from white knight 77 (ubi forum)
(Thunak): Hello and welcome to today’s GRAW chat!
(Thunak): Thanks for joining us. Our guests this evening are:
(Thunak): Christian ALLEN – Lead Multiplayer Designer
(Thunak): I believe it's Serellan
(Serellan): hey
(Thunak): Christian ALLEN – Lead Multiplayer Designer
(Thunak): Spearman
(Thunak): Gilles MATOUBA – Game Designer
(Thunak): oops
(Thunak): And Adrian Lacey, random punter hiding somewhere
(Thunak): Let’s begin, then. The session will be moderated: only the GRAW team and I may post.
(Thunak): Let’s begin, then. The session will be moderated: only the GRAW team and I may post.
(Thunak): This is how we’ll proceed: you may send your questions only to me and I will relay them. Please do not send them directly to the GRAW team, they will only answer to mine. To send me a question double-click on my nick (Thunak) on the right hand column and a new window will open in which we may chat.
(Thunak): We will post a full transcript of the chat on
www.ghostrecon.com and on the boards ASAP.
(Thunak): Here we go!
(Thunak): (shogun): How will the game support clans on the 360?
(Serellan): Due to the early stage of Xbox Live on 360, we are not currently planning to support clans initially at launch.
(Thunak): (Crunker99): Hi, I was wondering will the X360 version of this game feature a co-op online play mode?
(Serellan): *
(Serellan): Yes, we are fully supporting Co-op play, both with the customizable game mode system, and a all new co-op campaign
(Serellan): once you finish the SP campaign, you have a whole new game to start*
(Thunak): (kleaneasy): Theres a lot of confusion over the in game view for GRAW on xbox, is there a weapon view? and is 1st person still in the game
(Spearman): On xbox it is a entirely FPS view
(Spearman): For X360 we chose to stick with OTS like in SS and GR2.
(Spearman): For the X360 version, we also feature a Precise Aiming view, like a close-up Over the Shoulder view
(Spearman): *
(Thunak): (shogun): What is the max numbers of players in a room on Xbox Live(360)?
(Serellan): 16*
(Thunak): (Crunker99-Continuum): will you be able to switch weapons with weapons from dead enemies and allies?
(Spearman): Yes of course
(Thunak): (CriticalHit9999): what are your impressions working with the 360 ?
(Spearman): all weapons visible during the game WILL be playable*
(Serellan): for MP work, it is great. We can have detailed maps, customizable characters, and thousands of game mode combinations...
(Serellan): *
(Spearman): We were able to push the power of the 360 using our Multi Core technology, which means we can push the 3 processors to the max i terms of animation, post fx, HDR and so on...*
(Thunak): (Smis): How many players can appear on-screen at once?
(Spearman): A lot of them
(Serellan): in MP, 16
(Serellan): *
(Thunak): (santtu): tell me please, is it possible to go into buildings?
(Spearman): You don't open doors etc, but using climb etc you can go into warehouses and stuff
(Spearman): The mai core of the actio will be street to street and outdoors
(Spearman): *
(Thunak): (ReapeR): Tactics v Run & Gun style….It is always stated that PC gamers want tactics and we console drones only crave the Run & Gun approach…..what will this ‘next gen’ gaming experience give us on the 360?
(Spearman): For 360 we wanted to give people the option of moving yur team, drones and support troops via the 3D tactical map
(Serellan): I don't think that is necissarily the case. Tactics are just as important for console players, it is just the experience is taylored for the interface. When you are sitting in front of your PC, you have a different connection with the game then when you are on your couch. A lot of the differences are based on controller differences, etc
(Spearman): *
(Serellan): *
(Thunak): (shogun): What is the total number of weapons in the game for online play?
(Serellan): just a sec, gotta count
(Spearman): 25 for single not counting vehicles
(Spearman): *
(Serellan): right around 35 in MP
(Serellan): *
(Serellan): on ship, for MP we added fan favorite weapons from GR1 and GR2
(Serellan): *
(Thunak): (Smis): How many polygons on a character?
(Spearman): 15000 polys plus normal mapping
(Spearman): *
(Thunak): (benny): what happened to the GR look in general, doesn't look quite the same as the ones we saw at the 360 presentation?
(Spearman): At the time we weren't even running off the final kits!
(Spearman): Since then the post fx, filters and the engine itself has evolved
(Spearman): Not to mention the HDR, animations and so on*
(Thunak): (NateTXB): If there's one clear area that Microsoft has concentrated on improving when comparing development for the 360 to the Xbox what would it be and why?
(Serellan): the greatest thing for us is the new live interface and rich presesnce. Now players have a consistant profile, friends list, etc. This takes the work off of the plates of the developers, and ensures the players have a consistant experience across all Live games.*
(Thunak): (Osok): Have they limited the ability to look over objects then with the OTS view?
(Spearman): The OTS view has been tweaked to impove the experience, we also added an advanced cover and peak mode
(Spearman): *
(Serellan): also, in MP, servers can restrict OTS view with a host of options*
(Thunak): (Vth_F_Smith|SCMod): Which Engine are you using for the Game?
(Spearman): We are using a Ubisoft proprietary engine;
(Spearman): It has been developed specificaly to use the multiprcessing power of nextgen consoles*
(Thunak): (santtu): can player moderate ghosts equipments?
(Spearman): You can still select with which teammate you're going to play
(Spearman): But they will have pre defined jobs: Rifleman, grenadier, Marksman, etc.
(Spearman): They will stick to their skill and emain only as your team mate, you can't play as them
(Serellan): in MP, you can customize your own character and safe default weapon loadouts*
(Serellan): "save" *
(Thunak): (Osok): Have they intentionally done anything from a design standpoint to try and keep GRAW from becoming run and gun gameplay online?
(Serellan): we focused a lot on weapon balance, to make sure that people that try to hightail it around can easily catch a bullet
(Spearman): Cross Com, allows you to be more tactical i the sense that you see what your team sees in real time as well as what your UAV drones are seeing
(Serellan): *
(Spearman): *
(Thunak): (KS-Grizzli[ModoFR]): Is a map editor provided ??
(Serellan): no, instead we focused on a customizable game mode system to allow you to build your own play experience;
(Spearman):
(Serellan): with over a thousand combinations of options, and easy to use presets, you can make solo, team, and co-op game modes
(Serellan): *
(Thunak): (santtu): is the story same as in PC version?
(Spearman): All versions have the same story, we wanted to keep Mexico as it is a unique environment
(Serellan): in addition, the 360 has co-op campaign that starts out after the SP story ends, taking you to Nicuargua against a whole new group of enemies*
(Spearman): *
(Thunak): (ReapeR): It has yet to be revealed if we can turn off the Red and Green character outlines and massive blue objective icon…….is this part of the widely publicized custom features?
(Spearman): Yes you will be able to turn them off
(Spearman): But intel is an important part o the tactical gameplay so you will have a lot less info about the enemy
(Serellan): in addition for MP, there are server options regarding them*
(Spearman): When you are actually playing it is also a lot less intrusive!
(Spearman): *
(Thunak): (brainiac): To what degree can we alter the character appearances in multiplayer?
(Serellan): there is quite a bit of customization, with a whole range of real military gear that you can use
(Serellan): in addition, you can choose from four different classes that affect your weapon handling, and serve as your character identity
(Serellan): *
(Thunak): (Brimstone): How realistic are weapon ballistics and how bullets penetrate objects?
(Serellan): we do a lot of work on ballistics to ensure a realistic handling experience taking into account range, body armor, etc.
(Serellan): in MP we remove bodies, otherwise you would have hundereds of bodies lying around and bogging down your system
(Spearman):
(Serellan): *
(Spearman): *
(Thunak): (Stpehane_VR): what does the crosscom do exactly?
(Spearman): This is your order interface between your support teammates, apaches, tanks and drones
(Spearman): It also gives you intel from no playable charaters
(Spearman): Generals will contact you, you can see newsflashes
(Serellan): in MP, it is a team commo device, allowing you to set different kinds of waypoints to facilitate team communication through the voice com
(Serellan): *
(Spearman): the cool thing is that you will see everything your team or support units are seing in real time
(Spearman): *
(Thunak): (Osok): Does the crosscom come into play with multiplayer?
(Serellan): see above
(Serellan): *
(Thunak): (Vth_F_Smith|SCMod): Which Feature in the Game you're most proud of?
(Spearman): CROSS-COM
(Spearman): the gun rides are cool as well
(Serellan): in MP, it has to be the customizable game mode system. It gives you a host of options, while keeping it simple for the players and clients. Plus, the way the map layout works allows you to learn maps, regardless of the game mode
(Spearman): *
(Serellan): oh, and character identity
(Serellan): oh, and international ranking system...
(Serellan): too many too list
(Serellan): and the ghraphics
(Serellan):
(Serellan): *
(Thunak): (ReapeR): There has been much chatter surrounding the size and color of the new look aiming reticule…….will this feature be customizable?
(Spearman): No not customisable but it is still being polished
(Spearman): We are trying to give evey weapon it's own aiming reticule
(Spearman): *
(Thunak): (benny): next gen platforms, aren't all about graphics, how did u guys improved other areas like AI, physics...
(Spearman): Physics ae definitely impoved especially veicles i terms of what falls off explodes etc
(Spearman): Fo AI better animations, they search cover much better, they don't stand i the open
(Spearman): The detail in the animations also gives them a lot more life
(Spearman): *
(Thunak): A question from a secret admirer from Montpellier: what colour underwear does Christian usually wear?
(Spearman): Multicam