The Outsider (video game)
Encyclopedia
The Outsider is a "techno thriller" video game for Microsoft Windows
, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 that will feature storylines that change based on the player's actions. It is currently under development by David Braben
's Frontier Developments
. The release date has not officially been announced. In January 2011, David Braben confirmed that development on The Outsider had ceased, but the game had not been cancelled.
and its surrounding areas, including the CIA Headquarters
at Langley, Virginia
, Andrews Air Force Base
, and Newport News Naval Dockyard. The player controls a CIA officer named Jameson, who can use various hand-to-hand combat styles and weapons. The game's opening sequence depicts the character wrongly becoming a fugitive, and leaves the player to decide how to continue.
has been focusing on new game-play elements that are now possible on the current generation
of video game consoles. Several key proprietary technologies, which Frontier has been developing for some time, make their debut in The Outsider and bring the sort of freedom of action first seen in Elite up to date.
The developers claim that the game abandons the traditional, prescriptive, mostly linear story of current generation games, and replaces it by simulating characters’ motivations and aims. This gives the player genuine freedom to change the story outcomes. Frontier Developments says that each player will get a unique experience rather than simply switching between ‘good’ or ‘evil’. In an interview with the Gametheoryshow, Braben said that it is this level of freedom that will demonstrate what it is to be a "next-gen" video game.
A new animation system is being developed for the game with the aim of giving a more realistic feel as it is adaptive and less scripted than typical animations.
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 that will feature storylines that change based on the player's actions. It is currently under development by David Braben
David Braben
David John Braben is a British computer programmer, best known for co-writing Elite, a hugely popular and influential space trading computer game, in the early 1980s.-Life and work:...
's Frontier Developments
Frontier Developments
Frontier Developments is a video game developer based in Cambridge, England. It is a private limited company and was incorporated in January 1994. The company is still headed by David Braben, in the position of Chairman....
. The release date has not officially been announced. In January 2011, David Braben confirmed that development on The Outsider had ceased, but the game had not been cancelled.
Gameplay
The Outsider is set in a crowded city based on present-day Washington, D.C.Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
and its surrounding areas, including the CIA Headquarters
Central Intelligence Agency
The Central Intelligence Agency is a civilian intelligence agency of the United States government. It is an executive agency and reports directly to the Director of National Intelligence, responsible for providing national security intelligence assessment to senior United States policymakers...
at Langley, Virginia
Langley, Virginia
Langley is an unincorporated community in the census-designated place of McLean in Fairfax County, Virginia, United States.The community was essentially absorbed into McLean many years ago, although there is still a Langley High School...
, Andrews Air Force Base
Andrews Air Force Base
Joint Base Andrews is a United States military facility located in Prince George's County, Maryland. The facility is under the jurisdiction of the United States Air Force 11th Wing, Air Force District of Washington ....
, and Newport News Naval Dockyard. The player controls a CIA officer named Jameson, who can use various hand-to-hand combat styles and weapons. The game's opening sequence depicts the character wrongly becoming a fugitive, and leaves the player to decide how to continue.
Development
Frontier DevelopmentsFrontier Developments
Frontier Developments is a video game developer based in Cambridge, England. It is a private limited company and was incorporated in January 1994. The company is still headed by David Braben, in the position of Chairman....
has been focusing on new game-play elements that are now possible on the current generation
History of video game consoles (seventh generation)
In the history of video games, the seventh generation of consoles is the current generation , and includes consoles released since late by Nintendo, Microsoft, and Sony...
of video game consoles. Several key proprietary technologies, which Frontier has been developing for some time, make their debut in The Outsider and bring the sort of freedom of action first seen in Elite up to date.
The developers claim that the game abandons the traditional, prescriptive, mostly linear story of current generation games, and replaces it by simulating characters’ motivations and aims. This gives the player genuine freedom to change the story outcomes. Frontier Developments says that each player will get a unique experience rather than simply switching between ‘good’ or ‘evil’. In an interview with the Gametheoryshow, Braben said that it is this level of freedom that will demonstrate what it is to be a "next-gen" video game.
A new animation system is being developed for the game with the aim of giving a more realistic feel as it is adaptive and less scripted than typical animations.