True Drugs.  True Assault.  True Murder.  “True Crime: New York City” Set to Open Fire this Fall

by Louis Bedigian

“We are talking impeccably recreated 24 square miles of Manhattan made up of over 31,000 buildings (including 80 landmarks) and 1,200 linear miles of roads.” 

No one’s tougher, stronger or meaner than those who survive the streets of L.A.  That’s what we thought.  This fall gamers will learn that there’s a new breed of tough in town: the thugs who survive the streets of New York City. 

Gamers won’t know what hit ‘em when they set foot in the nasty parts of town, cruising in their fancy vehicle, thinkin’ they’re so bad and impossible to beat.  Tell that to me and my crew as we drive up alongside your vehicle, weapons in hand, ready to fire at any time.

With dozens and dozens of missions, great graphics and celebrity voice talent (Christopher Walken had some great lines), True Crime: Streets of L.A. gave the Grand Theft Auto series a reason to continue the good fight.  You can’t rest on your laurels with a game like True Crime is around.

Anticipating the release of the game’s sequel, True Crime: New York City, I wondered where the developers were going to take the series.  The basics had been discussed, but only confirmed that the game would include more of what we loved about the first.

Finally our curiosity was put to rest when Peter Morawiec took some time away from his busy schedule as Creative Director to answer our most important questions.

The first True Crime tackled fighting, driving and action game elements, trying to roll them into one massive adventure.  Where have those decisions taken you?  What kind of a game is True Crime: New York City shaping up to be?

Peter Morawiec: The initial impulse was to add more capabilities and sandbox across the board to build an even bigger game.  However, after we gathered some feedback and market data we decided to refine our direction, settling on city realism and a rogue cop experience as the core equities of the game.  This subsequently served as a great 'filter' to help us focus our efforts. 

Having said that, True Crime: New York City is a huge game with tons of new features.  There is an all-new character and story, set in an intricately recreated New York city; an all-new crimes system; greatly improved shooting/fighting/driving; true good/bad cop actions; the ability to earn a legitimate salary as a good cop; the ability to be a bad cop and earn illicit cash to be used for purchases of guns, cars, fight styles, music, clothing or hairdos – the list goes on!

How was it determined that New York City would be the best setting for the next game?  More variety?  Less sleaze than, say, Detroit?

PM: True Crime: Streets of L.A. was very successful in the U.S. and globally in large part due to the notoriety and mystique of Los Angeles.  We wanted another such city for the second installment and there just aren't many better options than New York – its global appeal, architecture, landmarks, diversity and criminal element make up the perfect setting for our gameplay and story.

Can we expect the same kind of music?  Or was another style necessary to fit New York City's unique environment? 

PM: The Activision licensing team is currently working on a massive soundtrack as well as some musical talent cameos.  We wanted to bring gamers the greatest NYC soundtrack ever produced for a game, ranging from new and old school hip hop, classic and current rock, punk, etc.  I'm told that it will be announced shortly. 

Do we gotta do this the hard way or are you going to play nice?

Are the objectives still mission-based?  That is, we complete each objective and move on, or has this aspect been changed?

PM: The mission structure is similar though not quite the same.  The city now serves as a free-roam hub from which several types of activities can be launched.  Players can take on four major cases; city crimes (crime reduction); confidential informant tasks; undercover cases (illegal fight events and street races); and cruise around the city visiting various stores to buy merchandise, sell evidence, or extort store owners.  The goal is to offer multiple choices of gameplay at any given time.

We'd love to hear about the controllable vehicles, their features, how they're acquired, etc.

PM: We have a wide variety of cars, SUVs, pickups and trucks/buses.  Many of these can be permanently acquired through the police impound garage or in city dealerships.  Vehicles and weapons bought in the precinct are significantly cheaper than in the streets but the inventory is different and more police-oriented.  The handling is quite varied and we still have trick maneuvers, such as peel-out, instant turn, switchblade, riding on two wheels, etc.  These maneuvers can be acquired through the precinct as a player ranks up.

More and more games claim to provide a "real-life depiction" of a particular city environment.  Please explain why with this game it isn't just a claim, it's fact.

PM: As with Los Angeles, we've recreated Manhattan from accurate GIS mapping data, USGS topography and satellite imagery.  We also licensed additional detailed zoning information.  Obviously, not every building matches the real thing however the general character of every city block captures the feel of each area very well.  We are talking impeccably recreated 24 square miles of Manhattan made up of over 31,000 buildings (including 80 landmarks) and 1,200 linear miles of roads.

Was it a nightmare for the development team -- creating a virtual version of New York City that felt real?

PM: Having done one city already we figured it would be relatively painless but it definitely wasn't.  New York posed several new technical challenges but none more difficult than people's very definite expectations of what the 'Big Apple' feels like.  Our city crew traveled to New York multiple times, shooting thousands of photos and hours of video footage.  Our engine is pushing current console hardware to the limit in terms of how much geometry is drawn on the screen at any given time.  The quality of the city assets is really amazing -- it simply blows our original effort out of the water. 

I guess you wanted to do it the hard way.

How were the true-to-life New York City sounds acquired?  Did Luxoflux have to walk around the city, recording everyday life?

PM: Absolutely.  We've done some specific recordings and pulled some great sounds from our video footage.  We have also recorded civilian voices in a dozen different languages.  I am most excited about the dynamic ambient sound system our audio team came up with.  It streams the correct aural ambiance based on time of day, zoning, and the crime rate of the current neighborhood.  So, for instance, if you go down to Battery Park, you will hear coastal sounds with seagulls, ferries, and whatnot, then, if the crime rate shoots up, you will also hear distant sounds of gunfire, sirens and disturbances.  It's incredibly effective.

One of the most interesting new features is the navigation system, which has the player taking cabs, riding subways, etc., to navigate New York.  Tell us all about this feature.

PM: At any time during the game the player can access an interactive, scrolling map of Manhattan.  It lets you see the locations of key upgrade shops, all valid gameplay destinations, and you can set a custom waypoint to help you navigate to a desired spot in the city.  And yes, you can also hop into a cab or take the subway.

Could you give us an idea of how subways are implemented in a mission?  Why would it be beneficial to take a cab or the subway or some other means of transportation over a motor vehicle?

PM: There are a couple of very cool missions dealing with subways specifically. Other than that, subways and cabs serve as transportation around the city while free-roaming.  Driving around the city is a lot of fun but sometimes the distances between locations can be significant.  So if you want to cut across town quickly you can hail a cab or run down to the nearest subway station and catch a train - think quick teleport, however, this 'convenience' will cost you some cash.

Can you ride bikes?  You can run, but will Marcus have physical limitations that prevent him from running continuously?

PM: Yes, bikes have made it in this time – they are great for NYC traffic.  We have sports bikes and choppers – you can pull off wheelies, stoppies, as well as a couple of special moves on them.

We do track player's endurance via a meter but do not limit running with it.  However, endurance does matter for combat and gunplay - if Marcus gets tired, the player must quickly wiggle the stick to regain his stamina.  It also affects the duration of slow-motion during precision aim and gun dives. 

I want one of those!

Gang-member-turned-cop Marcus Reed is the man players take control of; who will we encounter?  How much slime awaits us, and who are the primary adversaries?

PM: Sure, we have some major slime.  In fact, in the process of investigating the death of his mentor, Marcus goes head on against NY's four largest crime families.  Those syndicates represent the four 'major cases' player must solve in order experience one of two possible endings - the 'good cop' ending or the 'bad cop' ending, chosen based on player's moral choices throughout the game.  Marcus' story is dark and serious yet we still have a lot of fun moments, very colorful characters, and some great voice talent.  No zombies or dragons this time, though! :)

Thanks for another great interview.

PM: Happy to share – thanks!!