Aaron ThomasIt might be hitting stores a little later than its console counterparts, but
EA isn't just taking their time with the PSP version of From Russia With Love –
they're improving it. Much of the work behind the PSP version has gone into
adding bots into the game's multiplayer. Want to know more? Check out this short
Q&A session with Laffy Taylor, the game's producer.
Why was the decision made to add bots to a game that supports WiFi
multiplayer?
EA: 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?
EA: 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?
EA: 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?
EA: 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?
EA: 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.