Fighting Asymmetrically
We take a quick peek at HAZE's upcoming multiplayer component, deets inside.
Published: August 10, 2007
Given developer Free Radical Design's history of crafting rock-solid first-person shooters -- and FPSes with some of the most addictive, fluid multiplayer combat on consoles -- we were a little surprised to see so much of the focus as of late go toward the storyline of their upcoming PS3-exclusive (well, for the rest of the year anyway; gotta love the new definition of "exclusive") shooter HAZE. We're not downplaying the shooter aspect by any means (in fact, we dug it when we first got the details just a few months ago), but seeing as games like TimeSplitters series on the PS2 and the much-revered GoldenEye on the N64 are held aloft as benchmarks for their respective systems' multiplayer experience, we wanted more info on just what they were up to for a next-gen shooter.
Derek Littlewood and Rob Yescombe over at Free Radical are clearly psychics. Or maybe aliens. Probably alien psychics, in fact, because no sooner did one of us wonder aloud if we'd learn a little more about things did the both of them give us a call to give us the rundown on their Asymmetric Combat. Getting the skinny while rushing to pack for an event isn't exactly the best way to digest the info that was blasted as us in rapid-fire fashion, but it was more than enough to get us excited for what the team is working on.
At the core of the multiplayer experience is a basic rock/paper/scissors system that helps leverage the strengths of the Nectar-addled super-solider squads of the Mantel Corporation's private army against the soldiers of the resistance (for those not in the know, leading man Nick Something starts out on the former side and switches to the other during the course of the game), but gives the more agile, adaptable resistance fighters more than a few tricks of their own to even things out.
If you haven't gotten the scoop on what Nectar does, by all means, check out our earlier preview, but the gist is that is gives those who use the drug near-super-human powers; the ability to see better, detect incoming grenades, and so on. There's a flip side, though: overdosing on Nectar turns soldiers against friend and foe alike, and this is the crux of the resistance fighter's arsenal -- particularly when you're playing online.
For this little peek into multiplayer rundown, we'll focus mostly on exactly how those exploits work, but the short version is that by introducing more Nectar into an enemy's bloodstream, whether by coating a knife in the stuff, making a grenade out of it or puncturing the Nectar tank on an enemy's back, the OD will cause them to flip out and attack indiscriminately or just loose control period.
Speaking of flipping, the resistance's ability to jump and roll with a simple double-tap of the jump button gives them a number of advantages; for instance, Free Radical found that with the flips and dives, parts of the levels that were unavailable to the Mantel troops like rooftops could be traversed by the rebels. This combined with their ability to punch a Nectar troop in the face and steal their weapon in one smooth weapon gives the rebels some serious ammo -- even if they don't necessarily have the quasi-superpowers or heavy weaponry.
Even those weapons, however, can be used ingeniously. Rebels have the ability to take ammo from one gun and modify it in order to use any ammo type for any weapon. Not only does this eliminate the need to search for specific weapons, but it actually adds a deeper level of strategy in that the resistance squads can stick to one weapon for a given situation. Who wouldn't love a near-endless supply of mini-gun rounds?
It's just one example of how Free Radical is trying to build a system that allows for multiple uses; one example given was using a Nectar Grenade as an impromptu smoke grenade. If Mantel troops are bearing down on a rebel, he can duck into a narrow alley and drop a nectar grenade. Since running into the Nectar cloud would cause a freak-out, it becomes a shield with which the rebel can turn the tide and either make a quick escape or sneak in a couple of shots.
Don't think the rebels have all the fun, though; in fact, they're forced to use these improvisational tools to overcome the enhanced firepower and armor of the Mantel troops, but even here they can use a Mantel squad's "cleaner" view of the world against them. Troops on Nectar see things almost like a video game; enemies that die fade out slowly while in real life they're screaming and writhing around -- or they're laying motionless and playing possum until the troop passes at which point a rebel can stop playing dead and melee a Nectar tank to send a grunt into overdrive.
Free Radical and Ubisoft will be showing off more of the game, including multiplayer, at this year's Games Convention in Liepzig, Germany later this month. For now, though, take a peek at these new screens we managed to pilfer and watch that drool.
Derek Littlewood and Rob Yescombe over at Free Radical are clearly psychics. Or maybe aliens. Probably alien psychics, in fact, because no sooner did one of us wonder aloud if we'd learn a little more about things did the both of them give us a call to give us the rundown on their Asymmetric Combat. Getting the skinny while rushing to pack for an event isn't exactly the best way to digest the info that was blasted as us in rapid-fire fashion, but it was more than enough to get us excited for what the team is working on.
At the core of the multiplayer experience is a basic rock/paper/scissors system that helps leverage the strengths of the Nectar-addled super-solider squads of the Mantel Corporation's private army against the soldiers of the resistance (for those not in the know, leading man Nick Something starts out on the former side and switches to the other during the course of the game), but gives the more agile, adaptable resistance fighters more than a few tricks of their own to even things out.
If you haven't gotten the scoop on what Nectar does, by all means, check out our earlier preview, but the gist is that is gives those who use the drug near-super-human powers; the ability to see better, detect incoming grenades, and so on. There's a flip side, though: overdosing on Nectar turns soldiers against friend and foe alike, and this is the crux of the resistance fighter's arsenal -- particularly when you're playing online.
For this little peek into multiplayer rundown, we'll focus mostly on exactly how those exploits work, but the short version is that by introducing more Nectar into an enemy's bloodstream, whether by coating a knife in the stuff, making a grenade out of it or puncturing the Nectar tank on an enemy's back, the OD will cause them to flip out and attack indiscriminately or just loose control period.
Speaking of flipping, the resistance's ability to jump and roll with a simple double-tap of the jump button gives them a number of advantages; for instance, Free Radical found that with the flips and dives, parts of the levels that were unavailable to the Mantel troops like rooftops could be traversed by the rebels. This combined with their ability to punch a Nectar troop in the face and steal their weapon in one smooth weapon gives the rebels some serious ammo -- even if they don't necessarily have the quasi-superpowers or heavy weaponry.
Even those weapons, however, can be used ingeniously. Rebels have the ability to take ammo from one gun and modify it in order to use any ammo type for any weapon. Not only does this eliminate the need to search for specific weapons, but it actually adds a deeper level of strategy in that the resistance squads can stick to one weapon for a given situation. Who wouldn't love a near-endless supply of mini-gun rounds?
It's just one example of how Free Radical is trying to build a system that allows for multiple uses; one example given was using a Nectar Grenade as an impromptu smoke grenade. If Mantel troops are bearing down on a rebel, he can duck into a narrow alley and drop a nectar grenade. Since running into the Nectar cloud would cause a freak-out, it becomes a shield with which the rebel can turn the tide and either make a quick escape or sneak in a couple of shots.
Don't think the rebels have all the fun, though; in fact, they're forced to use these improvisational tools to overcome the enhanced firepower and armor of the Mantel troops, but even here they can use a Mantel squad's "cleaner" view of the world against them. Troops on Nectar see things almost like a video game; enemies that die fade out slowly while in real life they're screaming and writhing around -- or they're laying motionless and playing possum until the troop passes at which point a rebel can stop playing dead and melee a Nectar tank to send a grunt into overdrive.
Free Radical and Ubisoft will be showing off more of the game, including multiplayer, at this year's Games Convention in Liepzig, Germany later this month. For now, though, take a peek at these new screens we managed to pilfer and watch that drool.
