Clive Barker's Undying

"...Looking back, I grasp for answers as I grasp for air. The story, it seems, changes as I recount it, the dreadful details shifting as if alive. I envision a familiar corridor. Poised before each doorway, listening and waiting, I shudder to uncover the mystery and put the familiar souls to rest. Yet, through every door lies some inexplicable terror. I need to open these doors... I am compelled to tell it all." Incite.com : "EA is said to be internally developing a PC horror title using the Unreal Tournament engine. The first person-shooter, called Clive Barker's Undying, is based on the horror novel of the same name. According to recent reports, EA will unveil the title at E3 in May, but the game is due for completion in fall 2000. "Clive Barker, whose writing and filmography includes Candyman, Hellraiser and other titles that would frighten Stephen King, ought to make for a pretty scary game. However, the fact that Undying is based on the UT engine alone means this title is one to keep a sharp eye on." EA Horror With Unreal Engine By [ ], Incite.com, 11 April 2000 Glen Entis - DreamWorks Interactive : "We were working on a title that had a lot in common with things Clive was interested in, and we asked him to take a look. Clive was immediately generous with ideas. He really clicked our team." Barker Darkens DreamWorks' Door For Game By Eddie Borges, Hollywood Reporter, 27 April 2000 Dell Siefert : "Clive Barker was the first to point out to us that we were crossing genres of Horror. We start with very gothic sensibility (haunted house, family in decline) and transformed it into a more cosmic (Lovecraftian) tale. This has given us a lot of breadth in both Art Direction and Character design. While the Art Director will discuss this more in depth later I wanted to point out that this diversity allowed us to instill our characters with vastly different characteristics, both in their strengths and weakness, as well as their objectives. "Since our game will be story driven it will not be about clearing levels. Similar to 'Resident Evil' (or 'Alone in the Dark') much of the adventure takes place in a haunted Manor House. The house will reveal itself over time as the player discovers new skills or advances the story. Creature's appearances and attacks will be driven by the context of the story. A player may walk through the kitchen a number of times until they have angered the ghost of the house, Aaron. Now the kitchen becomes hazardous as Aaron decides to fling knives and whatever else he can find at the player. "It will not always be in the interest of the player to combat the creatures they encounter. Aaron himself will be invulnerable to most attacks and can only be defeated by solving the puzzle of his existence. Others creatures like the Inhabitants of Sil Lith may be passive until provoked. While one Trsanti might look like an easy target, when he calls his buddies to his aid the player will find they bit off more than they can chew." Undying - Development Journal 2 By Dell Siefert, Gamespy.com, August 2000 Electronic Arts : "Set in Ireland of the 1920's, players take on the role of Magnus, who has been summoned to an ancestral estate by its lone descendent, Jeremiah. Death has claimed Jeremiah's four siblings, all of whom have been reanimated and now intend to slay their living brother, the last of the family. To save his friend and unravel the horror that has befallen Jeremiah and his family, players must embark on five perilous quests. The quests will take players to 10 areas of the game including the ancestral estate, a destroyed monastery, the Eternal Autumn and the cursed city of Oneiros. Players will have to defeat each of the evil siblings in his or her individually corrupted and demonic environments in order to grasp the greater scope of the horror of Clive Barker's: Undying. "Along the way players will also encounter more than 20 enemy creatures, but will be able to avail themselves of 16 spells (eight defensive and eight either miscellaneous or offensive), including the destructive Skull Storm and reality-bending Mindshatter. In addition, there will be eight weapons for players to use in the game including dynamite, a shotgun, Tibetan War Cannon and The Scythe of Brennus. The game will also feature a special spell called Scrye that will allow players to see or hear clues and back story that are not apparent to the naked eye." Electronic Arts Announces Clive Barker's: Undying for the PC By [ ], Electronic Arts Press Release, 11 May 2000 Incite.com : "A deep and spooky story to compare with Half-Life. Clive Barker, best known for his involvement in horror stories such as Candyman and Hellraiser, is joining EA [Electronic Arts] to give Clive Barker's Undying his own imaginative, horrific, touch. From what we've witnessed so far, Undying looks very promising. "In addition to a trusty old shotgun, Malitov cocktails, and dynamite, players can look forward to some not-so-conventional weapons: a Scythe, a spear gun that can turn enemy creatures into a pin cushion, and a Tibetan War Cannon. "With regards to the spells in Undying, the developers at Dreamworks say they "wanted more than just magical bullets." One interesting gameplay element will be the ability to amplify spells through ectoplasm. The basic "Firefly" spell illuminates an enemy in the dark. However, amplified to level five it also lures magic weapons such as heat-seeking missiles to the enemy. "With a few technical tweaks to the Unreal engine, Dreamworks will introduce some interesting gameplay elements to the first-person shooter genre. A custom wind system blows out candles and makes curtains billow in the wind, and a custom lighting system creates long, eerie shadows for a terrifying atmosphere. Some areas will call for Thief-like gameplay, in which you - and your enemies - can hide in the shadows. "Unique and well-developed enemy creatures will also be present. The werewolf-like Howler is blind, but he'll know exactly where you are if you make any noise - and if he gets you, he'll knock your head off and eat it. "The game is still in its early stages, but from what we've seen we're very enthusiastic about Undying - particularly the multiplayer mode. EA has scheduled Undying for winter 2000." Previews - Clive Barker's Undying By Kevin Da Luz, Incite.com, 11 May 2000 Zdnet.com : "Undying is a first-person shooter with a marked mystical look and feel. Players assume the role of Magnus, who's described as a spiritual version of Indiana Jones. The game is set in Ireland during the 1920s. Magnus is called upon by one of his friends who's recently been haunted by the spirits of his dead siblings. In order to save his friend, Magnus must unravel the secret of the siblings' death and embark on five quests that span two different planes of existence. "The game's levels are simply gorgeous, even this early on in development. Undying is brought to life using a heavily modified version of Epic's Unreal Tournament engine, and only the most discriminating eye will be able to note any similarities between it and other Unreal-powered games of past. Undying will be available in the fall." Clive Barker's Undying (First Impression) By Staff at Games spot, Zdnet.com, 24 May 2000 3dshots.com : "As Magnus, a master of the occult, you are drawn into the drama of a dying family whose degeneration threatens the fabric of reality. A desperate struggle ensues as Magnus utilizes a deadly combination of forgotten magic and devastating weapons to counter the forces of chaos. Powered by the Unreal game engine, The Undying delivers a highly unique, thoroughly chilling PC game experience." Clive Barker's Undying By [ ], 3dshots.com, 23 May 2000 Gameboyz.com : "Clive Barker's Undying from DreamWorks Interactive brings players into a world of arcane magic, supernatural abominations and ancient horror. "Set in Ireland of the 1920's, players take on the role of Magnus, who has been summoned to an ancestral estate by its lone descendent Jeremiah. Death has claimed his four siblings, each who have reanimated intent on slaying their living brother, the last of the family, so as to free the Curse of the Undying King. "In order to save his friend and unravel the curse that has befallen Jeremiah's family, Magnus must embark on five perilous quests before he can unearth the final horror of the estate. "Each quest brings Magnus face-to-face with one of Jeremiah's undead siblings and the strange and wicked creatures the curse has attracted. In addition, Magnus must triumph over his reviled competitor Kiesinger. If there is power to be had by unearthing the mystery of the estate then Kiesinger will try and steal it - and there is much power to be had. It's up to Magnus to defeat each of Jeremiah's siblings and vanquish Kiesinger in order to quell the Undying King. "Clive Barker's Undying marks the first interactive project from the famed British author, illustrator, director and playwright. Considered by many to be one of the best storytellers of our times, ideas sprung from Barker's imagination often embrace horrific themes...Clive Barker's Undying is promised to have a similar horrific ambiance consistently found in all his works. The situations and creatures encountered in Undying will be creatively deadly and demand players use their wits and caution, as well as imaginative weapons and spells. "Key Features : i. Ten areas that the gamer will visit throughout the game. They include the estate, a destroyed monastery, ring of standing stones, cursed city of Oneiros, the Pirate's Cove, the Eternal Autumn and Neolithic caves. ii. Five horrifying boss characters, including four based on Jeremiah's dead siblings. Players will have to defeat each of the evil siblings in their individually cursed and demonic environments in order to confront the Curse of the Undying King. iii. Sixteen spells (eight defensive and eight either miscellaneous or offensive) including the destructive Skull Storm, and reality bending Mindshatter. iv. Eight weapons including shotgun, dynamite, Molotov Cocktails, Tibetan War Cannon and Scythe of Brennus. v. Over 20 enemy creatures including Di'nen, Howlers, Celestial Chanters, Hounds of Ghelziabahr, Sleads and Monto'-Shonoi. vi. Special modes will include the ability to fly in the spirit worlds and a spell called Scrye that allows players see or hear events that are not apparent to the naked eye to provide back story and clues. vii. Affecting sound that is actually a vital tool to staying alive, since it may be the only attestation a creature may be near you. viii. Game will use the Unreal Tournament engine that DWI has highly modified. ix. Soundtrack of Celtic-inspired spiritual tracks. x. Robust multiplayer capability similar to the Rocket Arena." Clive Barker's Undying By [ ], Gameboyz.com, [ ] 2000 Producer - Undying : "At the beginning of this year, Brian Horton (our Lead Artist) came by my office and said, 'Sorry I'm late man... do you want to show the game to Clive Barker?' About the time I ceased stuttering, we were dragging a PC into his house for a demo. Clive immediately dug what we showed, sketched a few character concepts, and offered an 'off the top of his head' list of story suggestions. About this time the rest of the guys joined in my stuttering. "Since that day, Clive and the development team have collaborated weekly to create new characters, enrich the story, and overall learn everything we can from each other. Fans of his work who have been fortunate enough to meet Clive would undoubtedly agree that he is the most generous man you'll come across... with a real bitchin' house." Undying - Development Journal 1 By The Undying Staff, Gamespy.com, August 2000 Incite.com : "When you think of Electronic Arts, the words 'first person shooter' usually don't pop into your head. Sure, there was Trespasser on the PC (let us never speak of it again), Medal of Honor on the PlayStation, and a handful of other third person action shooters, but typically when we think of EA, at least on the PC, images of sports titles and racing games dance in our heads. Well, Clive Barker's Undying is hoping to change that image. Like the name implies, famed British horror writer Clive Barker has his hands all over this FPS. He's been acting as story consultant on Undying, making sure that you can expect a lot of atmosphere from this game that is best described as a mix between Resident Evil, Half-Life, and Thief. "The game is set in the early 1920s. You play as Magnus Wolfram, a veteran of World War I who has just recently returned home from his tour of duty. You have been called to Ireland by your old war buddy Jeremiah. It seems Jeremiah is having family problems. Unfortunately, these problems go a bit further than your typical sibling rivalries or drunken uncles. You see, all of Jeremiah's family is dead, but they continue to haunt him at the family's ancestral estate. Ain't it a bitch when your entire lineage up and dies but they still won't let you be? "'So why call on Magnus?,' you may be asking yourself. Well, Magnus was just starting to realize his arcane side while he was in the war with Jeremiah, so Jeremiah figures that Magnus may very well be the only person in existence who can help him with his undead family woes. "Undying is built off a modified version of the Unreal engine that includes a whole slew of new graphical features, like a new particle effects system that is affected by wind. But one of the most impressive new features of the graphical engine is the new cloth modeling system. This new feature really helps create atmosphere for a horror game as you can actually see curtains, delicate cobwebs, flowing capes, and the like waver in the air depending on the speed of the virtual wind. This is particularly spooky when it's used to represent an unseen force in the room. Just imagine being in an empty hallway when all of a sudden the doors slam shut, the lights go dim, and the tapestries lining the walls at the end of the hall begin to sway back and forth, getting closer and closer to you with each heartbeat. I think I just soiled myself. "The game will be split into ten areas spread around the grounds of the island estate, as well as a few locales in other planes of existence. There's the estate itself, the grounds, an ancient monastery that you can explore in both the present and the past, caves, catacombs, a pirate's cove, and the mystical city of Oneiros. Your ultimate goal in Undying will be to vanquish Jeremiah's siblings back to the land of the dead where they belong. Of course, this is a rather lofty task as they've been granted supernatural powers to go along with their grotesque ghoulish forms. "While your military training will certainly come in handy in this endeavor, your newly acquired mystical abilities will prove mighty useful in dealing with the undead as well. Some of the weapons we saw today include a shotgun, dynamite, a revolver, a Tibetan war cannon, a scythe, and a spear gun which you can use to pin enemy monstrosities to the wall, making for easy target practice. You will have 16 different spells at your disposal -- eight offensive and eight defensive. While 16 spells may seem kind of limiting at first, you'll find augmentations throughout the game that will increase the effectiveness of your spells, morphing some into incantations hardly recognizable at the fifth level. In terms of gameplay mechanics, weapons are delegated to your left hand and spells to your right, using the respective mouse button for each action, and the control system for using multiple forms of attack seems to work quite easily at this point in the game's development. "Even though the game is a first person shooter, the DreamWorks team is stressing a mix of action and stealth throughout the game. Since creatures will react to sounds in the game environment, You can't just go in blasting if you hope to defeat Jeremiah's family and their minions. Instead you'll want to creep around some of the areas and avoid direct confrontations with an army of the undead. "Although the team hasn't fully decided what to do when it comes to multiplayer options, they at least gave us the heads-up on what they're looking at for deathmatch. Expect to start with all of the weapons and spells in deathmatch, but you'll have to search for amplifiers and ammunition in the game to use your arsenal at its utmost effectiveness. "Undying is looking pretty good from what we've seen so far. The team still has a ways to go as far as content goes, but the new engine effects and the heavy story-based spin on the classic FPS model is a step in the right direction for making a horror-based action game. Definitely look for more on Clive Barker's Undying after E3 and before its release this fall on IGNPC." Clive Barker's Undying : I See Dead People By Tal Blevins, Ign.com, 16 May 2000 Erik Kraber - Sound Designer : "The spells were very difficult to design. Undying has more than 16 spells, each with multiple levels of functionality. What does a spell sound like? Our goal was to make each spell distinct and organic. Mindshatter is a fast-traveling spell that disorients the opponent when they get hit. We wanted a sound of the spell cutting air as it flies toward the opponent and then a sonic blast as it breaks the sound barrier. For the first part of the sound we took recordings of bullet ricochets, reversed them, pitched them down, and mixed them together. The sound was intense, somewhere between a jet pass-by and laser shot. For the sonic boom, we took decays of explosion sounds, pitched them up, and phased them. It sounded like rolling thunder in a strange dimension. Then the two parts were combined together to match the timing of the visual. When this powerful spell hits you, you'll know it! "[One] way we make sure that the player never gets comfortable with the background tones is to make sure that the player never hears the same ambient exactly the same way twice. Each area has a wide variety of sounds - we combined up to four long tracks of ambience for each area. And our brilliant engineers devised a way for us to randomly alter these sounds over time, both in pitch and volume. The result is an ambient soundtrack that is dynamic and unpredictable. You never feel that an area is either familiar or at rest." Undying - Development Journal 5 By Erik Kraber, Gamespy.com, October 2000 Click here for more on Undying... More on Undying | Games Index | Home page This page has been created for information and entertainment purposes only. All quotes remain the copyright of the original owners.