UbiSoft games like GRAW, Splinter Cell and Vegas look amazing on Xbox 360, but Windows versions have always surpassed what the Xbox and Xbox 360 versions offered. Does Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Vegas redress this balance by using the characteristic graphical power of the Xbox 360?
Windows & 360 version will both look equally amazing, thanks to the 360’s three core that allow us to simultaneously deal with rendering, physics and AI.
Online modes have been a distinctive aspect of your games. Will you improve previous modes and include new ones in Vegas?
Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Vegas has 6 online adversarial game modes including Attack & Defend, which is a team-based mode with mission-based objectives. This means that depending on the map you’re playing, the objective will change whether it’s to recover Intel, rescue a hostage or disarm a bomb. We also have the Retrieval game mode, which has two teams racing to recover a biohazard canister. This mode can be won either by captures, or by kills. We’re also bringing back our legacy modes: Team Survival, Team Sharpshooter, Survival and Sharpshooter. The team, or player, left standing wins.
Since team work is so important for us in this franchise, we have two different cooperative game modes: Terrorist Hunt and Story Mode. Both these modes are playable in Split screen, System Link and on Xbox Live. Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Vegas online is the most complete multiplayer package you can get.
Why did you choose to use Unreal Engine 3, instead of the GRAW engine, or the one used in the last Splinter Cell ? What kind of new possibilities does UE3 give to you?
Several core team members were familiar with the Unreal development suite having worked with Unreal 2 in the past, so it was a natural fit. The fact that it was equipped with the kind of networking support we needed for the game was also a big plus.
The demo released on the Marketplace is great, but not always smooth at moments; can we expect a better and constant frame rate in the final version?
Without a doubt. We’ve had some time to improve the game’s frame rate since the release of the demo. Since first showing it at E3 we knew that many people wanted to play Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Vegas, so we wanted to get a demo out there to showcase our new game play elements and when you read the forums, it’s clear that a vast majority of players enjoyed the demo.
How much community input did you read/use, during the RS Vegas development?
We read the forums and listen to our community. We know that they wanted a more tactical experience and with the package we’re offering in Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Vegas, I’m sure they’ll be happy about it.
What do you think is the most important feature in this new title?
Actually, it’s not a feature, it’s the OPA (observe / plan / assault) concept and the global experience you’ll have while playing Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Vegas. We have a group of features that together offer a unique experience for the player. The take cover system, the snake cam, the rappelling, crashing through a window, getting your briefing live in the chopper and through the Picture in Picture, the tagging system, the team command, you name it.
How does the multiplayer game differ from the single player mode and will you be able to command your team-mates via the headset in single player?
The multiplayer part of the game shares all the cool features you have in the single player like the rappelling and invert-rappelling, the fast-roping, the take cover, the snake cam and the wide variety of weapons. You can even play through the entire story mode with your friends in co-op.
You can issue voice commands to your team in single player using your headset. In the multiplayer, you can communicate with your team-mates to increase the team play.
Will be the 3rd person camera be disabled in the multiplayer game?
No it won’t. We realize that some people are sceptical of third-person view in multiplayer, but we’re convinced that it’s a lot more fun and we’ve taken considerable time to tweak and balance the cover system just for MP. We play tested the game, played countless hours at the office with the development team. It’s not an unfair advantage because everybody has it, and when you get out of cover to shoot, you expose yourself.
Do you have any plans for Add-Ons or downloadable content in the future?
It’s our objective to keep supporting our games once they’ve been released, but it’s too early to give any details on this.
What kind of co-op play can we look forward to seeing online and will this include the ability to play through the single player missions with friends as past incarnations of the game allowed?
Two different co-op modes are available for you to play with your friends: Terrorist Hunt and Story Mode. In Terro Hunt, you can play up to four players in a variety of maps in which you have to eliminate all terrorists. In the story mode, you can go through the entire single player experience with your friends. Both co-op modes can be played with the multiplayer character you created using the P.E.C. 2.0, or you can select from a bunch of pre-made characters.
What is the future of Rainbow Six -series?
You’ll understand that I can’t go in details but there is a future.