Interview: Ritual chats about Counter-Strike: Condition Zero
25-Dec-2002 Creative director Robert Atkins undergoes our interrogations and tells us everything we want to know about the update to the world's greatest shooter Let's be honest about this, approximately 95% of the world's computer owners have at some point in their lives played Counter-Strike. It's been stupidly popular. It's continually wiped the floor with the opposition and is still played by more people today - several years after it first appeared - than every other online game combined. So what kind of damned fool must you be to take on the task of making a sequel?
Robert Atkins is the creative director at Ritual Entertainment, the team that's bravely taken up the mantle of turning the world's best online shooter into the world's best offline shooter. Condition Zero promises to take that classic Counter-Strike gameplay and provide you with a single-player experience every bit as thrilling as the multiplayer classic.
We caught up with Atkins and shone a flashlight in his face until he talked...
For those who might not have heard of Counter-Strike: Condition Zero (if there really is anyone such as that), could you give us a brief overview of the game?
Atkins: Although we are visually enhancing the original Counter Strike for the multiplayer audience, the primary purpose of Condition Zero is to deliver the Counter Strike experience to the single player. In Counter-Strike: Condition Zero, you will take the role of a counter-terrorist in different places around the world fighting numerous terrorist threats.
Each mission is a standalone scenario with its own story arc. This allows us to take full advantage of each unique setting and Counter Terrorist squad with more theme based gameplay. Also keeping the player enticed with fresh gameplay, visuals, and situations. The player will experience what it's like to step into the boots of a U.S. Seal, a British SAS soldier, and a French GIGN operative in several of the most intense scenarios imaginable.
That doesn't mean we have forgotten what made Counter Strike so popular in the first place... multiplayer. We are creating numerous new multiplayer maps that will make their way to the community. Plus, if you purchase CZ, you will have all model upgrades for the weapon and character models in the multiplayer game.
We haven't heard anything on Condition Zero in some time. What are you actually focusing on in the game at the moment in terms of development?
Atkins: The attention and focus of the team has been on creating content. Artists have been busy creating all new weapons, character models, and skins. There have been hundreds of new animations, many which are custom to a particular scenario. We have added many new props and vehicles to the world, adding to the realism even further. The level designers have been sculpting some truly intriguing levels, full of action and interesting puzzles.
Gameplay first month into the development cycle was fun, with all of the scripting and custom content we have added since, CZ shaping up better than expected.
That's the joy of working in a "mostly stable code base." (are they ever really stable until the day they ship?)... the focus of level designers and artists is directed toward creating cool stuff and gameplay gets started earlier in the development cycle.
Which parts of the game have taken up the most development time?
Atkins: Content creation is taking up most of the development team's bandwidth. Much of the team's attention is on the character models. We're taking full advantage of the AI and functionality that already exists within the Half-Life and Counter-Strike code base, and from there we're crafting characters that act realistically. Much of what makes a character seem intelligent is how they're used in a given scenario, and Condition Zero makes sure that each character fits into the world and is there for a reason.
Another key focus in Condition Zero is custom animation for characters. We have spent a good deal of time adding custom personality events, scenario specific dialog, and innovative "ready to" animations that bookend the characters, making them feel part of the world and much more alive. Characters can be seen rolling down stairs when shot, flying out of windows while shooting at the player, carrying an injured buddy away from the battle, and many more immersive events in every scenario in the game.
What major changes/additions (gameplay, content, engine tweaks) have you made/introduced to the game over the past six months?
Atkins: Our emphasis is on content, rather than new technical development. There will be, however, significant development work in order to bring necessary single player gameplay features into the Counter Strike game universe.
We are spending most of our time sculpting our levels full of fun gameplay and scripted events. The game will be full of the Hollywood-style action shots, such as an entire building blowing up and collapsing, or an armed multi-vehicle escort motorcade being ambushed, downed aircraft, out of control ships, etc...
Another area that we have spent time on are the Counter-Strike weapons, which are coming over into the single player game, and have been enhanced visually while keeping the core feeling of the weapon the same. There are over ten new weapons and items designed to enhance the tactical experience of being part of a Counter Terrorist team.
That seems to be the theme echoed across the project with much of our efforts focused on creating unique content for the retail single player product. However, quite a bit of new multiplayer content is also included in Condition Zero, including totally new Counter-Strike multiplayer maps, completely new environmental texture sets, high-resolution weapons, high-resolution skins, new player models, new world models, an enhanced UI system, and new weapons.
You've stated in the past that you plan to release a free upgrade for the Counter-Strike mod when Condition Zero is released, to bring both games inline with each other. Is this still the plan?
Atkins: Yes. When CZ is released, a patch will be issued that marries the CZ and current CS multiplayer communities.
You've already announced that the next CS mod update will contain elements from Condition Zero - the riot shield and FAMAS and Galil guns. Will you continue to update the mod with these small increments to bring it inline with Condition Zero, or will we get one large expansion when CZ hits stores?
Atkins: Yes. Currently the plan is to release small parts of the content created by Ritual Entertainment to the multiplayer community over time.
Despite some grumblings from the online community that Counter-Strike has become stale, it's still hugely popular. What is it about the mod that makes it so appealing, in your opinion, and why will Condition Zero find the same level of popularity?
Atkins: Counter Strike still reigns supreme above all other real-world multiplayer games. It has been the best for years, and I don't see that changing anytime soon. The only thing it has lacked is a similar experience in a single player setting. It's our intention to bring that to the community next year with Condition Zero.
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