Crysis 1's original design that didn't pan out

[Joris-truly]

With the announcement of Crysis 1 remastered, it got me thinking about Crysis again.

As a teen, I used to scour for everything Crysis related pre-launch. One thing stuck with me of all the pre-release material, something that no one seems to remember or even knew in the first place. Crysis 1 used to have a non-linear systemically driven plot. Back in 2006, Yerli talked about it in pre-release interviews. Used to read previews in old dutch gaming magazines where some of this stuff was mentioned. It's hard to find old interviews on the subject nowadays, but i managed to find one:



@01:26

• Their original design was supposed to have no cut-scenes. Scripted sequences are non-existed.
• The whole invasion story-line was systemically driven, setting your own goals, Koreans, US and (eventually) alien dynamic skirmishes.
• The invasion moves on, regardless if the players is involved or not.
• Encounter NPC scientists and other soldiers randomly commenting on your findings.
• During combat, your blood from impact wounds could stick on foliage, which means that Ai could track you down (info from old 1UP podcast)
• Your actions affecting different outcome on the battlefield. Squads roam around, and if they are not helped their outcome can vary in the future depending on systemic events.

This sounded amazingly ambitious, even today. Too ambitious of course, because it didn't pan out in the end. They (probably) eventually opted to do a more traditional structure, focusing more on their other amazing tricks in rendering and physics. Some of these original design concepts are still in the final release: Think of the small anecdotes you could create running around on the battlefield, with physics and Ai simulated everywhere. It's more low-level stuff that we still see today in modern titles. But all the High-level overarching systemic stuff seemed too ambitious (on a hardware level, or just plain broken from a design perspective?)

Did anyone here knew about this? If so, have any more interesting insides?
Maybe Alex has some insides on the Crysis 2006 concept?

Anyway, can't wait for the remaster, and of course DF's Dictator and Dark1x upcoming knowledgeable tech deep dive!!

 

[Gernau Morat Gurgeh]

Sounds a bit like what STALKER tried to do with AI driven factions. At any rate, even the Crysis we got remains by far the best of the series.

 

[Joris-truly]

Yes, STALKER was in that same early 2000's mindset. Having ambitious but ultimately clunky concepts. STALKER also cut out a lot of it's A-life ideas. But modders managed to restore a lot of it.

Maybe Crytek saw the writing on the wall when implementing these systemic narrative concepts and didn't get them working properly. They did a hell of a job though, getting it turned around by the end of 2007.

Kind of a shame Yerli isn't there anymore (apart from his mismanagement allegations). His 'everything realtime' ideas i wish Crytek would explore again, extending this philosophy to high-level gameplay systems as well.

 

[Joris-truly]

Found another old 2005/2006 gameplay video. Explaining the concept of the sphere. What i gathered, is that the player could choose when to enter.

Also, the sleep darts originally had a more tactical use for undetected infiltration uses and gathering info. Maybe originally it had narrative consequences for creating casualties? Having a rippling effect on the conflicts between the US and the North Koreans?

 

[Com_Raven]

I don't know what the plans they had back then were, but also worth keeping in mind that Cevat is no stranger to making overambitious statements at times (I remember the time he said that other shooters would have a hard time charging 60$ after Warface is out).

Regardless, it is crazy how ambitious Crysis was even with its traditional storytelling. I remember throwing a stone at an enemy soldier, and him shooting it out of the air, which was mindblowing to see at a time when most other games had very basic physics.

 

[EatChildren]

Emergent game systems were a cornerstone of conversation at the time, particularly in PC space, so I can believe this is rooted in truth (even with Cevat's usual inflation).

Emergence is good. More games should focus on it.

 

[bell_hooks]

• During combat, your blood from impact wounds could stick on foliage, which means that Ai could track you down (info from old 1UP podcast)

Click to shrink...

That sounds a lot like Peter Molenoux's idea.

AI in Crysis is not very fun to play against. The only thing I actually want remaster to adress is how enemy react to you. Crysis (with suit powers and open levels) has potential to be amazing in this regard, just get better enemies like those in Halo, MGSV or F.E.A.R.
They do not have to excel just not be able to instantly see you and snipe from across the map...

 

[VG Aficionado]

Yeah, I do remember some of these details from previews and I felt so disappointed when I actually played the game. I understand that they were too ambitious with the kind of game they envisioned and compromises had to be made (surely this happens with most games), but still, I'm not sure how they got all these ideas out only to never deliver them.

I distinctly remember a gameplay video set in the ship level where an NPC is trapped under some rubble due to destruction inside, and the player uses the strength suit skill to free him. IIRC, this isn't present in the game.

 

[Joris-truly]

I distinctly remember a gameplay video set in the ship level where an NPC is trapped under some rubble due to destruction inside, and the player uses the strength suit skill to free him. IIRC, this isn't present in the game.

Click to shrink...

Yes, i remember that one too! More 'adventure' type objectives, complimenting the suit power to diversify it's use more than just combat.

 

[Carn]

Did anyone here knew about this?

Click to shrink...

I remember reading about this (I'm also Dutch). Looking back; I now think "it must have been easy to be the ideas guy". But still, some cool concepts; but also concepts that sound hard to translate to actual, fun gameplay. I think that systematically, emergent type of gameplay is very very hard to implement well (because it quickly becomes clear that it isnt all that complex and you're just doing the same things); or is almost impossible to implement in a fun way. In the end; the player want to have fun and 'win'. I'm sure there is a market for these type of things but I don't think that its a big one.

 

[Joris-truly]

I remember reading about this (I'm also Dutch). Looking back; I now think "it must have been easy to be the ideas guy". But still, some cool concepts; but also concepts that sound hard to translate to actual, fun gameplay. I think that systematically, emergent type of gameplay is very very hard to implement well (because it quickly becomes clear that it isnt all that complex and you're just doing the same things); or is almost impossible to implement in a fun way. In the end; the player want to have fun and 'win'. I'm sure there is a market for these type of things but I don't think that its a big one.

Click to shrink...

You're absolutely right. It sounded really hard to make these emergent elements gel well. But on the other hand, my deep fascination with video games started with games like the first Deus Ex. Immersive sims that build their stories and concepts on rules and consequences.

I've always hoped action games would continue to explore and evolve these ambitious venues of highly reactive storytelling through complex AI systems and physics. Instead of having the power fantasy of merely winning a games, or experiencing a predetermined story. (Which i'm not downplaying in the slightest, mind you) Me remembering these old Crysis concepts makes me miss the early 00's when (mostly) PC devs where figuring out solutions for these complex emergent storytelling systems.

Not to say that this has stopped. Ken Levine is apparently working on a highly reactive Immersive Sim

Sidenote: kinda fun to think that Nintendo with BOTW in some ways continued this philosophy.

 

[Deleted member 23850]

Shame Crytek doesn't make games like this any more. They were really going places.

But this really goes for many developers during this decade. It's all been dumbed down now.

 

[Carn]

You're absolutely right. It sounded really hard to make these emergent elements gel well. But on the other hand, my deep fascination with video games started with games like the first Deus Ex. Immersive sims that build their stories and concepts on rules and consequences.

I've always hoped action games would continue to explore and evolve these ambitious venues of highly reactive storytelling through complex AI systems and physics. Instead of having the power fantasy of merely winning a games, or experiencing a predetermined story. (Which i'm not downplaying in the slightest, mind you) Me remembering these old Crysis concepts makes me miss the early 00's when (mostly) PC devs where figuring out solutions for these complex emergent storytelling systems.

Not to say that this has stopped. Ken Levine is apparently working on a highly reactive Immersive Sim

Sidenote: kinda fun to think that Nintendo with BOTW in some ways continued this philosophy.

Click to shrink...

I think something like Dwarf Fortress might be one of the most 'advanced' games in the emergent/sim category; I can't even imagine how something like that should translate to a modern 3D enviroment

 

[Joris-truly]

I think something like might be one of the most 'advanced' games in the emergent/sim category; I can't even imagine how something like that should translate to a modern 3D enviroment

Click to shrink...

I'm fascinated by Dwarf Fortress, but that's an extreme example. If you scope the project realistically smaller (and have a good deal of time to prototype) i think ambitious emergent sims like these can work. Look at the time Ken Levine took for his 'Radical reactive' Immersive Sim plan. His team has been working on it since 2014. I hope it shows.

Also, i'm not sure technically impressive emergent action/adventure games are a niche market thing persé. Look at the popularity of Bethesda's RPG and the myriad of modders still tweaking systems and adding stuff, same goes for STALKER. The flexibility and connectivity of their core systemics is really impressive. Or don't forget this amazing emergent solution for fishing in BOTW. Or on a side note, there are even youtube channels solely existing to show of Rockstar's impressive Euphoria implementation of their emergent physicalized animation system in GTA/RDR games.

 

[trugc]

I remember I read somewhere that Crysis was originally designed as an open world game. One hint is that in the main menu the location of each level will be marked on that Linshan map in the background animation. Back when the Crysis modding community is still alive there were also people who successfully concatenated each level's heightmap into one giant map.

 

[Mindfreak191]

Found another old 2005/2006 gameplay video. Explaining the concept of the sphere. What i gathered, is that the player could choose when to enter.

Also, the sleep darts originally had a more tactical use for undetected infiltration uses and gathering info. Maybe originally it had narrative consequences for creating casualties? Having a rippling effect on the conflicts between the US and the North Koreans?

Click to shrink...

I remember watching this walkthrough with my cousin when the game was revealed, we watched this thing a couple of hundred times and we just couldn't wrap our minds over how good it looked, good time.

Spoiler

Also, damn at that framerate when they enter the sphere at the end lol