Splinter Cell Blacklist CO-OP: 2 of 4 Mission Types Revealed

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Splinter Cell Blacklist CO-OP: 2 of 4 Mission Types Revealed
Zack Cooper Community Developer, Splinter Cell
57 Author Replies
Splinter Cell Blacklist CO-OP: 2 of 4 Mission Types Revealed

For those who missed the last couple of posts I did here, my name is Zack Cooper. I’m the Splinter Cell Community Developer (ComDev).

Recently we shared the Spies vs. Mercs reveal trailer, and just a few days ago, the CO-OP trailer.

What we bring to you today is a fresh look into the CO-OP experience. This time we’re really going all out!

Splinter Cell Blacklist on PS3

Ubisoft Shanghai is doing the maps, and we are incredibly proud of what they’ve been putting together. As you may know, they’ve got a rich history in the Splinter Cell franchise, having led the charge on Pandora Tomorrow and the current-gen version of Double Agent.

Here at Ubisoft Toronto, we’re tasked with making sure everything fits appropriately into the grand package of Splinter Cell Blacklist. Not only are there 14 unique missions… there’s a ton of variety contained within those missions.

There are four different mission types — two of which we’re talking about today. They’re given to you by the different characters on the Paladin (Sam’s mobile command center that houses 4th Echelon).

The Isaac Briggs missions are the CO-OP campaign missions, in that they’ve got their own storyline which is tied into the core Blacklist narrative. Those missions have to be played with a partner (split-screen or online). Briggs has tactical expertise, being former Army and CIA, and isn’t afraid to get his hands dirty should the situation call for it. His missions have all sorts of exotic sequences, and play to the three playstyles (Ghost, Panther, Assault).

The Grim (Anna Grimsdottir) missions are great for the hardcore: the Ghosts. She’s focused on intel and analytics, chasing leads for valuable data. She wants you to get in and out, and to complete the objective without leaving a trace. The missions Grim provides need to be completed without detection – if you’re spotted, you start from the beginning.

Splinter Cell Blacklist on PS3

We’ll be providing more details about Single Player, Spies vs. Mercs, AND CO-OP as we get closer to the August 20th launch date… but in the meantime, I hope you enjoy this brand new ComDev video.

I’ll be sticking around for the rest of the hour to do another Q&A… so let me know what’s on your mind!

playstation gamessplinter cell blacklistubisoft

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81 Comments

57 Author Replies

  • SplinterJVCell
    May 23, 2013 at 9:32 am PDT

    Hi Zack :)

    Are there more Grim coop missions than others or is it equal?

  • SplinterJVCell
    May 23, 2013 at 9:34 am PDT

    OK thanks !
    And you Zack. Are you a ghost, a panther or an assault player? :D

    • Zack Cooper
      May 23, 2013 at 9:37 am PDT

      I’m probably closest to a Panther. Initially I try to keep it Ghost, but the tension can get a little high… so… yeah.
      A neutralized target leaves the least to be concerned with.

  • xRaDRoacHx
    May 23, 2013 at 9:35 am PDT

    Hey Zack ;)
    Will the Campaign have non linear cutscenes based on the player playstyle, or it will be linear action like SCC?

    • Zack Cooper
      May 23, 2013 at 9:38 am PDT

      Our scripted events will not change based on how you play… but you will have the opportunity to effect the outcome at the end of some of them.

  • Rifkin
    May 23, 2013 at 9:35 am PDT

    Hi Zack,

    How important was it to stay away from linear gameplay within the cooperative experience?

    Will the objectives be more complex than getting from point A-B and retrieving intel?

    Thanks!

    • Zack Cooper
      May 23, 2013 at 9:40 am PDT

      There’s a time and place for a linear experience. Sometimes, in the Briggs missions, you’ll find that you may be funnelled to a certain place… but as far as the gameplay itself, we’re all about giving the player options to play how they want, and approach an objective how they would if they were in Sam or Briggs’ shoes.

  • DN32-D-500
    May 23, 2013 at 9:35 am PDT

    Hi Zack, Dome500 here,

    Are there Coop moves we didn’t see yet ? (such as coop rappelling or the tomoe nage)

  • DN32-D-500
    May 23, 2013 at 9:37 am PDT

    Also, Will there be alternate routes/different ways where you can decide where to go or split for coop?

    • Zack Cooper
      May 23, 2013 at 9:41 am PDT

      If there are multiple objectives in a co-op mission you will typically get to determine which objectives you tackle first.

      …I haven’t played all of them yet, though… so I can’t speak to the complete experience.

  • xEDxKILLATRONIC
    May 23, 2013 at 9:37 am PDT

    Hi Zack,

    Can you give us an estimate on how long you anticipate Splinter Cell: Blacklist’s single player campaign to be?

    • Zack Cooper
      May 23, 2013 at 9:43 am PDT

      I can honestly say that the amount of time will vary relatively dramatically based on how you approach a mission.

      If you’re waiting for the opportune time to sneak, it’ll obviously take you longer than those who neutralize every enemy they see. …but then there’s always the fail-rate, right?

      If you’re planning on going ultra-aggro… you may find that you’re dying more (and thus, need to restart more).

      I don’t know if we’ve got a specific quote as far as the estimated playthough time… but I can say that we’ve crammed a LOT into the campaign (not to mention CO-OP or Spies vs. Mercs)

  • SplinterJVCell
    May 23, 2013 at 9:38 am PDT

    Max Beland said in an interview that coop life span will be 5-6 hours. So they will be very short missions? Or some ones are longer than others?

    • Zack Cooper
      May 23, 2013 at 9:45 am PDT

      Some missions will be shorter… some will also be more difficult.
      Again, it really comes down to your approach.

      There are 14 missions, though. Which, we feel, is a solid number. It should give you plenty of gameplay.
      …and that doesn’t include replaying the missions for yourself, or to beat your friends’ scores. ;)

  • Hamb
    May 23, 2013 at 9:38 am PDT

    Simulview ?

  • DN32-D-500
    May 23, 2013 at 9:38 am PDT

    I’ve got another 2, but don’t hurry :)

    Will there be different coop modes (such as Hunter, Story, etc.) like deniable ops ?
    Will there be Spies vs Spies (objective based) ?

    • Zack Cooper
      May 23, 2013 at 9:46 am PDT

      There will be two other CO-OP modes that we have yet to reveal.
      …you’re not getting that out of me, Dome ;)

      Can’t speak to anything regarding Spies vs. Spies, either.

  • SplinterJVCell
    May 23, 2013 at 9:40 am PDT

    -We’ve seen a balaclava in a Ubi Gameslab video, do you confirm it (for SP)?
    -About the soundtrack of the game, will it be more like Chaos Theory or Conviction one?

    Answer to whichever you can, thanks :)

    • Zack Cooper
      May 23, 2013 at 9:46 am PDT

      You’ve seen a balaclava. Confirmed.

      The soundtrack will be very dynamic, I’ll tell you that.

  • Alienware1978
    May 23, 2013 at 9:42 am PDT

    Zack:Will the SC-20K? Please say yes..=)

    • Zack Cooper
      May 23, 2013 at 9:47 am PDT

      We’ve got a PLETHORA (yes, plethora) of different firearms. The SC-20K as you know it is not in Blacklist.

  • xRaDRoacHx
    May 23, 2013 at 9:44 am PDT

    OK thanks for the answer,
    Will the game have dubbed versions (Italian, German, French)?
    Is it possible to ghost all the COOP missions? Or they are forced?
    Is the Montreal Team hearing our feedbacks?
    Will Sam have a banclava?
    Will the PC version have dedicated servers and a server browser system?

    Sorry if i ask you all of these question but I gotta go work, thank you anyway.
    Bye Zack!

    • Zack Cooper
      May 23, 2013 at 9:49 am PDT

      Splinter Cell Blacklist will be localized in several languages (don’t know how many specifically).

      As far as ghosting… some missions require you to be completely undetected (the Grim missions), but other than that… you may run into scenarios in which you’ll need to neutralize the enemy.

      Regarding feedback… We make sure the appropriate people see what they should be seeing.

  • DN32-D-500
    May 23, 2013 at 9:44 am PDT

    Although I highly doubt it: Will there be another coop character besides Sam and Briggs?

  • SplinterJVCell
    May 23, 2013 at 9:44 am PDT

    Some questions from WHOcJONES3485 from the Ubi forums :
    -Will there be a SvM beta (or a SP demo) before august?
    -Can you play 1v1 if you want to? (For gamebattle purposes)
    -Is there squad matches like SCDA?

  • JFiest1
    May 23, 2013 at 9:45 am PDT

    What can we expect to see along the lines of Kinect integration into the Blacklist gameplay?

  • netdude13
    May 23, 2013 at 9:46 am PDT

    Hey zack ! In spies vs mercs how long aprox will matches be ? Will people be able to host there own private sessions and change settings to create there own game style in a private lobby ?

    • Zack Cooper
      May 23, 2013 at 9:52 am PDT

      There will be the opportunity to create private matches, yes… and I believe you can tailor some settings, but I’m not sure about the extent.

      By default, a match of Spies vs. Mercs will give you 10 minutes for each side.
      So, 10 minutes to try and hack or defend 3 terminals… then you switch sides.

  • xEDxKILLATRONIC
    May 23, 2013 at 9:47 am PDT

    Can you say if it’s longer than Conviction?

  • SplinterJVCell
    May 23, 2013 at 9:48 am PDT

    Haha x)

    -Will there be an option to remove completely the HUD?
    -Can we deactivate some features (like M&E, sonar vision,..) out of the Perfectionist mode?

  • Alienware1978
    May 23, 2013 at 9:48 am PDT

    Zack:Will there be realist camera, like Chaos Theory?

  • DN32-D-500
    May 23, 2013 at 9:49 am PDT

    Will there be more than 2 SvM game modes?

    Will there be a weapon like the SC-20K? (maybe a SC-40K / SC-4000 ?)

  • SplinterJVCell
    May 23, 2013 at 9:52 am PDT

    What do you mean by “The SC-20K as you know it is not in Blacklist.”? That there will be a traditional SC20-K (without launcher) or a new version (like the SC3000 in Conviction)?

    Do you confirm that Sam can wear a balaclava in SinglePlayer mode? :p

  • netdude13
    May 23, 2013 at 9:53 am PDT

    Can spies hack mercs in svm and , when can we expect to get some info on the other online modes available ? Because we know there’s more zack ;) mabyee a spies v spies like double agent ps2 version , that would be class !! ?

  • Alienware1978
    May 23, 2013 at 9:54 am PDT

    Zack: That’s GREAT news about the “banclava”, that will blow me away, thank you sooo much.
    I’m so happy about that!!!

  • DN32-D-500
    May 23, 2013 at 9:55 am PDT

    Will there be any other types of mini-games such as lockpicking?

    How will the chat be in SvM and Coop? normal chat? voice chat? (coop) / all talk/ team talk? (SvM)

    Can we choose between dark (classic) maps and normal (Blacklist) maps in custom matches?

    • Zack Cooper
      May 23, 2013 at 9:58 am PDT

      Not sure about the maps’ lighting…

      Once a mission begins, only your team will be able to hear you, as far as I know.

  • netdude13
    May 23, 2013 at 9:56 am PDT

    Zack , When wil u be allowed to talk about the possibily of a beta?

  • SplinterJVCell
    May 23, 2013 at 9:58 am PDT

    Sorry about the balaclava, I thought it was a joke x)

    The length time in SvM is fixed to 10 minutes or can we put the time we want?

  • DN32-D-500
    May 23, 2013 at 9:59 am PDT

    thanks for answering our questions so fast :)

    Here is an other pair:

    Will there be challenges for coop and SvM? Or maybe ranks or something similar?

    Will the camera views in perfectionist mode be invisible so we have to use Night Vision to see them?

  • netdude13
    May 23, 2013 at 9:59 am PDT

    Will spies be able to carry med kits in multiplayer or be able to heal themselves , same goes for mercs ? , and will spies and mercs each have kind of a safe area where they spawn and the opposite can’t get them , or will they spawn in random locations ? Thanks

    • Zack Cooper
      May 23, 2013 at 10:02 am PDT

      We’ve got regenerative health in Blacklist. Health kits need not apply.
      Not sure about the safe zones.

  • SplinterJVCell
    May 23, 2013 at 10:00 am PDT

    Well thanks Zack for your time. I’m searching some new questions….

    Meantime. How are you? Ready for E3? :)

  • Zack Cooper
    May 23, 2013 at 10:00 am PDT

    Challenges, you say?
    DEFINITELY!

    I don’t understand your second question. Sorry.

  • netdude13
    May 23, 2013 at 10:02 am PDT

    Don’t know if you’ll be allowed to talk about this , but worth the ask, will blacklist be just for the ps3 , Xbox 360 , pc , that wii yoke ? Any possibility of it coming to next gen consoles, namely ps4 ,Xbox one ?

  • DN32-D-500
    May 23, 2013 at 10:03 am PDT

    to the second question:

    In Chaos Theory Sam had to use night vision to see where a infrared camera is looking (field of view of the camera) since the infrared-cams can see in the dark. Will there be something similar for perfectionist mode? :)

    • Zack Cooper
      May 23, 2013 at 10:05 am PDT

      Ahh… I get you now.
      I’m pretty sure the cameras have a spotlight of sorts… I can’t recall whether the laser grids (and/or mines) are invisible to the naked eye.

  • SplinterJVCell
    May 23, 2013 at 10:04 am PDT

    -Will OCP be in the game?

    -About the story, does Richard Dansky write it all by himself? Did he inspire from a Tom Clancy’s novel?

    -What about the stealth walk we saw once in a screenshot? Is it automatic when we’re close to an enemy or do we control Sam’s speed thanks to the stick?

    -Lockpicking? Here or not? :p

    • Zack Cooper
      May 23, 2013 at 10:08 am PDT

      The OCP is not in the game… but one of my favourite bolts (other than the sleeping gas) is the EMP bolt, which is great at blacking out lights and electronics.
      …it’s really fun to mess with the AI with that. You’ll love it!

      As far as narrative goes… Richard Dansky is the central writer (for all Clancy games)… so he’s at the core of the storyline. But there’s also a solid narrative team here at Ubisoft Toronto, and they all work together.

      …I get to see Dansky relatively often when he comes to the studio. Great mind. Love that guy!

      He also just released a new book! (I’ll let you google that, if you’re interested)

  • iM_Gino
    May 23, 2013 at 10:04 am PDT

    Will this be in the PSN store as a Day 1 digital download?

  • DN32-D-500
    May 23, 2013 at 10:04 am PDT

    Ok now a question that is very important to me personally and of which I am sure you can’t answer, but I have to try it anyway:

    Will there be a MI6 HQ mission ?

  • netdude13
    May 23, 2013 at 10:04 am PDT

    Will there be new splinter cell coverage at E3 ? Especially online coverage , it’s what I’m most looking forward to :)

    • Zack Cooper
      May 23, 2013 at 10:09 am PDT

      There will definitely be new Splinter Cell stuff at E3!

      …what do you mean online coverage, though?

  • Alienware1978
    May 23, 2013 at 10:05 am PDT

    Zack: I should have said, the type of camera in CT, I really can’t explain it any more.
    Sorry for the stupid question.
    Will DO’s be back, like in Conviction.
    I’ll stop asking anymore questions, you have been great, thanks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    • Zack Cooper
      May 23, 2013 at 10:11 am PDT

      The name ‘Deniable Ops’ is not in Blacklist… but we will present you with four different types of CO-OP missions.

      As for the cameras, I tried to address that above (separate question)

  • SplinterJVCell
    May 23, 2013 at 10:07 am PDT

    When we trigger the alarm in SP, will the enemies be more numerous? More protected?
    Or will they forget us once the alarm will be off?

    • Zack Cooper
      May 23, 2013 at 10:12 am PDT

      Different archetypes react in different ways, that’s for sure. The AI team has done a great job of constructing realistic and productive search and patrol paths (I won’t use “patterns,” since it’s all systemic).

  • xEDxKILLATRONIC
    May 23, 2013 at 10:09 am PDT

    Ha I highly doubt you can answer this one, but rumors have been going around that Rainbow 6 Patriots has been cancelled following the removal of the Gamestop listing. Can you comment on that? Unrelated by a burning question and I know Ubisoft Toronto is working on the game :)

  • netdude13
    May 23, 2013 at 10:09 am PDT

    Zack just wondering I know that the spies have guns in blacklist mode , bit how does that work cause spies are in 3rd person view ? Do you aim in 3rd person or does it jump to 1st person ?

  • netdude13
    May 23, 2013 at 10:12 am PDT

    I mean will there be new coverage of the multiplayer in blacklist , ever since yere last trailer , all I’ve wanted is another one lol , or even just some more info on the new multiplayer.

    • Zack Cooper
      May 23, 2013 at 10:16 am PDT

      I get you, now!
      I can’t talk about what we’ll be sharing at E3, sorry.

      Just know that we’ve got a lot to share between now and when we launch (August 20 in North America)

  • SplinterJVCell
    May 23, 2013 at 10:12 am PDT

    What’s the difference between the 24 pages Comic Book and the 96 pages one?
    Will the comic book be available a few time before the game or at the same time?
    :)

    • Zack Cooper
      May 23, 2013 at 10:17 am PDT

      the 24 page version is basically like the first chapter of Splinter Cell Echoes.

      The 96-page version is the full graphic novel.

  • netdude13
    May 23, 2013 at 10:14 am PDT

    What’s your favourite zack , sp , spies vs mercs or co-op ? :)

  • DN32-D-500
    May 23, 2013 at 10:15 am PDT

    regarding SvM

    Will there be p2p matchmaking or dedicated servers?
    Will there be an anti-cheating system?
    Will there be post-launch support?

  • JFiest1
    May 23, 2013 at 10:16 am PDT

    Will content such as maps that will only be available with the more expensive releases, such as the $170 CE, be available for download at any point down the road?

  • DoTheKiller91
    May 23, 2013 at 10:17 am PDT

    I’d love to have Conviciton on my PS3.

  • SplinterJVCell
    May 23, 2013 at 10:17 am PDT

    Hey Zack, do you know that you are a great ComDev?
    We are lucky to have you, thanks for your time :)

    And please congrats the Shanghai team for us, the coop missions look great. Excited to play maps from those who made Pandora Tomorrow and Double Agent next-gen (my favourite SC)

    • Zack Cooper
      May 23, 2013 at 10:20 am PDT

      Thanks for the kind words! I’ll pass your thoughts along to Ubi Shanghai, as well!

      The CO-OP maps are absolutely incredible. I think you’re going to love them!

  • Alienware1978
    May 23, 2013 at 10:19 am PDT

    Sorry about asking the same question twice, that’s my bad.=)
    Thanks again man.

  • DN32-D-500
    May 23, 2013 at 10:19 am PDT

    also is there an update on the “holstering weapon” situation regarding the suggestion I made in the thread on the forums?

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