Developer Interview, Part Two
At A Glance
Adrian Lacey, senior coordinator for Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter™, continued his debriefing on Ubisoft and Red Storm Entertainment's third game in the best-selling tactical shooter franchise. After talking about his extensive trip to Mexico City and some of the new weapons and gadgets in Part One of our interview, Adrian got down to some of the gameplay features. Xbox.com: How have the Ghosts evolved over the course of the franchise? Adrian: Technically and visually, the models have in terms of their equipment and the number of polygons we can dedicate to them. In terms of their way of thinking, their tactics, and the "spirit" behind the Ghosts, we have stayed true to the history of the franchise. As a global superpower, the U.S. Army has an elite group of soldiers who can be put in the field immediately, anywhere in the world. The point of the spear in every operation, U.S. Special Forces Group 5, First Battalion, D Company, is an elite Green Beret unit made up of the best of the best. The teams are really excited and can't wait to play First into any conflict and last to retreat, the Ghosts handle the missions that no one else can. Often inserted deep behind enemy lines, they strike swiftly and suddenly, and then vanish. They call themselves the "Ghosts." Xbox.com: Can you talk about some of the new features in the single-player game? Adrian: The Cross-Com really adds a whole new experience and works extremely well in conjunction with the new 3-D tactical map. This feature allows you to seamlessly control all support forces within the same system.
Where's the beach? Xbox.com: Can you talk about the Xbox® and Xbox 360™ versions of Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter, and what some of the major differences will be? Adrian: The story basically remains the same, however, we have designed the Xbox version in first-person perspective rather than the over-the-shoulder view of the Xbox 360 game. In Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter for original Xbox, the focus is very much on the two-man squad element and the interplay between you as Captain Scott Mitchell and SFC Joe Ramirez. You'll be constantly directing him to take cover and flank the enemy, and he'll do so intelligently. We want you to realize that Ramirez is an intelligent, indispensable part of your arsenal, as effective as any air strike could ever be. So the action becomes very focused, and we think this design decision allows you to be more tactical and strategic in your approaches, while giving you a range of ways to take out targets. Ramirez isn't the only member of your squad, however. It would be weird to just plop two guys down in the middle of a war zone and call this a true battlefield experience. There must be other Ghosts under Mitchell's command that advance the scenario. This is where Bravo and Charlie come in. The two-man Bravo and Charlie elements are in Mexico City, as well, and they're taking care of other prongs of the assault. Contacting them through the Cross-Com is simple, and it opens up new ways to approach a level. For instance, let's say that you and Ramirez (Alpha) enter a plaza and are pinned down by overwhelming enemy fire. Bravo can be diverted to flank and destroy the enemy, but this calls them away from their primary target, the destruction of a bridge. Not destroying this bridge on time may allow enemy reinforcements to enter and make life harder later on. Our game is full of these kinds of tradeoffs, which makes for a richer game experience that can be replayed in different ways. We wanted to give Xbox players a specific experience, and not just a reduced version or port of the Xbox 360 game. We have the essence of the scenario and gameplay in both.
I paid extra for the car rental insurance. Xbox.com: What new advances will there be in the multiplayer game? Adrian: For Xbox 360, there are a lot of new features. Interactive hi-tech elements, such as Cross-Com, information gathered by the team's reconnaissance drone, and the intelligence map provide you with a cohesive set of tools to enhance team communication and to make tactical gameplay decisions. There will also be a Create Your Own Identity feature that lets you take that created character and climb to the top of your country's ranks through the new International Ranking System. Choose a character class, alter their visual identity, pick a weapon, and see these choices affect gameplay. In addition, there are four new Campaign maps playable in co-op campaign, adversarial, and co-op gametypes. All these features are there to give more choice and huge variety in terms of gameplay and features. Xbox.com: What types of game modes will there be? Adrian: You now have the ability to design hundreds of game modes to your own personal specification and gameplay pleasure, playable on any of the ten multiplayer maps with no restrictions. We will make available our favorites like Hamburger Hill, Last Man Standing, and Sharp Shooter, but now you can change anything you want with endless options to choose from. Ultimately, this new game-type customization feature is going to offer anyone the chance to create any game-type scenario they wish to set up … it will be pretty exciting in the online space to see what fans will put out there.
Support your squad from afar. Xbox.com: What are you most excited about with this new game? Adrian: Just getting my final boxed copy and getting online with it. I really want to see how the players respond to the new features. The teams are really excited about the visual quality we have achieved and can't wait to play against the fans and new players to show off the incredible gameplay elements we have implemented, especially Cross-Com and the creation of your own game modes. Article by John Gaudiosi Related Links |
