Interview Overview

Name of Mag/Web: Games.lt

Format/Type of Press Lithuanian language gaming website.

Date of Request: June 2006

Interviewee: Paul R. Statham, PR/Community Manager at BIStudio.

Journalist Contact: Vytautas Budreika)

Interview Questions

Question 1:

Your first game Operation Flashpoint was really fantastic. In overview, Armed Assault has a lot of similarities with your first game. Can I suppose to call Armed Assault a new game in Operation Flashpoint franchise or it is an absolutely new project, not related to anyone?

Paul: It's quite usual to read information about Armed Assault and to see it called "the sequel" or things like that, basically we simply see it as our next PC game, obviously it will have similarities with Operation Flashpoint but one could say that's down to game style and design ideas as much as anything else.

Question 2:

What we will have to do in Armed Assault? What is our main objective? Or it is similar to Battlefield, where we have to participate in large online battles?

Paul: In Armed Assault the gamer has to do what they choose to do to best enjoy the game for themselves, what I mean by that somewhat oblique statement is that Armed Assault is very much a complete package of a game, single player, multiplayer, mission editing, mod making, it's all in there, all done well and all fully fleshed out.

You have a well written, deeply satisfying campaign as well as some quick, jump into action type missions for those who prefer single player gaming. You have the deep netcode and strong infrastructure for large numbers of players as well as a huge variety of multiplayer modes for the online freaks to get their fill, and for those who want to make and paint and build and create there are a multitude of editing tools and editing possibilities available. It won't be uncommon to find someone who has focussed solely on one specific area of the game yet hasn't stopped playing it since they bought it. That is the legacy of our games, we don't make disposable entertainment, Bohemia Interactive's games are for life, not just for Christmas ;)

Question 3:

Usually playing FPS games means heading towards enemy and shooting everything. How about Armed Assault? How many space for thinking and arranging tactics do we have there?

Paul: In Armed Assault you have as long as it will take the opposing forces to figure out the best tactics for taking you down, obviously if you run straight towards the enemy their tactic would be to shoot you in the face a couple of times then laugh with glee at your stupidity. On the other hand if you fight a smart fight, utilise the terrain, use superior tactics, then the smile will be on your face instead.

Question 4:

The main mission of the game is to capture a player at single player missions or online playing?

Paul: If a gamer prefers single player then the strength and depth of the single player will capture them, if they prefer online gaming then undoubtedly there's plenty of multiplayer contained in the game to keep them from having a social life.

Question 5:

Will the dynamic daytime and weather simulation have any influence to gameplay?

Paul: Of course the most obvious way that dynamic daytime and weather simulation will influence gameplay is by affecting how far you can see, on a foggy or rainy day visibility will be reduced, and you have to be more careful so as to not stumble into the enemy's lair. But of course weather will also affect the gameplay in different ways that may not be so obvious, changing winds may cause the distant trees or bushes to move about in a strange way, is it an enemy in the bush or just the wind? Do you shoot and risk exposing yourself or not shoot and risk a bullet with your name on it?

New graphical shader effects such as HDR lighting also have an influence on gameplay due to weather for example how on a sunny day if the sun is in your face it will damage your vision and make you less able to see objects around you.

Question 6:

What can you say about enemy AI? Will they be able to arrange a coordinated attack against you? How about hiding from bullets and waiting in an ambush?

Paul: Without doubt AI is one of the most neglected areas in modern games, many developers/publishers seem completely obsessed with using the latest "next gen" graphical effects without making any effort to make their gameplay (and of course AI) "next gen". That's a mistake we're working hard not to make.

We're working on an FSM based modular AI system which will allow for AI with both great depth and great flexibility, what this means is that we can have AI who use the terrain and world to their advantage just like a player does (or should if they want to live), an AI that can take cover when their ammunition is running low to reload to not be caught in the open when empty, AI that will seek the cover of trees or buildings when moving from one area to another, AI that if it gets out of a vehicle is aware enough to use that vehicle as cover until moving on to the next piece of cover. Another area of AI we're working on at the moment is a system of leapfrogging/bounding overwatch which is a specialised military technique for combining tactical movement with suppressive fire with the aim of moving progressively forward whilst reducing the potential threat of enemy fire.

Without doubt we have more than enough ideas to make the AI in Armed Assault one of the finest and most challenging artificial intelligences in a game to date.

Question 7:

How much differences will have fighting in cities and in countryside? And how much gameplay will be impacted by the environment?

Paul: There are certainly a number of significant differences between fighting in the countryside and fighting in the midst of cities, not least you have to be wearing the right clothes! It's not much use to be wearing a woodland camouflage uniform and to then be fighting in amongst beige coloured buildings, in such a situation you're better off looking at alternative tactics.

Most soldiers will tell you that street fighting or urban combat is a nasty, scary, messy business, it takes a lot of concentration and fast reflexes to know where you are in relation to your squad members and also where the enemy is, every movement should be considered, every decision has to be swift and decisive, in Armed Assault we've worked on creating large and believable cities that will create a great sense of anxiety and tension as you move about them in search of the enemy.

Question 8:

You wrote that Armed Assault's campaign is inspired by real world events. What countries and events does it involve? Really What side we will play on in SP and MP games? What about selecting sides?

Paul: The fictional countries and events in Armed Assault can be compared to any real world countries that feature a communist nation to the North and a democratic nation to the South.

In the main campaign of Armed Assault you will play as an American soldier who is stationed on Southern Sahrani as part of a training exercise with members of the Southern Sahrani military. In multiplayer of course it will be possible to play from different sides as the mission allows and as the player prefers.

Question 9:

When are you planning to release the game?

Paul: We're planning to release the game at Q3 2006 as listed in the latest press release to celebrate Operation Flashpoint's 5 year anniversary:

http://www.bistudio.com/presspages/Operation_Flashpoint_Five_Year_Anniversary.html

Check out new screenshots in our image gallery. Original Interview available at Games.lt