S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Update Interview February 13, 2007 John JCal Callaham

Introduction

Page:: ( 1 / 2 )

FiringSquad: First, S.T.A.L.K.E.R. is finally in the closing stages. There were some rumors of some problems during the game's development. Can you shed some light as to the issues that crept up in the years since the game was first announced?

Oleg Yavorsky: It isn’t easy to single out specific issues, and a lot is tough to implement in such a massive project. It would be just to say that the toughest feature to do was AI, but despite the difficulties, we managed to make it lively and dynamic.

I believe many players will be impressed, primarily by the lively AI. On top of that, it was far from trivial to implement the A-life. This particular system had never been done in any game before, which meant that we had to take the path of inventors, and such a path is never easy. Now and then it seemed to us the task is simply unsolvable. Nevertheless, we coped with it.

The A-life controls a large number of characters in the zone, their moving around, and their life cycle: Stalkers go accomplishing tasks; Factions will war with each other. The A-life creates both background events and multitude of secondary quests.

Another tough task was to combine the story content and the A-life. The story events are necessarily the part of the game the player needs to see, while the A-life is a dynamic system which is constantly on the move, both visible and invisible. In the long run, we found a comfortable solution when the story events are placed within the A-life, but these places are inaccessible to the A-life until the player has interacted with it. As soon as the player has passed the story event the area opens up to the A-life. Hence, when you are back on the level for the next time, every time there will be new A-life content and new secondary tasks.

[image]

FiringSquad: Some people still might feel that setting a game around the city Chernobyl is risky due to the real nuclear disaster. Why use the real city as the setting for the game rather than make it a fictional setting?

Oleg Yavorsky: We treat the Chernobyl tragedy very carefully and we went back and forth for a long time before setting the game there, as many may be offended by carelessly playing with others’ tragedies. It was only after we made sure that we were able to deliver the right mood of the Chernobyl tragedy, without hurting someone, after we understood that we can make a warning game, a game bearing traces of the true accident which consequences we all observe, that we cautiously used the Chernobyl zone in the game.

FiringSquad: With Vista and DirectX10 now launched, some people are wondering if the game will have a Vista DirectX10 upgrade. Can you give us any specific word on any plans for an DirectX10 version and if so what will be included?

Oleg Yavorsky: At the point when the DX10 software and hardware tools became available we already had our feature list closed. It’s impossible to keep working on the code until the very last moment. At some point you have to stop to do only testing and optimization.

We certainly plan the full DX10 support in our next products. I can’t tell at this point whether there’s going to be a DX10 patch for S.T.A.L.K.E.R. We haven’t decided yet. Even if we do the direct porting of S.T.A.L.K.E.R.’s code, without supporting the new features, the boost will equal about 10%. The question of DX10 hardware install base remains open too at this point.

[image]

FiringSquad: There hasn't been much word on a demo for S.T.A.L.K.E.R. yet. Are there any plans to release one and if so what will it contain?

Oleg Yavorsky: We plan to launch a multiplayer demo of the game shortly before the release. Details will be known a bit later. At the moment we’re holding the beta trial of the game. Please, keep your eye on the game’s web-site for further announcements.

S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Interview (con't)

Page:: ( 2 / 2 )

Oleg Yavorsky: This will depend on how successful the original S.T.A.L.K.E.R. is and the publisher’s decision.

FiringSquad: Will there be any additional content (levels, weapons, etc) to be released via the Internet following STALKER's release?

Oleg Yavorsky: We have already created some extra content which includes several new multiplayer maps and character skins. Those will be spread through media and some other ways. Details will be announced by THQ.

FiringSquad: Will there be any mod tools released for the game?

Oleg Yavorsky: We intend to provide the X-ray modSDK several months after the game’s release.

The X-ray modSDK will include the following components: Editors - LevelEditor- creation of levels, ActorEditor-adjustment of physics models and animations, ShaderEditor-shaders, textures, materials, ParticleEditor-creation of particles; Export tools (plug-ins) for popular 3D packages (Max, Maya); ScriptDebugger – script writing and debugging; Examples of one or several levels used in the game, including all the source art materials for them; Examples of models used in the game (characters, weapons and more) including all the source art assets for them.

This will allow the mod community to create the MP mods of any complexity. Those could be as light modifications, such as, changing of model skins or weapons balance or as total conversions with completely new graphics, balance and even new game rules. GSC and THQ will be supporting the mod community in every way.

[image]

FiringSquad: After S.T.A.L.K.E.R.'s release can you tell us about GSC GameWorld's plans for the future?

Oleg Yavorsky: The ideas and efforts we have invested primarily into creating S.T.A.L.K.E.R.’s AI and A-Life system are seen by us as only the beginning of a great concept which bears a lot of potential for the future. We’ve gathered a team of hardened professionals eager to continue developing those ideas and bring them to an even more impressive level.

FiringSquad: Finally is there anything else you wish to say about S.T.A.L.K.E.R.?

Oleg Yavorsky: As we get closer to the release of the game, we are getting more and more excited to finally see S.T.A.L.K.E.R. out and get other people to play what we’ve been working on for years. We are very thankful to all the fans out there that have been with us and supported the game, and we hope everyone will keep in touch about S.T.A.L.K.E.R.