Next up in our 'Report In!' series, a discussion with one of Bohemia Interactive's World Design Leads, some 'behind the scenes' images, and comparison pictures of real-life and in-game Seattle have been declassified and are ready for immediate analysis!
Approaching the task of creating a narrative for ‘Take On’, we knew that everything had to be driven forward by gameplay. Narrative and simulation games don’t traditionally go hand in hand; at best, they’re uncomfortable cousins. Try to marry ‘em up,and people will have eyebrows raised at all sorts of ambivalent angles.
One of the 'goals' we set ourselves with Take On Helicopters was to find ways of better engaging the player. It's quite a broad goal, and it can be approached in a number of ways. Some of these, we've discussed in the past - like new animation work or gathering new source audio; others, like the Career Mode, provide a great structured way of presenting helicopters and drawing in the player. However, as with our Tutorials or Challenges, it would appear to be an ultimately finite experience - at some point you'll 'finish'. Not so: that's where the Editor really comes into its own.
Stick 'helicopters' in the title of your game, and it's likely that players will have at least some idea of what to expect. The rest will make jokes about songs from the 80s. Nevertheless, we want all kinds of players to engage with the 'experience' of helicopters; unfortunately, that might involve crashing into the ground. A lot.
