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MEGA SC interview from C&VG.com.
I hope they are not BS for the sake of PR.
I hope they are not BS for the sake of PR.
INTERVIEW: SPLINTER CELL EXPOSED
Already a massive hit on Xbox, Ubi Soft tells us why PS2 and GameCube owners should be highly excited by Sam Fisher's impending infiltration
17:43 Setting new standards in third-person action gaming, Splinter Cell was one of the main reasons Xbox enjoyed such a healthy Christmas in 2002. Blending jaw-dropping visuals with brilliant, innovative game design and a compelling, intelligent plot, the adventures of Sam Fisher have captivated Xbox gamers and provided Ubi Soft with an arguable Metal Gear-beater.
But what will PS2 and GameCube owners make of Fisher's surreptitious antics? Can the consoles handle the sheer visual splendour of the Xbox version? And what extras can we expect? Producer Domitille Doat answers all of this and more.
Firstly, for PS2 and GC owners who may not yet know, can you briefly describe Splinter Cell?
Doat: Splinter Cell is a stealth-based third-person action game inspired by the Tom Clancy universe. You are Sam Fisher, a black ops specialist member of a top secret agency called Third Echelon. First sent to Georgia to find the trace of two CIA agents who have disappeared, you get quickly involved in a more complex and dangerous plot.
From it's original unveiling in Montreal last Spring, it was obvious Splinter Cell was going to be something special, but has its success and across-the-board praise exceeded your expectations?
Doat: We knew that some features of the game were quite innovative and that we'd have a good response. We knew that second generation games on a new console are always more impressive than those that appear in the first year. However, you never know what other developers are developing and you never know if the features developed will be unique or already well used in other games. It turned out that other developers didn't explore the Xbox as much as we did.
One of the obvious draws of the Xbox version was the staggering technical achievement you made, notably in lighting. What can we expect from the visual side of the PS2 and GC versions?
Doat: The same! We spent four months before starting the production to push our engine and the PS2 hardware to its extreme in order the stay in line with the Splinter Cell core essence: the light and shadow system. We have dynamic, real time, interactive light and shadow, real time reflection on characters - we have it all. This was our ambition at the very beginning: we would only start the project if we could achieve this on the PS2 and GC.
How long have the PS2 and GC versions been in development?
Doat: We started in Shanghai with a very small group of PlayStation 2 experts coming from the China studio but also from 3 other Ubi Soft studios in February 2002. We worked on the prototype to prove that we could reach our goal before starting the production.
Splinter Cell has no real competition on Xbox at present, but PS2 owners have already cut their teeth on Metal Gear Solid 2. MGS2 was clearly a big influence on your title, but what do you feel Splinter Cell does better than its Japanese rival?
Doat: There are not many stealth games on the market, so it's easy to put MGS and Splinter Cell in the same category. Of course, we've been inspired by some good features of MGS (and many other good games) and at first look, some concept may look similar.
However, our main objective was not to make an MGS-style game. We wanted Splinter Cell to be highly inspired by the Tom Clancy universe: a realistic, geopolitical, big threat situation with high tech military gadgets and communication devices. "Realism" was our key word. We wanted the game to have its own identity and provide a new game play experience.
With the interactive lighting and the free camera, you'll quickly discover that the game play mechanics are quite different. It has all the freedom a first-person game provides with the impressive effects and animation of a third-person game. MGS has been designed to be close to cinema and comics, while Splinter Cell seeks realism through a simulation approach of espionage action. Stealth is a genre where there is still a lot to explore.
How far were you advised by tactical specialists with regard to the many cool gadgets featured in the game? Was authenticity high on your priority list?
Doat: All Clancy's stories occurs in a near future, which means that geopolitical situations are credible and technology used is always ahead of what currently exists. Nothing is sci-fi though. After playing the game, the customer should say: "God, this could really happen... tomorrow".
The concept of having a solo operative that acts secretly is realistic considering the new face of terrorism: we don't know where terrorists are, but they're everywhere. The NSA needs this kind of intervention, and even if they will never confirm it, a similar form of cell probably already exists.
All gadgets used in Splinter Cell are either real or might be a secretive development project within the US army. Only the sticky camera and the camera jammer have been invented by the game designer, but are still credible. The goggles have also been inspired from existing material, because no existing goggle can switch between night vision and heat vision.
I would bet that some of Splinter Cell's gadgets like the snake camera and the sticky camera will be copied in other videogames in the near future. We came up with weapons and tactical devices that are used by the military Special Forces or that are now tested to become the future top tactical devices.
Beside Tom Clancy's team, we've been in touch with Mike Grasso from the L.A.P.D. special elite unit during the process. Knowing a lot about the technology, gadgets and weapons is one thing, but how to use it, when to use it and how to move with it was another great input from Mr. Grasso.
What additional features and cool extras can PS2 and GameCube owners expect over and above the Xbox version?
Doat: The audience is not the same so we worked with care to fit with PS2 owners' high expectations and skills. We have included new gadgets: the binoculars, for instance. The comfort of this gadget for the gamer is key. The reference for us is actual playtesting - and as soon as this feature was implemented, the gamers were using it all the time to master infiltration. It was amazing how useful this gadget was to check camera movements, guard patrols and so one without being detected.
We also introduce a greater difference between the two levels of difficulty in the game (the normal and hard mode).The normal mode has new rules. We wanted to avoid at any cost the situation where you triggered three alarms, then a last one, meaning mission over causing you to have to go back to a checkpoint very near to an alarm and re-trigger it again and again. Checkpoints, in normal mode, will put you back to a maximum of two alarms already triggered.
We're working on PlayStation 2 to really heighten the immersion as far as possible: cinematics are a first means to do this, so we made new cinematics and even a brand new intro cinematic, directed by French director Florent-Emilio Siri. We also developed some camera effects when a dead body is found to raise the tension of the gameplay. We had fun working on some levels where we reserve surprises for the gamers. I will not detail them now, but there are some good surprises ...
To conclude: we did not work with the Xbox in mind, we worked with the PlayStation 2 competition in mind and the PlayStation 2 gamers' expectations in mind - this is very different.
I really insist on this point because few gamers have both consoles, and we don't work for the sake of comparison - we work for the enjoyment of the PlayStation 2 and GameCube communities.
Having already pledged support for Xbox Live, do you have any plans to support Sony and Nintendo's services with Splinter Cell?
Doat: Not for this version... as we're releasing before Sony and Nintendo's plans are totally set in stone.
Finally, why should PS2 and GC owners be excited about Splinter Cell?
Doat: Splinter Cell will provide a new type of experience. It is has the strengths of a first-person game with a free camera, mixed with third-person controls that show all the cool actions of the main character. The immersion is impressive as you can interact with the environment to make your life easier - or harder. It is all about stealth, and you can switch off or break lights to create a new safe zone to hide, which is quite innovative, considering that you can still see in completely dark areas using your night vision. You've gotta be smart!
