Splinter Cell Blacklist | Community Developer Interview

[sameer_monier]

Community Developer Interview with Maxime Beland & Solid_Sage

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yNSf_l77Jzo&feature=youtu.be

If it isn't a bother, I would love someone to sum it up for me, my internet connection is way bad these days, Sigh

[Si1entDark]

Quick and dirty summary.

B/W is gone
With the Karambit unequipped you can do non-lethal takedowns and varies animations
They took an alternate route at the end of the demo where Sam rappels down the side and breaches
Zack talks about that they are listening to what we write at the end of the video

[Andre202]

They were talking about the Black&White filter which won't return. Maxime agreed that the B&W filter is a great idea but it does steal the environment it's colour which is why isn't there anymore. Other then that he confirms again that you are able to do non-lethal takedowns if don't have the Karambit equipped.
I am excited to see what they have come with in regards of the Stealth meter and the Sound meter.

[The_5_Freedoms]

Transcript for sameer_monier:

Zack Cooper: What's going on guys? I'm Zack Cooper the community developer for Splinter Cell: Blacklist. We at Ubisoft Toronto are so happy to have finally announced our game, and I just want you to know that everything that we are showing is not everything that is in Blacklist. It is such a deep game, over the next little while we'll be able to communicate a little bit more as far as the factors that go in. But I know you, the Splinter Cell Community, the die-hard Splinter Cell: Community, wants to hear about some stealth elements so we had a chance to sit in on a conversation with one of you guys Rodney Pierce who is a community ambassador through UPlay on the Ubisoft forums. He had a chance to chat with our creative director Max Beland. Here's a little snippet of that conversation:

SolidSage: Very vibrant and colorful and… a lot of the community complained about black and white.
Max: Yeah.
SolidSage: Does that return in this game?
Max: No, that is gone.
SolidSage: That's gone?
Max: That's gone. It's, err, I mean I'll take full responsibility for that.

Max: The idea was interesting but the result wasn't, you know. It wasn't to the quality level it should have been.
SolidSage: I thought it was a great mechanic but it maybe robbed the environment of some beauty perhaps.
Max: Yeah. Exactly. So now what we've done is we've looked at our roots.
SolidSage: Knock out.
Max: Knock out, knock out, you're a good guy Mike
SolidSage: Non-lethal returns.
Max: Yes, yes, yes.

Max: So we showed that like the Kinect thing. If you don't have Kinect you press on the button.
SolidSage: That's been a big question, they've wondered if it's still available.
Max: Yes, yes, yes.

SolidSage: Cover takedowns.
Max: Yeah abductions. We call those abductions. What's cool with the abductions is we're doing two things with them. One is like all hand-to-hand kills if you don't have the Karambit equipped, you do a non-lethal takedown instead of a kill, right. But also, depending on if you're in combat, or stealth, you do a different abduction. So at Microsoft we showed breaching the door and going through the door, but here we're showing you a secondary path. A bit of climb, go around and use the window.
SolidSage: Very fluid. Oh yeah, we got some rappelling.

Max: Blacklist is really about that it's about expanding the range of everything you can do.

Zack: So that is just a tiny sliver of a huge pie that is gonna be Splinter Cell: Blacklist, it's really a beautiful thing. I just wanna make sure you know that we are listening to what you are saying, reading what you are writing and we will do our best to deliver on everything possible. The game is gonna be huge, we can tell you that much. There's gonna be the action you've seen, the stealth you haven't and everything in-between. So from E3 in LA, I'm Zack Cooper saying Peace for Splinter Cell: Blacklist!

[Si1entDark]

They were talking about the Black&White filter which won't return. Maxime agreed that the B&W filter is a great idea but it does steal the environment it's colour which is why isn't there anymore. Other then that he confirms again that you are able to do non-lethal takedowns if don't have the Karambit equipped.
I am excited to see what they have come with in regards of the Stealth meter and the Sound meter.

I heard max say in the gamespot stage demo there was equipment like boots silenced foot steps when moving.

[goclo822]

Some of the gameplay sounds better. Now if only they'd announce that they have come to their senses and decided to bring Ironside back, I might actually believe them when they say they are hearing us and listening to what we want and I might actually wanna buy this game. Apparently they are only addressing what is to their convenience.

[sameer_monier]

Transcript for sameer_monier:

Zack Cooper: What's going on guys? I'm Zack Cooper the community developer for Splinter Cell: Blacklist. We at Ubisoft Toronto are so happy to have finally announced our game, and I just want you to know that everything that we are showing is not everything that is in Blacklist. It is such a deep game, over the next little while we'll be able to communicate a little bit more as far as the factors that go in. But I know you, the Splinter Cell Community, the die-hard Splinter Cell: Community, wants to hear about some stealth elements so we had a chance to sit in on a conversation with one of you guys Rodney Pierce who is a community ambassador through UPlay on the Ubisoft forums. He had a chance to chat with our creative director Max Beland. Here's a little snippet of that conversation:

SolidSage: Very vibrant and colorful and… a lot of the community complained about black and white.
Max: Yeah.
SolidSage: Does that return in this game?
Max: No, that is gone.
SolidSage: That's gone?
Max: That's gone. It's, err, I mean I'll take full responsibility for that.

Max: The idea was interesting but the result wasn't, you know. It wasn't to the quality level it should have been.
SolidSage: I thought it was a great mechanic but it maybe robbed the environment of some beauty perhaps.
Max: Yeah. Exactly. So now what we've done is we've looked at our roots.
SolidSage: Knock out.
Max: Knock out, knock out, you're a good guy Mike
SolidSage: Non-lethal returns.
Max: Yes, yes, yes.

Max: So we showed that like the Kinect thing. If you don't have Kinect you press on the button.
SolidSage: That's been a big question, they've wondered if it's still available.
Max: Yes, yes, yes.

SolidSage: Cover takedowns.
Max: Yeah abductions. We call those abductions. What's cool with the abductions is we're doing two things with them. One is like all hand-to-hand kills if you don't have the Karambit equipped, you do a non-lethal takedown instead of a kill, right. But also, depending on if you're in combat, or stealth, you do a different abduction. So at Microsoft we showed breaching the door and going through the door, but here we're showing you a secondary path. A bit of climb, go around and use the window.
SolidSage: Very fluid. Oh yeah, we got some rappelling.

Max: Blacklist is really about that it's about expanding the range of everything you can do.

Zack: So that is just a tiny sliver of a huge pie that is gonna be Splinter Cell: Blacklist, it's really a beautiful thing. I just wanna make sure you know that we are listening to what you are saying, reading what you are writing and we will do our best to deliver on everything possible. The game is gonna be huge, we can tell you that much. There's gonna be the action you've seen, the stealth you haven't and everything in-between. So from E3 in LA, I'm Zack Cooper saying Peace for Splinter Cell: Blacklist!

Thanks everyone for the sum up, saved me alot.

and special thanks to The_5_Freedoms (http://forums.ubi.com/member.php/1269481-The_5_Freedoms) for going through the trouble of writing me the script, really appreciate, and will return the favor one day :)

[Jazz117Volkov]

@ Andre
Aural detection is a big one for me. I want to see... or is that hear? o_O
I don't remember where... maybe the gamespot interview, but Beland said something about equipping stealth boots to make less noise. Perhaps there will be a well fleshed out aural side to the stealth... that would be a very pleasant surprise, and yet another element that'll get me stoked to see how the three parts of the overall gameplay can blend together.

*S1lentDark beat me to that one.

[The_5_Freedoms]

Thanks everyone for the sum up, saved me alot.

and special thanks to The_5_Freedoms (http://forums.ubi.com/member.php/1269481-The_5_Freedoms) for going through the trouble of writing me the script, really appreciate, and will return the favor one day :)
No problem. :cool:

[Andre202]

I heard max say in the gamespot stage demo there was equipment like boots silenced foot steps when moving.
Yeah, I heard this too, which makes me wonder. Maybe they have the meter back in the HUD but didn't make it in for the demo?
Maybe it's completely different at all. At easy you willl have meters at realistic not? Well... everything is possible.

[Sharkey1337]

I heard max say in the gamespot stage demo there was equipment like boots silenced foot steps when moving.

Yeah, Sam's suit is customizable this time around, very similar to Deniable Ops in Conviction. From the sound of it, you can give Sam more body armor so he can take more punishment, or go for the special boots that allow silent running. I doubt there's going to be a light/sound bar this time around, you'll just have to use your own judgement in stealth walking/running, much like in Conviction.

[HorTyS]

one thing they need to change IMO, is the unnecessary & intrusive "Execute Ready" and "Warning" prompts. These may have been put in place for demo purposes just so the audience was better aware of what was happening, but I really hope that isn't in the full game, or is at least an option we can toggle on/off. Also, Max Beland, I saw one interview/ demo (don't remember what site was doing it) during E3 where you actually mentioned how Sam uses the 'Mozambique Drill' technique, so DON'T REMOVE IT this time!!!! :D I gotta say I was a bit bummed about that little omission in the retail copy of Conviction. Other omissions you should try to bring back that weren't in the final version of Conviction are :

A) Mark/ shoot lights during M&E
B) Choose to execute without the slow-motion last kill
C) When you do choose the slow-mo final M&E kill, he Mozambique's him.

If you guys are really listening to the community & striving to appease long time fans, I'm one of 'em, I've picked up every game on release day & have played them all multiple times.

[Andre202]

How about being able to choose in which order Sam executes his opponents? It adds another tactical layer to that feature.

[Sharkey1337]

How about being able to choose in which order Sam executes his opponents? It another tactical layer to that feature.

Should be pretty easy to implement the same way Ghost Recon Future Soldier did it, just number 1-4 based on the marking order.

[blkspdr]

Thanks to all those involved in this video. I really appreciate you taking the time to assure your long time fans that we will love this game. I have some hope that Blacklist could live up to Chaos Theory. But that will only happen if we can play the game in true stealth, opting out of action if we so choose and play at a slower pace. I look forward to seeing more content in the future. PLEASE make me anticipate this game's release because at the moment, I am still a bit worried.

[SamFisher20003]

Thanks Zack, Solid_Sage, and Mr. Beland for the interview. I am looking forward to this game. Thanks for asking my question about the kinect.

[UbiZack]

Thanks for posting this, Sameer!

...and thanks for the positive feedback, guys.

I can say that the team feels GREAT having heard and read that you guys are feeling better.

...it'll only GET better, too!

PS. I'm starting another thread... which I think you'll like, as well.

[michaelanjello]

Thanks for posting this, Sameer!

...and thanks for the positive feedback, guys.

I can say that the team feels GREAT having heard and read that you guys are feeling better.

...it'll only GET better, too!

PS. I'm starting another thread... which I think you'll like, as well.

Super excited for the game. It seems more and more things are beginning to appear and im feeling more relieved that there will be stealth elements. Cant wait to see them.

[harbi-117]

Thanks guys for the interview. I'm very glad the black & white filter is gone.

I loved SolidSage's spontaneous reaction at (1:24) " Knock out " haha
It's something us hardcore Splinter Cell fans got whenever an option appears in any game (non-lethal or lethal)

[coltcat]

Yeah, I heard this too, which makes me wonder. Maybe they have the meter back in the HUD but didn't make it in for the demo?
Maybe it's completely different at all. At easy you willl have meters at realistic not? Well... everything is possible.
most possible will be intergrade with that little light thing on Sams back.
they recycling the DA kinda meter, all we've seen are lights off and lighten green depends where he stands.
maybe if Sam were ordinary boots and runs, the lights will go off to tells you people can hear you at this time.

[DeafAtheist]

@The_5_Freedoms As a deaf gamer thanks so much for typing that out. Truly appreciate it. I really wish game developers would add subtitles to all of their interview films especially.

[sam2000_290]

I would love to talk to the devs and tell them how I think. :) Someday...

[michaelanjello]

most possible will be intergrade with that little light thing on Sams back.
they recycling the DA kinda meter, all we've seen are lights off and lighten green depends where he stands.
maybe if Sam were ordinary boots and runs, the lights will go off to tells you people can hear you at this time.

Yeah, you see that if Sam is darkness, the light on his back glows, and when he's outside in daylight, its not visible. Its on all the time except you see like a refraction/glowing particle effect when hes in the tent and under the little tent when hes doing his killing in action scene. Also near the end, when he's in the shadow of the cliff he climbs up, it also glows.

SO there you have it.

[harbi-117]

@The_5_Freedoms As a deaf gamer thanks so much for typing that out. Truly appreciate it. I really wish game developers would add subtitles to all of their interview films especially.Welcome back to the forums man

[AGENTxxxxx47]

NO more Black and white while in the shadows!

THANK GOD

[BoBwUzHeRe1138]

Ugh...I asked this earlier...how do I post a poll? I see the part where it wants me to check the box and when I do it highlights the number of options/replies I want to have. Well that's it. It doesn't let me enter the question OR the answers. So how does that work?

Nevermiiind, figured it out haha

[Knot3D]

Thanks for the interview !

Sounds like a real improvement * applauds *

[shobhit7777777]

This kind of community outreach is unprecedented in forum history..at least the last two years.

I am extremely happy about Blacklist and am loving everything I hear.

Good job Zack and the Dev team

@Sage

You disclosed your name. You have been blackmarked for Operation 14- Redaction. Shame on you

[The_5_Freedoms]

@The_5_Freedoms As a deaf gamer thanks so much for typing that out. Truly appreciate it. I really wish game developers would add subtitles to all of their interview films especially.
No problem, I'm glad I was able to help you. :)

And you're right, these videos really should have subtitles.


This kind of community outreach is unprecedented in forum history..at least the last two years.

I am extremely happy about Blacklist and am loving everything I hear.

Good job Zack and the Dev team

@Sage

You disclosed your name. You have been blackmarked for Operation 14- Redaction. Shame on you
If they ever introduce another Splinter Cell, his name needs to be Rodney Pierce.

And he has to have an awesome goatee and wall-climb like an Olympic athlete. :cool:

[kalle90]

B/W must have been about 50% of Conviction's suckyness. Walking in the shadows isn't fun when everything turns ugly.

[mateus99]

I would love to talk to the devs and tell them how I think. :) Someday...
Hey sam2000_290 remember me?:rolleyes:
what are your thoughs about scb?im really exited about it only worries i gave is about the actor (but i will get used to it) and the truck scene where you have to call for backup (not stealthy)

[BlindHouse]

Thanks for posting this, Sameer!

...and thanks for the positive feedback, guys.

I can say that the team feels GREAT having heard and read that you guys are feeling better.

...it'll only GET better, too!

PS. I'm starting another thread... which I think you'll like, as well.

I'm waiting impatiently for that thread :D .

[SolidSage]

@Sam Fisher
I tried to get a lot in there but it was hard being on the spot and overloaded with all the epicness. There was a long talk about Ironside, probably too long for a vid.

@Harbi
I got excited every time i saw something I knew the community had been missing from SCC.

@Shobhit
It's not my real name...alright it is....I guess I have to get a desk job now. :(

@All
I actually really liked the B&W. The color change didn't bother me much but the AUTO change as Sam transitioned from light to shadow was a great mechanical feature IMO. I'm not worried about it being removed though, I am sure there will be a cool alternative and it WILL be nice to see the color full time.

[The_5_Freedoms]

@All
I actually really liked the B&W. The color change didn't bother me much but the AUTO change as Sam transitioned from light to shadow was a great mechanical feature IMO. I'm not worried about it being removed though, I am sure there will be a cool alternative and it WILL be nice to see the color full time.
I thought that it was a seriously terrible idea.

It sounds great on paper but that's where it should have stayed.

I preferred the way they had it at E3 2009.

[nukelukespuke34]

As glad as I am to hear that the B/W filter is gone, I find it amusingly sad how people are celebrating this. Getting rid of B/W isn't an improvement to the game, people, it just takes it back to the status quo. Its how it should always have been. The removal of something bad does not make it good.

[CamberGreber]

No Variable Crouch so Far :(

No Variable crouch
No Variable Rappelling
No Variable Shimmying
No Deal UBISOFT

O and Please Bring Back Variable door opening

[michaelanjello]

No Variable Crouch so Far :(

No Variable crouch
No Variable Rappelling
No Variable Shimmying
No Deal UBISOFT

O and Please Bring Back Variable door opening


There was never variable crouch,Variable rapelling or variable shimmying! Have you even played the games? You guys are seriously acting very immature. We dont know what the final product is and you guys are just whining, youre not even analysing the only footage we have. It just seems you guys are just looking for things to complain about.

HEY UBISOFT!

NO SR71 BLACKBIRD
NO METEOR STRIKES FROM SPACE
NO LOCH NESS MONSTER

NO DEAL UBISOFT!

Anyone can play this game.

[nster81]

Anyone can play this game.
That's the idea, which is why it has lost its niche.

[BoBwUzHeRe1138]

As it stands///it appears as if the variable speed is just the one speed from SCC and a new "Hold A button" run crouch speed. It's not dynamic changing. It's just one speed or the other as it was when climbing a pipe in SCC. smh...maybe we're wrong. Who knows.

[UbiZack]

@The_5_Freedoms As a deaf gamer thanks so much for typing that out. Truly appreciate it. I really wish game developers would add subtitles to all of their interview films especially.

Actually... the versions that go out to the non-English speaking countries have captions.
They just go out a little later because someone has to transcribe them in their respective languages and upload them to youtube.

[FisherBauer]

Is the cursing when the guards are looking for you toned down? This was really annoying having them swear the same things at you over and over.

[WakefulRainbow6]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_gZcWdyJUZw 2.40 best m&e i've seen