Splinter Cell Q&A

By Staff, GameSpotPosted Apr 2, 2003 3:27 pm PT

We talk to Ubi Soft about the GameCube and PlayStation 2 versions of Splinter Cell.

Ubi Soft's Splinter Cell has made quite an impression on gamers since its release last year on the Xbox. Its stylish approach to the stealth action genre garnered it a loyal following on Microsoft's console, and this year, GameCube and PlayStation 2 owners will have a chance to walk in secret agent Sam Fisher's boots. We recently spoke with Domitille Doat, producer of the PlayStation 2 version, and Francis Coldeboeuf, producer of the GameCube version, to find out how the game has fared on those platforms.

The GameCube version of Splinter Cell has been in development for a full eight months now.

GameSpot: How long have the two versions been in development?

Francis Coldeboeuf : Splinter Cell GameCube has been in development for about eight months.

GS: When did you start work on it?

FC: We started the development on the GameCube engine for Splinter Cell in July 2002.

Domitille Doat: We have been working on the PS2 version for about a year.

GS: How closely was Ubi Montreal involved with the games?

DD: The Montreal team was very helpful. We were in regular contact with Mathieu Ferland, the producer of Splinter Cell for the PC and Xbox, who is located in Montreal. We also brought some key members--seven, in fact--over to Shanghai to work with us on a day-to-day basis. Of course, coding for the PS2 and GameCube requires different skills than coding for the Xbox and PC, and our Shanghai team is very proficient developing games for the PS2 and GameCube. They really understand the audience for each platform and helped in the development of versions that were tailored to the specific needs of GameCube and PS2 gamers.

GS: Could you give us a detailed explanation of how the PlayStation 2 version is being developed?

DD: The lighting in Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell is so important to the gameplay that it's almost a central character. Therefore, translating the great effects we saw on the Xbox to the PlayStation 2 platform was our top priority. We assigned our best engineers and graphics people to developing the light effects--specifically, dynamic and interactive lights. Creating these effects required nearly two months of total dedication. To create a realistic shadow-rich environment, we had to design a dynamic lighting system based on a strong engine. We relied on the Unreal engine for the PlayStation 2, which gave us the power and flexibility we needed. Our goal was to offer the player even more interaction with lights and shadows than was possible in the Xbox game. We felt that the Unreal engine could make that possible.

The developers know that lighting plays a crucial role in establishing Splinter Cell's atmosphere.

Our eye was always on the finish line, and we knew that the final result was what we would be measured by. While our final goal was concrete, how we would reach it was not--we knew it was going to take a lot of expertise and creativity to bring our vision to life. When selecting algorithms, we looked into a variety of solutions--whether they be scientifically precise or rough simulations--for any given problem. Sometimes, a mixture of solutions had to be used to balance the graphics quality and the demands placed on the engine, specifically in terms of the frame rate and memory. After solutions were implemented, the parameters were fine-tuned with the help of graphics designers to achieve the best onscreen result. Finally, each feature was allocated a certain CPU or GPU time, as well as a limit of memory usage. The engineers were responsible for optimizing the code to satisfy all these restrictions.

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