

Images of BIA: Hell's Highway
2008-08-15 13:14:41 by Manager
Ubisoft released some images today concentrating on teamwork in Brothers in Arms: Hell's Highway. The game seems still to be on track for a release in late September on Xbox 360, Playstation 3 and PC.
Update: Trailer added.
Ubisoft Q&A/Press release:
1) BIA is known for its great Squad command system. Can you tell us a bit more about how it’s going to work in BIA HH?
Randy Pitchford: Brothers in Arms introduced a new way to think about working with a squad. The goal from the beginning is about accessibility – about making the interface work for you intuitively. For Hell’s Highway, we’ve taken some time since the last Brothers in Arms games to think about how the system can work better and to listen to players who have loved what we did and have challenged us to go even farther. This culminates to the best Brothers in Arms game ever made – by a wide margin.
We have established the system with the two previous games and expanded it in very interesting ways for players who are looking for new depth. We can do that without forcing any complexity for any users who may actually prefer if things were more simple to use.
The command system still remains as simple as shooting your gun, aiming at something and triggering the command button. If you're aiming at the ground, your command is "Move to that position!" If you're aiming at an enemy, your command is "Attack that enemy!"
Some of these orders are contextual and will vary depending of what you’re aiming at. A sandbag cover for example is something that you can destroy with your bazooka crew. In that case, the command ring will change and indicating that you can blow up this cover.
2) Just how advanced is the friendly and enemy AI in Hell’s Highway?
Randy Pitchford: How advanced is the AI – well... We’ve invested a LOT in it. The game relies heavily on the decisions of the AI, so it not only has to have a good, fair awareness of what is going on around each decision maker, but it must have really interesting things to do with each decision the AI makes. It’s become amazingly natural, but super sophisticated over the years. The more sophisticated the AI gets, the more simple and natural (human) it appears in the game.
3) We see during some parts of the game you’ll be without your team. How does this break down?
Randy Pitchford: In Hell’s Highway, the story sometimes separates Sgt. Baker from his squad. This is true for about 15% or so of the game. It’s great for variety – really changes the feeling and the game play. It’s also great for the story telling for reasons I don’t want to spoil. Another interesting side effect is that it reminds you how much better it is to play a first person action game with a squad that you have control over – it really makes us feel how shallow a lot of our shooting gallery experiences are with traditional first person shooters.










Since 777 Days
2008-08-15 11:28:47 Images of BIA: Hell's Highway
Hooray! It's back to looking decent again, after the horrible jagfest of the last batch.
Not that it's over a year and a half late or anything. Although Randy Pitchford has a gamerscore of 72,000, so I think we know why it took so long!
Since 853 Days
2008-08-15 11:54:24
Looking pretty nice.
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Admin on www.YaguchiMari.org || Owns PS3+X360 || Beatmania IIDX player - DJ DAO FP7-Sanwa+Omron - IIDX GOLD!
Since 202 Days
2008-08-15 12:48:05
looks awesome, i just wish they put as much effort into the facial animations..which are stiff, to none existant. Very strange when one of their main aims was to have the player invest in the personalitys of characters and the effects of war has on their emotions.
Also i notice that when you're in 3rd person and barking orders your face is completely blank, they've not even bothered lip syncing.
Other than those noticable gripes this game looks good. And with 22player multiplayer it should have some interesting layers to it
Since 728 Days
2008-08-15 13:08:01
Looks too good doesn't it?
Since 1753 Days
2008-08-15 13:25:40
Good that it's coming out in September, too many games to buy and finish before then! But yeah, I'm a huge BIA nut, so I can't wait for more improved squad AI and enemy AI.
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I swear to you if I even feel someone behind me ther's no measure to how fast I will bring this fight to your doorstep.
- Jason Bourne
Since 406 Days
2008-08-15 15:18:18
playing a wargame that has a setting in my own country! They did a great job at capturing the dutch atmosphere and I'm glad to see that the screens are back on the right track.
Since 202 Days
2008-08-15 16:12:27
wasnt impressed with the texture quality in that vid..has to be said.
Since 1004 Days
2008-08-15 16:34:54
The caps could be the PC version? If not, looks very good
Since 209 Days
2008-08-15 17:02:51
I'm not all that impressed by the graphics really. For a game that's going for gritty realism, the charachter models seem lacking on detail.
As for the rest of the environment, It all looks a bit... 'gamey'.
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Protect my balls!
Since 648 Days
2008-08-15 17:07:10
lol come on, we all know by now that Ubi always releases bullshots :P
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"Criticism comes easier than craftsmanship" (~400 BC)
Since 583 Days
2008-08-15 18:12:42
looking NICE. the grass and environments in general look great, as do the characters. the ONLY thing letting it down that i can see is the lip syncing. but its only a minor thing really considering how good everything else seems to look and play.
Since 819 Days
2008-08-15 18:26:45 In reply to Zeuxis (2008-08-15 17:07:10)
As for small issues, seeing that this game has changed ridicuously much for the last few months, many of them will be fixed.
BTW no HD videos?
Since 862 Days
2008-08-15 18:37:46
Surely PC screenshots - I've yet to see either console draw grass that dense and that far.
Since 1753 Days
2008-08-16 04:33:56 In reply to VN1X (2008-08-15 17:02:51)
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I swear to you if I even feel someone behind me ther's no measure to how fast I will bring this fight to your doorstep.
- Jason Bourne
Since 615 Days
2008-08-19 01:52:37 In reply to citizenx (2008-08-15 18:37:46)