MaRkUs_
05-05-2007, 03:44
May 3, 2007 - Set in a future where the United States has literally been fractured by global warming and a series of natural disasters, Fracture has a science fiction story grounded in the fears of today. A full blown second American civil war has erupted, pitting those east of the mid-country rift known as the Atlantic Alliance against the western states who have allied with several countries from Asia to form the Republic of Pacifica.
It's not just the giant ocean that has formed through the middle of the United States that has set these two sides against each other. Genetic engineering tests done on humans had produced some unforeseen and horrific results, prompting the eastern seaboard to put a ban on the practice. When the scientists moved west and continued work on genetically modifying superior humans, eventually labeled Human 2.0, the US government put a federal ban on such research. This did not go over well and the western states announced their intentions to secede.
This is where Mason Briggs, the demolitions expert and hero of Fracture, steps into the picture. The war has begun, but this is far from a traditional war. The Atlantic Alliance, of which Mason fights for, has developed some fancy technology after their focus on research shifted away from genetics. The Republic of Pacifica, meanwhile, has produced superhumans to fight the war. Both sides have learned how to use terrain deforming weapons that they can use to modify their terrain to gain a tactical advantage, create cover, attack enemies, and cross otherwise impassable terrain.
As Peter Hirshman, Vice President of Product Development for LucasArts, put it, "For the first time, you can reshape the world around you on the fly in real-time."
http://xbox360media.ign.com/xbox360/image/article/785/785509/fracture-20070503033939825-000.jpg
Running on the proprietary Despair Engine, this in-game terrain deformation is built on technology that is impressive, to say the least. The big question then is, will the gameplay match up to the cool idea that Fracture is based on?
Daemon Hatfield: I like the direction they're going with the story. Hopefully they'll play up the civil war angle so there is some emotional connection with the conflict; kind of that "brother against brother" concept people sometimes use when referring to our actual Civil War. In the first footage LucasArts showed, it was pretty dramatic to see that battle taking place in an empty San Francisco Bay under the Golden Gate Bridge. (Notice the bridge was still in tact, though, as they probably can't show national landmarks taking damage. Annoying -- they did it in X-men 3!)
LucasArts said one of the reasons they went with a third-person perspective was because they want players to identify with this "cool character," Mason Briggs. But so far we haven't seen any evidence of this guy having a personality.
The gameplay has the potential to be pretty revolutionary. Anytime a game allows for more creativity, imagination, and customization on the player's part my ears perk up. For me the real selling point will be the multiplayer, which could add a new dimension for gamers to play with. Up to now options for cover and ambush have been limited to what the developers made available to us. Putting that power into players' hands could be awesome, indeed.
Erik Brudvig: LucasArts and Day 1 Studios made a big point to discuss their emphasis on characters and story, even going so far as to remind us that there are essentially only a handful of truly memorable characters in videogames. I like the general idea of the story and putting the camera in a 3rd person over the shoulder viewpoint definitely helps add to the goal of making you remember the main character. I'm not so sure if the art design quite matches the ambitions of the rest of the game. We need to learn more about Mason Briggs, but the initial reaction to seeing the main character is almost one of instant recognition - we've played the superhero soldier how many times now? If they can overcome that stereotype, gamers will benefit greatly.
I agree that the gameplay has some major potential, but it could go in one of two directions. From what we saw, it looks like they're going to leave a lot of the decisions on how to approach a battle up to the player. That is generally a good idea, but I've seen far too many games lose themselves from straying too far in that direction. Too many options can be overwhelming, just as too few can be boring. Provided Fracture can find that happy medium, this looks like it could be a game that sets itself apart from the rest of the shooter pack.
We saw some cool weapons, like the Avalanche Gun that fires giant boulders, and the dynamic landscape presented some nice variety in the ways you can approach combat. I particularly enjoyed the contrasting demonstrations of the thoughtful player versus the run and gun aficionado. Leaping into battle tossing terrain deforming grenades and firing off guns looked hectic and adrenaline pumping, but we also saw Mason Briggs raise the land up to create a wall and use it as cover. The guns can deform the land too, so we saw the player shoot out a little alley in the top of the land wall he brought up as a shooting gallery. This only lasted a moment, though, as the enemy bullets were also slowly chipping away the cover he raised.
With all of the potentially different styles of combat, the competitive multiplayer side also has a lot going for it. I'm more interested in playing the co-operative mode that was briefly mentioned in the video interview I conducted. Imagine working together to create even more spectacular deformations of the land to pin down enemies or just create some swank looking landscapes. People are going to have a heyday just figuring out how far they can push this new concept.
To me, the best part about Fracture is going to be using the terrain deformation to solve puzzles. We saw a few of them, such as raising the ground underneath an anti-aircraft gun to crush it on a shield barrier above it, tossing out a subsonic grenade to create a tunnel under a wall, and using a spike grenade to create a spire that pushes open a grate. With some good design, Fracture could have some puzzles that are up there with Portal.
http://xbox360media.ign.com/xbox360/image/article/785/785016/lucasarts-day-1-action-project-untitled-20070502095451258.jpg
http://xbox360media.ign.com/xbox360/image/article/785/785016/lucasarts-day-1-action-project-untitled-20070502095457758.jpg
Daemon Hatfield: I agree, the art style is pretty "blah." The terrain deformation mechanic might not be enough to set this shooter apart from the pack. I'd like to see it take a more unique visual style so when you see a screenshot of the game you don't confuse it with anything else.
Erik's right that too many options can be overwhelming in a videogame. A little bit of hand-holding is necessary -- a good game will establish a set of rules for the player and then let them experiment and maybe even bend those rules a bit.
I'm not sold on the promise of both run-and-gun and slow, deliberate play, though. To me, if players can get through a game by just running through as fast as they can shooting everything in their path, then that's what they're gonna do. I actually prefer a more strategic, thoughtful approach to these types of games, but there needs to be some incentive to do so from the gameplay.
Co-op definitely sounds exciting. A simple puzzle like throwing a spike grenade at your buddy's feet so molten rock will launch him up to an inaccessible area could be very rewarding.
Tal Blevins: Exactly, Erik. I think what really has the potential to set Fracture apart from the slew of cookie-cutter third-person shooters is the puzzle-like elements in the game. However, it's going to require a lot of creative design work to pull off in an interesting manner. Day 1 is going to have to come up with a lot of ways to use the terrain-deformation in a unique way, as it would get boring pretty quickly to have the same set of four or five "puzzles" over and over again.
I'd like to see a system similar to Deus Ex where there are different paths to get through each level. I don't want to be given all these cool terrain-deforming grenades and then be led point-by-point through the game with some disembodied voice telling me exactly which grenade would be best to use in each situation.
With that said, after talking with the team a bit last night, I don't think this will be a problem in Fracture. Denny Thorley from Day 1 said one of the goals of the team is to dramatically increase interactivity in games, so it sounds like they're of the same mindset. It also seems like they already had a lot of ideas in the hopper, although they were being pretty tight-lipped about them so as not to ruin the surprise.
In addition to the main terrain-deformation feature, the avalanche gun (aka the "boulder blaster") has the potential to create some really neat gameplay situations and traps. Physics are obviously going to play a big part in this game, and the ability to roll a huge bowling ball down a hill you just created using a load of tectonic grenades into an awaiting throng of Pacific scum sounds like fun to me.
Although they weren't forthcoming with details on multiplayer last night, this is another area where Fracture can really shine. The game is going to be a bitch to balance and bug test since the terrain is fully deformable, but it's certainly going to set up an interesting gameplay arena since no two games will ever be the same as players can alter the environment on the fly.
Erik Brudvig: Oh yeah, playing with the physics is going to be fun. Day 1 even hinted at some creative Achievements for the Xbox 360 version that can only be obtained by doing some crazy things with the terrain. They didn't mention any specifics, but you can already imagine some good ones. Tal had a few great ideas:
Druid Wannabe: Recreate Stonehenge with spike grenades
Earth Launcher: Shoot an enemy more than 50 feet in the air with an earth column
Hans Moleman: Burrow deeper than 100 feet with subsonic grenades
Fly, My Pretties: Trap 20 or more enemies in one vortex grenade blast
PBA Membership Card: Roll over 10 or more enemies with the same boulder
Ricochet Rabbit: Hit an enemy with an invader shot that bounced off at least four different walls
Workin' on the Chain Gang: Destroy at least 100 tons of rock with the bulldog
They could even have hidden icons in the game (similar to Condemned) that give you Achievements for finding them all that require some ingenious use of your grenades to access.
Daemon Hatfield: Erik did have a good point about the Vortex grenade: what does that have to do with terrain deformation? It looks cool and all, but doesn't seem to fit alongside the rest of the tools at your disposal.
It's not just the giant ocean that has formed through the middle of the United States that has set these two sides against each other. Genetic engineering tests done on humans had produced some unforeseen and horrific results, prompting the eastern seaboard to put a ban on the practice. When the scientists moved west and continued work on genetically modifying superior humans, eventually labeled Human 2.0, the US government put a federal ban on such research. This did not go over well and the western states announced their intentions to secede.
This is where Mason Briggs, the demolitions expert and hero of Fracture, steps into the picture. The war has begun, but this is far from a traditional war. The Atlantic Alliance, of which Mason fights for, has developed some fancy technology after their focus on research shifted away from genetics. The Republic of Pacifica, meanwhile, has produced superhumans to fight the war. Both sides have learned how to use terrain deforming weapons that they can use to modify their terrain to gain a tactical advantage, create cover, attack enemies, and cross otherwise impassable terrain.
As Peter Hirshman, Vice President of Product Development for LucasArts, put it, "For the first time, you can reshape the world around you on the fly in real-time."
http://xbox360media.ign.com/xbox360/image/article/785/785509/fracture-20070503033939825-000.jpg
Running on the proprietary Despair Engine, this in-game terrain deformation is built on technology that is impressive, to say the least. The big question then is, will the gameplay match up to the cool idea that Fracture is based on?
Daemon Hatfield: I like the direction they're going with the story. Hopefully they'll play up the civil war angle so there is some emotional connection with the conflict; kind of that "brother against brother" concept people sometimes use when referring to our actual Civil War. In the first footage LucasArts showed, it was pretty dramatic to see that battle taking place in an empty San Francisco Bay under the Golden Gate Bridge. (Notice the bridge was still in tact, though, as they probably can't show national landmarks taking damage. Annoying -- they did it in X-men 3!)
LucasArts said one of the reasons they went with a third-person perspective was because they want players to identify with this "cool character," Mason Briggs. But so far we haven't seen any evidence of this guy having a personality.
The gameplay has the potential to be pretty revolutionary. Anytime a game allows for more creativity, imagination, and customization on the player's part my ears perk up. For me the real selling point will be the multiplayer, which could add a new dimension for gamers to play with. Up to now options for cover and ambush have been limited to what the developers made available to us. Putting that power into players' hands could be awesome, indeed.
Erik Brudvig: LucasArts and Day 1 Studios made a big point to discuss their emphasis on characters and story, even going so far as to remind us that there are essentially only a handful of truly memorable characters in videogames. I like the general idea of the story and putting the camera in a 3rd person over the shoulder viewpoint definitely helps add to the goal of making you remember the main character. I'm not so sure if the art design quite matches the ambitions of the rest of the game. We need to learn more about Mason Briggs, but the initial reaction to seeing the main character is almost one of instant recognition - we've played the superhero soldier how many times now? If they can overcome that stereotype, gamers will benefit greatly.
I agree that the gameplay has some major potential, but it could go in one of two directions. From what we saw, it looks like they're going to leave a lot of the decisions on how to approach a battle up to the player. That is generally a good idea, but I've seen far too many games lose themselves from straying too far in that direction. Too many options can be overwhelming, just as too few can be boring. Provided Fracture can find that happy medium, this looks like it could be a game that sets itself apart from the rest of the shooter pack.
We saw some cool weapons, like the Avalanche Gun that fires giant boulders, and the dynamic landscape presented some nice variety in the ways you can approach combat. I particularly enjoyed the contrasting demonstrations of the thoughtful player versus the run and gun aficionado. Leaping into battle tossing terrain deforming grenades and firing off guns looked hectic and adrenaline pumping, but we also saw Mason Briggs raise the land up to create a wall and use it as cover. The guns can deform the land too, so we saw the player shoot out a little alley in the top of the land wall he brought up as a shooting gallery. This only lasted a moment, though, as the enemy bullets were also slowly chipping away the cover he raised.
With all of the potentially different styles of combat, the competitive multiplayer side also has a lot going for it. I'm more interested in playing the co-operative mode that was briefly mentioned in the video interview I conducted. Imagine working together to create even more spectacular deformations of the land to pin down enemies or just create some swank looking landscapes. People are going to have a heyday just figuring out how far they can push this new concept.
To me, the best part about Fracture is going to be using the terrain deformation to solve puzzles. We saw a few of them, such as raising the ground underneath an anti-aircraft gun to crush it on a shield barrier above it, tossing out a subsonic grenade to create a tunnel under a wall, and using a spike grenade to create a spire that pushes open a grate. With some good design, Fracture could have some puzzles that are up there with Portal.
http://xbox360media.ign.com/xbox360/image/article/785/785016/lucasarts-day-1-action-project-untitled-20070502095451258.jpg
http://xbox360media.ign.com/xbox360/image/article/785/785016/lucasarts-day-1-action-project-untitled-20070502095457758.jpg
Daemon Hatfield: I agree, the art style is pretty "blah." The terrain deformation mechanic might not be enough to set this shooter apart from the pack. I'd like to see it take a more unique visual style so when you see a screenshot of the game you don't confuse it with anything else.
Erik's right that too many options can be overwhelming in a videogame. A little bit of hand-holding is necessary -- a good game will establish a set of rules for the player and then let them experiment and maybe even bend those rules a bit.
I'm not sold on the promise of both run-and-gun and slow, deliberate play, though. To me, if players can get through a game by just running through as fast as they can shooting everything in their path, then that's what they're gonna do. I actually prefer a more strategic, thoughtful approach to these types of games, but there needs to be some incentive to do so from the gameplay.
Co-op definitely sounds exciting. A simple puzzle like throwing a spike grenade at your buddy's feet so molten rock will launch him up to an inaccessible area could be very rewarding.
Tal Blevins: Exactly, Erik. I think what really has the potential to set Fracture apart from the slew of cookie-cutter third-person shooters is the puzzle-like elements in the game. However, it's going to require a lot of creative design work to pull off in an interesting manner. Day 1 is going to have to come up with a lot of ways to use the terrain-deformation in a unique way, as it would get boring pretty quickly to have the same set of four or five "puzzles" over and over again.
I'd like to see a system similar to Deus Ex where there are different paths to get through each level. I don't want to be given all these cool terrain-deforming grenades and then be led point-by-point through the game with some disembodied voice telling me exactly which grenade would be best to use in each situation.
With that said, after talking with the team a bit last night, I don't think this will be a problem in Fracture. Denny Thorley from Day 1 said one of the goals of the team is to dramatically increase interactivity in games, so it sounds like they're of the same mindset. It also seems like they already had a lot of ideas in the hopper, although they were being pretty tight-lipped about them so as not to ruin the surprise.
In addition to the main terrain-deformation feature, the avalanche gun (aka the "boulder blaster") has the potential to create some really neat gameplay situations and traps. Physics are obviously going to play a big part in this game, and the ability to roll a huge bowling ball down a hill you just created using a load of tectonic grenades into an awaiting throng of Pacific scum sounds like fun to me.
Although they weren't forthcoming with details on multiplayer last night, this is another area where Fracture can really shine. The game is going to be a bitch to balance and bug test since the terrain is fully deformable, but it's certainly going to set up an interesting gameplay arena since no two games will ever be the same as players can alter the environment on the fly.
Erik Brudvig: Oh yeah, playing with the physics is going to be fun. Day 1 even hinted at some creative Achievements for the Xbox 360 version that can only be obtained by doing some crazy things with the terrain. They didn't mention any specifics, but you can already imagine some good ones. Tal had a few great ideas:
Druid Wannabe: Recreate Stonehenge with spike grenades
Earth Launcher: Shoot an enemy more than 50 feet in the air with an earth column
Hans Moleman: Burrow deeper than 100 feet with subsonic grenades
Fly, My Pretties: Trap 20 or more enemies in one vortex grenade blast
PBA Membership Card: Roll over 10 or more enemies with the same boulder
Ricochet Rabbit: Hit an enemy with an invader shot that bounced off at least four different walls
Workin' on the Chain Gang: Destroy at least 100 tons of rock with the bulldog
They could even have hidden icons in the game (similar to Condemned) that give you Achievements for finding them all that require some ingenious use of your grenades to access.
Daemon Hatfield: Erik did have a good point about the Vortex grenade: what does that have to do with terrain deformation? It looks cool and all, but doesn't seem to fit alongside the rest of the tools at your disposal.