The world of Far Cry 4 will feel much more realistic than Far Cry 3's thanks to a host of believable non-playable characters, Ubisoft has promised.
"Now when you meet a character in the open world, you'll have the context, the relevance of what they're doing and how it ties to the moments that you're having," executive producer Dan Hay said.
Creative director Alex Hutchinson added: "We've been working a lot on making the world cohesive. Why are the villains there? Where do they live? Where do they work? Making sure there are more NPCs, not just people waiting to die in army costumes. Making the world feel like a real place."
"The game is about exploration," says narrative director Mark Thompson. "It's about discovering new things around every corner. It's about the dynamic interaction of all of these different systems. All of the different outputs that can help. The incredible things that happen when the ecosystem meets the humans in the different biomes and the crazy personal stories that people take away."
"When you think about what makes a location interesting, it's got to have a great culture," Hay added. "It's got to be steeped in history, because it's about discovery and exploration. It's got to have interesting and unique profiles for the animals. It has to be a petri dish for unique and odd people so that when you run into them, they're not what you expect." Hutchinson concluded that "the story is your story".
"We want people to invest in our story by saying I chose to go here. I want to see it play out. I want to see the consequences of this." Far Cry 4 launches on November 18 for Xbox One, PS4, PC, Xbox 360 and PS3.