May 9, 2005 - One year ago, the Canadian independent development team Digital Extremes revealed the very first look at the next generation with a quick, gorgeous game called Dark Sector. One year later, a brand new video has appeared giving gamers a new taste of what the next-generation holds, and it's much prettier and impressive than before.
The two-minute trailer is not a pre-rendered movie. It's officially in-game footage. The trailer shows off in-game graphics, physics, sound, and gameplay, and it displays several key hallmarks we'd all hoped to see in next-generation games.
For example, the enemy guard shows off effective, believable facial expressions. The polygon count on each character is incredibly high, and the texture work is gorgeous. The characters move with smooth motion, and the special effects, from the particles, smoke, and fire, are all top-quality.
This morning we spoke with James Schmalz, creative director at Digital Extremes, to get the first inside look at Dark Sector. (Believe it or not, Schmalz's game has yet to be signed by a publisher.) What is the game all about? What can that cool suit do? What's the story, the game type? What can the next-generation of graphics do? Schmalz gives us specific technical details about next-generation graphics and gameplay styles. Read our interview for the first, exclusive details on Dark Sector.
IGN: What kind of game is Dark Sector? Does it break old genre stereotypes -- blending action, adventure, or RPG elements -- and if so, how?
James Schmalz: Dark Sector blends finesse and brutality into a fast-action game. It mixes first-person shooter control schemes with a third-person perspective. The perspective choice is an obvious one because of our twist on the genre: your suit can 'morph.' This morphing is central to creating the new possibilities for our combative and non-combative game mechanics.
IGN: What kind of stealth aspects can we expect in Dark Sector?
James: It's important to note that Dark Sector is going to have elements of 'fast stealth,' not slow and creeping stealth -- but action-oriented, fast-killing-from-the-shadows type stealth. We emphasize power and control over the situation, not reluctance and trepidation.
IGN: Who is the lead character? What is his backstory? And what are some of his goals in the game?
James: The main character is Hayden Tenno. We can't reveal too much about him, except to say he is very unique. He has more in common with Wolverine than Sam Fisher, if that helps.
IGN: What is going on in the video you've shown us today? The lead character lays down an explosive to blow up some evil military ship, but why?
James: The video is a 'proof of concept' from a year-old technology demo. It shows off the main character, his suit, and a few of the enemies you will encounter. It's evolved considerably in a year, but we've been silent for a long time.
IGN: He wears a remarkably powerful suit. What is his relationship to it? And what kind of things can it do?
James: What you have seen is nothing compared to what the suit can actually do. It's one of the big mysteries of the game and is our key differentiating element. As you progress, you learn more about what it can do. Separating the suit from the man is also kind of a gray area...
IGN: What are some of the artistic and thematic inspirations for the game?
James: There are definitely comic/movie inspirations such as X-Men 2, Iron Man and the original Batman. The player will be a powerful outsider, almost like a super hero. Set in a world that, at first glance, appears much like our own.
IGN: What kind of visual effects do you expect to reap from this next generation of games? What kinds of effects are you using in Dark Sector that you couldn't use in the previous generation of consoles?
James: The next generation visuals are going to be amazing. You cannot fully appreciate Dark Sector unless it's running in true high resolution. Our technology has come a long way since that video was created. We are also still a long way from finishing Dark Sector, so we still have a lot of technology to create and add to the game. So, if you like what you see now, you will love what you see when we show it off next.
As for what effects we are using now that we couldn't before... well, I like to describe it best like this: consumer computing will inevitably be multi-processor configurations. Soon enough dual cores will be the standard in new PCs. So with a single processor system we'd allocate 15-20% to AI, perhaps double that to physics. Well, imagine now that you could allocate an entire processor to one of those tasks? That is a massive increase in performance. Just think of the physics or AI or particle effects you could create with a fast dedicated CPU. That gives developers a huge amount of freedom to explore new ideas. Developers will have more flexibility than ever.
IGN: Is there a multiplayer aspect to Dark Sector? What kinds of online gaming can we expect?
James: There is a multiplayer component. We can't go in to details in this area, but we can say we are doing multiplayer and it's going to be something very new and exciting.
IGN: Since you first showed Dark Sector as a sneak peak last year, what has changed about the game, and show is different in the video?
James: What you see is just an extended version of that initial sneak peak. But a lot has changed with the game itself. But these are things we can't talk in depth on. Let's just say the game has really grown in the year since this demo was made.
IGN: Thanks for your time. We appreciate it, and good luck on the game. And oh yeah! Make sure to watch the video trailer in our media section.
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