E3 2002BC impressions

We had a chance to sit down with Peter Molyneux for a look at BC, the upcoming game from Intrepid Games. BC was first announced in 2818207October of last year , but there has been little information released on the game since. Molyneux mentioned it briefly during our recent Q&A with him, but the game has mostly remained under wraps. While his recent comments on the game, which described shepherding a pack of primitives throught the various stages of evolution, called to mind an experience along the lines of the god games he's known for, today Molyneux chose to label the game as an arcade adventure.

The game's premise puts you in the role of a tribe leader. Your goal is to lead your tribe by teaching them the skills they need to survive. Your tribe will face such hazards as ravenous dinosaurs and a vicious rival race of ape men. Living to see another day will require your tribe to work as a unit and use what little brains they have to exploit the natural resources around them and discover new technology and knowledge.

The premise introduces you to two main challenges--you'll have to find enough humans to have a prosperous tribe, and you'll have to lead your tribe to a distant valley that's free of predators in order for them to evolve. Molyneux likened the puzzles in the game to those found in Ico, in that they'll all be integrated into the environment, and you'll be given a clear objective that you'll have to creatively reach. The game will offer a number of unique technologies to discover, a wide array of weapons to pick up, and a simulated food chain. You'll also be challenged by the sheer scope of detail that the game is slated to have. You'll have to worry about ensuring that your tribe is fed and protected against your simian rivals, raptors, and tyrannosaurs, as well as environmental hazards such as cliffs and poisonous berries and fruit that the tribe will have to learn to recognize. Not exactly Super Mario Bros., is it?

After setting up the game's quirky premise, Molyneux gave us a look at the game in action. The demo opened with our virtual alter ego emerging from a cave overlooking a valley. The clarity in the game's textures was insane. The fine detail in the weathered rock and interior of the cave walls was gorgeous. Our prehistoric self was quite fetching as well, featuring such fine detail as facial and body hair and self-shading. Yet the eye candy of the cave was nothing compared with the view of the valley once the main character emerged and stood at the edge of a cliff. The virtual world was one of the most "alive" things we've seen in a game yet. Dinosaurs of all species were seen racing around. Some ran through the grass, both in herds and individually, while the larger herbivores sipped water at the foot of a lake. In the skies, pteranodons and birds were flying about, flocking and dipping according to their whims. When the main character roamed the valley floor, he disturbed the tall grasses that grew in patches everywhere. Simply playing voyeur during the character's travels was cool. Molyneux proudly pointed out the AI for each typr of the wildlife in the game was specific to its species. We watched a pack of raptors hanging out by a group of herbivores for a bit--the raptors eventually wandered near them, which spooked the herbivores and sent them racing past the main character.

The demo left the local wildlife behind and took the main character into a small cluster of tribe members going about their business. As the leader wandered through the group, Molyneux pointed out how the main character would direct the tribe. Players will "tag" the available members of the tribe and assign them tasks in order to teach them how to do certain things. He presented several examples of how the feature will work. You'll "tag" members of the tribe, who will follow you on your way around. If you take them out into the open and throw a spear at an animal, you'll be able to teach them hunting behaviors. If you give them an egg, you'll have to teach them how to break it open.

Eventually they'll attempt to puzzle things out on their own. Molyneux pointed out a group of three tribe members gesturing toward each other and stated they were trying to learn speech. Teaching your tribe communication skills will become an important and useful part of gameplay, as it will give you a better idea of how to manage the group based on their feedback. Molyneux then triggered a scripted event where the main character approached two tribe members who were hunting with spears. Just as the leader neared them, a Jurassic Park-quality tyrannosaurus rex lunged into the screen and helped itself to one of the hunting party. The large and impressively detailed rex was just a baby according to Molyneux, who stated its mother was three times its size.

At the moment, BC does not have a set release date other than the estimated spring 2003. While the build we saw demoed was roughly 50 percent complete, Molyneux stated that, given the ambitious nature of the gameplay and the high standards the people developing it are pushing for, he couldn't give a more definite date. Look for more on the game in the coming months.