Become a Super Elite Soldier in Project: Snowblind

by Louis Bedigian

“We wanted people to be able to tackle challenges and obstacles in their own way, and part of that is not forcing failure on players.”

snow blindness

n.

A usually temporary loss of vision and inflammation of the conjunctiva and cornea, caused by exposure of the eyes to bright sunlight and ultraviolet rays reflected from snow or ice.

Source: Dictionary.com

Sounds pretty intense, though not as intense as Project: Snowblind, the highly anticipated action game that’s been gaining lots of attention from gamers and game journalists alike. 

Developed by Crystal Dynamics and published by Eidos Interactive, Project: Snowblind looks like it could be the year’s first great first-person shooter.  Designer Zak McClendon brings exciting news about the gameplay, which, as he explains, doesn’t force failure on the player. 

Project: Snowblind puts players in the role of an elite super soldier.  Who is he?  Why is he super?  Was he genetically engineered?

Zak McClendon: 2nd Lieutenant Nathan Frost was just another soldier at the Hong Kong base of the Liberty Coalition, until he was mortally wounded during General Yan Lo's bloody coup.  To save his life, Frost undergoes an experimental nanotechnology procedure which grants him fantastic powers far beyond those of your average grunt.

The game's war takes place in the near future.  Is the timeframe ever defined?  Does it look anything like the world we live in today?

Zak McClendon: The game takes place in 2065 – far enough in the future to allow us to interject some fantastic, futuristic elements, but near enough to the present day to keep player grounded in world that feels familiar.  Throughout the game, we tried to keep this mix of old and new at the forefront.

How does the bio-enhancement system work?

Zak McClendon: Because Frost's surgery wasn't done under the most ideal circumstances, he doesn't start off with all this powers. In fact, after the surgery, he only has Enhanced Vision.  However, additional Augmentations are earned as the game progresses and Frost will eventually have the ability to turn invisible, slow down time, fire electricity from his fingertips and others.

I’m not sure what this weapon does, but I’m guessing the green ray is quite deadly.

What are the new, never-before-seen weapons and gadgets?  What makes them so special?

Zak McClendon: Weapons and gadgets are a major focus for Project: Snowblind.  We wanted to set up epic, nearly overwhelming battles and then give players a huge array tools and abilities to take them on any way that they wanted.

To help with this, we put a lot of work into coming up with new and unique weapons and attacks.  Some of the coolest are our "smart weapons," like the Attack Drones.  Fire these off into a squad of enemies and the Drones will take off on their own, intelligently engaging the enemy.  Better yet, most enemies will panic when they see a swarm of drones coming at them and start firing wildly - sometime catching their comrades in the crossfire.

Another great "weapon" is the Riot Wall.  Cover is extremely important in any FPS and the Riot Wall gives you the ability to make cover anywhere you want - just throw it out and it automatically deploys an energy shield to protect you from enemy fire. 

We tried to make every piece of Frost's arsenal of about two dozen weapons, gadgets and abilities fresh and interesting.

How do these weapons take on a whole new level when used in the online multiplayer mode?

Zak McClendon: First off, our multiplayer is entirely based around "classes."  Each of our six classes is specialized with its own weapons, secondary grenades and augmentations drawn from the single player game.  Not only does this vastly simplify the huge arsenal, but each class has their own unique strengths and weaknesses, from the quick moving Scout, who can drop Riot Walls behind him to block pursuers, to the EMP-dealing Berserker, who can take enemy augmentations off line with a variety electrical attacks, like the HERF Gun and EMP Grenades.

More importantly, the focus on open-ended combat is still there in the multiplayer mode - player's can come up with dozens of strategies within a single class or by combining the classes on a team.  Take the Riot Wall I mentioned above - you can use it to protect your flag, keep enemies from getting in your base, blocking entry to a vehicle or emplacement, or just to keep someone from chasing after you.

There's even a variation called "Arms Race" that lets you get the load out from any enemy you take down, so the possibilities are truly endless. 

“So dynamite IS explosive!  Who knew?” 

Since there only seems to be one playable character in the single-player mode, who do you control in multiplayer games?

Zak McClendon: Multiplayer team play is based around the central conflict from the single player campaign - the Liberty Coalition versus the Republic.  Each class on each side its own unique model variation, so you can easily spot an LC grunt or a Republic Agent.

Talk about the multiplayer maps - their size, structure, layout, how they differ from each other, etc.

Zak McClendon: Our multiplayer maps are totally new maps in some of the same general environments as the single player campaign.  Maps have been designed for a range of gameplay types, from tight foot-based battles in indoor areas to sprawling vehicle arenas.  All our maps support each of the game modes.

Just to give a few examples: there's Ashoka's Garden, a sprawling Buddhist temple with a large base at each end, separated by a huge grassy garden filled with pagoda's and bridges.  Or, the Sewers, a maze of alternate routes, suspended catwalks and huge underground rooms. 

What else can you tell us about the multiplayer mode?

Zak McClendon: Project: Snowblind multiplayer has a variety of unique modes, from old favorites like deathmatch and capture the flag, to new modes like Hunter, Demolition and Assault.  Hunter places a single Hunter Token on the map - whoever gets it gets access to every weapon in the game and is permanently cloaked.  Every other player only gets points for taking out the hunter, leading to huge, tense 15-on-1 battles!

Demolition is another favorite out of the team modes.  Each time fights over a single bomb, which must be smuggled into the opposing base and planted on their generator.  The trick is that there's a substantial timer before the bomb goes off and the other team can hack to remove it.  The real twist is that the timer is continuous - turning the game into a furious round of hot potato and the bomb is ferried back and forth before it explodes!

The single-player campaign includes a variety of play mechanics and objectives that need to be completed.  Please go over these in as much detail as possible.

Zak McClendon: Frost will find himself tasked with a huge variety of missions and objectives, from leading squads into frontline battles to solo infiltrations of enemy facilities.  Along the way, he'll have to take out air defenses, start a prison riot, rescue a top scientist, and break into his own headquarters.

As for play mechanics, that covers a pretty wide topic  -- Project: Snowblind gives players a huge array of weapons and tools to let them tackle these challenges in a variety of ways, from the straight ahead action supported by a huge variety of offensive weapons, to sneakier tactics like cloaking, hacking enemy defenses, taking control of enemy bots and planting traps like our Smart Mines.  It's up to players to choose their own path! 

This wall blows. 

Can you fail at or skip any of the objectives?  Are there any side-missions?

Zak McClendon: The only way to "fail" in the game is to die – we won't punish you or fail you for doing something "wrong."  We wanted people to be able to tackle challenges and obstacles in their own way, and part of that is not forcing failure on players.  That said, you'll need to complete all your primary objectives to progress and (often) just to stay alive.

We also have a variety of Secondary Objectives in the levels - these are totally optional, though they often offer a specific reward, whether it be a specific bit of hardware or a bit more information about the game world.

Are there any significant differences between the Xbox, PS2 and PC versions of the game?

Zak McClendon: PS2 and Xbox will each have an exclusive multiplayer mode and Xbox will also feature downloadable content in the form of additional multiplayer maps.  For PC, we'll really be pushing some of the full screen effects possible on modern video cards to make the world of 2065 Hong Kong even more lush and beautiful.

Boss battles tend to add to the extremity of a first-person shooter.  Does Project: Snowblind have any?

Zak McClendon: I certainly don't want to ruin any of the story, so let's just say Frost struggles against General Yan Lo and his Republic army may get a little … personal.

Thank you for your time.