"Rock Band 4" instruments are looking "way better" than it did on previous games, Technical Artist Chris Hartelius confirmed.
"We basically get a chance to really make the materials of the instruments and clothing feel real," Hartelius told IGN.
"One of the fun things, to get into the new details, is of fingerprints showing up on a used guitar, and scratch marks on pick guards and stuff like that. Just having large amounts of wear and tear that's natural for guitars. And again, because of the lighting engine, it just looks way better than it did in previous games."
While visual fidelity in Harmonix's upcoming music video game has taken a huge leap, the expressive personality of the series' angular characters still remain intact. Forge, the new game engine for the game, gives enables the studio to add finer details, especially with lighting, to "Rock Band 4" instruments, characters and environments.
Hartelius revealed that each model has its own different finish, from the basic wood guitar to the triburst. He confirmed that they layer on the wear and tear on top of the instruments to make it feel like it has been used for years. Their animations are also more varied, with about 700 crowd members on-screen.
Forge is optimized to work on new-gen consoles. Creative Lead Greg LoPiccolo has revealed that the whole experience of "Rock Band" is much more expressive. The updated engine also allows faster workflow for the development team.
A new structure for the game was introduced, named "Gigs." It captures the "feeling of a live performance," according to Lead Designer Chris Foster. He admitted that the developers wanted to capture the feel of a gig and use it for narrative means in order to provide new gameplay and emotional experiences in "Rock Band 4."
"So, you'll do your crowd work as a vocalist, the band will play a couple of songs, and then you'll take another break," Foster explained. "And in those breaks, you'll be able to do a lot of voting. In some cases, there'll be a set list that is predefined, like in previous 'Rock Bands.' But in other cases, you'll - as a band - be able to vote on a setlist."
