[TpGS 2019] Far Cry New Dawn – An interview with the Associate Narrative Director, James Nadiger

Ahead of Far Cry New Dawn‘s launch next month, we were lucky to be able to conduct an interview with James Nadiger at the 2019 Taipei Game Show. The Associate Narrative Director of Far Cry New Dawn had told us lots of interesting details about the game. Though, he was kind of secretive when asked about certain aspects of the unreleased game in order not to get it spoiled too much.

Watch the story trailer of Far Cry New Dawn:

He started off by saying that Far Cry New Dawn is a standalone sequel to Far Cry 5. 17 years after a global nuclear catastrophe, you as a new character, must go to Hope County. You must help the survivors there to fight back against the Highwaymen led by twin sisters Mickey and Lou. The Highwaymen are basically a bunch of scavengers that go from place to place, taking resources by force.

Nadiger said that this is a perfect chance for those who have never played a Far Cry game before. He also stated that they have really wanted to bring a post-apocalypse setting to Far Cry for some time. Characters from Far Cry 5 will make a comeback such as the Rye family of Nick, Kim and Carmina. Also, there will be newcomers to the area who have migrated there because of environmental disasters in other parts of the world. For example, Thomas Rush and his group and a few other supporting characters.

Remember the project at Eden’s gate from Far Cry 5? When asked about Joseph Seed, Nadiger said the leader of New Eden is not an enemy nor a companion of the player and the people in Hope County. Although New Eden lives in isolation close to nature, they are still under threat from the Highwaymen, same as everybody else. Nadiger said that that is sort of what sets the stage for the story in New Dawn.

Far Cry New Dawn’s co-op is going to function the same way as Far Cry 5’s co-op, mentioned Nadiger. In the sense that the story progression is going to be kept with the host but the client’s progression will let you keep perk points and any crafting materials and ethanol that you find. Since the economy is so driven by crafting materials and ethanol, every time when you play with a partner and you are not progressing your own story, you will be rich once you go back to your own game.

Besides epic animals, Far Cry New Dawn will also have monstrous animals. They are extremely dangerous predators that have developed new natural defenses in the environment full of radiation and Bliss.

There will be a lot of new elements such as the introduction of a light RPG approach. Since it is a world where stores are not a thing anymore, everyone has to find and scavenge around. Players are to use the resources they find to craft weapons for themselves. And ethanol, the liquid fuel that powers everything. Everytime you get back to an outpost for more ethanol, it gets tougher and tougher with each challenge as the Highwaymen await.

Another interesting and tough challenge is the expeditions. Expeditions allow you to raid Highwaymen strongholds all over the country. Get in, find your package with valuable crafting materials and then get to a helicopter extraction point. Like outposts, it gets tougher with every challenge. There is no EXP in the game as your progression is with perks. You can sort of customize Prosperity to suit your play style in need.

When asked about why Mickey and Lou as in why are these special twins in the game, Nadiger said that they had wanted to have a woman as a Far Cry villain for a while. The creative director, Jean Sebastien Decom was really keen on the idea of twins because Far Cry has always had a history of very personal conversations with one bad guy and the player. By adding a second person, it shakes up that dynamic in a new and interesting way. You will be able to see the twins’ connection with each other and how they react to events in a slightly different way.

Nadiger also stated that Far Cry 5’s resistance meter will not be in this standalone sequel as the main theme of the story is to help a big County full of people to rise up against an oppressive force. That is how they track the progression in Far Cry 5. In Far Cry New Dawn, the story is much more centered on survival and scavenging. Invest in the weapons workbench to craft better weapons to take on tougher challenges. Or you can invest in the training camp facility for stronger Guns for Hire or the infirmary for better health. Prosperity is what drives your own progression and that is what let you take on Mickey and Lou.

Nadiger had stated that arcades do not exist anymore in New Dawn. The game focuses more on the crafting mechanics and the story about the collapse. Hope County is not the same size as Far Cry 5 narratively because of the environment and radiation. Thus, certain areas are inaccessible. In addition, there are 7 expedition maps that take you outside of Hope County.

For more information about the game, you can follow Far Cry’s official Facebook Page.

You can check out the full interview here:

Special thanks to Ubisoft for inviting us to Taipei Game Show 2019!

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