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Oblivion-Lost.de - Exclusive Clear Sky interview with GSC
Цитата: A couple of weeks ago, on time for the E3 to be precise, we had the one-time chance to do a huge five page exclusive interview with GSC Game World. The interview is primarily about S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Clear Sky, being, as you certainly know, the successor to S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Shadow of Chernobyl, which left, due to countless delays and scandals, a rather negative impression in people's heads.
In the interview, Anton Bolshakov, project lead for S.T.A.L.K.E.R., goes into details about the innovations, we can expect in 'Clear Sky'. Thus, Anton also comments on wether or not the missing features from 'Shadow of Chernobyl', like missing levels, will be included in Clear Sky, and tells us about faction wars, new mutants, weapons, anomalies, and much more.
One question however, was especially important for the interview: How much will GSC Game World let the community participate in the future work, and will they permanently maintain the relationship with the community?
Answers to this and all the other questions can be found in the interview, posted under the related links.
Last but not least, we'd like to thank our team member DC- for translating the interview into german, as well as Eugene Kuchma, who translated it from russian into english. |
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Цитата: - Why did you decided to create a prequel? Where, and whom will we play at the beginning of the game?
The events of the original Shadow of Chernobyl game begin in a very sudden way, when the protagonist is found half-dead in the death truck with a strange tattoo on his forearm. Prior to that, a lot of interesting and important events we want to tell you about it Clear Sky prequel-game took place.
Also we believe that the conception of the Zone is quite new. This is not a common fiction or a fantasy. There are plenty of new terms and rules here like anomalies, artifacts, stalkership etc. We would like to acquaint the players with the game world of S.T.A.L.K.E.R. further before telling the next “big” story that will happen in the future.
The prequel will allow us to tell the players why Strelok was found in the death truck and how he got under the coding program named S.T.A.L.K.E.R., what had happened during the previous Strelok’s trips to the center of the Zone, what had it led to, and many other things.
- As pre-announced in the current weekly update #4, you plan to focus on the “faction-war”. What is it exactly?
Truly one of the key features of S:CS is the Factions War. This is a completely A-life-driven part of the game with the storyline developing on its background. The map of the Zone changed, once safe passages have vanished under the piles of anomalies, many lone stalkers and the entire groups have found themselves locked on these territories, new paths to new areas appeared. The principle “a weak peace is better than a sturdy war” no longer worked. The cataclysm has disrupted the fragile balance. The factions have clashed for the control over new territories, access to artifacts’ fields and spheres of influence. This led to the Factions War inside the Zone.
Speaking of the Factions War, it will not be the battles of allied forces landing at Normandy scale. The Zone is too dangerous for the large groups of people, and there are not that many stalkers in it. The isolated instances of skirmishes take place between the small squads of stalkers for the crucial points. Only the assault on the enemy base might look like a full-scaled war.
The rules are quite simple. Each of the factions/groups has its own full-fledged base on one of the levels. The factions fight each other for the influence and try to eliminate the other hostile factions. There are 3 types of the points you can find on the level – territorial, supply and scientific. The control over such points enhances one faction and weakens another. The control also defines how many stalkers can be engaged in the ranks of the faction, the rank of stalkers, and the equipment this faction can use.
The main character of the game is a mercenary, who is free to join any faction, or join none. The player has a key role in the Factions War. The player’s participation can lead one of the groupings to triumph.
- How much of the faction-war will be controlled by the A-life?
The Factions War is a completely A-life-driven game mode. Each of the factions has its own global and current objectives. The global are fighting against the enemy factions and the tasks determined by the faction’s doctrine. For Duty, for example, it is killing monsters. The current (or local) objectives are fighting for certain local points – territorial, supply or scientific. Each point and action has a certain value for the faction. The task with the highest value will be chosen as the current objective for the faction.
Before the player joins one of the factions, the latter try to balance the influence between each other. If one of the factions significantly gains in strength, the others begin fighting against it. Thus the player will considerably change the situation.
- Will it be able for you to create a novel mission-type by using the faction war, something we never seen before in S.T.A.L.K.E.R.?
Yes, truly if the player stands on the side of one of the factions in the Factions War, he will have to pass several stages. He will walk his way starting from the rookie to the veteran of the faction, from the simplest tasks to taking part in the assault on the base of the enemy faction. The player’s progress in the ranks is quite neat. For example, having just joined the faction, the player will not be allowed to enter the headquarters; the test tasks will be assigned by the guards. Having become a veteran, the tasks will be given by the leader of the faction himself.
- Will we able to explore new environments which were taken out in the original S.T.A.L.K.E.R., like the swampland?
New, legendary territories will be available for the exploration in S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Clear Sky. For example, the Red Forest, Swamps, isolated city of Limansk and others. All these are the new locations. Only the concept of the Swamps had been developed during the creation of the original S.T.A.L.K.E.R. game, but was however frozen on the concept stage over technical reasons. The Swamps in Clear Sky is a completely different level.
- Will the nuclear power plant of Chernobyl play a major role again?
- If yes, will it be able for us (Like in the free-play mode) to explore it fully (as example at the end of the game), without the feeling of being on a battleground?
Indeed Chernobyl NPP will be the key level for the storyline. But during the level playthrough, the players will not be able to walk on the territory of the plant freely. The plant is too dangerous to just wander there.
- Do you plan to integrate new mutants into the contaminated zone of Chernobyl?
We’re working both on new features of the old monsters, and on new monsters. For example the monsters now will fear the bright light at night or in dungeons. The pack of dogs will not dare to attack the player who has a light primer at night. The dogs will snarl at the player, but will keep at bay hoping that the primer will wear out or the player will turn his back to the dogs. The light primer will become a nice way to survive for a stalker at night or in dungeons.
Can’t say much about new monsters. The new enemies will significantly differ from the old ones. Their behavior will be more realistic. Also the monsters will be quite dangerous due to their unique abilities, such as levitation, psi-power, using sound influence, very quick movement etc.
- Can we also look forward for new weapons and artefacts, as example?
Certainly, there will be new types of weapon prototypes, artifacts, armor and so on. But the main thing is that we have revised the mechanics of weapon, armor, artifacts, and anomalies.
Let’s take weapons for example. We have split the weapons into common weapons used by most of stalkers and their enemies, and which can be brought to the trader; and rare weapons that most of the characters in the Zone do not have.
Each new gun the player finds is far from its best condition. This will be a misbalanced and not adjusted weapon.
The common weapons are almost impossible to enhance. This will be cheap fakes or heavily worn-out weapons. For example, the forged Kalashnikov gun made in China. If you happen to find a rare gun, its parameters can be considerably improved. There are two methods to do that – modifications and upgrades, and adjusting weapons. Thus we have created such rules that the players will be interested in choosing their “own” weapons, put money into its modification, adjust it and make it a personal weapon indeed.
I will tell you more about the other changes in the initial concept in the upcoming interviews.
- Are there any other outstanding differences in the new game? Are you updating graphics and the like? How about the HUD and the conversation-menus with other npc’s?
Clear Sky notably differs from the original game in a good way. We have got a possibility to look at what players did like and what they didn’t. Also we have the possibility to polish the number of aspect we practically didn’t have time to polish in the original game.
It would take plenty of paper to list all the innovations. So the main ones are:
- The entire graphical content is made using the normal mapping and other maps. The old graphics is altered. The current graphical content looks pretty very up-to-date.
- Debugged DX9 game renderer including all high end technical features
- Created absolutely new DX10 renderer
- Implemented IK
- Altered animation engine
- AI can avoid dynamic obstacles and throw grenades
- A lot of new stances and animations made for NPCs
- Game scenes are much more spectacular due to using many unique animations
- There are plenty of changes and innovations to the game mechanics
And so forth.
As to the in-game HUD, it will be changed. For example, the double-handed HUD is implemented – the player can have a gun in the right hand and an item in the left. Many if the indicators and HUD items are now shown on the detector.
- Will there be DirectX 10?
Yes, by today I’m 90% sure that we’ll be able to finish DX10 rendered on time, and the players will be able to try out the advantages of the new technology. DX10 renderer will fill up the existing renderers. We will keep the support both of the former hardware and ultra-new technologies.
- How will you optimize the A-life? Which innovations will amaze us?
This is one of the main fields of adjustments and alterations. We have taken the remarks into consideration, and made the necessary changes to the game.
In other words, we have set up the aims while creating the A-life in Clear Sky:
Bring the deepness into the A-life
Make the A-life driven game diverse to the maximum extent possible
Make the player see the results of his actions
Correct the errors
Briefly on each item.
1. The deepness of the A-life-driven world. Now everything within the A-life system has a sense, with minimum of decorations. Genuine factions with real objectives and ideology they base their actions upon, enemies they fight, territories, areas with artifacts and rare anomalies they control. Stalkers complete real tasks, fight for real points. The control over points influences on the power of the faction – how many stalkers it can recruit, which level, which equipment and weapons they will have.
2. Diversity. No more boring wandering and attacks on the same objects. The situation in the Zone changes constantly – an unexpected attack on own territories, open artifacts field or capturing the passage to the enemy-occupied location – the groups of stalkers fulfill various tasks, the player can take part in these events or just pass by. It’s possible to trade freely with the stalkers in the simulation, talk and receive tasks.
3. The player’s actions lead to the noticeable reaction of the world. A simple example: the road to the artifacts field is controlled by the bandits. A group of stalkers from my faction cannot approach the field. Having secured the road to the field, we’ll see the stalkers gathering the artifacts.
4. Fixed almost all bugs we’ve managed to find, like the huge number of bandits at the Garbage.
- As we all know, the development of S.T.A.L.K.E.R. was a very grueling and lengthy business, our foulding chairs are long-established cause of the long waiting-period of nearly 5 years. When do you resolve to release the prequel?
Yes, the development of SoC was very tough, but all’s well that ends well – we’ve managed to finish the project.
We possess the debugged technologies and improve them; also we have a very professional team. Many people has not only “survived” the long years of heavy development process, but also the crazy crunch of delivering the project, which lasted more than half a year as well. I’m 100% confident in these people, that’s why I’m in the firm belief that the release date is end of March, 2008.
- Will GSC World Publishing publish the prequel? If no, who will be the the publisher?
This question is still pending. We’re making a great game, and would like to have the best terms from the publisher. Business is business.
I think that not many of the publishers will surpass the offer of GSC World Publishing.
- You confirmed across from us (Oblivion-Lost.de) de that you plan to focus more on the community support in the future. Do you plan to involve the community a bit more in the development, like arranging events where you give them a chance to post their ideas, as example? If not, what do you plan for a much better relation between GSC and the community in the future?
Yes, my standpoint is that the community is highly important to develop the world of S.T.A.L.K.E.R. We would like to keep the existing community and extend it.
How do I see it? First of all, it’s important to make a great game, which will be highly interesting to the players. The answer thus is simple and complex at the same time.
Also we’re studying the community’s opinion on what they didn’t like in the game. Many changes made to the prequel as compared to the original game are based on what the fans didn’t like in the game.
We have some ideas on the joint work on writing the stories for stalkers that will go into the game.
Together with o-l.de we will make several polls to find out what fans would like to see in the prequel.
We don’t cease support of the original S.T.A.L.K.E.R. game. Along with the patch 1.0004, we publish a new MP map. We’re finishing the big update 1.1 with the freeplay mode and a new difficulty level included with plenty of features reworked.
I’ll try to keep you up-to-date on what interesting is happening during the process of development at oblivion-lost.de and on the official game web-site, to post fresh materials.
Keep an eye on the news!
Thanks for interesting questions and see you soon at oblivion-lost.de and one the official game web-site. |
Впрочем, очень близко к тому, что на русскоязычных порталах, но есть и более конкретные детали. Может кто возьмётся перевести?
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Что предлагает Промт;) |
поначалу прикольно, но потом утомляет отбиваться. хотя может сделают по уму, и твои нпс смогут сами (хотя бы иногда) отражать атаки врагов. а то в гта без тебя никто не мог ничего сделать
), отсюда и загрузка большая. Вот в "Котике 3" например цельный мир. Очень нравится - "куда хочу - туда лечу" © , но там всё наверное на "скриптах" построено.