Lost Planet

A while back I gave a sneak peak of some upcoming DX10 enhancements for LP PC. Now I’m back to announce that these updates will be available on August 16 for you Vista users.

I also have some more new LP PC updates to share, screenshots to show, and Xbox 360 version announcements, after the jump.

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First of all, as I mentioned last month, DX10 users will see some exciting new graphical improvements – enhanced motion blur, a fur shader, and improved depth of field.

Here’s the new motion blur comparisons. Click images to see the full 1280×720 screenshots.

Motion Blur – DX9

Motion Blur – DX10

Here’s another fur shader comparison. Click images to see the full 1280×720 screenshots.

Fur Shader – DX9

Fur Shader – DX10

And here’s a comparison of the DX9 and enhanced DX10 depth of field. Click images to see the full 1280×720 screenshots.

Depth of Field – DX9

Depth of Field – DX10

In addition to that, the PC version will also be receiving a new simple chat system for multiplayer, with default messages for the lobby, in-game, and results screen. Basically, you’ll hit one of four buttons (see below) to send one of four default messages, based on where you are at the time. When a message is sent, a little chat window will appear on the bottom left of the screen, as seen in the below screenshot. If no one sends any more messages, after a while the chat message window will disappear.

Quick Message Window, In-Game

To send messages with the (Xbox 360) Controller, hold the START button and use the left analog stick (up, down, left, right). For the keyboard, it’s keys F1 through F4. The size of the message window can be toggled (“Normal” – “Small” – “Hide”) using the F5 key.

The available messages are:

– Lobby

• Let’s go.
• Hold on a sec.
• It’s nice to meet you.
• Roger!

– In-game

• Thank you.
• I’m sorry.
• You’ve gotta hold’em off!
• Roger!

– Result Screen

• Let’s go.
• Thank you.
• What do we do now?
• Thanks.

Lastly for the PC, Map Pack #2 will be available as a free 400MB download, and features four multiplayer maps. This includes all three maps from the Xbox 360 Map Pack 3 – Lost Technology, Ruins and Ice Drop – as well as the Battleground map.

Now for you Xbox 360 users, thanks for sticking with me. I’m happy to announce that simultaneously with the PC version’s update on the 16th, Map Pack 3 (Lost Technology, Ruins, and Ice Drop) will be made available to everyone for free. Map Packs 1 and 2 are currently free already. That means that, as of August 16, all of the downloadable multiplayer maps for Lost Planet will be completely free.

And regarding the update to improve connectivity, we are hoping to release that in the next few weeks.

—Brian