Following a games development can be an infuriating process, sometimes the studio will go months without divulging any new scrap of information. For that reason it’s all the more exciting when they do surface with some new details. Undead Labs, the highly devoted development team behind upcoming Xbox 360 exclusive Class 3, have broken almost a month long silence to talk about some key aspects of the upcoming game.
For the full Q&A you can head over to the Undead Labs website to read it in it’s entirety, here though we’re going to break down the most key information and what that could mean for the game.
The main focus of this Q&A seemed to be the developers answering questions that are rooted in January’s Spy-cam trailer. You remember that right? No?! Well as a refresher you can head here to watch it. If you’re intrigued as to what’s actually in that 2 minute epic then you head here for the full breakdown. Anyway, back to the good stuff – Yesterdays Q&A.
Loading screens? What Loading screens!
In any open-world game loading screens can be an issue. They can really detract from the sense of immersion created by an otherwise well executed environment. So when posed with the question of Class 3 and the possibility of loading screens, how did the devs respond?
[quote]Class3 is a true open-world game, so conveying a sense of freedom and the joy of exploration is a core pillar of the game. We don’t want you debating whether the load time is a price worth paying for entering a building, so we’ve invested in the technology to allow the world to be seamless with no loading screens.[/quote]
Undead Labs have made the engine-intensive option of creating a seamless experience. A daring move for this new developer but it should be one that pays off. They’re also implementing some tricks to reduce the engine work-load that should also add to the sense of reality.
[quote]yes, you will be able to enter every building in the game, unless there is some visible reason why you shouldn’t be able to (e.g. it is collapsed, or burned out).[/quote]
Landmines, Landmines everywhere…..
An0ther interesting question that popped up during the Q&A was one regarding achievements, a fairly mundane question that merited an immensely amazing answer from the developers:
[quote] I’d also love to see achievements like launching a zombie over 30 yards by hitting it with a vehicle, or tossing it over 30 feet in the air with a land mine, or using a chain of land mines to blow up a zombie, or, killing X zombies with an exploding vehicle.[/quote]
Personally, I cannot wait to watch a rogue Zed blown 30+ feet into the air… This is something I need to see as soon as possible.
This is my car, without it I am useless
I’m sure most of you are familiar with the car-centric GTA IV‘s approach to mobility in an open world game. That works for a game like that but Class 3 demands much more subtlety, something they’re well aware of. I won’t go into the full quote on vehicles here, but needless to say that cars are going to be a precious resource that you should use wisely.
[quote]If you’re careless, you may eventually find yourself without a ride.[/quote]
Endings are overrated
With a zombie survival game like Class 3 it could be easy to overlook the story element. Luckily Undead Labs aren’t doing that, but it does raise the question of how you end a zombie survival game? The short answer is that you don’t:
[quote]You could say that the entire game is a perma-death, see-how-long-you-can-live-for experience, but on a large scale. It includes not just the quick, pulse-pounding drama of extended sieges, but also the intense, life-or-death struggle to carve out and defend small pockets of safety in a world overrun by the undead. Will there be throwaway, repeatable survival modes? No. There are other games that do that quite well, and other games that do the zombie-corridor-shooter thing well. I love those kinds of games too, but we’re creating a simulated world. – James Phinney, Creative Director at Undead Labs[/quote]
Soon… Very Soon.
Like I said, instead of going in-depth on every question that was asked I picked out the gems. So what do you end on? How about a question concerning a release date?….I thought you’d like that.
[quote]
Everyone asks: When the hell does the apocalypse begin?
We’re getting there, folks. We’ll tell you as soon as we can. I can tell you that we’re right on schedule, and that you’ll be learning much (much) more about Class3 this spring.
Stay tuned, fellow survivors!
[/quote]
That’s it for now folks, it may have been a while since Undead Labs Surfaced to give us details but it was worth the wait. Now it seems we won’t be waiting quite so long to hear more about Class 3, which is always a good thing. Be sure to head over to their website for a full look at the recent Q&A and remember to stick with us here at TGF for the latest news on the upcoming Xbox 360 exclusive!
