Print

[Deftech]

http://interviews.te...r-Interview/p1/

You could have made Far Cry Instincts and Next Chapter backward compatible, but you have decided to develop an Xbox 360 title that includes both. How did the idea of bringing these two Far Cry Instincts titles to Xbox 360 come about?

Jean-Francois Dugas: During Far Cry instincts’ development on Xbox, we started the production of FCI Evolution (Xbox) and FCI Predator (X360). We wanted Xbox 360 players who never played FCI to discover this brand in the best posible way. But our goal wasn’t to propose only a prettier port, we wanted to offer the ultimate Far Cry instincts experience with most of the enhancements we did for Evolution.

Why is the Xbox 360 title called “Predator”? That was a mode in Far Cry Instincts. Did you want to emphasize the difference between what Far Cry is on consoles and the PC?

Jean-Francois Dugas:Far Cry for the PC is an excellent game. When developing for the consoles, we never had the idea of just making a simple port of Far Cry PC as we wanted to create something new for console gamers. For example, we enriched the gameplay with the introduction of the “Feral Abilities”. For the new FCI Predator, we push even further Jack’s powers and possibilities.

There is no link between the game title and the multiplayer mode of FCI. We called it Predator because in this game Jack is stronger than ever, he is the real Predator!

The reaction of the community when they saw the first screenshots of Predator was negative and they came with a valid point; how can Predator, being an Xbox 360 game, look of inferior quality compared to Far Cry for the PC?

We know Far Cry for the PC was a new landmark for real-time graphics, but shouldn’t an Xbox 360 Far Cry title look way better than its two year old PC counterpart?[/b]

Jean-Francois Dugas: The first screens of Predator were taken from an earlier version of the game. But I can now assure you that the game looks even better than the PC version. We are taking advantage of the HD abilities of the X360. We have made a lot of improvements on the engine. For example, the water in FCI Predator is one of the new elements we have reworked. I am quite sure gamers will be more than impressed when they see the final game!

Gamers are worried that Predator might be “just a port”. What new features will Predator include for both the original Far Cry Instincts and Next Chapter?

Jean-Francois Dugas: As said previously, we never wanted the X360 version to be only a prettier port. We improved a lot of elements and added new features to make this version the ultimate Far Cry Instincts. We wanted players to have a more dynamic and challenging experience -- revamped A.I., the latest graphical improvements, expand the gameplay possibilities, etc.

So far, no game has yet taken advantage of the three cores found in the Xbox 360 CPU and in the press release you claim that Predator takes advantage of Xbox 360's multi-core architecture. Can you tell us how?

Jean-Francois Dugas: Yes, Far Cry Instinct Predator uses the three Xbox 360’s processing cores. As said previously, our team will use the latest technologies to improve the game such as the Shader 3.0 and the new HD possibilities offered by the 360. All these new graphical features will improve the immersion.


CryTek has revealed (please check out the link) it is already developing a next-generation Cry Engine that features dynamic day/night cycles, fully interactive environments, sunray and diffuse transmission, real-time soft shadows, soft particles, destructible environments, volumetric clouds and an advanced shader technology.


Is CryTek helping Ubisoft Montreal with the development of the engine used in Predator? Could any of these features make their way into Predator?

Jean-Francois Dugas: We are using some technological elements developed by Crytek, but our development team had to internally create new components to the engine in order to take advantage of the new capabilities of the 360. The water effect is the result of the excellent work of FCI Predator’s Dev Team.


The new Xbox Live, in conjunction with the new Xbox 360, has upped the ante for online multiplayer. Do you plan to increase the maximum amount of simultaneous players for online deathmatch multiplayer?

Jean-Francois Dugas: The online part of the game is really important for us and we want to ensure we deliver the best online experience. For the moment the number of players is 16.

Speaking of Next Chapter; press info says that the game “will introduce players to an entirely new story, characters and game features”. Can you reveal anything at this point? Is the Next Chapter still taking place in a tropical island? Will Jack be the main protagonist again?

Jean-Francois Dugas: Jack will be again the main protagonist of the game. After the events of Far Cry Instincts, Jack returned to his home port in Micronesia. He thought he’d found paradise. But when a gorgeous woman draws him in on a dangerous heist, their sun drenched days take a chilling turn. Hunted for a murder he didn’t commit, Jack must draw on his most savage instincts to turn the tables and make his predators his prey.

One of the coolest features of Far Cry Instincts was its Map Editor, definitely the best we have seen on Xbox. Does the Map Editor return for Predator and if so, do you plan to upgrade its features too?

Jean-Francois Dugas: Of course, the Map Editor will return for FCI Predator. We know that this key feature of the game was really appreciated by gamers. This time we wanted to raise once again the quality of this tool. So we added new brushes and options such as 3 new vehicles, tunnel brushes, zip lines, the ability to do “undo”, etc. You can be sure that players who like to create maps will be more than happy!


MS promised that Xbox Live Marketplace will allow users not only to acquire content but to share it as well. So far, we haven’t seen such a feature implemented. Would you allow users to share their maps through the Xbox Live Marketplace?

Jean-Francois Dugas: Actually, Far Cry Instincts for the Xbox allows gamers to share their maps with other gamers. They just have to share it when they are playing together. So yes, X360 players will be able to share their maps but they don’t need the Xbox Live Marketplace to do it.


Finally, when can we expect to see these games on store shelves?

Jean-Francois Dugas: The games will be on store shelves end of March.

 

[KAGE360]

very cool.  its obvious to what they rewrote for the 360 and what they just ported over with little enhancements.  if they rewrote the entire game for the 360 im sure the whole game would reach the graphical level of the water.  still looks damn good IMO.  cant wait, always wanted to get into the series but the xbox version came too late in the lifecycle and never had a PC to enjoy it there.

P.S. check your messages deftech