Far Cry 3 was last generation’s premier open world title from Ubisoft Montreal. Not only it was a major leap for the franchise but it also managed to put other open world games to shame. With Far Cry 4 the team at Montreal are taking the series a step ahead. Set in the fictitious location inspired by Nepal, the player will not only be able to explore the world horizontally but traverse through its depths.
To know more about the title, GamingBolt caught up with Game Director Patrik Méthé. Check out his response below.
Rashid Sayed: Far Cry 4 is a cross generation title, unlike Assassin’s Creed Unity. What is the reason behind the same?
Patrik Méthé: With the great reception Far Cry 3 received, we knew right from the early stages of Far Cry 4 production that we wanted to offer it on both generations of console. The truth is, even though the team is very proud of what we achieved on FC3, we also had to make tough decisions toward the end and with the opportunity to come up with an even more ambitious title with FC4, we wanted all of our fans to have the chance to embark on this new adventure, whether they own PS3, Xbox 360, PS4, Xbox One or PC.
"Regarding the plants, you can still collect them and create potent mixture that will grant you temporary powers. We made sure that each recipe gives you real powers and we even have a whole thread of quests focused around the use of these special mixtures."
Rashid Sayed: Far Cry 4 has a more vertical feel to its level design. What kind of gameplay opportunities do you think this will create?
Patrik Méthé: Our game takes place in Kyrat, a fictitious country loosely inspired by Nepal, Northern India, Bhutan and the surrounding region so obviously it’s something that has a huge impact on the type of landscapes the player will navigate.Having a layout where there aremany hills, cliffs and mountains will offer the player multiple gameplay opportunities.
The iconic glider is back as is the wingsuit but this time around the player will have many more opportunities to use it and for a much longer stretch. I have already seen some guys on the production team holding contests to see who was able to fly the longest and farthest, and believe me; some of these flights were truly impressive.
All this is great for descending terrain but we also wanted to make the upward navigation in this vertical environment as smooth and efficient as possible; that’s where we came up with the grapple. It’s an extremely versatile tool that allows you to climb cliff-faces very quickly but also enables you to perform huge swings across ravinesin addition to strafing while rappelling. We had so much fun while developing this tool that we ended up creating specific sections of the world where you’re encouraged to use it to reach remote areas where you’ll find hidden mysteries.
Rashid Sayed: Can you talk us through the crafting system this time around? Furthermore, how different will it be in Far Cry 4 compared to the previous game?
Patrik Méthé: The crafting system is back and we made a lot of improvements.
In order to improve your equipment, you can still hunt animals and use their hides to craft pouches and belts. This time around though, you’ll be rewarded if you’re especially efficient and you use the proper weapon to kill an animal without damaging it too much. Also, every time you skin an animal, it gives you a piece of meat that you can use as bait to attract predators. It’s the perfect way to get rid of a few enemies without getting involved yourself!
Regarding the plants, you can still collect them and create potent mixture that will grant you temporary powers. We made sure that each recipe gives you real powers and we even have a whole thread of quests focused around the use of these special mixtures.
"We made a lot of improvements in the area of animal behaviour. The predators still hunt prey but they also fight one another. There are many ways to use an animal as a weapon against your enemies whether it be through the use of baitor by scaring them away."
Rashid Sayed: We have already seen how the player can manipulate animals [elephants] to gain an advantage in a battle. Have you looked into playing with the environment as such? For example, the player can set explosives in some portion of a mountain and when it explodes rocks and debris will come falling down on the enemies. After all Kyrat does seem to be a unstable region.
Patrik Méthé: In Far Cry 4, the player can use the environment to his advantage, whether it is through the brand’s iconic fire propagation and destruction or with more specific environment opportunities. For example when the player adventuresintothe remote and snowy high-peaks, they’ll be able to destroy cornices to crush enemies or send them plummeting to their death.
That being said, what sets Far Cry apart from the competition is the interaction with the different eco-systems (what is often referred to as the “Anecdote Factory”) and this time, we’ve pushed it even farther. We made a lot of improvements in the area of animal behaviour. The predators still hunt prey but they also fight one another. There are many ways to use an animal as a weapon against your enemies whether it be through the use of baitor by scaring them away.
The biggest addition though is called Guns for Hire. You can call either an AI buddy or another player to come help you in the open world. Imagine all the fun and crazy stuff that happens when you try to take out outpost with a friend! It’s a real game changer.
Rashid Sayed: Roughly speaking, how big is the world in Far Cry 4, when compared to Far Cry 3?
Patrik Méthé: In terms of pure size, it’s the same. However each square kilometre has less water (we’re not out in the middle of the ocean anymore) and is much denser in terms of opportunities, whether it’s an animal encounter, mysteries or quests.
"For Far Cry 4, we made sure to invest a lot of energy to enhance these elements of our game. Each quest is now fully embedded in Kyrat’snarrative and there’s much more variety in terms of gameplay."
Rashid Sayed: There are several means of transport in the game including the rickshaw. Are there plans to have a wolf sledge? That would be awesome if you do.
Patrik Méthé: There’s no wolf sledge, yet.
However, there are some cool new vehicles. One of my favorite is the hovercraft which allows you to transition seamlessly from water to land and vice versa. But my real favourite is the Buzzer, agyrocopter that allow you to fly across the skies of Kyrat and navigate easily across the jagged terrain. It’s not the most robust vehicle (beware of enemies with RPGs!) but if you get shot down, you can always use your glider and parachute to glide to safety.
Rashid Sayed: Can you talk us through the side quests and explorative elements that the game will offer?
Patrik Méthé: On Far Cry 3, post launch data showed that the average player spent more than 50% of the time in the open world, exploring, taking outposts and doing quests and activities. For Far Cry 4, we made sure to invest a lot of energy to enhance these elements of our game. Each quest is now fully embedded in Kyrat’snarrative and there’s much more variety in terms of gameplay.