MeinMMO editor Alexander Schürlein is quite taken by the world in Monster Hunter Wilds. One innovation has particularly crept into his heart. And its impact on the hunts could be far greater than many have previously suspected.
Monster Hunter Wilds places a strong focus on an immersive world and a coherent ecosystem. This is a point that has personally appealed to me from the very beginning. Therefore, I paid special attention to it during my demo session as part of the event in Hamburg.
This feeling of a coherent, vibrant world that you can immerse yourself in for hours captivated me immediately. Above all, the innovations surrounding the behaviors of the monsters drew my attention.
One aspect particularly fascinated me: the new herd mechanics. Ever since their announcement, I have been thinking about how they could possibly change the game.
During the demo session, I was able to get to know several different herds and test their impact on solo hunts. However, my thirst for knowledge was not quenched. I wanted to know how this could affect multiplayer and what thoughts were important to the developers in creating this mechanic.
That’s why I had to seize my chance in the interview with Game Director Yuya Tokuda and Producer Ryozo Tsujimoto to learn more about it.
A compilation of the gameplay footage of my hunt on Rompopolo can be seen here:
In the midst of trampling herds and threatening packs
As I dive into the world of Monster Hunter Wilds for about 4 hours, I encounter various monster groups. I come across a group of Doshagumas led by a powerful and aggressive alpha that needs to be dealt with.
I already know the pack from the beta, but I had decided to pay more attention during the gameplay to how to handle this kind of hunt. While in the beta I just went in swinging, I wanted to approach this a bit more tactically.
At first, I don’t think much of it – after all, they are just multiple large monsters in one place. However, the closer I get to the situation, the more I realize: this is probably not going to be that simple.
The situation seems highly threatening and poses the problem: How do I get to the alpha Doshaguma without being completely torn apart? Can I somehow lure the group apart? Draw him out? What are the other Doshagumas doing in the meantime? Can they be distracted at all?
Therefore, I try to separate the alpha from the group to avoid getting caught between the other Doshagumas. However, this proves more difficult than I thought, and I immediately wish for other hunters by my side to coordinate and share the attention of the monsters.
After some back and forth, I manage to fulfill the quest more poorly than well, and I realize that I may have underestimated this new aspect of the game a bit too much. I’m left wondering how this could have been solved differently in a group with other players.
Upon proofreading my article, I was then informed that I should have simply used Dung Capsules to scatter the herd. Had I listened to Alma, I would have known that too. Be it as it may, I’m probably not the only one who ignores calls in the game like a true player… or am I?
As my demo time comes to an end and I have encountered several more groups and herds, there are still some questions left for me, and I decide to bring them up in the now upcoming interview.
Stronger Together
I excitedly enter the room where the interview takes place and mentally review my questions that I particularly want to ask about the herds. After we greet each other, I start the interview with some general questions about the new monsters and the ecosystem.
Since we are currently talking about the new monsters, it would fit if I also directly ask my questions about the herds?
So I pose my first question on the topic to Yuya Tokuda, the Game Director of Monster Hunter Wilds, and want to know what was particularly important to them in developing the herd mechanics:
My goal with this title was to create a more dynamic and – in the truest sense of the title – wilder ecosystem. I wanted players to feel the threat of nature more strongly. When suddenly a whole herd of monsters appears, it can be overwhelming. Their behavior becomes less predictable and, in a way, more terrifying. The idea that a group of monsters is coming directly at you seemed to me an exciting way to elevate the sense of the creatures in the game to a new level. Therefore, I wanted to advance the technical side to be able to display more monsters on the screen at the same time. I think that dramatically changes the perception of the monsters and their ecosystem.
I also wanted to avoid herds always acting the same way, thus becoming predictable. The AI is very intelligent – it ensures that the monsters do not simply move in a straight line behind one another. There can be a leader in the group that the rest follow. But depending on what the player does – for example, if you deliberately try to scatter the herd – they can panic. This creates unpredictable gameplay situations that make the gameplay even more interesting.
This also confirms my feelings during the demo session. The threat that was meant to be created is clearly recognizable to me and instantly brings me back mentally to my fight against the alpha Doshaguma.
So I ask my second question. I want to know what they think about how the new behavior of the monsters will affect multiplayer. I want to know if the hunts will have to become more strategic from their perspective and whether hunters will take on new roles within hunting groups:
Definitely! Now, as a group, you can develop entirely new strategies. One of you could focus on the alpha, which is the main target of the quest. But if you do that, the herd might panic and scatter – then the other players have to deal with the remaining monsters.
You could even deliberately seek out an even stronger apex monster and lure it to the herd with a special item, so the monsters fight each other and deplete each other. How you and your hunter friends divide up and decide who takes on which task adds a whole new strategic depth to the game.
An answer that makes me very happy, as it confirms to me that this was also addressed during development. That it was not only about creating threatening and impressive herd visuals that simply make the fight harder. But that care was taken to also introduce a new strategic depth into the game with the new mechanic.
After the interview, my thoughts continue to revolve around the different herds and what possibilities they will bring in the finished game. What monsters will we still encounter in groups? How will they react? And how can we as hunters influence that?
For my part, I am once again looking forward to the release. I’m looking forward to facing a new hunting dimension with other hunters and immersing myself once again (and this time longer) in the lively world of Monster Hunter Wilds, whose ecosystem I am so taken by: After 4 hours with the full version, I now know what makes Monster Hunter Wilds so much better than its predecessors
