My preview is based on a wide range of articles and interviews I have read along with a viewing of the tech demo. Even so, it's worth a 5 for whetting my appetite with what it promises to offer.There are many first person shooters, but Far Cry from German developer Crytek strives to add gameplay elements which make it
worth serious consideration.
Voted Best Game at ECTS 2003, Far Cry has managed to draw interest and create lasting impressions despite going up against heavyweight contenders such as Half Life 2 and Doom 3.
>>The Game Engine
Crytek have developed their own gaming engine known as the CryEngine. This is capable of rendering vast draw distances of up to 2 kilometers without fogging. It also makes use of polybump technology, enabling an object comprised of 250,000 polygons to be condensed into only 1,500 without virtually any loss of quality. This alone frees up cpu processing time and makes FAR CRY more accessible to lower ended systems.
Added to this is the ability to create real world physics. In the game you might decide to push some barrels in order to watch them roll down a hill onto the enemy. The barrels will roll the way they should depending on the angle used to push them and the shape of the ground they connect with. Push them again from a different angle, or using different force, and the barrels will roll in a different way.
This realism is also applied to the in-game characters which have been modelled with a great deal of attention paid to their skeletal structures. The characters will react and/or fall according to where on the body a shot impacts - an event referred to in computer games as rag doll physics.
And lastly, the terrain is deformable. Use a rocket launcher and the shell's impact will leave a crater in the ground.
>>Game Premise
You play Jack Carver who is forced out of his sun-drenched semi-retirement to help out a female journalist in unravelling a mystery. There are homicidal mercenaries out to stop you.
>>Game Setting
The action takes place on the main island of Micronesia, although there are other smaller islands which you can sail or swim to.
Environments will range from jungles, caves, lagoons, ancient temples, and include facilities such as bunkers, underground laboratories and other claustrophobic indoor areas.
>>Player Freedom
The decision to set the game on a lush tropical island means that the game is not linear as in most shooters. You have complete freedom to move about and carry out your missions any way you deem fit. The player is in control, rather than being forced to complete missions in a set way. You are free to use your discretion and imagination to undertake missions using stealth tactics, all out assault, or a combination of the two depending on the circumstances you find yourself in.
>>Non-Scripted Artificial Intelligence
This, in my opinion, will be the heart and soul of FAR CRY's gameplay.
Because of the non-linearity of the game (even though there is a progressive story line), the AI units are NOT scripted.
The AI of the game was designed to "understand", and react to the environment. The enemy interacts with the environment just like you, and will use it for cover and to try take you down using tactics such as suppressive fire, outflanking etc. They will call for reinforcements - even from other islands - for backup. Rather than creating an AI which simply 'knows' your position, Crytek are pushing the limits by programming the AI to familiarise themselves with the landscape and game objects. For example, if an AI unit decides to retreat from a fight and call for backup, it will have the 'intelligence' to not waste its time getting into a vehicle which has had its tires shot out, or suffered structural or engine damage.
In other words, the enemy knows as much as you about the arena you play in. Enemy units will react not only to your input, but also with the surrounding terrain in unique ways. Each AI unit will have the ability to recognize objects within the environment such as rocks, water, trees, vehicles, as well as other agents in the game including dead AI units, and they will respond individually to the situation through their internal driven AI. This approach to AI is necessitated by the choice of the developers to set the game in a wide open environment. Because the player is not required to follow a predefined approach to playing out a mission, it is necessary that the AI uses a more dynamic pathfinding ability. This incorporates not only carrying out orders, but using 'guesswork' and environmental factors to hunt you down. An example of the immersiveness of the environment and combination of AI is that apart from 'hearing' and/or 'seeing' you, the AI will use environmental 'cues' to detect your presence - should you, for example, be creeping through a jungle and unwittingly startle a flock of birds into flight, the enemy units may be alerted by this and start to investigate the source of the disturbance. This gives rise to other possibilities, such as the player setting off flares or remote-firing guns in order to decoy the unsuspecting enemy into an ambush, or to lure them away from you.
The beauty of all this means that whenever you play a section of the game the AI will respond in different ways so you never play out a scenario in exactly the same manner. One example of AI attacking strategy in FAR CRY is that rather than keep shooting at the last location they 'saw' or 'heard' you, the AI will attempt to 'guess' where you might be moving to and in which direction, and will strategically readjust their actions to sustain the momentum in their pursuit of you. This will make for deeper immersion, very intense combat - especially at close quarters - and keep the player's adrenaline pumped up.
>>Inside and Out
Both indoor and outdoor levels are integrated seamlessly. The game allows you to move from outdoor to indoor locations without the game being interrupted by loading times. This allows you to do things such as look out of a window and shoot an enemy who is outside, or even in another building.
>>Weapons and Vehicles
At present, weapons range from a P90 SMG, OICW, AG36, M4, Desert Eagle, down to a machete.
Long-range sniping is possible. In one interview the developers had been testing this out using parrots for target practice - in-game parrots, obviously. Their current record stands at 480 yards. Much greater distances are possible.
Vehicles can be driven in 1st or 3rd person view with the ability to fire weapons while driving.
Jeeps, boats, and HMMVs can be used by the player, and the AI will use vehicles to pursue you.
And did I mention you also get the chance to fly hang-gliders? : )
>>The Sandbox Editor
My excitement was increased further with news of the Sandbox Editor which will be shipped with the game and is billed as the What You See is What You Play Editor. According to an interview with the developers, it took only 3 days (!) for one of their new multiplayer developers to learn how to use the editor.
You can build and edit terrain, drop in some AI units, then play test your scenario all with a few mouse clicks. Switching from the game to the editor will be easy (much like in Operation Flashpoint).
Fast development time for scenarios coupled with a low learning curve using the editor will ensure a formidable amount of Multiplayer maps will be developed soon after the game ships.
*An example of the Editor in action can be seen in the "tech demo" - see end of this preview for details.
>>For Programmers
For programmmers who want to write their own scripted routines - including the ability to modify AI logic - FAR CRY uses the Lua programming language which allows you to write and embed your own routines without having to touch the game's original C++ code.
>>For the Mod Community
For modders, the news is also optimistic. The developers have stressed that everything in the game has been designed with the mod community in mind, and therefore can be modded quite easily. They have mentioned releasing development tools for the mod community either with, or shortly after, the game's release.
>>Summary
With huge landscapes, vast draw distances of up to 2 kilometers, rag doll and real world physics, polybump technology, deformable terrain, an editor which appears to be simplicity itself, and an unscripted AI, next year looks promising for anyone willing - and daring enough - to take a relaxing (?) break in the lagoons, caves, and lush jungles of FAR CRY's Micronesian Islands.
>>Additional Information
FAR CRY is presently scheduled for release in February 2004.
Two excellent interviews with Crytek's developers can be viewed at Game Zone and Adrenaline Vault.
* For an impressive demo of the game go to Gamer's Hell and download the 32Mb "tech demo". I'm sure you'll be excited at what you see.
