True Crime: Streets of L.A. is finally coming out of the shadows. With enough features to choke an elephant, top-shelf graphics, and gameplay that covers just about every imaginable type of console game, this title has the potential to quickly become a legend among the gaming community. So, grab a seat while I talk to Chris Archer from the development team over at Activision and pick his brain about some of the coolness that is True Crime: Streets of L.A.
Carlson: First, a little bit of your background: What is your position in the development of True Crime: Streets of L.A.?
Archer: I am the executive producer on True Crime: Streets of L.A. Some background … well, I have been in the industry producing games for more than 12 years. The first game I finished was Creature Shock on the PC and 3DO, back in 1992. Since then, I have gone on to produce such titles as TheDaedalus Encounter, the 11th Hour,Powerslave, Gex 2, Tai Fu,Spider-Man, Tony Hawk N64, and many others. I basically oversee all aspects of this particular title, as well as other games for Activision.
Carlson: How did you end up in that area? Was this something you've been working towards, or was it just a matter of finding the right opportunity?
Archer: It was luck mostly, but being an avid gamer definitely helped. I was going to college and working at Egghead Software, when some nice fellows from Virgin Interactive came in and were looking for customer service representatives. I said, "HELL YEAH!", left my job, and the rest is history.
Carlson: As far as the development of True Crime: Streets of L.A. is concerned, what were some of your initial reactions when you first caught wind of the project?
Archer: Honestly, my initial reaction of True Crime: Streets of L.A. was, "How the hell are we going to do all of that in one game?!" Fortunately, Luxoflux is an accomplished developer, and the challenge of mixing the highest level of driving, fighting, and shooting all in one was something I simply could not turn down. Keep in mind that, at the time, there was noGTA. Driver was limited to vehicle-based chases, and no other games were significantly crossing genres. Today, inTrue Crime: Streets of L.A., we have all three styles of gameplay, with a great deal of depth, wrapped up in a single product. It's a huge accomplishment for any team, and we're ecstatic that we actually pulled it off!
Carlson: As the development takes shape, and the "vision" of the final product becomes clearer, what is it about this title that you find most appealing? Gameplay? Graphics? Fun? A chance to take a little time off once the whole thing is done?
Archer: Every day, I am in awe of what Luxoflux has put together in True Crime: Streets of L.A.. I can't really break out one thing that is most appealing. I think the idea that you can do pretty much anything in the game (driving, fighting, shooting, stealth, etc.) while having a strong branching story line is an awesome achievement in gaming.
Carlson: We know that, so far, most everyone's reaction has included a comment or two on the similarities toGrand Theft Auto. How much weight was given to that similarity/opinion?
Archer:Grand Theft Auto is a great game, and while True Crime: Streets of L.A. is very different, once you get down to the specifics, all of these games have the same roots. Some of the earlier car combat games on the PSX, likeVigilante 8 and Twisted Metal, evolved to eventually produce a game by the name of Driver, which further evolved into another game called GTA. Now,True Crime: Streets of L.A. will continue the tradition and evolve the genre even further. It's all a natural progression in gaming.
Carlson: What can you tell us about the story line, without giving too much away, of course? You play a cop in L.A. who …
Archer: He's named Nick Kang. He's quite a character. Born in Los Angeles, his father was Henry Wilson, a cop who disappeared under mysterious circumstances. After his father's disappearance, Nick's mother moved him and his brother Cary to Hong Kong, where they would be more "accepted." When he was old enough, Nick moved back to Los Angeles and became a cop, like his father. But, he had a penitent for breaking things—including a few skulls here and there. Due to his "unorthodox" manner of fighting crime, he was soon kicked off the force and vowed never to return. He eventually got a call from an old friend who was the head of a new agency called the Elite Operations Division (E.O.D.). The E.O.D. was established to fight big-time crime, particularly cartels like the one he protected his family from in Hong Kong. Nick's new job was to take down the Russian and Chinese Mafia in L.A. with his "unique" style of justice.
Carlson: So far, there seems to be a very non-linear approach to gameplay. What's the scoop on that?
Archer: The mission structure is very unique. During your free-roam experience, you have the opportunity to solve random crimes in the city to upgrade your character's skills, moves, weapons, and vehicles, as well as uncover secrets and hidden missions, which add up to more than 100 missions of varying difficulties. During the story mode, we have a truly branching story line with about 100 missions spread throughout.
Carlson: Often, some of the most interesting and innovative aspects of a new software title are ideas that are tossed into the mix "off the cuff." Were there any features of that sort that you can tell us about?
Archer: Some of the coolest features were definitely off the cuff. First was precision targeting. In this mode, you are able to precisely aim at the enemy (while the action goes into slow motion) and target for disabling shots and headshot kills. Additionally, we added special car maneuvers to the game. Similar to fighting system combos, we added upgradeable combos that allow the player to speed burst, go up on two wheels to split traffic, pull off 180 spins, etc., all of which can be done while shooting at enemy vehicles. It's an awesome visual when you see a player chasing a bad guy, then speed up and pass them, split traffic going up on two wheels, and then spin the car 180 degrees, shooting the perp while driving backwards. Very cool.
Carlson: Were there any features or ideas that didn't make it into the game that you would have liked to see work out?
Archer: Not really. This is one of those games that we somehow where able to get in everything we initially planned as well as additions that came in later. We already have tons of ideas for any future versions, but right now, the player will have all of the things we wanted them to see in the game.
Carlson: How much flexibility did you have in the dev process? Was there a suit-and-tie presence looming over your shoulder with a hot poker, or was it more free hand?
Archer: There was truly unabated freedom to create this game. Of course, as the product starts becoming bigger and bigger on the company radar, the expectation level goes way, way up. But, at each step along the way, Luxoflux has exceeded expectations on every aspect of True Crime: Streets of L.A. and continues to awe and astonish everyone who sees a demo of the game or the lucky few who actually get their hands on it.
Carlson: During all of this, what were some of the more difficult and challenging things that you ran into?
Archer: I think the biggest challenge in the development of this game was not only doing all of these genres in one title, but also fitting the enormous size of Los Angeles into the game. We have effectively recreated 240 square miles of Los Angeles, including thousands of miles of streets, all exactly placed through the use of GPS data (Geological Survey Data), tons and tons of still photos, and hours upon hours of live video. What we have accomplished is effectively a real-time 3-D GPS map of Los Angeles, replete with hundreds of landmark buildings, like the L.A. Convention Center, Staples Center, and Capitol Records.
Carlson: As far as your approach to creatingTrue Crime is concerned, did you have any particular influences or inspirations that you were leaning towards?
Archer: Actually, games as well as movies have inspired us on this project. Generally speaking though, the main inspiration came from Hong Kong cinema as well as American action movies. Some of the specific movies that we all love and are inspired by are Reservoir Dogs, Heat, the Lethal Weapon series, Pulp Fiction, To Live and Die in L.A., Hard Boiled, The Killer, Fists of Fury, Iron Monkey, and pretty much anything directed by John Woo, Michael Mann, or Quentin Tarantino … but maybe not From Dusk 'til Dawn.
Carlson: What sorts of tools was the dev team using for a project of this size? Something in-house that we haven't heard of before, or the usual gamut of high-end toys that we all wish we could afford?
Archer: Luxoflux has developed original technology for this product, and it would not have been possible to do what we are doing in this game without the amazing brains of Adrian Stephens and Cary Hara, our tech director and lead programmer, as well as the rest of the team. We used this proprietary system as well as the standards, C++, 3DSMax, etc., to create True Crime: Streets of L.A.
Carlson: What was the timetable for the development of this game? Has this been bouncing around in the back room for a couple years or what?
Archer: We have been in development on True Crime: Streets of L.A. for two years, but it definitely was not being bounced around in the back room. We have been in full-blown development the whole time. The result of this time spent enabled us to deliver to the player 240 square miles of L.A.; fighting, shooting, and driving, all at the highest level; and of course, an amazing experience that is polished, tuned, and bug-free.
Carlson: Since you are going to have the inside angle on all of this, how do you feel about the way things are progressing? Comfortable, confident, excited, tired?
Archer: Things are progressing very well, beyond our expectations. We are very confident, extremely excited … and very tired. We are going down the home stretch as I write this, and we are very much looking forward to releasing this to the public.
Thanks, Chris! It's always great to get a chance to hear from the people behind the scenes in the gaming industry. As for the rest of you, if you weren't already drooling at the chance to take a look at this upcoming title, I expect you are now. Keep your eyes peeled for more about Activision's ace in the hole, coming up at E3. Stay tuned!
