Dying Light 2 Xbox Playstation PC Gaming

[David76]

During today's Dying Light 2: Stay Human stream, Techland announced a December release for the game and provided a new look at gameplay.

Coming December 7, along with the release date, the team at Techland discussed some of the gameplay elements you can expect in Dying Light 2: Stay Human.




For one thing, choices and consequences will play a large part in how things play out.

Players will make decisions based on layers, through story missions which can change how the game ends, and choices made during quests can influence the missions.

Based on choices you make that shape the game will ensure you have a different gameplay experience the next time you decide to fire it up.

During the night, the infected come out in droves. And compared to the first game, the night in this entry is even more dangerous. But, while the infected are roaming the streets, you are able to explore the buildings they hang out in during the day to search or scavage.

There are also factions to either contend or work with.

Rooftops are now the default ground floor, as the streets are really dangerous what with the infected and unfriendly humans. But you can move everywhere you want in order to avoid danger, thanks to your parkour skills. Plus, the team at Techland doubled the number of parkour moves, so there are plenty of ways to run around walls and rooftops.

Techland said it will be revealing more about the game in more streams leading up to release, so until then, watch the video for some more information.

You can pre-order the game now through the official website.

There are three retail editions available: Standard, Deluxe, and Collector's, and three digital editions: Standard, Deluxe, and Ultimate.

 

[Tom]

Just reached the bit where you get the parachute thing.

It's really not grabbing me....the plot seems so silly and it's hard to stay engaged with it, the parkour is great but the combat is dull.

Shall I stick it out does it get better?

 

[Bandit]

Just reached the bit where you get the parachute thing.

It's really not grabbing me....the plot seems so silly and it's hard to stay engaged with it, the parkour is great but the combat is dull.

Shall I stick it out does it get better?

I gave up on it shortly after the glider, had the same issues as you.

I even put on Dying Light after it to see the difference and I immediately had more fun playing that, bit sure what went so wrong with this one in comparison. Boring story, annoying NPCs and worse combat didn't help.

 

[David76]

The first story DLC for Dying Light 2, Bloody Ties, will debut in a world premiere trailer at Gamescom Opening Night Live on August 23.

You can catch a teaser for the upcoming trailer below that offers a glimpse at the dangers lurking in Carnage Hall.



Originally set to release earlier this year, Bloody Ties was moved into September so that Techland could give the DLC the "absolute highest level of polish" to meet players' expectations.

In the interim, the studio added New Game + mode, a FOV slider for consoles, and many co-op improvements. It also introduced the first game Chapter entitled In the Footsteps of a Nightrunner and Photo Mode.

Additional content was added to the game in June and into August with events and more. An update to the Agent and Rank System is coming, and the second Chapter, entitled A Huntress and a Hag, is set to debut soon alongside patch 1.5. The new Chapter will feature a new agent, Shen Xiu, also known as The Huntress, who is a highly skilled tracker and archery expert with " a very special task for you."

Looking ahead, you can also expect more weapons, enemies, events, and both paid and free DLC as part of Techland's five years of planned support.

 

[David76]

Techland has given us a big look at the first bit of story DLC for Dying Light 2, Bloody Ties, which launches this week.

Bloody Ties will bring you to The Carnage Hall, "a place of fame, fortune, and power," where you'll have to take on a series of trials facing off against new enemies. Of course, there will be new weapons, challenges, and locations to explore too. The Carnage Hall is a repurposed opera house, now dedicated as a fighting spot where people face off against one another rather than zombies.



"In its former glory, Carnage Hall was a grand opera building. Then, it was rebuilt and turned into this elite fighting spot with arenas, bloody spectacles, and brutal duels," concept artist Anna Krzemien said of the new area in a deep dive on the DLC. "Even now, you can see that the remaining pieces of the interior mix sophisticated with the crude."

For new players or those that haven't quite finished the game, Krzemien also noted that you don't have to have beaten the entire thing, just as long as you've finished The Only Way Out quest.

 

[David76]

Techland added a swathe of free content, numerous updates, and the Bloody Ties expansion last year. The developer isn't resting on its laurels in 2023 either, as the 2023 roadmap shows that plenty of content is on the way this year.

Looking at the roadmap revealed by Techland, we'll be getting a new update this month (April), which will add an upgrade to the game's combat physics for a more brutal experience. On top of that, a gear transmogrification system and brand-new Techland Gamers & Goodies quests will be implemented. This will be followed by another update in June to improve the game's parkour flow and add a new night experience alongside roaming volatiles.

Later on in the year, we'll receive Dying Light 2's second expansion. While it's currently unnamed, franchise director Tymon Smektala has said that fans of the first game can expect the return of some familiar faces. It'll be set in a never-before-seen location and predominantly focus on a narrative-driven experience. What's more, the expansion will add new weapon types to the game, which Smektala says won't just be melee-orientated.

 

[Tom]

Gut Feeling update is out now. The combat looks greatly improved! I really want to try out but gonna hold out for the parkour update in the summer. I've been playing the original over the last couple of days and the parkour feels much more satisfying in it, 2nd feels way too floaty.

 

[Tom]

The night/parkour update is now. Volatiles now roam the streets at night. There's a colour grade option for night (makes nighttime darker) and Harran sunset (orange glow). Parkour has better momentum and for with new moves.

 

[David76]

The update sounds excellent. Patch notes show that you can now choose Parkour mode with Physical mode being added which removes the floatiness and makes everything more grounded and harder to pull off. Exactly what I was looking for as the floaty parkour really put me off playing.

Spoiler: Patch Notes - Good Night, Good Luck Update

Good Night – Night changes

The day and night cycle has always been a fundamental element in the Dying Light series, introducing both visual and, more importantly, gameplay changes to our zombie-infested world. In this update, we aimed to enhance the nighttime aspect of this unique feature by introducing heightened tension, horror, and the presence of roaming Volatiles. To achieve this, we are implementing a series of modifications,

• Ensuring that the night has a heavy, almost horror-like feel.
• A new color grading called "Darker Nights" reduces player visibility exponentially, making your experience more terrifying.
• Updated flashlight rendering that creates more dynamic shadows and better corresponds to the darker environment.
• Improved audio gameplay solidifies the nocturnal atmosphere. Music takes a backseat to sound effects.
• HUD improvements support an immersive nighttime experience.
• Volatiles roam across the rooftops, ensuring you will never feel safe at night.
• The night population of zombies have been reworked to create more unexpected moments while exploring both streets and building interiors
• Chase sequences are less arcade-like and more unpredictable.

Good Luck – Parkour changes

With the initial release of Dying Light 2, we managed to make the complex mechanics of parkour accessible to all players. However, we cannot ignore the voices of real traceurs like you, who desire fewer assists, more physicality, better control, and less hand-holding. In response, we have introduced a new set of parkour settings called 'Physical' specifically designed to cater to seasoned veterans of Dying Light 1 and new Pilgrims who want to experience the real deal when traversing The City.

• Several animations have been improved to reduce floatiness.
• Personalize your sprinting experience with the option to switch between auto and manual mode, giving you complete control over how you sprint in the game.
• Keep your momentum while performing a series of parkour moves.
• Regain air control in mid-flight, allowing for reactive maneuvers.
• Added variety of vault animations.
• Tweaked afterboost mechanics now allow for its use after a number of parkour moves, with improved responsiveness and a balanced duration and cooldown.
• Accelerate down ziplines and during pipe slides for a thrilling descent.
• Bid farewell to ghost walking; wall run and roll animations halt when reaching the end of a surface.
• Enjoy smoother wall running with improved starting animations.
• Improved jumping, active landing, and balancing animations.
• Elevator and landing bags animations are sped-up.
• The active landing skill can be performed while paragliding – safety landings!
• Head-bob animation is adjustable in the settings, allowing players to increase camera movement while running. A new default value is set to 50.
• Car safety landing animation duration shortened, and VFX feedback improved.
• We've refined gameplay mechanics for the following skills, enhancing their overall feeling: Slide Jump, Bash, Crown Runner, Sleek Runner.

On top of those changes, we are introducing improved parkour actions and animations, and two main options that you can pick. To change between those, head to the Game sub-menu in Options.

• Assisted Parkour: Perfect for beginners, maintaining the original Dying Light 2 experience.
• Physical Parkour: Enable this setting for a grounded, physical, and intense journey. A more grounded and ruthless experience. The ability to disable "jump magnets" for more authentic gameplay.

As a cherry-on-top, we're introducing the ability to slide down billboards with a knife, giving you more immersive gameplay.

Mod.io in-game integration

Parkour across a multiverse of possibilities with a new section in the main menu – Community Maps! PC players can delve into a treasure trove of custom maps crafted by fellow Pilgrims using our Developer Tools. This is just the first step, and we plan to further develop this feature in the future. Expand your horizons within the vast world of Dying Light!

Before diving into the immersive world of Community Maps, please keep the following in mind:

• Each map is a standalone experience, separate from the main campaign and its progression.
• Custom maps must be completed in a single playthrough, as progress cannot be saved.
• Presently, co-op integration is not available for Community Maps.
• Currently, "script" mods that modify gameplay are not supported.

For the time being, Community Maps feature is available only on PC. Mod.io integration for PlayStation, Xbox, and Steamdeck is set to arrive on these platforms later this year!

Highlights

In addition to the aforementioned changes, we are thrilled to introduce several significant features:

Enhanced Graphics:

Experience a series of graphical improvements, including a new graphics option on PC: SSR Ultra (Screen Space Reflections – Ultra setting).

SSR Ultra dramatically enhances the drawing distance of reflections, immersing you in a more realistic and detailed world.

LOD range multiplier being extended from 100 to 140 for Quality and RT presets.

• Immerse yourself in the nostalgia of Kyle Crane's era with a new color grading option called "Harran Sunset".
• Unleash your inner yeet-master with the ability to throw weapons and retrieve them later.
• Enjoy improved UI changes at the beginning and end of the Dynamic Challenges.
• An additional menu option to auto-skip opening movies on PC, saving you time and getting you into the action faster.
• Preserve your unique character aesthetic by hiding your helmet using the new transmog options, allowing you to flaunt your signature Dying Drip.

Game Update

Apart from all the big news from the Good Night Good Luck update above, we've also introduced the following fixes and improvements to the game:

Weapons that were claimable in the stash are now blueprints available to be crafted at Craftmaster.

Co-op

• Rewards for Dynamic Challenges should be received properly.
• The game will no longer crash for users upon entering the inventory while going to sleep after being teleported.

Gameplay

• Fixed ability to grab the ledge of some objects.
• Fire from burning bodies render correctly from a further distance.
• During the Getting Stronger quest, Virals will no longer spawn directly in Aiden's position during the chase sequence, blocking further progress.
• The user is no longer able to use the "Afterboost" parkour skill without being active.
• Anna's sentences during the Stolen Goods quest are louder.
• The sound effect played when Aiden is punching while jumping is fixed.
• Fixed an issue where the player could remain stuck inside the metro station during the Prometheus main quest.
• Chase can be no longer be triggered during the Prometheus quest.
• Waltz behavior improved during the chase sequence in the Veronica quest.
• Volatile health bars should be visible again upon enabling that feature in the settings.
• Removed improperly placed parkour and environment objects in the world.
• Lieutenants in the Heron Renegados bandit camp will spawn correctly.
• Dismembered body parts will no longer instantly disappear.
• Renegade zones have their own characteristic sound of night coming.
• 1H-weapon attack animations are faster than before.

Technical

• Corrupted particles in the distance were fixed during the Catch Hubert objective.
• Fixed missing materials in various locations.
• Removed invisible walls that occurred in various locations.
• Motion Blur settings in the game should stick to the set values.
• Synchronization of some voice over lines with subtitles.
• The game will no longer receive both inputs from mouse and keyboard while having two options selected.
• Fixed an issue with textures that allowed players to go outside the map.
• Spike pathing is fixed during the prologue.
• The music does not stop in some regions of the map.
• Fixed water shaders when swimming underwater.
• Fixed crashes that might occur when entering water.
• Fixed the position of NPCs during some dialogues.
• Dockets will correctly appear in Aiden's Stash.

UI

• Player will no longer be stuck in an empty screen upon closing the pop-up about too many save slots being occupied while starting a New Game.
• The Military Bundles description balloon is fixed and no longer contains Gunslinger Bundle content text in the In-game Store tab.
• News is no longer duplicated in the main menu.
• The chase indicator no longer overlaps with XP gained icons.
• Gunslinger Bundle is present in the in-game shop.
• A typo was present in the "new arena unlocked" message in the Bloody Ties DLC – it's gone now, forever.
• Left Stick Forward UI prompt was misplaced during prologue tutorials.
• Main menu options were not highlighted correctly when the cursor was hovering over them.
• Removed an improper shadow in the co-op menu.

 

[Black Sheep]

Between this latest update and last month's combat and gore update, this game has completely changed for me. I thought would still find the story boring but I spent hours last night really enjoying the quests, not skipping one scene. The only sense of it I can make is I'm now enjoying the core mechanics so it's fun to travel, fight and complete quests where before the combat and parkour were boring so I just tuned out of the story.

Now I can't wait to get stuck back into this whereas previously, I was just thinking about other games any time I played this.

 

[Black Sheep]

Actually finding it really hard to put this down, absolutely mental how much of a difference the updates made. I recall DL1 was similar, it was only after a few updates that I truly loved that game