Developers can be great conspirators. So, for example, Rockstar The gameplay was not shown until the last GTA 4 , A 2K They kept secret Bioshock Infinite , Although the game itself has long been in work. But the situation is with Firefall , new online action movie, just goes beyond all decency.
The project has been preparing for the exit for three years – but not only future buyers, but also future creators of the game until a certain point were not aware of all the details (see. insert). At the cost of incredible efforts, we managed to talk to the authors – so now the covers are torn off, and Red 5 Studios Ready to tell everything that boiled in three years.
Clusted paints
At first glance, we have a clone Borderlands. Cooperative gameplay, a picture stylized as a comic book, classes, pumping – we have already seen this a year ago. Only in Firefall only more, and the degree of madness is twisted to the maximum. If a reactive satchel, then you will fly unrestrained on it, almost without touching the earth. If monsters, then incredible sizes. Well, if the planet is alive and completely open for research.
Firefall takes place on Earth of the 2233 year sample. In search of energy sources that should make up for the lack of resources, scientists have discovered a new element, Christitis, and immediately rushed to score all energy gaps for them. As a result, due to the too zealous use of the mineral, an abnormal storm called the erosion began on the planet.
The terrible hurricane completely changed the landscape of the Earth, erased the former boundaries of the continents. The situation was aggravated by the attack of an alien race of the elect, who firmly decided to eradicate the remnants of humanity. We have to stop warlike aliens and prevent an environmental disaster.
“In addition to the main campaign, we also added many dynamic missions to the game that will allow you to plunge into the fictional world even deeper. This is a deep, mysterious and constantly evolving universe. We deliberately talk little about the plot: I want to make us the users take part in Firefall’s life independently, make discoveries, influence the development of the earth with their actions, ”says the executive producer of the project James Makuli.
The developers are sure that they will be able to make a multi -user shooter, in which history will become not just a background, but a key motivation for researching the world. Locations here are simply huge, in each life is in full swing. While you are flying on a transport shuttle to the next assignment, herds of strange animals are walking on the ground, sniper duels unfold between the players, someone fights with monsters, gladers rush across the sky at frantic speeds. The details of the modern single action movie are combined here with the scale World of Warcraft.
Charlie and Chocolate Factory. Catch on iPod
Red 5 Studious studio boasts a really impressive composition. The company was founded in 2005 by the joint efforts of Mark Kern and Scott Yangblad. The first for many years has devoted World of Warcraft , And the second was the main designer Tribes And Tribes 2. In 2007, the organizers launched a large -scale set of personnel, trying to lure talented specialists into their offices.
Revealing their plans, turning directly to agencies to search for staff, the authors did not want. Then they could not show future applicants nothing but a pack of illustrations. In fact, experts had to be seduced by a dream, their own vision of the project, and here the standard methods of lifting professionals turned out to be ineffective. Therefore, managers came up with a unique approach, inspired by the classical history of Charlie and Chocolate Factory. As in the famous fairy tale about an eccentric confectioner, they sent the appropriate candidates “gold tickets”-parcels with special iPod players, stuffed pictures from Firefall, and a password that gives access to personal web pages on the site, which explained in detail why the owners of the cherished tickets are best suited for this work.
The developers took about 50 thousand dollars for these tricks, but, according to managers, the undertaking fully justified itself. Some employees of Red 5 Studious still admit that they feel as if they had won the lottery by falling into this company.
By the end of the decade of business, the company did not go the best. In the spring of 2009, the Shanghai division of the company was closed, and already at the beginning of 2010, about 30 specialists were fired from the main office, who had previously been attracted so joyfully. If it were not for the purchase of most of the studio assets by the Chinese giant The9, Firefall could never go out.
Iron men
“Want the essence of Firefall in one sentence? Please: Firefall is a team shooter that combines a full -fledged story campaign with a mass multipleor and a deep character development system. Our game connects open Sandbox-worlds and global staging events, ”James Makuli described his project.
Basic mechanics borrowed from Borderlands. You shoot monsters in a team of five people, get experience, pump. Movement by level – Heritage Tribes. By default, all the heroes are equipped with jet satchels or anti -gravity boots, so just walking or running to Firefall is ineffective. The heroes spend most of the time in the air, with gigantic jumps overcoming huge sections of sushi. Having a hiding into heaven, having made a spectacular somersault in the air, fighters can fall to the ground by a meteorite, with such a spectacular technique smearing small enemies into a cake.
Firefall is very dynamic. For movement, it is convenient to use a third -person view, but it is worth starting a mess, as the game immediately switches in appearance from the first, and then completely in the aiming mode.
The class of the hero is determined by his costume (in the game they are called Battleframes). In fact, this is a typical RPG-bronia: they have slots for installing new equipment; The more powerful the spacesuit, the more slaughter gadgets it can be hung. Here's how James describes the local clothing: “At the moment we have announced four types of costumes. The military makes the gameplay rather arcade, and the “medic” is focused on stealth; In it, you also treat all friendly fighters in the radius of action. Sniper types of armor will allow aimed fire, with a gap of one pixel, and pumped exoskeletons of machine gunners, on the contrary, will give the opportunity to shoot without aim ”.
Oil jackets
Further, the local economy comes into business. Costumes can be bought or pumped … in exchange for Christitis! The hostile mineral, which almost destroyed our planet, is still in demand.
The key moment of game mechanics is furnished with the proper pathos – the Christite production scene looks very impressive. A drill drone falls directly from the orbit and is in the ground with a nail into the ground. His hammer begins to hammer the breed, and pumps – to download the mineral. Monsters immediately run to the knock of a hammer. The task of the player or his team is to beat off the waves of attacking creatures, preventing them from destroying the drone. When the tanks of the drill installation are filled to the edges, the final assault occurs: the strongest monsters resort in the largest quantities. Here you need to hastily unhook the “leech” and fly to the base in the shuttle, sell a mineral, buy weapons.
It is important to note that the heroes are engaged in the collection of Christy in detachments (5 people each). But for wars with aliens, units can flock in the army. Only in large military groups, you get access to the most pumped equipment; Only in the armies does it open to heavy equipment (presumably, tanks and aircraft).
The legacy of the dead dragon. https://slotonauts-casino.co.uk/ Brief history of one revolution
Offset Engine, which is the basis of Firefall, deserves a separate story. This project was launched almost six years ago by a small team of developers Offset Software (initially there were only three people). Natives of the S2 Games, famous for the Savage series, began to build an amazing graphic platform with their own money, which, according to them, exceeded all other technological solutions on the market. At that time, the picture issued by Offset Engine really attracted the attention of the highest detail, neat models of characters and affectionate daily lighting.
To promote technology, the authors decided to take up the creation of their own game – a fantasy shooter in the spirit of Dark Messiah of Might and Magis called Project Offset. In addition to gorgeous design, we were promised several classes of characters, a cooperative campaign, a dynamic gameplay and flights on dragons. After a couple of slurred trailers resembling demos for the next video card, and a handful of screenshots, the developers went into information misery. In 2008, it became known that Offset Engine interested Intel and she allegedly agreed to finance the undertakings of developers.
However, the patience of the processor giant was enough for a short time. In mid-2010, after the next delay, the Project OffSet successfully closed. Offse Software employees moved to the new FRACTIV LLC studio and must be preparing there another breakthrough. But their business lives! Firefall will finally give a chance to look at the fruits of the creativity of a prematurely dead company.
Manga
All this role -playing paraphernalia is actually turned into an enchanting of sparks, explosions and splashes of colors. Because Firefall is still action.
Here are players fly in a shuttle to the base – with holds full. You yourself lead the shuttle, admiring the environs. Heroes arrived at the place, trade ensued, when suddenly – the attack of aliens. Right at the base! And now the tentacles of giant monsters put pressure on the signs of stores, and around them your partners in armor jump around them with grasshoppers, pouring a huge affair with fire. It is noteworthy that there could have been a daring attack on the base – this is just one of those staged episodes that Makuli mentioned above. The next day you can return with Christite’s cargo to the market, and everything will be calm there.
A separate conversation deserves the graph. Firstly, the engine. This is permanent Offset Engine – In theory, the game of the same name was supposed to be attached to this motor, but it never came out, but the engine continued to exist even after the ruined development of the whole project (more about the misadventures of offSet Engine, read in the insert). Secondly, Firefall has an instantly recognizable style.
“We have been looking for our own, unique style for a long time. Our employees adore manga and anime, which directly affect the features of the design of the world and costumes. Instead of photorealistic design, artists came up with special manga-screenwriters, with the help of which it was possible to create an unusual graphics. Recently, there has been a tendency to make dark and faded games, but we wanted to create a brighter game, ”says Makuli.
Before us is not just CEL-SHADING, but a special type of rendering, thanks to which crazy exoskeletons look great in both futuristic catacombs and in the middle of the green jungle. Each detail of the costume is animated … As a result, Firefall, if you can confuse, is that except with the ApplesEed full -length cartoon in the same style. Only here you yourself control the furs, and do not admire them from the side.
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Well, now the most interesting. Firefall is free. The players have never laid out such seductive gifts before: scale World of Warcraft , Patetics Halo , thoughtful story campaign, juicy anime design and graphics at the AAA-Shuther level. And everything is for nothing. When the fascinated player unfolds all gift packages, his hands, of course, fall into the poisonous trap of microtransactions. Online conventionally paying, today you will not surprise anyone-even if they are with amazing graphics and high-quality gameplay. But the free dispersed, crazy variation on the topic of Borderlands, striving to be born with a living original Borderlands, is at least unusual.
We will wait? Free online shooter with reactive gameplay and a level of CG-film level.
Percentage of readiness: 70%
