Watch Dogs, the gritty, futuristic game being made by Ubisoft Montreal, is getting some help from outside sources to make one of the most critical aspects of the game, hacking, more realistic than most Hollywood or video game depictions. Dominic Guay, senior producer of the game, spoke to Joystiq about hiring Kaspersky Labs to help guide the game:
"We're working with Kaspersky Lab, a big security firm...They have really hardcore experts there on hacking. We send them some of our designs and we ask them feedback on it, and it's interesting to see what gets back. Sometimes they say, 'Yeah, that's possible, but change that word,' or, 'That's not the way it works.'"
While many films or games show hacking in unrealistic fashions, Watch Dogs, with it's emphasis on technology and realism, is doing it's best to show how hacking would actually work in the game's futuristic city. Instead of an mini game or puzzle, hacking is used as a shortcut to gain access to equipment such as ATM machines.
Overall, Guay said that he is focused on bringing the many elements of the game together smoothly, instead of making players focus on one at a time.
"It's not about the challenges of climbing a wall...It's finding the path I want to follow. It's not about the minigame that will let me open the door, it's the fact that I'm making a plan. I'm making a plan of how I'm going to chain hacking, shooting, traveling the city and driving to achieve an objective."
Ubisoft Montreal should be applauded for bring more realism to hacking in video games. Instead of the frankly ridiculous means of hacking we have seen in some movies and video games, using the tool correctly will be refreshing. Watch Dogs will be available November 19 for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, PC, and Wii U. In addition, Watch Dogs will be a launch title for the PlayStation 4, whenever that may be.
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