Exclusive Field Ops Developer Diary #2

“When we began developing Field Ops, we originally had only planned for a small part of the game to be played as an FPS… As time passed we realized the potential in mixing the two genres.”

Ask the average consumer what they think a hybrid is and you’ll likely hear answers about the greener automobiles being manufactured. Ask a gamer that same question in 2007 and you’ll get a more definite response: Field Ops.

Combining the worlds of first-person shooting and real-time strategy, Field Ops marries two distinct gameplay styles for an action/strategy game looking to break new ground. Our new exclusive images show the transition from one gameplay perspective to the next.

The challenge in designing something of this magnitude is quite astonishing. Aside from the gameplay, which must be excruciatingly difficult to perfect, the developers also have to consider the graphics and frame rate. Both need to be consistent in order to retain a desirable gameplay experience.

Senior Producer Mourad Majeri kicks off our second exclusive Field Ops developer diary with an intro to how the project began. Zoltan Kovary, Lead Designer, discusses some of the challenges the team has faced. Ferenc Szabo, Lead Coder, and Róbert Kovács, Research and Development Team Lead, go over the technology and graphics behind the game. Finally, Zoltan Kovary wraps it up with the game’s music.

Diary #2 – Introduction
By Mourad Majeri, Senior Producer of Field Ops, Freeze Interactive

For the second Field Ops development diary, myself and the development team have decided to focus on different aspects of the Field Ops experience to give gamers a better understanding of how the game will work when it releases in the first quarter of 2007. The second installment will cover the following areas: how the game works, its beginnings, technology, graphics and music.

One of the first things, that we are asked to describe is how do players switch between the RTS and the FPS perspectives in-game. Really, the best way to describe this is that when you control a unit in RTS mode, in order to switch to FPS all you just have to do is press the TAB key. The selection of screenshot above best describes the process.

The Beginning
By Zoltan Kovary "Z", Lead Designer

When we began developing Field Ops, we originally had only planned for a small part of the game to be played as an FPS, specifically the sniper units. The players could use their sniper units to switch and use their sniper rifles to take out combatants. Basically in the beginning, we designed traditional RTS levels, used more units and larger levels to provide good game-play for RTS users. The FPS sniper mode was there just to spice up the RTS feeling. As time passed we realized the potential in mixing the two genres. We then built a new 3D weapon model and developed the code to support them. We then spent a great deal of time seeing what would happen if we gave all of the units the ability to leap into FPS mode. As it worked, we then suddenly faced new challenges and, in turn, had begun the first steps in creating a new genre.

We spent countless hours redesigning and rebuilding specific assets for the game to fit to the new style of gameplay. We started to use smaller and more focused levels where we could test different FPS and RTS puzzles and then mix them for the perfect result. We also had to increase the original RTS artwork in game and do numerous motion capture sessions so the game would reach the benchmark that contemporary shooters have set. We then optimized our game-engine so it could handle these modes without the frame-rate dropping.

This brings us to now where we are now – working hard to fine-tune the single and multiplayer modes and eliminate all the bugs. We cannot wait to release Field Ops and to get the public playing it!

The Technology and Graphics Behind Field Ops
By Ferenc Szabo "Snowman," Lead Coder, and Róbert Kovács "Robika," Research and Development Team Lead

Our goal was to guarantee that the game had a good frame rate in both FPS and RTS modes. To achieve a frame rate we were happy with, the engine needed to be fine-tuned. The technology used was based on our state-of-the-art RTS engine. It took more than one year to develop the revolutionary hybrid system as the functions presented in ordinary FPS games can give serious performance problems in a hybrid environment.

The two issues that caused the most complications were the accurate hit locater together with line of sight tests, which are the foundation of all first-person shooters. In FPS games, if part of the level geometry overlays the enemy, it won't be rendered. In Field Ops visibility calculations occur between all units on the map, with the accuracy of first-person shooters.

However, the most demanding task to complete during the development process was creating a multiplayer game. The fundamentally different philosophy behind the two game modes requires different approaches. In FPS changes in a well-defined action zone are transferred to all players, while in RTS the issued commands are transferred to the synchronized participants. Using the FPS approach would result in a huge amount of data (bandwidth problems), while the RTS approach would be unable to provide the instant replies expected in an FPS. Our hybrid system enabled us to combine the advantages of both, but required intense development throughout most parts of the game engine. We hope players will be satisfied with the results the engine provides.

In terms of graphics, our advanced shader technology enabled our designers to apply the appropriate solutions for select problems. For example we used dynamic shadows (for moving objects), along with static (pre-calculated) lightmaps and occlusion maps. The various materials used in our game are also rendered using special shaders, drastically reducing the well-known plastic effect seen in other releases. The engine also supports the well-known, pseudo standard features of today, like water with realistic reflections, post effects (like glow, color grain, etc.), occlusion culling and many more. The physics engine was also developed in-house. Shots, blasts and vehicles can manipulate the objects present in the game, affecting gameplay. Apart from the rigid body physics system, it also incorporates an atmosphere module, which results in trees blown and trash swept along the streets by the wind. We are now working on speed improvement and narrowing the system requirements as well as the more and more intensive bug-fixing and fine-tuning gameplay.

Music
By Zoltan Kovary "Z," Lead Designer

The main title and its formations are orchestral music with occasional guitar pop thrown in. The focus of the soundtrack was to emphasize the battle phases and the mood that the designers intended to place on every single level. The different settings during the game represent different ambiances and tones, leaving the player with unique atmospheres through the game. The music is dynamic, reacting to the player's movements and in total it features more than 70 minutes of high-quality music.

Field Ops's composers are Tamás Kreiner (also known as Newtex) and Ervin Nagy. Before the arrival of Ervin in 2001 (Haegemonia project), Newtex made all the soundtracks for Digital Reality's games, including the BAFTA award winning release Imperium Galactica II. He has been working with music since the Amiga, developing his skills every day. As an invaluable addition, Ervin Nagy arrived during the initial phase of the development of Haegemonia, becoming a very solid asset for Newtex.

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