Cold Winter -- Developer Tips (Swordfish Studios)

Cold Winter -- Developer Tips (Swordfish Studios)

Julian Widdows - Development Director
Control your Fire
"One of the biggest improvements you can make to your play in 'Cold Winter' is to control your fire. Don't pull the trigger wildly and hope to survive. Crouch, then fire short bursts of just a few rounds at a time - you'll conserve ammunition, be more accurate, and stay alive for longer. The difference this will make to your game is immense."

Splash Damage
"Explosive damage in 'Cold Winter' does not pass through solid objects, thus a grenade landing at the lip of a bunker will not kill a man behind the bunker. Use the environment and the game's physics to bounce grenades into awkward places. Use the ability to 'cook' grenades to burst them over the enemys head, which is particularly effective for guards manning the machine gun positions."

Dave Percival - Project Lead
A grenade, is a grenade, is a grenade. Any grenade in Cold Winter will go off if it takes enough damage. So if, through your sniper scope, you see an enemy wearing a grenade on his belt, shoot that. The explosion will spatter him and anyone near him to the four winds. Similarly if you see a grenade coming toward you, and your gun is powerful enough, you may be able to shoot it out of the air.

Low on ammo?
Pick up a sizeable object to use as cover and run toward your enemy until you are close enough to make your bullets count. The object should help shield your most vulnerable parts, your head and chest. Try not to use anything like a gas canister though, that would be foolish.

Tim Austin - Lead Programmer
Motion sensitive explosives can be triggered by any motion. Throw grenades of your own to clear passages you suspect your opponents have mined. Similarly, be careful once you have placed motion sensitive explosives of yours open, not to set them off accidentally. Sprinting and then jumping then letting go of the sprint button while in the air will allow you to travel at sprint speeds and keep your stamina bar high.

Mike Stimpson - Senior Programmer
If you want to kill someone quickly, go for the head. As well as doing more damage, an enemy's armour won't protect them from a headshot. If it looks like you're walking into a tough fight, take some cover with you. A wooden box might not stand up to much gunfire, but it takes a few bullets while you get your bearings.

Rich Carless - AI Programmer
Crouching whilst moving through enemy territory provides you with a significant tactical advantage. Crouching not only presents a smaller target, but will enable a higher degree of accuracy when firing upon enemy targets. Crouching also has the advantage of masking the sound of your footsteps.

Joe Potter - Online Programmer
The HUD radar displays the positions of all allies and moving enemies. To avoid appearing on other players' radars, simply crouch. Movement while crouched is slow enough to be invisible to the radar. In realistic damage mode, your health bar drops very quickly from bullet damage - but your armour bar doesn't. Make sure you are stocked up on armour: it will give you a significant advantage.

Zafar Qamar - Senior Programmer

  1. When you run out into a fight make sure you're patched up, reloaded and ready.
    2. For the fully automatic weapons, watch for the tracer-effect on the first and the last-but-one round per clip.
  2. Throw an-explosive barrel into a group of people, pop it with a few shots and relish the fiery fun!
  3. If the going gets tough aim for some clean, or not so clean, head-shots to quickly slow down the return fire.
  4. Watch out for poisonous gas - it's more dangerous than it looks.
  5. If you're dripping blood be sure to heal yourself up.
  6. In a Head-Match run-fast and if you're confronted by someone chuck the head at them and they will have to catch it, giving you time to gun them down and retrieve the head.

Andrew Stewart - Graphic Artist
At anytime that you have access to a static machine gun, get on it! Saving ammunition and gunning down as many bad guys as possible is an opportunity not to be missed.

Always organise your combined items leaving more room in your inventory for further pick ups.

Gas canisters are fun. Placing them in strategic areas such as around corners from the enemy, getting their attention and shooting the canister when the enemy are within distance, makes a great trap. Or just rolling or throwing the canisters at the enemy, with good cover of course, can result in good multi-kill and save on health and ammunition.

Dan Cook - Multiplayer Level Designer
Motion sensitive Bombs are the key for deathmatch..... Harvest all the combined items as fast as you can and plant Motion bombs on all Points of access...... People are guaranteed to blunder into them at some point... free kills :) Just remember where you put them.... Don't be foolish....youre not a one man army... don't try and take a load of enemies down at once (unless you have grenades) Lure enemies into areas where they can only get at you one at a time..... (ie so they have to reach you through a doorway) Having one enemy firing at you is much more manageable than lots....

Gordon Theobald - Graphic Artist
Stuck in front of an enemy with an empty gun? Don't sit there and reload slowly, instead charge in for a melee kill! This will work better with the heavier weapons.

Try to match your weapons to the terrain, a shotgun's no use on open terrain, nor is a sniper rifle any use in a tight, short range, environment.

Tim Birks - Animator
Be aware of the noise you make as it can draw attention to yourself and often get you capped.

The higher up you are the better. You'll get an easier shot at someone. Just like in real wars, you want to get the higher ground.

Chris Rocks - Character Artist
If youve got a silenced weapon use it, itll attract little or no attention from nearby guards First sign of a big firefight find or make protective cover, youll need it....dont try to stick it out in the open

Andy Taylor - Lead Artist
Study movies and loading screens carefully - They might reveal level geography as yet unreached.

Adrian Williams - Network Manager (and QA)
Always be aware of your ammo, reload at the wrong moment and your new best mate is a wooden box. Never wait until the mag runs dry, find cover and get a fresh mag slapped in. Be prepared for that next fight.

Remember: some items can be used in multiple combinations, don't just build the first thing you have available. It may be worth saving.

Lee Mather - Network Support Engineer (and QA)
Stealth is often the key in multiplayer games. If you crouch when you move around you become undetectable to your opponents radar. When entering an unexplored area take a moment to check out where everyone and everything is, but don't take too long. As soon as the enemies get wind of your presence they won't hesitate to come looking for you.

Stuart Williams - Lead QA
Always collect as much Intel as you can. They often contain valuable information on upcoming puzzles and obstacles. Remember the medipac has unlimited usage. When there is a lull in the carnage always ensure your health is topped up to the max, this may the difference between life and death when you inevitably get into a fire fight.

Gavin Clark - QA
Be aware of the different weapon reloading times and take advantage if you can. If you survive a misguided enemy RPG shot for example, it's going to take him several seconds to reload the weapon. That gives you ample time to make sure he doesn't get a second attempt... Smoke grenades are your friend! A well-placed smoke grenade will blind the enemy and create confusion. Follow it up with a well-placed frag grenade, step back and watch the carnage.

Stuart Clenton - QA
Remember that the bigger the weapon, the heavier it is and the slower you will move. If you need to get somewhere in a hurry, it's best not to do it whilst holding an R.P.G. Always switch back to a more manageable weapon when running over long distances, especially whilst under fire.

During a multiplayer Head Match or Flag Tag, if you obtain the Head/Flag, you will be able to move 25% faster than anyone else in the game. Giving you a small advantage when trying to evade the opposition.

Trevor Williams - Managing Director
Don't run out of bullets and have to reload in a fire fight. Whenever you get the chance reload. Make it your first reaction when you finish shooting. Always reload.

Shooting enemies in the chest decreases the value of their armour. Going for headshots allows you to harvest better armour pickups.

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