Lobe clash. The Medal of Honor series enters into open confrontation with Call of Duty: Modern Warfare

WHAT? Reloading the Medal of Honor series in the new setting: events unfold in modern Afghanistan.

WHERE? Los Angeles, California, Ea La Studio.

Flagship Series of Military Judges Electronic Arts The first serious failure ended three years ago – Medal of Honor: Airborne. Then Activision She triumphantly restarted the series Call of Duty , adding a subtitle to her Modern Warfare and actually solely closing the theme of the Second World War ( Call of Duty: World at War I could not catch up with MW for sales). Together with Modern Warfare, a whole era ended: it became clear that the big AAA shutters from now on occurring these days. In 2008, interests Electronic Arts In the genre of "Modern School" represented a console Battlefield: Bad Company , In 2009 Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 there was no direct competitor at all – all potential opponents prudently stepped aside.

Looking at the astronomical sales of Modern Warfare, the Electronic Arts made two decisions: one is obvious, the other is logical. Firstly, Medal of Honor, like many other games in 2009, was reloaded. The second world is forgotten, the game takes place today, talks about the exploits of American soldiers in Afghanistan and has a harsh age rating M (for the first time in the history of Medal of Honor). Secondly, the development Harry’s Casino of the project was entrusted to two studios at once: the same-user campaign is busy EA Los Angeles , which has been serving the series since 2002, and the multi -user component is entrusted to the creators Battlefield – Studios EA Dice.

Double load

We met with the executive producer Greg Gudrich and creative director Rich Farrelli from Ea Los Angeles to find out how they are going to restart the game, without which neither Call of Duty or long-lasting fashion for WW2 players would happen.

“The series Medal of Honor lives and breathes in Los Angeles, so it is natural that the development of the single was entrusted to us,” begins Hudrich. – But DICE is a world -class developer, one of the leaders of the industry is regarding multiplayer jumper. Therefore, to entrust them with multiplayer was just as natural. Each team is engaged in what knows how to do best of all. ".

At the same time, Dice and EA LA are not isolated from each other: according to Farrelli, the developers from the Los Angeles department regularly play with the Swedes in the multiplayer, and then they say that they did not like it. Dice is similar to the already ready-made single-levels. “Everything should be agreed in the game,” Greg explains. – In the single and in the multiplayer there will be the same world, the same characters, the same game mechanics … We do not hide the fact that one product makes two teams – on the contrary, we consider this a dignity! That is, the difference between them, of course, will be: in tuning, in the speed of reloading, in some little things that are important for each of the modes. But the single and multiplayer will look and play like Medal of Honor, and not like, say, Battlefield – that's for sure ”.

Когда в воздухе впервые звучит неизбежное словосочетание «Call of Duty», Гудрич и Фарелли морщатся. They are politically correctly admitted that they are closely monitoring COD and “other competing series” and, of course, are large fans of Infinity Ward. Greg and Rich intend to return the Medal of Honor the title of the flagship of the genre and consider the main trumps of the new game its authenticity and the general respect of the developers towards the elite special forces fighting in Afghanistan.

Combat merits

In the previous series Medal of Honor, the authors attempted to positively affect the genre of a military shooter

Medal of Honor: Allied Assault (2002)

Thanks to the Allied Assault (developed by the studio 2015 , The former employees of which later formed Infinity Ward) formed the genre of the cinematic shooter, and at the same time the endless fashion for the second world. Then no one imagined that on the engine Quake 3: Arena You can convincingly reproduce the landing in Normandy!

Medal of Honor: Pacific Assault (2004)

The authors tried to instill in the Pacific Assault, dedicated to the events of the battle of Pearl Harbor. Which, however, we used exclusively to call a walking first -aid kit.

Medal of Honor: Airborne (2007)

In the first Medal of Honor for the current generation consoles (as well as PC), the authors tried to radically change the game mechanics: six huge levels, at each of which it was possible to land at any point in the card (tasks were allowed to perform in any sequence). Unfortunately, deep in the heart of Airborne was the same linear ww2 shuther.

In black "Apachi"

“With the word“ Afghanistan ”, the player probably imagines something lifeless and deserted,” says Gudrich. – But besides the deserts in our game, there will be beautiful river plains, and a plateau, and all kinds of cities and villages. We have never regretted what Afghanistan has determined as a setting: a very diverse topography, a lot of visual information in the frame … there was something to choose from the construction of levels!"

Although in the center of the plot of the game – the exploits of a small group of operatives (the elites of the American special forces, performing the most delicate and risky tasks), Hudrich confirmed that in some missions Medal of Honor can be played for representatives of traditional military units and manage heavy equipment (including by helicopter "Apachi").

“When we are talking about authenticity, do not think that realism is meant here,” Farrelli enters. – These are different things! By authenticity, we mean the following: we consult with our special forces and try to accurately reproduce all those small details that will make the player feel in the skin of the operative. But at the same time, we make an entertaining product, not the simulator, we are not interested in complex physics and the exact flight path of each bullet … We just want to build a fairly bright and reliable world ”. In other words, Medal of Honor is still an attraction, not a tactical special forces shooter.

Elite special forces and Mujahideen in the new Medal of Honor look the same: these are gloomy bearded men in a turban. How to distinguish your own from strangers in single and especially in multiplayer? “Well, in the game we use different types of clothes and equipment,” says Rich. – We have already made many jokes of this type and know how to change the silhouettes of characters, so that it is easier for the player to recognize his own; We work with animation and sound accompaniment. Our fighters and insurgents use different types of weapons that sound different. This, by the way, is the whole charm of the game: you are operatives on enemy territory, you are cut off from the main forces and act at your own peril and risk … ”Greg adds:“ I play the Medal of Honor every day, and still, and still, Having wrapped around the corner, I accidentally shoot my partners! That's how everything happens in reality, in real operations ".

Hudrich cannot yet say exactly how many missions will be in a single -user campaign: the game is still at an early stage of development. “In the last Wednesday, we finished the first working version for the PS3, so … after the break, testing will begin, we will turn MOH 1.0 in MOH 2.0 and 3.0. Making a beautiful game is very easy – but high -quality … "

His name is cowboy

The real prototype of bearded elite operatives Medal of Honor

Captured in the picture above the cowboy – a member of the US forces of special purpose, participating in the hostilities in 2002, posing for Life magazine and rolled up on North Afghanistan on an ATV. It is easy to guess what exactly the cowboy decorates the Medal of Honor cover (and the current Gamemen number). In response to the question: “How do you intend to shake the gameplay of a military cinematic shooter?" – in Ea LA, they answer in all seriousness:“ We have a fighting beard!"

From home to house

The game uses Unreal Engine 3 again (on which Medal of Honor: Airborne was built. “As can be seen from the trailer and screenshots, we squeeze from the technology a maximum of PC, PS3 and Xbox 360,” Rich assures. – This is an improved and modified version compared to Airborne. Why Unreal Engine, not Frostbyte (Battlefield engine: Bad Company.- approx. "Gambling")? Everything is simple: we know this technology very well and it is very convenient to work on different platforms with it ".

Like Call of Duty, the new Medal of Honor primarily puts on diversity: sniper duels in the mountains, protracted shootings at medium distances, close battle (knives are used) in nightmares urban conditions … "Our consultants say that the choice of weapons is determined the nature of the mission, – explains Farrelli. – This is especially noticeable at the city levels: a fight on the roofs, a fight on the street, a fight in narrow winding seals … In the open space you can safely take a position and choose a target, and in the city you are literally running through the opponents, everything happens very quickly. The main thing is to be able to break through to the goal of the mission!"

Greg adds: “When you sit on a plane or helicopter, the fighting distance increases even more. Air Force operations are designed to knock down the rhythm after several feverish missions for special forces ".

The developers have not yet been distributed about the behavior of insurgents – as well as whether civilians will be present on the battlefield (which are so convenient to use as living shields). So far, it is only known that we will fight with al-Qaeda, and these guys always change tactics. “Now in Afghanistan there are completely different clashes than at the beginning of the war. Our guys also constantly change the strategy, adapt to the opponent … All this is reflected in the game ".

Despite all the topics of the subject, fate Six Days in Fallujah Medal of Honor is definitely not threatening: real historical events in the game will not be reflected, the developers call MOH “historical fixed”: “Yes, we were inspired by the events that are taking place in Afghanistan, read literature, talked with consultants. But this is by no means a documentary game!"

* * *

EA La is not even trying to pretend that their project will somehow change the landscape of a modern military shooter. This is a topical (in many ways) product on a fashionable modern topic, devoid of any hints of innovation in the game mechanics (if you forget about Afghanistan and discussions about the honor of the modern special forces, Hudrich and Farrelli in similar expressions could describe Medal of Honor: Allied Assault ). On a multiplayer from Dice, of course, you can rely. But what a story campaign will look like today is hard to say today. The devil with her, with originality, with Call of Duty must compete with cinematography, production, scope! Will it be as interesting to shoot insurgents in Afghanistan as to protect America from Russians – we will find out this year.

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