Shack: Sam Fisher seems a lot darker and moodier than in previous Splinter Cell installments. What accounts for this change?
Daniel Roy: Sam goes through a hell of a lot emotionally at the start of Splinter Cell Double Agent. His daughter Sarah was killed in a drunk driving accident while he was away on a mission, leaving him suddenly without a family. His outlook is darker than before, but he's still trying to do what he always has: the right thing. Problem is, it's not so easy to say what's 'right' anymore.
Shack: Screenshots show Sam as being in prison. How did he end up there?
Daniel Roy: Sam is planted as a prisoner in Ellsworth Federal Penitentiary in order to establish contact with a member of a criminal organization called the JBA. Third Echelon has been meaning to crack the JBA for a while, and Fisher is the best man for the job. Sam goes undercover using his real name, since he has a public record as an ex-Navy SEAL. One highly-publicized bank robbery turned messy later, and Sam is incarcerated at Ellsworth.
Shack: Who is James Washington, and why is he important to the storyline?
Daniel Roy: Jamie Washington is the JBA man with whom Sam must establish contact. Sam's mission is to escape from Ellsworth, but more importantly, use this escape as a way to create a bond with Jamie and thus get an 'in' with the JBA. When they meet, Washington is in jail serving consecutive life sentences. They develop a strong bond, with Jamie taking to Sam as an older brother of sorts.
Shack: In jail, Sam obviously won't have access to his night vision goggles, weaponry, or other gadgets. What game play mechanics were created for use in the prison stage, and perhaps others?
Daniel Roy: Removing the goggles from Sam in some missions was a big decision for us, but it turned out to be a very liberating one. In the case of the Jail level, removing the goggles means we have to step away from the 'traditional' Splinter Cell environment: darkness and silence. Instead, Sam has to rely a lot more on distractions to proceed. Good thing is, he has the mother of all distractions at his disposal, with a full riot breaking out across the jail. The use of environmental distractions is a game mechanic we have reused a couple of time throughout Double Agent, in drastically different ways.
Shack: How will Sam and James work in tandem to escape from prison? Will there be co-op moves they can use, for example?
Daniel Roy: Jamie acts as a full co-op partner to Sam throughout the Jail level; sometimes he will suggest a strategy or a particular route, and he is capable of sneaking by hostile NPCs or engaging them successfully in a firefight. For instance, at the beginning of the Jail level, Sam can give Jamie the short ladder so he can reach a catwalk, and access a security guard post. Sam can then wait for Jamie to sneak up to the guard inside, and take out the one on his side of the bulletproof glass in a simultaneous take-down.
Shack: Once out of prison, Sam becomes inducted into the JBA to work undercover for the NSA. Will there be instances when mission objectives for both organizations will be relatively the same, thus allowing Sam to kill two birds with one stone?
Daniel Roy: It does happen, but overall, there are few instances where the JBA and Third Echelon see eye-to-eye. Keep in mind that the JBA is making its moves towards a terrorist attack against America, so the NSA is looking for every possible way in which they can throw a wrench in their plans without awakening their suspicions. Most of the time, Sam has to deal with simultaneously protecting his cover while also pleasing his Third Echelon bosses.
Shack: Inevitably, objectives will conflict, and a choice will have to be made. How will choosing one organization over the other affect the game? Could you provide an example?
Daniel Roy: Let me first say that Sam never 'chooses' the JBA over Third Echelon. We've endeavored to stay away from this 'Good vs. Evil' simplistic duality. The choices Sam is faced with are more between his sense of morality, and the difficult things he has to do for his mission.
As an example, early on in the game, Sam is ordered by the JBA to shoot an innocent man. Does he refuse, thus seriously compromising his cover and his chance to gain the JBA's trust? Or does he go along and commit this act of necessary evil, with the knowledge that this sacrifice might be what is needed to later save thousands of innocents? Shoot the innocent, and the JBA will entrust him with greater access to their facilitiesÂ… but Third Echelon might lose faith in SamÂ’s ability to come through, and withdraw their technological support.
Shack: Will the game have multiple endings that will be determined by the player's pro-JBA or pro-NSA actions?
Daniel Roy: Yes, the game has multiple endings. Depending on Sam's choices, some of the major characters in the game may live or die, and thousands of innocents might be killed, or saved. Sam never becomes pro-JBA... But in some instances, his desperate bid to stop the JBA's actions can result in catastrophic failure.
Shack: Let's say the player is a nice guy at heart and decides to do more for the NSA than the terrorists. Will the evil doers get suspicious, and if so, is there a chance (or more than one) to earn back their trust, or is it game over? Or vice versa: if the player chooses to go more bad than good. Will the NSA attempt to have Sam killed off, or is there a chance for redemption?
Daniel Roy: If the player decides to heed Third Echelon's warnings to the risk of his cover, the terrorists will get suspicious, and there are some dire consequences to this which I will let you discover. Sam can indeed win back their trust, sometimes through treachery and deception, but it's not that easy. On the flip side, if Sam protects his cover at all costs with no regard for Third Echelon's orders, he will be rewarded with greater trust by the terrorists, but innocents will perish. Ultimately, Third Echelon might even stop supporting Sam altogether.
More about your allegiance, Direct Moments and multiplayer on page 2!
_PAGE_BREAK_Shack: I find the choice aspect of the game very intriguing, as it brings a lot of moral issues into the game to make it a far more "real" experience. Will the player, for example, have to justify executing hostages in certain situations, or will there be events when they may have no choice but to do one thing or another? In other words, how open-ended is the choice system?
Daniel Roy: Whenever we put the player in front of a choice, we always leave the decision to him on how he wants to handle the situation. None of these choices result in a game over. It's possible to play the game all the way through with totally opposite choices each time. As I previously mentioned, this means some major characters can die, and itÂ’s even possible for Sam to fail at stopping the terroristsÂ’ plan.
Shack: Are there other ways to show your allegiance besides completing objectives for either side? For example, will there be things for Sam to do that neither side will really be aware of that will allow the player to further cement his or her decision to ally with the NSA or perhaps JSA?
Daniel Roy: There are some ways in which you can cover up your choices, sure. In one specific instance, if Sam decides to follow Third Echelon's directives, he will receive support from them to cover his actions and make the JBA believe that he did everything they asked. This is an actual bonus map in the game, which you get to play or not based on your choices. I won't say anymore lest I spoil the fun.
Shack: Besides carrying out mission objectives, how else can Sam earn the trust of his JBA pseudo-associates?
Daniel Roy: Obviously, he has to be careful around the JBA headquartersÂ… And like I mentioned, there are ways in which he can cover his tracks when he makes the call to compromise his cover.
Shack: What are Directed Moments?
Daniel Roy: Directed Moments are Splinter Cell Double AgentÂ’s answer to pre-rendered cinematics on the XBOX 360. We decided to blur the line between in-game experience and pre-rendered sequences, and have created a number of scenes, which are fully playable, but provide a cinematic-like experience to the player.
Shack: While Directed Moments sound pretty cool, they also seem a bit gimmicky. For example, one DM that has been discussed is a parachuting scene in which the player can press different buttons to make Sam perform different aerial stunts such as flipping, twisting, et cetera. That's neat and all, but it doesn't sound as though it will actually affect anything. Do they become useful in different situations?
Daniel Roy: The skydiving sequence is one example, but Directed Moments are used in a great number of situations for maximum emotional effect. For instance, some choices in the game are made in the form of a Directed Moment; obviously, these have great consequences on the game. Others are meant to be cinematic and emotional, and are used to immerse the player fully in the game.
Shack: The X360 version will undoubtedly be graphically superior to the other versions. Tell us more about the differences (graphical and otherwise) that will distinguish the different releases of SC:DA.
Daniel Roy: Splinter Cell Double Agent on current-gen consoles and on the X360 are actually two different games altogether. It was the only way we felt we could create a truly next-gen experience on the X360 without feeling restrained by the current-gen hardware. Also, this way, we could create the current-gen version without worrying about scaling it up after. Both games follow the same overall storyline, and share a number of environments, but the level design is unique in both cases.
For instance, both games feature the Jail level, where Sam must break out Jamie Washington. The current-gen team spent a lot of time developing clever tricks to simulate a full-scale riot, using graphical effets to give the feeling of a chaotic environment. On the X360, we can recreate the riot in a much more consistent way, by actually going out and showing 20 characters at the same time rioting and fighting. It's the difference between using current-gen hardware to its full effect in one game, and actually using next-gen hardware without holding back on the X360.
Shack: Multiplayer in SC games has been popular ever since it was introduced in Pandora Tomorrow. What modes will be returning, and will they showcase any changes?
Arnaud Carrette: SCDA is the third instalment in the Splinter Cell Multiplayer series and thus, the team responsible for the Online Mode (Ubisoft Milan and Ubisoft Annecy) packed Double Agent with loads of changes! The main objective of the team was to have more players switching from single to multiplayer.
On Xbox, PS2 and PC this goes through the brand new Spy versus Spy mode, that showcases Instant Fun in Splinter Cell Online. With various modes, the exclusive Close Combat System and the Splinter Cell original moves it is a new experience for gamers. Moreover, with 3 vs. 3, the game is very different from Pandora Tomorrow reference.
On X360, the hardware and Live! abilities allow the team to provide a progressive experience. Easier to begin but richer for diehard fans. Every online player embodies a secret agent with its statistics, equipment and team mates. There's a lot of games to play from being a recruit in the Agency to being the Top Agent in worldwide rankings, but youÂ’ll be prepared for any situation...
Shack: How about some details on the new multiplayer modes?
Arnaud Carrette: The main mode is in line with the recruitment and progression system. In previous Splinter Cell, the Spies only had to take an objective and the game endedÂ… But this canÂ’t work when every agent has a specific progression : he has to leave the map to achieve its objectives. Thus, the Spies have now to escape the map (using their new Escape Moves) and the Upsilon Forces have to track and kill them (using their deadly Drones for instance)Â…
Shack: How will team-based games work online? Will there be a rankings system, and how will players be paried up?
Arnaud Carrette: Due to 3 versus 3 oppositions, team game play offers now lots of possibilities. With two team mates, you can plan new tactics, attack with more efficiency or react faster to multiple threats.
This also increases the situations when Coop Moves can make the difference.
The whole game is built on the team experience, as only team can play ranked games and the ranking system is only available for teams. What could an agent do alone against trained and experimented teams? In a team of six players, every victory earn points to the team, depending on individual levels and performances.
Players are paired up according to their wishes, and obviously friends list. The team wants any opposition to be a Community experience and thus the team is the way to pair up with the bests!
To have fair confrontations, the matchmaking tool allows the system to create games between equivalent levels, the victory relies only on skill...
Shack: Lastly, tell us about the Challenge mode that is being introduced.
Arnaud Carrette: The Challenge Mode is the key to the recruitment and progression system: it is a Cooperative Mode against bots, with additional game play features and objectives. Basically it allow you to learn the game rules (Infiltration, ExfiltrationÂ…). But then, it allow you to play against different bots, with their personalities and constraints. Thus you can improve and create the most efficient tactics for each maps. To end with it, the Challenge Mode allows the players to achieve specific objectives in every map, for those who like to have 100% achieved everywhere.
Splinter Cell: Double Agent will be released on PC, Xbox, Xbox 360, Playstation 2 and GameCube this Spring.
