Watch Dogs Legion is due out in just a few days and it’s safe to say that we’re all super excited for the next instalment in the series. I first got to see the game in-person at E3 2019 and I was impressed, and ever since then, I’ve just wanted to see and hear more. Well, just over a week out from release, one of the game’s developers has hosted an AMA on Reddit where plenty of questions have been answered over copious amounts of pizza – the guy doing the AMA, Lathieeshe Thillainathan, loves his pizza.
So, online modes. What are they and what’s the deal? Will you be able to play with your mates on other consoles? No, not yet at least. Thillainathan revealed that cross-play is not in the game at launch but it will be coming as part of the game’s Year 1 run. However, cross-progression is included, meaning if you play on PS4 and then jump into the game on, say, Stadia, your progress will be tracked.
“Watch Dogs Legion online will have cross-progression across all our platforms at launch. Cross play we are planning as an update in year 1.”
Online itself is a completely separate experience from the single-player story, too. Think of it as Ubisoft’s version of GTA Online.
“Online is a dedicated sandbox. it will have its own set of playable content designed specifically for coop play,” he said. “Invasion is evolving. We’re bringing the play as anyone recipe into the core experience of invasion. Invasion will be in the online mode. This time you can play invasion in public matchmaking or just with friends. You can use anyone on your team to play invasion.”
The game will launch with online but new content will be added over the course of the game’s lifespan. New content will include new PvP game modes that will release in the new year, too, according to Thillainathan.
“There are more PvP game modes coming in the new year using your team. A spiderbot loaded with rocket launcher can be a dangerous thing. “e love our little spiderbot. We hope you do as well!”
“Dynamic events are free roam events in the sandbox. coop missions require min of 2 players. Tactical ops require 4 players. Tactical ops will require more coordination and will have a unique set of challenges to solve.”
Watch Dogs Legion features permadeath, meaning that if any of your characters die, they’re done for. But, that won’t apply to the online portion of the game just yet.
“For the initial launch of online this holiday, permadeath will not be available. However, we are still discussing it over with a lot of pizza.”
One thing I personally disliked in Watch Dogs and Watch Dogs 2 was the driving. It just didn’t feel great, and that’s a sentiment shared by many others, and it prompted one fan to ask if the driving model had been improved for Watch Dogs Legion. Apparently, it has.
“Driving in Watch Dogs Legion has been super fun to development. First, we adapted to right hand driving. plus the narrow roads and one-way traffic. The driving model has been adapted to London. We hope you find it fun to cruise around the streets of London.”
Asked whether Stormzy would be a playable character, Thillainathan dropped some bad news for fans of the UK rapper: he isn’t.
“Stormzy will be a mission giver. We worked with him to create an in-game music video. it was an amazing experience for the entire team. We will updating the game with free story content that will explore our world of London. we’ll have more news about it soon.”
That’s not to say that he one day couldn’t be, but at launch, he will not be a playable character. There are still tons of other characters, mind you, and Thillainathan dropped a world reveal right there in the AMA.
“The world is full of interesting characters. on top of that you’ll also find characters with new traits. Including some with flatulence. WORLD REVEAL”
Yep, a farting character. But, some new hero characters will arrive sooner than others, and even sooner than the Bloodline DLC.
“Bloodline and Season Pass characters will all arrive in 2021. Some of the hero characters will arrive ahead of the Bloodline DLC,” said Thillainathan when asked about new characters and their release timings.
How will changing characters work? Thillainathan answered this one, too, and it sounds like it’s going to be a little like GTA V where you’ll switch to your character and they’ll be elsewhere in the game’s world, rather than your current character just warping into the new one.
“Once an operative joins your team, they are in your team app. You swap to them right away if you wish. When you swap to them, you’ll find them in the world doing something.”
For fans of Aiden and his “iconic” cap, there’s some really good news – you’ll be able to play the game as Aiden Pierce from start to finish.
“Aiden can replay the full game and will have a dedicated DLC with Wrench. You don’t need to finish the DLC to play as Aiden in the single-player story.”
And just to clarify for those in the back who haven’t been paying attention, this is how the game will run on next-gen consoles:
“Ray tracing, 4k, 30fps on PS5 and Xbox Series X.”
Watch Dogs will release on October 29th, 2020 for PS4, Xbox One, PC, and Stadia.
Source: Reddit
