14 DAY TRIAL // Ken Levine, the main developer working on Irrational Games, says that the team he is leading has appreciated the character Elizabeth so much that they’ve decided to expand her role in the game as they worked on BioShock Infinite.
The developer tells Joystiq that, “By the time we showed Elizabeth at E3 her personality was strongly developed, but the gameplay mechanics of her abilities evolved over time, and as with any gameplay mechanic, you tweak it, play it, see if it’s fun.”
The reaction of the public was solid enough to encourage the team to consider the strengths of the character and the team also loved Elizabeth, so they’ve decided to expand her role and make her a constant companion to protagonist Booker DeWitt.
Levine adds, “At first the lock picking was just a one off then we started thinking of all the different ways she could be helpful to you and it sort of evolved from there, showing that she could do more – and that her purpose wasn’t just ‘being along for the ride’.”
The fact that Elizabeth is a partner means that the team has to build a complex Artificial Intelligence system for her, designed to cause realistic reactions to the various situations the game creates.
BioShock Infinite takes place on Columbia, a floating island designed by United States engineers as a symbol of power that has since then been hijacked.
Two factions are fighting on the structure and Booker DeWitt and Elizabeth will have to deal with both sides as they try to escape.
Levine has previously assured gamers that all the themes and concepts of BioShock games will be present in the new Infinite.
BioShock Infinite is now set to appear on March 26 of next year and will be playable on the Xbox 360, the PlayStation 3 and the PC.