After 11 years and more than a dozen games set in World War II, the series has entered the modern era, taking players to the front lines of the conflict in Afghanistan.
While the characters, setting, and military hardware have been updated, Medal of Honor remains focused on telling the soldier's story.
Developer Interview
Executive Producer Greg Goodrich at Danger Close Games and Patrick Liu, Producer at DICE, discuss the process of rebooting the Medal of Honor franchise.
LEGACY
Medal of Honor and Medal of Honor: Allied Assault are two of the most influential first-person shooters ever. How tough has it been to raise the bar with each subsequent release?
GREG GOODRICH: We've gone back to the roots of the franchise for this Medal of Honor. And although we are no longer set in WWII, the core tenets of authenticity and respect for the soldier still remain.
This Medal of Honor tells the soldier's story from the soldier's point of view, just as it has always been.
When we decided to move the franchise into the modern era, we knew we had a lot to live up to and have done everything we possibly can to build it with the same tone and intent that has always been at the heart of Medal of Honor.
Looking back on the previous installments, what stands out as your most memorable Medal of Honor moment?
GREG GOODRICH: For me, and probably many others, it has to be the beach landing in Medal of Honor: Frontline.
You'll notice that we pay tribute to this moment in the new Medal of Honor when the 1/75th Rangers arrive in the Shahikot Valley of Afghanistan, although this time we arrive in the hull of CH-47 Chinook helicopter instead of a Higgins boat.
A NEW BEGINNING
What influenced the decision to bring the series into the modern era? Is WWII played out?
GREG GOODRICH: After 11 years of making Medal of Honor games set in WWII, we felt it was finally time to bring a new face to the franchise. When we were introduced to the Tier 1 Operators, we knew we had found the backbone of our game.
It had less to do with WWII being played out and everything to do with the fact that we had a story to tell about a community of individuals who are sacrificing now and not wanting to wait sixty years to honor them.
The war in Afghanistan has been going on for nine years. Would it have been possible to make this game seven or eight years ago? What makes now the right time?
GREG GOODRICH: Our story focuses on the initial stages of the current fight in Afghanistan. And it is told through the lens of a band of fictional characters.
It takes place during a historical event with the inspiration coming from the Tier 1 Operators we have been working with. But although it is inspired by real individuals, there are no literal recreations of actual events. It's pure historical fiction.
We feel now is the perfect time to pay tribute to these individuals and not wait a generation to honor the sacrifices they are making today.
STORY
Medal of Honor has always been about telling a story. What served as the driving inspiration behind this story?
GREG GOODRICH: The driving inspiration is and always has been the soldiers—the men and women on the ground and in the fight. Our intent is to honor them, their community, and those that give everything on our behalf.
As in previous installments, the characters in the game are fictional. What influences did you draw on to flesh out the core characters?
GREG GOODRICH: Many of the characters are inspired by actual individuals, while others are a combination of traits and personalities found in people we've spoken to and spent time with.
We recently had an individual in the office whom one of our characters closely resembles, and he was absolutely floored at the way he moved, spoke, and interacted with others. As soon as we saw his reaction, we knew we had absolutely nailed it.
In terms of narrative, how do you set a game in a current conflict without making it feel too political or exploitive?
GREG GOODRICH: We concentrate on telling the soldier's story. We focus on their point of view and what they are going through in this fight. You'll notice in the narrative that the goals of these individuals change as the story progresses.
The game starts with a very confident approach and then soon turns to a feeling of having underestimated the enemy. Soon the player will realize that every character in our story is soon focused on a single goal and a single event.
We purposely want the player to get into the mindset of a Tier 1 Operator—the type of individual who, when everything around them has gone catastrophically wrong, their first instinct is to think, "I can fix this!" It has absolutely nothing to do with politics or operational debate.
It has everything to do with a brotherhood of warriors who will do absolutely anything for a teammate in need without hesitation.
The series has always exuded a sense of reverence for the material. Tonally, is it difficult to balance this ethos with the gritty nature of combat?
GREG GOODRICH: I think the truthful and authentic nature of gritty combat only helps exude the sense of reverence. We don't go overboard, but we also do not shy away from it.
To allow a player to get into the mindset of a Tier 1 Operator, you have to allow them to get fully invested in the characters that accurately represent their real-life counterparts.
To accomplish this we strive for authentic sounds and dialog, weapons and gear, and environments based on real-world locations. You may even notice that our enemies in the game also speak in their native languages.
The Taliban speak Pashto, the Al Qaeda fighters speak Gulf Arabic, and the foreign fighters speak Chechen.
AUTHENTICITY
Actual Tier 1 Operators served as consultants on this project. How did they come on board?
GREG GOODRICH: It was a lengthy process of introductions and meetings and then more introductions and meetings. There was a level of trust that had to be built over a period of time. It has been incredibly rewarding and they have influenced every single aspect of the game.
I can honestly say that this Medal of Honor would not be what it is today without their involvement. But I have to tell you, it has come with a heavy burden and level of stress that I have never experienced before in my lifetime.
It has been completely worth it, but I would not recommend it to anyone. It has been an incredibly challenging balance between our sense of responsibility to get things right, the needs to be authentic and truthful, and still make a fun game.
Can you provide some specifics on what aspects of the game the Tier 1 Operators provided input for?
GREG GOODRICH: They've influenced absolutely everything, from the locations, to the character designs, the story and the missions, to the dialog and audio.
Even our opening cinematic was conceptually designed and written by one of the Tier 1 Operators on a flight home after one of the early visits to our studio.
While you were well served by consultants in the U.S. military concerning Coalition units, what sources did you reference to accurately depict the Taliban fighters?
GREG GOODRICH: Mostly from publicly available information found online. We tried to accurately differentiate between the Taliban fighters and Al Qaeda.
If you pay close attention, you will see and hear the differences. We also had plenty of input from our consultants who have their own unique view of their enemy.
Geographically, Afghanistan is a diverse environment, as evidenced in the game. What kind of work went into depicting these different regions?
GREG GOODRICH: Our game is set within and around the Shahikot Valley in Afghanistan's Paktia province. And although we are in a single location, it has provided us a wide variety of terrain to explore.
From the city slums of Gardez near the rugged valley floor to the snowy peaks of Takur Gar, we've been given a rich diversity of locations to work with. We've spent an enormous amount of time researching these spots and have used everything from photographs and film footage to satellite imagery to accurately depict these locations.
Players will also notice that the geo coordinates shown on the screen during all of our Predator drone imagery are the actual geo coordinates of these locations when plugged into Google Earth.
Authentic sounding and looking weapons have always been a staple of the series. How did you go about recreating the Coalition and insurgent weapons in the game?
GREG GOODRICH: We conducted a huge weapon shoot on location at Fort Irwin in California. It is possibly the largest weapon recording shoot that has ever been done. We had over 100 microphones set up from inches away to miles outside of the city. We recorded all the weapons that are represented in the game and any weapons we thought we may use in the future from every perspective you can imagine.
Each Medal of Honor game has strived for authenticity. But at what point (if any) does authenticity or historical accuracy get in the way of making a fun game?
GREG GOODRICH: W e've spoken a lot about the story and about authenticity. We've talked a lot about our consultants and our intent to honor their community.
But at the end of the day, if you don't have a great first-person shooter with solid core shooter mechanics, people will not sit around and listen to your story.
If you do not give them a through-the-gun experience that is engaging with tight controls and immediate feedback then you will never get the chance to say anything else.
So we have certainly made concessions. For instance, the sniping mechanic became less about solving math and more about pulling the trigger.
We've also added dialog in places where the guys would have remained completely silent. And of course, in the ATV sections, where instead of creeping slowly along the wadi on silenced vehicles, we allow the player to open it up and go for a ride.
DEVELOPMENT
Technically, much has changed since the first Medal of Honor game shipped. What technical innovations does the new game bring to the table that we haven't seen before?
GREG GOODRICH: We've not set out to technically innovate. We've set out to create a great experience and have made the technical advances to serve the needs of the design. We believe great technology is present when you are not thinking about the technology but are engaged in the experience.
The peek and lean feature is well implemented and essential for surviving some of the campaign's more intense firefights. Can you discuss how and why this feature was implemented?
GREG GOODRICH: Peek and lean was brought forward from the previous Medal of Honor, and something the fans will expect. The same with going prone.
Another feature we've added for this Medal of Honor is slide to cover. If you are sprinting and hit the crouch button you will slide into the cover position. It's a great way to quickly get yourself out of a tight spot.
This is the first title in the series to get an M rating from the ESRB. Was the decision to include mature content intentional or did it just flow naturally from the material?
GREG GOODRICH: The M rating came naturally from the source material and our striving for authenticity.
MULTIPLAYER
Given DICE's success with the Battlefield franchise, it made perfect sense to bring them onboard to develop the game's multiplayer modes. What has it been like working with DICE?
GREG GOODRICH: DICE is a world-class studio with deep passion and commitment to quality. We could not be happier with the multiplayer experience that they have created for Medal of Honor.
The FPS multiplayer market is very crowded and competitive. When developing the multiplayer modes, what was your gameplan to make Medal of Honor stand out from the competition?
PATRICK LIU: We kind of had a fresh start when going into this, with the experience and sensibility from previous DICE titles. Just leaning back a bit we looked at what essentially made it fun and focused down on that.
A lot of modern titles are just adding more features just for the sake of it, while we instead went for a purer and more focused experience. One of the things that we have added though is in terms of immersion, where the Combat Mission maps are telling their own story.
Throughout the objectives, people are actually talking about the specific environments, the exact objectives, and also commenting on your current progress. All this, together with the events and environment, tells a story which you will discover gradually as you play the map more.
How much work goes into balancing the different weapons and support actions?
PATRICK LIU: Most of the work goes into balancing really, that is the fundamental feature that just has to be right. There are a lot of tests going into this including our internal tests, betas, focus tests, etc.
A balanced game is what makes it fun really. That said, there are a couple of areas that are particularly sensitive, such as grenades, snipers, and knifing. We hear people saying they want one thing, like balancing splash damage from grenade, and we agree, but there has just got to be a better way of doing it.
On one hand, you want to kill a lot of people with grenades; on the other hand, you hate grenade spam, so it's a very delicate balance.
The game modes in Medal of Honor are all team-oriented. What steps have you taken to encourage and reward team play?
PATRICK LIU: There are a number of factors there such as spawning options, class specifications, and the nature of support actions. Nothing is really enforced, but skilled players will soon develop strategies that will give them an edge if they work in the right way.
Is it always good to spawn at the front? Is someone making sure you have Riflemen to throw smoke grenades to cover your advancement? Could you make sure someone activates a health boost as you make the final push towards the objective?
In each game mode, the pacing feels just right. Can you offer some insight on how this is achieved? Is it the map size? The weapons? Or a combination of several elements?
PATRICK LIU: Again there is a combination of a lot of things. Map size and layout together with number of players, spawn points, and spawn times are essential tools for controlling the pacing. Handing out vehicles for traveling quicker and blocking the way to slow people down also matters.