Joint Operations Special 2

EXCLUSIVE:FROM COMPUTER AND VIDEO: DAY TWO

Our coverage of Novalogic's ambitious action-FPS continues with a look at how the game is put together from a design perspective, with comments from those in the know

So you read our stirring introduction into the brave new world of Joint Operations: Typhoon Rising yesterday? (see story below if you missed it.) Waddya mean you want more? What? We promised what?... Ah. Right, well now we've looked at the game in macrocosm, let's zoom right in and cast an eagle eye over how Joint Ops is put together.

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How does a team that's been making games in great piles of sand for years, dive into a thick, fertile jungle, swelling with almost thirty playable vehicles, 64 bloodthirsty competitors on two sides, in environments six times as large as EA's Battlefield 1942, give structure and purpose to every part, make it all look so darned pretty and, above all else, make if fun?

Nope, we didn't have a clue either; but then we're not paid to - level creative director David Durand and art director Chris Tamburrino are. So we posed that very question to them (in a slightly less convoluted formulation).

And with Durand's background in movies and theme park rides (he was responsible for the awesome Disney Tower of Terror ride), coupled with Tamburrino's history in game production, their joint answer gives a fascinating insight into the creation of a videogame which we present to you right here.

Durand: The stuff I'm doing with concept and design with Joint Ops is very similar to my work in theme parks and movies - I worked in movies for about 10 years. It's a combination of storyboards and production design.

If we are going to make it a cinematic experience we need a beginning, a middle and an end. We wanted to make sure, especially with the vehicles and different terrains, that we showed off different things in different parts. Some parts had to lend themselves to helicopters, some to wheeled vehicles and so on.

And the environments are far more diverse than in previous Novalogic titles, aren't they?


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