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Fracture [Lucasarts | X360 / PS3]

VegetaEx schrieb:
Zu Beginn war es ja net so mein Fall aber ich geb dem Titel noch ne Chance und schau ihn mir mal genauer an.
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Ja, vllt gibt dir dies einen weiteren Anreiz ;-)


PSU.com schrieb:
LucasArts plans to push PS3/360's limits with Fracture


In terms of pushing a console to its limits, naturally one would assume that it is the graphical aspect that is being pressed to the core. Rarely does anyone come to the assumption that pushing a console to its limits could also mean hardware elements from a gameplay perspective, instead of visual. In this sense, LucasArts believes that its latest venture, Fracture, is the game to do just that.

What makes Fracture so special is that it features an inventive Terrain Deformation system which permits players to use their many weapons to manipulate the ground beneath their feet. From LucasArts perspective, it was a challenge but one in which would pushes consoles to their limits.

LucasArts explains:

"We are really pushing the limits of what the Xbox 360 and PS3 can do with Fracture. While a lot of games are pushing the limits of what can be done visually in games, we also wanted to push gameplay to levels that literally could not be done on the previous generation of hardware.

"To put it simply, Fracture is one of the few games that really takes advantage of all of the processing power of the new consoles."

A gallant statement by LucasArts indeed. However, it should also be brought to attention that Star Wars: The Force unleashed is another game that plans to push the technological balance in video gaming. Indeed, it would appear that publisher LucasArts is going to use 2008 as a year for reinvention in videogames – stay tuned for more coverage.
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Neben Star Wars: The Force Unleashed könnte Fracture also auch ein wirkliches Meisterwerk in Sachen Interaktivität werden. Lucas Arts scheint es dieses Jahr ernst zu meinen und hat Spiele mit Potential in der Mache.
 
Hier ein Interview, das einen wirklich heiß auf das Game macht:

computerandvideogames.com schrieb:
"One of few" games pushing current-gen hardware


Admit it; Fracture is looking good. The art style might be a bit generic for a current-gen shooter (bald space marine, anyone?) but in motion the technology looks fantastic, and there's certainly not a lack of creativity in the game's other areas.

The Lucasarts floor-bender is set in 2161. There's a war on, and the world's relying on you and a whole bunch of creative weapons to get the job done.

Again, not the most original of premises, but it sounds fun; Using 'tectonic' and 'subsonic' grenades you can magnetically draw in enemies like a black hole, and deform the terrain like in some sort of Peter Molyneux god game.

We've got high hope, and managed to squeeze in a few questions with Jeffrey Gullett, Assistant Producer at LucasArts. Here's the low-down...


Fracture has recently undergone somewhat of a makeover. Why did you decide to take it back to the drawing board artistically?

Gullett: It's true that our main character, Jet Brody, has gone through a pretty extensive makeover since our original debut. The main reason for this was that we wanted to make Jet really stand out by giving him a more distinctive look. One of our main story points is that the Atlantic Alliance (the side of the war on which you play) is cybernetically enhanced. We felt that we weren't really paying this off as much as we could with our original character design. We wanted to highlight those attributes visually and provide a compelling character archetype with which the consumer could (hopefully) connect.


Could you give us a brief synopsis of the game's plot?

Gullett: Imagine that everything we've been warned about global warming has come true. Natural disasters and massive flooding that devastate the central part of the United States have physically divided the nation. This leads to the Eastern and Western states following two distinctly different paths of cultural and technical evolution. The eastern states, allied with Europe, form the Atlantic Alliance and begin developing cybernetics to cope with the disasters. The western states become more heavily allied with the Pacific Rim nations and begin genetically modifying themselves to survive.

Eventually this leads to deep distrust on the part of the Atlantic Alliance. When the US government passes the "Defence of Humanity" act that declares a human being as less than 10% genetically modified, the western states secede and form the Republic of Pacifica. The Atlantic Alliance will not allow the nation to become broken apart. This boiling conflict is where the game starts. You are Jet Brody, sent into battle to quell the rebellion and reshape the fate of the world.




The game's main theme, of course, is terrain deformation. In which ways does possessing this power make Fracture's combat unique?

Gullett: Terrain Deformation completely changes the nature of the battlefield, and the game itself. As a gameplay mechanic, it gives the player unprecedented control of their environment allowing for a totally new experience in a shooter game. You can deform the terrain to create cover for yourself anywhere, at any time. You can use the terrain to navigate to otherwise unreachable places, either by building up a massive hill to climb up to or over something, or digging your way under an obstacle. We also have many terrain based puzzles throughout the game that require the player to use Terrain deformation to solve them. And of course, all of these same tools can be used to create massive destruction in the world.

All of our weapons deform the terrain in some way and can be used offensively as well as defensively. All of these options give the player a level of flexibility that has never been available in any game before. We are finding that the combination of Terrain Deformation with Havoc physics is creating a ton of fun and unpredictable gameplay.


The technology behind this must be quite complex? How are you making everything work without causing Xbox 360s to melt down?

Gullett: It's been very challenging for sure! We are really pushing the limits of what the Xbox 360 and PS3 can do with Fracture. While a lot of games are pushing the limits of what can be done visually in games, we also wanted to push gameplay to levels that literally could not be done on the previous generation of hardware. To put it simply, Fracture is one of the few games that really takes advantage of all of the processing power of the new consoles.




The other weapons look similarly interesting. Which are your favourites?

Gullett: My favourite weapon is definitely the Vortex Grenade, which is also by far the most powerful weapon in the game. You throw it out into the world and it creates a swirling mass of dirt, rocks and debris, pulling in any objects in its vicinity (including the player if you're not too careful). Then when it reaches its critical mass, the grenade explodes, throwing the enemies and everything else that's been caught up in it all over the map. In addition, the player can feed the destructive power of the Vortex by throwing additional grenades in and even by firing rockets into it. When I said it pulls in everything, I mean it!


How are you making sure that terrain modification remains a fun gameplay mechanic, and doesn't end up feeling like a gimmick?

Gullett: The main thing we wanted to accomplish with Fracture is to make Terrain Deformation (TD) a central part of the game itself. Fracture is not simply another shooter with an interesting new gimmick tacked on. The player is required to use TD in order to be successful throughout the course of the game. We've worked extremely hard to create a dynamic world where using TD really pays off, and avoids repetition. The more you play through the game, the more interesting things you're going to find you can do with TD. We would not be committed to the mechanic if we felt that it did not add a significant gameplay element to the overall genre.


Outside of this mechanic, how else is Fracture innovating? How will its key shooting mechanics measure up to the competition?

Gullett: Our shooting mechanics are top notch. We have a number of innovative weapons that are really a lot of fun to use. Because of our TD, we're able to do things that other shooters can't as well. Take the ST-4 Torpedo Launcher, for instance. It's literally an earth torpedo that travels underground and gives the player the control to detonate it underneath their target. Another area in which we're innovating is enemy AI.

Traditionally, games will program a specific "path" for the AI to travel, creating the illusion that the enemies are reaction to the player's actions. In Fracture, however, the AI must make dynamic decisions on the fly, precisely because of the fact that the battlefield is always changing. As such, these AI need to determine the best course of action at hand - should they use your cover against you, create their own cover, circumnavigate the hill you just created in an attempt to flank, or just await your move? These are incredibly complex behaviours that simply cannot be faked or pre-determined.




How are you keeping players on the right track? (Both direction and story-wise) Are you tethering the player with invisible walls or such like?

Gullett: This has also been a tricky thing with Fracture. We want to give the player as open an environment as possible in which to use Terrain Deformation. At the some time, however, we have to keep them on the right track. We're using a number of different mechanics to make sure that you can always find your way to your next objective. The player will always have their commanding officer, Colonel Lawrence, giving them objectives and keeping the player engaged in the story. We are also using a very cool "hint camera" that will give the player a view of their objective by simply pressing a button when they get within range of it.


The shooter genre is becoming increasingly crowded - especially on Xbox 360. Do you think there's still room to innovate in shooters? Or are we just going to see the same repackaged ideas over and over again?

Gullett: There is always room to innovate. Just when we think we've seen everything that a particular genre has to offer, somebody comes around and drops a whole new gameplay mechanic that keeps it moving forward. I don't see that stopping any time soon. And I think Fracture is one of those games that will open up possibilities that nobody had ever through of previously.
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Hands On With Fracture

As part of its pre-E3 event in Santa Monica last week, we had the opportunity to sit down and spend some time with LucasArts’ sci-fi shooter. While it’s true that the genre is pretty close to being saturated at this time, Fracture brings some interesting and innovative twists to what could have been a completely stale experience.

We’ve all staved off swarms of genetically enhanced soldiers before—that part of the story won’t necessarily win any prizes. Fracture’s emphasis on manipulating the environment on the fly does change things enough to warrant a second look, though. As Jet Brody, players have access to a futuristic arsenal of weapons, several of which can be used to change the battlefield to his advantage. If an enemy is positioned above Brody, a quick tap of the right bumper can create a berm in the ground, negating their height advantage. That same move can be used to create makeshift cover, shielding the player from enemy fire. The left bumper does the reverse, creating divots in the ground that can give Brody access to underground passages or that can undermine the foundation of weapons emplacements.

After working through a brief tutorial mode, which introduced us to the basic land-manipulation concepts, we were free to test out our powers on the world. Bumping land up and knocking it down sounded fairly interesting before, but we didn’t fully understand just how cool such a mechanic could be until we got our hands on the game (LucasArts plans to release a demo before the game ships, so just about everyone will have a chance to check it out firsthand, too.). Enemies positioned under ledges or bridges could be crushed by raising the ground and pinning them between the structure and the newly raised earth. Bumping the ground up beneath enemies out in the open temporarily knocked them off their feet, giving Brody precious time to draw them into the sights of his more conventional weapons. Even exotic weapons like spike grenades, which cause a narrow section of earth to quickly rise high into the air can be used in different ways, depending on the situation—as either makeshift elevators or as a method to access downed bridges and other blocked passages.

screenshot_m4.jpg


Don’t think that the ability to move the earth makes you a god, though—the game’s enemies are more than capable of reminding you of your mortality. With so much going on during battles, we were impressed with how well the AI was able to react to wildly changing situations. Even in the midst of some heavy land modifications, enemies were proficient at tossing grenades and finding new paths to reach Brody. Even without his earth-moving capabilities, however, Brody has plenty of weapons at his disposal. Vortex grenades create localized, temporary energy tornadoes, which such up nearly everything (and everyone) unfortunate to be close by. The black widow launches sticky grenades at targets. The torpedo launcher burrows underground, and can be detonated at will by the player. Torpedoes were a particular favorite of ours, both for their ability to zip behind enemy cover and for their sheer destructive power.

We had a great time with Fracture, overall. It should be interesting to see if other players are receptive to the game, especially with so many alternative options on the market. The terraforming elements are unlike anything else out there. A lot of games are going for destructible environments, but Fracture lets you dig a little deeper, so to speak.

http://www.gameinformer.com/News/Story/200806/N08.0623.1507.37224.htm
 
Diese terraforming ist einfach total das Gimmick. Ich dachte ich zieh den Gegner in die Tiefe oder schleuder ihn in die Luft, da steht der Typ auf dem 10-Meter Turm immer noch und schiesst munter weiter.
 
ist net schlecht, aber geld würd ich dafür keins ausgeben :ugly:
bin doch sehr von dem terra-forming enttäuscht. hatte da mehr erwartet (so eher open world game ^^)
 
lol Das Spiel basiert nicht auf der UE3 sieht aber sogar mehr aus wie die ursprüngliche Vision der UE3 aus den alten tech demos als die UE3 selber heute.
 
hab die demo grad durchgezockt und muss sagen das ich positiv überrascht bin. dafür das ich das spiel völllig aus den augen verloren hab war ich doch ziemlich davon angetan. gut, es ist sicherlich kein geniestreich, aber doch durchaus unterhaltsam. wird zwar nicht zum vollpreis gekauft aber auf jeden fall ne echte alternative als budget
 
Habe die Demo heute auch angezockt.
Fand das Game total lustig und bin durch das Tutorial durchgekommen.
Bin dann in diesem Tunnel gewesen und spiel so einwenig rum, hinter mir war eine Wand und ich habe einen Berg vor mir bauen wollen, naja ich wurde dann zwischen Berg und Wand eingequetscht...
Das war es dann auch, da war Schicht im Schacht, hatte keinen bock mehr...

Luna
 
Habe gerade auch endlich mal die demo gezockt.

Das ist also das Spiel über das sich das Star Wars: The Force Unleashed Team so abfällig geäußert hat. Mich würde es nicht wundern wenn es wertungstechnisch am Ende 10% über TFU liegt, also bei 80% . Finde übrigens, dass das design und feeling eine gewisse Ähnlichkeit mit Halo hat.
 
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