We chat with Insomniac honcho Ted Price about his team's first PS3 title, Resistance: Fall of Man.
June 2, 2006 - Ted Price is the man. Here's an interview:
IGN: Insomniac is known for its great weapons, how much of a focus will weapons be in Resistance compared to say... Ratchet? How about Tetris?
Ted Price: First off, thanks for the compliment about Insomniac's weapons gameplay. We take blowing stuff up very seriously out here in Burbank.
On to your question. We can say with total certainty that Resistance: Fall of Man will feature more weapons strategy than Tetris. You can quote me on that. As for comparing Resistance: Fall of Man to Ratchet & Clank in terms of weapons emphasis, I'd like to answer the question from a different perspective. Based on our experience, when people play Ratchet & Clank they usually enjoy themselves because they can blow up a bunch of stuff in amusing ways.
But that's not all. What makes Ratchet & Clank much more than a purely weapons-based game is its variety. For example, Ratchet: Deadlocked had co-op all the way through the story mode, playable vehicles, and a deep multiplayer mode. So to us, making a memorable game is more about a polished, varied experience -- With weapons. Really, really cool weapons. Resistance: Fall of Man shares that philosophy.
IGN: While we're on the subject, tell us about those weapons. E3 is loud and sometimes it's hard to pick up on those little details. What kind of primary and secondary fire can we expect?
Price: What's cool about the weapons in Resistance: Fall of Man is not necessarily the alt fire modes themselves, but how you choose to use or combine them during gameplay. You can take out enemies in a variety of ways using our arsenal, which we think should ultimately help extend and enhance replay value. Take the Bulls-Eye, for example, which actually features three distinct fire modes. This Chimeran assault rifle proved to be one of the most popular weapons we showed at E3.
The Bulls-Eye's primary fire is similar to a traditional assault rifle, but with some cool tracer effects. The secondary fire mode allows you to paint a target, change your position on the battlefield and still hit your mark no matter where you move. We call that tagging. The Bulls-Eye's tertiary fire mode, trapping, can almost be divided into two mini-modes. For example, you can create a swarm of bullets and detonate them from a concealed location when an unsuspecting group of enemies moves into the swarm. Or, you can direct the swarm of bullets around the battlefield until you choose to unleash them on some hapless baddies.
IGN: Apart from the theme, what will separate Fall of Man from similar story-based FPS titles like Call of Duty and Medal of Honor... besides the lack of Germans.
Price: Resistance: Fall of Man is not constrained by actual events, places, people or battles. We're not trying to recreate D-Day at Omaha Beach for the umpteenth time. We're not trying to put players in the boots of a fresh-faced soldier who has gone "Over There" to fight in the Great War... again.
Now, here's what we are doing. We're creating an entirely new (and we think engaging) story of the near-annihilation of Asia and Europe at the hands of a savage unknown species, the Chimera. We're setting that story in the 20th century, and striking a balance between authentic human technology of the times and something altogether not of this world. We're creating an extremely detailed alternate version of 20th century events (using a few real events), and we think the result will be a gripping experience that leaves players wondering, "What if that did happen? What if the United States that my grandparents knew didn't exist in that form at all? What would I have done?"
That's the difference between Resistance: Fall of Man and the other WWII story-based games that were mentioned. WWII games rest on one fundamental question "How would I have fared in World War II?" Resistance: Fall of Man will leave players asking far more questions than that, and you can't watch the History Channel to try and find the answers. We think that's more mysterious, and intriguing.
IGN: Okay then, what the heck are "The Chimera?"
Price: The Chimera is a parasitic race which carry a mutagenic virus. Through a fairly complex process, this virus converts other life forms into more Chimera. Many of the Chimera in the game are actually former humans who have been converted into a variety of forms. Some are small and crawl on the ground in massive swarms. Some are roughly the size of humans, and others are as big as small buildings. We're not revealing how the Chimera appeared and exactly what their intentions are. But those intentions aren't good -- we can assure you of that much.
IGN: Will squad-based AI elements be included at all?
Price: Throughout the game you'll be fighting alongside groups of other soldiers. Sometimes you'll be in the midst of a large battle surround by 30 or more allies. Sometimes you'll be fighting through desolate streets with a group of three or four soldiers. Sometimes you'll be on your own. You don't give commands to your allies in the game -- this game isn't a strategy-FPS. But the AI has been balanced so that you must play your part in combat -- the soldiers will not win the game for you. On the other hand, they do provide solid support so it's always in your best interests to help them stay alive.
IGN: Why did you choose to do a first-person shooter with so many other FPS titles out there? Is it because Insomniac has yet to do a sequel to Disruptor?
Price: The FPS genre is something we're fond of at Insomniac Games. If we felt like we couldn't create a standout title in the genre, we would have gone in a different direction with our next franchise. We chose to create Resistance: Fall of Man because while there are many FPS games out there, few offer the "total package" that separates the truly memorable games from the ones you put aside after a couple of hours. We believe we know what it takes to make a great game, regardless of genre, and are working hard to ensure that Resistance: Fall of Man delivers in all areas.
And I can say with confidence that Resistance: Fall of Man's genesis has nothing to do with Disruptor in any way other than it's nice to get back to Insomniac's roots.
IGN: Okay so there's no connection, but since we're speaking about Disruptor, will we see any references -- artistic or weapon-wise -- to it or even the Ratchet series?
Price: Each of the franchises we've created, whether it's Disruptor, Spyro the Dragon or Ratchet & Clank, lives in its own unique universe. The same will go for Resistance: Fall of Man. However, the traits that have made our games popular -- fun factor, careful attention to detail, well thought-out level design, weapons strategy, creative characters and environments, and overall gameplay variety -- those and others should be readily apparent in Resistance: Fall of Man.
IGN: Is vehicular combat incorporated into the game at all?
Price: Yes, you'll be able to commandeer a few vehicles. We'll reveal more later.
IGN: Environments are a big deal in next-gen. What kind of areas can we expect to see and how can players interact with them? One of the big concerns from our readers based on the press conference is that destructibility is at a minimum. What do you have to say about that?
Price: First off, thanks for passing along that candid feedback. Hearing both the good and the critical from gamers is important to everyone at Insomniac. Resistance: Fall of Man will indeed have more destructible environment parts that ultimately affect gameplay decisions. Players will not be able to hide comfortably behind a lot of the cover objects in the game because they'll either chip, splinter, shatter, or be shot away in varying rates based on the weapons firing at it. Plus, we'll be littering the environments with a lot more moveable or breakable objects -- stuff which not only makes the world more believable but a lot more chaotic during combat.
In Resistance: Fall of Man, players will experience a greater variety of environments than is typical for FPS games. As we've done in all of our past games, we're placing a strong emphasis on presenting fresh backgrounds as players progress. Our environment team has been taking full advantage of our proprietary rendering engine to create some very cool open levels including larger, more open and interactive environments - huge battlefields, canyons, and massive Chimeran structures among other things.
IGN: Will you incorporate the new six-axis tilt controller function?
Price: Yes, Resistance: Fall of Man will incorporate the tilt-y, sense-o-rama type controller. Details to come.
IGN: In the past, Naughty Dog has shared technology with you folk. Are you sharing tech again?
Price: We haven't shared any type of technology with Naughty Dog for several years now. While each studio has great respect for the other, and lots of shared memories from our earliest days, our relationship with Naughty Dog is purely friendly and not technology-driven.
One of the things that drives us a little nuts is that people always seem to assume we're using an engine developed by Naughty Dog. That's not the case. The engine for Resistance: Fall of Man is our own proprietary code and has been developed internally here at Insomniac. We've also developed some separate technology in collaboration with Sony Computer Entertainment America -- technology which helps us take advantage of the cell's unique architecture.
IGN: Tell us about the "Hero moments." How do they work and what are the positives and negatives for saving and not saving a buddy?
Price: The "Hero Moments" in Resistance: Fall of Man give players the chance to alter the course of a firefight by saving allies from certain death or letting them suffer a horrible fate. At E3, we showed our Leapers ambushing several hapless British soldiers, and a large Gray Jack strangling another ally. It's up to you how to react to these gameplay situations. You can shoot the Leapers off the soldiers' backs, or watch as they stab their pincers straight through your buddies' skulls. For the most part, "Hero Moments" occur organically throughout the levels, though their onset may be triggered by a scripted sequence. Chimeran enemies will have their own unique attacks, allowing for a wider variety of "Hero Moments" throughout the course of the game.
At this point in development, the primary reason for saving a buddy is to keep him in the fight longer. Since there will be hordes of enemies, the more allies you have at your disposal, the better. Allies will also recognize your heroics (or lack thereof) with various comments. We're looking at other cool enhancements to our "Hero Moments," so check back with us closer to launch.
IGN: How scripted are your opponents? Will they adapt to tactics on the fly or will they always be in the same general area?
Price: We're putting a lot of work into the AI for Resistance: Fall of Man. One of the great things about PS3 technology is that we can create a bigger library of innate behaviors for characters. So, depending on the gameplay situation, characters have more options for how they can react than in the past. For example, if a Chimeran Hybrid soldier sees you out in the open, he may decide to toss a grenade or take advantage of your vulnerability by laying down withering fire while one of his buddies moves to a closer cover position. In addition, since we can have more active characters at any given point due to greater PS3 processing power, we can create a greater sense of battlefield chaos, or more accurately capture the intensity of an enemy ambush. It should also enhance replay value because no two battles will repeat themselves in exactly the same way.
But of course, we do have scripting in the game. Scripting is pretty crucial to any game to control the flow of events. Otherwise it's difficult to build tension and to balance combat situations. Scripting is also important when you want something very specific to happen whether it's a unique enemy introduction or an event designed to scare the hell out of the player.
That said the AI in Resistance: Fall of Man will feature less enemy scripting than in our past games, and implementing a wider set of innate behaviors will further reduce the feeling of repetitive gameplay about which gamers often complain.
IGN: Speaking of the AI, how smart are they?
Price: Well, just the other day we had to interrupt four of our Chimeran hybrids engaged in a fierce game of chess in a park near Manchester... OK, maybe not, but the AI in Resistance: Fall of Man will feature a much greater set of innate behaviors than in our past games. Enemies and allies will know when it makes sense to charge, use cover strategically, throw a grenade or take cover from one, and flank, for example. And of course there are many different flavors of AI in the game since we have a large variety of enemies - all with their own unique approaches to combat.
We know that solid AI is of utmost importance to hard-core gamers expecting the best in next-gen gameplay. Being hard-core FPS fans ourselves, we definitely can relate. We're doing everything we can to first meet and then exceed expectations with the AI in Resistance: Fall of Man.
IGN: You've been one of the most vocal companies when it comes to PS3 development. What can you tell us about the system that makes it so badical?
Price: The PS3 is badical because it has so much processing horsepower. And as I've pointed out in the past, the challenge is in taking advantage of it. The beauty of the PS3 is that it's essentially a massively parallel processor. You can take processing-intensive systems such as physics, collision, dynamic lighting processing, AI navigation, effects processing, sound processing and so on and parcel them out among the Cell's SPUs and its PPU. The trick is in balancing the load between all of the processors. The more effectively you can do this the more you can do per frame. And the more you do per frame, the more you can put into the game to make it a more believable experience.
IGN: Multiplayer was one of the big focuses for the team at E3, what can you tell us about it?
Price: Multiplayer in Resistance: Fall of Man will be badical, to borrow a cool term (I think we're going to start using that word around Insomniac). The best FPS games offer a fantastic balance between a strong single-player and multiplayer component. Expect no less in Resistance: Fall of Man, and look no further than the recent Ratchet & Clank games for proof that we can deliver. Buuuut...we're not revealing details just yet, other than to say that Resistance: Fall of Man online multiplayer will be highly customizable and competitive with progressive rewards for hardcore gamers while remaining accessible and inviting for noobz.
IGN: Okay, world exclusive time... tell us something about the game that nobody has ever known before UNTIL NOW!
Price: Resistance: Fall of Man will feature the Sheepinator as our BFG.
IGN: It worked! It's world exclusive time again... tell us something else about the game that nobody has ever known before UNTIL NOW!
Price: I was just kidding about the Sheepinator.
Okay, since you asked nicely, here's a little nugget to chew on. It's going to be snowing in London in July
IGN: Damn it! Okay then, we're going to put you on the spot: How does Resistance: Fall of Man stack up to other next-gen shooters from the competition like Gears of War or Unreal Tournament?
Price: Great question. It's actually the first time we've been asked to compare Resistance: Fall of Man to Gears of War, though our multiplayer modes in Ratchet & Clank have often been favorably compared to UT2K4 and other massively popular shooters.
We have a lot of respect for Epic Games. They've made some great games. So has Insomniac Games. While we're interested in Gears of War and Unreal Tournament as gamers, we're completely focused on making Resistance: Fall of Man one of the most entertaining launch titles yet. We know it's a tall order to live up to, but we're ready. Our single-player game is large, action-packed, story-driven and diverse. And I think our weapons will surprise a lot of people. We'll feature co-op all the way through story mode, and our multiplayer gameplay will hopefully make hardcore gamers completely stoked when they learn about what we're doing.
While everyone here is working their *expletive deleted* off to ensure we get all of our planned features in, we're also looking forward to this fall when we can finally take the wraps off of what I can say has been the largest and most complex project in Insomniac's history. And I also have to say that in addition to jumping back into the fray in the FPS genre, building a title for a major console launch is pretty darn exciting for all of us.
http://uk.ps3.ign.com/articles/711/711080p1.html
