The Surge 2, our hardcore Action-RPG featuring brutal exo-skeleton combat on a dying earth, comes to PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC on September 24th!
As we draw close to the release, we’re sharing a series of devblogs that we hope will give you some insight into the creative process of The Surge 2.
Check out our previous DevBlogs here:
1. Level Design
2. Sound Design
3. Combat System (Pt. 1)
4. Combat System (Pt. 2) - You are here.
5. In-House Engine
6. Animation
Today, we’re happy to welcome back Sven Hammer, Lead Game Designer on The Surge 2, talking about the Combat System of the game!
Welcome back Sven! Let’s continue with a very important question - What’s your go-to weapon type?
That’s hard to answer to be honest because I was working on all of them and I kind of like them all. But deep in my heart I have always been a player that prefers heavy and slow hitting weapons. There is something about feeling the weight of a weapon like this and seeing the impact when it lands. And even though you might think that the Punching Gloves (one of our new weapon types) are not like this at all, because obviously they are faster than something like a Heavy Duty weapon, they still have that certain weight to them that make their punches feel impactful.
Upgrading your gear through the Exo-suit is a very important aspect of The Surge 2. How is this linked to the combat?
On the one hand you can use your gathered Tech Scrap that you get by killing enemies to increase the Core Power of your Exo-Rig, which allows you to wear better and heavier gear and equip more implants. This will also let you upgrade your base stats like health, stamina, and battery efficiency with the Module Points that you receive with each increase of your Core Power.
On the other hand combat and especially the limb targeting system is what will allow you to not only gain new weapons but also schematics of the gear that your enemies are wearing when cutting off their limbs. Cutting those limbs over and over again will also give you the needed crafting and upgrade materials that you can use to craft new or upgrade existing equipment. Gear will not only increase your defenses and make you able to withstand more hits but also influence other combat stats like your attack speed or your impact.
How do Implants work and how do they affect combat?
Implants are modifications to your Exo-Rig and can be divided into two categories: Boosters and Injectables. Boosters give you a variety of passive abilities that range from UI enhancements like displaying enemy health bars to something like restoring health when performing a finishing sequence. Injectables on the other hand give you new active abilities that are mostly centered around healing and buffing your stats for a short duration. Similar to your gear and weapons, injectables can now also be upgraded using a special material.
All implants cost a certain amount of core power and need a free implant slot in your Exo-Rig. Implant slots are limited and Core Power is a shared resource also used by your other gear, so you need to choose which Boosters and Injectables you want to equip alongside your gear.
Games like this can be intimidating for newcomers. What does The Surge 2 do to ease people into the swing of things?
First of all we laid out a broad spectrum of tutorials that should help players learn all the different mechanics that they need to know to survive in the world of The Surge 2. The whole starting area and a big part of the second area is designed to ease players into the fun that the combat system and the game itself has to offer once the basics are learned. We tried to give the players enough time and room to get used to the mechanics before facing the really tough opponents.
What would you say sets combat in The Surge 2 apart from other games in the genre?
The most iconic thing that sets combat in The Surge 2 apart from other games is the limb targeting system and all combat and gameplay features that are tied to it. There is no more luck involved when you try to get a certain weapon or a gear part. You only have to target the part or weapon you want and then damage the specific body part of your opponent enough to cut it off and this will always reward you with the wanted item. Furthermore the whole crafting and upgrading system is centered around the limb targeting and cutting.
Are you the best Surge 2 player in the office? You can tell us the truth.
So I could now tell you: Of course I am, the only way to earn and keep your position as a Lead Game Designer is to beat everyone in a unique tournament playing The Surge 2. That would be very interesting. But to be honest if it would be that way I would have never earned that spot. I’m definitely not the best Surge 2 player in the office. I think I’m actually too slow for that. I definitely overcome the challenges that the game throws at me but it takes me a while to succeed. But I will always be ready for the next challenge.
Stay tuned for more insight into the development of The Surge 2 in our next articles! You can also check out the Behind The Scenes series "Deck13 Inside" on Youtube. The Surge 2 slices its way onto PS4, Xbox One, and PC on September 24th. Pre-Order now and get bonuses: http://thesurge-game.com/shop