F.E.A.R. was one of the more innovative FPS games to come out last year. The blend of sci-fi and horror combined with some of the most intense combat on a beautiful new engine made it an instant hit. Almost a year later the expansion pack for the game is due out and we had a chance to talk with the producer of the game about what we can expect to see in the upcoming expansion pack.
GamingNexus: Can you introduce yourself and explain your role on the project? How long have you been in the game industry and how did you get started working on games?
Tim Hall, producer, Vivendi Games Universal. I’ve been in the industry for 11 years and started working in QA.
GamingNexus: Why the decision to go the expansion pack route vs. just starting on FEAR 2?
Tim Hall: The expansion pack allowed us to have the next installment of F.E.A.R. ready for this year and while it is an expansion pack it’s a long one.
GamingNexus: Can you give us a brief synopsis of the plot of the expansion pack?
Tim Hall: Extraction Point begins where F.E.A.R. left off with you on the helicopter getting out of the city. Needless to say everything goes horribly wrong and you are placed right back in the thick of it.
GamingNexus: How long after the first game does this take place? Can we assume that Alma survived and is not particularly happy?
Tim Hall: Extraction Point kicks off around 27 seconds after the first game ended. Alma is back and as much fun as ever but there are also a few new things you need to be afraid of.
GamingNexus: Is the new content exclusive to the expansion pack or will some of it be making its way to the Xbox 360 and PS3 ports of the game?
Tim Hall: Extraction Point is currently PC only.
GamingNexus: One of the few criticisms about the original game was the lack of different environments. Will there be any new environments or will the expansion pack continue the warehouse/office space theme?
Tim Hall: We did listen to the criticisms of the first game and we have several new environments in Extraction Point.
GamingNexus: Can you give us a count on the number of new weapons, levels, and any new powers that are in the game?
Tim Hall: All of the levels are new and we have 3 new weapons including a turret based grenade, a laser rifle and a minigun that really makes a mess of everything in it’s way.
GamingNexus: One of the great features about F.E.A.R was excellent AI. Enemies would take cover behind sofas, vending machines, etc. Have you tweaked the AI at all or is it the same core AI that was in the original game?
Tim Hall: We have done some more tweaking to the AI so they are even more proactive about getting into position to take you out and to stay alive.
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