Action Trip - 19 April 02
No One Lives Forever 2 Interview
ActionTrip: Well, we've all heard of the new Jupiter engine, so let's
start with that. Give us a basic overview of the improvements over
the previous LithTech code. Will it be less of a hardware hog and to
what extent? Relatively speaking naturally...
Kevin Stephens, Director of Engineering: The new Jupiter engine
includes quite a few improvements. First, the rendering pipeline has
been completely rewritten allowing the designers to create levels with
30 times the detail of NOLF 1. We've also created new particle systems
used for snow, explosions, fire, weapon fx and debris; revamped our water
system to support cubic environment maps and non-rectangular shapes;
and added numerous new texture blending capabilities including support
for multiple u,v coordinates (smoother transitions between textures),
two types of bump mapping, improved detail textures and decals.
In addition, we've updated our models to support dynamic animation sets
(which allows us to have many more animation variations), improved model
node control (which allow the AI to turn their head, eyes, and torso
and track moving objects like the player), and added movement encoding
to prevent sliding AI (the AIs movement is tied to the animation so it
looks correct.). We've also added support for phoneme-based lip-syncing,
which greatly improves the look of talking characters. Finally, the size
of our models has been compressed which helps them to load faster and
take up less memory.
IGN -
25 March 02
British femme fatale and superspy moonlighter Cate Archer is back in
the 60s saddle with No One Lives Forever 2. Screens and more hands-on
impressions included.
Monolith may have originally built its name up from the Blood of
the damned and the crushed hulks of anime influenced giant
robots. But it wasn't until No
One Lives Forever that the company proved with a ferocious certainty
that it was on the scene and here to stay. All of its previous efforts
paled in comparison to that game and its suave mix of humor, intrigue,
campy style, and classic, but always comically accented action.
But in the land of silver lining there must be rain. And if there were
but one gripe gamers had about No One Lives Forever, it would
surely be centered around the then still unproven LithTech technology
behind the glitz and glamour. Garnering mixed results from players the
world over, that iteration of the LithTech engine met with praise for
its myriad of animations, crisp and detailed environments, and light-hearted
appeal. But with as many blessings, there was an equal amount of scorn.
Most complained of seemingly incomprehensible performance issues, even
on the most mighty of machines. Whatever your personal stance may have
been, throw it the heck out the darn window because LithTech's latest
Jupiter engine is here, and so is No One Lives Forever 2.
Foremost, because I too had issues with some problematic framerates
in the original NOLF (apparently a problem linked to mouse movement),
the clip this time around is already pleasantly smooth. Obviously, detail
settings on the version I both played and viewed were turned as far up
as they could go. Even at these levels, the early pre-alpha build displayed
demonstrated ne'er a hiccup or stutter. A testament to the engine no
doubt, as even normal beta products reel in agony at the slightest over
extension of their capabilities. Granted, a few glitches and blatant
performance degraded bugs were present at present, but casual play seemed
far improved over the original. No wonder, considering Jupiter is a completely
rewritten piece of code...
IGN -
21 March 02
Hands-On No One Lives Forever 2 - LithTech makes a showing of its latest
technology with Monolith's scrumptious pride and joy running point.
The Game Developers Conference does not have the glitz, glamour, and
obscene amount of games that come hand-in-hand with other marquee events
such as the much vaunted Electronic Entertainment Expo that annually
graces the smoggy land of LA every May, or the Arkansas Tri-County Pig
Fair. What the GDC does have, is its fair share of technology. This is,
after all, the single largest opportunity for developers to get in touch
with other developers and unrestrictedly showoff their latest and greatest
with intentions of building relationships and selling products. None
of the monetary and business card exchanges that transpire here interest
you or me. No, we are all present and accounted for because of an entirely
different reason... The booze. But in between all the binge drinking
under the blinding San Jose sun we're also afforded the opportunity to
enjoy some of the games on display that come as demonstrations of the
actual technology at hand. They have to have something to show off all
of this rich technical goodness. We just happen to get to capitalize
off it...
Game
Pen - UGO - 21 March 02
Get your fill of Lith
LithTech Reigns at the Game Developer's Conference Company Debuts
Jupiter, the Technology Behind the Sequel to The Operative: No One Lives
Forever
KIRKLAND, Wash.--(ENTERTAINMENT WIRE)--March 20, 2001--LithTech announced
today their plans for this year's show. In booth #1518, LithTech
will be holding half-hour theatre sessions featuring Intel technology,
the No One Lives Forever team, Zombie Studios, and Flying Lab software
along with company experts.
Sessions topics will include: ``Inside the IntelŪ PentiumŪ 4 Processor''
by William Damon of Intel; ``The Making of The Operative: No One Lives
Forever 2'' by Samantha Ryan, producer at Monolith Productions; ``Advantages
of Licensing Technology to Create Leading Titles'' by Zombie Studios
CEO, Mark Long; ``How LithTech Allows Developers to Focus on Fun'' by
LithTech CEO, Jeff Hutt; and previews of LithTech's next generation tools
and technology, with LithTech engineer Jonathan Branham. A full
schedule can be found at http://www.lithtech.com/corporate/gdcschedule.asp.
LithTech will also feature the latest titles and technology at eight
demo stations in the booth. A few examples are: Aliens Vs. Predator(TM)
2, Computer Gaming World's Action and Multiplayer Game of the Year; Global
Ops(TM) by Crave Entertainment; Delta Green(TM) by Flying Lab Software
and the LithTech Jupiter system, the foundation for the sequel to The
Operative: No One Lives Forever.
Computer
and Video Games - 13 Jan 02
NO ONE LIVES FOREVER 2
Cate Archer's back to right the wrongs wrought by her first game * Shaken
not stirred Mark Hill
The original No One Lives Forever was a subject of some controversy
when it was released early last year. But it had nothing to do with in-game
violence. It's because we thought it was rubbish.
In theory, it should have worked a treat. James Bond gadgets in a tongue-in-cheek
Austin Powers-like setting with a similar feel to Soldier Of Fortune
sounded like a dream ticket. But, somehow, it all fell apart in the execution.
Of course, many disagreed with us. Where we saw rubbish AI and repetitive
and simplistic levels, some of you saw great AI and superlative graphics.
But the real reason there's a sequel has very little to do with quality
anyway. The first game sold very well, and that automatically qualifies
it for a second run-out. And what a sequel it promises to be. Monolith
has recently raised the bar in first-person shooters with Aliens Vs Predator
2, and we have every reason to believe they will realize the full potential
of the superspy setting this time round. Especially when they have stated
that they are "aiming to create an engrossing, original, cohesive
experience in the spirit of No One Lives Forever, but not necessarily
in its image."
Once again you take on the role of the curvy Cate Archer, fighting the
evil organization HARM and averting the end of the world. The latest
high-end LithTech engine, going by the name of Jupiter, will guarantee
a stunning visual experience, but it's in the gameplay and AI that we're
expecting the most significant improvements. Rather than the ultra-linear
move 'n' shoot experience of the original, NOLF 2 (or The Operative 2:
No One Lives Forever as it's apparently to be known) includes a much
greater emphasis on stealth. Avoiding enemies will be an integral part
of the game, and to aid you in that task Monolith is introducing the
ability to lean around corners and disappear into hiding places. The
levels will certainly lose their cardboard-box appearance and should
offer the kind of interactive environment Deus Ex would be proud of.
Not only can you create a disturbance (by, for example, knocking a bottle
or startling a pigeon), you can even unscrew light bulbs to create darkened
areas. It might not have the beardy appeal of putting out torches with
water arrows in Thief II, but it could start a lot of "how many
Quake players does it take...?" jokes. The main improvement though,
should be in the enemies, who are more intelligent and react far more
convincingly. That should make them more satisfying to kill, don't you
think? We don't think we'll be disappointed again. Mark Hill
Game
Spy Daily - 12 Nov 01
New NOLF 2 Images
LithTech gives up the goods on three new game development systems -
plus new NOLF 2 screens! | hardcore_pawn
LithTech has announced three brand
new game development systems this morning. Get the full
details on the Jupiter,
Talon and Cobalt systems here in the official press release and also
enjoy these brand new images from NOLF 2 (which uses these new systems.)
Get in touch with 3DActionPlanet for
more on the game. |
