The Big HAZE Thread Stolen from Neogaf

[Zenien]

aze, the new AAA shooter from Ubisoft and Free Radical, puts players in the boots of a new recruit in the privately run Mantel army. Set in the year 2048 in a world where Governments have outsourced military operations to Private Military Corporations (PMC), you play a newly enlisted soldier seeking fulfillment and thrills by fighting for a good cause.

As the leading PMC, Mantel Global Industries offers a high-tech arsenal of vehicles, deadly weaponry, and on top of that a performance enhancing bio-medical support known as Nectar. As a result, Mantel troopers are the most feared by terrorists, dictators, and the corporation’s political enemies.

Your conflict begins in a war-torn country where you have been sent to fight a vicious rebel faction, the Promise Hand. At first glance, all is well, but things quickly begin to look a little strange…


Key Features

* Impeccable FPS credentials: from the developers of the critically-acclaimed TimeSplitters series and the publishers of Far Cry and Ghost Recon® Advanced Warfighter™. Free Radical and Ubisoft have proven their ability to create innovative platform-defining FPS titles.

* Become a Mantel Trooper and fight the merciless guerrillas of the Promise Hand with the most advanced gear, the fastest vehicles, the deadliest weapons – and Nectar, Mantel’s battlefield-optimized performance-enhancing medication.

* Boost your fighting abilities with Nectar, empowering Mantel troopers with fighting abilities such as Nectar Focus, Nectar Foresight, Nectar Perception and Melee Blast. Using these skills, troopers are able to detect and avoid imminent danger as well as deliver powerful attacks in close quarters.

* Mature and compelling storyline. A tightly integrated storyline makes Haze an immersive narrative experience as well as a cutting-edge shooter.

* Cutting edge gaming technology featuring the Disparity Rendering System™ shaping the players’ views of the world on and off Nectar. Haze also features an entirely streamed experience with no loading times between levels.

* State of the art multiplayer modes. Fire up your console for online battles and choose from a variety of online modes including furious 4 player co-op action!

Official Website

Playsyde/Xboxyde Gameplay clip <--- Awesome | Gamersyde diaries <--- Also awesome


Developer video diary 1 New gameplay footage, June 12



IGN Screens | Videos | Previews | Developer Blog

The story of Haze is based around a conglomerate called Mantel, a pharmaceutical/weapons/you-name-it company that has its fingers in everything from the water we drink to the shoes we wear to perhaps even the air we breathe. Mantel even has its own private army which it uses to help quell the constant civil uprisings commonplace in this not-too-distant future.

One of Mantel's most advanced, and perhaps unstable, technologies comes in the form of Nectar, a serum that its soldiers use to heighten their senses. This ties directly into Haze's gameplay as you're able to tap into the Nectar tank on your back at any time and get a number of sensory boosts. Your aiming will be increased with a bit of lock-on help and enemies will stand out from the environment as glowing figures. Coolest of all though is the foresight that you'll gain that will warn you of incoming dangers. For instance, when a grenade lands near you you'll see a distortion wave emit from its location a second or two before it goes off, giving you just enough time to back away and at least lessen the damage, if not avoid it entirely.

While using Nectar certainly gives you an advantage in battle, it is not to be abused. Overdosing on the substance will cause you to become confused and automatically fire at anyone in front of you, and your vision becomes distorted to the point that friends and enemies alike look the same. This isn't just a downside for you as your teammates can overdose as well, and should they begin firing upon the rest of the squad, interesting gameplay scenarios open up. Do you fire back and try and minimize damage to your entire squad, or get out of the way until they calm down and hope your men do the same?

But it's not just aggressive use of Nectar that can cause you to overdose as rebels have learned to take advantage of it as well and use it against you. Nectar grenades will increase your intake, and a honed shot can puncture your tank and flood your mask with the gaseous drug.

Aside from the setup and Nectar elements, details on the story are rather sketchy. We do know that the story touches on how there really are no "good" or "bad" sides to a war, but rather differing views. We also know that your character has rather interesting visions from time to time where your surroundings will change slightly as the screen changes to black and white. The reasoning for this is hinted in the latest trailer on our video page, which you can check out right here, though we're still in the dark as to what the visions actually mean.

Gamespot Screens | Videos | Previews

As you play through the three days during in which Haze is set, you'll move seamlessly--that means no load screens--among a dozen different environments. These environments are known to include a jungle, a quarry, an observatory, a holiday resort, and a disused container ship. The first part of our demo took place in the jungle, which was the perfect locale to show off the aforementioned perception ability. As the Nectar was administered, we noticed that at least two components of the heads-up display superimposed on the screen-filling helmet visor are devoted to the substance. One indicator shows how many doses you have left, while another indictor shows the level of Nectar in your bloodstream. Other elements on the HUD included a health bar and a compass. The level of Nectar in your bloodstream is important because if you use too much, you'll overdose, which causes the screen to blur and enemies or allies to become indistinguishable. You'll also lose control of your trigger, which will automatically open fire on anyone who comes into view. Regardless of whether or not they're being controlled by the CPU or by up to three other players in a co-op game, your squadmates will be vulnerable to the harmful effects of Nectar in the same way as you, and we're told that as you progress through the game, you'll inevitably end up getting addicted.

The third and final level that we were afforded a brief glimpse of during our demo was taken from later in the game. It tasked the MGI squad with locating and eliminating a rebel chief in an industrial setting. The whole environment's appearance was almost devoid of color, and perhaps as a result of excessive Nectar use in previous locales, the action had a much grittier feel to it. This was largely down to the enemies, who screamed and writhed around on the ground in agony after being shot, which was in stark contrast to the quiet deaths that we'd seen earlier. Perhaps it's only toward the end of the game that you'll get to see the combat in Haze for what it really is because you won't be in a "haze" anymore.

Toronto Sun Arcticle

"What we're looking at is, how is war represented in games? How is it represented in the media?" said Haze scriptwriter Rob Yescombe.

"What does it mean when, as a soldier, you have to obey commands the same way you do in a video game, because you have no option?" said Yescombe, who cites movies like Apocalypse Now and Platoon as inspirations for the game's dramatic vibe.

Yescombe vows that the Ubisoft-published Haze will achieve the oft-promised but seldom-realized goal of marrying a first-person shooter game to an emotional storyline. One so engaging, he says, that it attracted top-notch talent to the game's voice cast.

"The actors in Haze are from the Royal Shakespeare Company, the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art," said Yescombe. "These guys are the real deal, who would never touch a video game with a f---ing barge pole."

Eurogamer Preview/Interview

The game will take place in 2048, a time when NATO and the UN don't exist. And because of this, most Western governments outsource their military requirements to Mantel Global Industries - an enormous army for hire.

This is where you will come in, as you jump into Sergeant Shane Carpenter's biomedically-boosted shoes and head down to South America to get rid of The Promised Hand rebels. But over the course of three-days your life will change forever.

While no specific details were divulged, Free Radical was keen to point out that this will be a mature and deep experience; one that will have you thinking long after you finish it.

"I can't say too much about it even at this stage, but it asks questions and raises issues that are worth debating long after you've finished the game," said Derek Littlewood, team leader for the game. "Visually, Haze will certainly set a new benchmark, but we believe it will also set a precedent for the quality of writing that we believe should exist in the next generation of games."

"There's more to HAZE than meets the eye, and there's certainly more to Mantel too. In fact, every aspect of the game holds a surprise, secret or twist - the storyline, the gameplay, the graphics. Nothing is safe!"

Free Radical is also adamant that your experience will be seamless, allowing you to drift from one area of the story to another, without the hassle of navigating menus and breaking your immersion.

"It's a completely seamless experience - no loading screens, no missions select screens," Littlewood added. "This was a core aim from very early on in the project, because we're trying to create a realistic, immersive game world - and there are no loading screens in real life, my friends!

"We wanted to give the player a real sense of continuity throughout the game, so rather than simply jumping from one location to another, you'll catch a ride in a Mantel vehicle to get there instead. Think of it as a road movie through a war."

Gametrailers Ubidays 07 Backstory and Nectar System Interview HD | Comprehensive video interview (Derek Littlewood & Rob Yescombe)


Kotaku Q&A

JeuxFrance Gameplay demonstration


Developer Diary 1


Eurogamer Interview

 

[Zenien]

And some neat concept art:

 

[Zenien]

 

[WhatsHisFace]

"Free Radical" is a rather mediocre developer with their best game apparently being "Second Sight". I've only played their TimeSplitters games, which I really did not appreciate, but basing my opinions on that (for the time being since Haze won't release until Fall) I must say, I'm not looking forward to this.

Now that Farcry has been a success, it seems like everyone and their mom is making a Jungle FPS. I'm looking forward to Crysis, as I think everyone is, but it takes a lot to stand out as a shooter these days, and Haze is nothing special.

 

[Zenien]

Farcry was a success because of its technology for what it allowed you to do for the first time ever, it wasn't a particularly well made game though.

Free Radical had a fun Timesplitters series, though it felt really dated by the time the third game came out.

The theme and 'gimmick' of Haze is pretty darn cool actually, the gameplay videos look like they've moved away from the N64 auto aim. It looks beautiful if nothing else, but hopefully there's some good gameplay under the hood. It's not like Timesplitters was bad, it was a great execution of N64 style FPS design.

We haven't seen an FPS from them since then, but Haze has been getting a lot fo good wom apparently.

 

[블라스]

What the funky? Free Radical is making this?
Ok, must buy for me.

Also, the handgun looks awesome, unlike the wimpy one in Halo 2/3.

 

[WhatsHisFace]

Farcry was a success because of its technology for what it allowed you to do for the first time ever, it wasn't a particularly well made game though.

Free Radical had a fun Timesplitters series, though it felt really dated by the time the third game came out.

The theme and 'gimmick' of Haze is pretty darn cool actually, the gameplay videos look like they've moved away from the N64 auto aim. It looks beautiful if nothing else, but hopefully there's some good gameplay under the hood. It's not like Timesplitters was bad, it was a great execution of N64 style FPS design.

We haven't seen an FPS from them since then, but Haze has been getting a lot fo good wom apparently.

Farcry might have been a success because of it's technology, as EVERYONE in PC gaming always wants to get the FPS that tests their rig, BUT - Farcry was a well made game nonetheless. It's not a typical FPS where the level design allows for a lot of cool scripting to happen, but it made a path of it's own and did it successfully with great environments, great controls both for your character and vehicles, great mission design, fantastic A.I. and a somewhat cheesy but good-for-a-game story.

Haze may be a progression from TimeSplitters, but compared to the great shooters we've already seen this generation, it's not particularly impressive nor out-of-it's-way-interesting. The gameplay seems fine, but the scenario, setting and "personality" of the game aren't up to snuff.

It will probably be a big deal for PS3-only-gamers because it may be the closest they ever get to having a Halo game on their system, but for the rest of the world it seems like the FPS you buy while you're waiting for something else.

What the funky? Free Radical is making this?
Ok, must buy for me.

Please tell me you're joking. Free Radical does NOT deserve blind loyalty like that. TimeSplitters was trash.

Oh wait, I just remembered that you liked "Cold Winter", "Killzone", and some other crappy FPSs yet hate Halo and other good FPSs. You've caught anti-FPS syndrome from Zenien.

 

[블라스]

You're crazy, man!

I never played Killzone, though
Cold Winter had horrible graphics, but it was a great game!
Timesplitter 1 did suck, but part 2 was awesome to the maxxxx!!!1

 

[Zenien]

I think it's too early to declare it one way or another.

When we first saw the game running at the show, a lone demo-guy was blitzing through a jungle level in single player mode. We hadn't yet heard that the game was co-op, and thought that the other three PS3s in the corner were simply additional demo stations. It turns out that all four PS3s were networked, as we saw when three other players joined the fray, mid-level. Like Gears, Haze allows players to drop into and out of the game whenever they feel like it. As Derek explained, "We have a dynamic drop-in/drop-out system that allows additional co-op players to join mid-game rather than needing to return back to a menu to select a different mode. This makes the co-op game in HAZE very easy to pick up and play."

When playing in solo mode, our demo guy seemed to be doing fairly well against the AI, so when four players started blazing their way through a factory packed to the smokestacks with enemies, we expected them to encounter very little resistance. If one guy could do okay, surely four would obliterate the enemy? Apparently not, as the AI dynamically adapted to the new conditions. "The beauty of our 'Conspire' AI system is that it's completely scaleable and unscripted. Rather than being pre-programmed to always behave in a certain way, for example always using a certain bit of cover, or always staying a certain distance away from the enemy, it can alter an enemy's reactions based on the scale of the threat it's facing." The Conspire system has several tricks up its sleeve to make the bad guys even harder to hit. "Not moving between cover points as often, or making Promise Hand squads bunch closer together so they can rain down better suppressive fire". The AI was still a little rough at this early stage, occasionally acting as if it had had a Nectar overdose, but there's still plenty of time to polish up this tricky area of game development.

Speaking of Nectar overdoses (Nectar is the drug used by the player to enhance one of four key abilities - perception, foresight, focus and melee blast), Derek gleefully described the occurrence of these in the co-op game "The 'overdose' state turns the whole co-op experience on it's head - one moment you've got your best buddy next to you, the next he's a gun-crazy maniac who's shooting blind!". During testing of the co-op game, it's these overdose sequences that have seared a special spot into Derek's memory. "I was pinned down by some heavy Promise Hand fire when the guy next to me suddenly overdosed and started lobbing grenades all over the place! Cue me swearing very loudly and legging it just a split second before he blew himself to pieces!"

 

[Zenien]

Okay, some juicy morsels from the OPSM #7 Haze preview:


Quote:
...a cool remote-controlled grenade - simply lob it at a position then use the trigger to blow it up...


This refers to the Mantel SK3 frag grenade. In another dev video, Dave Doak also refers to the Promise Hand troopers taking Nectar regulators from dead Mantel troopers and attaching them to a grenade to create a Nectar grenade capable of putting groups of Mantel troopers into Nectar overdose - nasty. The Nectar regulator can also be sniped or meleed, so don't turn your back on the Promise Hand...


Quote:
On the ground, you'll be able to get behind the wheel of chunky APC's as well as speedy buggies.


The APC is pictured and looks like a cross between a truck and a fire engine. Chunky, but apparently unarmed. And...


Quote:
There's also a whole range of Promise Hand vehicles that Free Radical Design is yet to reveal. This is an improvisational guerilla force though, so we're fully expecting them to come at you in rusty, armour-plated Datsun Cherry's.


On Nectar OD'ing:


Quote:
overdosing teammates may end up pointing rockets at their own bases, or pulling the pins from hand grenades and just standing there laughing.


On levels:


Quote:
There are about 12 different environments ranging from some quite claustrophobic interiors to epic vistas. The level ~I was laying the other day, to walk across it - without enemies in it - took me over an hour.


On engaging player emotions:


Quote:
We didn't want to do the kind of enforced emotion through game design: protect the civilian, if they die it's game over, therefore you care about them.
Well, that doesn't enforce emotion... the only emotion you tend to get from that is frustration. It does that bizarre reverse thing where you actually end up getting p****ed off at them because they keep getting killed.


On the dropping of squad-commands:


Quote:
Haze is definetly quicker-paced than it was when we showed it at E3, although it's still a little slower, more tactical experience than Timesplitters.


On Haze' influences:


Quote:
Metal Gear Solid: "It has a similar message to Haze, although I've handled it in a different way. I've always admired Kojima for being overtly political. Politics should never interfere with gameplay, but having a theme worth thinking about gives the experience real substance," says Rob.



There's more good stuff in there, so it's worth picking up the mag for a read.

 

[Zenien]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D6tY7wwbVtc