Generation Zero Interview – Discussing the Tech Behind the Game

It’s been some time now since Avalanche Studio released their open world first person title, Generation Zero. Back before the game’s launch, we chatted with the developers about their new title, speaking of everything from its world to its tone and a great deal more. Not too long afterward, we also sent across some of our questions about the tech behind Generation Zero and some of the work that went on on the game behind the scenes. Read our conversation below.

NOTE: This interview was conducted prior to the game’s release.

"Generation Zero was actually built on tech we developed for our self-published game theHunter: Call of the Wild, which is also in first-person. We mainly worked on animations and AI behavior, as the machines are quite a different beast from animals."

Did you have to make any notable adjustments to the Apex Engine’s toolsets for Generation Zero, considering that the game is first person unlike Just Cause or Mad Max? Did any of that align with work on Rage 2, perhaps?

Generation Zero was actually built on tech we developed for our self-published game theHunter: Call of the Wild, which is also in first-person. We mainly worked on animations and AI behavior, as the machines are quite a different beast from animals.

Given that Generation Zero is much more grounded than most of your other titles, were there any significant changes you had to make to development methods for laying down the game’s systems and mechanics?

In Call of the Wild, we have a background AI simulation for animal behaviors. We used that as a foundation in Generation Zero for a persistent experience of the machines. This means that if you damage a machine and then escape you can later encounter the same machines with the damage you inflicted earlier.

Can you share details about the game’s lighting system? Is there any support for Global Illumination?

The game does support Global Illumination already and the dynamic day cycle combined with the fully dynamic weather engine results in ever-changing lighting of the world.

How big is the world compared to Just Cause 4?

It’s really difficult to give an exact size of the game world seeing as it consists of several islands, but in true Avalanche Studios style it is, of course, huge and it will take many hours for players to traverse it in its entirety.

"New platforms like Stadia sound very exciting as they will help reach even more gamers worldwide – and more importantly players of all levels and that play on vastly varying types."

In our last interview you confirmed that the Xbox One X will have enhancements, but can you now share specific details?

Sure, the Xbox One X version of the game runs at a 1800p resolution at 30 fps. It also has higher resolution textures to fully make use of the 1800p rendering.

Can you do the same for the PS4 Pro version as well?

Of course! On the PlayStation 4 Pro, the game runs at a 1440p resolution at 30 fps.

How’s the game running on the base PS4 and Xbox One models in terms of frame rate and resolution?

On the base PS4 and Xbox One, the game runs at 1080p at 30 fps.

Do you have any plans to launch on Stadia?

New platforms like Stadia sound very exciting as they will help reach even more gamers worldwide – and more importantly players of all levels and that play on vastly varying types.