| Ghost Recon Chat Transcript
Robbie Edwards, Associate Producer Robbie's parents wouldn't let him play video games as a kid—they just didn't see a future in it. He's been at Red Storm since 1998, when he was hired as a temporary tester for Rainbow Six. He's an associate producer now, which is a waaay better gig than the summer he spent working in a livestock feed mill. His favorite game of all time is X-COM:UFO Defense, and his favorite film is White Men Can't Jump. If he could trade places with anyone it would be Snoop Dogg. Jeremy Brown, 3D Artist Jeremy was hired at Red Storm fresh out of the Art Institute of Pittsburgh. His favorite games are Halo andBattlefield 1492. His favorite films areGladiator, The Matrix, and the Star Warstrilogy, among others. Fave albums include Satellite by P.O.D. and Last One Picked by Superchick. He wouldn't want to trade places with anyone, and not only prefers black licorice to red, but claims, "I don't believe that red licorice is really licorice. It's just floppy candy." Demond Rogers, 3D Artist In high school, Demond wanted to be a journalist and art was just a hobby. Before Red Storm, he worked on PC versions of classic Hasbro board games. His favorite game of all time is Shenmue Chapter 1 on Dreamcast. "I loved that game so much I bought the Japanese version when it came out and learned some Japanese to play it," he says. Jurassic Park is his number one film, and he thinks that the best album in the history of world is Utada Hikaru – Deep River. Clark Gibson, Engineer Clark has been at Red Storm since graduating from UNC Chapel Hill. He worked on Rainbow Six and Rogue Spearbefore Ghost Recon. Clark has loved games since the days of Pong, but his all-time favorite game is Warcraft II. The greatest film of all time, in Clark's opinion, is A Fistful of Dollars. As for best album, Charles Mingus – Blues and Roots gets his vote. Clark would rather be able to fly than be invisible because he wouldn't need a car. In an alternate universe, he'd be a farmer. Guest_chadster30 in Xbox_Live asks: what is ur gamer tag name on live? RedStorm_Robbie in Xbox_Live says: A lot of the guys here in the office have personal accounts which i don't know the name of.. however.. we have company accounts on the names rse_XX. if you see one of those online. you're playing a developer Guest_MrSelfDestruct in Xbox_Live asks: can you describe how the island thunder expansion disk will work? will we be swapping discs or anything like that? RedStorm_Clark in Xbox_Live says: It will be a stand alone product. It is not a mission pack like you would see on the PC. Guest_LadySpyder in Xbox_Live asks: Did you develop for all 4 platforms or only the Xbox version? Redstorm_Demond in Xbox_Live says: We only developed the PC and XBOX versions. The others were done by other Ubisoft development teams. Guest_Splinter in Xbox_Live asks: are you the same development team that will work on the upcoming disk and the xbox verson of raven shield RedStorm_Jeremy in Xbox_Live says: Some of us are the same for Island Thunder but we are a seperate team from Raven Sheild. The montreal office is working on Raven Sheild Guest_XBOXXBOXXBOX in Xbox_Live asks: What do you guys think about the Xbox capabilities? RedStorm_Robbie in Xbox_Live says: From a developer standpoint, we love the Xbox. we've worked on other platforms internally and it's quite a challenge. while the Xbox version of Ghost Recon was certainly challenging, the overall process was smoother than others in the past. RedStorm_Robbie in Xbox_Live says: personally, i only play games now on my Xbox. gave my other consoles away to friends. Guest_Ckrpoint in Xbox_Live asks: When observing other players, why are their guns on your screen "off-sighted"? RedStorm_Clark in Xbox_Live says: To save bandwidth, observers recieve data at a slightly slower rate than than a live player. The view gets smoothed so you don't notice the difference. It sometime results in a sight that's slightly off. Guest_WORD in Xbox_Live asks: which controller do you guys like better s or regular RedStorm_Robbie in Xbox_Live says: i love the s controller personally.. so much so that i " RedStorm_Robbie in Xbox_Live says: ack.. "borrowed" a few of them from the office to use at home when we got them.. this was before it was available to the consumer.. yay s controller Guest_WORD in Xbox_Live asks: what is your favorite gun in Ghost Recon RedStorm_Robbie in Xbox_Live says: OICW.. is there another? Guest_Dawg605 in Xbox_Live asks: Do you guys like Splinter Cell? Redstorm_Demond in Xbox_Live says: Splinter Cell is one of my favorite games. Guest_Splinter in Xbox_Live asks: Was clark stoked about UNC CH beating duke? I couldn't care less being a wake fan you know RedStorm_Clark in Xbox_Live says: Totally. We have a bunch of UNC folks here. Guest_Dawg605 in Xbox_Live asks: How many people worked on this game and how long was it in development? RedStorm_Robbie in Xbox_Live says: For the Xbox version, the team consisted of 7 engineers and up to 12 artists.. as well as a few designers and me. total development time was about 9 months. Guest_MNViking in Xbox_Live asks: Do you guys like sports? If so which ones? RedStorm_Jeremy in Xbox_Live says: I love playing paintball. During winter I snowboard. Guest_MrSelfDestruct in Xbox_Live asks: whats the difference between an artist and a designer? Redstorm_Demond in Xbox_Live says: Artists make the 3d models, textures and the look of the levels; Design creates the story and create design for the mission spaces Guest_Solaris in Xbox_Live asks: What engine was used to create Ghost Recon, or did you develop your own? RedStorm_Clark in Xbox_Live says: We made the engine completely in house. It is an evolution from previous releases. R6, Rogue Spear and theGhost Recon PC version. We make major improvements for each release. Guest_LadySpyder in Xbox_Live asks: From a producer's point of view, what is the best feature of Ghost Recon? RedStorm_Robbie in Xbox_Live says: well, i think the sound is really great, but that's probably just personal. the thing that got me the most excited was bringing the game onto the Xbox Live service. Guest_WORD in Xbox_Live asks: was adding live compatibility a challenge for you guys RedStorm_Clark in Xbox_Live says: We've been doing multiplayer player games here for a while, so we had the expertice for networking. The Live features were challenging because they were new. Guest_MrSelfDestruct in Xbox_Live asks: do you guys prefer the threat indicator on or off during online play? RedStorm_Jeremy in Xbox_Live says: I prefer the threat indacator off Guest_Ckrpoint in Xbox_Live asks: Will there be any D/L's through Live in the near future? RedStorm_Robbie in Xbox_Live says: at this time, there are no plans to offer downloadable content for Ghost Recon Xbox... RedStorm_Robbie in Xbox_Live says: we explored recently adding the capability but the amount of time needed to simply add that ability would rival the complete development time for the project Guest_MrPeters in Xbox_Live asks: great ambient sound FX, all in-house? RedStorm_Robbie in Xbox_Live says: our sound effects were created by Soundelux from Hollywood. they do high quality work and have worked on every Red Storm project. RedStorm_Robbie in Xbox_Live says: however, our sound engineer is quite talented himself and a lot of the praise should go to him Guest_GuarDiaNDruiD in Xbox_Live asks: Is it true with these nice 300$ speakers im thinking of buying, "You can head people sneak up behind you?" RedStorm_Clark in Xbox_Live says: We use the surround sound capabilities of the xbox, so you will hear footsteps and others sound in front and behind you. Guest_Dawg605 in Xbox_Live asks: Which other game developers are you involved with? Redstorm_Demond in Xbox_Live says: We work with other Ubisoft developers on cinematics. Redstorm helps Ubi Montreal create the CG Intro and Outro for Raven Shield, among other things. XboxAtheis in Xbox_Live says: A note about Xbox Live game updates: please check back on xbox.com/live for any information about updates that will be shared. Thanks. Guest_maxforce73 in Xbox_Live asks: the game freezes when i host sometimes why? RedStorm_Robbie in Xbox_Live says: our testing revealed a problem where the game will sometime "freeze" when a server is hosting more players than his internet connection will allow... RedStorm_Robbie in Xbox_Live says: in our testing it was quite rare and was always fixed by lowering the number of players allowed in the game... RedStorm_Robbie in Xbox_Live says: and unfortunately, the reasons behind it happening are beyond our control Guest_Solaris in Xbox_Live asks: What were the inspirations for the levels in Ghost Recon? RedStorm_Jeremy in Xbox_Live says: The designers came up with the levels based on what seem beleivable for that part of the world . But it was also based on what would be the most fun type of area for a fire fight. Guest_Splinter in Xbox_Live asks: who makes the in game cinematics for red storm? Redstorm_Demond in Xbox_Live says: We create all on cinematics in house. TheGR XBOX intro was created by me and the lead artist John Michel. Guest_Dr in Xbox_Live asks: Can you please answer one of my questions RedStorm_Robbie in Xbox_Livesays: yes=) Guest_cools in Xbox_Live asks: when will desert seige be available for xbox RedStorm_Robbie in Xbox_Live says: Desert Siege, as it was known on the PC, will not be on the Xbox in the same way it was on the PC. RedStorm_Robbie in Xbox_Live says: Ghost Recon currently has a few multiplayer maps from the Desert Siege. multiplayer maps that you have to unlock Guest_Unlucky in Xbox_Live asks: What level took the longest to develop? RedStorm_Jeremy in Xbox_Live says: I think that the swamp map took the longest. It took forever to open probibly because it had so many trees Guest_cools in Xbox_Live asks: what is your favorite level Redstorm_Demond in Xbox_Live says: some of my favorite levels are in the upcoming expansion pack for xbox Island Thunder, the Nighttime Beach mission and Island Village Guest_Dawg605 in Xbox_Live asks: Why do you have to press the white button to talk? RedStorm_Clark in Xbox_Live says: Two reaseons. It fits the diesign of the game. It is supposed to be a one way radio. The push to talk saves network bandwidth. Guest_hiro in Xbox_Live asks: will there ever be a way 2 have 2 people on 1 xbox play online RedStorm_Robbie in Xbox_Live says: Probably not. it's quite difficult for us to go back and add features now that the game has been released. Guest_Scilent in Xbox_Live asks: Will there be a stat chart added? RedStorm_Robbie in Xbox_Live says: Unfortunately no. this was something i really wanted and was excited about on Xbox Live. unfortunately, all the great things we want sometimes just don't have time to make it in. this was one of those. Guest_Scilent in Xbox_Live asks: How many hours a week did u spend working on the game? Redstorm_Demond in Xbox_Live says: Regular 8 hour days but when its time for a game to Gold Master we sometimes have to crunch and stay some late nights Guest_WORD in Xbox_Live asks: night vision is a cool aspect of the game, was it a initial plan to put in in or did you think of it later RedStorm_Clark in Xbox_Live says: It was in the design from the beginning. A high tech military unit would definitely use night vision. Guest_Solaris in Xbox_Live asks: Hom much research of military tactics and weapons went into the development of Ghost Recon? RedStorm_Clark in Xbox_Live says: The team did a lot of research on small unit tactics. We have a some people in building with backgrounds in the military. We also used expert consultants to answer questions. Guest_F1R3FLY in Xbox_Live asks: Do you guys act all militaryish at work? Redstorm_Demond in Xbox_Live says: No but there are a few folks who every once in awhile run around the office in full gear with airsoft replica guns. Guest_JeffCB212 in Xbox_Live asks: Have you ever met Tom Clancy in person? RedStorm_Robbie in Xbox_Live says: yes. mr clancy visits and we have all met him and visited with him several times in our careers at Red Storm Guest_Unlucky in Xbox_Live asks: Are all of those guns real or did yall make one yourselves? RedStorm_Jeremy in Xbox_Live says: All of the guns are real but the features of the OICW are A bit different in the real verson. Some of the abilites of the real OICW may have caused gamplay balancing issues Guest_maxforce73 in Xbox_Live asks: did you use C++ to write the game RedStorm_Clark in Xbox_Live says: Yes,we wrote the engine in C++. Guest_Scilent in Xbox_Live asks: was it fun making the game at all or did you guys think it was some what boring? RedStorm_Robbie in Xbox_Live says: well, yes and no. at times, it is quite fun and rewarding. however, at times, especially towards the end of projects, it becomes very hectic and stressful RedStorm_Robbie in Xbox_Live says: so much so that it's typically company policy to take a few weeks off after the completion of a project to recover. Guest_Scilent in Xbox_Live asks: what is your favorite part of making the game? RedStorm_Jeremy in Xbox_Live says: The finishing details on the levels was the most fun part. Final Texturing and stuff like that…. I also liked building the vehicels like the ship on the docks. Guest_Solaris in Xbox_Live asks: Did you look to resources like JANES military information for tactics and weapons? Redstorm_Demond in Xbox_Live says: Yes we use JANES military books as well as doing tons of research at military bases and shooting ranges Guest_Robot in Xbox_Live asks: Have you considered simming weapon jams? RedStorm_Robbie in Xbox_Live says: yes we have. every time we start thinking about a game, this comes up. though we always decide against since we feel the player probably won't enjoy having his weapon stop working for a reason beyond his control Guest_UnDeaD71 in Xbox_Live asks: Did ya'll lose alot of sleep on this game? and was it worth it all? RedStorm_Jeremy in Xbox_Live says: I probibly lost about 2 nights of sleep on the project. And yes it was worth it. Guest_demolichin in Xbox_Live asks: are there differences between the male and female sodiers? size, stamina, or speed? RedStorm_Robbie in Xbox_Live says: the only differences are the character models, the textures and the voices. Guest_Scilent in Xbox_Live asks: Will there ever be harder levels then there is now? RedStorm_Robbie in Xbox_Live says: you want it harder? most people complain that it's too hard. however, we are exploring various ways to make it easier for new players and more challenging for experienced players Guest_cools in Xbox_Live asks: have you unlocked all of the dossier files RedStorm_Robbie in Xbox_Live says: yes, but because i have the cheat codes. though we have testers that can complete the entire game in elite and unlock everything in less than 6 hours Guest_Splinter in Xbox_Live asks: Other than the chat feature what other steps did you have to take to conserve bandwidth on ghost recon RedStorm_Robbie in Xbox_Live says: we spent about 3 months adding features to specifically conserve bandwith. several things were done on our code base to save, but i can't remember what any of those were specifically.. RedStorm_Robbie in Xbox_Live says: though after the optimization, we had reduced our bandwith consumption by 50% which is quite considerable Guest_crazyotto in Xbox_Live asks: any easter eggs in GR? Redstorm_Demond in Xbox_Live says: GR has a chicken gun mode in the xbox version and if you shoot some of the trees enough a animal might fall out. Guest_Eclipze in Xbox_Live asks: How much testing has gone into Ghost Recon game? RedStorm_Robbie in Xbox_Live says: some quick math leads to me calculate total dedicated testing man hours to around 15000 RedStorm_Robbie in Xbox_Live says: though that is only from the testing department.. everyone on the development team is also responsible for testing their code and art RedStorm_Robbie in Xbox_Live says: i would say about half of their time is spent testing the stuff they put in Guest_Dawg605 in Xbox_Live asks: Do you like the PC or the Xbox better? RedStorm_Clark in Xbox_Live says: There are pros and cans to developing on both platforms. The Xbox is great because we don't have to worry about different machine configurations. XboxAtheis in Xbox_Live says: Well, we're getting close to our closing time. We'll take a few more questions and then have to say good bye. Guest_Solaris in Xbox_Live asks: Do any of you do side projects for other developers? And which, if so? Redstorm_Demond in Xbox_Live says: Recently we've created CG Cinematics for other UbiSoft Developers Guest_starvingartist in Xbox_Live asks: would you consider adding some co-op multiplayer tasks and subsequent "task rewards" to motivate friends in helping you complete them online? RedStorm_Robbie in Xbox_Live says: this was orginally a planned feature for Ghost Recon Xbox. however, as with statistics, some things just don't ever make it in RedStorm_Robbie in Xbox_Live says: though it's certainly being kept alive for possible future projects Guest_maxforce73 in Xbox_Live asks: what your fav map in ghost recon RedStorm_Jeremy in Xbox_Live says: Mission 4 village Guest_Splinter in Xbox_Liveasks: What levels will carry over from ghost recon to the expansion disk?(seriously this is my last question) RedStorm_Robbie in Xbox_Live says: I believe this is going to be determined by the fans. i know we've answered an internal poll and i believe the ghost recon website was going to poll the fans to get their favorites.. those will be the ones included from Ghost Recon Guest_Robot in Xbox_Live asks: Please tell us where to find the easter egg tree. Redstorm_Demond in Xbox_Live says: Just shoot the trees alot its like 1 in 1000 chance it will happen there are other easter eggs too that are easier to do XboxAtheis in Xbox_Live says: That's all the time we have for today. When I unpause the room, everyone thank the RedStorm Entertainment crew for taking XboxAtheis in Xbox_Live says: the time to be with us today. Let's give Clark, Demond, Jeremy, and Robbie a big thank you. |
