14 DAY TRIAL // Ubisoft has offered a few more details about the hacking mechanic present in Watch Dogs, the upcoming open world experience from its Montreal studio, emphasizing that it will convince players of its usefulness over time.
Watch Dogs looks set to deliver a great open world experience in which protagonist Aiden Pearce must explore the virtual city of Chicago in order to exact his revenge upon those who hurt his family.
However, unlike in other open world experiences, Aiden's arsenal isn't limited to fists and guns, as he can also use his smartphone to hack into the city's CtOS mainframe, which controls everything from street lights to fuse boxes and much more.
This hacking mechanic turns Aiden into something more than just a violent vigilante, as he can hack and use the city's systems in combat or during chases to gain the upper hand.
According to Ubisoft's Jonathan Morin, the hacking system will prove its worth to players over time, as they start thinking of more ingenious ways to use it during missions or just while roaming the city.
"It’s one thing to invent something like hacking in an open city, and another to make sure it’s done in such a way that when you’re in a stealth situation or a combat situation or a car chase situation – even though you understand driving, shooting, reloading and all of those things – you start feeling like every traffic light around you is a valid solution," Morin told Ubiblog.
"Every fuse box you can use in combat will help you turn the tide. All those elements come together so that when the player puts the controller down he or she can say, I really like this. And when they pick up the controller to play another game, they try to hack the traffic lights, but that option’s not there anymore."
The reactions of AI-controlled characters and citizens towards hacking will also be lifelike ones, as when they witness something, like a fuse box exploding, they won't immediately turn to the player's location and hunt him down.
"That was tough to do because there’s really no reference for it," Morin added. "But it creates a new layer of gameplay where you can mess around with AI. That’s one of the things that feels completely different about the game compared to what I’ve played before."
Watch Dogs launches worldwide on PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, and Xbox One on May 27.