Dying Light 2 Open World Sounds Massive

The developers of Dying Light 2, Techland, have revealed some more details about the upcoming survival game. Some players may be familiar with the zombie-infested open world of the first game. Now, thanks to the technology behind Dying Light 2, the world can be much bigger and significantly deeper.

One aspect that set the original title apart from other zombie shooters was the emphasis on parkour. With the undead weak at day but aggressive at night, fans had to make a choice between engaging or fleeing via the movement system. Techland hopes to develop a map that improves the gameplay and extends the length of Dying Light 2.

Apparently, the open world in the sequel is going to be four times the size of the one in Dying Light. To do this, the developers at Techland utilize the C-Engine to create unrestricted maps. According to a senior programmer, making huge open worlds is not a major obstacle. However, filling one with interesting content that does not get stale for players can be more challenging. The C-Engine supports a city with a lot more verticality and depth when it comes to the upcoming horror game.

This is possible due to a tool within the engine called CityBuilder. Users can draw up a full city map and generate it without having to lay down each individual wall. The tool automates these elements which typically take a lot of time. The Level Artists and Designers are able to flex their creative chops and Dying Light 2 can avoid development hell. If the team needs to make changes, they can easily transmit the tweaks across the map. This should result in an open world with more variety in exploration while still supporting the fast paced parkour.

Details about the C-Engine and Citybuilder will likely come as good news for Dying Light fans. As open world games have become more prevalent, the activities and maps within them get progressively more repetitive. Techland's survival-horror stands out for being a first person shooter with great platforming due to the mobile gameplay. Now that the developers have freedom to make a unique world, the new title sounds like it is going to live up to the original.

That said, Techland has been playing the development of the game close to the chest. As of right now, fans will still be anxiously waiting for more after the March update for Dying Light 2. It has been 6 years since the original game released, and the new game was already delayed from a 2020 launch. Nevertheless, it seems like the team can make the game into something massive and just need a little more time before showing it off.

First announced almost three years ago during Microsoft's E3 2018 press conference, Dying Light 2 was delayed indefinitely in January 2020 and there have been few further updates on the game's development since. The announcement came as a major shock to many fans given how promising the game's E3 2019 demo looked, as well as the ongoing post-launch support Dying Light that is still happening to this day. Dying Light 2's delay also came before the real impact of Covid-19 was felt, meaning something else was going on behind the scenes.