Metal Gear Solid: Ground Zeroes includes Mother Base, day/night cycle

After officially debuting Metal Gear Solid: Ground Zeroes at the end of August, director Hideo Kojima has now offered more information on the game. Speaking at the Eurogamer Expo (reported by VG247), the Japanese developer confirmed that the Mother Base mechanic seen in Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker will make a return. In Peace Walker, the Mother Base allowed players to develop weapons and equipment, hire personnel, and even expand the structure itself.

“We liked the concept of developing weapons and creating new things at your base, and how that influenced the gameplay," Kojima said. "That was a really cool idea, and something that was very popular." Whereas the base in Peace Walker was controlled through a series of menus, Kojima confirmed that in Ground Zeroes players will be able to call a helicopter, fly to the base, and then wander around it.

"I can’t reveal too much about what happens after you get in your chopper, but you get in and fly to your base. Then you can walk around your base all in real time,” Kojima revealed. "It's the base that you create. But if you want to focus more on the main missions, you can do that, so you don’t have to customise the base if you don’t want to."

In regard to the chopper itself, Kojima explained some of the specifics behind this new transport mechanic. “You can call in a chopper anytime, anywhere you want, and the way the game system will work, is that when you call in a helicopter, you can return back to your base, or head to another mission. It is also possible to use helicopters for support as well.”

Finally, Kojima also discussed the game’s day/night cycle, saying that “later on in the game, time will pass in real time, so depending on how you travel between one stage to the next, that travel time will affect the time of day when you arrive at your destination.”