From the makers of Timesplitters comes 'Haze'

live4speed

Looks interesting, I'd like to see video of actual gameplay, but the pics looked good.

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Sprite

Here yo go, the vid actually reminds me of Starship Troopes (the advertising bit anyway) Looks great, but alas its another FPS

LINK

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Ubisoft has pulled the release dates issued earlier this week for the Xbox 360 and PC versions of Haze, stating that the game is only confirmed for PS3.

"Haze is only confirmed for the PS3. Neither PC or Xbox 360 are confirmed platform releases," the company said.

"Officially HAZE is a PS3 lead development, PC and 360 versions are not confirmed at this time. There was an error in a release schedule which went out which is causing a lot of confusion right now."

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skylynx

hopefully it will support keyboard and mouse

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slackbladder

I would'nt hold your breath. Free Radical, the developers, make games for consoles primarily. I doubt they'll add keyboard support to a console game. They might but it's very, very unlikely.

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• Haze. 4 player co-op. From the makers of Timesplitters
  
  
• Haze developer: PSN is better than Xbox Live

Digital-Nitrate

EWillis

Also as an FYI, Haze is coming to 360 and PC next year. Free Radical is also making it (Ubisoft is just publishing it), so it's not like it was an in-house decision.

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You may want to read the latest news on Haze.

Robin posted a link to the following article in TVR's Haze thread:

Haze PC and 360 Drop off the Map
Ubisoft confirms that only the PS3 version of futuristic FPS is currently in development, no plans to bring it to any other platforms.
Posted Aug 31, 2007 4:00 am PT By Emma Boyes, GameSpot UK

Ubisoft has told GameSpot that First Radical's sci-fi first-person shooter Haze is now being planned solely for Sony's PlayStation 3 platform.

Originally, Haze was slated as a multiplatform release for the PC, Xbox 360, and PS3 this spring. However, in May, Ubisoft announced that the PS3 had become the "lead platform" for the title and that the game would be released in November only for the PS3. At that time, Ubisoft noted that "no exclusivity for any platform has been officially announced."

Today, Ubisoft amended its statement, saying that currently only the PS3 version of Free Radical's shooter is in development. The France-based publisher also noted that it was still leaving the door open in the future for "new partnerships," but currently the game is indeed only planned for the PS3. A spokesperson said, "The official statement on PC and Xbox 360 is that these platforms are not confirmed."

The Web sites of both Free Radical and the official Haze site now only list the PS3 version of the game.

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So it looks like it went from Multi-platform release, to PS3 Timed Exclusive, to PS3 Exclusive.

Of course at least that one spokesman left a crack in the door with "The official statement on PC and Xbox 360 is that these platforms are not confirmed." ... but for now I think its reasonable to say Haze is a PS3 exclusive until the next announcement.

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Digital-Nitrate

toyomatt84

Now, I'm interested in seeing a gameplay video of Haze, because it looks sort of promising. The people who are making Crysis also pitched in on this title, if I remember correctly.

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There are a few gameplay clips on GameTrailers.com and GameVideos.com but recently Free Radical released a 6-min gameplay demonstration narrated by a Game Director at Free Radical.

Among other things, the demonstration shows and explains the use of some of the "Nectar" weapons, and how you can make the enemy soldiers fight each other (in some ways it reminded me of how you can get the Big Daddies in Bioshock to fight for you).

In addition it shows how you can also steal their weapons while they are "Hazed" from the Nectar or hand combat, and then turn around and use their weapon against them, a nice realistic feature to have, as all the FPS games I've seen you can only get an enemy's weapon after you kill them.

Any way here is the link to that video:

• Haze 'Abandoned Resort' - Developers give a gameplay walkthrough

If you want to see more gameplay footage I’d check out those two sites from time to time as they seem to get updates more regularly then most game sites.

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Robin ///////

I love that Sixaxis keyboard attachment... oh boy I want it only wish it was bluetooth so you wouldnt have to plug an ulgy usb thing into it, oh also its abit wierd being above the controller, il see if sony release an official one more like the 360's one.

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• GC 2007 Story and Gameplay Features Interview

Robin ///////

Ok, so we are using this main haze thread as apposed to the one TVR did then?

As Digital Nitrate added its now PS3 exclusive and I think it would be worth putting that in the thread title aswell...

I love that Sixaxis keyboard attachment... oh boy I want it only wish it was bluetooth so you wouldnt have to plug an ulgy usb thing into it, oh also its abit wierd being above the controller, il see if sony release an official one more like the 360's one.

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Digital-Nitrate

That USB plug only has to get plugged into the PS3. It is the wireless transmitter, just as you would for using any USB wireless keyboard and mouse with a PC or console, so no worries there.

Also, I think the advantage of having it placed above, rather than below the main part of the controller, as it is with the 360 keyboard add-on, is that it would be less likely to get in the way of holding onto the controller. It appears placed high enough above the L1 & R1 buttons that it shouldn't interfere with those either.




BTW: HERE is a link to the HD version of the Haze 'Abandoned Resort' - Developers give a gameplay walkthrough 6-min video.

Also, the following is an HD clip from the recent GC event where David Doak, co-founder of Free Radical and Director of Haze not only discusses the game, but confirms it is indeed a PS3 exclusive. The clip is also cut with footage of Haze:

• GC 2007 Story and Gameplay Features Interview

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Digital-Nitrate

That USB plug only has to get plugged into the PS3.

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• Nectar Perception:
  While on Nectar, your enemies will become far more visible to you, even if they are hiding in the shadows or foliage.
  
  
• Melee Blast:
  Performed the same way as the normal melee attack, but with 10 times the power, thanks to Nectar.
  
  
• Nectar Resilience:
  Bullets won’t bounce off you, but you’ll certainly take less damage from them.
  
  
• Nectar Focus:
  When you are sniping or using the zoom function on your helmet, Nectar will give you a new level of focus, helping you aim and making it easier to kill in one deadly accurate shot.
  
  
• Nectar Foresight:
  If you are in danger while on a Nectar high, a visible “pulse” will ripple outward from the point of threat. This could be a grenade at your feet, or someone about to melee you from behind.

Robin ///////

I know its too early to say but I wonder if they will release another game under the timesplitters franchise or is Haze meant to be it?

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It's back! Featuring even more crazy characters, devastating weapons and heart pounding hot sweaty action. It's funny, it's frantic and it'll do things you've never seen before! No, not naked girls, even better than that! We can't tell you the details yet, the monkeys have a loaded banana pressed against our skull, but this game will take the first person shooter to gaming nirvana. Save the world or die laughing, Timesplitters 4 is coming to getcha!

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V1P3R

So this isn't a PS3 exclusive title anymore?

Ugh... I know there was another thread about this.

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GT4 genius

I read on a site today that PS3 get a 7 day exclusive of haze when it is launched on november 23rd, it will then be released for PC and Xbox 360 on the 30th of november. Not much of an exclusive, but they aren't breaking laws saying it!

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As mentioned and linked to in this thread, officially it was confirmed by David Doak, co-founder of Free Radical and Director of Haze that it is in fact now a PS3 exlusive with no current plans for it to be released on any other platform.

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Since our last interview with Free Radical, we were absolutely inundated with additional questions from our readers wanting to know more! So naturally we were delighted to have a second opportunity to try to feed their insatiable desire for more Haze and TimeSplitters 4 information.

We'd like to thank Rob Yescombe and Derek Littlewood for joining us for the pleasant surprise that is “PSU interviews Free Radical Part 2."

PSU: What are your thoughts on Haze being a system mover for the PlayStation 3? With a slew of multiplatform FPS titles coming, how will Haze (a PS3 exclusive) entice gamers to buy a PS3 over anything else?

Rob Yescombe: Well, with four-player hot-swap co-op, the Nectar gameplay system, two unique factions with totally different skills and abilities, as well as the 16-player multiplayer story maps, we’ve got a top notch package that’s going to make it an extremely worthy investment. Ultimately, our focus has been on replay value. If we’re hoping that people will buy the game and/or a PS3, we want to make sure they feel like they’re getting value for money.

PSU: Do you think that Blu-ray is a necessity for next gen gaming and will developers require Blu-ray size storage for games in the future if they don't already?

Derek Littlewood: It's clearly not a necessity, but it's an extremely useful asset. As hardware matures you always see an increase in the scale and ambition of games being developed for it, as developers get to grips with their new engines and toolsets, and that increased scale and ambition equates to an increased amount of content. So I think that as the PS3 matures, you'll see developers relying on Blu-ray to an increasing degree.

PSU: Why do you think multiplatform developers choose not to utilize the extra storage capacity on the PS3 for their games and add extra content? If the space is there why not use it?

Derek: It's not really as simple as just 'using' the space. Art, animation and audio assets for PS3 games take an enormous amount of time and money to create, and it's not like most developers have a box of additional levels they can just add onto their games at the eleventh hour. If you're developing specifically for the PS3 the additional capacity is a definite benefit, but if you're developing cross platform it's not usually so easy to just add extra stuff.

PSU: What was the reason behind dropping development on the Xbox 360 and PC?

Derek: From a development point of view, exclusive development is attractive because you can really focus on getting the best out of just one platform, rather than always needing to split your efforts across multiple versions of the game. And this is why exclusive PS3 development has been so useful to us, as the entire team has been able to work very closely with the PS3 hardware.

As for why the PS3 was our platform of choice, the company has a history of getting good results out of PlayStation hardware from our days working on the PS2, but also, out of the three platforms, the PS3 is still the youngest and so represented the best opportunity for us to get a game out into an uncrowded market where it was likely to get the best recognition.

PSU: Do you have plans to support Haze further with downloadable content?

Derek: We'd like to - I can't comment any further at this stage though, I'm afraid.

PSU: Will Haze have dedicated servers for multiplayer?

Derek: I can't comment on that at this stage, sorry.

PSU: Will Haze support clans, buddy lists, and parties? What kind of customizable options will be available for these?

Derek: Yes, we're supporting friends lists and parties, and you'll be able to do things like sending in-game invites to your friends if you want them to drop into your coop or multiplayer game. I can't really talk anymore about multiplayer options at this stage though, I'm afraid.

PSU: Have you hit any technical roofs with the PS3 hardware during development (memory, bandwidth, PPU, SPU, GPU)?

Derek: You always hit technical roofs, on any hardware platform. One of the biggest fallacies of games development is that there's hardware just around the corner that's going to allow you to do whatever you want, to whatever scale you want, but the reality is that regardless of the hardware, games development is about compromise. It's about choosing which things you want to do well (sometimes based on what the hardware does well) and making sure the player can see that effort up on screen.

The thing about the PS3 is that you really need to be using all of the SPU's constantly to get the best performance out of it – Haze has been pretty heavily optimised towards using the SPU's but even so we're not using them 100% of the time, although we're always looking for ways to do so. Memory has never really been an issue because the Haze engine is built to constantly stream the entire gameworld.

PSU: How do you guys feel about Bungie copying the Mantel Helmet designs in Halo 3's multiplayer?

Derek: That depends on whether it entitles us to a share of the Halo 3 profits or not.

PSU: Has your experience working on Haze for the PS3 helped in development and planning for Timesplitters 4?

Derek: Of course. Your first game on a new platform is always a big challenge, and an invaluable learning process; it's only by finishing and releasing a game on a given hardware platform that you really get to grips with it – you know, which things it does well, which things it struggles with - and there's a lot of things we've learnt about working on the PS3 from developing Haze that will feed into the planning and early development on all of our future games, including TS4.

PSU: Will Free Radical be using the same technology and game engine used in Haze in Timepsplitters 4?

Derek: We haven't made any firm decisions about what technology we'll be using for TS4 as it naturally has slightly different requirements to Haze. But I think you can expect the core engine to be the same, yes.

PSU: Anything else you'd like to add about Haze or Timesplitters?

Rob: Buy them! I need to retile my roof before the rainy season starts.

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• Gameplay Features Interview HD

• Haze: Streets of Britain

Vonie

It has been delayed to Jan-Mar of 2008.

http://www.ps3fanboy.com/2007/11/20/haze-release-gets-cloudy-pushed-to-next-year/

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