Interview with Level Design Director Mark Thompson

[ninzza]

A few weeks ago, Game Rant visited Ubisoft Montreal to preview the single-player offerings of Far Cry 3. At the event we had the opportunity to interview some of the creative leads behind the game's development, including Level Design Director Mark Thompson.

In our chat, we discuss the design, size and intricacies of the dangerous island paradise Jason Brody finds himself trapped in for Far Cry 3, surviving nature, crafting and collecting resources, history and open-world freedom.

How big is Far Cry 3 compared to the previous games?


"We have the same technology, so there's no restriction on us to have a world the same size, but I want it to be more than a number because a number doesn't mean anything. It's about what you can do, it's about meaningful experiences inside that space.

There seems to be this arms race in open world games to be bigger and bigger. I remember I saw a map comparing the different sizes of worlds and some of them are so big, I wonder how much value is there actually in that. How many meaningful experiences will I have in a world that size?

What we wanted to was make a world that was interesting, that was compelling, that was full of things to do and explore and find, and if at any point we ran out of things to do, the size of the world would be a problem."

The game is based on one very large island, so how can players traverse it?

"We wanted to make sure that travelling the world and getting between missions wasn't a chore. If you want to follow the mission path, it's quick to get from mission to mission. There aren't huge, huge distances between them and we have a super accessible fast-travel system. Like at any point you can jump into the menu and fast-travel from wherever you are."

Although we didn't see it, there will be a map system like other open-world titles. We can assume fast-travel points will be unlocked once they're discovered. Because of the open-world nature of the game and that feeling of exploration – just like in Skyrim - players will frequently find themselves going off the path to see and do new things. During playtesting, given a series of missions that should have taken 45 minutes, players were still not done after four hours and it wasn't because it was difficult or because they were dying. It was because they were exploring and intentionally getting lost in between the missions thanks to distractions like wild boars, a lighthouse, an abandoned shack and even some unique plant life.



Are there incentives and rewards for exploring?


"We wanted it to be a little deeper than getting XP because you know, Jason's trying to survive on the island so the world is full of resources. If he was stranded on a desert island, you'd look for food, you'd look for shelter, you would look for things that could help you. If you were hurt, you would want to try and find medicine. We wanted to make sure the island gave this to player. You can just follow the story path but you perhaps wouldn't have as many resources as someone who goes off into the jungle, someone who kills and skins a boar, someone who takes that meat, someone who takes that skin from the boar and uses it to make something, and the same for the plants."

Plants will act as resources, some of them useful that can be harvested. NPCs in villages will buy these off of you and players will be able to craft potions and the like. Players need health packs and so they can make them.

Can you give other examples of players using the environment?


"At E3, the demo we showed, you use the sound of the waterfall to mask that fact that you were killing that guy, and you dragged him to hide him behind the waterfall... It's not just scripted for that demo, it's something systemic. You know, if you drag a body and hide it in a bush, it's going to be there, it's going to be hidden. If you're inside a bush, you'll be hidden. The AI isn't omniscient, it doesn't see through walls, it doesn't see you through bushes. If you think you're hidden, you're hidden and the AI don't know where you are."

Far Cry 3 takes place on an island so it's surrounded by the ocean and loaded with rivers. Not only does this provide a stealth tactical opportunity in many instances, but the water element is also the source of exploration, from a sunken boat, crashed plane to underwater caverns and... sharks! As we spoke about in our preview, the transition from land to sea is seamless and leaping off of a cliff or object into the water provides a very neat first-person animation when diving into water – Jason's hands actually go forward in a diving position.


"The water is almost like a stealth path really, it's a stealth tool. If you dive down into the water, the enemy isn't going to know quite where you are. They'll train their weapons on the surface of the water but you can go swim, come up behind them – and the guys will be all on the dock saying 'where the f*** did he go' and you can go behind them and kill them."

What can we expect from the environment?


"What's cool about an island, especially a remote island like that is if we look at islands like that in the real world, in that kind of area of the world and they're just filled with thousands of years of history. They've been civilized, they've been industrialized, but at the same time that's only on small parts of it so you can move through these islands and you'll see things like Nan Madol which is a temple from thousands and thousands of years ago... and nobody quite knows how it was even built. It was built with basalt stones that weren't even from that island... so we were inspired by things like that. We make sure the island has thousands of years of history and you can explore ancient ruined temples as you explore them you start to learn the history of the people and what gods they worshipped and why these temples are still on the island."

Is that part of the game's main story?


"No, this is just part of the world. The world is embedded with stories that are there for you to go and find if you want to. Obviously, that part of the world, the pacific, was involved in the conflict in World War II so in the concept art on the wall there you can see old wrecked planes down at the bottom of the ocean... and each of these things has a story to tell. Perhaps you'll learn the story of a Japanese soldier who crashed on the island, but you know, his body is down at the bottom of the ocean so you'll have to swim down and find that."

The island was rich in phosphates so years ago, Western civilization industrialized the island to a certain extend and there are some modern roads, structures and towns but it's mostly abandoned now.

Can players go wherever they want from the get-go or are there restrictions based on progress?


"No no, the only thing that restricts you is that fact that it's a really scary island. At the start of the game, Jason is just a regular guy, he's not trained, he's not military. The only time he will have shot the a gun before coming to the island is at paintball or on the range. He hasn't killed before. We wanted to make sure Jason and the player learn together, so it feels more natural... but yeah, like I said, the island is free but the jungle is dark, it's dangerous. There are people that help you but there are people who want to hurt you as well so it's just about how much you want to deviate from the path of Jason's adventure because that will pull you through the wall."



How long will it take players to beat the game?


"If you just main-lined the missions, it's probably like 20 hours. But even then, it's hard to say how it can take for someone to play a mission."

As an example, we discussed the Medusa mission from the demo where Jason must attack a beached ship to get to the radio tower on top. Someone can hang-glide their way in and do it in 2-3 minutes whereas players who take the time either by being stealthy or tagging all of the enemies to snipe – so the campaign length can vary substantially depending on the player's style.


"It's just up to you. If you want to get the XP from killing every guy, if you want loot every body for cash and resources – what's more valuable to you? Is it time or is it the actual resources?"

Source: http://gamerant.com/far-cry-3-interview-mark-thompson-robk-136425/

[PZ]

The AI won't be able to see through walls or bushes - you're actually hidden - what a great improvement!   :-X

[Art Blade]

 :) :-X

[ninzza]

The AI won't be able to see through walls or bushes - you're actually hidden - what a great improvement!   :-X

I'm really relived to hear about the AI improvements , that's probably my biggest concern about FC3 because as much as I love FC2, the mercs drive me nuts many times when they spotted my hiding in a bush at night with camosuit.  :D

[PZ]

... as much as I love FC2, the mercs drive me nuts many times when they spotted my hiding in a bush at night with camosuit.  :D

Curiously, sometimes this is an issue and other times it is not.  For instance, in one game I was attacking the Dogon village and the mortar merc knew I was coming while I was still on the river road!  I was nowhere the village, but they all knew where I was.  When I went to other areas, the same thing ensued - they just were always aware of my presence.  However, this is an extreme example.  At the opposite end, I have played games where I was able to successfully hide even though I was not wearing a camo suit.

Interestingly, whichever you are playing, continuing in the game does not fix the problem - only a prior save or a new start will fix the issue.

[nexor]

The same thing happens with me, and on other occasions I have a merc walking within an arms length from me and is unaware of my presence......

[ninzza]

Yeah, I know they don't always know wehere I am. For intance, in one occasion, I walked towards a sniper at a guardpost, when I get extremely close to him, about 5-7 ft, right in front of him but he didn't see him.  ;D
Of course, he got a shot in the face  ;D

The AI of FC2 clearly is not balanced. Sometimes they have super vision, sometimes they're blind.

[mandru]

And some of the AI like the mortar man on the island just offshore from the brewery is bloody telepathic.   \:/

[nexor]

And some of the AI like the mortar man on the island just offshore from the brewery is bloody telepathic.   \:/

He's a genius that joker, he can spot you through the grass even if you have a mountain between the two of you, I just never seem to locate his position to put a piece of lead between his eyes, so I just toss a few grenades from my GL on his little island until it gets too hot for him and he vacates it   >:((

[spaceboy]

the answers to those questions sound fantastic.  Between this and ACIII I think our fall/winter will be an incredible time to game.  Go UBI!!!

[PZ]

He's a genius that joker, he can spot you through the grass even if you have a mountain between the two of you, I just never seem to locate his position to put a piece of lead between his eyes, so I just toss a few grenades from my GL on his little island until it gets too hot for him and he vacates it   >:((

I typically race to his island in a boat, beach it on his doorstep where he switches weapons - easy kill then.  >:D

I agree with space - this fall is going to be very busy!  :-X

[fragger]

That lake mortar guy in Bowa is definitely a clairvoyant devil. Whenever I'm in that area I always try to take him down as a matter of course, whether the mission requires it or not, or even if I'm simply passing through - just in case :-\\

PZ also mentioned that mortar guy at the Dogon Village. Once I was getting the diamond from the shack to the SW of the Village, the one where you have to leave the road coming from Sefapane and go like a mile up a steep, twisting dirt road to find the diamond in a shack next to a pond. While I was up there I could hear the mortar guy vainly launching his rounds. If you look on the map you'll see that the two points are actually relatively close to one another in a straight line, but because of the terrain Mortar Man didn't have a snowball's chance of landing a shell on me and there was no way on earth he could possibly have seen me there with no line of sight at all and a bunch of peaks between us.

Other times I've fired at GP mercs from the trees and had one come running into the bush to find me, only to watch him run right past me essentially at arm's length without seeing me.

Sounds like these sorts of issues have been addressed in FC3 :-X

Mark Thompson claimed that FC3 could be completed in as little as 20 hours if all the player did was main-line, but he also indicated that the game duration will depend on individual gaming approaches. FC2 could be completed in just a few hours too if all the player did was focus on getting the main missions done ASAP and not do any exploring or experimenting. Those of us who like to explore and experiment (which appears to be pretty much all of us) should get far more than 20 hours out of a playthrough, I would imagine.

[nexor]

PZ also mentioned that mortar guy at the Dogon Village.

PZ the spot fragger is talking about have you tried with your jump settings to get on top of the mountain there and blast that mortar guy? I tried a few times but my jump settings is much lower than yours, I think... :-D

[PZ]

You know... I don't think I've visited Dogon in a modded game.  I am working through each of the areas trying to discover more places like fragger found at Polytechnic  ;)