Kelly Scott Rickards
Stunt Coordinator
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BTW, Trilobyte (aka Pyro Studios), the developers of this game, created the famous "Raven" dancing mech demo for Microsoft....
Duality is being published by Phantagram, the largest gaming company in Korea
BTW, Trilobyte (aka Pyro Studios), the developers of this game, created the famous "Raven" dancing mech demo for Microsoft....
Duality is being published by Phantagram, the largest gaming company in Korea
Today we're giving you a preview of another one of Phantagram Interactive's awesome upcoming games. This time, we're having a look at Duality. Let's see if I can describe to you the gameplay I've seen on this game...If I told you there was a game that had tactical espionage elements of Metal Gear Solid, the very cool stealth techniques and devices of the impressive upcoming game Splinter Cell, and the cyber world alter universe of The Matrix? What if I told you that from what I've seen it looks to outdo all of the above in some aspect or another? Interested yet? Well let's get on with this.
There are certain things about Duality that really shine through. Right away, you're hit by the graphics of course. But what else would you expect from Trilobite? These are the same guys that put together one of the technology demoes that Microsoft used when Bill Gates first announced the Xbox to us at Game Developer's Conference 2000. The character they created was even spotlighted on a few magazine covers as an unofficial mascot of the early machine. A few of you may remember her as the buff military chick who was practicing martial arts katas, and through a cybernetic implant on your arm, a huge mech behind he was copying all her moves. Plus she had the cool 'X' tattooed on her navel.
Ok, but back to the graphics as we were speaking of. Quite frankly, Duality looks great. It's one of those games where when you see the concept video you and your boys say 'Well, that looks great and all, but the real game can't quite possibly look like that.' Well, after seeing gameplay of Duality, I can tell you that this is one game that dispells that myth. Duality's characters are organic looking and all the joints and polygons are perfectly smooth. The perfect use of lighting and specular effects really set the mood and make the details shine through. The futuristic, almost Blade Runner-esque look the developers were going for has obviously been pulled off flawlessly.
Now, let's get to the gameplay of this gem. Duality has three very unique characters that each have a totally different playing style. You will need to rely on all three to complete the game. We have the mercenary who relies on stealth, cool gadgets such as cloaking devices, weapons, and cybernetic implants to do the 'wetworks' and get down and dirty. We have the hacker who is by far weaker than the mercenary, therefor her tactics are much different. Look to her to do the hacking in on the mainframe computers to gain access to certain areas and places in the game. We also have virtual being. You could relate this entity to Neo in the matrix. The cyberworld is a living, breathing reality in Duality and this is where the virtual being comes into play.
Now that we have the three different characters out of the way, let's get to some of the very cool and innovative things that Trilobite has going with Duality. Have you ever wished that in gunfights, you could have the cinematic cameras and angles of a third person perspective, yet you wished that you had the pinpoint accuracy of a first person perspective? Duality does it in such a cool way that it'll have you wondering why no-one has done it sooner. When playing with the mercenary, during gun fights, the camera stays in it's third person perspective, moving in an intelligent fashion to give you the best angle, while a Picture-in-Picture type box pops up on the bottom corner of the screen with a first person view in it that you can use for aiming. This way you get the first person accuracy without having to switch back and forth between perspectives and the game maintains a consistent viewpoint. Very sweet indeed.
What about if you're using the hacker and you just can't get access into a room? The hallway is heavily guarded, and you're wondering how can you get the access codes without the guards noticing you. One example of the many cool things the hacker can do is get an enemy drone, hack it's circuitry, and then control it. This way, she can have the enemy drone go down the hallway and view an enemy entering access codes, and she can record it for future use.
So without further delay, let me provide the information on Duality from the Phantagram press release so you can find further details on this very exciting game. We have two videos for you today. The bigger video is of the concept video, giving you a really good idea of what to expect of the game. It's a monster at 4 minutes, but I'd advise seeing that video first. Then, the smaller file is the actual first gameplay video from the game. Stay tuned here at PopCultureShock, where we'll bring you even more footage and information from this game as soon as it's available, and before anyone else.
From Phantagram PR:
Brief Summary
The former core development team from Pyro Studios, the developer of Commandos series, brings you the finest action RPG game right in your face! In the distant future, a blind pursuit of technology has cost the people their freedom. Generations of technical breakthroughs wove a world wide web of fear and control. At the center of this fabric, controlling the lives of most people, lies a new form of government: The Corporation. And now, three heroes rise from this dark and grim reality to break free.
Storyline
Travis (the mercenary) is in charge of security for Company A. His boss informs him that Company B is trying to steal a product Company A has recently developed, and orders to tighten the security. That night, unknown enemies raid the research lab and Travis is knocked out by someone. When he regained consciousness, the product has already been stolen and no one knows how the raiders bypassed the security system. Travis is reordered to take it back and get rid of those who are related to this incident. Through a research, he finds out that a scientist named Sam and a hacker named Cube are related, and it seems like he succeeds in killing them, but the hacker’s last words keep ringing in his ears.
“You are being manipulated by Cain, Travis…”
Game Features
Three Distinctive Gameplay through Three Separate Characters
- A player will be given three characters to play : Mercenary, hacker, and virtual being.(See Characters Section Below for more information)
Engaging Storyline
- As the game progresses forward, three characters’ stories enfold parallel to each other.
- They see the one central storyline from their own perspectives and try to achieve their goals in any way possible.
- Each character sees other as an enemy, but there is no definition of good or evil as they have their own righteous reasons to pursue.
- The player will live the same sequence of events three times, playing a different character and gaining a better understanding of the “big picture” with each pass.
Cutting Edge Graphics
- Full polygon environment is enhanced with cutting-edge special effects like Real-time mash smooth, bump mapping, inverse kinematics, dynamic shadowing, and localized damage.
- Real-time cut scenes with more detailed character models: eyeball movement, facial expression, separate teeth and lips
- The design style captures the essence of cyberpunk genre, the dark and grim view of the near future.
Vast Number of Quests
- Each quest has the length of 20-40 minutes. Other than the quests involving the main plot, there are many other quests available just to enjoy the game and/or earn money and experience.
- Total number of 30~40 quests are planned.
- Quests never have a pre-set way to complete. Quests are designed to be played freely according to the user’s play-style and the character’s ability. (If mercenary is played by an action-mania, then he can destroy all the enemies and obstacles getting in his way. If the player wants more brain-stimulating gameplay, he could sneak around, avoid battles, and trap opponents.)
Innovative Interface System
- To immerse the player into the game, no HUD will be available to the player. All the information needed will be represented through character appearance and environment.
Active Camera Works
- AI controlled camera automatically focuses on the important events and characters.
- The camera is placed in certain place that it never hinders player’s view in any way.
1. MERCENARY
- Goal : To earn money by carrying out quests for any client, (he doesn’t care about the clients’ moral standard or position) buy better weapons and implants, and upgrade himself.
- Equipment : Firearm, sensors, jammers, optic camouflage, armors, implants for assault and infiltration.
- Thanks to the automated targeting system in his guns, he doesn’t have to aim at the enemy, but just select his target. Computer decides what part of the target will be hit with how much efficiency for what damage.
- Play style is comparable to Metal Gear Solid, but with more possibilities and freedom.
2. HACKER
- Goal : To hack into more difficult net-system and boost her self-esteem and name value
- Equipment : Firearm (manual targeting as in Resident Evil), sensors (better than those of the mercenary), traps, program bible.
- Forced to infiltrate and move around with more stealth since she is not a good fighter in the real world, but once a computer terminal within the enemy facility is reached she becomes the mistress of her domain. Usually the deeper a terminal is located the more powerful it is, but there is more physical danger. She becomes vulnerable to an ambush when connected to a net-system, so she needs to place traps and sensors around her. Her combat abilities in the real world include firearms and hacking, but not as efficient as those of the mercenary.
- Hacker can combine function modules from the Program Bible to use special abilities in the cyberspace. (Think of magic spells in the fantasy RPG) For example, Fire + Movement = Fireball. There is no limitation to the number of programs she can use, (No Magic Point) but each program takes a while to be executed. As she levels up, complex combinations, stronger function modules, and shorter execution time are available. There is infinite possibilities of combination, and it can be tested and selected at her headquarter.
- The hacking process is represented in forms of puzzles, and the environment, play mechanics, and character shapes can vary from a net-system to another. Hacker can cross the real world and the cyber space with ease and alter the cyber space at her will.
3. VIRTUAL BEING
- Goal : To seek for his own identity as a formless cyber entity, and also find out who’s relentlessly attacking him.
- Equipment : He’s a conscious program without any physical form who is omnipotent in the cyberspace and capable of influencing the real world. (Think of Neo at the end of Matrix)
- He was originally a scientist whose soul is transferred to the cyber space by accident, and mistakes himself for an average Avatar (the cyber incarnation of a net-system user). His powers are awakened as he levels up and eventually he becomes one with the cyberspace itself to possess the god-like powers. Realizes that there is another evil Virtual Being and that he can’t fight the evil one as an Avatar. At the end of the story, there is a battle between two fully awakened Virtual Beings.
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