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I.G.I. 2: Covert Strike

by Joe "Impaler" Highman

Article Type: Interview
Article Date: April 24, 2002

Product Info

Product Name: I.G.I. 2: Covert Strike
Category: First-Person Tactical Shooter
Developer: Innerloop Studios
Distributor: Codemasters
Release Date: February 2003
Minimum Spec: TBA
Files & Links: Click Here

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Recently, I had the good fortune to participate in an email based interview with the Ole Marius Kohmann of Innerloop Studios to discuss development of IGI 2: Covert Strike. The title hopes to capitalize on the popularity and success of its predecessor by accentuating the positives and redesigning and outcasting the negatives in what they have dubbed "a true sequel." Presented for your reading enjoyment, I give you: The interview!


Joe Highman (J.H.): When is “IGI 2: Covert Strike” (heretofore referred to as IGI2) set to be released, and how far along is the development?

Ole Marius Kohmann (O.M.K.): We are currently in the Alpha phase of production, and hope to get in several weeks of testing before a release in June.

J.H. What are the projected minimum and/or recommended system requirements?

O.M.K. PII 450MHz, 128MB RAM, 16MB Graphics Card.

Guard duty is boring, but at least I get a nice view through this window.

J.H. What was the greatest motivator behind launching IGI2?

O.M.K. The warmth with which the gaming community embraced Project IGI was certainly a factor in deciding to work on a sequel. But there were many areas in Project IGI where the whole team agreed we could have done better. So the desire to take what we had gained making Project IGI; great characters like David Jones and the fantastic environments, and produce something even better made the decision to create a sequel a fairly easy one to make.

J.H. What improvements can players and fans expect over Project IGI?

O.M.K. A lot of the criticisms of the original title were well founded, and something the team was well aware of, as I mentioned before. So the AI had to be pretty much worked from the ground up again. Instead of acting as a bunch of uncoordinated individuals, as in Project IGI, we have implemented a squad controller. For example one soldier will spot the player, shout, “raise the alarm,” and the soldier in the squad closest to the alarm button will run to it and trigger the alarm. If you shoot him before he makes it, the next nearest guard will try and raise the alarm to bring in reinforcements. The use of spawning enemies has gone, as has the frustration endured by the lack of a save game. With the addition of the multiplayer, where we are trying to encourage stealthy team based action around multiple objective missions, I think there is enough reason to consider IGI2: Covert Strike not just the fix of the first game, but a true sequel. Of course there is also the cracking story line, some familiar characters, and loads of guns.

Did someone say guns?

J.H. What types of weaponry, skins, or vehicles will be available to players of IGI2?

O.M.K. Five types of pistol, 6 sub-machine guns, 3 shotguns, 5 assault rifles, 3 sniper rifles, 2 RPG’s, grenades, flashbangs, and proximity charges. Plus of course there’s the M2, .50 cal of devastating firepower to be unleashed from the back of a helicopter. Sadly getting drivable vehicles in the game just didn’t fit the time scale we had to produce it.

I would very much like to explore some of the possibilities of drivable vehicles in this type of game environment, pioneered by those great chaps at Bohemia Interactive and Codemasters. In the single player game the player will not get a choice of his characters appearance, but in multiplayer there will the ability to choose from Project IGI many of the characters from the single player game. By the way, this time around we found a local beauty here in Oslo to pose as Anya for the company that produced the character models…

When they say NO PARKING, they mean NO PARKING

J.H. Will multiplayer action be a part of the initial release?

O.M.K. There will be, as I mentioned before. The multiplayer will feature tense multiple objective-based gameplay for 16 players over LAN, broadband and modem.

J.H. How much emphasis has been put into developing the multiplayer game?

O.M.K. The team was in unanimous agreement that IGI’s landscapes were begging to be used in a multiplayer game. From the start there has been the will to make the multiplayer as good we can.

Chain link fencing rarely provides sufficient cover from .50 cal slugs

J.H. Many successful titles in the FPS market are using the “Quake III” engine. Which graphics engine technology will IGI2 employ and how will this affect the environments and action for players?

O.M.K. We use the graphics engine that was originally written for Innerloop’s Joint Strike Fighter flight simulation title. This engine was revolutionary at the time, and we have continued to develop the engine throughout the development of all the Innerloop titles. This time around we have worked to make the environment easier to edit, and integrate the landscape into the level design much more than we could do before. New character animation system that removes the appearance of the AI walking around like they have a broomstick lodged up the back passage is a welcome improvement.

How to ruin a sentry's day

J.H. What has been the most challenging obstacle to overcome in the development of IGI2?

O.M.K. A tight schedule—as always!

J.H. It’s a competitive market for the dollars from FPS genre customers. What ingredients will set IGI2 apart in the sea of FPS titles on the market to help it earn buyer confidence?

O.M.K. As a sequel to Project IGI, which was praised as attempting to refine the FPS genre, we hope there is already some form of buyer confidence in the IGI franchise, but I hope it’s the points that I have already made about the improvements to the game that will encourage people to buy IGI2: The new squad-based AI, the stealth and tension, story-driven action across three campaigns, a massive amount of realistic weapons, huge outdoor and complex indoor environments, and a multiplayer game to blend the best elements of all these with rock-solid gameplay and excellent netcode.

J.H. Traditionally, European game players seem to support Codemasters products better. How has this affected the development of this title, and can the North American gamers expect another four-month disparity between the release dates of the European and North American versions?

O.M.K. The game is heavily tailored to appeal to both sides of the Atlantic—the lead character is British, but many of his supporting cast are from the good ol’ US-of-A. It will be a simultaneous worldwide release in the US and the EU, so no worries there!

Codemasters have been very supportive of us during the development of IGI2. I have enjoyed working with such dedicated professionals, and I believe this excellent relationship will evident in the quality of IGI2.

J.H. If you had to summarize IGI2 in one word or phrase, what would it be?

O.M.K. Sneak.

J.H. The current trend in entertainment software development has rushed product to street often times forcing primary end-users and consumers to "beta-test" the release, and then a hefty patch is released to fix said bugs. Traditionally, Codemasters products have not followed this model. What steps have you taken to further insure that IGI2 continues in this tradition?

O.M.K. An extensive testing schedule and an imminent release of beta code for the multiplayer to some registered fans, should help us meet the level of quality that will prevent the need for a patch arising after release.

This would be a nice vacation spot if not for all the snipers.

On the surface, it would seem as if the good people at Innerloop Studios have picked up the gauntlet thrown down by gamers everywhere; a demand for high-quality gameplay in a visually and aurally stunning environment, all while played by dozens of multiplayer denizens running and gunning with precision and purpose. Codemasters has hit some home runs in this venue before, most noteably with Operation Flashpoint: Cold War Crisis, and to hear Innerloop tell it, there are remarkably few reasons to suspect that IGI2 cannot succeed in meeting the fevered demands of players everywhere. Time will tell.



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