The People vs: Red Dead Redemption

The forum regulars among you may know that we have been running a feature known as The People vs: alongside MusterBuster and his colleagues on the official PlayStation Forums.

The idea is to take questions from the community and put them to the developers behind the latest and greatest games. You get the interviews you want and I don’t have to write any questions: everyone wins!

I thought I’d share our latest edition: The People vs: Red Dead Redemption. Below are a few of the responses that didn’t make the final edit and you can read the full interview at eu.playstation.com. From now on, I plan to get you blog readers involved from the very start, so that you can pitch your own questions in the comments.

How significant a role will Auto-Aim have? Will we be able to turn it off and manually aim? (Milos-san, Poland)

Yes, you can switch your settings to free aim in both single and multiplayer games, but Red Dead Redemption’s default setting isn’t Auto-Aim: it’s a snap-to-target system that helps you fine tune your own aiming. We’ve implemented three levels of difficulty in the game that are primarily based around changes to targeting, which is something we have never done on a game before, but felt was useful on this game as some people may want to play it as a shooter and some as more of an adventure.

On the Casual setting, you have a full auto-lock targeting system, making for a much easier experience all around. On the Normal setting, you will snap to a target, but once you move the right stick you’re in free aim. Expert mode is free aim with zero lock-on.

How big is the map? Will it be possible to explore it right from the beginning? (Alwear-23, Spain)

The map is huge, and covers three separate but interconnected territories, with only New Austin open to you at the beginning of the game – but New Austin is a huge space and should be plenty to keep you occupied for a long while.

John Marston’s journey starts in the frontier towns there, and then takes him down into the Mexican border territories and finally, up into the Great Plains area of West Elizabeth and the more modern city of Blackwater. You’re always free to act any way you please, but the areas themselves open as you progress through the story. It’s certainly the biggest open world game we have made.

How does the in-game economy work? (renegadefunk6, UK)

You can buy and sell items in townships by visiting the local doctor, gunsmith, or the general store. If you’ve been hunting, you’ll be able to sell your skins, animal meat or things like elk antlers in order to gain cash. It pays to know what’s in demand within each area. A bear skin, for example, fetches a much higher price down south in Mexico than it does up north by Manzanita post, where there are plenty of bears. You can also buy new weapons, horses, bait for hunting, or maps that will help track down specific herbs or treasure.