Factor 5’s Julian Eggebrecht on developing Lair for PS3

 Sony has high hopes for Factor 5‘s action game Lair. Teeming with dragons, the title’s been looking better and better with every update – it’s nearing console mover status. When you really think about it, the PS3 can be likened to dragons – both are immensely  and show great potential and yet both are not that well-received by the masses (well that’s how dragons are usually portrayed). Factor 5’s efforts seem to be harnessing both with this project though, fusing a powerful machine with elements from an equally powerful folklore creature.

In an interview with Game Informer, Factor 5 president Julian Eggebrecht revealed that Lair is about 80-90% complete, although he admitted that the “last 10% are actually the hardest ones—because theyÂ’re going to make the game really perfect or not so.” Still, they’re not about to miss the set spring deadline and he promised that the game will be ready by then. Here are some important gameplay-related tidbits in the interview:

Lair doesn’t have a shooter weapon on the ground, so you’re not running around with a character who basically would have a gun running around and shooting like crazy. When youÂ’re the guy on the ground, itÂ’s merely to get to the dragon. ItÂ’s more to give the feeling that you really are that person, because you try to flee.

You are an Air Force pilot, by the way. Fly, dragon rider!

Sony has high hopes for Factor 5‘s action game Lair. Teeming with dragons, the title’s been looking better and better with every update – it’s nearing console mover status. When you really think about it, the PS3 can be likened to dragons – both are immensely  and show great potential and yet both are not that well-received by the masses (well that’s how dragons are usually portrayed). Factor 5’s efforts seem to be harnessing both with this project though, fusing a powerful machine with elements from an equally powerful folklore creature.

In an interview with Game Informer, Factor 5 president Julian Eggebrecht revealed that Lair is about 80-90% complete, although he admitted that the “last 10% are actually the hardest ones—because theyÂ’re going to make the game really perfect or not so.” Still, they’re not about to miss the set spring deadline and he promised that the game will be ready by then. Here are some important gameplay-related tidbits in the interview:

Lair doesn’t have a shooter weapon on the ground, so you’re not running around with a character who basically would have a gun running around and shooting like crazy. When youÂ’re the guy on the ground, itÂ’s merely to get to the dragon. ItÂ’s more to give the feeling that you really are that person, because you try to flee. You are an air force pilot, right, controlling these dragons. Usually, these guys are not perfect Navy SEALS who can basically fight off a horde of people, either. So, in the end, you just need to get to your dragon. It’s a large creature, so what you now get is a lot of weight of the creature still, but the cool thing about having a video game is we can over-emphasize reality a little bit. So when the dragon latches onto humans, basically, we zoom in with the camera to give you close ups, and we actually do time jumps, a little bit Matrix inspired, where basically you get to engage with your enemies a little faster. Outside of that, itÂ’s traditional melee combat with the added incentive of eating people.

Another notable thing about Lair is that it’s currently billed to be one of the first PS3 games to fully maximize the PS3’s hardware, graphics and control-wise. So when asked on how it feels like shifting to SIXAXIS tilting technology from the PS2’s DualShock controller, Eggebrecht answered:

There are subtle improvements, which I think were very important. The shape is not exactly the same, with slight differences. When there were discussions going around about the controllers, what I was pushing for most were the triggers, I remember, and that was kind of a no-brainer that they would put it in—the triggers and the motion control, obviously. Everything else is great. If you look at the controller, it’s very symmetric, in terms of feeling, and that’s very Japanese. Sony of Japan feels strongly about it, and rightfully so—it’s important. I think it makes it easier to adapt to the controller than any out there.

So, what do you think? Will Lair be the Dragon that’ll breathe life in to the heart of PS3?