In an interview with AusGamers, game director Mathias Karlson of Ubisoft went into some detail on how, exactly, The Division 2 differs from its predecessor, and how developers plan on iterating upon all the useful feedback that they've been given by players over the years.
Karlson noted that learning from this wealth of information has been incredibly useful and that a large amount of that data has pored directly into the development of The Division 2, which started over two years ago at the time of writing this article. While this is pure PR talking, it should also be noted that The Division has grown admirably over its lifetime and that it now sits at a fairly comfortable place according to most of its players.
The Division 2 wants to explore the catastrophe as it happens and plays out, which is an ambitious concept given the persistent online nature of the game.
Karlson wanted specifically to highlight how much more dynamic the open-world will be this time around, with dynamic simulations of not only enemy mobs, but also of civilians and the like. This will play well with the way Ubisoft want the storyline to unfold; alongside the catastrophe itself.
"The more you play The Division 2," said Karlson, "in many, many ways the more there is to do."
This comment was dropped specifically in regard to the endgame activities, which are promised to arrive upon release, with numerous raids and more, depending on what sort of a player you are. Restoring infrastructure was mentioned, though it is not certain whether this was a conceptual or practical comment to take note of. On that note, Karlson also mentioned that Ubisoft are saving something special as a surprise for the players to unravel as they go along, but did not go into any further detail on what sort of surprise this might be.
Additionally, player actions have been promised to affect the way civilians behave and prowl about the area, as well as how they react to the players themselves. In this regard, a player's relationship with the locals might end up being a symbiotic one, should they jump into the fray themselves to assist the player at a time of need.
Of course, whether The Division 2 comes to life in a way that its predecessor did not is yet to be seen, but one can hope that Ubisoft have learned their lesson already.
