Polygon has published a new report on Disney Infinity 2.0, featuring comments from executive producer John Vignocchi. You can find the latest information rounded up below and Polygon’s full preview here.
“Our priority is to innovate the software over time to bring new value and experiences to the existing stable of characters that have been integrated into the platform.” – Vignocchi
– Disney Infinity owners will be able to purchase a digital upgrade to this year’s game through the Wii U eShop
– Players can then go out and purchase the new characters individually or buy packages instead of paying for another Starter Pack
– Game is being built to provide a deeper experience with more options and content for all characters
– Marvel characters present new challenges in terms of the way they play
– Ex: Iron Man can fly, and Avalanche accommodated those mechanics by altering the game engine to support a much larger world
– Marvel Manhattan is four times larger than Metroville from the original
– Combat system revamped
– Each hero has multiple attacks, special moves and upgradable abilities
– Entire game is now stats-based
– There are ratings for health, attack speed and attack power, etc.
– Earn skill points that you can spend in a skill tree to customize each character to a play style of your choosing
– Ex: buff up Hulk’s melee combat to help him beat up Loki’s minions, or raise his ability to absorb damage and play as a tank
– These new mechanics will extend in some fashion to the existing Disney characters from Disney Infinity
– Two Toy Boy mini-games will be available at launch
– One is a dungeon-crawler with procedurally generated levels while the other is tower-defense title
– Play these games to unlock more Toy Box content
“Innovating the software to provide new experiences to all of the characters is […] the priority for us. And that might not make a lot of sense right now, but if you could get in my head and see the five-year plan we’re developing, it will all make sense as time goes on.” – Vignocchi
“I think our Toy Box games are the first nod in that direction. You’ll see over time, as the platform evolves, new relevancy to the existing base of characters on the platform.” – Vignocchi
– Players spent 60% of their time in the Toy Box
– This time around, the Toy Boy features robust procedural generation technology
– “Power mode”: set a few parameters like size and materials, and the game will build an environment in front of your eyes
– This method can even be used to create games in a variety of genres, thanks to templates with programming logic already set up
– Can then put in an online leaderboard
– When using builders, they’ll begin constructing elements of the environment such as pieces of a race track, walls of a castle and landscaping
– Can put a door on pretty much any object in the Toy Box to add an interior area to that item
– Can set up numerous rooms on multiple floors
“Infinity is definitely a platform for all things Disney, whether that’s Pixar or Tim Burton’s creations, or Jerry Bruckheimer, or Marvel or things in galaxies far, far away.” – Vignocchi
“It’s not just about slamming Marvel into it; it’s not just about, ‘Hey, there’s some toys, and they have cool things to do.’ I mean, that Toy Box is powerful. It is an extremely powerful creation tool that’s evolving. And I think that’s key, because if people try it and they understand it — and we’re making it easier to use — they really can create their own stories for themselves and share them with others.” – Vignocchi
