Hey there everybody! Wanted to let you know that we hit Beta on Sunday, September 16th! That’s a huge milestone and it means we’re one step closer to finishing Uncharted. The team really pulled together to help achieve this deadline and we couldn’t be more excited about the progress we’ve made. Finally, most everything is in the game and we are just chasing down the last bugs and making a few minor balancing tweaks here and there.
We’ve had our last major focus test week last week too, and we received the data we need to make sure that the gameplay is finely tuned for our final release. This is a process that we take very seriously here at Naughty Dog and something we’ve been doing since the Crash Bandicoot days. We test the game over the course of a week and track a huge number of statistics from the types of weapons used, the amount of time spent in each area, and the number of times the players died. We then use this data to smooth out the difficulty and fix any puzzles or layouts that are too tricky to figure out. This will be the fourth time we do a full focus test like this and we are actually going to squeeze a final mini test in right before we Gold Master to make sure a bug didn’t creep in to mess up our tuning.
It’s also at this stage that a bunch of people in the office who have been so busy making the game, finally get a chance to sit down and play it. A lot of people have been so heads down that they are discovering areas in the game they’d never seen before. And because the cinematics are usually some of the last elements that go in, most people haven’t really seen the story unfold in its entirety. Our own Naughty Dogs make great gameplay testers too!
So we have a little less than 4 weeks to go now, but our bug count is actually shrinking instead of growing. There are going to be a lot of late nights ahead of us, but we’re finally seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. And as a sign that we’re almost launching, the official game website has gone up – Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune.
Also, we partnered with GameSpot to give you a sneak peak behind the scenes of our game. Check it out here and here.
Awesome news. I hope this game doesn’t get delayed like all the other games I’ve been waiting for. : ( Good to hear about the demo and other stuff.
PLEASE ANSWER:
Will this game support upscaling to 1080 to allow ALL owners of HDTVs to play this game in HD. If this game on supports 720p there are many gamers who will not be able to play this game in HD as their TVs only accept 1080 for HD and not 720.
It is sad that we have to ask, but it is even more sad when good games like this lose sales due to not implementing upscaling support.
Dylan Jobe, developer of Warhawk, put it best:
“No one should be forced to play in SD”
Please respond so that the gaming community can at least say that you have the integrity to ne honest with us about whether or not this game will support 1080.
[…] the Official Playstation Blog, Uncharted: Drakes Fortune, a PS3 exclusive action-adventure game coming out on November 20th, has […]
Thanks for the update Evan.
I truly believe that your team (ND) is the first one that will truly bring PS3 games to a new level.
Can’t wait for the Demo.
Thanks for the info. It hurts me that your game falls into the month of November with so many other great titles but I’m going to not pass it up. Looks too good to do so :D Also nice to see you’ll run ‘Focus Tests’. Wonder how many other developers do these tests…
naughty dog is one of the greatest developers around.. the original three crash bandicoot games are my favorite games of all time…. its obvious Uncharted is gunna deliver on those same levels
Folklore got 9/10 from IGN! Uncharted what? kidding. of course Uncharted will get a better score than Folklore. because if it doesn’t, Naughty Dog will have to live in shame forever for not being able to rival the Genji developers.
@Zaku #56 Yeah, it seems November is going to put the squeeze on gaming time and the wallet. :D
I love this game i have been keepin track of this game when i seen the exusive on gamepro previe i will be the first one at the story when it comes out
My favourite game of all time is Jak 3 so i have high hopes for this!
I also like the behind the scenes that lots of developers are doing at the moment, will that come to the PS Store or not?
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Yes, what is the status on the resolutions? I own a 1080i only TV as well and am done with buying games that claim to be HD but are unwilling to support all HD TV models. Will Uncharted be 1080i?
I’m looking forward to Uncharted quite a bit, however I’m really wondering if the game will support 1080 output for those of us with 1080i only HDTVs. The only information I’ve heard regarding the games output states that it will be 720p, are you planning to only support 720p output? Do you have any plans to implement a software scaler to 1080i, or to support 960×1080 output scaled to 1920×1080?
As an owner of a 1080i only set, this issue is something I’ve very concerned about. I’m glad to see many developers are choosing to address the issue and add support for 1080i, and I was hoping that you would do the same. Any information regarding support for those of us with 1080i only sets would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you for your time.
My most looked forward to PS3 game this year. While I don’t doubt Sony realise that this is probably their biggest game this fall (hand in hand with R&C) I just don’t think they’re doing nearly enough to promote it. Also, they really need to get rid of the white room ads (and the this is living ads in Europe) and start with a global advertising strategy instead.
Uncharted should be great.
PS! Is there any Home trophies and such in this game ready to be unlocked for the release of the application?
Nice, I rather have a very good, outstanding single player game then a choped out one, just to make it multiplayer also.
Cant wait for this game.
Psn: mhmalik
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Thanks for the update. This is a definite must buy for me and probably the game I’m looking forward to the most this year.
@Evan Wells
Also, now that you’ve hit beta and with the playtests going on in the studio do you have a general idea on how long it takes to complete the game?
Thanks again!
I dont know about uncharted yet.. if it gets very good reviews Im buyin it, if not then ratchet for me :p
This game continues to impress me more and more with every new look. I cannot wait to get into it!
Evan Wells: A small heads up in case it’s not been spotted yet ;) Noticed a bug on one of the three levels where you start off at a cliff and then climb up the mountain while swinging on your rope. Once you hit the top you go forward into a cave system. If you head straight forward instead of turning left into the first tunnel you will come to some rocks and a bar-grid. By jumping onto the rocks you are able to get into that bar-grid, leaving you stuck in there as it’s a cube made of bars.
Good job on the game by the way, controls have an amazingly good mix between easy and precision, and the visuals are stunning.
SPEEDIS, do you have access to a version of this game? if yes can you test if you are able to get this to upscale to 1080?
WARNING to everyone with HDTVs that only accept 1080i HD,
If this game only outputs 720p HD then you will not see this game in HD
Oh man, here comes crunch time! Glad to hear there will be a demo before the release. It’ll be nice to get another PS3 game as there hasn’t been many titles that I wanted to play on the PS3 for a while now. The next few months are going to be big for the system, and Uncharted is one of the most anticipated exclusives right now.
it is always the same ….low will not go high but high will go low….standard tv will not accept anything but analogue….the highest level l080p will accept everything all the way down to standard and that includes 720
can’t wait good luck!
I would just like to say that this is the most amazing looking PS3 game, the lighting and animations, you guys have done an amazing job, this is a day 1 buy for me. Keep up the good work…
ADVERTISE ALOT
And it will sell.
Is 7th December only for UK or is it also for rest of EU?
I gotta agree with joel, this game needs advertisements everywhere. Pull a Micrsoft and advertise us to death, if you do this game will be huge.
just saw a future shop commercial on national tv…the young man …a fan…was playing heavenly sword…at the end he gave it 10/10
@Evan’s info
I
…Huh? what happend to my reply?
update #80…it would be okay if i could play the controls like he can…he was good…a pro…these young people show me up all the time…good for them
Wow, im suprised the guy who developed the game just straight out announced a demo on the blog the 3rd comment in. I love this thing, you acctually get a feeling developers are people and not companys. Although on the leipzig PSN trailer it said there would be a Uncharted Demo i was sceptical.
Even, this game, Naughtydog as a whole and Insomniacs are the big reasons why I kept my Ps3. I’ve bought every single game you all have done… Please make this the best game possible. This is the one that made me say “I want the ps3” back when you 1st showed it 2 years ago… I can’t help but look at some of the new vid’s, and while the graphics are awesome, the gun and fighting gameplay seems off to me. I just hope you take a little more time and adjust the sensitivity to these things cause the people playing must suck or the controls are a little off… I have full faith in you and your crew, so I’ve already pre-orderd and paid in full for this game. Make sure it’s GOOD!!!!!!
EVAN* not EVEN*
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Ey you guys have a reputation for making good games and just the name Naughtydog means alot to us Playstation users, but ey this game look good i have it reserve, and the timing is good i be done with Folklore by the time it comes out, but you guys have a lot conpetition Call of Duty 4, Unreal tornument 3, Half life the orange box, Assasing Creed. all of those games are going to be out November i’m gettin my copy i hope with all those AAA titles games your sell 1,000,000,0000
sweet…I appreciate the hard work that goes into a good game…& ND makes good games!
awesome, this game looks really promising.
It could be the PS3’s heavy hitter this holiday along with R & C.
Hi Evan. Could you let us know if there is any PSP integration or if yous are planning it in the future? Like for example the PSP could be giving you a cinematic view of the action at all times.
I absolutely love the way yous animate your cutscenes. I have to say though is it easier then on the Jak games? I mean is programming the animation easier on Nathan, a human than on say an Ottsel like Daxter, lol?
I love the New Hair of the girl, it look better
This is excellent news!! Thank you guys so much for keeping us updated with news. Even people I know who aren’t “hardcore” are very excited about Uncharted, as am I. This game grows on me more and more each day!
SOLD!
Good to hear that the game is coming along nicely. Hopefully we’ll have it out this year.
Couple of quick questions for you Evan.
The length of Sony’s games seems to be a hot topic, any information on the length of Uncharted?
Will there be any downloadable content? Or are you taking a Ninja Theory approach to this and seeing how the game sells.
I just hope Sony does a good job marketing this game, it deserves to sell well.
Also, you don’t think you could pull a Factor 5 and allow Uncharted on remote play do you? That would go down well.
Sorry i just updated my Calendar Call of duty 4, Resident Evil the unbreala cronicles are coming on November Thanks i be playing the game on the 20th and i cant wait for the demo.
Hey guys, I appreciate all of these comments. And in fact, you have just helped us out immensely. I wasn’t fully aware of how important it was for us to support 1080i. Up until earlier today we were only supporting 720p (and SD of course) but reading through these comments, it was brought to my attention the number of people who had HDTV’s but would not be able to experience Uncharted in high-def. So we immediately went to work and I’m pleased to announce here, for the first time, that we have now implemented 1080 support! Thanks for pointing this out to us, so now even more people will get to enjoy Uncharted the way it was meant to be… in glorious high definition!
Man, this is a developer! One who listens and does what he can for his consumers… Dylan Jobe and Ted Price are 2 others. I have a 1080P set, so it wasn’t a big deal for me… but I know 5 or 6 of my friends who are dlp 1080I owners and this is just awesome news!
Damn. Mad props to Naughty Dog. I have a 1080i only TV and you have no idea how much that is appreciated. Most definately going to get the game. Wish other developers and Sony are taking notes. Thanks.
As if your stock wasn’t high enough, it just went up a lot in my book. I love seeing developers listening to the people who will be playing it, and maximizing the compatibility for the game.
I really appreciate the work and response and can’t wait to get my hands on this game!