Tomb Raider III: Latest News
Reader Steve Wheatcraft reports on the August issue of
Computer Gaming World,
which finally acknowledges the success of the Tomb Raider series.
Or as Steve puts it, "I would like to emphasise the importance of
this event. CGW is the largest and most important gaming magazine in
North America, and, up until now, they have chosen to ignore Tomb Raider
and Lara. Of course, they did (obviously) review both games, and their
reviews were pretty accurate, in my opinion. CGW is a good magazine, but
my only criticism is that they tend to think all gamers fit a certain
profile, that they call "core gamers". To them, a core gamer is someone
who plays Diablo, Quake II, etc. Not all game enthusiasts fit this
model."
Here's Steve report:
Will TR3 be a new game or a add-on?
Core has decided to make it a really new game. The programmers have
re-written 80% of the graphics engine, with a much-improved dynamic lighting system. There will be
less shooting; more of a return to the discovery/puzzle solving environment of TR.
This time, Lara's mission will be to locate and piece
together four bits of a meteor that crashed in
Antarctica millions of years ago. The four pieces had
been part of an altar, but have been scattered around
the globe. Naturally, legend has it that they hold the
secret to great powers, including important discoveries
in genetics and evolution.
Locations to be visited include islands of the South
Pacific, the jungles of India, London's mysterious
subculture, and of course, Nevada's infamous Area 51.
As before, there will be 15 levels spread throughout
these localities. But TR3 is much less linear than the
previous games: you will be able to choose the order in
which you can visit these locales. There will be
advantages and disadvantages to the route you choose,
but the order will not affect the outcome of the game.
The overall philosophy here is to increase the replay
value of the game.
Core's main focus is to enhance the game's special
effects. The environment will be flushed out with birds,
bats and blowing leaves. The new lighting system will
make the game darker and more mysterious than before.
Light and darkness will play more of a role in puzzle
solving. There will be, for example, transparent
platforms that can only be seen by the light of a flare.
Some of the baddies will be afraid of light. There will
be better water modelling, improved translucency, opaque
light beams, weather effects (including fog, rain and
snow, which Lara will leave footprints in). The
landscape will have much richer terrain detail, and Core
claims to have solved the clipping problem that has
plagued the first two games.
Lara will encounter a band of mercenaries that she can either
choose to fight or join (that is really a novel concept!)
Core has hired an AI specialist (Tom Scutt) to work
on this aspect of the game's mechanics. Animals will be
scared of a gunshot the first time, but then get used to
it. Tigers will employ pack behaviour, and surround Lara
before attacking. The trick will be to shoot the pack
leader, which will cause the others to disperse.
There will be well-hidden enemies throughout the game:
snakes in the grass, piranha in the water, quicksand,
monkeys stealing your weapons, etc.
Lara will have new moves: strafing while swimming;
pushing down, or kicking in some doors; hand-over-hand
monkey swing; rope swing; duck and roll. Lara can also
now do a speed dash - a timed sprint, so you can expect
her to have to run from boulders and other timed events.
As for vehicles, there will be one in each level, always
playing an integral role in moving the gameplay along.
Mentioned so far: underwater propulsion unit; snow
vehicle; a canoe for whitewater rapids; an assortment of
cars and jeeps.
Weapons don't sound much different than before: Desert Eagle pistol,
hand grenade, rocket launcher, the latest Uzi model.
Core promises that Lara will be more properly attired in
the cold climates - no more shorts in the snow !
Finally, Core still has no plans for network play.
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