Next-Generation Ace Combat Game Will Use Unreal Engine 5; AC7 DLC Gets New Screenshots

Following yesterday's reveal, Bandai Namco released new assets and information about the future of the Ace Combat series.

[autobotdan]

As long as it's 60fps as a minimum

[autobotdan]

Why the disagrees??

[RaidenBlack]

Many devs are switching to UE5 this gen.
Is this the gradual decline of proprietary engines? Hope not.
UE5 is accessible, intuitive n all but we need separate bespoke advancements as well from separate developers.
Like 4A Games(Metro), Crytek(Hunt Showdown), Id(Doom Eternal), Luminous(Forspoken), Naughty Dog, Insomniac, Sucker Punch, Crystal Dynamics ...

[TheColbertinator]

All great engines and I don't doubt their performance but UE5 has been doing great this gen.

[RaidenBlack]

"UE5 has been doing great" ? ... No products based on it is even out yet.

[Dabigsiebowski]

Maybe he meant looks great because they do. Stalker 2 is some of the best graphics I've seen and has a ton going on. Great Engine

[ApocalypseShadow]

More skins but not even one new VR level this whole time. I would have paid for more levels than a measly but awesome 3 VR missions. Could have sold more of the game that way.

Unreal Engine 5 will be great for graphics but the next game better be NGVR (PSVR 2) compatible. Like fully with all levels. PC should get the game with VR as well. Come on Namco. Think. It's obvious what would make Ace Combat 8 shine beyond looks.

[Abriael]

Imagine advocating that the whole game should be held back for the vastly outnumbered minority that wants VR.

What will make Ace Combat 8 shine is catering to the vast majority of its fanbase with a great story and gameplay that pushes the envelope of what hardware can do, more enemies, more spectacle, better physics.

If anything, the lack of any further VR content for AC7 is probably because Project Aces and Bandai Namco have seen that such a niche feature is a waste of resources when those resources can be allocated to creating content everyone can enjoy instead of a small niche only.

[ApocalypseShadow]

Oh look. The person who thinks he knows what he's talking about with VR that posted the article from his own website he probably works for just to create add revenue.

If the rumors are true that Sony is looking for hybrid VR games that can be played flat screen or VR, then it's another option in a game that VR gamers can enjoy and flat gamers can ignore if they want. It helps in creating new potential sales of a game. It helped with Skyrim with more sales, Borderlands, Doom, Dirt Rally, Hitman 3, etc. Ace might not have gotten more levels because of the base PS4 not being strong enough. PS5 won't have that issue or need to have parity with PS4 like Pro did.

The complaints are that the VR games aren't long enough or the big developers producing any franchise games. GT 7 will have VR. Do you think the game will be held back? No. Was RE7 held back? No. Was any game that can be played both ways held back like Star Wars Squadrons? No.

But why am I wasting time with you. You really don't know much anyway when it comes to VR as something like hybrid games can grow the platform. Then, there won't be any excuses from gamers that VR games are tech demos or experiences. It doesn't have to be every developer. But Sony supporting dual modes themselves or paying for it with third parties is only a win win.

If all you like are micro transaction skins for DLC and screw everyone else that likes AC too for what they would like, then I'm not surprised.

[Abriael]

VR will always eat up resources, both in terms of hardware and in terms of manpower/budgets. Hence, focus on VR automatically means less resources for the part of a game that everyone can enjoy.

VR fanatics can't care the less about the growth of the platform as a whole or of the game. All they care about is for their beloved niche to grow at the expense of everyone else.

There are a ton of VR developers out there. Rely on them, instead of demanding other devs to gimp their games for everyone else for your sake. If they can't manage to drag VR out of the small niche it is, tough luck. Perhaps it isn't meant to be.

[ApocalypseShadow]

It's not a demand. It's an ask. If you want more skins, fine. The assets for planes are already made. They could have at least allowed some of the planes "already made" to be playable in VR." How hard is that to implement? There are big levels and small levels in the flat version. They could pick from the smaller levels "already made" to be playable in VR and reduce assets or resolution.

The work it takes to put skins in the flat version every couple of months is the same work that they could have done to put an extra plane for VR users. One extra plane. One.

VR is not going away. Get used to it. The only way to grow the platform is to add game franchises gamers are used to besides new up IPs.

If flat gamers are benefiting from VR with 3D sound, and Sony themselves have said that Dual Sense adaptive triggers tech came out of experiments with VR, it stands to reason that VR gamers could use some benefits from flat gaming.

As I said above, those games I mentioned sold more copies because there's a VR version to try. That's not a negative. Being against other gamers wanting something for them IS a negative. Hybrid games benefit both gamers flat and VR.

[ApocalypseShadow]

And, I'd like to ask this simple question because this is what you said which was a massive fail:

**Imagine advocating that the whole game should be held back for the vastly outnumbered minority that wants VR.**

How was Hitman 3 held back by adding VR? I'd like to hear the deflecting nonsense you'll come up with.

How does adding VR to the upcoming GT 7 hold it back?

That egotistical nonsense is what set me off. That you'll be for skins over actual VR gamers getting something added to give them more fun too.

[Abriael]

Who wants VR to go away? VR should stand on its own, with games *DEDICATED* to VR like Half-Life Alyx, instead of developers of games that are obviously not born for VR having to make compromises to support VR.

And if you think VR doesn't mean compromises, I can't help you. Having to support a platform that has completely different requirements to work *always* means compromises, no more and no less than a game having to release on Switch that is a much weaker platform.

On top of that, VR support eats up budget and development resources/manpower that are much better spent on making the overall game better, bigger, and more polished for all of its users instead of catering to a small niche.

Microsoft Flight Simulator's devs have to work with an unprecedented level of complexity, and having to support VR adds to that, subtracting resources that should instead be spent into fixing the game's issues. There is zero doubt that if VR was not shoehorned in, those issues would be fixed faster, and more efficiently.

More complexity is not an opinion, and the fact that VR adds complexity to a project is simply a fact.

[ApocalypseShadow]

Extra work to create skins is taking away resources as well. Like time that could be used in making AC 8. The same skins could be added to VR. Right? Adding an existing plane to VR doesn't cost millions. Adding one more level after 2 1/2 years isn't a resource hog. Bandai Namco isn't broke and it can be done with less than 10 people. Not the whole company.

When hybrid games get announced, I want you and others disagreeing to remember this article. And no. Since you deflected, games aren't held back by adding VR. RE7 wasn't held back by adding VR to it.

But good that you actually answered the question...no wait...you didn't answer it. Like I thought you wouldn't.

[Abriael]

LOL. If you think making some skins is anywhere comparable to supporting an entire platform I really can't help you understand what you simply don't want to understand.

For the record, I could make those skins. In a couple of days of work. I make them for Microsoft Flight Simulator and those for AC7 are actually easier to make.

You saying that something was not held back by VR does not make it true. VR support factually costed resources and manpower that would have been better spent simply making the overall game better for everyone, and required compromises that you simply ignore.

If VR for Resident Evil 7 was such a great thing as you seem to advocate, why did Capcom not repeat the experiment with REVillage? Luckily, exactly the same will likely happen with Ace Combat 8.

[Orchard]

I am definitely in for more AC.

[Gamist2dot0]

They should get rid of the time limit on all missions. I enjoy missions where you can return to base to re-arm.

[CrimsonWing69]

I’d have already bought it at “new ace combat game…”