CellFactor: Revolution Interview (con't)

FiringSquad: Besides Deathmatch and CTF what other new gameplay modes can we expect in the new game?

Jeremy Stieglitz: Assault, which involves one team defending a base while another team attacks (attempting to plant a gravity-vortex bomb). Also we're including a variety of PhysX "sports modes", which are basically mini-games involving some unique physics objectives, such as shooting a ton of objects through an opposing team's goal posts, or "jousting" with gigantic steel beams.

FiringSquad: Will there be any new vehicles added to CellFactor: Revolution?

Jeremy Stieglitz: Several, including a mechanized power suit which has dual gatling guns, rocket launchers, and limited-use flight boosters, and a gigantic tank with a -really- big gun.

FiringSquad: Will there be any improvements made for the AI bots in the game?

Jeremy Stieglitz: Yep, they'll finally be able to use Psychic abilities, and intelligently play all the game modes, as well as dynamically handle the vehicles!

FiringSquad: What other gameplay features will be added for CellFactor: Revolution?

Jeremy Stieglitz: Ah, we've got to save some surprises, right?

FiringSquad: What new graphical and physics effects will be added for the new game?

Jeremy Stieglitz: Performance, performance, performance. We've primarily been focused on optimizing the engine's rendering & object pipelines to support 4x as many objects as the tech demo. That said, the game engine supports graphics you'd expect to see in a modern PC game, including per-pixel lighting & shadowing, normal mapping, High Dynamic Range Rendering, and motion blur. On the physics side, we're currently working on PhysX-driven particle FX for smoke, fog, and fire, as well as improved use of Cloth and Fluids -- this time around, they'll be integral to the gameplay, the environments & the weapons.

FiringSquad: Will this game have a physics software mode in addition to support for the AEGIA processor?

Jeremy Stieglitz: Yes, some of the content will be supported in software mode while a few the levels will be hardware-only. This is due to large numbers of joints, cloth, fluid and other expensive-to-simulate physics assets, along with some of the weapons (such as the Acid Jet). There will be content for software-only users as well, which will have additional effects when run with hardware. Due to the nature of the physics integration with gameplay, hardware and software users will be separated in different online matches.

FiringSquad: When can we expect the game to be released and how much will it cost?

Jeremy Stieglitz: Winter 2006, but cost & distribution methods are not yet final. That said, the cost will certainly be less than most games.

FiringSquad: Finally is there anything else you wish to say about CellFactor: Revolution?

Jeremy Stieglitz: I couldn't be happier with the response that CellFactor: Combat Training received from a gameplay standpoint -- it seems like the mechanics sketched out in that demo struck a chord, and we had just scratched the surface of what's possible. I'm thrilled at the opportunity we now have to develop the concepts into a full title – CellFactor: Revolution, along with our co-developers at Immersion Games. Between CellFactor: Revolution and our other title in development, Monster Madness, our little studios are working hard to bring some new types of gameplay to the PC.