Far Cry 3 takes place on a tropical island in the midst of violent local conflict. Picture: Ubisoft Montreal Source: Supplied
Far Cry 3's protagonist is an average tourist - his brother is the tough guy. Picture: Ubisoft Montreal Source: Supplied
- "An atypical story, with a different kind of protagonist"
- "Goal of creating a real, living, breathing open world"
- �Credibility was paramount�
STORY and character were never the strong suit of the Far Cry series. But all that's about to change.
At a recent preview of the game attended by News.com.au, it was clear that Ubisoft Montreal have taken the task of creating Far Cry 3?s story very seriously indeed.
The game thrusts you into the shoes of a kidnapped American tourist named Jason Brody, who finds himself on a tropical island chain in the midst of violent local conflict.
But unlike your usual video game hero, Jason isn?t already a square-jawed survivalist ? he?s just an average guy who?s about to have his life torn apart.
Jason isn?t even responsible for his own escape ? that?s the work of his ex-military brother who, along with the rest of Jason?s friends, is brutally murdered just minutes into the game.
Lead level designer Mark Thompson says that creating a new and unusual experience with the game?s story was one of their main priorities.
?We wanted to create an atypical shooter story, with a different kind of protagonist,? said Mark Thompson to News.com.au.
?Something non-military, something that was more personal. Our story isn?t about saving the world, it isn?t set on a global scale, it?s about one person?s life being torn apart, and you putting it back together through gameplay.?
?We knew that we wanted to push the technology behind cinematics, we developed some great full-body motion capture which allows us to get the complete performance from our actors.
?We capture full body, motion, voice, and facial recording at the same time from multiple actors. This allows us to really push the performances they can give and we really let the actors become the characters; fully absorb themselves into the roles. You can really see this in the performances in the characters.
The effort put into the motion-capture really showed in the preview we saw. Players are introduced early on to the game?s villain, Vaas, whose performance is genuinely terrifying ? and the technology allows it to shine through.
Vaas, the main villain of Far Cry 3, gives a genuinely frightening performance. Picture: Ubisoft Montreal Source: Supplied
But as important as story is, the main draw of the Far Cry series has always been its open world exploration, says Mark.
?We are also aware of another story that is just as powerful and captivating as the authored narrative, and that is the story of the player, the personal experience that you can have playing the game that perhaps nobody else will have.
?This is where the open world becomes a tool for storytelling, we have a rich and dynamic world to explore and when the ecosystem of the island comes to life in the game there are countless different events that you will see that will be unique to you, to your adventure, this is the personal story that you will take away from the island.
?We knew we wanted a compelling story and great missions, but alongside that we had the ambitious goal of creating a real, living, breathing open world, building in new elements to add to the franchise.?
?In some ways, the open world element of the game is actively trying to distract players from going to that next story mission.?
Far Cry 3 takes place on a tropical island in the midst of violent local conflict. Picture: Ubisoft Montreal Source: Supplied
Mark says that the photography of urban exploration enthusiasts, people who explore abandoned structures and not usually seen components of the man-made environment, was a huge influence in creating the feel of the game?s levels - and it certainly shows in sequences that have you scaling ruined radio towers and exploring abandoned outposts.
?Urban exploration is done by people who take a camera and go explore some of the lost and forgotten parts of the world, they go to these forgotten spaces, which have been left undisturbed for years and document what they find.
?What fascinates me from a level design perspective is that these environments are loaded with narrative and context, the photographers really capture a moment in time, the objects in these spaces create a puzzle that is solved only by asking yourself the question ?what happened here??
?This emotion is something that we wanted to illicit in players, when they move into a space in the environment their attention is captured because there is a sense of space, a sense that something happened here, and suddenly it isn?t a bunch of props in a virtual world, it is a space that has been lived in and has a story to tell.?
Finally, Mark says that they went to great pains to make sure that the world of Far Cry 3 was believable ? he says that there is a justification for everything that you see in the game
?Credibility was paramount when creating the world of Far Cry 3?, says Mark, ?Creating a game is about suspending players? disbelief, we knew that through the story and the gameplay we were going to do some incredible things, but at the same time we wanted this all to be grounded and credible.
?Everything that you see in the world of Far Cry 3 is painstakingly researched and referenced. We don?t create anything that wouldn?t be possible in the real world, because we know that if you are in an environment that you know could never exist in the real world, then you will start to question the game.?
?Everything from the way the landscape is formed, how rivers are created in the real world, how settlements are constructed around natural features, even down to the logic of making sure that the structures on the island are built with the materials that can be found on the island, or if the materials are imported we make sure there is evidence of a supply chain.
?There is an internal logic, a justification for everything that we created in the game world, it has to be consistent, because we want people to fall into this world, to believe they are in this incredible tropical environment, to be completely immersed in the experience.?
Far Cry 3 will be released on November 29 for Xbox 360, PS3 and Windows.
Far Cry 3 takes place on a tropical island chain in the midst of violent local conflict. Picture: Ubisoft Montreal Source: Supplied
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