Exclusive Interview with Monolith
In this exclusive and crazy interview
Dayne McClurg (Community Manager) and Dave Matthews (Primary Art Lead)
provide 'not so serious' answers to elsewhere untouched questions.
Do they use
Ouija board for contacting Alma? What are their most terrifying 'real life'
experiences? Who posed for Alma's character? Are they really considering doing a
game based on
David Lynch's "Twin Peaks"?
In this
laid back interview you'll find the answers to these & many other questions!
HS: You already mentioned that Alma's character is inspired by Asian story traditions.
But what inspired you to sink your teeth into horror genre at all? I mean,
you did quite a few horror games already: Condemned, Condemned 2,
FEAR and now - FEAR 2. Is there any back story behind such a portfolio?
Dayne: The desire to "sink our teeth" into the horror genre comes from several
places. After
the NOLF series
, we wanted to do something different,
so we started working on a new game with the concept of creating an
FPS experience that incorporated the cinematic over-the-top gunplay
of Hong Kong action movies. Initially, the game (which would later
become F.E.A.R.) had a playful tone. However, early in the development
cycle our Lead Designer, Craig Hubbard, felt like the tone wasn't
fitting in well with the action. Craig started removing the dialogue and humor,
and the more spare it got, the more eerie it got.
The F.E.A.R. team was already full of Asian horror fans, so as the mood of
the game shifted, the team was naturally able to take advantage of the
change and craft a truly terrifying experience.
Dave: I think the horror tradition speaks to the constant evolution of
Monolith's mindset. We have continued to build off of what we have
learned making our previous titles. Monolith is good at crafting horror
and visceral action. The next-gen tech has allowed us to explore the
horror mechanics more deeply and do things that we could only
dream of on previous titles.
Well, all that, and mental illness. A deep and profound mental illness
that compels us to create disturbing and horrifying games for
our adoring fans ;)
HS: What's your the most terrifying personal experience?
(Dave) Sleeping in the same bed with Dayne in Prague.
(Dayne) Sleeping in the same bed with Dave in Prague.
HS: Have you ever tried Ouija (Spirit) Board? Or maybe even
called Alma's spirit? :)
Dave: Ouija board? Yes. Tarot? Yes. Minor spell casting? Sure why not.
Summoning Alma's spirit? I'd liken that to experiencing an angel up close
and personal. Every time an angel shows up in the Bible you better get
ready for some wrath of God. So no, I've never tried to summon her.
I'm crazy, but not that crazy.
Dayne: Nope, never even considered calling Alma's spirit. I can't imagine
the charges on my cell bill. Bah dum bum, tsss!
HS: If you were Alma, what films you would appreciate the most? :)
Dave: I frequently imagine myself as a little girl, but not necessarily Alma.
That being said, I'd probably appreciate
Little Women or
the Red Balloon.
Dayne: No comment.
HS: Did you use any real person for the reference of Alma's character? You needed
a photo at least for 3D modeling- is there any chance that you
could show that photo?
Dave: No, we just locked our team of Cracker Jack concept artists
in a room with Asian horror movies to give them inspiration, and they
knocked out a great direction for Alma. For the older version of Alma,
we used a variety of images from anorexic runway models to holocaust
victims as reference. Meagan, our character artist responsible
for the older Alma, is still a little twitchy from all of the research.
Dayne: Really, I thought they used the picture of you
wearing a red dress and a wig?
HS: Usually in horror games developers are trying to make a protagonist as fragile
as possible. How did you come up with the idea of giving
Elite Power Armour to the player?
Dave: We are dedicated to creating a terrifying experience with F.E.A.R.2,
but our first priority is to create a great overall gameplay experience.
With F.E.A.R., our Community complained that the combat got a bit
stagnant over the course of the game and we were listening.
With F.E.A.R. 2, we wanted to craft more dynamic gameplay to keep
our Community entertained. To accomplish this, we added a lot more
variety to the combat and the combat spaces. The Elite Powered Armor
is the product of our dedication to create. These moments are great
tension releases before we plunge the player back into terrifying areas.
Dayne: The Power Armor is a great chance to turn F.E.A.R. combat on its head.
We first make the player fight against the Power Armor on foot, so that
they can properly appreciate its power when get to pilot it later in the game.
Raining down god-like wrath is great fun, and when you have to leave the
power armor and continue on foot, you definitely feel a lot more fragile.
HS: Warner Bros. is the parent company. Does it have anything to do with
your games being so film-like atmospheric?
Dave: No, not Warner Bros. specifically. We do take a lot of inspiration
from film because it's a great visual medium for creating mood and atmosphere,
but we literally take inspiration from every source imaginable.
Everything from comic books, to novels, to "real life" visits to
locations where we took pictures, film and
sound recordings to help us create believably atmospheric spaces.
HS: Have you ever considered about developing a game sequel for the TV
series Twin Peaks? :)
Dayne: I love
David Lynch
but I wouldn't want to touch a
David Lynch video game with a 10 ft pole.
Dave: David Lynch deals with a storyline and characters in a
very esoteric fashion. To be able to capture that vibe and still have
awesome gameplay would be an incredibly difficult challenge.
Dayne: Playing a game about dancing midgets and talking backwards
just isn't as fun as shooting a person in half with a shotgun, and it
never will be... in my humble opinion. Still, if you guys are up for
a Twin Peaks marathon I'm totally down. Did you know that
Twin Peaks was filmed right outside of Seattle in the
picturesque town of North Bend. I've been to
Twede's café– they still
have "Twin Peaks" cherry pie and serve a "damn fine cup of coffee."
HS: Thank you for your time!
F.E.A.R. 2: PROJECT ORIGIN software © 2008 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.
Developed by Monolith Productions, Inc. Monolith and the Monolith Logo are
trademarks of Monolith Productions.
