Loads of guns including the famous Heckler and Koch MP7
8. The Mark has been in development for a while now, what has been the most challenging task for the team?
First of all we switched to the new 3D technology. A jump from the DirectX8 per-vertex lighting to the normal-map based, realtime shaded rendering is quite a significant one, and not only from the programmer's point of view. Its offers quite a different way of creating the graphics, in terms of level design and lighting. Also the game handles both indoor locations, where the player must be in focus and able to see every single detail in enclosed areas where shadow and dust looms. As well as huge outdoor areas with trees, houses, fires, vehicles and so on which we adapted to utilize and encompase all of these things.. The engine had to be as universal as possible but still fast and efficient. This was a enormous challenge, both to plan, and to develop.
We also put a lot of effort into the AI as we beleieve this to be very important and adds credability to game-play. After all, within the game, you play along side a computer-guided partner, and fight very different types of enemies. The enemies look different and so it should be paramount that they fight and react differently to you actions. Out whitting opponents is what makes gaming most enjoyable – be it playing two player or against the computer.
Click for larger image9. With terrorism in the news lately, how do you think this will effect the game?
Unfortunately in the past few years Terrorism has now become a real and present threat for many countries and people throughout the World, with an increasing numbers of terrorist groups and “soldiers for hire”.
By creating The Mark, we are reflecting this trend based around a ficticious act of terrorism against London, and thereby it is important for credibilty and realism that all enemy groups within The Mark can be related to! Hence all of the adversaries are either terrorists or mercenaries, be it ex-Spetsnaz commando squadies, Muslim warriors, or post-Serbian soldiers of fortune.
10. Can you give us an assessment of the health and long-term viability for The Mark?
The Mark comes with its own set of tools to allow people to continue recreating the game. We hope the future players create their own mods and maps which should make the game live on!
Also, we’re already planning further adventures/roles for at least one of the heroes.......
Click for larger image11. Could you tell us about the weapons that we'll see in the game?
The Mark features an array of the world’s most famous guns, from the infamous Heckler & Koch MP7 and Colt Commando M4 (lightweight version of M16), to the vz61 Scorpion and AK47 favoured by terrorist groups.
We have also included the modern FA Mas, standard issue to the French armed forces and the “heavy” fire-power of the M-72 Light Anti-tank weapon (LAW) and the Heckler & Koch HK69a1 Grenade Launcher.
The two hero’s Fletch and Hawke have their own special weapons, with Fletch using the Desert Eagle and Hawke using the versatile H&K P2000 and the Remington 870 CBG 12 gauge shotgun.
Also we could not miss the opportunity of including Z300 semi-automatic combat gun, which although the exact characteristics are shrouded in secrecy, fires explosive ammo !!
The team have concentrated on making the weapons as realistic as possible. In fact we went to extraorinary lengths to ensure it! Their looks, cast animation and effects are only limited by the ‘fun’ of gameplay (we didn’t want to over complicate their use and obstruct ammusment by making them to difficult to use). Other than that, it was our ambition to ensure the real feeling of each of the weapons - one of our designers is former military after all! With additional effects like motion blur, sounds, and the usual attention to detail, you can almost feel the kickback!!!
12. Which kind of terrorists will we see in The Mark?
As stated above, all of the enemies in-game can be considered terrorists one way or another. That said, there’s a wide range of targets - from typical Middle-Eastern fanatics (suicide bombers utlizing vehicles as a mode of attack) - to shoot post-Yugoslavian ex-military thugs, hired as mercenaries! You'll meet tough ex-Spetsnaz troops and semi-pirate mariners (also recruited after the Yugoslavia conflict). The only non-terrorist troops in the game are the main villains personal guards, and the mysterious and deadly, heavily armoured, Buria death squad!!!