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Extraction Point Final Wrap
Hi,
I’m Francis Choi, and I’m the associate producer on F.E.A.R. Extraction Point.
There hasn’t been much time passed since Tim’s last blog was posted about how we’re at full speed so there isn’t too much to write up on, especially since we’ve come to a close and the answer is no, we didn’t just finish the expansion in a week’s time. In terms of an actual update on the F.E.A.R. Extraction Point, now we’re done and the only things left to do is continue to help promote the game, so we’ve actually slowed down quite a bit.
But it’s good to have this much needed rest though after juggling the task of finishing the game as well as going on trips to help support the product in the PR sense. In the closing weeks of the project I was sent off to show F.E.A.R. Extraction Point to the European press over in Leipzig as well as go off to Dallas for another event, all while leaving Tim to do all the heavy lifting of actually finishing the game. Both were really great events where I had an opportunity to talk with the fans of the original product and see how excited they were to see the expansion pack as well as the 360 version of F.E.A.R.
My highlight of these events has to be getting the opportunity to meet the guys that run one of the longest standing F.E.A.R. fansites, and if allowed, here’s a quick plug http://www.fearhq.com/. These moderators have been running the site ever since they saw the E3 video from 2004 and have been supporting the game in as many ways as they possibly can, running contests and hosting as many files as they possibly can. Their support really has been second to none and it was great to see that Vivendi paid their way to the Games Convention. It’s hard to count the number of copies that they have sold through their support, so paying their way is the least we could do. But getting the chance to meet them again was awesome as these guys are diehard fans of the game and I was very happy to show them what we’ve been working on since the release of F.E.A.R. and even happier that they liked what they played back then.
As for the game itself, TimeGate was really enthused to be working on F.E.A.R. from the beginning and it really went a long way towards making this project a very smooth ride, I’ve never seen a bug database with so few total issues at the end of a project. But now that we’re done, I’m just eager to see how everyone will react to the expansion. How the fans will react as well as the reviewers. From the beginning, it was apparent that TimeGate had different ideas on ways to scare the player without resorting to monster closets. I’m just really hoping that everyone feels the same way I do about the scares, because while I love the action, it’s the horror moments that really made F.E.A.R.
But now that we have this down time, it’s time to catch up on all games that I bought that I didn’t have time to play during the project and do some “competitive analysis.†It’s the one time of the year when someone asks me what I do for a living that I can answer, “Yes, all I do is play games all day long.†If it’s not already apparent, I love down time.
 -Click here for larger image
Francis Choi
Associate Producer
F.E.A.R. - Sierra Entertainment
One Down, One To Go
Well F.E.A.R. Extraction Point should be on store shelves on the 24th so run out and get yourself a copy!
We’ve been working really hard since the last blog, which was a little out of date, to get everything squared away and ready to go.
This gold process was relatively easy compared to other projects, I won’t mention names but I’ve seen things – terrible terrible things - appearing as GM builds, so this was a fairly stress free ending. I still always think that there should be a parade or something at the end of a project. After everyone jumping through hoops for a year to get a project done it would be nice to sit back and see some pink poodles doing the same thing while eating cotton candy.
It’s been a great experience working with team F.E.A.R. here in the Sierra office and with Timegate on this project. I’d like to sends thanks out to everyone who has worked so hard for the past year and we really hope you’ll enjoy Extraction Point as much as we do.
 -Click for larger image
Take care,
Tim Hall
Producer – F.E.A.R. Extraction Point
Full Speed Features
Hello,
I’m Tim Hall and I’m the producer for F.E.A.R. Extraction Point coming to PC’s this fall.
We’re running on full speed at the moment as the summer comes to an end getting everything in line for the fall release. We’ve spent the past few months not only tuning the game but doing a lot of traveling showing it off. This has been one hot summer here and traveling to Timegate, the developer, in Texas was scorching. Following that up was a trip to the UK which also coincided with the hottest day ever in London and our last press event in Palm Springs. I’ll be looking forward to the cooler temperatures of the fall tour for sure.
F.E.A.R. Combat, free multiplayer component of F.E.A.R., was released on Aug 17 and did very well with over 350K cd-keys going out in the first two weeks. We’re really excited that so many people have downloaded the free multiplayer game not only so that people who haven’t checked out F.E.A.R. are doing so but also so that the core online community who have been updating with the patches to get the new maps and multiplayer modes have some new meat to kill in the servers.
 -Click here for a larger image
Along the lines of F.E.A.R. Extraction Point we’ve got some new features that will keep the hair on the back of you F.E.A.R. fans necks standing straight up. First off you may have heard that there are some new weapons and indeed there are. The most fun of which is our new mini-gun. It’s horrifically satisfying to be able to hit units with such an immense amount of force that you can actually blow units back up into the air when they are jumping or repelling down towards you. Combine that with the F.E.A.R. physics and the destructible environments and there is a whole lot of destructive mayhem coming your way.
There are two other weapons that we have added along with some new A.I. units but if I spill all the info right now I’ll have nothing to report for the second blog!
I will tell you that we’ve added some rather large open areas with Extraction Point to give you the chance to try out some ranged combat. Of course there are lots of things between you and your targets that will explode and come crashing down so watch where you’re shooting.
 -Click here for larger image
Along the explosive lines one subtle change is that the small gas canisters now explode when shot – well let me clarify that - when shot they take off like a rocket propelled grenade and bounce around for a while before exploding. The Timegate crew has done a great job with these and I have to say that once you shoot one you’ll never leave one sitting waiting to be shot again. In smaller rooms they are quite dangerous not just for the AI but for you also. I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve shot them and had them bounce around and come straight for me like an RPG. Still it doesn’t take away from the chaos of shooting one and have it fly straight towards a group of guys and blowing up right in the middle of them.
All of us on team F.E.A.R. here at Sierra and the team over at Timegate are working on putting the final polish on things to go gold. So until my next update better get online and sharpen up those skills with F.E.A.R. Combat or you’ll never be able to make it to the Extraction Point.
Thanks!
Tim Hall
Producer
F.E.A.R. - Sierra Entertainment
Welcome!
All –
I have the pleasure of kicking off our F.E.A.R. Producer’s blog here at IGN. In the coming weeks, you’ll be hearing from a number of folks on the F.E.A.R. team all talking about what’s in store for the franchise. There are several folks lining up for this, so with any luck, you won’t have to read too many of my ramblings.
For now, I’ll go ahead and touch on where we are with F.E.A.R. We’re here again enjoying the waning days of summer. A time that last year had us finishing up F.E.A.R. PC amidst mounting excitement for the title. The first preview impressions were appearing online and the entire F.E.A.R. team was working to deliver a title that would stay true to those impressions.
The feeling this year is similar, but what’s different is just how large a production F.E.A.R. has become. I’m pleased to say that F.E.A.R. shipped to critical and commercial success, achieving a number of awards in the press and having the type of sales figures that ease executive concerns about doing an original IP.
That success has inspired additional support of the franchise post-gold. We’ve worked with Monolith to launch new game modes for multiplayer. We’ve released new maps and released tools for the gaming public to create their own content. This week saw the launch of F.E.A.R. Combat, which is now one of the top 10 multiplayer games being played online. We’ve also commissioned an expansion pack, Extraction Point, with our friends at TimeGate Studios. And now, with Day 1 Studios, we’re bringing F.E.A.R. to the next generation consoles. All of this is a huge endeavor that last year at this time was difficult to imagine.
 -Click here for larger image
Taking F.E.A.R. to the console, in particular a brand new console, has been a challenge on its own. The bright minds at Day 1 have gone through countless revs of beta hardware deciphering the mystery of the Playstation 3. Now, with final hardware in hand, they’re working to unlock the potential of the ominous looking black dev kits sitting on our desks.
The 360 version is nearing completion and Day 1 is chiseling away at a dwindling stream of bugs coming in from QA. We’re getting the game ready for our submission to Microsoft for our final check before we kick off the manufacturing process.
That’s a brief look at where we are with all things F.E.A.R. I’d encourage you to check back weekly for new information that is bound to come out of the future and better written blogs from the team.
Thanks!
Rob Loftus
Senior Producer
F.E.A.R. - Sierra Entertainment
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