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Chadi 'Leviat' Lebbos, the Producer
for Raven Shield.
1.) You´re a member of the Ubi Soft development
team in Montreal, Canada: What projects have you worked on
in the past and what exactly is your job as a producer for
Raven Shield?
My first big responsibility at Ubi Soft
was in 1997, where I was asked to start and manage a localization
studio. This gave me experience in project management, dealing
with 3rd party developers, marketing, human resources … you
name it. 4 years later, I was asked to be an associate producer
on RAINBOW SIX - RAVEN SHIELD, I jumped at the opportunity
and became involved when the game was nothing more than a
sheet of paper. I can’t believe the amount of work that has
been done to it since then. A couple months later, I was promoted
to producer. You can imagine what my reaction was!
Being a producer on Raven Shield, I
always need to keep in mind that we’re not dealing with any
old game here….it’s Rainbow Six. I need to make sure the standards
of quality in terms of gameplay remains consistent, and combined
with graphics and sound, everything needs to be balanced perfectly
and of the highest quality in order to bring the best possible
experience to our fans.
As the manager of the project and the
development team, I need to make sure everyone has everything
they need to work efficiently. Working closely with Red Storm,
I provide all of the proper guidelines that will help us achieve
our goals.
Finally, marketing and PR rely on me
to provide them news on the progression of the games development!
2.) Continuing the Rainbow Six-Series is a major
challenge - Red Storm set very high standards with their products
– Is this the source of your motivation or is it simply one
of many challenges you face with Raven Shield?
Developing the next in the Rainbow Six
series is a privilege. This franchise, along with Half Life,
is probably the most popular within the FPS market so the
pressure is onto make Raven Shield a unique experience! We
need to make good decisions to preserve the authenticity of
the franchise and add innovations that will surprise Rainbow
Six and FPS fans. So in answer to your question, yes, it is
definitely a challenge for us.
However, it’s also a source of motivation
for us. The development team is made up of Rainbow Six fans
so we definitely started on the right track!
3.) What is the story/environment that Raven
Shield is set in?
We’ve picked mission environments in interesting
locales. Each map needs to be “unique” in terms of graphics,
game play and sounds. There will be a variety of environments
such as snow, desert, mountain, day, night, rain, outdoor…
mostly in Europe and South America. Of course, locations have
been selected according to the story line and the major plot.
4.) Use of the new Unreal Warfare engine gives
you new possibilities. Do you think Raven Shield will remain
true to the Rainbow Six-Series by advancing the game to the
next level? What are the advantages of the new engine? Do
you think it will allow you to set new standards?
The Unreal technology needs to be adapted
to our own needs – We’re not developing Unreal… we’re developing
Rainbow Six 3. However, this engine is a great start for us
because, while we work towards adapting the engine, our editors
can begin work on the layout. Because the game content alone
is a big developmental challenge, I thought it would be more
beneficial for us to put our efforts towards optimizing the
game play and basic features rather than the engine itself…
the Unreal engine is a powerful tool for both 3D rendering
and script AI. It will surely contribute to the quality of
the game.
The basic Rainbow Six AI is huge compared
to any other FPS on the market; which takes up a large chunk
of the memory budget… Even if the graphics are outstanding,
I think (wish) that Raven Shield will set new standards with
its controls and its AI.
5.) Are you supported by Red Storm? If so, how?
Do you receive any consultation and/or support by members
of the US Elite Police Teams?
As we did with Black Thorn, we constantly
work with RSE. The storyline is mostly managed by RSE and the
game design is supported by RSE. Also, many of our decisions
are discussed with RSE first. They know the franchise better
than anyone and it’s important to have feedback from them on
any and all parts of our work.
We want this game to be the most realistic
Elite Police tactical simulator out there. To better achieve
this, the development team leaders have been trained by the
GTI SQ team (elite hostage-rescue team in Montreal, Canada).
Moreover, we are working closely with a member of the LAPD
Tactics team. His advise has been helpful in the design of
certain gadgets, tactics and character reactions in the game
itself.
6.) Producing such a major title means a lot
of creative work and fun for everyone in the team, but it
also means stress and the need to make difficult decisions.
What were the biggest problems and challenges you’ve had to
face so far?
Aside from the many technical challenges,
one of the biggest obstacles is the selection of the features
(choosing from hundreds!) that will make Raven Shield not
only the next great game in the series, but also an awesome
title with many innovations that would please both Rainbow
Six fans and FPS gamers.
7.) What is your favorite game feature and why?
I really like the new peek & crouch controls
which are quite ground-breaking. It doesn’t affect the way
I’m accustomed to playing Rogue Spear, but if I need more
precision and more control, it’s useful in helping me discover
ways of shooting the enemy that I couldn’t do in Rogue Spear.
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