Medal Of Honor: Airborne – Q&A

Well it looks like the Medal Of Honor news wagon just won’t stop rolling! Hot on the heels of the teaser trailer and video interview we brought you today, is this Q&A session carried out by Computer and Video Games with Airborne’s executive producer, Patrick Gilmore. The interview covers the reasons behind the teams decision to focus on the men of the 82nd Airborne, parachute drops, the introduction of non-linear, open design levels and weapon customization. Here are some of the more interesting bits:

CVG: You touched on the parachute jump aspect above – as we understand it, at the start of missions players will be able to parachute into any area of a map they want. Can you elaborate on that key part of the game for us?

Patrick Gilmore: We’re going for as seamless an experience as possible, from the airfield briefing to the plane, to the jump itself. As a player, you control everything a soldier would control – the actual exit from the plane, and the drop from that point forward. From the air, you will likely be able to see every objective in the operation, but the extent to which you can reach them will depend upon your exit point and the altitude of the jump. Apart from that, it is entirely up to the player to read the battlefield beneath him. He can go for a tower for sniping opportunities, steer after his squad to rally quickly on the ground, land in the heart of his primary objective for a direct (and usually extremely difficult) assault, land on rooftops, crash through windows, in alleys, on top of walls and on and on. The entire space is playable.

CVG: Is there any kind of squad element this time around?

Patrick Gilmore: The Affordance Engine which governs the AI will give NPCs a good understanding of the tactical value of the environment, and NPCs will adopt good support tactics like suppress-and-advance when it’s appropriate. Squads will be fluid and dynamic, with soldiers joining and assisting you in a free-form way much of the time. Other soldiers will know their jobs, and will not need to be commanded into position.

CVG: Well, we guess we should ask about weapons/firepower and equipment. What will we have access to in this regard? Is there a limit to what we can carry and what’s this we read about customisable weapons?

Patrick Gilmore: Allied soldiers did a lot of weapon modification. They filed down firing pins to improve firing rates, added compensators and special grips, slings and pads which added to weapon stability and accuracy, even duct-taped over/under weapons and extra cartridges to places they could access quickly, for faster reloads and more effective close combat.

And to think some of us were getting tired of World War 2 shooters!

Read the rest of the interview after the jump.

Well it looks like the Medal Of Honor news wagon just won’t stop rolling! Hot on the heels of the teaser trailer and video interview we brought you today, is this Q&A session carried out by Computer and Video Games with Airborne’s executive producer, Patrick Gilmore. The interview covers the reasons behind the teams decision to focus on the men of the 82nd Airborne, parachute drops, the introduction of non-linear, open design levels and weapon customization. Here are some of the more interesting bits:

CVG: You touched on the parachute jump aspect above – as we understand it, at the start of missions players will be able to parachute into any area of a map they want. Can you elaborate on that key part of the game for us?

Patrick Gilmore: We’re going for as seamless an experience as possible, from the airfield briefing to the plane, to the jump itself. As a player, you control everything a soldier would control – the actual exit from the plane, and the drop from that point forward. From the air, you will likely be able to see every objective in the operation, but the extent to which you can reach them will depend upon your exit point and the altitude of the jump. Apart from that, it is entirely up to the player to read the battlefield beneath him. He can go for a tower for sniping opportunities, steer after his squad to rally quickly on the ground, land in the heart of his primary objective for a direct (and usually extremely difficult) assault, land on rooftops, crash through windows, in alleys, on top of walls and on and on. The entire space is playable.

CVG: Is there any kind of squad element this time around?

Patrick Gilmore: The Affordance Engine which governs the AI will give NPCs a good understanding of the tactical value of the environment, and NPCs will adopt good support tactics like suppress-and-advance when it’s appropriate. Squads will be fluid and dynamic, with soldiers joining and assisting you in a free-form way much of the time. Other soldiers will know their jobs, and will not need to be commanded into position.

CVG: Well, we guess we should ask about weapons/firepower and equipment. What will we have access to in this regard? Is there a limit to what we can carry and what’s this we read about customisable weapons?

Patrick Gilmore: Allied soldiers did a lot of weapon modification. They filed down firing pins to improve firing rates, added compensators and special grips, slings and pads which added to weapon stability and accuracy, even duct-taped over/under weapons and extra cartridges to places they could access quickly, for faster reloads and more effective close combat.

And to think some of us were getting tired of World War 2 shooters!

Read the rest of the interview after the jump.