Transcript for "UNCHARTED 2: Among Thieves Developer Chat", Thurs Oct 8 2009 (Part II)
Guest-91: What is your favorite game mode?
NeilD-Dev: My favorite game mode is Chain Reaction. It really requires all the players to work together as a team.
TravisM-Dev: There were a lot of really tough things about making Uncharted 2. Really, the hardest part was making a bigger game (the single player alone is significantly bigger than Uncharted 1) and then adding multiplayer on top of that. We basically had to make more than twice the content of Uncharted 1 is less time!
Guest-65: How long will you guys plan to support this game with DLC?
Guest-67: It would be cool if we could upload our MP videos to our computers, any chance of this happening?..btw it's a different aiming bug 
there's a video in the U2 beta forums.
NeilD-Dev: We have several DLC's planned... stay tuned for more info.
Guest-69: does ReklissAbandon work for you guys?
NeilD-Dev: Rekliss is a tester for Uncharted 2 and a sick MP player... watch out for him.
Guest-29: any more uncharted 2 tourneys? i won the won here in washington
NeilD-Dev: We definitely have more tourneys coming up. Congrats on winning yours.
Aaron-GS: Thank you all for your patience. The queue will be open again momentarily.
TravisM-Dev: We looked into adding youtube capture support to U2. We actually had it implemented in debug mode, but in the end we had to take it out because of the large memory footprint compressing video on the fly added. We literally used all but maybe 20k of the PS3's memory when we shipped, and the 13-14 mb needed just weren't available.
bnogradi28: Is there a way you pick he teams in MP. Are they at random because some times they seem lopsided.
Guest-83: Will Canada ever get a chance to see the Fortune Hunter Edition?
NeilD-Dev: Yes! Canada will be getting the Fortune Hunter Edition.
Guest-103: I love the "Massive Attack" trailer for Uncharted: Drake's Fortune; I still have it on my 60GB PS3, and a copy of it on my netbook just in case I want to watch it at work. Is there any chance that we'll get to see a trailer like this for Uncharted 2: Among Thieves?
TravisM-Dev: The teams are balanced based on a skill ranking system we have implemented. We try to balance teams to make the best possible match. Of course, we don't want to wait around too long waiting for a good match, and with the large numbers of brand new players currently a lot of matches may seem unbalanced, hopefully as people get to play for longer once the game ships things will settle down. As always, we're playing and watching, and we'll make sure to fix any problems we see.
Guest-44: You guys like to watch movies right? What movies have you watched that inspired you to make the Uncharted games. Also, are there any scenes from movies that you have taken and tried to copy it in Uncharted 1/2?
NeilD-Dev: Thanks for the commets about our Massive Attack trailer... Taylor (our in-house editor) did an amazing job on that one. We will have at least one more trailer for Uncharted 2 and the awesome TV commercials start hitting the tubes this Friday.
Aaron-GS: We've reached the half-way point of the chat! The queue is open again for questions, but please remember to keep your questions as short and concise as possible! =D
TravisM-Dev: We love lots of movies, but you can probably guess all the ones I'm going to mention. Indiana Jones, Die hard, old adventure serials. Honestly, we watch so many films it's hard to pick just a few.
ILoveNaughtyGod: Any chance at all for split screen? I can sacrifice graphics for split screen modes-- its a much beloved feature that developers are sadly denying. Hopefully it wouldnt be too complicated to put in. I wish u guys the best of luck, u have truly been the gem of Playstation and I admire the diversity u put into each generation and the risk of making new IPs.
Guest-40: How will you guys support PS@Home ?
NeilD-Dev: We have a brand new Uncharted 2 space coming to Home pretty soon.
Guest-3: You mentioned implementing punishment for players who drop out too often. Care to elaborate what kind of punishment this may be?
TravisM-Dev: We really wish we could have done split screen, we totally get why everybody wants it. Honestly though, we just had too much on our plate to tackle that this game. It's not a trivial features, requires we redesign almost every map and level. Many times it means you need to make two medals one for single player, one for split screen.
Aaron-GS: Thank you for all your questions! The queue is temporarily closed to allow the developers a chance to answer questions that have already been submitted.
NeilD-Dev: As far as punishing players who drop early, we're going to do two things. 1) we're going to delay their ability to log into the game again and 2) subtract a $100,000 from their profile.
Guest-87: You guys has developed one of the most beautiful game engines this generation, is it going to be used for any future Sony titles? Also, are we going to see an Uncharted 3 this generation?
TravisM-Dev: We will definately making another game this generation, but honestly, most of us aren't even back from vacation yet, so we'll have to see what that game is.
NeilD-Dev: Hey guys, so I just got word that we're going to announce more ways to earn the Fortune Hunter edition on the playstation blog TOMORROW. Make sure to check it out.
Guest-56: Being able to fine tune what game modes i would like to search for in matchmaking would be helpful, any plans for this? (ie instead of just mp objectives, choose plunder OR chain reaction)
TravisM-Dev: As for our engine, like the first Uncharted, we share all of our tech with any team that wants it. We got a lot of help our selves from other studios. Especially Guerilla.
Guest-14: will you add a rewind button in the cinema mode??
NeilD-Dev: We're going to include more game modes so that you can fine-tune your game search (e.g. pure deathmatch).
Guest-38: What are the names of the other 3 unknown multiplayer maps in the final version? Spill the beans!
TravisM-Dev: Because we are basically replaying a match from the beginning by just reinterpreting packets in the cinema mode, rewind is really tough and we just didn't have time to do it this game.
Guest-44: Travis. So you guys can basically patch the multiplayer on the fly, without a downloadable update? I heard something about that. Details?
NeilD-Dev: The three maps not included in the demo are: Train Wreck, The Lost City, and the Monastery.
Guest-102: Will you take part in multiplayer matches in the future?
NeilD-Dev: You bet we're going to be in MP matches!
NeilD-Dev: You can tell you're playing with Naughty Dogs when you see a red paw next to their name.
TravisM-Dev: We can patch some things, like weapon damage, placement, text, and a ton of other settings/tweaks/scripted events. We can't patch everything unfortunately, but we feel we've got enough that we can touch a majority of what we'd want to play with on a regular basis.
EliteHitokiri: why so few mp trophies?
NeilD-Dev: We wanted to make sure that everyone, with enough work, can reach the Platinum trophy.
Guest-81: Can we use Best Buy gold guns in all multiplayer modes (competivie and co-op)? Are those guns are unloced by just playing the game as well? Great game 
Guest-76: Any chance of adding more then 5 players to each side? Maybe 8v8 or 10v10?
Guest-86: how many MP maps are going to be in the final product
NeilD-Dev: There are going to be 7 MP maps in the final games... that is until DLC hits.
TravisM-Dev: You can't get the gold guns any way other than a Best Buy pre-order. And yes, you can use them in any mode, including all competitive and multiplayer. If you want those guns, you've got a few days left.
Guest-88: How did Infinity Ward, bungie, and guerilla games help you guys in Uncharted 2?
NeilD-Dev: Those are great developers that swap technical knowledge with us.
Guest-79: Out of curiousity, how many staffed writers did you have working on the single player story? The first game was told well and I would assume that the second could only be better.
Guest-48: Kinda redundant, but when you say Canada will get Fortune Hunter, could you expand? Man I'd do anything for it!
NeilD-Dev: Although many of the team members contribute to the story, there are three main writers for Uncharted 2.
TravisM-Dev: We can't really give more details yet.
Guest-10: My friends and I have been experiencing problems in the demo. Often, certain people can't join when certain others are party leader, and certain people can't hear each other, even though everyone else can hear them both. What causes this, and can you fix it?
Guest-61: How many skins are there in MP? and it seems like most people vote for deathmatch when elimination comes up is there a chance putting up a new playlist for elimination only?
TravisM-Dev: We're aware of this problem. It's a NAT version issue we're having, and we're working on it right now.
Guest-83: I saw how you're going to drop $100,000 if a person leaves early, what is a person suppose to do if he/she has an emergency he/she must take care of. $100,000 alot of money to take off of someone who spends a lot of his time on this game. Can you lessen the amount of money taken away?
NeilD-Dev: There are at least 25 skins in MP, and we are going to update the playlists real soon to seperate certain modes out.
TravisM-Dev: You only loose the money if you leave multiple times in a row in a short period of time. Leaving the game a single time will not take any money away.
bnogradi28: Is there any bonus if you have a platinum in Uncharted: Drake's Fourtune?
NeilD-Dev: If you've finished Uncharted 1 you'll get $100,000 to start out with for Uncharted 2.
Guest-27: How many Naughty Gods are on the ICE Team?
Guest-40: Do I need to "Install" the game?
NeilD-Dev: No, there's no install for Uncharted 2... or load screens for the SP once your start playing the game.
Guest-46: Is there any super crazy twist like in Uncharted 1 with the cursed spanish people in Uncharted 2 don't spoil it though
NeilD-Dev: I can't answer that question without spoiling the story.
TravisM-Dev: The ice team typically has 12-15 members. They're not the biggest team, but we try to be very picky about the talent we hire here, so they're all pretty awsome guys who know the PS3 pretty much better than anyone.
Guest-47: Will there be weapons added into this game with DLC?
EliteHitokiri: Will future mp trohies be added with dlc like ranking ones?
NeilD-Dev: We're looking into all sorts of additions for the DLC... that's all I can say right now.
Guest-44: Will there ever be a Uncharted 2 Among Thieves bundle? Anytime soon? Im sure Uncharted 2 has the potential to be a system seller.
Matthew-GS: Thank you all for your questions! The queue is temporarily closed to allow the Developers a chance to answer already submitted questions. We will allow more in a few minutes.
Guest-114: Hi guys, I happen to have a clan that really loves your games and I just wonder if you guys will happen to have any clan support in the final release of the game?
TravisM-Dev: There is no hardware bundle in the US, but there are in Europe.
Guest-80: How are you going to handle the ranking up system, are you going to do prestige modes?, what is the maximum rank?
NeilD-Dev: While we don't have a dedicated clan system, we've made a party system really easy to use so that you can team-up with your friends and take them to matches with you.
TravisM-Dev: You rank up through getting cash. The last ten ranks 50-60, are significantly harder than the other levels. You can recognize someone with the high ranks as they show up as roman numerals. We don't have prestige modes per say, but what we do have is special boosters than hadicap you, but provide a significant multiplier to the cash you earn. The best players are going to want to play with these handicaps in order to reach the top levels.
Guest-83: What if I deleted my Uncharted: Drakes Fortune save, by accident. But I still have the Platinum Trophy. Will I still get the $100,000 or will I have to replay the whole story again keeping the save?
TravisM-Dev: we answered this above, just scroll up.
Guest-80: Are we going to get to see more skins of the previous game on DLC or unlockables?
NeilD-Dev: There will be DLC skins, some of which will be from Uncharted 1 (we've already shown Navarro).
Guest-152: What is the most fun level you played in single player?Also any multiplayer tips?
Guest-69: What inspired you to create the uncharted series?
NeilD-Dev: We were mainly inspired by old Pulp comics, novels, and movies.
TravisM-Dev: My favorite single player level is definately the train, but maybe because I spent so much time on it. A good tip for multi - you can pick up weapons while rolling, and you can blindfire while jumping.
Guest-103: Sorry for my silly question, but how are the office dogs Pogo and Trumpet doing?
NeilD-Dev: They're doing great... and as a bonus, they didn't leave any present under my desk today.
Guest-159: HEY GUYS IS THIS GAME AWESOME ?
NeilD-Dev: YES!
NeilD-Dev: that was a really hard question.
Guest-160: Will there be any Jak and daxter, or previous Naughty Dog game cameos located in the game?
Guest-107: How long can we expect to wait to get downloadable content or map packs?
NeilD-Dev: Not very long.
TravisM-Dev: There is one minor Jak reference, but I'm not going to spoil it. A hint, it's a treasure.
bnogradi28: What type of environments will be in Uncharted 2 besides urban, snowy, and train/jungle?
NeilD-Dev: You get to rob a museum.
Guest-148: Why do the bullets in Uncharted 2 take more time to travel than in Uncharted: Drake's Fortune? Thanks.
Guest-46: Does the co-op story mode with the cutscenes tie in with the story in the single player?
TravisM-Dev: They don't actually, but they may look like it. We tweaked our tracer effect, though the actual bullets will get there slightly ahead of when it looks like the tracer hit (usually only an issue when you shoot a very long distance.)
NeilD-Dev: The co-op stories are not related to the single player campaign.
Guest-48: Anything notable/special/cool happen during the development process?
NeilD-Dev: Somewhere along the way we came up with a prequel story to Uncharted 1... while it didn't end up in the game, you will experience the story in some other way.
Guest-168: Is Eddie Raja going to be a multiplayer skin ? He was awesome so funny plus he had the golden gun. Buka pintu !
NeilD-Dev: We love Eddy! It would be a shame we didn't see more of him.
Guest-152: Send: thanks guys looking forward to the game. how long it take to make?
bnogradi28: Can you give examples of the boosters that make you worse?
NeilD-Dev: One booster allows the enemies to see YOU through the wall.
TravisM-Dev: The game took about 18 months in all to make, which is *significantly* shorter than Uncharted 1. Let's just say it was no picnic.
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