Call of Cthulhu: Dark Corners of the Earth Preview

AT: Let us focus more on the adventure aspect of the game. Does the player get to solve puzzles, or will his progress depend on info he gets out of NPC's?

AB: Yes, the player will need to talk to NPCs to be able to progress through the game and solve puzzles. You can question them about evidence you find, and you can also 'command' them in certain ways to help you when you need it. For example, early in the game you need to get the help of a guy who can drive you out of town in his truck. When you have found him, you have to bust him out of jail and then steal a truck to escape. Therefore the player is going to have to think before he shoots anyone - he may just need them sometime in the future.

AT: Explain how the sanity system works. Does the way players get hit affect their sanity? Also, how many different hit-zones will there be? In what way do they influence the character's behaviour or movement?

AB: Your player can lose sanity when he is in certain situations that are stressful - such as maybe being attacked by a big gang of Deep One Hybrids, or perhaps finding the body of someone you know. This can cause side effects such as hallucinations and a slight decrease in character control (i.e. you may not be able to walk in a completely straight line). Injuries can have effects on precise parts of your body, such as if you get hit in your gun arm then you will have difficulty aiming until you get your injuries treated, or if you get hit in the leg then you may have a reduced movement speed and perhaps an inability to jump.

AT: We would very much like to know how's the AI enhancement going. Name some of its main features.

AB: When occasions arise where you are attacked in this game, it is rarely by one thing on it's own. Therefore our AI has been optimised for teamwork, so that enemies can communicate with each other and pass on information about your whereabouts etc. So if you are hiding in some dark alley and a deep one finds you, he will call all the others in the area to him, and before you know it your cornered with six creatures bearing down on you.

AT: Recently you have revealed that the game will be using the Havoc engine and a slightly modified version of the NetImmerse engine. Explain how did you modify the NetImmerse engine?

AB: We made few changes mainly for special effects purposes, such as the addition of lightmaps instead of just darkmaps (darkmaps just darken the background, lightmaps both lighten and darken what's beneath). We have also written various bits of code for other neat features which we are keeping quiet at the moment. It's useful to us that the NetImmerse engine is so customisable.

AT: The great-looking strategy game Warcraft 3 shows that the Havoc physics engine is quite capable. Tell us what are its main aspects, and what did it allow you to accomplish in Call of Cthulhu?

AB: The main feature we will be using is the rigid body dynamics - this basically controls the movement and collision of solid items in the game. In game terms this means you can pick up a brick you find on the road and throw it about, and it'll bounce off everything (even a creature's head) in a convincing manner. It makes the environment seem much more realistic.

AT: Will the Call of Cthulhu story continue perhaps in a second installment?

AB: We very much hope so - there is such a wealth of source material to draw inspiration from that it would be a crime to just make one game...we hope to make a whole series of them.