February 3, 2006

Syphon Filter’s John Garvin talks about the newest adventure, coming soon to a PSP near you
By Michael Lafferty

“The game engine was prototyped on the PS2 so we always had the expectation that the PSP could do great things in terms of graphics and sound, and we were right.”

At the risk of sounding cliché … he’s back. Gabe Logan, the tough-talking, gun-slinging special operative that is a boon to the IPCA and a bane to any one linked with terrorism is leading the charge of the newest Syphon Filter title, Dark Mirror.

In some ways, this is a return to the game’s PSOne days, when Gabe, Lian and company jumped into hot spots and solved the multitude of problems threatening the world. But don’t think this is too familiar in terms of territory. The SCEA team in Bend, Ore., the creators and masterminds behind the franchise, has a few tricks up their sleeve when it comes to the newest entry.

The fourth title in the series, The Omega Strain, was ensconced on PlayStation 2 and allowed players to create their own operative. The line was slightly blurred between single player and multiplayer, allowing players to team up with others to accomplish missions in multiplayer. That is in the past. Syphon Filter is on a new platform, but with some elements that harken to a former time as well as elements that will delight both old fans of the series and those who have yet to experience it.

Just what is this all about? Well, for that GameZone turned to John Garvin, Syphon Filter’s creative director.

Question: Does this title build on (as in continue) the franchise from SF 1, 2 and 3 or Omega Strain or is this an adventure that takes place apart from those titles but within the same universe and structure as previous titles?

John: “Syphon Filter Dark Mirror is an all-new story in the continuing Syphon Filter universe. Fans of the series will recognize familiar names: Gabe Logan, Lian Xing, Teresa Lipan, Lawerence Mujari, Stone, and Alima Haddad. These are all Precision Strike Operatives in the IPCA (International Presidential Consulting Agency), which is a front for a black box, covert Agency run by Gabe Logan. The Agency specializes in Precision Strikes: missions that are too sensitive for traditional military forces, too dangerous for standard intelligence organizations. Dark Mirror has a bonus mission (that can be unlocked by completing the 4 training missions), which ties up some loose ends from The Omega Strain, including the fate of Mara Aramov and Elsa Weissenger.

“This is the fifth game in the series and over the course of the last 10 years the characters and their relationships have evolved. From the beginning, I have been able to see the story and characters develop consistently: how many other action / shooter games out there have this kind of history and background? It is one of the things that makes Syphon Filter unique. This time I developed the story with the help of Connie Booth, the Director of Product Development at SCEA, who has also been involved with the franchise since day one. Between the two of us, we know these characters inside and out, and we've come up with some interesting twists. Fans of the series are in for some surprises this time, and players new to the game have the opportunity to jump on at a new starting point.”

Q: What will make the single-player experience different from previous titles in the series? Does the game meld single player and multiplayer or are the entities completely separate?

John: We have evolved the core gameplay mechanics in single-player to focus more on taking cover and precision aiming. We've taken things like the signature Syphon Filter ‘headshot’ for instance, to the next level. For example, you can take a ‘knee shot’ to slow down an enemy, or to knock them down so you can get an easier headshot. Use of cover is also huge in the game. Ron Allen, our game play lead designer (who has been with the franchise since Syphon Filter 2), calls Dark Mirror ‘a cover-based tactical shooter.’

“We are truly defining that genre for the PSP. No game has that on the PSP and we are the first.   There hasn't been many games on any platform that push covered fighting: most push cover tactics for stealth purposes. We push it for action. Snap to wall, peek shoot. Snap to low cover, peek up and shoot. That is a theme that is used throughout the game. You can still run and gun if you want to: one of our controller options allows you to enable target lock for pistols. All of the new game mechanics, moves, weapons, and actions are usable in both single player and multiplayer. Unlike The Omega Strain, where we tried to make the single player and multiplayer games identical, Dark Mirror has completely separate game modes. We have Story Mode, which allows you to play the 25+ missions back-to-back, in order with no interruptions. As you complete missions in Story Mode, you unlock them in Mission Mode (see below). In multiplayer you can play completely new maps in a variety of game modes, including ‘objective mode’ which pits teams of players against each as they try to accomplish objectives that place them at cross purposes.”

Q: Are there new weapons or technologies introduced in Dark Mirror?

John: “Much of Syphon Filter: Dark Mirror revolves around Gabe's new weapon, the MB 150. This is an experimental Agency rifle that carries multiple types of ammo: Standard 6mm sniper rounds, X34 gas darts, EDT taser darts, and explosive darts. Figuring out how and where to use the darts is a lot of fun because they allow you to take out enemies silently, taking out two at a time, etc. In Mission Mode you can work on your ‘Elite Weapons Expert’ rating: this rating has four ranks. As you achieve new ranks, you unlock more darts. In multiplayer we have EMP grenades, which can be used to thwart the enemy team by pausing critical timers; also, MP has three types of mines that can be planted.”

Q: What is the basic premise of the game? How many levels will players have to work through and will they be able to accomplish character growth much like in Omega Strain or do you have something else in store for them?

John: “There are more than 25 levels in Dark Mirror. Unlike Syphon Filter: The Omega Strain, where you created your own character, Syphon Filter: Dark Mirror is all about Gabe Logan. We've returned the focus of the game to creating the experience of being the world's foremost covert agent. You start out with an arsenal of weapons, elite abilities, and some huge problems to solve. We have kept some of the character growth elements, however, because we liked the replayability that Agency ratings offered. Mission Mode, for example, allows the player to replay each of the missions as often as they want. We keep track of stats for stealth kills, knife kills, MB 150 dart kills, ‘environment’ kills, and head shots. There are six Agency ratings (4 ranks each) you can work on which unlock new weapons, bonus missions, etc. Mission Mode is where a lot of Dark Mirror's replayability comes in: many levels can be played using stealth, for example, but maybe the first time you played the mission you wanted to run-and-gun it; now you can try to stealth your way through.”

Q: Tell us a little about the multiplayer modes. Will there be co-op play? How do the online maps differ from the single-player maps? Does multiplayer rely heavily on stock modes such as Death Match or have you added some twists to the game-play to enhance the experience?

John: “Syphon Filter: Dark Mirror multiplayer focuses on PVP. Scott Youngblood (the lead designer for Tribes) has created a special game mode that we call Objective Mode. This is an evolution of the kind of team-based game play that we focused on in The Omega Strain: a team of agents is pitted against a team of terrorists, and given competing objectives that must be completed in order to win. For example, one mission is set at the Tuzla Munitions, an abandoned weapons plant in Bosnia. The Agency team and the Red Section team are both there to obtain hidden DU (depleted uranium) canisters. Each team has to collect 3 DU and safely return them to a truck on their side of the map. Things are complicated in that only the commanders can move the DU's without becoming contaminated. However, with the health kit mechanic it is possible for two players working together (one carrying, one healing the person carrying the du) to move DU's without dying. (at least until their health kits run out.) EMP grenades can be used to block DU extraction by disabling the enemy's EDSU goggles (which are required to be ON to extract the DU containers.) So both teams, in addition to ‘eliminate the other team’ objective, are fighting to protect their trucks, to find and extract DU (which can also be stolen from each other). The Tuzla map, while based on the terrain from the single-player game, has been completely redesigned for multiplayer to insure that it is balanced and fair to both teams.

“In addition to Objective Mode, you can also play team death-match, free-for-all death-match, and Rogue Agent games on the map:

• Team Deathmatch: Pits two teams against each other, one team plays as the agency, the other team as the opposition team for the chosen level. Each team has one goal... kill the other team to reach the score limit first.

• Free-For-All Deathmatch: Every agent is own his own, the rules are simple kill or be killed. The agent who reaches the score limit first or who has the highest score when time expires will be the victor.

• Rogue-Agent: Rogue agent mode pits one agent at a time against everyone else. To score points you must first become the rogue agent by obtaining the rogue agent credentials. Then, you must eliminate all opposition for as long as you can. When you kill the Rogue agent you can take the credentials from his body and become the Rogue Agent. Only as the Rogue Agent can you accumulate a positive score.”

Q: Tell us how difficult it was to tailor the control scheme to create a rich experience on the platform?

John: “Not as difficult as you would think. We've all read about how difficult it is to design a good controller without the second analog stick, and while it would have been nice, I think you can design a game that is fun to play just fine without it. I played lots of games, from the PS1 and before, that got along fine with no analog sticks. The main thing we wanted to focus on was customization. Even on the dev team we all have different opinions as to the best controller for playing the game, so we wanted to make sure we offered enough controller options to please everyone, and we have.

“For example, I personally like the default of ‘basic’ controller: this control scheme lets you move with the analog stick and aim with the face buttons, which basically simulates a second analog stick. This scheme works surprisingly well. For some of the guys, though, the face buttons don't offer enough fine control over where they are aiming. Darren Yager, our producer and production design lead, uses the ‘Advanced’ controller which reveres the buttons and stick: you move with the face buttons and aim with the stick. We also offer a completely different control scheme which emulates one of the more popular shooters on the PSP, to accommodate players who might be used to a more target lock centric control system. Also, you can adjust and fine tune pitch speed, acceleration, and more.”

Q: In reading about the game, it seems the AI has been tweaked a bit. Exactly what did you do? Did any other game-play elements undergo tweaking - such as graphics or the audio presentation?

John: “Everything about the game has been enhanced and improved. Chris Reese, co-director of the studio and Technical Director, and the engineering team, have done a phenomenal job of creating technology for the PSP which is competitive with the PS2, both in terms of the graphics and game-play. The AI, for instance, is very sophisticated. For example, the player has a whole new set of options for using cover: they can snap to walls, corners, and low objects, then peek and shoot from cover. Our AI will use the exact same tactics dynamically: everything depends on what the player is doing. They provide covering fire for each other. They'll warn each other and call for backup. If they lose sight of you they'll go into search mode until they find you.

“The game engine was prototyped on the PS2 so we always had the expectation that the PSP could do great things in terms of graphics and sound, and we were right. We're pushing the limits of what the platform can do with custom particle effects, lighting, light haze and bloom fx, and texture effects. Rag-doll physics are a lot of fun: shoot a sniper on a high rooftop and watch him flail as he falls, or blow up a terrorist with your explosive dart and watch the creative ways he can land in a heap. We have a fully interactive music system, with original music composed by Mark Snow, Jonathan Mayer, and Lior Rosner, the vocals recorded by a live choir. And we have full voiceover that brings back all the voice talent we used in The Omega Strain.”

Q: What do you believe will be the most compelling elements of this game that will draw in gamers?

John: “A lot of things. The missions are very diverse and fun to play, constantly mixing up the action. As gamers, we hate being forced to do the same thing over and over, so we try to change up the gameplay on every mission, while building up the way core gameplay elements are used. For example, in the first mission, players have to take out a sniper, keep a distillation column from blowing up, kill a million Red Section soldiers, do some exploring, and then protect Lian, using the sniper rifle, as she completes her objectives. We have a few of these ‘buddy’ scenarios in the game, and each of them play out slightly different. In the first mission you can give Lian commands to ‘move’ or ‘take cover;’ in a later mission, you command Lian to give you covering fire; in a much later mission, Gabe is saddled with a shell shocked UN soldier who has to be told when to run or hide.

“The weapons and gadgets are always compelling: there's nothing like stealthing along a rooftop sky-rise in Bangkok, thinking you're safe, then flipping on your IR goggles only to see that you are surrounded by snipers! The darts are fun: it's great to shoot a gas dart onto a busy patrol path, wait for two guards to cross, and take them out at the same time. Precision shooting is fun: don't want that enemy to get away? Shoot him in the knee and knock him to the ground. He'll get up, hold his leg, and start limping away. Now he's at your mercy.”

Q: When you think of the Syphon Filter franchise, what three words come to mind and why?

John: “Story, Thinking, Shooter. When we made the first Syphon Filter , there were only one or two games that were anything like us at all, now there are dozens, but none of them have our unique mix of gameplay. When we design missions, we want them to be as realistic as possible: we're not content to just say ‘aw, it's just a game, who cares?’ We want mission elements to make sense, to have visual cohesion, and to add to the richness of the world. Mission design has always been central to what makes Syphon Filter what it is: a game where you have to think a little bit about what you're doing, plan a course of action, do some exploring, and execute decisively. You can run into an area with guns blazing, but just like in real life, that's probably a good way to get yourself killed. We like stealth as much as the next guy, but we want like our blazing action too. And for the gamers who want to follow it, we try to make all of this fit in with the characters and story. We want the players to care about the outcome of Gabe's missions: Why is he there? What's at stake? How is he going to survive? But again, we don't want so much story that we get bogged down in a ton of cutscenes; give us our story, like our stealth, in small doses so we can get back to killing the enemy. A story-driven, thinking-man's shooter, with intense action and a butt-load of weapons. That's Syphon Filter.”

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