In our chat, we discuss the design, size and intricacies of the dangerous island paradise Jason Brody finds himself trapped in for Far Cry 3, surviving nature, crafting and collecting resources, history and open-world freedom.

How big is Far Cry 3 compared to the previous games?

The game is based on one very large island, so how can players traverse it?

There seems to be this arms race in open world games to be bigger and bigger. I remember I saw a map comparing the different sizes of worlds and some of them are so big, I wonder how much value is there actually in that. How many meaningful experiences will I have in a world that size?

What we wanted to was make a world that was interesting, that was compelling, that was full of things to do and explore and find, and if at any point we ran out of things to do, the size of the world would be a problem."

Although we didn’t see it, there will be a map system like other open-world titles. We can assume fast-travel points will be unlocked once they’re discovered. Because of the open-world nature of the game and that feeling of exploration - just like in Skyrim - players will frequently find themselves going off the path to see and do new things. During playtesting, given a series of missions that should have taken 45 minutes, players were still not done after four hours and it wasn’t because it was difficult or because they were dying. It was because they were exploring and intentionally getting lost in between the missions thanks to distractions like wild boars, a lighthouse, an abandoned shack and even some unique plant life.

Are there incentives and rewards for exploring?

Plants will act as resources, some of them useful that can be harvested. NPCs in villages will buy these off of you and players will be able to craft potions and the like. Players need health packs and so they can make them.

Can you give other examples of players using the environment?

Far Cry 3 takes place on an island so it’s surrounded by the ocean and loaded with rivers. Not only does this provide a stealth tactical opportunity in many instances, but the water element is also the source of exploration, from a sunken boat, crashed plane to underwater caverns and… sharks! As we spoke about in our preview, the transition from land to sea is seamless and leaping off of a cliff or object into the water provides a very neat first-person animation when diving into water - Jason’s hands actually go forward in a diving position.

What can we expect from the environment?

Is that part of the game’s main story?

The island was rich in phosphates so years ago, Western civilization industrialized the island to a certain extend and there are some modern roads, structures and towns but it’s mostly abandoned now.

Can players go wherever they want from the get-go or are there restrictions based on progress?

How long will it take players to beat the game?

As an example, we discussed the Medusa mission from the demo where Jason must attack a beached ship to get to the radio tower on top. Someone can hang-glide their way in and do it in 2-3 minutes whereas players who take the time either by being stealthy or tagging all of the enemies to snipe - so the campaign length can vary substantially depending on the player’s style.

For more in-depth details on Far Cry 3, check out out interviews with Producer Dan Hay and Animation Director Robert Purdy.

Far Cry 3 will releases on September 6, 2012, for the PC, PS3, and Xbox 360.

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