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Far Cry: How the Fire Burns and Spreads (2012)

166 points by fctorial 6y ago

ilovefood 6y ago
I love this writeup please do share more! The weed burning mission in Far Cry 3 was one of my favorite gaming moments ever!! That mission and the one in Far Cry 4 called Advanced Chemistry bring up a smile on my face I didn't wear a lot this year. Though they don't share the same mechanics I love them. Thanks for bringing this up, it made my night. So looking forward to the new Far cry :)
- teruakohatu 6y ago
  I don't know if my memory is correct, but I recall as soon as I lit the weed field on fire the game played "Make It Bun Dem" (by Skrillex and Damian Marley). Maybe my memory is bad, or maybe it just played randomly at the right time for me but regardless that level was an epic experience. "We mash up the place Turn up the bass And make them all have fun A-we ablaze the fire Make it burn them" - Skrillex & Damian Marley
  - ehnto 6y ago
    That was definitely a scripted sound cue, a pretty fun moment for sure!
  - nmfisher 6y ago
    This was definitely one of the most iconic moments in any video game I've played, I don't think anyone who's been through the game will forget that song/mission combo.
    - orthoxerox 6y ago
      There's also The Wolf by Fever Ray in Far Cry: Primal, creating one of these gameplay moments when you start to doubt you're not hallucinating.
      - pratik661 6y ago
        What triggers that?
    - TaupeRanger 6y ago
      I just watched it on YouTube and, at the risk of sounding like a fuddy duddy, I don't get it. Looks like you just point a flamethrower at the weed or blow something up near it, and watch it burn. I mean it looks cool but what makes it stand out as an all-time great gaming moment?
      - blonde_ocean 6y ago
        It’s the experience of doing it that makes it special. There’s no good way to put that into words.
        TaupeRanger 6y ago
        Guess I'll have to try it.
      - valid_username 6y ago
        What makes it stand out is that in game this is the mission where the transformation of the protagonist from the normal person to killing machine begins. If you ever play the game, the contrast in dialogues from the opening scene and this scene can be actually felt by the player. The player themselves feel empowered after finishing this mission. Also the soundtrack in this particular mission hightens that feeling. TL;DR: Play the game and you will definitely like it.
        TaupeRanger 6y ago
        Cool. I'll pick it up.
ehnto 6y ago
The fire in Far Cry 2 is easily some of the most immersive and fun in any game even to date. It was a shame they toned down the systemic nature of the games after Far Cry 2. They are still very fun and exciting games, just fewer auxiliary systems to play with like this. Star Citizen are doing some cool things with fire propagation too, with precomputed windflow variables to make the simulations consistent but still systemic and dynamic in a multiplayer environment. https://robertsspaceindustries.com/comm-link/transmission/17898-Inside-Star-Citizen https://robertsspaceindustries.com/comm-link/transmission/17...
- freehunter 6y ago
  I am obsessed with games or toys that replicate chaos or spreading disasters, like fire spreading in Far Cry 2 or water flooding in Cities: Skylines or collapsing buildings in the newer Battlefield games. I wish there were more games with unscripted chaos.
  - zo1 6y ago
    Have you played any of the games from the Red Faction franchise? https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2017/04/25/red-faction-guerillas-destructible-scenery-makes-it-still-worth-playing-today/ https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2017/04/25/red-faction-guer...
  - failrate 6y ago
    I recommend you get Noita on Steam. It's a falling sand style game where you are a little wizard whose wands are built from a little Programmingesque component system.
    - wlll 6y ago
      Noita is a great game, I've been playing it recently. The Chaos is pretty slow-burn (Ah ha!) though.
  - Hammershaft 6y ago
    Teardown is probably the state of the art in unscripted destruction. Frankly, there hasn't been a lot of innovation in deep environmental interaction in AAA games for some time. Far Cry 2 still remains a highlight 12 years later.
jansan 6y ago
To make it more realistic, the fumes of the burning weed could influence the character's behaviour. Anyone remember the BBC reporter standing next to a pile of burning narcotics? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kLYVTdiACRA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kLYVTdiACRA
- dandelany 6y ago
  Heh, it does this already. Your aiming precision goes way down as the weed starts to burn :-P
cuplis 6y ago
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FCeEvQ68jY8 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FCeEvQ68jY8
- deleted 6y ago
  [deleted]
- deleted 6y ago
  [deleted]
- fctorial 6y ago
  12 years. This game is 12 years old.
- arminiusreturns 6y ago
  I had forgotten just how much I enjoyed FC2. Just goes to show you properly done mechanics can stand the test of time better than any amount of awesome graphics.
tpaschalis 6y ago
Thanks for bringing back fond memories of playing Far Cry 2 LAN multiplayer in run-down internet cafes back in middle/high school. :) In case you haven't played Far Cry 2 before, here's [1] a great video that showcases the aesthetic choices and art direction behind the game, and how they all fit together. Also [2] showcases the amount of detail that went into making FC2, that isn't always found in more modern games. [1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mx4eSkMBx-U https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mx4eSkMBx-U [2] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FCeEvQ68jY8 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FCeEvQ68jY8
ionwake 6y ago
Not sure if the author of the article is reading this, but apparent emergent behaviour and complex mechanics are my favorite things in the gaming universe. You may stand on the shoulders of giants, but without the way the fire was coded, most of the enjoyment of the game wouldnt exist there for me.
SamBam 6y ago
Here's a wildfire simulator, that uses standard models for how fires spread through a landscape, using cellular automata: http://wildfire.concord.org/ http://wildfire.concord.org/ (It's designed to be embedded in a curriculum, so it doesn't have a lot of explanatory text, but it's pretty straightforward. Click the Spark button and add a spark to the landscape, and hit Play to start. For more fun, press the Terrain button and add a strong wind.)

166 points by fctorial 6y ago

I love this writeup please do share more! The weed burning mission in Far Cry 3 was one of my favorite gaming moments ever!! That mission and the one in Far Cry 4 called Advanced Chemistry bring up a smile on my face I didn't wear a lot this year. Though they don't share the same mechanics I love them. Thanks for bringing this up, it made my night. So looking forward to the new Far cry :)

teruakohatu 6y ago
I don't know if my memory is correct, but I recall as soon as I lit the weed field on fire the game played "Make It Bun Dem" (by Skrillex and Damian Marley). Maybe my memory is bad, or maybe it just played randomly at the right time for me but regardless that level was an epic experience. "We mash up the place Turn up the bass And make them all have fun A-we ablaze the fire Make it burn them" - Skrillex & Damian Marley
- ehnto 6y ago
  That was definitely a scripted sound cue, a pretty fun moment for sure!
- nmfisher 6y ago
  This was definitely one of the most iconic moments in any video game I've played, I don't think anyone who's been through the game will forget that song/mission combo.
  - orthoxerox 6y ago
    There's also The Wolf by Fever Ray in Far Cry: Primal, creating one of these gameplay moments when you start to doubt you're not hallucinating.
    - pratik661 6y ago
      What triggers that?
  - TaupeRanger 6y ago
    I just watched it on YouTube and, at the risk of sounding like a fuddy duddy, I don't get it. Looks like you just point a flamethrower at the weed or blow something up near it, and watch it burn. I mean it looks cool but what makes it stand out as an all-time great gaming moment?
    - blonde_ocean 6y ago
      It’s the experience of doing it that makes it special. There’s no good way to put that into words.
      - TaupeRanger 6y ago
        Guess I'll have to try it.
    - valid_username 6y ago
      What makes it stand out is that in game this is the mission where the transformation of the protagonist from the normal person to killing machine begins. If you ever play the game, the contrast in dialogues from the opening scene and this scene can be actually felt by the player. The player themselves feel empowered after finishing this mission. Also the soundtrack in this particular mission hightens that feeling. TL;DR: Play the game and you will definitely like it.
      - TaupeRanger 6y ago
        Cool. I'll pick it up.

ehnto 6y ago

The fire in Far Cry 2 is easily some of the most immersive and fun in any game even to date. It was a shame they toned down the systemic nature of the games after Far Cry 2. They are still very fun and exciting games, just fewer auxiliary systems to play with like this. Star Citizen are doing some cool things with fire propagation too, with precomputed windflow variables to make the simulations consistent but still systemic and dynamic in a multiplayer environment. https://robertsspaceindustries.com/comm-link/transmission/17898-Inside-Star-Citizen https://robertsspaceindustries.com/comm-link/transmission/17...

freehunter 6y ago
I am obsessed with games or toys that replicate chaos or spreading disasters, like fire spreading in Far Cry 2 or water flooding in Cities: Skylines or collapsing buildings in the newer Battlefield games. I wish there were more games with unscripted chaos.
- zo1 6y ago
  Have you played any of the games from the Red Faction franchise? https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2017/04/25/red-faction-guerillas-destructible-scenery-makes-it-still-worth-playing-today/ https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2017/04/25/red-faction-guer...
- failrate 6y ago
  I recommend you get Noita on Steam. It's a falling sand style game where you are a little wizard whose wands are built from a little Programmingesque component system.
  - wlll 6y ago
    Noita is a great game, I've been playing it recently. The Chaos is pretty slow-burn (Ah ha!) though.
- Hammershaft 6y ago
  Teardown is probably the state of the art in unscripted destruction. Frankly, there hasn't been a lot of innovation in deep environmental interaction in AAA games for some time. Far Cry 2 still remains a highlight 12 years later.

jansan 6y ago

To make it more realistic, the fumes of the burning weed could influence the character's behaviour. Anyone remember the BBC reporter standing next to a pile of burning narcotics? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kLYVTdiACRA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kLYVTdiACRA

dandelany 6y ago
Heh, it does this already. Your aiming precision goes way down as the weed starts to burn :-P

cuplis 6y ago

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FCeEvQ68jY8 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FCeEvQ68jY8

deleted 6y ago
[deleted]
deleted 6y ago
[deleted]
fctorial 6y ago
12 years. This game is 12 years old.
arminiusreturns 6y ago
I had forgotten just how much I enjoyed FC2. Just goes to show you properly done mechanics can stand the test of time better than any amount of awesome graphics.

tpaschalis 6y ago

Thanks for bringing back fond memories of playing Far Cry 2 LAN multiplayer in run-down internet cafes back in middle/high school. :) In case you haven't played Far Cry 2 before, here's [1] a great video that showcases the aesthetic choices and art direction behind the game, and how they all fit together. Also [2] showcases the amount of detail that went into making FC2, that isn't always found in more modern games. [1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mx4eSkMBx-U https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mx4eSkMBx-U [2] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FCeEvQ68jY8 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FCeEvQ68jY8

ionwake 6y ago

Not sure if the author of the article is reading this, but apparent emergent behaviour and complex mechanics are my favorite things in the gaming universe. You may stand on the shoulders of giants, but without the way the fire was coded, most of the enjoyment of the game wouldnt exist there for me.

SamBam 6y ago

Here's a wildfire simulator, that uses standard models for how fires spread through a landscape, using cellular automata: http://wildfire.concord.org/ http://wildfire.concord.org/ (It's designed to be embedded in a curriculum, so it doesn't have a lot of explanatory text, but it's pretty straightforward. Click the Spark button and add a spark to the landscape, and hit Play to start. For more fun, press the Terrain button and add a strong wind.)