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LifeMode Interactive today revealed more details on Head, the real time facial animation technology used in Silent Storm, Nival Interactive's upcoming 3D WWII tactical RPG. They also announced that Nival will release a demo version of the game on Friday 25th (which of course will be mirrored here, but meanwhile be sure to check this trailer if you wanna see what the game looks like). Silent Storm is scheduled for a Worldwide release in September 2003. Read the press release for more details.


Nival’s new game ‘Silent Storm’ uses LifeStudio:HEAD facial animation technology

23rd July 2003 - Nival Interactive’s new game Silent Storm scheduled for Worldwide release on PC CD-rom in September 2003 through JoWood Productions is using the high-end real time facial animation technology by LifeMode Interactive. Nival will release on Friday 25th a new demo version of Silent Storm, showcasing this forthcoming 3D WWII tactical RPG loaded with innovative features. View demos at http://www.nival.com/eng/s2_files.html.

The game provides a unique character editor that allows for creating faces of your own heroes: choosing personality, culture, face features and individual haircuts. The edited characters are extremely lifelike and respond with movie-quality lip-synching and facial animation. Thanks to LifeStudio:HEAD SDK and its sophisticated technology it is possible to overlay lip-synch with variable emotions depending of AI commands in the game run-time, and to exchange animations between different head models.

Nival Interactive’s CEO, Serge Orlovsky said, "LS:Head has radically simplified lip-synch realization and generation process of character’s faces in the Silent Storm. This technology has knocked weeks off our development time, and saved us a few gallons of coffee and resolved a lot of our team’s headaches in the process!!"

Silent Storm is a true 3D game combining turn-based tactical combats and role-playing set against the background of the WWII. As the war rages on, you will lead a squad of elite troopers deep behind enemy lines to perform secret missions and prevent a disaster the true scale of which could be fully appreciated by neither of the involved parties. Pick your mercenaries from a pool of more than 40 elite soldiers of 30 different nationalities. Equip your squad with over 75 authentic WWII weapons ranging from commando daggers to hand-held rocket launchers, including experimental and rare models. Be sure to assess your troopers' skills adequately before you embark on a mission: you'll only be able to take five of them with you. Your objective is sabotage with no holds barred.

For the first time ever in a 3D tactical game: choose any game style and difficulty level without any restrictions! Non-linear campaign structure allows preparing your squad for the main mission by taking on an unlimited number of automatically generated missions in any way you like: attack your enemy head-on or use stealth and guile. Almost any mission has multiple paths to completion. The first attempt ever in a 3D tactical game: this time, truly interactive environment with fully deformable geometry! Destroy anything in the game including multi-storey buildings and dungeons, anywhere and at any time you see fit. No script-imposed restrictions any more!

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Source: GamersHell