Painkiller - First Impression Preview

Painkiller, the first person shooter, has been in development for a good two years receiving continuous coverage throughout its conception but in the last few months, as the game draws to the end of the development cycle, more focus with loads of screens and the usual marketing material has placed Painkiller in the public domain for ‘real public’ and media inspection. Already the consensus of opinion is that this is looking one polished piece of code – certainly one that PC action fans should keep their eye on. It may not have a huge marketing spend or push that some of the big publishers can afford but in terms of gameplay and no nonsense gaming action this has oodles. We spoke with Brian Gladman, Product Manager at DreamCatcher Games, on the ideas and final touches that have gone into the making of Painkiller!<br><br>In Painkiller you assume the role of Daniel Garner, a seemingly regular guy who has just been killed in a horrific car accident. Trapped in a dark and unwelcoming world between heaven and hell, you struggle to uncover the reasons why you’ve been denied entry into heaven. Awaiting your purification, you must fight through a seemingly endless number of demon soldiers as you attempt to stop an imminent unholy war.<br><br>To start the ball rolling Brian explained the vision for Painkiller and how this can compete against other FPS, which in some cases are branded titles.<br><br>“In recent years, FPS games have tended to ‘slow down’ in terms of gameplay. They have become more methodical, tactical and stealth-driven. Class-based characters are great, and they certainly have a place, but we felt that it was time to return to some of the FPS styles of the past. Painkiller is all about action. Fast-paced, non-stop carnage. There’s no ‘Use’ key, and no ‘Crouch’ key. We want you to be always moving, always shooting, always tense and on the edge of your seat, giggling like a schoolgirl.”<br><br>“To continue, there are certainly some huge sequels coming out this year and those games will of course do very well. We don’t really expect to do better than those games, but we think we have a fun game that is fresh and new and we think people will really dig it.”<br><br>As in all cutting edge titles, technology plays its full part. The proprietary ‘PAIN’ Engine used for Painkiller really allows for a unique look. Visually, the game features all the latest lighting and shadowing techniques, and incorporates all the vertex and pixel shaders, particle effects and other 3D tricks used in some of the other big games coming out this year. The engine is also a really fast renderer, which means the art assets can all have lots of polygons with high-resolution textures and it will still play smoothly.<br><br>“It’s funny… amazing graphics are almost expected of gamers now, so it’s not really something we can rely on. Sure, our graphics are amazing, but so are the graphics in every other game coming out! From a technology standpoint, I think what really makes Painkiller stand out is the use of the Havok physics engine. We’re really striving to integrate physics into the gameplay, so it’s not just boxes bouncing around and lights swaying when you bump into them. The stake-gun is a perfect example of physics-based gameplay. Our technology also is allowing for some really great multiplayer fun. We’re really working towards getting Painkiller accepted by the competitive gaming community and hopefully we’ll start seeing it used in pro tournaments in 2004!”<br><br>It was explained, moving onto the actual gameplay, that as Daniel Garner, you are one ‘hell’ of a fighter. Purgatory is a tough place, and you’ve earned your reputation and the nickname ‘Painkiller’. There are also a whole bunch of demon powers that you will be able to invoke at times throughout the game. We’re working on a Black Tarot system that will allow you to earn and play certain cards that will give you the ability to activate different demon powers: armour powerups, weapon powerups, etc.<br><br>There is no easy meat to waste or slap around, as the AI of the game has been one of the elements that the team has ensured will feel just right - as was explained.<br><br>“The monsters AI in Painkiller are pretty single-minded – they just want to kill you. That said, there’s still some interesting coding done there. Monsters will attempt to flank you, or corner you, or overwhelm you with numbers. Different monsters have different AI coding as well; some of them will actually retreat if wounded, and some of the more powerful monsters will actually attack and use the weaker monsters to help them get to you.”<br><br>Diversity in gameplay, ideas, and challenge with a nice sense of progression is an essential ingredient in any FPS. You need a few quirky tricks and ideas to keep the punters amused and engrossed and by all counts the team has a plethora of surprises in store.<br><br>In the solo player game, you’re progressing through a story, so it’s pretty linear. In fact, the levels are all pretty huge, and the way it works is that you’ll have to clear sections of monsters before you can progress to the next section. Conversely, the diversity of the levels is actually one of the game’s strongest points. There are 24 levels in the game, and they are all entirely different. There are no textures reused from one level to the next, so take your time looking around! For example, if you’re admiring the high-resolution stonewalls of the Castle level, you’ll never see it used again in another level! Brian interjected, “We have levels that take place on a Monastery island, a Military Base, a Medieval Town, a Cemetery, a Factory and more. The level diversity should really help eliminate a lot of boredom for the players. Personally, I hate playing a game and thinking ‘oh, I’ve been down this corridor a million times already. Boring!’”<br><br>High on the priority list for action gamers are the weapons and there are 5 combo weapons in the game, and all sorts of goodies. The weapons are designed to be fun to use, and most actually incorporate some physics into their use, like the stake-gun. While there is a lot of destructible or interactive elements to the environment, it is limited. <br><br>Thankfully there it more to it than a single shot, kill and move on. Monsters do have hit points, so you’ll have to wear them down before they die. However, the stake gun is pretty much one-hit-one-kill, since it often impales your enemy to the wall. Or floor. Or ceiling… <br><br>We shall be looking out for the release of this game, which is only a few months away and hope to speak in equally glowing terms when we review it!