Soldier of Fortune II: Double Helix Updated Preview

Raven Software's original Soldier of Fortune was a well-received first-person shooter that put you in the shoes of a mercenary named John Mullins, whose real-life counterpart acted as a consultant in the game. It gained notoriety for its gruesome violence, which even among first-person shooters was over the top. A year later, Raven is hard at work on Soldier of Fortune II: Double Helix, a sequel that not only aims to up the ante as far as its realistic violence is concerned, but also looks to correct a lot of the shortcomings of the first game.

The original game looked nice, but id Software's Quake II engine was a little dated by the time it shipped. This time around, Raven is using the Quake III Arena engine, but it's also using some in-house technology to improve upon id's already impressive engine. Team Arena, id Software's add-on for Quake III Arena, included a new terrain system that allowed for enormous outdoor environments, but rather than make use of this technology, Raven has implemented ROAM, a terrain system that it says will allow for even larger environments, which completely dwarf the already lengthy ones used in the first game. Regardless of how big they are, you'll immediately notice how detailed the environments in Soldier of Fortune II are. Individual leaves of grass blow in the wind, and trees sway back and forth with astonishing realism. A host of environmental effects have also been implemented, and you'll see realistic fog, rain, and snow. It is unknown if these will affect the gameplay in any way--when we asked Lead Programmer Dan Kramer about this, we were told that it's a "trade secret."

But the most impressive technology in Soldier of Fortune II is the second generation of Raven's GHOUL character engine. In the original Soldier of Fortune, GHOUL let players target specific body parts on enemies and was used to create groups of characters that, while similar, were not all identical. It did this by building them from different classes, mixing and matching body parts to create a variety of enemies from the same source models. In the sequel, this has been taken to new heights, and the character models are incredibly detailed. Each character features more than 3,000 polygons, as opposed to the 300 used in the original, and characters have been modeled right down to their eyeballs, which move realistically in their sockets. Their eyelids are incredibly realistic as well. Like in the original game, you will be able to target specific areas, and the number of individual hit zones has been increased from 26 to 36.

But there are other features in GHOUL II, as Kramer told us. "The most significant change is that the system now uses [a] hierarchical skeletal system rather than a mesh-based system. This gives both animators and programmers more flexibility than they had in [the original] SOF. Another significant enhancement is that we now have the ability to add both textures and bolts procedurally. This allows us to add effects (bullet holes or embedded knives, for example) at precise locations around the model, rather than at predetermined points."

Kramer says that GHOUL II will enhance the weapons as much as the characters in the game. "The GHOUL II system allows us to bolt on objects to weapons. A lot of this is undecided, but there has been mention of silencers, larger clips, scopes, and other weapon enhancements for the in-game weapons. A lot of this is still under wraps for the time being." However, one thing is certain--the weapons are significantly more detailed this time around, with triggers, clips, and other small details being completely modeled.

Heavy Artillery

Although the game was billed as being a realistic action game, in truth, the first Soldier of Fortune was more like Quake than Rainbow Six. This time around, Raven has decided to make the game as realistic as possible, so don't expect to see the microwave gun return this time around. In fact, all the weapons in Soldier of Fortune II are based on ones that would be used for each particular mission, and enemies will carry weapons that are available in that particular region of the globe. Kramer explained, "For the sake of realism, it makes sense for enemies to carry the weapons they're known for in real life. American Marines will carry an M-4, for example, while other soldiers from around the world will use an AK-74 assault rifle. Grenades and other equipment are also region specific, again mainly for the sake of realism." You will be able to pick up weapons--that wouldn't be available otherwise--from enemies. Although Raven isn't revealing too much information about the game's 14 weapons and 10 grenades, we were able to obtain some exclusive information on some of them.

MK 23 MODEL.0, US SOCOM
Game Name: US SOCOM
Cartridge: 0.45 ACP
Operation: recoil, semi-automatic
Feed: 12-round box magazine
Description: This handgun was once known as the SOF Offensive Handgun and is an extremely powerful heavy caliber pistol. The weapon is used primarily by the US military and can be adapted for suppressed fire. It also has other modifications available, including a laser-aiming module and a universal tactical light.

M4 with M203 grenade launcher
Game Name: M4 (M203 for launcher)
Cartridge: 5.56 x 45 mm
Operation: Gas, direct action, selective fire
Feed: 20- and 30-round box magazine
Description: The M4 was original created as a smaller version of the M16 rifle, so it uses the same rounds as that weapon. Because it's smaller, the weapon is ideal for covert operations. It can be modified with a sound and flash suppressor, adding to its covert value.
Primary fire: Fully automatic
Secondary use: Grenade launcher. According to Mullins, "With the M203, the infantryman is provided an indirect fire capability, useful against bunkers, dug-in troops, and well-entrenched positions."

AK-74
Game Name: AK-74
Cartridge: 5.56 x 45 mm
Operation: Gas, selective fire
Feed: 30-round plastic box magazine
Description: When the AK-74 was first introduced in the early 1970s, it used the design of the AKM but featured a smaller caliber round. A durable, efficient, deadly weapon, the AK-74 is one of the most duplicated and used assault rifles in the world. Its one trade-off is that its muzzle flash is three times the size of other similar rifles.

M67 Delay Fragmentation Hand Grenade
Game Name: M67
Delay Time: 4-5 s
Detonator: Lead azide, lead styphnate, and RDX
Description: This grenade is a small timed grenade, primarily used by the US Army and Marine Corps. Once detonated, it explodes with great force in all directions and is intended to incapacitate, not kill.
Primary fire: Thrown long distance (overhand)
Secondary action: Rolled / lobbed a short distance (underhand)

AN-M14 TH3 Incendiary Hand Grenade
Game Name: AN-M14
Delay Time: 0.7-2 s
Description: This grenade is used primarily to destroy equipment. Its thermite filling burns extremely hot, which is enough to melt metal objects. But it doesn't explode, so it's not effective as an antipersonnel weapon.
Primary fire: Thrown long distance (overhand)
Secondary action: Rolled / lobbed a short distance (underhand)

M84 Stun Grenade
(Note: This is an experimental weapon, currently in development, so no other information is available at this time.)
Game Name: M84
Delay Time: - Classified
Description: This is a stun grenade that emits a 170-180 decibel sound and a greater than 1 MIL Cdl flash, which temporarily incapacitates an enemy so that it may be neutralized by nonlethal means. Because it has a reusable body, it can be reloaded up to 25 times.
Primary fire: Thrown long distance (overhand)
Secondary action: Rolled / lobbed a short distance (underhand)

Mission Critical

In Soldier of Fortune II, Mullins is sent in by the Shop organization to stop a terrorist group from unleashing a deadly virus in Columbia. Mullins will travel to Colombia, Kamchatka, Hong Kong, and Switzerland as he attempts to track down the virus and the people behind it, uncover their plan, and put a stop to it. The game contains 10 missions spread across over 70 different maps. Raven is trying to make the missions as realistic as possible, and the real-life Mullins is again consulting on the game's development to make sure this happens. In addition to the standard missions, there will be a handful of vehicular levels, which will be similar to the train level in the original game. Furthermore, there are missions that will have gamers riding in a fast-attack vehicle, a truck, and even a helicopter, as Kramer explained.

"In one mission, John Mullins mans the gun on the side of a helicopter, and his mission is to protect another helicopter full of soldiers. The pilot flies you through the area, and your mission objectives range from protecting the soldiers to destroying certain emplacements to taking out the enemy before your helicopter takes too much damage." Although the overall game will be for the most part fairly linear, Kramer told us that their ICARUS scripting system will let them create multiple ways to reach mission objectives. "For story purposes, the game is fairly linear. Within the levels, however, we have the capability to make areas passable through multiple means. To what degree this feature will be used has yet to be determined. It will depend on the story elements in a given level and a host of other 'x' factors."

Mullins is still a mercenary, but this time around, he will be interacting with nonplayer characters (NPCs). Kramer told us how these characters are being implemented. "John Mullins' partners, Madeline Taylor and Sam Gladstone, have significant roles in the story, and there are other field operatives, soldiers, and civilians to interact with. Some NPCs have critical mission data or information for the player, others may sound alarms or alert soldiers to the player's presence, and some of them will be apathetic...simply going about their daily lives." Taylor is John's new sidekick, whose training is in human medical research. She aids John with her knowledge of chemical and biological weapons. Gladstone was a one-time captain in Vietnam and agent for the CIA. He provides additional assistance as an information resource.

In addition to the regular missions, Raven will be including a random mission generator that will create new playable levels on the fly. Although this has yet to be fully implemented, we were told that it will create a few different kinds of missions, including "infiltration," "demolition, " and "rescue hostage" types of levels. The random mission generator is coming at a price, however, as it is being included in place of a multiplayer mode. Raven hopes this is a fair trade-off--however, it hasn't completely ruled out adding multiplayer at a later date.

Soldier of Fortune II: Double Helix is currently about 50 percent complete, but what was shown at E3 looked pretty solid and very impressive visually. Raven seems to have addressed the problems from the first game, and gamers will be able to find out for sure when it is released this winter.