NCSoft has revealed that the recently-announced MMO Horizon Steel Frontiers had extensive use of AI-based tools in its development. As caught by Korean website Ruliweb, the company spoke about its use of AI when it was asked a question about rumours surrounding Horizon Steel Frontiers featuring AI-powered NPCs. While the company didn’t confirm or deny the “AI NPCs”, it did note that AI was used “extensively” during development.
The company stated that AI was used for a variety of things in the development of its upcoming games like Horizon Steel Frontiers and Aion 2, ranging from programming all the way up to art. The company also noted that we will see AI being used a lot more throughout the industry in the future.
“We’re testing and receiving assistance internally through collaborations with basic NPCs and combat,” said the company (via machine translation). “Since we’re an action RPG, we don’t play with a large number of players, but rather determine the optimal number of players, and we receive assistance in various aspects. Internally, we also rely on AI for production, from coding to art. It ‘s being widely adopted in the field, and I think the technologies will gradually become known. The Horizon Steel Frontiers development team is also the one most eager to utilize AI. It’s being used a lot, and you’ll see that games coming out after Aion 2 will greatly increase their use of AI.”
Horizon Steel Frontiers was unveiled earlier this week by NCSoft, and is currently in development for PC, iOS and Android. As its name implies, the title takes place in the world of the Horizon games by Guerrilla Games – more specifically in the Deadlands – and will revolve around hunters coming together to hunt down the Machines. It will also carry over many of the gameplay elements that the Horizon series is known for, including being able to use certain Machines as mounts to explore the world.
That’s not to say that the upcoming MMO will feature 1-to-1 gameplay from Guerrilla’s titles, however. Some aspects of the original games, like the Pullcaster, will be changed in a way to make more sense for multiplayer battles, with executive producer Sung-Gu Lee also confirming that there will be unique gameplay elements that go with recognisable parts of the title.
“We’ve added unique, original gameplay elements to the process of taking down giant machines,” said Lee. “For example, after destroying a specific part of a machine, you can quickly approach and climb onto it using a Pullcaster, set traps on the damaged part, and inflict status effects.”
Horizon Steel Frontiers will also feature quite a bit of player customisation, with Lee noting that players will be able to “fully express your individuality”, even down to the smallest details. This means that there will also be a robust character creator that also allows players to choose aspects like their tribe along with things like body type, hair and makeup, among other things.
The MMO doesn’t yet have a release date yet. However, NCSoft has confirmed that it won’t be available through Steam or Epic Games Store. Instead, it will be available through the company’s own game launcher, dubbed PURPLE.
