarily representative of what the game will actually be.

While details on the actual game are fuzzy, Quantic Dream has been more liberal when talking about the technical aspects behind the game. In all of their previous projects, Quantic Dream has aimed at achieving a theatrical experience that could compete at the same level as a Hollywood production. They have always put strong emphasis on using motion capturing technology , which they believe delivers the best sense of realism. Over the years, they went from working with outsourcing studios to developing a specialized in house motion capturing system. With Heavy Rain, they’ve further upgraded their motion capturing system, able to capture even small facial movements.

What this means is that Quantic Dream has moved beyond just needing motion capture actors - they need real actors, people capable of delivering a Hollywood quality performance. Thus, Quantic Dream has been in contact with several A ranked actors, most notably Leonardo Di Caprio. Heavy Rain could very well set the bar for theatrical performances in video games.

As is the case with just about every PS3 exclusive game, many are wondering why QD has chosen to remain with the PS3 exclusively. Outside of the fact that Sony is publishing the game, there are a few other reasons. One of the main factors seems to be that the Cell processor is extremely good at the number crunching mathematics used by the physics system of the game. Guillaume de Fondaumière, co-founder of QD, also mentioned in an interview with GamesIndustry.biz “it’s extremely difficult to create games of the same visual quality on both platforms[360 and PS3]. Even from an economical standpoint, if you really want to give the best shot on both platforms you have to invest far more money than just spending the money on the one platform. Or you have simple ports, which are of less quality”.

As for details in regards of the game itself - its expected to have a noire atmosphere, and will also not have any of the criticized sci-fi elements of Fahrenheit/Indigo Prophecy. Beyond that, details are slim. Quantic has stated they are working on something playable, so the possibility of demo is there, but they maintain that its up to Sony.

Heavy Rain is due out sometime in 2008, although its doubtful this deadline will be made. Surfer Girl told us that Heavy Rain is “shaping up to be nothing short of astounding”, and from what we know, we are with her. As big fans of both Omikron and Fahrenheit/Indigo, we are heavily anticipating this title, and hopefully we will have some more information soon!

UPDATE: 1-9-08: First screenshot:

UPDATE: 3-13-08: David Cage talks about his work at Quantic Dream as part of the new 'TVG.TripleTap' feature series...

Quantic Dream head honcho, David Cage, has spoken to TVG as part of a new feature series called TVG.TripleTap. He spoke at length about his writing and directing responsibilities at the Quantic Dream studio (of which he is also the CEO and Founder).

The interview is all part of TVG's new TripleTap feature series, the first article of which will go live next Wednesday the 16th January. The first feature in the series will focus on the 'Art of Storytelling' in videogames, including opinions on the matter from Rob Yescombe, Rhianna Pratchett and David Cage himself. All three have been involved in either games writing or directing on titles such as Haze, Heavenly Sword and Fahrenheit respectively.

During the interview with Cage, he let TVG in on some golden nuggets of information about the studio's current title under development, Heavy Rain. We were also lucky enough to receive a couple of exclusive screenshots of the game's "real-time virtual actors".

The two Heavy Rain screens show, up close and personal, the astounding visual detail that Quantic Dream has been able to give the game's characters. Cage spoke about what is required to create such lifelike facial characteristics in their animations:

"Today, everything is visual, so yes, the hardware helps a lot to reach the visual quality that becomes necessary. Virtual actors, especially, are for me the most important part. I see them as the vectors of emotion; I need them to be as believable as possible in their acting performance and emotional response. Quantic Dream has massively invested over the past ten years in this aspect by acquiring a Motion Capture system internally and working very hard on facial animation and advanced rendering systems in particular."

Cage also remarked on his different experiences in developing Fahrenheit and his current project, Heavy Rain: "Multi-layered plotlines are a pure nightmare to write. The writing of Fahrenheit has been incredibly difficult and painful for me, as I was writing a new format in its most complex dimension. My current project has been easier to write, which was a relief, as it means I start to have a better understanding of this specific form of interactive writing."

Unfortunately, Cage wouldn't go into details about Quantic Dream's enigmatic title for the PlayStation 3, saying only that gamers should "Expect to be surprised."

UPDATE: 7-22-08:

E3 2008 is just about done, but before that, there's a few more bullets left in its clip. One good example of that is Heavy Rain by French-based devs Quantic Dream. The game is a PlayStation 3 exclusive and it was shown to a crowd with one little catch.

The catch is that there's an NDA in effect that means those who saw what was there to be seen can't talk about it. Well, at least not on mass media channels. TwitterBerry reported that the Heavy Rain demo "wowed the crowd" and they left a little hint by adding "we can't say more other than if you liked Indigo Prophecy, you'll 'love' this."

http://whatifgaming.com/whatifgaming...-awards-2008/9

Best Non-Playable Presentation:
Heavy Rain

Developer: Quantic Dream
Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment
Release Date: TBA 2009
Show at E3 on: PS3

As we have already broken the news here, Heavy Rain was shown in real time at E3 2008. All we can say about this title is, it’s unbelievably impressive and unlike anything you’ve seen before. It was a different scenery than the one in the kitchen, and it had hearts pumping with the bitter struggle that took place.

Biggest Surprise:
Heavy Rain Gameplay

Developer: N/A
Publisher: N/A
Release Date: N/A

We weren’t expecting this at all. Once again, we know that it’s a struggle scene in a garage, and it’s undeniably suspenseful and thrilling. We’d love to show you all the video snippet we have, but we can’t! We can say one thing though, focus on the Tokyo Game Show and more importantly Liepzig.

UPDATES 7-27-08 Long and interesting interview with David Cage (creator of Heavy Rain)

http://www.gamasutra.com/view/featur...vy_.php?page=1

07-25-2008, 11:09 PM	#1
QDream Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Posts: 233	All info on Quantic Dream's Heavy Rain General info: Not much is known about Quantic Dream’s latest project, entitled Heavy Rain. All the info thats been released on it thus far is a trailer called “The Casting” and a movie poster - neither of which are even necessarily representative of what the game will actually be. While details on the actual game are fuzzy, Quantic Dream has been more liberal when talking about the technical aspects behind the game. In all of their previous projects, Quantic Dream has aimed at achieving a theatrical experience that could compete at the same level as a Hollywood production. They have always put strong emphasis on using motion capturing technology , which they believe delivers the best sense of realism. Over the years, they went from working with outsourcing studios to developing a specialized in house motion capturing system. With Heavy Rain, they’ve further upgraded their motion capturing system, able to capture even small facial movements. What this means is that Quantic Dream has moved beyond just needing motion capture actors - they need real actors, people capable of delivering a Hollywood quality performance. Thus, Quantic Dream has been in contact with several A ranked actors, most notably Leonardo Di Caprio. Heavy Rain could very well set the bar for theatrical performances in video games. As is the case with just about every PS3 exclusive game, many are wondering why QD has chosen to remain with the PS3 exclusively. Outside of the fact that Sony is publishing the game, there are a few other reasons. One of the main factors seems to be that the Cell processor is extremely good at the number crunching mathematics used by the physics system of the game. Guillaume de Fondaumière, co-founder of QD, also mentioned in an interview with GamesIndustry.biz “it’s extremely difficult to create games of the same visual quality on both platforms[360 and PS3]. Even from an economical standpoint, if you really want to give the best shot on both platforms you have to invest far more money than just spending the money on the one platform. Or you have simple ports, which are of less quality”. As for details in regards of the game itself - its expected to have a noire atmosphere, and will also not have any of the criticized sci-fi elements of Fahrenheit/Indigo Prophecy. Beyond that, details are slim. Quantic has stated they are working on something playable, so the possibility of demo is there, but they maintain that its up to Sony. Heavy Rain is due out sometime in 2008, although its doubtful this deadline will be made. Surfer Girl told us that Heavy Rain is “shaping up to be nothing short of astounding”, and from what we know, we are with her. As big fans of both Omikron and Fahrenheit/Indigo, we are heavily anticipating this title, and hopefully we will have some more information soon! UPDATE: 1-9-08: First screenshot: UPDATE: 3-13-08: David Cage talks about his work at Quantic Dream as part of the new 'TVG.TripleTap' feature series... Quantic Dream head honcho, David Cage, has spoken to TVG as part of a new feature series called TVG.TripleTap. He spoke at length about his writing and directing responsibilities at the Quantic Dream studio (of which he is also the CEO and Founder). The interview is all part of TVG's new TripleTap feature series, the first article of which will go live next Wednesday the 16th January. The first feature in the series will focus on the 'Art of Storytelling' in videogames, including opinions on the matter from Rob Yescombe, Rhianna Pratchett and David Cage himself. All three have been involved in either games writing or directing on titles such as Haze, Heavenly Sword and Fahrenheit respectively. During the interview with Cage, he let TVG in on some golden nuggets of information about the studio's current title under development, Heavy Rain. We were also lucky enough to receive a couple of exclusive screenshots of the game's "real-time virtual actors". The two Heavy Rain screens show, up close and personal, the astounding visual detail that Quantic Dream has been able to give the game's characters. Cage spoke about what is required to create such lifelike facial characteristics in their animations: "Today, everything is visual, so yes, the hardware helps a lot to reach the visual quality that becomes necessary. Virtual actors, especially, are for me the most important part. I see them as the vectors of emotion; I need them to be as believable as possible in their acting performance and emotional response. Quantic Dream has massively invested over the past ten years in this aspect by acquiring a Motion Capture system internally and working very hard on facial animation and advanced rendering systems in particular." Cage also remarked on his different experiences in developing Fahrenheit and his current project, Heavy Rain: "Multi-layered plotlines are a pure nightmare to write. The writing of Fahrenheit has been incredibly difficult and painful for me, as I was writing a new format in its most complex dimension. My current project has been easier to write, which was a relief, as it means I start to have a better understanding of this specific form of interactive writing." Unfortunately, Cage wouldn't go into details about Quantic Dream's enigmatic title for the PlayStation 3, saying only that gamers should "Expect to be surprised." UPDATE: 7-22-08: E3 2008 is just about done, but before that, there's a few more bullets left in its clip. One good example of that is Heavy Rain by French-based devs Quantic Dream. The game is a PlayStation 3 exclusive and it was shown to a crowd with one little catch. The catch is that there's an NDA in effect that means those who saw what was there to be seen can't talk about it. Well, at least not on mass media channels. TwitterBerry reported that the Heavy Rain demo "wowed the crowd" and they left a little hint by adding "we can't say more other than if you liked Indigo Prophecy, you'll 'love' this." http://whatifgaming.com/whatifgaming...-awards-2008/9 Best Non-Playable Presentation: Heavy Rain Developer: Quantic Dream Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment Release Date: TBA 2009 Show at E3 on: PS3 As we have already broken the news here, Heavy Rain was shown in real time at E3 2008. All we can say about this title is, it’s unbelievably impressive and unlike anything you’ve seen before. It was a different scenery than the one in the kitchen, and it had hearts pumping with the bitter struggle that took place. Biggest Surprise: Heavy Rain Gameplay Developer: N/A Publisher: N/A Release Date: N/A We weren’t expecting this at all. Once again, we know that it’s a struggle scene in a garage, and it’s undeniably suspenseful and thrilling. We’d love to show you all the video snippet we have, but we can’t! We can say one thing though, focus on the Tokyo Game Show and more importantly Liepzig. UPDATES 7-27-08 Long and interesting interview with David Cage (creator of Heavy Rain) http://www.gamasutra.com/view/featur...vy_.php?page=1 Last edited by QDream; 07-27-2008 at 09:03 AM.