Electronic Arts latest 007 videogame, From Russia with Love for the PSP, has finally shipped to retailers nationwide and in order to help you readers get a better idea of the game’s multiplayer modes and gameplay, EA has presented us with a new Q&A session with Laffy Taylor, the game’s producer. Enjoy!
Why was the decision made to add bots to a game that supports WiFi multiplayer?
Laffy Taylor: Our primary motivation for adding bots to FRWL PSP multiplayer was to make the experience accessible to everyone, not just groups of friends who wanted to play WiFi deathmatches. We also knew from the message boards that this feature was something fans really wanted to see in the PSP version of the game.
Was it a technical hurdle to get bots running on the Sony PSP?
Laffy Taylor: It wasn’t easy getting the bots in FRWL PSP to their current state. Our challenge was not just getting the bots to behave accordingly – we had to be certain that they didn’t cause any latency issues with our WiFi functionality. We partnered closely with our QA team by asking them to rigorously test the bots in multiplayer so we could get them up to spec. Ultimately our combined efforts paid off – the end result is a multiplayer experience that has few rivals on the PSP.
Do the bots follow waypoints for each map or are they dynamic?
Laffy Taylor: The bots in FRWL PSP multiplayer behave according to a motivational network system. Their actions are determined by their needs at any given time. Although their primary function is to seek out and kill other players, bots will actively seek ammo when they are running low and go for powerups when they’re on a streak. They’re not predictable by any means and this is what makes them so challenging.
How would you rate the difficulty level of playing against the new bots? i.e. Are they harder than humans?
Laffy Taylor: The bots were tuned to be very aggressive. It’s not uncommon to have bots win in 6 player games that have 4 or 5 human players on the normal difficulty setting. The hard difficult setting is just brutal and is tuned for experienced gamers. The bots are manageable on the easy difficulty setting, so there’s fun to be had by gamers of all abilities.
Do you have any hints or tips on how to approach and defeat the bots?
Laffy Taylor: Ranged weapons such as grenades, the rocket launcher and the sniper rifle are particularly effective against the bots when cover is nearby. Otherwise, keep moving and dive roll when you see the target lock indicator icon appear on your screen.
