Interview with Crysis 2 Dev’s

Last Updated: 2nd February 2011

Saturday night 11PM Saturday 29th of January 2011 onwards (GMT) till about 1:30am Sunday 30th of January 2011 we got the chance to speak with the Crysis 2 developers from Crytek UK based in Nottingham

The following is based off of what i can remember. I hadn’t taken any notes. So the quotes may not have be word for word, but atleast it gives you a vague clue to what had been said.

Crysis 2

Firstly I got to speak to Crytek’s Rob J,  an R & D, Engine programmer.

Crysis 2 PC

I pushed to get information for the PC version of Crysis 2. Although all I could get was the PC version will be able to get higher resolutions, he could not speak about the technical aspect, requirements etc for the PC version. ( It was on his list of things which the dev’s aren’t allowed to discuss with the public ). The PC version will mirror the console versions in terms of game style and rules, layout etc, completely the same. I also asked if the PC will be released with MOD tools and the ability to host our own dedicated servers, he wasn’t sure about the tools or seemingly the dedicated servers (maybe i had the wrong person here to talk about it), but he said we’ve got a nice updated tool set at work ;).

Whats Changed Since the Crysis 2 Demo?

Crytek RobJ explained they were in the very, very last processes of debugging Crysis 2,  only had a few more days before their own deadline.

“The demo was compiled a while ago and a lot of things have been changed, and lots of bugs have been fixed”

he added. As they were in the final stages before the game was completed to go for approval, he was to attend work on the Sunday later that day (so thanks for staying up).

I asked what else had changed since the demo compared to the game they currently play at work, he answered “Well the first thing I noticed it looks a bit different, we have a new strength texture/effect and also a new cloak effect. Another change that you’ll see is that they have improved the kill cam on the current version of Crysis 2.

Many other players had joined in the XBOX Live Party Chat, and also came up with some good questions. One player asked, “I heard you were heading towards vertical game play on some of the maps”, the Crytek Developer replied

“The Map Skyline featured in the Crysis 2 demo is one of our most vertically orientated maps”.

Another player pointed out a bug, that you could  get plastered into an object and he showed us where. RobJ was grateful for all the positive feedback that we had given him.

Skyline Map

Suggestions, Suggestions…

The only  couple of things I could think of at the time was the first thing i noticed when I started the demo, before I entered the map the loading screen. I thought it looks jittery and poor, he told me it was a video that later Crytek OmerY put down to bad video compression.  I also asked about a numeric ping, instead of a signal icon as the ping on the player list. I said i would prefer that (probably being a bit more of a PC Gamer). Rob J was taking notes and said that he  put forward the feedback and suggestions that all the players had given him , and was going to email the offices. So Thank you  Rob J.

Nice 3D Layout!

Later on I spoke to Crytek OmerY and CrytekHornedRat, Crytek OmerY was the UI (User Interface) programmer and Crytek Horned Rat had only been at Crytek a few months. As i was speaking to the UI dev I told him i thought that I liked the idea you could rotate the menus a little with the right analog stick. It had a good feel to it and was a nice effect to the menus. He answered with

“This is something I also liked and pushed for on the menus screen”

moreover he quoted that it would look nice in 3D.

Both of them had talked about the options available, and that the 3D would be in anaglyphic and stereoscopic. There was also a side by side option for some TV’s. Crytek’s Omer also pointed out that this was the beginning of 3D gaming and that games of the future can only get better.

I didn’t get much time to speak with these 2 Devs but i know another player mentioned a bug where you could get stuck with a Sniper TOGGLE icon on your screen to Horned Rat. After getting shot whilst zoomed in with your scope. Another Player mentioned that they had black screen when they joined a map, the Dev answered this and said they had fixed this problem. They also pointed out that alot of lag issues had been fixed.

Features for Crytek UK

Omer said that even once we have the game in our own hands they can still tweak lots of properties. This included speed, weapon damage and various other properties. Infact he said theres so much stuff you can change without even releasing a patch. So expect the game to balance pretty quick even without us noticing much.

I cannot remember which game he quoted, he said there once was a game that were using these features online. It annoyed players, once they were intune with the games current state then damage properties etc changed the players were displeased.

Thats all for now. I’m updating this article now and then.

I would like to thank the Devs for their time, this was a great way that the public could get their views across, and a great way for the developers to get their much appreciated feedback.

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