Uncover the Mysteries of Aurora Watching

By Louis Bedigian

“The goal is to keep the player excited from the very beginning till the end.”

When things go awry in the arctic, what do you do?  You act like a spy and infiltrate to find out what went wrong.  That’s easier said than done when the below-freezing temperatures begin to turn your blood into ice.  Before you know it you’re a walking spy-sicle.

Things change when you stumble on a military complex containing strange laboratories.  Just why are these laboratories here and what are they being used for?  No one knows and no one’s talking.  Of course, there doesn’t appear to be anyone to talk to, so it’s like we can say this for certain.  But chances are no one involved would be willing to open their mouths in a place like this.  Otherwise they’d be permanently shut.

Is this an evil conspiracy contrived by those who are evil?  Or is this merely a major misunderstanding?  I’m betting on the former, but my guess is as good as any until Aurora Watching is released.

What you’re looking at is one of the first official screenshots, courtesy of the game’s Web site, www.aurora-game.com.

Little is known about the game.  At this point we don’t even have a fact sheet!  This left us with only one option: infiltrate the development studio, tie up the developers and force ‘em to tell us everything we want to know.

Bring our readers up to speed on the series: what kind of a game is it, when did it begin, and where is it going?

Grzegorz Miechowski, Project Supervisor: First game of Gorky series was published in 1999. It was known as Odium in the US, but the European title was Gorky 17. It was a story of NATO soldiers who must reveal the mystery behind the sudden appearance of hybrid creatures in a small Polish city Lubin. The city is being terrorized, the area is surrounded by NATO troops and media from all over the world, and the first group sent into the city disappears without a trace. The main hero of the story is the 40-year old soldier Cole Sullivan, a commando team member with extensive scientific knowledge.

The second game, Gorky Zero was a prequel of Gorky 17.  The action takes place a few years before the times of Gorky 17 as we participate in one of Sullivan's first missions that is a secret operation in Ukraine.

The third part of series - Aurora Watching tells the story of another Sullivan’s mission - very, very cold mission.

What has been the most important thing in developing Aurora Watching?  What were you most determined to achieve?

GM: We decided to improve everything of course, but the most important is RenderWare Physics Engine. I know it’s [only a] tool and having it is not enough to improve the game.  Basically, thanks to physics engine the environment is more interactive and AI is much better. And what are we most determined to achieve?  I think we want to keep the same atmosphere in the game and add much more to gameplay. Expect many changes in the way you play during the game. The goal is to keep the player excited from the very beginning till the end.

The man who saved the world in the first game is said to have spent the last two years getting drunk.  Is he doing this because of some trauma that has occurred in his life?

GM: He saves the world, but he was deserted by his commander. You know, when your job is to kill bad guys to save good people, it’s still about killing people. So your moral motivation must be clear and strong, and Sullivan lost it. He’s not sure that one side is good and the other one bad. And [that’s what] Gorky Zero: Aurora Watching’s story [is] about – does Sullivan’s work make sense?

Only two, there are no more, no less –

the dead guy, and the spy who killed him.

Is two years the amount of time that has passed since the last game?

GM: If you ask about development – no! :)  Due to the story, yes, two years have passed since the affair in Ukraine.

What event occurs that is catastrophic enough to make him stop abusing alcohol?  Or is that a part of the game – fighting his addiction?

GM: You know, Sullivan is a tough guy. It’s not a big deal to stop drinking. The problem is to find a reason to stop drinking and come back to real life.

Is there anything else that you can share regarding the story?

GM: Sullivan is forced to take a part in new adventure. It’s gonna be cold and snowy there. The story again is somehow connected to Russians.

Technologically, how far has the series come?  What new graphic and gameplay elements will really catch the player's attention?

GM: Completely new rendering system, using the latest technology, like pixel shaders, etc, plus RenderWare Physics Engine. Those things allow us to implement many different gameplay styles. The goal is to make the whole game exiting – different gameplay styles, many mini-games.

Cruising the slopes, or running from the enemy?

Give us a rundown on the game's weapons, items, or anything else that players can use to their advantage.

GM: Classic weapons, like pistol, machine gun, shotgun plus several different ammo for each weapon. Many hi-tech gadgets – remotely controlled explosives, PDA, etc., and many interactive environment elements, like cameras, TNT boxes, ventilation shafts, alarm systems, and so on.

What types of locations will players visit in the game?

GM: The players will visit military base on a coast of Barents Sea. A very cold and icy place.

Screenshots show gameplay that takes place from multiple camera angles.  This isn't common for an action game designed for the PC.  Does Gorky Zero: Aurora Watching change the camera on its own to correspond with the gameplay, or is the camera angle used entirely up to the player?

GM: The camera changes when you change the stale you want to play. When you run around and explore locations, you have a top view camera. It’s easy to find where you are and you see more of surrounding. When you sneak behind enemies, you see exactly what Sullivan does.

Thank you for your time.

For more information on Aurora Watching, visit: www.aurora-game.com