Ferrago: How will your approach to game design ensure that is essential during the game; how will cunning over muscle be encouraged?

MF: There are many parameters that will balance this aspect. Stealth plays are very cool, but sometimes, you may get better satisfaction with a well aimed sniper shot or with a full automatic spray shot. Most of the time, depending on the objectives of a mission, the player has the freedom to decide if he wants to be ‘fully’ stealth or if he wants to shoots enemies he’s allowed to shoot. The rule is simple: if the player decides to shoot people, it makes his life harder as he needs to hide the bodies that will not necessary have fallen into a shadowed area. Also, a shot or a missed shot may make extra noise and this may alert the guards. The player will decide himself the level of challenge he wants to get, all possibilities give different results, which also creates great replay value.

Ferrago: The new technology you’ll be showing-off in the game, such as shadow and lighting-effects, new AI, etc., are sure too add to the experience but exactly how will you make them integral to the gameplay as promised? The game’s realism will apparently manifest itself through some highly interactive environments – how will they be integral to your progress in Splinter Cell, and what kind of ‘interactions’ can the player make?

MF: The dynamic system improves realism in the levels, but also creates interesting gameplay action. For example, you may notice the presence of a guard as you see his shadow on a wall or through a curtain… or even shoot him through the curtain. But, the most interesting part is that lights can either be switched off or be broken by a bullets. This interactivity will create a path for Sam to hide, and/or will get the attention of guards in order to sneak behind them. Keep in mind that Sam has night vision goggles that allow him to see in completely dark areas. Also, other objects in the levels like bottles, cans, lamps… can also be broken or thrown to create distraction. It is up to the player to make a smart use of them.

Ferrago: As this is a game, we’re sure to enjoy a spot of the usual globe-trotting – what locales will we be infiltrating and how are you recreating them authentically?

MF: The main plot occurs in Georgia, Myanmar, Russia, and of course, the USA.

Ferrago: What does the use of the Unreal technology add to the game’s visuals that we should be most anticipating?

MF: The Unreal engine has provided very strong basis to start the project. Early in the development, we could already build prototypes of our gameplay and nice rough levels. We wanted to spend most of our effort on improving something already good and bring it to the next level instead of just using an external engine… As many other developers are using the Unreal technology, and the decision of putting our efforts at the right place made those amazing results. For example, we added a physic engine on soft bodies to that allow us to reproduce the movement on many objects in the game while the light passes through it. Unreal technology has been used as a powerful tool, but specific features that make unique are the result of in-house development.