Aujourd’hui c’est une pléthore de news qui nous parviennent. En effet ayant été absents pendant une période assez longue, nous sommes de retour au travail. Tout d’abord sur The Cult of Rapture on découvre plus de détails sur une nouvelle arme du mode solo, sur deux nouvels ennemis et sur les modes multijoueurs. Ces derniers ont déjà été aperçus par ceux qui ont regardé les dernières vidéos du jeu. En parlant de vidéo, ce n’est pas moins de 6 nouvelles vidéos qui sont disponibles sur la toile. Elles ne révèlent rien de bien nouveau, mais permettent de se faire une opinion sur ce que sera le mode solo et le mode multijoueur de BioShock 2. Le site teaser There’s something in the sea est également passé en phase 3. Notre ami Mark Meltzer est parti en bateau et c’est désormais sa cabine qui est visible sur le site. Une petite image de ce nouvel environnement.
Tout d’abord, commençons par parler de cette fameuse nouvelle arme. C’est une sorte de harpon qui peut utiliser différents types de munitions. En voici la description traduite directement depuis The Cult Of Rapture d’une séance de questions-réponses avec Kent Hudson, Senior designer chez 2K Marin:
Comment vous êtes-vous mis d’accord sur chaque nouvelle arme ? Avez-vous dû trouver des éléments qui correspondaient à Rapture et également avec la taille imposante du Protecteur prototype ?
Dans le cas du harpon, cela semblait naturellement correspondre pour un Protecteur. Les harpons ont une dimension sous-marine évidente, c’est pourquoi il est logique que de nombreuses fournitures concernant cette arme soient disponible dans Rapture. En même temps, pourtant, il aurait été plus facile de l’utiliser sous l’eau qu’à l’intérieur de la cité, c’est pourquoi il faut quelqu’un d’aussi fort qu’un Protecteur pour en tirer profit. Le design original de l’arme était un immense harpon directement arraché d’un bateau, qui était une sympathique « arme trouvée », mais ne s’intégrait finalement pas aussi bien qu’espéré. Nous avons alors opté pour un design plus traditionnel pour la version finale et nous sommes très content de son apparence actuelle et de son utilisation assez jouissive.
Parlons de munitions : que peut-on utiliser ?
Il y a les harpons « classiques », qui sont vos munitions de sniper par défaut. Elles sont en nombre important et sont utiles pour neutraliser les chrosômes, en zoomant et en leur tirant dans la tête. La chose amusante au sujet des harpons est que si vous tuez un ennemi il est projeté à travers les airs et épinglé contre le mur, cela ne cesse d’être amusant. Sinon, si vous vous approchez du cadavre vous pourrez ramasser le harpon planté dans le corps de votre victime, ce qui signifie évidemment que le corps sera décroché et tombera par terre. Si un harpon ne tue par votre ennemi tout de suite, il restera épinglé sur son corps durant le reste du combat, ce qui est assez drôle et vous permet toujours de récupérer les harpons une fois qu’il est mort. Et encore une fois, j’affirme qu’épingler des chrosômes sur les murs n’est jamais lassant, jamais.
Ensuite nous avons les munitions alternatives. Les harpons- »pièges » que vous pouvez comparer à ceux de l’arbalète dans le premier opus, et qui permettent toujours de placer des pièges pour des chrosômes inattendus. C’est un point plus important dorénavant à cause du système d’adoption, depuis que vous contrôler quand débutent ces phases; les joueurs qui prennent le temps de poser des pièges aux points stratégiques auront plus de facilité à défendre leur petite sœur.
Finalement, nous avons un tout nouveau type de munition pour BioShock 2 : les harpons explosifs. Ils sont exactement ce que leur nom laisse entendre, sinon encore meilleurs. Ce sont des harpons propulsés et explosifs, et quand ils se fixent à un chrosôme un fusible s’enclenche avant l’explosion qui cause de gros dommages. Les chrosômes paniquent bien-sûr quand ils ont un harpon épinglé à leur corps : ils courent dans tous les sens comme si leurs cheveux étaient en flammes. Une bonne chose au sujet de cette réaction c’est qu’ils s’approcheront des autres chrosômes afin de trouver de l’aide et l’explosion pourra tuer ou enflammer leurs congénères. C’est évidemment excellent.
Vous pouvez aisément imaginer ce qui arrive quand un harpons explosifs tue un chrosôme avant d’exploser. Et si vous ne réussissez pas à l’imaginer, je vais vous expliquer : le harpon continue sa course folle dans la pièce avec le cadavre embroché dans un feu d’artifice d’Havoc et de destruction. Alors oui, les harpons explosifs, les essayer c’est les adopter !
A quel point aimez-vous utiliser le Lance Harpons – y a-t-il des combos particulièrement intéressant avec les munitions alternatives que vous appréciez ?
En plus du sniping en un coup, j’aime réellement essayer d’embrocher les chrosômes à différents objets dans des positions hilarantes, ce qui est rendu plus facile avec le plasmide électrique. La technique de BioShock premier du nom en deux temps est de retour et électrocuter un chrosôme permet de mieux le viser. Vous pouvez aussi avec la dernière amélioration de la Télékinésie, faire léviter des chrosômes encore en vie, et le relâcher en tirant avec le lance harpons. Les harpons classiques sont parfait pour décorer une pièce , alors que les harpons explosifs sont jouissifs pour observer la folie arriver. Il est aussi sympathique de placer des harpons- »pièges » près de l’eau pour avoir des chrosômes extra-grillés. Le plasmide de glace se combine bien avec le lance harpons, vous gelez vos ennemis puis ajustez votre tir et enfin vous tirez. La liste continue, mais si je continuais à vous dévoiler les multiples combos, il n’y aurait plus de plaisir à les découvrir vous-même en cours de jeu !
Pour compléter cette interview fort intéressante, voici deux illustrations de concepts de cette arme qui s’annonce très létale pour ceux qui croiseront le chemin de notre héros.
Une deuxièmes interview nous présente de son côté un nouvel ennemi. Il semble que ce chrosôme soit un des fameux chrosômes »alpha ». Cachez-vous, voici venir la brute (en anglais cette fois-ci).
What exactly is the Brute Splicer?
The Brute Splicer is a brand new enemy in BioShock 2 that demonstrates how much the ecology of Rapture has changed in the 10 years since the events of the first game. He’s actually a Splicer from the timeframe of BioShock 1 who’s survived the ongoing decay of Rapture by splicing more and more ADAM and preying on the weaker Splicers, which has turned him into a hulking brute with incredible physical power. We think of him as the top of the Splicer food chain, and also as a bridge between our human Splicer enemies and the more powerful Big Daddies and Big Sisters.
How did you come up with him? Was it fiction first, or wanting a bigger, more badass Splicer to fight our Big Daddy?
It was a little bit of both. As mentioned above, part of the genesis of the Brute was simply asking the question, “What would happen to the Splicers who kept abusing ADAM for ten years?” We also knew that with players stepping into the shoes of a Big Daddy we’d need to increase the threat and danger of the world. The Brute started pretty simply, with the idea that we needed “a big, scary guy,” and a lot of his gameplay was borne out of trying to take that goal as far as we could. We also wanted to make our AI’s a lot more physically connected to the world than they were in BioShock 1, which made the Brute a great opportunity to develop those ideas.
What are some of his moves and animations that make him different, and more challenging, than a regular-sized Splicer?
Probably the coolest and most unique thing about him is his ability to pick up objects in the environment and throw them at the player. At first we had him magically pulling objects out of the ground, but we decided that wasn’t good enough so we did a lot of work to enable him to pick up and throw real in-game objects during battle. That immediately made him feel like a primal threat, and it also interacted with the player’s own physical powers, namely the Telekinesis Plasmid; if the player throws an object at the Brute, the Brute can pick it up and throw it right back. And on the flipside, the player can catch objects the Brute throws and hurl them back with Telekinesis. The Brute can also swat objects at the player while he’s moving in for his brutal up-close attacks. These abilities create a feeling that the Brute is as connected to the world as the player and is interacting deeply with the environment. It also just looks cool and makes him feel really different from weapon-based Splicers.
In addition to that, the Brute can also jump up and down from balconies and ledges, which shows his power and makes him a relentless enemy. We really wanted him to feel like a high-pressure, raging enemy, so it was important for him to always be doing something aggressive and always be coming after you. If he’s not throwing a cash register or chair at you, he’s running at you for a devastating melee attack or chasing you no matter where you go.
He can also do a charge attack that finishes with a powerful melee blow, so you’ve really got to stay on your toes and be aware of the environment while you’re fighting a Brute. When you see an incoming charge attack you can use your weapon to deflect the impact if you time it just right, which is a fun challenge.
To sum it up, I’d say that the Brute’s mobility, raw strength and physics-based attacks make him feel really unique, and when he’s fighting alongside our more traditional Splicers it’s a lot to handle.
Is there any story behind his looks, other than that it’s cool?
The original concepts for him were actually a lot more animalistic and less human that what we ended up putting in the game. We backed away from his more monstrous origins because it was important that he be physically imposing and scary but also retain enough humanity to be believable and tell a story. He’s a Splicer from the era of the original game, so we wanted to make sure he looked like a normal human that became a hulk through rampant splicing, not some monster that sprung out of a crack in the ocean floor. It took a lot of iteration to reach the final version, and a lot of what makes him grotesque but still tragically human comes from his voice; he’s still got the ability to speak and form thoughts, even if those thoughts are heavily warped by a decade of ADAM abuse.
About how many Brute Splicers will we run into during our journey through Rapture? Do they hang out with regular Splicers?
You’ll see him more and more as you get into the second half of the game; he’s there to increase the difficulty and threat as the player grows in power. It’s hard to give an exact count of how many Brutes you’ll see, because they play a big part in the optional Little Sister Adoption system that we’ve added to BioShock 2. When the player Adopts a Little Sister and searches Rapture for bodies from which to gather ADAM, Splicers pick up on the scent and try to take the Little Sister for themselves, and since the Brute is at the top of the Splicer food chain you’ll see him in plenty of these scenarios.
That aside, you’ll of course encounter Brutes going about their lives in Rapture as you explore the city. The Brute usually lives in the same areas as regular Splicers, though you’ll generally find Brutes on their own; regular Splicers defer to their more powerful brethren and keep a safe distance. And while Brutes are almost as powerful as Big Daddies, they’re not neutral citizens; they attack on sight, so it’s best to be on your toes and have a plan of attack before mixing it up with a Brute.
Pour compléter ces dires quelques images.
Enfin ce sympathique Kent (à ne pas confondre avec Ken) nous parle du Rumbler, une nouvelle sorte de Protecteur (désolé, mais manque de temps oblige, l’interview est de nouveau en anglais) :
The Rumbler has a bit of a backstory in the BioShock universe. What’s his origin, and how did you come upon deciding to work with him for BioShock 2?
The Rumbler was actually one of the original Big Daddies in BioShock 1, but he was cut before the game shipped. His original development name was SloProFUM, which stood for “Slow Projectile, Fu- … err, Messed Up Melee.” The original idea was to have a Big Daddy with a powerful rocket who also had this wicked hook on his other hand that would be dangerous at close range, but he didn’t make it into the first game. When it came time to work on BioShock 2 we knew we wanted to add a Big Daddy, and we looked back at ol’ SloProFUM and liked the idea of a Big Daddy with dangerous long-range attack, but we weren’t quite as keen on his melee attack because the Bouncer’s already got the melee market cornered. So we brainstormed ways to replace his hook with something else and came up with the idea of Mini-Turrets.
Is there a story for him within the Rapture universe? Was the Rumbler created specifically for the purpose of guarding Little Sisters?
The Rumbler was developed by one of Lamb’s followers after the events of BioShock 1 as a response to the increasing danger around every corner in Rapture. Splicers kept growing stronger and eventually learned how to take down the original Big Daddies, usually by taking advantage of overwhelming numbers, so the Rumbler was designed in response to those tactics. His rocket does splash damage and is generally good at thinning out crowds, while his Mini-Turrets can take out individual Splicers and split the attention of multiple attackers. Given that the Rumbler is more powerful than the original Big Daddies and poses a more difficult tactical challenge, he’s been very successful in protecting the new generation of Little Sisters.
How does the Rumbler differ from a Rosie or a Bouncer Big Daddy?
At a high level, the Bouncer is our melee Big Daddy, the Rosie is our mid-range Big Daddy and the Rumbler is our defensive Big Daddy. When you’re fighting a Bouncer, it’s all about finding ways to keep him off of you long enough to take him down, since he’s relentless about getting into close range and pummeling you. With Rosie it’s more of a traditional tactical gunfight, since he’s pretty mobile and can snipe you with his Rivet Gun. The Rumbler has a totally different feel because of his Mini-Turrets, which complement his rockets; the player can’t just worry about dodging slow-moving projectiles because the Rumbler’s Mini-Turrets apply constant pressure and keep the battlefield dynamic.
Can you talk more specifically about his weapons and attacks?
The Rumbler’s primary attack is a powerful shoulder-mounted rocket launcher, which speaks for itself. The projectile is similar to the one launched by Rapture’s rocket Turrets, so players will instantly be familiar with it and try to catch it with Telekinesis and throw it back if they’re quick enough. The blast radius on the Rumbler’s rocket means that you can’t just dodge it; you need to be aware of your surroundings if you don’t want to take splash damage.
Probably my favorite element of the Rumbler, though, is his ability to lay down Mini-Turrets during a fight. The idea is that these Turrets let him take over territory and attack from multiple directions, which is pretty unique; the ability to take advantage of security and conquer territory in BioShock has traditionally been reserved for the player. So the Rumbler sort of turns the tables on traditional BioShock encounters and brings more of an environmental focus to the fights, since in addition to dodging his rockets you also need to keep track of his Mini-Turrets and either steer clear of or destroy them.
This is BioShock 2, though, so you’ve got a few other options as well; the Rumbler’s Mini-Turrets interact in cool ways with the player’s newly expanded security-related powers. For example, you can hack a Rumbler’s Mini-Turrets with our new Hack Tool, which makes them turn on the Rumbler and any other enemies in the area. You can also tag the Rumbler with the new-and-improved Security Command Plasmid, which causes security elements like Mini-Turrets to attack him.
So like with any good BioShock 2 enemy, fighting a Rumbler takes both action game savvy and the use of diverse player tools; players of all different styles will have a good time dealing with his various abilities in improvisational ways.
Voici enfin des images de ce nouveau Big Daddy :
Passons maintenant aux nouvelles vidéos, deux concernent le multi et quatre le mode solo. Elles sont disponibles ici. Rien de bien nouveau sous le soleil, mais quelques phases de gameplay sont intéressantes. Enjoy.
Des nouvelles du multijoueur sont également disponibles sur The Cult Of Rapture et même le Times parle de BioShock 2, notamment en évoquant John Stuart Mill, un penseur utilitariste qui aura une forte influence sur Sofia Lamb, notre nouvelle ennemie. Je vous rappelle aussi que vous pouvez contribuer à notre wiki dédié, dont la page There’s something in the sea a toujours besoin de contributeurs.
Sources : The Cult Of Rapture et VE3D
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