This program unpacks Playstation 3 Theme files (.p3t) so that you can touch-up an existing theme to your likings or use a certain wallpaper from it (as many themes have multiple). But remember, if you use content from another theme and release it, be sure to give credit!
Download p3textractor.zip from above. Extract the files to a folder with a program such as WinZip or WinRAR. Now there are multiple ways to extract the theme.
The first way is to simply open the p3t file with p3textractor.exe. If you don’t know how to do this, right click the p3t file and select Open With. Alternatively, open the p3t file and it will ask you to select a program to open with. Click Browse and find p3textractor.exe from where you previously extracted it to. It will open CMD and extract the theme to extracted.[filename]. After that, all you need to do for any future p3t files is open them and it will extract.
The second way is very simple. Just drag the p3t file to p3textractor.exe. It will open CMD and extract the theme to extracted.[filename].
For the third way, first put the p3t file you want to extract into the same folder as p3textractor.exe. Open CMD and browse to the folder with p3extractor.exe. Enter the following: p3textractor filename.p3t [destination path]Replace filename with the name of the p3t file, and replace [destination path] with the name of the folder you want the files to be extracted to. A destination path is not required. By default it will extract to extracted.filename.
This program unpacks Playstation 3 Theme files (.p3t) so that you can touch-up an existing theme to your likings or use a certain wallpaper from it (as many themes have multiple). But remember, if you use content from another theme and release it, be sure to give credit!
Download p3textractor.zip from above. Extract the files to a folder with a program such as WinZip or WinRAR. Now there are multiple ways to extract the theme.
The first way is to simply open the p3t file with p3textractor.exe. If you don’t know how to do this, right click the p3t file and select Open With. Alternatively, open the p3t file and it will ask you to select a program to open with. Click Browse and find p3textractor.exe from where you previously extracted it to. It will open CMD and extract the theme to extracted.[filename]. After that, all you need to do for any future p3t files is open them and it will extract.
The second way is very simple. Just drag the p3t file to p3textractor.exe. It will open CMD and extract the theme to extracted.[filename].
For the third way, first put the p3t file you want to extract into the same folder as p3textractor.exe. Open CMD and browse to the folder with p3extractor.exe. Enter the following: p3textractor filename.p3t [destination path]Replace filename with the name of the p3t file, and replace [destination path] with the name of the folder you want the files to be extracted to. A destination path is not required. By default it will extract to extracted.filename.
The game is played from a third-person perspective and its world is navigated on foot and by vehicle. Throughout the single-player mode, players control Niko Bellic. An online multiplayer mode is also included with the game, allowing up to 32 players to engage in both cooperative and competitive gameplay in a recreation of the single-player setting.[b] Two expansion packs were later released for the game, The Lost and Damned and The Ballad of Gay Tony, which both feature new plots that are interconnected with the main Grand Theft Auto IV storyline, and follow new protagonists.
Development of Grand Theft Auto IV began soon after the release of San Andreas and was shared between many of Rockstar's studios worldwide. The game introduced a shift to a more realistic and detailed style and tone for the series. Unlike previous entries, Grand Theft Auto IV lacked a strong cinematic influence, as the team attempted an original approach to the story. As part of their research for the open world, the development team conducted extensive field research in New York, capturing over 100,000 photographs and several hours of video. The developers considered the world to be the most important element of the game; though not the largest map in the series, they considered it comparable in scope due to its verticality and level of detail. The budget climbed to over US$100 million, making it one of the most expensive video games to develop.
Grand Theft Auto IV was released for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 consoles in April 2008, and for Windows in December. Upon release, the game received critical acclaim, with praise particularly directed at the narrative and open-world design. Grand Theft Auto IV broke industry sales records and became the fastest-selling entertainment product in history at the time, earning US$310 million in its first day and US$500 million in its first week. Considered one of the most significant titles of the seventh generation of video games, and by many critics as one of the greatest video games of all time, it won year-end accolades, including Game of the Year awards from several gaming publications. It is among the best-selling video games with over 25 million copies sold by 2013. The game generated controversy, with criticism directed at the game's depiction of violence and players' ability to drink-drive. Its successor, Grand Theft Auto V, was released in September 2013.
Grand Theft Auto IV is an action-adventure game played from a third-person perspective.[2] Players complete missions—linear scenarios with set objectives—to progress through the story. It is possible to have several active missions running at one time, as some require players to wait for further instructions or events. Outside of missions, players can freely roam the game's open world and complete optional side missions.[3] Composed of the fictional city of Liberty City, the world is larger in area than most earlier Grand Theft Auto series entries.[4] At the beginning of the game, players can only explore the first island—composed of Dukes and Broker—with all other islands unlocking as the story progresses.[5]
Players use melee attacks, firearms and explosives to fight enemies, and may run, jump, swim or use vehicles to navigate the game's world. There is a first-person perspective option when using vehicles. In combat, auto-aim and a cover system can be used as assistance against enemies. Should players take damage, their health meter can be fully regenerated by consuming food or drinks, using medical kits, or calling for paramedics.[6] If players commit crimes, the game's law enforcement agencies may respond as indicated by a "wanted" meter in the head-up display (HUD). On the meter, the displayed stars indicate the current wanted level (for example, at the maximum six-star level, efforts by law enforcement to incapacitate players become very aggressive). Law enforcement officers will search for players who leave the wanted vicinity. The wanted meter enters a cool-down mode and eventually recedes when players are hidden from the officers' line of sight.[7]
Combat in Grand Theft Auto IV was reworked to include a cover system.[6]
The game's cover system allows players to move between cover, to fire blindly, aim freely, and target a specific enemy. Individual body parts can also be targeted.[8] Melee attacks include additional moves, such as dodging, blocking, disarming an opponent and counter-attacking. Body armour can be used to absorb gunshots and explosive damage, but is used up in the process. When health is entirely depleted, gameplay stops, and players respawn at the nearest hospital.[6]
The single-player mode lets players control an Eastern European war veteran, Niko Bellic. During the story, Niko meets and befriends various new characters. They can then perform favours for Niko whenever he asks; for example, his cousin Roman, who owns a taxi service, can send one of his cabs to take Niko to any destination around the city. Cabs are always available during gameplay for quick travel to a destination. Throughout the course of the game, players are also faced with morality choices, which alter the storyline appropriately depending on the player's choice. While free roaming the game world, players may engage in context-specific activities such as bowling or darts. Other available activities include a vigilante mini-game, and in-game television programming.[9][10][11] Niko has a cell phone for contacting friends and starting activities.[12] The cell phone is also used to access the game's online multiplayer mode, and to enter cheat codes.[13] To access the in-game Internet, which allows Niko to send and receive emails and set up prospective dates with potential girlfriends, Niko can use Internet cafés located around the city.[14] The game also features a subway system, allowing players to quickly traverse through the game's world.[15]
The online multiplayer mode for Grand Theft Auto IV allows up to 32 players[b] to freely roam across the map. Players decide which game mode they wish to play, including deathmatches and street races. Both cooperative and competitive game modes are available, split into ranked and unranked matches.[16] For players to level up through ranks, in-game money has to be earned. The game also features a Free Mode, in which players have the entire map open to explore, with no end goal or mission to complete. Hosts of the game can control many variables, such as police presence, traffic, and weapons.[17] The multiplayer mode was discontinued on Windows in 2020.[18]
Grand Theft Auto IV takes place in 2008, within a redesigned version of Liberty City. The design of the city focuses on a recreation of four of the boroughs of New York City: Broker (based on Brooklyn), Dukes (Queens), Bohan (The Bronx), and Algonquin (Manhattan). The setting also includes the neighbouring state of Alderney (based on New Jersey).[19] Initially, bridges are locked down due to a terrorist threat, and police constantly pursue players if the bridges are crossed. The blockades are lifted as the story progresses, allowing the player to traverse between islands safely.
Grand Theft Auto IV is set in the fictional "HD Universe", which mirrors and parodies the real world. The previous games formed fictional universes of their own,[c] which despite having many similarities with the HD Universe, are considered to be different continuities. Hence, the Liberty City depicted in Grand Theft Auto IV is different from its previous renditions, and the game itself serves as a reboot for the series. The new timeline established by Grand Theft Auto IV would continue with two expansion packs, The Lost and Damned and The Ballad of Gay Tony, and a sequel, Grand Theft Auto V, as well as its online component, Grand Theft Auto Online.[21][22][23] The handheld game Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars is also considered part of the HD Universe, because it features the same map as Grand Theft Auto IV, except for Alderney.[24]
Niko Bellic, an Eastern European ex-soldier,[25] arrives in Liberty City aboard a cargo ship, the Platypus, to escape his criminal past, pursue the American Dream, and search for the man who betrayed his unit to an ambush during a war ten years prior. Reuniting with his cousin Roman, he discovers that his tales of riches were lies concealing his small, dirty apartment, unprofitable taxi company, gambling debts, and disputes with loan sharks. Niko begins assisting Roman with his problems, which leads him to make his first criminal contacts in the city. He befriends Yardies second-in-command Little Jacob and is forced to work for Vlad Glebov, Roman's Russian loan shark, whom Niko eventually kills upon learning he had slept with Roman's girlfriend, Mallorie.
In retaliation, Niko and Roman are kidnapped by Russian mobsters on orders of their boss Mikhail Faustin and his lieutenant, Dimitri Rascalov. Indifferent to Vlad's murder, Faustin releases them and employs Niko as a hitman, eventually ordering him to kill the son of Russian crime lord Kenny Petrović. When Petrović threatens retaliation, Dimitri convinces Niko to assassinate Faustin. However, he then betrays and brings Niko to his former employer, Ray Bulgarin, who accuses Niko of stealing from him during a botched human trafficking job years earlier. Niko denies the allegation and a firefight ensues, allowing Dimitri and Bulgarin to escape.
Dimitri's men burn down Niko and Roman's apartment and taxi company, forcing them to flee to Bohan. While Niko finds work with several local drug lords, Dimitri kidnaps Roman in a failed attempt to lure Niko into a trap. Later, Niko discovers that his romantic interest, a woman named Michelle, is a government agent, who then entraps him into working for her agency. In exchange for the murders of several known or suspected terrorists, the agency clears Niko's criminal record and assists him in searching for the traitor he seeks. Niko and Roman's fortunes improve when the latter receives a large amount of insurance money from his destroyed business, which he uses to rebuild it and buy an apartment in Algonquin. Roman also proposes to Mallorie, who accepts.
While working for the Irish Mob, Niko befriends gangster Patrick "Packie" McReary and helps him and his brothers carry out various jobs, including a major bank robbery. Niko is later hired by Ray Boccino, a caporegime in the Pegorino crime family, to oversee a diamond deal, which goes awry. Boccino repays Niko by helping him find his ex-comrade Florian Cravic, now known as Bernie Crane, who claims he was not the one to betray their unit. Niko concludes that the traitor was Darko Brevic, the only other survivor. Niko continues working for the Mafia in Liberty City and eventually earns the trust of Don Jimmy Pegorino, who orders Niko to kill Boccino after suspecting him of being a police informant. Niko also helps Packie kidnap Don Giovanni Ancelotti's daughter to ransom her for the diamonds, but Bulgarin intercepts the exchange. In the ensuing firefight, the diamonds are lost.
Eventually, the government agents find Darko in Romania and bring him to Liberty City for Niko to decide his fate. Afterwards, Niko is summoned by Pegorino for one final favour: to help with a highly lucrative heroin deal in collusion with Dimitri. Niko must either agree to work with Dimitri or exact revenge on him.[26] If Niko goes through with the deal, Dimitri betrays him again,[27] kills Pegorino,[28] and attempts to kill Niko via an assassin at Roman's wedding, but accidentally kills Roman;[29] Niko retaliates by tracking and murdering Dimitri.[28] If Niko chooses to exact revenge, he kills Dimitri aboard the Platypus,[30] prompting a furious Pegorino to target Niko but accidentally kill Packie's sister Kate, whom Niko had been dating, at Roman's wedding;[29] Niko retaliates by tracking and murdering Pegorino.[31] Later, either Mallorie or Roman tells Niko that Mallorie is pregnant.
Rockstar North's former studio in Edinburgh, Scotland, where Grand Theft Auto IV's development was overseen
Preliminary work on Grand Theft Auto IV began in November 2004,[32] a month after the release of Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas.[33] Rockstar president Sam Houser felt that following up San Andreas was "a nightmare".[34]Rockstar North, the core 220-person team behind the game, co-opted studios owned by parent company Rockstar Games to facilitate development between a full team of over 1,000,[35] including 50 employees at Rockstar NYC, 40 at Rockstar Lincoln, 10 at Rockstar San Diego, and around 600–700 working part-time internally and externally.[36] Some key members of the development team worked 12-hour days during production, often without holidays.[35] The team decided to continue the numbering scheme absent from the previous two main games to represent the same leap in production as Grand Theft Auto 2 (1999) to Grand Theft Auto III (2001).[33] Development of Grand Theft Auto IV ceased by 21 April 2008 when the game was submitted for manufacturing.[37] Producer Leslie Benzies estimated that the budget of the development efforts exceeded US$100 million, making Grand Theft Auto IV one of the most expensive video games ever made.[35]
The game's setting, Liberty City, is based on New York City. The team did not look at the previous renditions of Liberty City as inspiration, wanting it to retain the "general feel" but nothing else.[38] The map is roughly three times the size of Grand Theft Auto III's.[38] The developers originally considered using the entire state of New York, before restricting it to Manhattan, and then expanding it out again. They considered including more suburbs with woods, and would regularly vote on which areas to include.[39] Art director Aaron Garbut said that the team chose the setting because of the detail and variety it provided, describing New York as "an amazing, diverse, vibrant, cinematic city".[40] Writer Dan Houser added that the team "wanted to be somewhere where we had a foothold" due to the amount of research required for the world; Rockstar Games's main headquarters are located in New York.[41] The team consciously avoided a precise recreation of New York City to allow for more enjoyable game design,[32] selecting the areas that they felt "characterised it the best".[40] Garbut wanted to capture a caricature of the city as he felt that most people were familiar with "the highlights" from film or literature but did not need to know the areas precisely.[40] The city was not built with specific missions in mind; the area was created first, and missions implemented later.[42]
To achieve a realistic environment, 60–70 employees from Rockstar North travelled to New York for research: first at the beginning of the project in March or April 2005 for a week and a half,[39] and a smaller trip in 2007.[38] Police officers who previously worked the beat drove the team around Washington Heights.[39] A full-time research team based in New York handled further requests for information, such as the ethnic minority of a neighbourhood or videos of traffic patterns. Videos shot in New York were played on televisions at the Rockstar North offices "so while they worked they could look up and there was New York".[39] Benzies claimed that the team took over 100,000 photographs on location in New York,[35] though Garbut estimates that they took around 250,000.[38] They also studied architectural plans for apartments, used satellite images to determine city block layout, researched sales figures for models of cars, and read books that detailed the city's infrastructure, including its subways, sewers, and garbage disposal.[43] Hove Beach is based on Brighton Beach, which Sam Houser found "pretty incredible" and unusual; the name is based on the English city Brighton and Hove, made up of the former neighbouring towns Brighton and Hove.[44] Houser appreciated that Brighton Beach was home to several Eastern Europeans due to the nature of the game's characters.[44]
Dan Houser described Liberty City as "the biggest character" of the game.[40] The Grand Theft Auto IV rendition of Liberty City is more detailed and larger in size than most earlier entries in the series; although smaller than San Andreas, the setting of the previous main game, the developers considered it comparable in scope due to city's verticality, number of buildings, and level of detail.[45] The team wanted less dead spots and irrelevant spaces, such as the wide open deserts in San Andreas.[32] They wanted the game to be "a more focused experience" than San Andreas, and Dan Houser felt that the limited activities of New York allowed this.[33] The team felt that the addition of Niko's mobile phone added to the immersion of the world and represented society's shifted focus on phones.[33] The in-game brands and products are designed over several years; the billboards were implemented in the game around six months prior to release.[38]
Benzies produced the game. Dan Houser co-wrote the story,[35] while his brother Sam executive-produced the game.[34]
The game's script, written by Dan Houser and Rupert Humphries, is about 1,000 pages.[35] Approximately 660 actors provided voices for the game over 80,000 lines of dialogue.[39] After conceiving the character and setting, Dan Houser spoke with his brother Sam Houser and Leslie Benzies to bounce story ideas before writing a rough synopsis, a six-paged, detailed document. Once the synopsis was reworked, the designers broke it into missions, represented by a large flow document demonstrating each section. The writers then work on the introductions to the missions; the gameplay dialogue comes much later.[41] Unlike previous Grand Theft Auto games, Grand Theft Auto IV does not have cinematic influences. "We were consciously trying to go, well, if video games are going to develop into the next stage, then the thing isn't to try and do a loving tribute or reference other stuff," said Dan Houser.[41] He said that the writers wanted something "fresh and new and not something that was obviously derived from [a] movie".[41] Dan Houser felt that the quality of the writing had to improve alongside the advancements in graphics and technology. He noted that the improvements in facial animation allowed for slower-paced cutscenes.[40] The unique dialogue that plays when a mission is retried was to ensure that the gameplay felt "less canned and less like Groundhog Day".[40]
Dan Houser described Niko Bellic as "a more rounded character" than those in previous games.[40] He felt that his dual personality—often saving innocent people, while also being a "cold-hearted killer"—made him more relatable.[40] He also felt that Niko's unfamiliarity with Liberty City allowed for the player to relate to him more, only driven by his vague past and relationship with Roman. When deciding on Niko's background, the writers felt that being an immigrant could lead to more dangerous situations, and therefore more enjoyable missions; after discussions with criminal experts, Dan Houser found that "the real scary characters are not born in America anymore".[40] He felt that Niko's outsider view of American culture was "fun".[40] The team wanted Niko to be "more of an anti hero than a hero, capable of making positive actions within his criminal world".[46] They wanted his demeanour to reflect the weight of his past and choices.[46]
Niko's design underwent a few changes, but was finalised early in development.[47] His outfit underwent several changes based on Eastern Europeans, particularly photographs of men fighting in winter wars in Yugoslavia and Chechnya. The primary motivation for the design was a face to convey the appropriate emotions and a body that could move nicely with the new animations.[40] The in-game purchasable outfits were also designed to fit with the character.[33] The team ensured that the gameplay choices presented to the player were not too extensive, as they still had to make sense to the character, who is driven by the people around him. Dan Houser felt that the missions in San Andreas had become too linear, and wanted to present choices to the player in Grand Theft Auto IV.[40]
The writers found that Niko needed a motivation to come to America, so they created his cousin, Roman. Dan Houser felt that the two could not be brothers as there would be a deeper level of familiarity than necessary. He described the two as a double act, with Roman's fantasist charm playing off Niko's tough cynicism. The team gave other non-playable characters (NPCs) more definable behaviours and dialogue to make them feel more alive. The writers initially considered having a smaller group of characters, but found that the story became boring and that players were less likely to explore the world. The stranger characters found in the game world were based on the "crazy people" that populate New York, according to Dan Houser, which in previous games were only able to be captured through radio stations or mild pedestrian behaviours.[38] The team based the ethnicities, clothing, and behaviours of the NPCs on the photographs and videos that they captured around New York, divided into different areas;[40] they created mood boards for each location.[38] The NPCs also converse in different languages.[39]
Grand Theft Auto IV sees a shift in the series to a more realistic and detailed style and tone, partly a result of the transition to consoles which offered high-definition graphics and the new and improved capabilities of such consoles. The development team worked to represent the upgrade in quality across all design aspects while maintaining the coherence of the previous games.[32] The team took the game's development as an opportunity to "strip things back and start again", refining the art style without losing the style of the series;[40] they distanced the game from the "cartoon-like style" of its predecessors while creating a new style that was consistent across all aspects of the game.[48] Garbut found the increased demand of detail brought on by the advanced technology daunting.[49] A technique used to make the visuals look real was to avoid harsh edges, instead blending surfaces together to make the world look dirty and lived-in.[50] The props department created multiple variations of different objects to make the world more interesting and unique.[40]G
This program unpacks Playstation 3 Theme files (.p3t) so that you can touch-up an existing theme to your likings or use a certain wallpaper from it (as many themes have multiple). But remember, if you use content from another theme and release it, be sure to give credit!
Download p3textractor.zip from above. Extract the files to a folder with a program such as WinZip or WinRAR. Now there are multiple ways to extract the theme.
The first way is to simply open the p3t file with p3textractor.exe. If you don’t know how to do this, right click the p3t file and select Open With. Alternatively, open the p3t file and it will ask you to select a program to open with. Click Browse and find p3textractor.exe from where you previously extracted it to. It will open CMD and extract the theme to extracted.[filename]. After that, all you need to do for any future p3t files is open them and it will extract.
The second way is very simple. Just drag the p3t file to p3textractor.exe. It will open CMD and extract the theme to extracted.[filename].
For the third way, first put the p3t file you want to extract into the same folder as p3textractor.exe. Open CMD and browse to the folder with p3extractor.exe. Enter the following: p3textractor filename.p3t [destination path]Replace filename with the name of the p3t file, and replace [destination path] with the name of the folder you want the files to be extracted to. A destination path is not required. By default it will extract to extracted.filename.
PixelJunk Monsters Encore, an expansion pack for the game, was released on April 24, 2008 in Japan;[citation needed] May 8, 2008 in North America; and May 15, 2008 in Europe.[2]
In 2013, an enhanced version developed by Double Eleven titled PixelJunk Monsters Ultimate HD was released in 2013 for the PlayStation Vita, Windows, Mac OS X and Linux. In May 2016, a port of the original game also developed by Double Eleven was released for the Wii U.[3]
In 2018, PixelJunk Monsters 2 was released, incorporating 3D graphics and new features.
A screenshot of gameplay in PixelJunk Monsters Encore.
Gameplay in PixelJunk Monsters has similarities to various tower defense titles. The objective is to build defense towers along the enemies' path to keep them from reaching a hut, or base. Several small creatures dwell at the base. For each enemy that survives the defense towers and reaches the hut, one creature is killed. If all creatures are wiped out, the level is failed.
Towers have distinct attributes, such as rapid fire, long range, air-focused, etc. Destroyed enemies usually drop coins and occasionally give gems, which then can be used to upgrade and research new towers.
There are a total of 21 different levels (36 with the expansion pack) at 3 stages of difficulty. There are also 3 special stages that unlock unique abilities for the player character. Several "Trophy Challenges" were also added to the game after a patch.
Unlike more traditional tower defense games, the player controls a character around the screen, collecting coins and building towers. This replaces the standard cursor controls. A second player can also join in and assist in building towers.
The PixelJunk Monsters Encore expansion pack includes an additional 15 levels, including layouts inspired by classic arcade games such as Pac-Man and Space Invaders. There are also small tweaks to gameplay; for instance, the ice tower is unlocked at the beginning of every level and the Tesla tower is less expensive to purchase.
A new version of PixelJunk Monsters was available for the PlayStation Portable. Titled PixelJunk Monsters Deluxe, it has been described by Dylan Cuthbert as the "ultimate version" of the game. It contains all of the level content from the original game and its Encore expansion pack, as well as new levels, enemies, and towers. Additional music, videos, concept art, and other special features are also included.[4]
The music for the game was developed by Otograph. On May 22, 2008, a soundtrack album for the game titled Dive into PixelJunk Monsters was released via the PlayStation Store. It is the first audio album to be released through PSN.
The PlayStation 3 version of PixelJunk Monsters, Encore, Deluxe, and the Vita version of Ultimate received "favorable" reviews, while the PC version of Ultimate and the Wii U version of PixelJunk Monsters received "average" reviews, according to the review aggregation website Metacritic.[5][6][7][8][9][10]
Far Cry 2 is a 2008 first-person shooter developed by Ubisoft Montreal and published by Ubisoft for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. A top-down shooter version for mobile phones was developed and published by Gameloft. It is the second mainline entry in the Far Cry series. Set in a fictional African country engulfed in civil war, the storyline follows a mercenary who is assigned to kill the Jackal, a weapons dealer inflaming the conflict. The player navigates the open world, completing missions for factions and allies called Buddies while managing their health and equipment. A competitive multiplayer mode allows players to fight in teams or as individuals.
Production took three and a half years, with concept work beginning during the production of Far Cry Instincts (2005). Director Clint Hocking conceived the setting and design, which he wanted to be more realistic than the original Far Cry (2004). The narrative and tone, inspired by Joseph Conrad's novella Heart of Darkness and Dashiell Hammett's novel Red Harvest, focused on the lengths to which people would go to survive through terrible circumstances. The game was built using Dunia, a game engine created by Ubisoft based on the original game's CryEngine. In pursuit of realism, the developers added real-time and reactive elements for enemies and the environment. The music, composed by Marc Canham, includes vocals by Senegalese singer Baaba Maal.
Far Cry 2 received positive reviews from critics, with praise for its setting, open-ended gameplay, Buddies, world design and visuals; however, its writing, artificial intelligence and technical issues received negative attention. It received multiple game award nominations. By January 2009, the game had sold nearly three million copies worldwide. Far Cry 2 has continued to receive attention for its ambition and survival mechanics. The team used feedback from the game to develop Far Cry 3 (2012).
Gameplay from a mission in Far Cry 2; the mercenary aims at enemies in a base.
Far Cry 2 is a first-person shooter in which players take control of a mercenary in an unnamed fictional African nation in the middle of a civil war. The playable character is selected from a pool of nine available mercenaries; the remaining eight and some other non-playable mercenary characters are distributed through the world once the game starts.[3][4] The environment covers a variety of terrain, ranging from desert to savannah to jungle.[5] The mercenary has access to a selection of thirty firearms including pistols, assault rifles, rocket launchers, sniper rifles, and mortars. He can also use a machete for melee kills. Many missions in Far Cry 2 involve storming or infiltrating encampments, many of which contain supplies. The mercenary can adopt a frontal assault, or approach and carry out their mission using stealth, in addition to there being a number of different options within these approaches for completing a mission.[3][6][7]
After the opening tutorial area, the mercenary is allowed to roam freely through the game's open world environment, completing main story missions and side missions for both the game's major factions and a third independent group, the Underground, in neutral town areas.[6][7][8] The other playable (and some notable non-playable) mercenaries found in the open world are dubbed Buddies, and can be either found in settlements or held captive by one of the factions. Depending on interactions, players have a Best and Second Best Buddy, who when a mission is accepted will call up to offer optional information and support in combat.[4][7] If Buddies are injured on missions and not healed in time, they die and will be permanently removed from the rest of the game.[9] The player can save their progress in safe houses captured from enemy forces; the PlayStation 3 (PS3) and Xbox 360 (360) versions only allow saves in safe houses, while the Microsoft Windows version allows the player to save anywhere.[10] At safe houses, the mercenary can rest and advance the in-game time using his watch.[3]
The player's health is represented by a bar showing five sections, which do not regenerate if depleted completely. Once health drops to one bar, a critical state is entered and the heal function triggers a cutscene where the mercenary manually treats their injuries. If the mercenary falls, their Second Best Buddy will appear to save them and try to get them to safety, but if they are shot down again the game ends and must be restarted from an earlier save.[11] Health can only be restored either through picking up water bottles or using syrettes, of which the mercenary carries a limited number.[6][11] From the outset of the game, the mercenary is suffering from malaria, which strikes at regular intervals and causes disorientation and blurring vision. The malarial fits must be treated with medicine, which can only be gained from the Underground by completing missions for them. Over the course of the game, the mercenary's actions increase their Reputation, which unlocks more missions but also causes the Underground to mistrust him, making the medicine harder to acquire.[6][8]
The player may navigate the game world using a map and handheld GPS, which can be used to find item caches.
The mercenary can navigate the world on foot, travel between safe zones using bus routes, and use vehicles to travel including jeeps and quadbikes, boats for rivers, and a hang glider. Navigation is helped using a map and handheld GPS, in addition to other devices such as a locator for caches of the in-game currency blood diamonds.[3][8] If a vehicle is damaged during combat, it must be repaired.[12] Outside safe zones, the mercenary will be attacked when in range of any hostile group.[8] A notable element of the open world is realistic physics and environmental effects, such as fire spreading through an area if lit and dust storms causing decreased visibility. Enemies are also designed to react and adapt based on the mercenary's tactics and their current reputation.[4][6] Several species of animals can be encountered in the game, and are able to distract the enemy as well as make them aware of the player's presence.[13] Equipment and weapons can only be purchased using blood diamonds, otherwise needing to be scavenged from the environment and defeated enemies. Scavenged guns will degrade over time, eventually jamming briefly and needing to be freed up to work again, or permanently and needing to be discarded.[6][11]
Alongside the single player campaign, Far Cry 2 included a separate competitive online multiplayer mode, with teams of up to four players taking sides in the conflict and competing over objectives. Multiplayer gameplay was class based, with six classes available, and incorporated the same physics and environment elements as the main game. The available modes included two types of Deathmatch, a version of Capture the flag where players fight over control of a large blood diamond, and "Uprising", where team captains must capture nodes. Matches were ranked, with the winning team earning rewards based on their score.[14][15][16] All versions include a map editor for creating multiplayer levels. It allows players to craft terrain, ranging from rocky areas to water pathways, and place shrubbery and buildings in available areas.[11][17] Levels were shared online through the internet for Windows, and on consoles through PlayStation Network and Xbox Live.[7] The online functions ended in June 2021 when Ubisoft closed down servers for its older titles.[18]
In the wake of a rebellion against the old government of an unnamed African nation, civil war rages between the rebel forces' two political factions, the United Front for Liberation and Labour (UFLL) and the Alliance for Popular Resistance (APR). While each claims to represent the people, they are equally brutal and exploitative with the civilian population. The situation is being worsened by the Jackal, an arms dealer distributing efficient low-price weapons to both sides in violation of a Joint Signatory Framework designed to stop the conflict escalating. The protagonist is one of a mercenary team sent into the country to kill the Jackal.
The mercenary arrives at a local town, only to succumb to malarial fever. The Jackal confronts him with his assumed failure, but does not kill him, leaving the mercenary to be incapacitated during an ambush on the town. The mercenary is rescued by members of one of the factions, and ends up going on missions for both sides in the hope of catching up with the Jackal. He also meets Reuben Oluwagembi, a journalist covering the conflict, and after aiding him gains access to malarial medicine through the Underground network, which works to save the civilian population from the activities of the UFLL and APR. During one mission to assassinate the leader of one side, the mercenary's employer betrays and nearly kills him, only for the Jackal to help him escape. Interactions with the Jackal, together with interview tapes that can be found in-game, reveal both his disillusionment with the conflict and wish to destroy the two factions to protect the civilian population.
The Jackal eventually confronts the mercenary, proposing they work together to save the civilians, and the mercenary is tasked with killing the UFLL and APR leaders. After killing the leaders, the mercenary meets with the Jackal, who reveals the factions are still hunting the civilians to either kill them or trap them in the country. He intends to bribe the border guards to let the civilians through while using explosives to prevent the soldiers' pursuit. The mercenary is given the choice of detonating the explosives at the cost of his life, or bribing the guards and then committing suicide, with the Jackal taking the other job. Post-credit dialogue reveals the country descends into anarchy despite attempted peace talks, Reuben's story is ignored by the press and he begins publishing it on his blog, the Underground is praised for its action saving civilians, and the Jackal's body is never found.
Clint Hocking acted as director, creating the basic scenario and world design.
The original Far Cry was developed by Crytek using their in-house CryEngine and published by Ubisoft. Far Cry released in 2004, the same year Crytek signed a deal with Electronic Arts to produce a new CryEngine title, leaving them unable to work on future Far Cry projects. However, Ubisoft struck a deal with Crytek and eventually purchased the Far Cryintellectual property, allowing their Ubisoft Montreal studio to create further console Far Cry games using CryEngine technology.[19][20] The aim with Far Cry 2 was to "rejuvenate" the Far Cry universe using a new setting and mechanics.[21] The shift in direction was partly to separate it from Crytek's new project, which was assumed be set in a similar tropical environment, but also to separate it from the original game's console spin-off titles, which all had similar environments.[22][23] The change in setting and direction would also help invigorate the brand, which was suffering in the market due to exploitation of the original game's premise and tone. There was also the factor that several games and other media titles were using a jungle island setting.[22] The team went through a long pre-production period, with plans for a sequel emerging prior to the original game's release and concept work beginning during the development of Far Cry Instincts (2005).[22][24] Production lasted three and a half years.[21]
The game was directed by Clint Hocking, and co-produced by Bertrand Hélias and Louis-Pierre Pharand.[21][25] Hocking joined the project after finishing his work on Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory, choosing Far Cry 2 to take a break from the Splinter Cell series.[22] The lead designer was Pierre Rivest, who described the experience as challenging due to having no other games as comparisons for the mechanics and scale of Far Cry 2.[26] Gathering staff for the project was difficult, as production of Far Cry 2 ran parallel to or behind two other large-scale Ubisoft Montreal projects, Assassin's Creed and Splinter Cell: Conviction.[27] According to narrative designer Patrick Redding, he and Hocking agreed to "go all out" on their vision regardless of its success.[28] The final production team included over 150 staff members, the assembly of which was described by Pharand as a huge challenge.[21]
Upon its original unveiling, Far Cry 2 was announced as a Windows-exclusive development. After returning from a media event in Leipzig, another team came to them and said they could get the engine working on PS3 and 360. Impressed by their tests, the game was scheduled for those consoles in turn.[24] Another impetus to establish the engine on consoles was so other Ubisoft titles could make use of it in the future, and to push what was possible on consoles at the time. While there were technological limitations on the console versions due to preset hardware specifications, the Windows version was described as having no limitations.[29] Technical director Dominic Guay stated that the only real difference between the Windows and console versions was its graphics, with the two otherwise being identical. They also took care not to make their game too demanding on Windows machines, contrasting against the notoriously high demands of Crytek's Crysis.[30] The PS3 version caused worries for the team due to its notorious reputation as a difficult console for third-party developers, but a dedicated team of programmers worked to smooth over gameplay on the console.[31]
The team started out with the basic CryEngine technology.[22] In order to create their intended open world environment, they repurposed the old engine and created their own, dubbing it Dunia.[31][32] The team "gutted" the old engine, rewriting and replacing an estimated 90 percent of the code.[22] Engine development ran parallel to game development, resulting in "constantly shifting budgets" and regular adjustment of the gameplay, with the goal being to be able to create a square kilometer of game terrain in one day.[27] They also designed a dedicated animation system called LivePosture, which controlled the movement of vegetation and the environment.[33] Guay insisted at the outset of development that the game prompt the creation of new design tools rather than relying on existing tools.[27] The team made use of Procedural Data Generation to handle the in-game environment and reactions, cutting down on both production time and the load on the engine.[32] Guay planned a slow escalation of engine development, easing in new staff in small numbers to let them get experience with the engine rather than causing problems bringing in a large number of unprepared staff at once.[27]
Hocking and Redding came up with the initial narrative concept, which tied into the game's planned setting.[28] While the original Far Cry had drawn from H. G. Wells's novel The Island of Doctor Moreau and had a divisive science fiction-like tone in consequence, Far Cry 2 took inspiration from Joseph Conrad's 1899 novella Heart of Darkness, as well as the more contemporary film adaptation Apocalypse Now (1979). The intent was for a darker, more realistic narrative and tone.[34] Some surreal elements were retained to enhance the chosen art design.[35] A common theme with Heart of Darkness was how far people would go, and how much they would become like monsters and leverage the unhinged side of their nature, in order to survive and endure through terrible circumstances.[34][36] Another influence along the same lines was the novel Red Harvest by Dashiell Hammett, where the protagonist enters a lawless city and ultimately eliminates both sides of a deadly conflict.[36] The game's conflict drew inspiration from events around the city of Nairobi, which were seen as emblematic of conflicts in Africa.[37] The voice acting was done by actors from or close to the ethnicity of the in-game characters, such as the faction leaders being voiced by South African actors.[38]
Contrasted with other games at the time, the narrative did not make use of traditional cutscenes or a strict guided path. Redding described the approach as "dynamic story architecture", aiming for a systemic narrative emerging from the player's actions. This approach required a dedicated narrative designer, with Hocking successfully persuading Ubisoft's management on the importance of the role. One of Redding's priorities was incorporating elements into the game world to reinforce the character's thematic journey into madness and violence, including the option for the player to fail at objectives without derailing the narrative or requiring a reset.[28] The narrative progress is based on the player's reputation, described as an "invisible counter" which determined in-game events, though late in production it was felt a relationship history matrix between players and NPCs would have worked better. Due to the complexity of the game, this change could not be implemented. The narrative was cited as an example of the all or nothing approach to design, citing the Buddy dynamics only working properly with all twelve being alive as an issue tackled by the team.[27]
The script was written by Susan O'Connor, who worked on other notable video games including BioShock, along with Armand Constantine and Ubisoft staff member Kevin Shortt.[28][39][40] Redding described O'Connor as the principal writer for the project, saying she understood the difficulties of writing for video games compared to film and television. A common part of their interaction was each pushing back against the other on obtuse or behind-the-scenes motivations for characters that players would either never find or not understand.[28] To aid in creating the Buddies, Ubisoft brought in Malcolm Clarke, a filmmaker known for his work on documentaries surrounding African mercenaries in the 1970s and 80s.[38] A key part of the world and narrative design was giving the different faction leaders and lieutenants personality and narrative weight, allowing their deaths to have an impact on the world.[24] Due to its central narrative of hunting down a target and fighting trained soldiers, the team made sure players would not be able to open fire on civilian targets, which would have undermined the narrative's themes.[34] The strong focus on narrative stood in contrast to the original game, which was criticized for having a weak storyline. Redding described the Far Cry series as a "Trojan Horse brand" with low player expectations that allowed the team to be more experimental in their narrative approach.[28]
Original Far Cry protagonist Jack Carver was not featured, as during test interviews players either did not remember or disliked him, so Hocking felt no need to bring him back.[5] The player character was designed to be a blank slate through which players could become immersed, similar to Gordon Freeman from the Half-Life series.[29] In line with this approach and out of a desire to promote immersion, the mercenary lead was made a silent protagonist.[28][29] There was some discussion around incorporating more surreal elements, such as questioning the mercenary's grip on reality and memory of events, but these were never implemented.[30][35] The Buddies were deliberately varied in age and ethnicity, reflecting real mercenaries.[38] The Jackal was written as a contrast to the more simplistic antagonist of Far Cry, being an amoral pragmatist who would eventually understand the damage caused by his actions and take extreme measures to rectify it. He was later described as a MacGuffin character who provided a central goal and theme for the narrative without being very personable.[41] A further thematic element was the mercenary's morality potentially falling towards or below that of the Jackal's.[34] While never communicated in-game, Hocking later revealed the Jackal was intended to be a version of Carver, disturbed by the trauma he suffered and turned into a major smuggler who has seen many more terrible things.[41]
The aim of the game design, as with the narrative, was to maintain a realistic tone and style through the experience, contrasted against the original game's shift into more outlandish elements later in the narrative.[35] Hocking wanted to incorporate the African environment, found guns jamming during combat, and show a realistic version of the land that was not clean and sterile. The development team also wanted to show a life beyond standard combat, including scenes of normal living, farming, and livestock around settlements. The player mercenary's body is kept hidden except during key scenes such as healing animations, a request from Hocking to promote player immersion in the world.[34] The minimal tutorial section was a deliberate choice, with lead designer Pierre Rivest saying the team wanted players to naturally learn the systems and combine them in their own way.[26] Effort went into making the controls easy to use even within the planned innovative game design.[29] Similar to the original, the team wanted an advanced and reactive artificial intelligence (AI) for enemies and other creatures within the environment. When designing the missions to work in an open world environment, main missions were made simple and easy to understand, with only optional sub routes unlocked through other characters having fail states outside a game over.[30]
The outposts, which respawn their enemies after a set period, were originally intended to slowly rebuild and repopulate over time, but the team changed the design as it was possible for players to empty the entire game world and become bored, in addition to technical problems implementing the system properly.[26] Malaria was introduced to present the player's with a persistent challenge, though they had no point of reference for the mechanic and in hindsight Rivest felt they had made it too intrusive.[26] The system was originally more severe, with the player losing gameplay control of the mercenary, but this was toned down in the final release.[7] The game's notable death mechanic was incorporated by Hocking, who had been frustrated over harsh death penalties in the Splinter Cell series and wanted a less-penalizing system that allowed for recovery from mistakes while still maintaining an element of risks.[42] The Buddy system drew inspiration from the Girlfriends of Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas and soldier management in XCOM, in addition to smaller influences from other companion systems in games including BioShock and Ico.[29] The enemy AI was designed early on as a basic system that would respond to actions in the environment or from the player, but this later meant no further AI system could be created to manage planned general behaviors outside combat.[27]
The game's scale meant local cooperative multiplayer was not incorporated.[29] The pressures of designing the single player and multiplayer modes alongside the engine design caused problems, forcing the team to split multiplayer development into its own team. This team had several young members, who suffered further problems under peer pressure from others within Ubisoft, requiring a design consultant to be brought in and complete the multiplayer designs, though there continued to be problems with a lack of clear design goals during the game's alpha testing period and the mode was not solidified until the beta period.[27] The console map editor used the one designed for Far Cry Instincts as a template, with the team taking what they liked and rebuilding it in the new engine.[7]
During early planning, various settings were proposed and rejected, including Antarctica and the planet Mars.[23] Art director Alexandre Amancio had several favorites during the concept design stage. He wanted the game to use a wilderness without signs of human habitation, meaning settings in mainland Asia and South America were dropped. Japan was discarded due to a lack of environmental variety and overuse in popular media, and the American West was rejected due to its restrictive historical background limiting narrative opportunities. A setting in the Canadian West was dropped both due to difficulties creating a compelling survival setting outside stereotypes of the region and its planned use in Remedy Entertainment's Alan Wake. The Australian outback was similar in environment to the final African setting, but its uninhabited nature made interactions and conflict difficult to justify.[43] The variety of environments available for use helped make Africa the final choice, as well as the ability to incorporate the presence of malaria and use of blood diamonds as currency into the design.[26]
It was decided not to set the game in a real country, so as not to limit the in-game environmental variety.[44] When thinking about a region to emulate in-game, the team opted for Kenya due to its variety of environments both within and around its borders with Uganda, Ethiopia, and Tanzania.[37] In July 2007, Ubisoft sent a team of the game's developers to Africa to carry out research for the game.[45] Their research took them to Kenya and parts of Tanzania, chosen due to their variety of environments and political stability.[44] They spent two weeks traveling around the region and camping out on the savanna.[45] The team chose to camp rather than stay in a hotel, desiring an authentic experience.[46] The field trip allowed them to observe the local architecture and environment first-hand, in addition to their guides telling them about the local vegetation and weather cycles. Amancio estimated that they obtained about 40 hours of footage and over eight gigabytes of photographic reference material.[37] Another element highlighted by Amancio was the amount of animal droppings they saw, which they took care to incorporate into the game's visual identity.[44] Pharand said that following the trip, they realized they had gotten the design of the game "so wrong" and made several changes to properly emulate the local environment.[45]
The only African wildlife featured in the game world were herbivores; according to the developers, due to the in-game world design, predators without careful control would have eaten all the herbivores and starved to death.[13] The team also wanted to make hunting an unenjoyable experience that would force the players to focus on the main game content.[47] The size of the game world made testing for bugs difficult, with Hocking later saying they should have made it smaller.[7] NPC conversations incorporated seen and recounted anecdotes from their field trip. A large portion of the in-game ambience was recorded live during the field trip.[44] The character animations were considered a low priority due to the game's genre, so no animation director was appointed. In hindsight, Hocking saw this as a poor choice due to its ambitious graphical presentation and lack of traditional UI.[27]
The music of Far Cry 2 was composed by Marc Canham, who was best known at the time for his work on the Driver series.[48] He worked alongside the Nimrod Production Orchestra, a group he founded as part of his production company.[48][49] When Canham was contacted about the project, he was asked to create a score that did something "new and exciting".[49] In keeping with this wish, he ignored the musical style of the original Far Cry.
This program unpacks Playstation 3 Theme files (.p3t) so that you can touch-up an existing theme to your likings or use a certain wallpaper from it (as many themes have multiple). But remember, if you use content from another theme and release it, be sure to give credit!
Download p3textractor.zip from above. Extract the files to a folder with a program such as WinZip or WinRAR. Now there are multiple ways to extract the theme.
The first way is to simply open the p3t file with p3textractor.exe. If you don’t know how to do this, right click the p3t file and select Open With. Alternatively, open the p3t file and it will ask you to select a program to open with. Click Browse and find p3textractor.exe from where you previously extracted it to. It will open CMD and extract the theme to extracted.[filename]. After that, all you need to do for any future p3t files is open them and it will extract.
The second way is very simple. Just drag the p3t file to p3textractor.exe. It will open CMD and extract the theme to extracted.[filename].
For the third way, first put the p3t file you want to extract into the same folder as p3textractor.exe. Open CMD and browse to the folder with p3extractor.exe. Enter the following: p3textractor filename.p3t [destination path]Replace filename with the name of the p3t file, and replace [destination path] with the name of the folder you want the files to be extracted to. A destination path is not required. By default it will extract to extracted.filename.
This program unpacks Playstation 3 Theme files (.p3t) so that you can touch-up an existing theme to your likings or use a certain wallpaper from it (as many themes have multiple). But remember, if you use content from another theme and release it, be sure to give credit!
Download p3textractor.zip from above. Extract the files to a folder with a program such as WinZip or WinRAR. Now there are multiple ways to extract the theme.
The first way is to simply open the p3t file with p3textractor.exe. If you don’t know how to do this, right click the p3t file and select Open With. Alternatively, open the p3t file and it will ask you to select a program to open with. Click Browse and find p3textractor.exe from where you previously extracted it to. It will open CMD and extract the theme to extracted.[filename]. After that, all you need to do for any future p3t files is open them and it will extract.
The second way is very simple. Just drag the p3t file to p3textractor.exe. It will open CMD and extract the theme to extracted.[filename].
For the third way, first put the p3t file you want to extract into the same folder as p3textractor.exe. Open CMD and browse to the folder with p3extractor.exe. Enter the following: p3textractor filename.p3t [destination path]Replace filename with the name of the p3t file, and replace [destination path] with the name of the folder you want the files to be extracted to. A destination path is not required. By default it will extract to extracted.filename.
This program unpacks Playstation 3 Theme files (.p3t) so that you can touch-up an existing theme to your likings or use a certain wallpaper from it (as many themes have multiple). But remember, if you use content from another theme and release it, be sure to give credit!
Download p3textractor.zip from above. Extract the files to a folder with a program such as WinZip or WinRAR. Now there are multiple ways to extract the theme.
The first way is to simply open the p3t file with p3textractor.exe. If you don’t know how to do this, right click the p3t file and select Open With. Alternatively, open the p3t file and it will ask you to select a program to open with. Click Browse and find p3textractor.exe from where you previously extracted it to. It will open CMD and extract the theme to extracted.[filename]. After that, all you need to do for any future p3t files is open them and it will extract.
The second way is very simple. Just drag the p3t file to p3textractor.exe. It will open CMD and extract the theme to extracted.[filename].
For the third way, first put the p3t file you want to extract into the same folder as p3textractor.exe. Open CMD and browse to the folder with p3extractor.exe. Enter the following: p3textractor filename.p3t [destination path]Replace filename with the name of the p3t file, and replace [destination path] with the name of the folder you want the files to be extracted to. A destination path is not required. By default it will extract to extracted.filename.
This program unpacks Playstation 3 Theme files (.p3t) so that you can touch-up an existing theme to your likings or use a certain wallpaper from it (as many themes have multiple). But remember, if you use content from another theme and release it, be sure to give credit!
Download p3textractor.zip from above. Extract the files to a folder with a program such as WinZip or WinRAR. Now there are multiple ways to extract the theme.
The first way is to simply open the p3t file with p3textractor.exe. If you don’t know how to do this, right click the p3t file and select Open With. Alternatively, open the p3t file and it will ask you to select a program to open with. Click Browse and find p3textractor.exe from where you previously extracted it to. It will open CMD and extract the theme to extracted.[filename]. After that, all you need to do for any future p3t files is open them and it will extract.
The second way is very simple. Just drag the p3t file to p3textractor.exe. It will open CMD and extract the theme to extracted.[filename].
For the third way, first put the p3t file you want to extract into the same folder as p3textractor.exe. Open CMD and browse to the folder with p3extractor.exe. Enter the following: p3textractor filename.p3t [destination path]Replace filename with the name of the p3t file, and replace [destination path] with the name of the folder you want the files to be extracted to. A destination path is not required. By default it will extract to extracted.filename.
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