Blacksite: Area 51 interview on morale and effective leadership

Posted May 7, 2007 at 7:05PM by QJ Staff Listed in: PS3, Xbox 360, PC Gaming Tags: Area 51, Harvey Smith, Midway Games
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The Tripods of BlackSite: Area 51 - Image 1


In an interview earlier this year, Harvey Smith of Midway Games had a thing or two to say about their upcoming BlackSite: Area 51 (PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, PC). To develop more on what he touch on before, he's back in another interview, this time with FiringSquad. One of the intriguing aspects of the game is its unique Morale system, which he previously explained as a system which affects how your team acts around you.

More on this, Smith elaborate just how exactly this Morale system plays out:

The game should react dynamically to three different scenarios. First, if the player runs into a combat situation, doesn't really fire his weapons much, doesn't issue squad commands, and just plays ineffectually, the squad starts to freak. They go through various stages of low morale. First they complain, then they start using more conservative tactics, taking cover more often, blind-firing from behind cover, and finally just going into a purely defensive stance... Scenario two revolves around the average player, not incredibly effective, but moderately skilled. Morale fluctuates a bit and the squad helps some. The third scenario involves the skilled player, making headshots, giving commands, focusing the squad's fire on one target, and working to avoid any squad mates going down. In this (high morale) state, the squad gets much more aggressive; team members run out into the firefight and melee, they inflict more damage, etc.


Ooh, that's a bit of a mouthful, however, at least, explained that way, it's actually making us reel in anticipation for the game's release (hopefully sometime this summer). Here's when we can finally distinguish the men from the bio-genetically engineered mice. It's part good leadership, part control, and part aggressiveness. Peter F. Drucker, step out of the way, please. Now for some reason, I'm reminded of Overlord... Either that or Kane & Lynch.

Click the Read link below for the full interview.

 
 
 

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