Driving in Far Cry 3 won't become a chore, says Ubisoft

Ubisoft’s Far Cry 2 was known for its atmosphere, immersion, and bad driving. The game had annoying driving mechanics that made it tedious to travel from one point to another. Now, according to lead game designer Jamie Keen, travel won’t be as annoying in Far Cry 3. He told PlayStation Magazine UK that it won’t “become a chore this time”.

“What we wanted to do with this one is we wanted to make driving a fun experience”. Explains Keen, “We wanted it to feel like you can pull a handbrake turn round a corner and when you do it it is great and fun to do. You can just launch your vehicle at 70mph off a cliff – it might not do very well – but you can do that stuff.”

Those people are doomed

According to Keen, while the game will have provisions for the explorers among us with the complete freedom to drive along the coast of the tropical island setting of Far Cry 3, and admire the scenery, the game will also include a fast travel system for those who just want to get to the next mission. “We have fast travel points that let you move quickly around the world. You never feel like anything is too far way but it’s there and its the choice that you are making, This idea of player choice is very important to us, that you are the one that’s deciding the pace and what you engage with,” said Keen.

Ubisoft had recently released a trailer for the game that showed some of the characters that you will be meeting in your adventure in the island in the same way that an earlier trailer did, but this time, the characters seem less violently bloodthirsty and more willing to co-operate with the player character.

The trailer shows the characters Dennis and Citra, who belong to a tribe based in the tropical island that the game takes place in. Dennis has some words of wisdom for the characters about the denizens of the island, and Citra is set to unleash the characters ‘true power’. What this means in the context of what looks like a semi-realistic game is not clear at the moment, but it seem like it involves tying you up and making you drink something that will probably get you inebriated.

Far Cry 3 is set to be an open-world game, but forgoes the African setting of its predecessor for a more tropical island setting, much like the first game in the series. The game also seems to have a very open way to deal with things, but then again, that simply means that you get an option to either blow up enemies loudly, or kill them quietly.

Back in September, the company had revealed that it has no plans for a Wii U version of Far Cry 3. This came as a strange decision, as one of the strongest titles for the Wii U is another game by Ubisoft, titled ZombiU. ZombiU, got a trailer during PAX Prime, where Ubisoft showcased some of the gameplay. The video shows the player going through a ruined Buckingham Palace after a zombie outbreak. It shows the player using the Wii U controller for things such as detecting hidden passages, opening briefcases and detecting zombies. The controller will also be used for other actions such as accessing your backpack and picking locks, without pausing the game. This could potentially create more tension while playing, as you’ll be able to see your character frantically picking a lock while a horde of zombies is slowly making their way towards you.