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Pariah Uncovered Feature
Chris Leyton
20/01/2005
TVG chats about the fps rise in popularity, weapons and Pariah 2 with James Schmalz...
Pariah, the latest first-person-shooter from Unreal Tournament creators, Digital Extremeās, continues to impress ahead of its release in March 2005. Blending intense action, an intriguing storyline and one or two innovative features, Pariah looks likely to continue the run of high quality shooters into 2005.
TVG recently had the opportunity to sit and talk with James Schmalz, Founder & Creative Director Digital Extremes, as we discussed the rise of popularity within the first-person-shooter genre, weapons and the possibility of Pariah 2.
TVG: The last time we spoke, we asked about your opinion towards the then forthcoming releases of Doom3, Halo2 and Half Life 2; now that these have been released, what are your opinions and what do you believe Pariah brings to the table?
They are all, as expected, fantastic games, each very cool in their own way and all worthy of a gamers time because of that. Had they all been the exact same experience we would have been bored after playing the first one released. Thankfully, I had a blast playing each and every one of them and enjoyed each for different reasons. So, thatās what I hope people find when playing Pariah; a different FPS action experience, worthy of their time.
TVG: We know basic details regarding two vehicles that feature within Pariah; perhaps you could elaborate on these and how influential they are to the game and multiplayer?
The vehicles are a substantial part of both single player and multiplayer. There are missions in single player where you are the driver or gunner and get to kick some ass as you rip through the level. And, of course, in multiplayer where you and your team mates get to fully exploit the vehicles and use them tactically as a team. And, hey, nothing is more fun than crushing your opponent under the treads of your heavily armoured, assault vehicle.
TVG: The last time we saw Pariah in action we were left gob-smacked by its innovative multiplayer aspects, particularly for the Xbox; please could you give us an explanation of the various game types on offer and what map-making means to Xbox Live! Users
There are a bunch of things we are quite proud of in Pariah multiplayer. One is the upgradeable weapons, which really adds a new feel to multiplayer. Then there is our new game type called Front Line Assault which mimics the moving front line in a war. The other aspect that we find very exciting is the MAP editor and its ability to share and download maps on Xbox Live! Itās very cool. You can edit a map, āpublishā it on Xbox Live, sign off and then even while signed off, your friend can download your published map, host it on Live or System Link and have his friends join in and play. Itās very cool. Oh, we also have vehicles which are very cool in Multiplayer too.
TVG: A lot of fps games released during 2004 have been criticised for featuring weak and uninspiring weapons, or some that are so unfairly balanced it has caused a great rift amongst the fans. How have you tried to get away from the standard fare of pistol, shotgun, SMGās, and what is the process for balancing weapons but ensuring theyāre fun at the same time?
We have a futuristic setting so we can take a few more liberties with our weapon design and make them pretty exciting and different. Of course, the big difference is that they are upgradeable. For instance, we have a Grenade Launcher. Sounds pretty standard, but it is pretty sweet as you upgrade it. In its default form, you can toss out a grenade at high velocity and great distances and itās very deadly. But as you upgrade it, you get a remote detonator for it, and then it becomes a mag-grenade launcher. The grenade becomes a very powerful magnet sucking up bits of metal and debris as it flies through the air. The longer it flies the more crap it picks up. Once it finally lands you can remote detonate it and send all the shrapnel it accumulated ripping into the enemies nearby. So, no weapon is standard by any means. All are versatile and cool as they become upgraded.
TVG: The war of the FPS genre appears to be continuing well into 2005 with the release of Pariah, along with Project: Snowblind and Star Wars: Republic Commando (to name but a few). Even though they are set to become big titles, do you feel relieved that Pariah wasn't released during what has to said was the Year of the FPS? In addition do you believe that gamerās obsession with guns, violence and action will continue for the foreseeable future?
Definitely a lot of cool FPS games have come up and are coming out. Frankly, Iām looking forward to playing all of them! I love it that this genre has become so popular. The competition makes everyone try harder to make their game better which results in better quality games all around. Iād be disappointed if these were the years of crappy FPS games, then no one would care about these types of games.
Many of the good stories that have lived down through the ages have been stories about great battles and great adventures that involve conflict. An action movie isnāt so good if there isnāt conflict of some sorts. Whether its men battling monsters with swords or an evil villain with super powers or an evil army with guns, itās all conflict between good and evil and that will be around to stay. So I wouldnāt say itās an obsession with guns. Iād say its more humanities interest in conflict, whatever the tools of conflict may be.
TVG: Weāve talked previously about the strengths of the storyline within Pariah, and itās this aspect that has certainly annoyed fans of a certain other high-profile FPS; does Pariah do anything differently in this aspect or is it a case of the depth and intrigue that shines?
We have tried to integrate a compelling story into Pariah by making it something meaningful and relevant to the gameplay and have it all make sense. Itās a monstrous challenge without a doubt. We wanted the player to finish the game feeling satisfied about what happened through the course of the game and have them feel it was meaningful, emotional and interesting. Did we succeed? That will be up to the gamers to determine.
TVG: Previously you told us that it was somewhat of a relief to be starting on a clean slate with no ties associated with the Unreal franchise. If Pariah matches the success of your previous titles, do you believe that it will be harder to go back to that franchise?
The team has worked their asses off to make Pariah something special and to make a new universe that we can explore with other products in the franchise. We are very pleased with the game and are already putting thought into the follow up to Pariah. There are so many options and ideas to explore in this universe. We put together so much background information on the universe of Pariah itself that we have many story threads all ready to go. In fact, one of the huge deciding factors in the outcome of the Pariah story was based on the decision of what to do in the sequel.
TVG would like to thank James Schmalz for taking time to answer our questions; we eagerly look forward to checking out the game in action once again and will bring you more on Pariah soon...
