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Exclusive - Project: Snowblind Q&A Feature
Derek dela Fuente
16/11/2004
TVG talks extensively to Crystal Dynamics and discovers why some are labelling this as a "Halo beater"...
The latest game in the making from Eidos, coming from premier developer Crystal Dynamics, pits you in the role of a new breed of elite soldier fighting on the front lines of a near-future war using unique weapons, abilities and high-tech gadgetry that inject depth and variety to gameplay. The 11 mission FPS has a spec and feature list that is as impressive as the dev teamâs CV. Derek dela Fuente spoke with John Chowanec (JC), Producer and Zak McClendon (ZM), Game Designer, both from Crystal Dynamics, who were eager to tell all.
TVG: The FPS genre is now a much revered genre, one that utilises new ideas and is very much aided by technology. How important is it for the team to come up with new ideas and a new slant/direction, whilst also pushing the envelope?
JC: It was very important for us to bring some new thoughts and ideas to the genre with PROJECT: SNOWBLIND. As you might have noticed, weâre really pushing the envelope with the concepts of Smart Weapons, battlefield intensity and visual quality. We feel very strongly that weâve got something special and unique in the FPS space. By combining the abilities of the player with the playerâs vast arsenal, all within a very frenetic environment, we think youâll agree.
TVG: How central is the storyline to the game? Is it an evolving one with many paths and sub plots?
ZM: Playerâs take on the role of Nathan Frost. Nateâs a new recruit for an international peacekeeping force known as the Liberty Coalition. When things go wrong during an operation in Hong Kong, Frost is mortally wounded. After an experimental medical procedure, Frost is reborn as the future of war â“ a one-man army capable of wielding experimental weaponry and fantastic abilities that far surpass the average soldier.
The basis of the story is as the Coalition attempts to pull out of Hong Kong, Frost and his cohorts uncover a plot that threatens the safety of the entire world. As Frost, players must take charge of the situation and come to terms with his new abilities.
TVG: Tell us about the weapons â“ gadgets, perhaps focusing on one of your favourites and what kind of progression is there to get better ones and is there a main and secondary weapons lists â“ how do they complement each other and are the biggest and meanest ones the most effective?
ZM: Weâre particularly proud of the vast arsenal that PROJECT: SNOWBLIND puts at the playerâs disposal. Between the playerâs main weapons (and their alternate fires), secondary weapons and special BioEnhancements, the player has over two dozen weapons and abilities at their disposal.
Because the game takes place in a near-future setting, these start off relatively straightforward â“ shotgun, rocket launcher, carbine and so forth. As the player progresses through the game, they gradually get more fantastic, such as the HERF gun, which is a bit like an electrical version of a flame thrower or the Flechette gun which fires high-speed energy projectiles that the player can bank around corners to take out hidden enemies.
Every weapon in the game also has a more fantastic Alternate Fire. Most of these are vastly different from the weaponâs Primary Fire and really change up the overall gameplay. The Flechette, for example, fires off an intelligent swarm of Attack Drones, capable of searching the level and neutralizing enemies on their own. The HERF Alternate Fire sends out an Electric Mine, which sticks to terrain, dynamic objects, vehicles or anything, and then sends out electric arcs to attack any enemies in the proximity.
Beyond all this thereâs also a full complement of secondary grenades, which includes everything from your standard explosives to mobile cover that the player can deploy anywhere, plus, thereâs Frostâs BioEnhancements, which allow him to slow time, turn invisible, see through walls and many other abilities.
Needless to say, PROJECT: SNOWBLIND will place a lot of firepower at the playerâs disposal, but we also tried to make sure that all these abilities interact in unique ways so that players can continue to discover new strategies right up to the end of the game.
TVG: What kind of ideas, challenges and subtleties have you included to ensure it is not a mindless bash but a game with a real challenge? Perhaps you could tell us about one mission and how you have gone about structuring it?
JC: There are a few different âstylesâ of missions. First and foremost, there are âTotal Warâ missions, like the one in the previous question. These missions are characterized by a few things: density and friendlies. In these missions, you are dealing with anywhere from 12-20 guys on screen at a time. As such, they characterize the âfeelâ of the battlefield that weâre going for. Aside from your weapons to help you out in these situations, the 'Total War' missions have friendlies that help the player through the engagements. They are a valuable fighting force, theyâll engage the enemy, dynamically reason for cover, etc. And because of all this, youâll want to keep them alive so that you can keep the fire fights in your favour. If you donât cover their backs, youâll end up facing the squads of enemies alone!
Weâve also got 'Solo Battle' missions which are very similar to the âTotal Warâ. In these, youâre, as the name of the mission type suggests, alone. So, you have to learn to rely on your abilities and weapons a bit more than you might have initially expected in the total war missions.
Finally, there are the âInfiltrationâ missions. In these missions, not only are you alone, as in âSolo Battleâ, except you have to deal with security systems, trip wires, cameras, auto-turrets, etc., making it all the more challenging. There is nothing worse than hitting a tripwire and setting off an alarm and a gas trap.
In some missions, the goal will be to stay alive with your friendlies, in others you might have to hack into enemy servers to get at some valuable intel. In others, youâll disable huge rail lasers that are cutting your troops apart.
It was extremely important for us to get away from a lot of the drab, gritty environments that you see in so many FPS games. We worked to create each environment with its own unique look. In PROJECT: SNOWBLIND you will see everything from the neon-drenched urban Hong Kong to a dilapidated Opera House that has been converted into a military prison.
TVG: Expand on some of the skills you have at the start and the kind of progression and improvements to be learnt throughout?
JC: The player actually starts the game as an ordinary grunt in the Liberty Coalition (as mentioned aboveâ¦) However, once he recovers from surgery, Frost notices that he has abilities that are coming online as part of the experimental procedure he just underwent. His abilities range from going invisible to slowing time to even emitting lightning. Each of his special abilities is meant to be used in conjunction with the playerâs arsenal â“ as Zak mentioned above. You obviously wonât have all of these abilities, weapons and gadgets available to you at the start of the game. Youâll get your weapons and abilities in a variety of different ways â“ sometimes youâll get them from your fellow soldiers, sometimes theyâll come online suddenly.
We think players will be constantly discovering not only new weapons, but different ways to use and combine them. The HERF gun and its electrical mine can be used with a deployed Spider Bot, for instance, to have some real fun.
TVG: Please can you give the readers an insight into how the squad system is structured and works?
JC: The total war missions, as mentioned above, are categorized by having friendly squads fight alongside the player. Now, given the intensity of the total war battles, it was important to us that the player doesnât spend his time in the mission by micromanaging the friendlies. Their AI Behaviours allow them to find and engage any nearby enemies, with or without you. Theyâll try to take out the same tank you are fighting â“ they may kill guys who are sneaking up behind you, theyâll jump on empty emplacements and use them against the enemy as well.
As mentioned, it was critical to us that the friendly squads are not just considered battlefield shields for the player. If you do take that approach, and you can, you are going to find out that the fire fights will get much, much harder if you just discard and ignore the friendlies you fight alongside.
TVG: What kind of environmental and body deformation and detection will be on offer? Does it go beyond the ânormâ?
JC: The environments are full of dynamic objects that the player can shoot, destroy and manipulate. Using the physics system weâve developed internally, the player can change the layout of the battlefield. The Kicker, for instance, is a âphysicsâ gun that the player can use to manipulate nearby objects. Because of how the AI works, and their reliance on the automatic and dynamic cover reasoning, you can actually use the Kicker to pull an object that an enemy is hiding behind and use it for your own protection.
Furthermore, weâre building the environments to feature destructibility. The Liberty Coalition base, for instance, is filled with destructibility â“ statues, walls, etc.
One of our design goals was to keep the player moving. Destructible environments are just one tool we use to do that. If you try to hide behind the courtyard fence in the LC base, youâll quickly discover that it can get blown away right in front of you, exposing you⦠Youâd better stay on your toes.
TVG: How crucial is the AI in the game and how focused are you on ensuring that the A1 is truly effective and central to the game? Are there any really discernable âthingsâ to watch out for?
JC: Weâve taken the approach to AI very seriously. If all the AI does is stand in place and shoot at the player, there isnât going to be much in the way of enjoyment. Weâve spent quite a bit of time ensuring the Artificial Intelligence in PROJECT: SNOWBLIND is fundamentally well put together.
As I mentioned before, the AI can dynamically and automatically reason for safe zones in an environment. If they see a low wall, for instance, the AI knows (both friendly and enemy), how tall that wall is and whether or not it provides safe cover in firelight. When the AI knows how tall an object is, they will then know whether or not they can crouch behind it for safety. Also, as I mentioned in the Kicker example above, as you rearrange the cover in the world, the AI will react accordingly.
Also, something we think is pretty unique is the concept of the AI being fully aware of emplacements and vehicles. The AI in PROJECT: SNOWBLIND will often times run to vacant vehicles and in doing so, instead of fighting a pistol wielding Republic grunt, youâre up against the same grunt now protected by the cockpit of a Mechanized Walker. That, of course, changes the way youâll have to approach that enemy⦠heâs going to be MUCH tougher in the Walker.
Also, when the AI sees an empty emplacement (fixed machine guns, etc.), theyâll run to use them, knowing that theyâll gain an advantage against you (or in the case of your friendly AI, with you.)
The AI know to dive out of the way of incoming rockets, kick grenades back at the player and sometimes theyâll even sacrifice themselves on a grenade to save you and your friendliesâ¦
TVG: How varied are the missions and tasks on offer â“ perhaps you will highlight one that shows off the real essence of the game to our readers?
JC: One of my favourite missions in the game is the Urban Assault mission that we showed at E3. At the start of the mission, you and your friendlies are flying into a combat zone when the lead helicopter takes incredible damage and is forced to drop you into combat as soon as possible, separated from the rest of the Liberty Coalition forces. Youâll soon find yourself under intense pressure to keep yourself and your buddies alive as the Republic forces begin to bear down on you.
If youâre perceptive, youâll take some cover, arm yourself and begin gunning down some of the enemy Republic.
Soon enough, youâll find yourself face to face with a Republic tank⦠Hope youâve got some rockets or some riot wallsâ¦
I donât want to give away too much, of course, but the Urban Assault mission is one of my favourites as it encapsulates what the Total War experience is meant to be â“ intense, chaotic, and a place for the player to experiment with his new abilities and weaponsâ¦
TVG: If you had to pick one innovation from the game what would it be!?
ZM: The most unique thing about PROJECT: SNOWBLIND is really the sheer number of options and abilities the player has at his disposal. If you want to run in, guns blazing, we totally support that style of play, but players who want to formulate a plan may be surprised at how often experimentation pays off.
Say youâre facing a large group of Republic soldiers and a few military bots. You could turn on your shield and charge straight in, or drop down a riot wall for cover and try sniping them, or cloak and try to get behind them, or take over one of the military bots to use against them, or lay down a group of spider bots and attack drones and get them to cause a total panic while you mop up the survivors â“ the possibilities are endless.
