1. Was Rebellion always interested in doing a Sniper Elite sequel, since the release of the first? What made the team decide to make one at this point, as opposed to a couple of years ago for example?
The interest has always been there, it’s been more about timing. We’ve always been too busy working on other people’s projects to be able to provide enough attention to our own. Last year we were presented with this opportunity and took it.
2. In heading into the sequel, was there ever any question about revisiting the battle between the Germans and Russians? Was a different era/war considered?
Absolutely! The team investigated pretty much all wars and potential scenarios. We’ve ended up back where we began, due mainly to the fact we couldn’t find a timeline more intriguing than the battle for Berlin – that overlap of the end of the biggest war of all time and the start of the Cold War.
3. I like that the player’s character in Sniper Elite is basically anonymous, and isn’t a focal point in the story as far as having a name and a personal story and all that. In V2, I presume it’s the same way (although if it’s not, please do tell 🙂 but during development, did Rebellion think about adding a personal (back)story to the main character(s)?
We have followed the same path in terms of characterization, or lack of, as with the first game. Whilst we want to provide a compelling story, the mystery of our hero character seems to add to the overall experience. We know his name, job title and purpose in Berlin only.
4. Besides the bump in “speed,” what has been the greatest advantages to working on the new consoles? What specifically are you able to do with the new consoles in terms of gameplay (sniping physics, AI, size of the maps) that you could not achieve with the previous gen (Xbox/PS2)? Additionally, what is the lead platform for V2?
Simply put, we can do more in every area. From more detailed artwork, to a more accurate bullet ballistics system, smarter AI opposition to real-time rendering of skeletal and organ destruction. The limitations suffered from the first game are not present here.
5. I thoroughly enjoyed playing through Sniper Elite with split-screen co-op. Will players have the ability to do split-screen or even LAN co-op play on consoles? Are any new modes supported besides playing through the campaign?
We will have two-player online co-op and plan to discuss details at a later date.
6. As good as Sniper Elite was, it did have some rough edges and lacked polish in some areas, such as the save game interface, bugginess with some world-interactions such as tripwire bomb placement, and a lot of clipping. I was wondering, besides the consoles themselves, what has changed in development of V2 to ensure a more bug-free game at release?
Sniper Elite was released in 2005. Since then processes have been implemented, tested and improved upon within Rebellion to avoid such issues. I’m confident we’ll be releasing a quality product.
7. About how long is the campaign?
Due to the nature of the gameplay on offer in SEv2, combined with players own gameplay styles, we see some people taking 10 hours, others taking over 30 to complete the game.
Stay tuned for more coverage of Sniper Elite V2 as its release draws nearer!
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