taken from IGN.com
F.E.A.R. AU Developer Interview
The game's producer gives us an insight into making horror video games.
by Bennett Ring, IGN AU
Australia, March 1, 2007 - F.E.A.R. hit the PC over a year ago, blazing through the crowded FPS pack with its sensational AI and truly terrifying atmosphere. The 360 was next in line to get the bejeezus scared out of it courtesy of the game's twisted ghost-child. Given the game's critical acclaim, it was inevitable that the PS3 would get its own dose of Alma ambience, with the PS3 version just around the corner.
We caught up with the game's producer, Rob Loftus, to pick at his brain like a peckish zombie. We quizzed Rob on the topic of Horror in videogames.
IGN AU: How were you able to utilise the format of video games to make F.E.A.R. scary? Does making a horror game present any challenges and/or benefits compared to a standard action FPS?
Rob Loftus: The First Person perspective is definitely a benefit. It gives the player the feeling that they themselves are the protagonist and are experiencing the events of the story first-hand. It's that feeling of immersion that makes the atmosphere of the game so effective. It's not that you don't want the character to go in that mysterious dark room - you yourself don't want to go in there.
[SIZE=-1]The Electric Boogaloo monster is one of the worst. It'll lame-dance you to death.[/SIZE]
IGN AU: F.E.A.R. has a strong Japanese horror flavour to the game, specifically in the character of Alma. What films inspired the horror within F.E.A.R.?
Rob Loftus: While there is certainly a resemblance to some of the female ghosts in recent Japanese horror films, the Alma character wasn't specifically based on any one character. The intention was to capture the eerie nature of female ghosts from films like The Shining and Dark Water.
IGN AU: Given that the game had a Japanese feel to it, was the game released there? If so, how did it go?
Rob Loftus: We released F.E.A.R. on PC in Japan but didn't break any records with our sales there. I think the story content was right for them, but it takes more than that for an FPS to be a true success in the Japanese market.
IGN AU: How much of a horror game should be atmosphere and how much should be scares? Do you think it's possible to have too many "spring-loaded cats" and was it hard to find a good balance?
Rob Loftus: It all depends on the type of experience you are looking to go for. With F.E.A.R., the intention was to use the atmosphere created by the game to draw the player into a sense of unease. That's not to say there are none of the surprise moments that you'd expect, but they were paced so the player would never become numb to those "spring-loaded cats".
IGN AU: How integral to the atmosphere of the game was the score?
Rob Loftus: It was easily half of the experience and a lot of reviewers have picked up on that. They correctly pointed out that the game would not have been as effective at scaring the player had it not been for the score.
IGN AU: The sophisticated AI certainly brought an eerie feeling to the game - your enemies no longer felt like robotic grunts but intelligent opponents. Was this a key component to the atmosphere right from the start?
Rob Loftus: Sophisticated AI was more about creating the best close quarter's battle experience that we could. Monolith had created an AI enemy that made the player feel as though they were playing against a Special Forces unit. Their behaviour felt unscripted and they were aggressive enough to make the player nearly feel exhausted when a fight was over.
[SIZE=-1]The smartest AI yet seen in a shooter?[/SIZE]
IGN AU: Is there anything freakier than a creepy little girl who walks on the ceiling?
Rob Loftus: I'd argue that some of the creepiest moments with Alma were when she was doing things that seemed normal but were somehow… off. There is a moment when the player turns the lights off in the Armacham building and then turns around only to find Alma staring at them. There is no way she could have been following you and somehow she's there…staring at you. That moment still gives me chills.
IGN AU: What was the biggest issue the team had to overcome when bringing F.E.A.R. across to the PS3?
Rob Loftus: The biggest issue was making sure the controls felt intuitive to the console player. Day 1 Studios did a fantastic job bringing the game to the console world while still preserving the frenetic nature of the fire fights.
IGN AU: Do you think there is a glut of shooters on the market at the moment? Is it becoming more difficult to create games with a stand-out theme?
Rob Loftus: I think the market will embrace good content no matter how many shooters there are within it. We have the benefit of having one of those standout themes - close quarters combat mixed with a paranormal narrative. It's certainly a bonus, but the focus has always been on a gripping and intense combat experience. An FPS game has to nail that above all else.
[SIZE=-1]Ever get the feeling that somebody is pointing a huge gun at your face?[/SIZE]
IGN AU: Was it difficult to create content that wasn't just gory but also sophisticated? Is it a fine line between the two?
Rob Loftus: While the content in F.E.A.R. certainly has blood in it, it's not meant to be an overly gory or shocking experience. The intention was to get underneath the player's skin and put them off balance with a creepy sense of atmosphere. I'm not sure I would call it more sophisticated, but you're right that it does walk a line. Pacing the experience was something that took a lot of play testing in order to get it right.
IGN AU: Is there any talk of a sequel?
Rob Loftus: Unfortunately, I have to dodge that one. I can't talk about that beyond the fact that I would love to do a sequel.
F.E.A.R. AU Developer Interview
The game's producer gives us an insight into making horror video games.
by Bennett Ring, IGN AU
Australia, March 1, 2007 - F.E.A.R. hit the PC over a year ago, blazing through the crowded FPS pack with its sensational AI and truly terrifying atmosphere. The 360 was next in line to get the bejeezus scared out of it courtesy of the game's twisted ghost-child. Given the game's critical acclaim, it was inevitable that the PS3 would get its own dose of Alma ambience, with the PS3 version just around the corner.
We caught up with the game's producer, Rob Loftus, to pick at his brain like a peckish zombie. We quizzed Rob on the topic of Horror in videogames.
IGN AU: How were you able to utilise the format of video games to make F.E.A.R. scary? Does making a horror game present any challenges and/or benefits compared to a standard action FPS?
Rob Loftus: The First Person perspective is definitely a benefit. It gives the player the feeling that they themselves are the protagonist and are experiencing the events of the story first-hand. It's that feeling of immersion that makes the atmosphere of the game so effective. It's not that you don't want the character to go in that mysterious dark room - you yourself don't want to go in there.
[SIZE=-1]The Electric Boogaloo monster is one of the worst. It'll lame-dance you to death.[/SIZE]
IGN AU: F.E.A.R. has a strong Japanese horror flavour to the game, specifically in the character of Alma. What films inspired the horror within F.E.A.R.?
Rob Loftus: While there is certainly a resemblance to some of the female ghosts in recent Japanese horror films, the Alma character wasn't specifically based on any one character. The intention was to capture the eerie nature of female ghosts from films like The Shining and Dark Water.
IGN AU: Given that the game had a Japanese feel to it, was the game released there? If so, how did it go?
Rob Loftus: We released F.E.A.R. on PC in Japan but didn't break any records with our sales there. I think the story content was right for them, but it takes more than that for an FPS to be a true success in the Japanese market.
IGN AU: How much of a horror game should be atmosphere and how much should be scares? Do you think it's possible to have too many "spring-loaded cats" and was it hard to find a good balance?
Rob Loftus: It all depends on the type of experience you are looking to go for. With F.E.A.R., the intention was to use the atmosphere created by the game to draw the player into a sense of unease. That's not to say there are none of the surprise moments that you'd expect, but they were paced so the player would never become numb to those "spring-loaded cats".
IGN AU: How integral to the atmosphere of the game was the score?
Rob Loftus: It was easily half of the experience and a lot of reviewers have picked up on that. They correctly pointed out that the game would not have been as effective at scaring the player had it not been for the score.
IGN AU: The sophisticated AI certainly brought an eerie feeling to the game - your enemies no longer felt like robotic grunts but intelligent opponents. Was this a key component to the atmosphere right from the start?
Rob Loftus: Sophisticated AI was more about creating the best close quarter's battle experience that we could. Monolith had created an AI enemy that made the player feel as though they were playing against a Special Forces unit. Their behaviour felt unscripted and they were aggressive enough to make the player nearly feel exhausted when a fight was over.
[SIZE=-1]The smartest AI yet seen in a shooter?[/SIZE]
IGN AU: Is there anything freakier than a creepy little girl who walks on the ceiling?
Rob Loftus: I'd argue that some of the creepiest moments with Alma were when she was doing things that seemed normal but were somehow… off. There is a moment when the player turns the lights off in the Armacham building and then turns around only to find Alma staring at them. There is no way she could have been following you and somehow she's there…staring at you. That moment still gives me chills.
IGN AU: What was the biggest issue the team had to overcome when bringing F.E.A.R. across to the PS3?
Rob Loftus: The biggest issue was making sure the controls felt intuitive to the console player. Day 1 Studios did a fantastic job bringing the game to the console world while still preserving the frenetic nature of the fire fights.
IGN AU: Do you think there is a glut of shooters on the market at the moment? Is it becoming more difficult to create games with a stand-out theme?
Rob Loftus: I think the market will embrace good content no matter how many shooters there are within it. We have the benefit of having one of those standout themes - close quarters combat mixed with a paranormal narrative. It's certainly a bonus, but the focus has always been on a gripping and intense combat experience. An FPS game has to nail that above all else.
[SIZE=-1]Ever get the feeling that somebody is pointing a huge gun at your face?[/SIZE]
IGN AU: Was it difficult to create content that wasn't just gory but also sophisticated? Is it a fine line between the two?
Rob Loftus: While the content in F.E.A.R. certainly has blood in it, it's not meant to be an overly gory or shocking experience. The intention was to get underneath the player's skin and put them off balance with a creepy sense of atmosphere. I'm not sure I would call it more sophisticated, but you're right that it does walk a line. Pacing the experience was something that took a lot of play testing in order to get it right.
IGN AU: Is there any talk of a sequel?
Rob Loftus: Unfortunately, I have to dodge that one. I can't talk about that beyond the fact that I would love to do a sequel.
