It pays to tinker with your code. Take it apart, reassemble the pieces in interesting new shapes and forms, and it's amazing what you can be left with. That's what Digital Extremes did with the Pariah engine, and WarPath is its multiplayer outcome, a first-person shooter with ideas on Halo 2's online crown. Three warring factions, so much hi-octane outerspace troublemaking, and just a month or two until release. All is looking good for WarPath, so we caught up with senior producer Zandro Chan to see how things were finally coming together...
"We have built on Pariah technology and revised and revamped the gameplay and engine to allow for the significant increase in speed in the game. You'll be able to run faster, jump higher and fly farther while still taking a scoped shot at an opponent's head," Chan tells us. Sounds encouraging. "People familiar with Pariah will probably recognize a few of the best elements from that game, but you'll definitely see the significant changes we made to them for WarPath. Pariah was a very pretty game - WarPath is pretty at a hundred miles an hour."
Add to that 'hundred miles an hour' claim three separate enemy races with their own weapons and skills rather than the usual 'good vs bad' scenario, and you're looking at something rather interesting. But was this a conscious decision on Digital Extremes' behalf to leave us wondering who the real good guys are, or will every side have its good and bad points?
"Good vs Bad is just a matter of perception," says Chan. "There are three motivations driving the three factions, all equally vital. Players can decide what they relate to the most and then fight for control of the planet named Kaladi, a world rich in resources and climate. The Ohm are a race of half-man, half-machines, who have an insatiable need for fuel and power - they want to drain the planet dry. The Kovos are the protectors of the planet; they've been using Kaladi as a place of worship for centuries.
And lastly, the human Coalition is unwittingly caught up in the middle of a conflict they never saw coming and are basically just trying to survive. The biggest differentiator between the factions is their technology, showcased through their initial weapon loadout. Their weapons will cater to each gamer's play style. The 'in your face' gamers will likely go with the heavy ordinance of the Kovos, run-and-gunners will go with the more balanced Coalition, and the 'sniper and defender' type of gamers will gravitate toward the Ohm." Is Digital Extremes actually advocating camping? Surely that's an FPS first!
"Well, WarPath is a multiplayer-centric game that provides a gripping, fully featured multiplayer experience. By mixing first-person action with strategy and having separate storylines for the three races, we give players more. We are providing fun and replayablility for those gamers looking for a challenge. Outside the highly competitive online community there will be turn-based strategy practice sessions to keep players ahead of the game as well."
Right, so that's every kind of FPS style catered for then. So far, so good, but as details of WarPath have sneaked out we've seen more and more of a vehicle that looks suspiciously like Halo's Warthog. But Chan is quite frank when it comes to the obvious comparisons and highlights the other strengths he hopes WarPath will have.
"WarPath isn't anywhere near as epic in size as Halo per se, because we were more focused on the multiplayer, but [the story] is fully satisfying and not without its share of twists. As for the vehicles, we wanted ours to add an extra dimension of gameplay to our larger levels, while at the same time not making them so powerful that possession of them will near ensure victory to the teams driving them," Chan tells us. As if we'd ever just drive around Blood Gulch running people over in a tank for an entire deathmatch. Honestly. "The fact that players can literally run as fast as a vehicle for short bursts with the dash function also makes them less crucial for victory in such games types as capture the flag."
He continues... "The Razorback is a durable assault vehicle with a driver and gunner position, and the Maverick is a fast attack sled with a pair of forward-mounted plasma guns, while the Hornet is an awesome-looking trike with a nice mix of brawn and speed." So what about those dropships we keep seeing? "Not only can you fly them and blow them out of the sky, you can give them custom rims and paintjobs, and fuzzy dice too!" says Chan. Yeah? "Oh, hang on... sorry, maybe next time."
There's plenty of scope for use of vehicles as well, with each faction able to learn how to master the others' craft and use them in the variety of missions and game modes (more on that in a bit), but Chan tells us about those interchangeable alien weapons first. After all, you ain't going to stand a chance of carjacking without packing now, are you?
"Depending on whether they're playing the solo or multiplayer game, players will either start each match with a set amount of CAMs (Combat Augmentation Modules), or will be able to pick up CAMs from the bodies of defeated enemies," Chan explains. "Essentially, these babies let you upgrade your weaponry. Each weapon can be upgraded a maximum of three times to unlock more functionality and greater destructive force, with each new level, allowing for evolving gameplay and a highly diversified range of play styles. As an offensive player, I usually go with a weapon like the Violator, which is basically a badass shotgun that will literally knock an enemy player flying through the air, showing off some very cool, and very satisfying, ragdoll physics." So far, so Pariah. In a good way!
And there's going to be plenty of scope to use all these variations of weapons and vehicles too. Earlier, when Chan told us WarPath would be focused on multiplayer, he certainly meant it. There are the classic game modes such as deathmatch and capture the flag to muck about with, but Digital Extremes has included a mode it's calling Front Line Assault. This mode will, more than any other game type, require teams to assign players to offensive and defensive positions and work as a group effectively or be eliminated. Levels are designed to enable you to use the environment to your advantage, as well as performing breathtaking leaps and bounds over enormous distances.
"The game has really amazing speed and multiplayer games are frantic as hell, because people are coming at you from all directions. And with over 20 maps available, we are sure gamers will find plenty of diversity in terms of environments both in size and theme," says Chan. Plus, there is talk of Digital Extremes providing additional downloadable content to keep things fresh in the long run. It's committed to WarPath for the long haul, an amazing feat when you consider it was born from the guts of another game entirely.
"To me, WarPath is a throwback to the old-school style of FPS, while Pariah was more of an epic adventure - I would definitely like to explore more of both worlds, and if players out there want to, who are we to deprive them?" Well said, Mr Chan.
Lots of interesting ideas in here, even if Pariah wasn't that great. Warriors running as fast as vehicles for a short burst? Could open play up a bit...
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