World in Conflict Interview with Massive Entertainment
Visual features: a landscape of destructionYouGamers: I understand that the levels are destructible... Karlson: All our maps are entirely destructible, so you can destroy the entire level. Our pathfinding updates, so your tanks can roll over recently intact buildings. Initially you have these narrow streets between tall buildings, and all your units are constrained to use these streets for movement. As a player, that's a very important consideration to make. Unless, of course, you use demolitions to clear a path for yourself.
Karlson: We make a calculation based on the destruction of the entire level - the accumulated destruction, if you like. As this destruction meter rises, we change the mood of the entire level. We change the lighting and some post-filter effects to create a more solemn mood. Initially, almost every map is like a Spielberg Suburbia, with vibrant colors, birds in the air et cetera. Along with the destruction of units, we change the entire mood towards a war-torn hell.
Gameplay interface: free-roaming camera and audio feedbackYouGamers: You chose a free-roaming camera. What made you pick that over a traditional RTS fixed perspective? Karlson: First of all, it wasn't an easy decision. Still, we think it's absolutely vital, because we have this fully 3D-rendered landscape. None of our environments are built to be prettiest from a certain angle, they are built as an interactive, three-dimensional landscape. Now in multiplayer, there is a real advantage to seeing the horizon. You can see all your units at the same time, you can see your teammates' units, and because teammates share line-of-sight, see all enemies any of you have spotted. We have mapped our camera to resemble an FPS game - with WASD and mouse controls - more than an RTS, which gives a real sense of freedom. Of course, it makes the game look even better.
Karlson: We have several feedback systems. The most important we call "HQ Feedback", which is a general gameplay feedback directly to the player, not from any single unit - for example, "your units have arrived". Then we have the direct unit feedback: they acknowledge orders and tell you when they are taking fire, contextual to their current situation. If they are in a battle, the feedback will be much more distressed and panicked. They will also sometimes specify in their feedback what's firing on them, and from where, for example "we are taking rifle fire from that building". This allows you to react appropriately to the threat, and you get visual feedback to accompany audio feedback, so that you can quickly locate your units that are in trouble. The third audio feedback system is what we call "ambient feedback". If you move the camera near units that are idling, you will hear conversations between your infantry on the field.
Related Stuff Games: Supreme Commander
Tags |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
