DEATH STRANDING DIRECTOR'S CUT News

The month of May is almost over, which means it’s time to bring another DEATH STRANDING super fan into the limelight and get to know them!

In our latest fan interview, we had a chat with Mergava, an incredibly talented member of the community who has taken cosplay prop creation to a whole new level!

We hope you feel inspired by Mergava’s creativity.

Enjoy!

[h3]INTERVIEW WITH MERGAVA[/h3]

Hi, Mergava! Firstly, thank you for taking the time to chat with us! Can you tell us a little about yourself and how you got into DEATH STRANDING?

Hello! It's a pleasure to have this chance to talk to you. My name is Mergava, I'm a cosplayer from Japan.

I've been a fan of Hideo Kojima's work ever since I played Metal Gear Solid 4, so it was only a matter of time before I became obsessed with DEATH STRANDING.



What aspects of DEATH STRANDING DIRECTOR'S CUT do you like the most?

The game mechanics are really superb. To be honest, I was initially a little unsure about just walking around being the main hook.

Most games tend to focus on combat, so I wasn't sure what to expect from a game that didn't do that, but it turned out to be a lot of fun!

There's a real sense of accomplishment when you reach your destination having survived dealing with the BT's, MULEs, and the harsh nature around you. When I heard "Asylums for the feeling feat. Leila Adu" playing en route to K3 Port Knot City, I was so moved that I took a picture, haha.

There's so much else too, like sliding down a mountain on a floating carrier, connecting with other players, and even just taking in the beautiful scenery.



The Odradek you made is incredible! Could you tell us how you made it?

Thank you! It's a real honor to hear both fans and members of the DS team complementing my work. It was also great to feel connected to other fans within the game.

I had to rush to make it in time for a cosplay event, so this Odradek was made within 1 month.

For durability, I used a camera clamp stand for the arm, but the rest of it is based on a 3D printed model that I designed from scratch. The blinking and spinning motions are powered by a servo motor microcontroller (Arduino) and a mobile battery. It has four modes that can be triggered via a switch in my hand; two stationary, one for the blinking, and another for the spinning.



We know that you're also active as a cosplayer! Could you tell us a little about how you got into cosplay?

I started cosplaying around 6 years ago. I tried to make a weapon from a game called Rainbow Six Siege, and I pulled it off so I thought I should probably cosplay to put it to good use.

At first it was just part of my airsoft hobby, but 3 years ago a friend of mine taught me the basics of make-up, and I got into other games and anime, and last year I won a big cosplay contest.

I always believed that the right connections at the right time are worth taking seriously. Cosplaying with other people makes it more enjoyable, and all the people who take pictures and video ultimately help us succeed. Then the people who see cosplay, feel something from it, like it or share it around, they inspire me to work harder and make better stuff. I'm sure other hobbyists say similar things, but I am really glad that I started cosplaying.



Do you have any advice for new Porters who might be about to play DEATH STRANDING DIRECTOR’S CUT for the first time?

Take your time with it.

If you try too hard to rush down a cliff or carry too much, you'll fall and fail. So it's better to take the scenic route, relax and enjoy the music as you go.

Don't take it easy on the MULEs though. Give them hell, haha.

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Mergavaa



https://store.steampowered.com/app/1850570/DEATH_STRANDING_DIRECTORS_CUT/

It’s the end of another month, which means it’s time to put the spotlight on another amazing fan in the DEATH STRANDING DIRECTOR’S CUT community. Today, we’re celebrating the talents of Ari (VrPhotoGamess) a virtual photographer who has impressed us across social media since day one with her incredible in-game captures.

We hope this interview with Ari inspires more of you to head back into DEATH STRANDING DIRECTOR’S CUT and experiment with the photo mode tools offered in-game.

We can’t wait to see your shots!

[h3]INTERVIEW WITH ARI (VRPHOTOGAMESS)[/h3]



Hi Ari! Thank you for taking the time to chat with us for as part of our latest #DSPorterSpotlight spotlight! We absolutely love your DEATH STRANDING DIRECTOR’S CUT photo mode shots. They are absolutely incredible. Can you tell us a bit more about yourself and what makes you a DEATH STRANDING fan?

Hi everyone! Thanks for letting me participate in this. I’m Ari, a virtual photographer and writer from Italy. I’ve always been a big fan of Hideo Kojima and always admired his work. When I found out he was developing a new game, I was immensely happy to see him back in action, but also curious to see what DEATH STRANDING was about. I really love DEATH STRANDING, mostly because of the wonderful actors in the game. My favorite being Mads Mikkelsen.



What was it about DEATH STRANDING DIRECTOR’S CUT that appealed to you as a virtual photographer?

THE WORLD - The first thing that attracted me to DEATH STRANDING was the world. It looks very simple but in the simplicity there are some truly breathtaking passages that I love to photograph. Even in parts of the game that are darker, I also liked to photograph it as they represented what certain characters have been through.

THE MOUNTAINS - Ever since I was little, I loved mountains and in DEATH STRANDING DIRECTOR’S CUT, there are so many of them, each one unique and beautiful in its own way.

THE CHARACTERS - I really like to capture the emotions of Sam’s face and also the emotions of the other characters.



Can you talk us through the process of composing and capturing that perfect shot? Do you have any top tips you’d like to share?

My process for each photo is very simple. The most important thing I do before taking a photo is look at the composition, location and light. I have to admit, it takes me a long time to even take a simple shot of a landscape or portrait because I want it to be good, to be exactly how I depicted the idea in my mind.

Of course, for some photos it only takes me one attempt and I like the first shot, for others it takes more attempts. But I don’t give up until it turns out the way I want.

One very important piece of advice I want to give is if you try to take landscape shots and you also want to show the character too, try and shoot from above! Many times we sacrifice the landscape in front of us, showing only a small part of it by positioning the camera straight on, but if you do it from above, you will see that the perspective will change completely.



Which areas of the in-game world do you recommend virtual photographers go explore when they play DEATH STRANDING DIRECTOR’S CUT?

What a good question! Honestly, I would say all areas because there isn’t a bad one! My absolute favourite areas are Edge Knot City and Mountain Knot City. Both are my favourites because on one hand, we have snow-capped mountains and a crazy few of the whole world of DEATH STRANDING DIRECTOR’S CUT. On the other hand, we have the ruins of the modern world that existed before the Death Stranding disaster. Even with the destroyed structures, there is still beauty to be captured.



Do you have any advice for new Porters who might be about to play DEATH STRANDING DIRECTOR’S CUT for the first time?

My biggest piece of advice is to always try new things! DEATH STRANDING DIRECTOR’S CUT is a completely different game, with very different mechanics and gameplay to all the other games I’ve seen and played. I fell in love with it instantly. This game has a great sense of adventure, the story is honestly one of the most beautiful stories I’ve ever experienced. I could talk for hours about the beauty of the story and that of every single character.

You won’t regret playing DEATH STRANDING DIRECTOR’S CUT, believe me!

Thank you Ari for taking the time to chat with us. Keep on keeping on!



https://store.steampowered.com/app/1850570/DEATH_STRANDING_DIRECTORS_CUT/

Porters, the latest update for DEATH STRANDING DIRECTOR’S CUT is out now on Steam. This update contains the following:

• XeSS v1.1 - Introduces improved temporal stability for XeSS DP4a and XMX models
  
• Reduced ghosting, moire and flickering
  
• DualSense Edge Support

Please note: Players will need to disable Steam Input and connect their controller with a USB C cable in order to use the full functionality of the DualSense Edge.

Porters, the latest update for DEATH STRANDING DIRECTOR’S CUT is out now on Steam. This update contains the following:

• XeSS v1.1 - Introduces improved temporal stability for XeSS DP4a and XMX models
  
• Reduced ghosting, moire and flickering
  
• DualSense Edge Support
  

Please note: Players will need to disable Steam Input and connect their controller with a USB C cable in order to use the full functionality of the DualSense Edge.

In our third #DSPorterSpotlight of the year, we’re celebrating the amazing work of Ray Reynolds, a fan who is no stranger to the 505 Games community.

Ray’s creativity within the DEATH STRANDING community is inspiring and today, we’re taking a deep dive into how Ray goes about creating those amazing cinemagraphs and fan posters which have caught our attention in recent months.



[h3]INTERVIEW WITH RAY REYNOLDS[/h3]

Hi Ray! Great to have you on board for this month’s #DSPorterSpotlight piece! We’ve been fans of your DEATH STRANDING DIRECTOR’S CUT cinemagraphs and your fan posters for a while. Can you tell us a bit more about yourself and what makes you a DEATH STRANDING superfan?

Hiya! Thank you very much for having me. I'm Ray, I'm a virtual photographer, artist and writer from Ireland. In the last few years I've battled with cancer and serious illness but as silly as it sounds since my diagnosis coincided with the release of DEATH STRANDING. I've lived my life by one motto. "Keep On Keeping On" and it's actually helped me in more ways than I can explain.



What drew you to play DEATH STRANDING DIRECTOR’S CUT in the first place?

To be completely honest, I was always going to play DEATH STRANDING. If it's a KOJIMA PRODUCTIONS game, I'm there on day one. What amazed me was how much I fell in love with it.
DEATH STRANDING launched at a very much needed time in my life. In the span of two years I was diagnosed with cancer, lost two brothers in the space of 8 weeks, lost our home and lost our dog. Things were dark. I couldn't get out of bed due to my illness but I could play, and that's where DEATH STRANDING came in.

It sounds silly when I say it, but for a man who couldn't get out of bed and has faced so much darkness, when that landscape opened up on the hills above CAPITOL KNOT CITY I had an escape from it all, with one foot in front of the other I could escape and in that journey I dealt with my grief, my pain and my loss. With one foot in front of the other, with each strand, each knot, I walked my way out of the darkest time in my life, when I wasn't able to walk the length of my home. DEATH STRANDING gave me an escape I didn't know I needed.



Can you talk us through the process of putting together your cinemagraphs and fan posters?

DEATH STRANDING is so visually stunning, it makes my job editing incredibly easy if I'm honest. With each fan poster I create, I like to imagine each chapter of the game like its own mini movie, and how the residents and preppers of the UCA would tell stories about Sam Bridge’s journey west. He's the first celebrity of the new world. What if they made movies about his journey? He is THE action star of the UCA so I tried to imagine what UCA movie posters would look like.

For my cinemagraphs I first find the image I feel will work best, luckily DEATH STRANDING isn't short on both serene and action packed moments. Once I find my shot I use an animation tool called MoviePic to first make the skies move. You find this automatically brings the image to life.

I then draw in smaller details like lens flares to make BB pods glow or small waves in the Tar to add depth to the scene. I then add movement to the frame with an overlay of Timefall (rain or snow)
What really brings it together towards the end is the addition of a small amount of sway to the image itself, so the viewer feels like they can step right into the frame or like the frame is about to step right out at them.



When playing DEATH STRANDING DIRECTOR’S CUT, how do you go about capturing that perfect shot that can be used for your cinemagraphs and fan posters?

Sometimes I'll begin a play session with a photo in mind. Maybe I want to see Sam's boots approaching the weather station, or capture a cool shot of Higgs doing his best villain pose. The real beauty of DEATH STRANDING’s photo mode is at any point in your journey you can activate it. Thanks to the incredibly detailed world, characters and photo mode settings, you're going to find a shot you like. The game does all the hard work, I'm just the lucky porter who gets to capture it.



Do you have any advice for new Porters who might be about to play DEATH STRANDING DIRECTOR’S CUT for the first time?

You don’t need that many hermetic grenades. Save the space for more cargo!

Also, just take your time. The wonderful thing about DEATH STRANDING is the destination is always going to be there, but the journey is what makes it so special. Five star those Preppers, play BB a song, climb to that peak just to say you did it, build that road just to say you made it, but most of all, take the long way round and have fun.

My Grandad used to say with two feet and heartbeat you can get past most problems. Never has it been as true as with DEATH STRANDING.

Keep on keeping on! I know I will for as long as I can.

Follow Ray Reynolds on Twitter: https://twitter.com/RayReynoldsNMS

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1850570/DEATH_STRANDING_DIRECTORS_CUT/