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XCN Jericho Q&A with Andrew Wafer of Codemasters
The demo has received a lot of praise from gamers, however a number of people have complained that the button sequence moments are a little unforgiving. Will the final release be more lenient in this regard?
We always take on feedback from the community, and it seems the quick time events have split opinion on the boards – some love it, some hate it! It’s a difficult balance but we didn’t want to insult gamers by making it a simple procession – and I think the fact that they are tricky challenges players and heightens the tension during those events. By making them tough, hopefully gamers get more out of it. In the full game you will of course be able to adjust difficulty, for those with less nimble fingers.
Do you feel that you have captured the horror element well in Jericho? Will this game scare people?
I hope so! But then, it’s not scary in a survival horror, Resi or Silent hill way. It’s a visceral, intense shooter that focuses on the grotesque monsters and a deep story. It’s got a very different atmosphere to what a lot of people associate with horror on games – this is far more in your face and it has the trademark Barker visuals.
Why is there no Xbox Live multiplayer mode in Jericho?
Jericho is a Clive Barker vision and it is very story driven. We’ve created a world that’s rich and consistent - the vision was about creating a world with incredible monsters and a squad that lets players take advantage of a huge range of powers and weapons. We thought about multiplayer, sure, but it was inconsistent with both the story and the gameplay mechanics. Too often you see developers levering a clumsy, generic multiplayer game just to tick a box. We wanted to deliver a mind-blowing single player game, and I think we’ve succeeded.
Have you considered online co-op for the campaign game, since squad members work together using their specialised skills? Any particular reason why not to include it?
The brief was always to create a compelling, unique single-player experience and I think people will agree we’ve achieved this. To do online-cop we’d have to mess about with fundamental plot lines and characters in the game which doesn’t really fit with this project.
How important is puzzle solving to the action of Jericho?
First and foremost, this is a squad shooter but there are a number of puzzles in the game where you’ll have to take advantage of each of the squad member’s unique powers to progress. No spoilers here though!
How much was Clive Barker involved in the making of the game?
Hugely. I mean, the game is Clive’s idea – he had his vision, not as a book, or as a film or a painting, but a game. So this game is very personal to Clive and really, apart from the really technical stuff, he’s had input across the board. We obviously learnt a huge amount about cinematics and translating horror into the game using sound, design and pacing. Clive also had sign off on the project – if it didn’t meet his expectations or visions, it didn’t go in. Which is great, because it shows his commitment to games as a medium - it’s not a cash in, but a medium in which he can contribute something meaningful and provide a unique experience.
Are you worried by the fact that -at this period- the FPS genre seems overpopulated by superb games, especially after the launch of Halo 3?
Well, as a gamer I’m never worried about having loads of superb games to play! But we’re satisfied that not only are we joining that list but we’re also giving fans something different to everyone else – a journey into the mind of Clive Barker! There’s certainly nothing like Jericho on the shelves, that’s for sure.
How do the magic abilities in the game combine with the weapons your squad has at its disposal?
Well, some of the magic abilities are separate weapons, like Delgado’s Ababinili, while others compliment conventional warfare – Black, for instance, is able to guide bullets fired from her sniper rifle, in mid-air through multiple targets. There are plenty of cool weapons and abilities to try out giving gamers plenty of room to customise their own experience and adding replayability.
What was the inspiration behind the characters in Jericho squad and why so many female characters (Although we're not complaining)?
Well in the Jericho squad there are four men and three women, each with a back story that you’ll learn about during the game. Broadly speaking, the Jericho squad are a covert, special ops team with magical abilities – these are far from your run of the mill soldiers but gifted people, they’re warrior magicians. It’s partly their unique abilities that makes them who they are, and partly their experiences – and it makes them more rounded, interesting characters because of that. So many females? It creates an interesting dynamic for the dialogue, plus girls can kick evil ass too.
Why did you decide to go with the time periods featured and were there others that didn't make the cut?
The time slices were chosen because they each represent a barbaric period in human history, captured in the rift because of the evil events that went occurred in the city at that time. The fiction is actually based loosely on some fact, like the events within the crusader time slice. There weren’t really any time slices cut after the early conceptual development stages.
Does Clive Barker play games, and did he advise on the gameplay of Jericho as well as the storyline?
I don’t know his exact playing habits, but he’s certainly familiar with a lot of games from the conversations I’ve had with him. He brought a lot to the project through his experience and knowledge of films, books, paintings, his experience in these area was obviously of massive benefit in creating Jericho. He’s helped in not just creating a story and designing characters but in giving this game an extra edge, making horror work well in the game. His expertise has been invaluable and he comes up with a lot of gameplay ideas that are original.
What is the most evil thing the player can do in the game with enemies?
Well I’d prefer you to discover that for yourself, but while there’s some evil things you can do to the enemy monsters, you’ll also spend a lot of time trying to avoid evil being done to you!
Are their a lot of "shocking" moments in the game, so something that is not for the faint-hearted? ;)
This is a mature game for an adult audience. It’s more of a thriller horror, a game that has you on edge and confronts you with these grotesque visions, makes you fight incredibly fast paced battles against enemies who themselves have suffered at the hands of evil. It’s got all the imagination and horror that you’d expect from a Clive Barker production.
How many weapons will be in the full game and which weapon is your favourite?
Er, loads. Each character has a primary and secondary fire, plus most characters have primary and secondary occult abilities, so there’s plenty of choice. My favourite weapon? I think we have an excellent shotgun in the game but Delgado’s minigun probably nicks it for me – it has to be one of the most powerful machine guns in gaming!
Do you think that Jericho will use all the power of the Xbox 360?
It’s difficult because at the end of any project you always think you can squeeze more performance out in various areas, but overall we’re delighted. The standard of Xbox 360 games at the moment is particularly good as the development community is really starting to harness the power in the consoles, and this will improve over time too.
How many years of development are behind the game? Have you ever charged game structure and concept through the development?
The game has been in development for over 2 years but Clive’s had it in mind for longer. The concept and structure has always been a concrete vision but as with any project, areas evolve to make them more fun for the gamer.
Did Clive Barker create Jericho specifically as a videogame concept?
Yes, Clive had been thinking about the idea for a while and always believed that it would work best as a game, rather than a book or a film.
Do you see horror games like Jericho eventually taking over from horror movies as the medium of choice for fright fans?
Well, there are obvious strengths to both movies and games but I think now, especially with the increasing power in gaming platforms, horror lends itself especially well to the medium. We’re now able to have more complex sound design and produce fantastic visuals to help create ever more immersive worlds and this will only improve too. Films are, literally, more passive – in games you are constantly engaging, acting and reacting to the game.
How have you ensured that the AI of your team-mates is realistic and effective? Could you give an example of it in action?
We’re really pleased with the AI in the game, both on the enemy and your squad side. What’s cool about our squad AI is that they’ll use all the powers at their disposal, rather than waiting for you to take charge. It makes for far more chaotic, spectacular battles as well as making sure you’ve always got a fighting chance against some powerful enemies. They’ll also heal each other during the game, so it’s not solely your responsibility. You also don’t have to spend all your time directing them, as they’ll use cover and surroundings intelligently.
Could you explain how the character-switching works? Ie how do players switch between characters, and how have you kept it quick and simple?
With a large number of characters, it was important to get the switching right – we think we’ve achieved a simple and quick solution. There is a quick method of simply looking at another character, pressing a button and switching to them, or if you can’t see the squad member you want to switch to, you can bring up a simple radial menu and select them that way. Most of the time you’ll probably use the look method.
We'd like to thank Andrew for answering the questions and the other XCN member sites for their contribution.
Posted By: Robert Cram
Date: 2007-10-25
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