DirtyRat: Hello Michael :-)
Michael: Hello Dirtyrat...
Michael: So are you working in the game industry DirtyRat?
DirtyRat: I work as a voice producer for a company called Martinee in the UK, we have produced voices for many games such as Mafia, GTA, TimeSplitters and more recently, Joint Task Force.
Michael: Actors usually sound fake - They always over exaggerate :-)
DirtyRat: Yes, Generally the voices are cheesy. When you find a game with good voice acting, it really makes a difference to the atmosphere.
Michael: Anyway, enough of me talking and asking the questions – It’s your turn :-)
DirtyRat: haha, that would be cool.
DirtyRat: Well my main interest is in multiplayer
Michael: Any particular info?
DirtyRat: What kind of features can we expect in multiplayer to enhance teamwork?
Michael: Well I don’t know the game mechanism itself, but it’s definitely going to be a strategical experience. Especially the power struggle.
DirtyRat: The nano-suit is something really unique to Crysis isn’t it?
Michael: Yes, it’s kind of like a trademark :-). It can do all sorts of things. It adds a whole new level of strategy to the gameplay. There are the weapon customizations as well. It all just gives the player freedom to do what they want and play how they want.
DirtyRat: Tell me a bit more about the suit and what it does.
Michael: Well it has three different modes. They are speed, strength and armor. When the suit is set to strength, it will glow red. You can see this effect on your characters arms and hands as well (in first person view). When the suit is set to speed, there will be a cool blur effect when you run real fast.
DirtyRat: A guy from C3ll made me ask you this, do you like pancakes?
Michael: WTF? Hehe. I was born in Russia so yes, I actually had pancakes only a few days ago in Moscow.
DirtyRat: So you’re a Russian commie? :-)
Michael: No, I’m Jewish anyway. Although I was born in Russia, my family moved to Israel.
DirtyRat: What makes a good fps do you think?
Michael: Well first of all, for me it's the looks, since this is my job :-). I think looks sell the game at first, and then you have to have really good gameplay otherwise you will not enjoy it. Looks are very important for the first impression, but if the gameplay is bad the looks will not save the game. Every successful game has different aspects that make it great. In case of Max Payne it was the bullet time, Medal of Honor & Call of Duty games have an amazing atmospher and scripted battles. What will make our game great I think
Are: good AI, 3 different difficulty settings, different enemies and customisable suit/weapons.
DirtyRat: Can you customize your character and color like in FarCry?
Michael: No, not that I’m aware of. The North Koreans will look different to the US though. They’ll have there own nano-suits, vehicles and all that.
DirtyRat: Do you use the same sandbox editor that will be released with Crysis?
Michael: Yeah, I’m pretty sure we do. I’m not sure if the public version will be different though.
DirtyRat: So can we do pretty much everything you can do?
Michael: I guess so :-)
DirtyRat: I heard that if you spin around quickly in reaction to a bullet or something, that there will be a blur effect. Is that true?
Michael: I haven’t heard of that. I don’t think there’ll be a special blur effect for that. However, if you enable motion blur, you’ll see blur effects all the time.
DirtyRat: So what does your job at Crytek involve, apart from talking to people like me on the net? :-)
Michael: Nothing really, only talking :-) - My job depends on the period or phase of the project. My job is different at the start of a project than to the end. The first few months were all about building the team. Then its prototyping different key areas of the game like aliens, frozen jungle, alien ship. This phase is probably the hardest because sometimes there is no light at the end, and the time is running out, and there is no one who can help you, because no one has done it before. It's a little easier now towards the end, I think the most pressure is on designers and programmers now.
DirtyRat: Are there any alien vehicles that can fly? – and does the largest alien vehicle fly, walk or swim?
Michael: The smaller two fly, the two larger alien vehicles walk. The largest is REALLY big.
DirtyRat: Will this hut be destructible? If so, will the walls and things actually break (shatter, crack, bend) or will the building simply come apart?
Michael: It falls apart. The elements don’t actually shatter. It looks very real though.
DirtyRat: Ok cool, so when you are modeling, do you have to take this into account?
Michael: For sure. We have to place things like helpers, etc. Very tedious work.
DirtyRat: Will you be able to walk inside the hut? And can you enter most buildings in Crysis, or just some?
Michael: Sure. You can enter all the huts, caves, the alien ship, mines, aircraft carriers, airports, etc.
DirtyRat: Will there be any Zero Gravity Maps in multiplayer?
Michael: Not sure actually. Good question. Let me see... ( later, Alex Marschal says Crytek does not want to reveal anything like that at this stage ).
DirtyRat: If you destroy a hut with someone inside, would the falling debris injure them?
Michael: Sure. If a tree falls on someone, it will kill them too. It’s very hard though.
DirtyRat: Will there be any animals? – If so, how many and what are they?
Michael: Sharks, fish, birds, etc. I’m not sure about the jeep driving pigs :-)
DirtyRat: Characters are really highly detailed in recent screenshots. Will final rendering be identical on DX9 as on DX10?
Michael: Yes, all our screenshots are real and done in CryEngine2.
DirtyRat: On the vehicles, does the glass break on the windshield, door windows, vehicle rear view mirrors, etc.
Michael: All the glass breaks, but I think we’ll be removing the mirrors.
DirtyRat: Cool. How detailed are the character models? (in polygons)
Michael: The heads are 2500-3000 polygons and the bodies are about 5000 polygons or so.
DirtyRat: What new challenges to gameplay does the frozen landscape bring?
Michael: From a gameplay perspective, it’s just a different level design/atmosphere mainly. It also has aliens flying around which other environments don’t. No more fighting humans once you enter the ice sphere. Leaves will also shatter when trees break :-). You can also be frozen as well. You just shake the mouse to unfreeze.
( Note: It has been said in earlier interviews that the frozen environment will effect certain weapons and vehicles )
DirtyRat: And will there be icy environments in multiplayer?
Michael: We are trying to make some right now :-)
DirtyRat: Is there anyway to prevent being frozen?
Michael: I don’t think so. Just avoid being hit.
DirtyRat: By the way, talking business here, have you guys got your voice production sorted out already?
Michael: Yes, EA is doing this.
DirtyRat: Ahh yeah, they have a big department in-house for that don’t they?
Michael: Yeah, it’s not our problem.
DirtyRat: Are you using external composers for the music. Will it be classical with orchestra or more techno?
Michael: The music is super cool. It’s orchestral. But the main theme will be performed in many styles according to the situation.
DirtyRat: Cool, so the music is triggered by events?
Michael: Sure. Did you play FarCry?
DirtyRat: No, it’s one of those games I’ve wanted but never got around to owning J
Michael: SHAME ON YOU!!! :-)
DirtyRat: How many models are there in Crysis?
Michael: I got no idea :-) - there are heaps.
DirtyRat: What did you look at for referencing the alien designs?
Michael: Nothing really. We want uniqueness. Style & color wise, nothing really. We tried to stay dark and scary with the aliens.
DirtyRat: I read in a magazine that vehicles have component damage. So you can shoot down a vehicle without actually destroying it. Do they react realistically :-)
Michael: WoW, I’m not 100% sure but if it was published in a magazine it must be true :-). Vehicles react and behave very realistically by the way. Especially tanks.
DirtyRat: What vehicles can we expect to see?
Michael: Tanks, APC’s, Hovercrafts, Anti-Air Units, Jeeps, Boats, Helicopters. As well as many non-drivable vehicles such as subs, carriers, destroyers, c17 cargo jets, etc. Having variety is very important to us. There is a vehicle for every situation.
Note: You'll also be able to operate some of the alien vehicles.
DirtyRat: So it will compete with bf2 in terms of the number of vehicles :-)
Michael: Definitely.
DirtyRat: Are there any plans for a non-respawn multiplayer mode?
Michael: No, Not that I’m aware of.
DirtyRat: It would be great if more developers created COD or CSS style gametypes as these are much better for tactical clan play.
Michael: Sure, we are trying. I’ve only seen big maps so far, but I think there will be some smaller maps in the mix.
DirtyRat: Can we expect 'Crysis 2' if Crysis is a success?
Michael: I am very very sure. But I can’t make any promises.
Michael: Sorry mates, I gotta go. I have a meeting which I’m already late for :-)
DirtyRat: Thanks, good talking to you.
Michael: I think we will have a chance to chat once again :-)
DirtyRat: Excellent, thanks :-)
A big thankyou to Michael Khaimzon and Crytek for making this all possible. Michael actually did this all in his spare time. It's great to see this kind of information being shared between a developer and a fan. Great stuff.
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