Interview w/ The Lith on their new FEAR SequelEmbrace Your New F.E.A.R.
Monolith discusses the search for a new name, the evolution of Alma, and the return of the almighty Penetrator.
by Hilary Goldstein
August 6, 2007 - Today, Warner Bros. announced that it -- along with Monolith Productions -- had narrowed the names for the sequel to F.E.A.R. down to three choices. Due to legal mumbo jumbo, Monolith (the folks who brought you last year's sensational F.E.A.R.) can't use the name for its sequel. However, the developer is still able to set the sequel in the same universe and with everyone's favorite creepy girl, Alma.
After a lengthy selection process, the final three names have been chosen: Dark Signal, Dead Echo, and Project Origin. Head on over to nameyourfear.com to cast your vote. You have until midnight, August 10 to submit your pick. The winning name will be announced shortly after the poll closes.
Cool.
We spoke with Troy Skinner, a producer at Monolith, about not only the naming process, but what we can expect from the sequel to F.E.A.R. While Monolith wants to keep things under wraps a bit longer, Skinner did talk a bit about Alma's evolution, creating more diverse environments, and the return of the Penetrator. And, of course, we also discussed the Name Your F.E.A.R. contest and why the three finalists stood out.
Okay.
IGN: Can you give us a little teaser set-up for the sequel to F.E.A.R.?
Skinner: It starts 30 minutes before the end of the first game. Your unit knows all hell is breaking loose somewhere in the city, but doesn't know any details about Alma, the battalion of Replica soldiers on the loose, etc. Your team is assigned to a seemingly routine mission, when Alma is released, the city is leveled and the effects of Alma's increasing power are felt.
Ahhhh, so it won't be after Extraction Point....
IGN: So Alma is back. Can you tell us anything about her involvement in the new game?
Skinner: When we started the universe we made a conscious decision to have it revolve around the antagonist's development, rather than the protagonist's development. So, Alma's release from her containment chamber has a radical effect on the world. I don't want to get into the particulars of the way she manifests in the new game, but she is central to the story-line, and has definitely evolved since the first game.
Sweet.
IGN: A lot of the story in F.E.A.R. was in the periphery and had to be sought out by players. Will you keep this same tactic for the sequel?
Skinner: We will hint at key elements of the story, long before we come out and explicitly tell the player what's happening. So, it's not like we are trying to keep things on the periphery, as much as we want an evocative story with some mystery, depth and unexpectedness to it. Our story is often presented in a subtle manner.
Good.
IGN: Atmosphere was a big part of the F.E.A.R. experience. Can we expect that same balance of horror and action? And what's your philosophy behind the blending of those two elements?
Skinner: We think the elements work very well together so we will be striking the same fundamental balance between horror and action, but a key aspect of our universe is Alma's development. Now that she has been freed from the containment chamber, the ways in which she can affect the world are quite different than in the first game. So there will be some development in the horror delivery that I don't want to spoil for people.
More destruction, I hope....!
Skinner: We have always perceived close-quarters combat as the centerpiece of the game, and the horror as a secondary element that helps to set up future combat scenarios. Our combat is brutal, frenetic, and visually overwhelming. On the flip-side, the horror elements are moody, creepy and more evenly paced. The relationship between the two is that the horror elements are a palette cleanser that resets the player's emotional state, and allows the kinetic aspects of the next combat to land with more force.
Ok.
IGN: The original game didn't have a lot of variety in the environments, but you've said that won't be an issue in the sequel. When we're talking variety, does that mean we'll leave industrial areas or that there will be less corridor shooting and more open arenas?
Skinner: Yes and yes. Our action all takes place within a single city, so the environments are true to what can be found within its confines. We're not a game that will be traveling to the Arctic Circle, or Mt. Kilimanjaro. That said, there is obviously a lot of visual variation within a city, and our game will take advantage of that, and spend more time outdoors than the previous game.
Yay for more of a variety of areas and more open-arena areas, too!!!
IGN: Are the weapons from the original coming back? (Please, please bring back the Penetrator!)
Skinner: We didn't see the entirety of Armacham's arsenal in the first game, so we will be updating the weapon-set with some new entries. To make room for those new entries, some of the older weapons will need to be retired. As for the Penetrator - is that really the kind of weapon a highly-trained Delta operative would want to use in an intense close-quarters combat situation? Nailing people to walls? I guess it could come in handy…
I loved the Penetrator -- it better be back!
IGN: Does losing the rights to the name F.E.A.R. change anything significantly about the game? I guess I am asking this because many fans probably are a bit confused on the whole story. So, what impact, if any, does this have in designing the game?
Skinner: It has almost no impact. The only things it changes are the name of the game, and the name of the unit the player character is assigned to. We have the rights to every other aspect of the game universe. Alma is ours. The previous story-line is ours. Armacham is ours. The weapons are ours. Obviously, the development team is ours. The game-engine is ours. The AI expertise is ours. So the game we are making is the sequel to F.E.A.R. I think that people who loved the first game are going to instantly gravitate to what we are doing.
FEAR's AI rocked...
...I can't wait to see what Lith's FEAR Sequel will bring to the table w/ AI.
IGN: You have to find a new name for F.E.A.R. How involved is Monolith in the process?
Skinner: We are extremely involved in the process. Once we realized that we were leaving the F.E.A.R. name behind, it was Monolith's idea to have a name contest. From a creative standpoint the process of finding a name is driven by Monolith.
Cool.
IGN: Going into the contest, did you have an idea for the name or maybe type of name you were looking for? And if so has that informed your choices for the final three?
Skinner: We had a really good sense of what we were looking for. Beyond the essential legal considerations, like our ability to trademark the name, we favored things that were evocative of action/military themes, Asian-style horror, and fit into our conception of the game universe. Additionally, we wanted a name that was easy to say, easy to spell, and had a strong sound to it.
Okie.
IGN: Have you been surprised by any of the entries? Can you give us some examples?
Skinner: I don't think we were surprised by individual entries, as much as it really jumps out at us how much people love really exotic, over-the-top names. The team has been constantly joking about how certain names reminded us of 80's metal bands. Just off the top of my head, I remember names like "Lament: Spoils of the Reckless," "Drenched in Desecration," "Blood Geist" and "Burning Decay." There are literally hundreds of others that have that strong 'metal' feel.
Okie dokie.
IGN: What are some of the silliest (or dumbest) names that were sent in?
Skinner: It's actually extremely difficult to answer that question because ridiculous names came in so many forms. It was obvious that many contestants may have been less interested in winning the contest than in simply trying to come up with hilarious submissions. One thing that I will say is that we shouldn't have thought the public would act any differently than our own developers because many of the dumbest names submitted I have heard around the office for over a year. The first and most common form of mockery was, of course, the ridiculous acronym; among others, our fans suggested "S.C.A.R.E.D.," "A.F.R.A.I.D.," "C.H.U.C.K.N.O.R.R.I.S.," "M.e.a.t." and "S.A.U.S.A.G.E." (the fascination with food products was strange). Some of those avoiding acronyms were equally quirky, however; for example: "Little Miss Bloodshine," "Bloodbath Tycoon (for the mass market)," "Snake FIST," "Killdozer," and "N.O.L.F. 3."
LOL @ "C.H.U.C.K.N.O.R.R.I.S." as an acronymn name...
I wonder what the hell that would stand for....
Me, I could go for a NOLF 3 game to be made, myself.
I still need to finish NOLF 2.
IGN: Were any great names left behind? Could you tell us about a few and explain why they weren't chosen as finalists?
Skinner: It's hard to zero in on the best names that were not chosen. Another surprising aspect of the process is how little agreement there was at Monolith about what constitutes a "great name." For every name that had a strong support group, there were others on the team lined up against it. Just to throw out some names that had someone on the team advocating for them: "Rage," "Inhumane," "Aftermath," "Shroud," "Atrox," "Shattered." I could go on and on.
Okay.
IGN: Can you talk about the final three a bit, and maybe just explain why each was chosen as a finalist?
Skinner: First, we are confident that each of the three finalists would make a terrific name for our game and we are all excited to see what our fans decide. Here's a brief explanation of each of the names:
Dead Echo: Dead Echo is strong, clear and, from a narrative standpoint, very fitting for the game. It evokes catastrophic imagery while it also implies a blend of action, horror and unease.
Project Origin: A name taken from the disastrous Armacham program that created Alma. The terrible repercussions of Project Origin are only beginning to make themselves known in the sequel.
Dark Signal: An appropriate name for the sequel because Alma is emanating signals which the player can interpret through hallucinations and precognition. We can't elaborate on the appropriateness of the name without ruining the story, sorry.
Okay.
The next installment of Monolith's F.E.A.R., whatever it may be called, is expected in 2008 for PC, PS3, and Xbox 360.
I can't wait!!!
