PREY

3D Realms Gets Closer to God

One of the newer developers to do this is 3D Realms. A subsidiary of the mega-successful shareware company, Apogee, 3D Realms dedicates their projects to, of course, creating three-dimensional worlds. Their debut effort, Terminal Velocity (a high-action flight sim), scored big points with fans, and even Microsoft, who had their own spin-off, Fury3, created for the MS Home series. Continuing on this road of fame was Rise of the Triad, which was a technological 1-up for 3D games. Now, after months of sweaty anticipation, 3D Realms has released Duke Nukem 3D to the general public. Based on Apogeeís critically acclaimed Duke Nukem series, this game is way ahead of the pack when it comes to the engine that drives it. The attention to detail in every category is what makes this game so enlightening, and is also the reason that the shareware version is one of the most frequently downloaded games on the Net.

Well now 3D Realms wants to beat their high score... again. In February of 96, 3DR released news on a brand new game. It is to be such a technological marvel that the designers are already calling it a "virtual movement that will take over the world". Judging from some of the features, as well as 3D Realmsí flawless track record, it is very likely that this prophetic statement will come true.

Prepare to enter a world like no other. An alien realm filled with magic and might. Where the strong survive and the weak are hunted. Keep runniní, fat boy. Youíve just become PREY.

"YOU ARE AND YOUíD BETTER!"

These production sketches depict the bionic suit which the player is merged with in the game. The weapons contained within the mechanical armor do more than just work. They give the player real power.

Throughout the game, you will be placed within these alien environments and pretty much be told to defend yourself until all your opponents- or you- are dead. But you will also have some help. Not only does the mechanical enhancement you have assist you in combat, but you will eventually pick up on the six disciplines, allowing you to effectively battle your hunters and come out victorious. It is up to you to show these aliens that humans arenít just meat, and have some experience in fighting malicious aliens.

It may sound rather simple, but remember that this isnít your average city or Martian moon base. In Prey, you are within an alien world. Therefore, it is up to you to learn how the environment works, how weapons function, and how to defeat the superior foes you are up against. Things are different here, and your survival depends on how well you adapt.

A WORLD UNKNOWN

The use of more advanced geometrical objects is just one of the many enhancements seen the Prey engine.

Being such a technological advancement, 3D Realms is concentrating on the structure of this world as much as the residents who live there. The full, unrestrictive 3D engine allows the level designers to create any desired architecture. Rooms over rooms, bridges over bridges, arched ceilings, dynamic lighting effects, and any surface can be sloped. "There are no restrictions whatsoever on architecture, since the engine is true 3D" said William Scarboro, a Prey programmer. "Prey will take full advantage of this with impressive and very alien levels for the player to explore." Prey also has environmental interaction, such as ropes you can grab ahold of and swing. Be forewarned, though. Youíre not the only one who will be able to take advantage of these features.

The gameís AI is a breakthrough in itself. Enemies will be far beyond intelligent. They will make use of every available resource in order to destroy their targets. After all, this is their world, and they should know how everything works. The player wonít be so lucky to start. But there will be relief.

"We want the game to be... flexible." said Jim DosÈ, one of the lead programmers for Prey. "If [the player] gets tired of playing the ëheroí of the game, they can choose to play as a monster. You can also choose to have robot players cooperatively play alongside the user, or they can play against you for a deathmatch without a network."

Whoa! This dude looks rather pissed. This more humanoid enemy doesnít take no for an answer. Make him regret that arrogance!

To help make the enemies more realistic, 3D Realms is aiming for a very intelligent approach for the evil baddies within Prey. In order to overcome a warrior of a particular discipline, you must defend with itís opposite. "Occasionally," said Hall, "[enemies] will do things so intelligently, youíll swear youíre playing against a human."

This particular enemy is one of the hunters. Judging from physical structure, it seems he practices a more agile discipline.

His friend, on the other hand, leans more towards the bash and slash. No matter which enemy youíre up against in Prey, expect them to look menacing and very realistic.

These arenít the only unique features available in the game. 3D Realms is designing the game with open source code. In effect, users will be able to alter Prey in any form they wish. "You could even write a word processor in it, if you really wanted to." said Hall. This may not be a common occurrence with the Prey engine, but 3D Realms is betting that users will be doing all sorts of wacky things with the built-in compiler, including making their own levels or designing a completely new world in Prey!

SIGHTS AND SOUNDS

The lighting effects in Prey are some of the most outstanding visuals. In the first two images, the effects of outdoor lighting can be seen on the interior of a structure. Below you see a light casting a peculiar shadow on the wall. It reads... Prey.

Youíll be able to scope out the new world in any angle, even looking up or down at enemies. The using of fully texture-mapped, polygon graphics will make everything flow in a more realistic manner, right down to the sly enemies which stalk the player. By using this method, Prey will be able to support several resolutions in both VGA and SVGA. Best of all, by the time Prey hits the shelves, most users will have the type of system needed to run the game fluidly.

Check it out! Seen from two different angles is this room, which is highlighted with those shnazzy dynamic lighting effects. The layout looks nice, too!

Prey will also include a rather warped soundtrack. The awe- inspiring world must be accompanied by equally moving audio effects. "The music will be more of a threatening alien atmosphere," said Hall, "sort of an ambient malevolence. That and the sound effects are being composed by our resident musician, Lee Jackson (Rise of the Triad, Duke Nukem 3D). Weíve got a few sound effects in now, and Prey is going to sound awesome."

MULTI-PREY

Prey levels will be immense and ominous. The structure here makes it a great place to hide, especially from your friends.

Playable via modem, LAN or the Internet, Prey will have virtually no limit as to how many players can join a multiplayer game. Gamely would only regress if the server was being trodden, or bandwidth was limited. The game server will handle all game control for the clients, so in a way the server defines what occurs during a game. Since even the multiplayer code is to be wide open, it would be possible for users to customize the multiplayer environment, with only the host needing the altered files, which will eliminate those annoying synch errors. Prey will also have the capability to have its network games spanned over multiple machines. So while one system hosts the players, the other renders the levels.

Says Mark Dochterman, the third Prey programmer, "Prey will be a great multiplayer game. Multplay will have our full attention, not just be a tacked-on afterthought. Prey servers will be popping up all over the Internet. Hopping from server to server [to find new opponents] will be as easy as running around the world wide web is now."

NOT JUST A REFLECTION

Quake on top. Prey on the bottom. They share some obvious similarities, but according to 3D Realms, thatís just unavoidable when two companies strive to make a next generation game.

"If Quake didnít exist, weíd still be making this game." said Hall. "We set out to make a scary, intense sci-fi game with unparalleled action. The Prey engine and the Quake engine are the logical next step in making 3D games: computed lighting with polygon-based characters."

A LONG ROAD STILL

Lovers of 3D games will have a big treat this coming winter. Until the release of Prey, you can go ahead and sulk in a corner, or perhaps try out some of 3D Realmsí other upcoming games. In either case, youíre still in for a great time. 3D Realms is known for producing cutting-edge three-dimensional games with sensational effects. Why should Prey be any different?

-Martin