DEATHLOOP’s third major update is now available on PC! Game Update 3 introduces a brand-new Photo Mode, added accessibility options, and more, all for free. Check out the full patch notes for Game Update 3 here, and read on for highlights on Photo Mode and the new accessibility options, with insights from members of the team at Arkane Lyon.
Photo Mode
Express yourself with a wide variety of filters, stickers, poses and other customization options in DEATHLOOP’s brand-new Photo Mode. Available only in single-player, Photo Mode is accessible through the Pause menu in any map or by activating the Photo Mode shortcut (set to “P” on PC keyboards by default).
“This Photo Mode is such a great way to allow our players to get creative by using the unique art and levels of DEATHLOOP,” says Producer Jeremy Leulier. “The only creative limitations are defined by our players’ imaginations. We’re very excited at Arkane to see how deep the players will dig into all of the different options and what they will come up with.”
In addition to being able to select your filters and angles like a photography pro, you can swap between Colt and Julianna, change out your outfits and weapons (including the specific weapon variation and skin), and drop into over a dozen share-worthy poses.
“One of our biggest challenges was to adapt Photo Mode for a first-person shooter where your character isn’t displayed apart from the hands and weapons,” explains Leulier. “We wanted to offer the best possible experience for this mode and took the time to playtest it thoroughly and even asked for insight from players who are experts in using different Photo Modes in games. We took so much pleasure testing Photo Mode that we added a lot of relevant options for the player to make it even more fun and funnier to use.”
“Each time we release a game, Photo Mode has been one of the most requested features by the players,” adds Studio Director Dinga Bakaba. “Seeing how virtual photographers were able to make incredible shots in our worlds without one, we can't be more thrilled to empower the entire community with these tools.”
Learn more about the new Photo Mode (including a complete breakdown of all of the options) in the full patch notes for Game Update 3.
Accessibility Features
“We are truly grateful to the players and the ally community who gave us so much feedback when DEATHLOOP was released,” says Lead UI/UX Designer Yoann Bazoge. “We took the time to read all of the accessibility reviews and watch the videos of players explaining why they couldn’t play DEATHLOOP. We then worked on a document listing all of the feedback and drew up a roadmap of what the additions would be for Game Update 3.”
Game Update 3 introduces over 30 improvements and added accessibility options, from menu navigation improvements and interface options to a host of new gameplay options. The update also adds a dedicated Accessibility category, which can be found in the options menu. This new menu wraps up the existing options as well as many of the new options available with this update, including:
- New gameplay settings that allow players to further customize combat in Single-Player Mode (most are not available for Online or Friends modes). This includes increasing or decreasing combat difficulty, adjusting number of Reprises and slowing game speed.
- New HUD and subtitle options, such as customizing the size, opacity and color of various text and graphical elements
- Easier menu navigation, allowing for the use of directional buttons on the controller to navigate up and down menu lists. The cursor speed can also now be adjusted in settings to help with navigating the settings with a controller.
"One of the things we didn't expect when starting on accessibility features was how some of these options can be useful and fun for everyone,” says Bakaba. “My favorites are slow-mo, which enables everyone to make otherwise nearly impossible chain of actions, and Reprise count, which allows you to experiment without consequence with the infinite setting. On the contrary, you can use the Reprise count to make the game more challenging by turning Reprises off entirely."
See the full list of accessibility options included in Game Update 3 here.
“Accessibility in games is a complex subject,” says Bazoge. “We estimate that over 400 million players need some additional assistance when playing. That’s a lot of people that can feel left out without some of these options. When we began discussing it with our teams, people were very motivated about the idea of developing all of this.”
*Arkane Lyon would like to thank Joshua Straub of Apex Access ([@JoshPStraub and Jérome Dupire of CapGame (@AxGameDesign) for helping us improve accessibility in DEATHLOOP. We are also grateful to Ludovic Helme (@shinobi_space) for his tireless work on our new photo mode. Thank you!*