SOMEWHERE... in this thread, another, or in person, some of the 'iffys' of the posted Far Cry 3 video were discussed. It was agreed that, based on the video, the game lacked a lot of realism as hero Jason is on holiday one minute, and is a weapons/stealth expert the next.
Thanks to an article in a recent Game Informer magazine, which lead to some extra reading online, I have discovered this is NOT the case at all! I don't have all the details, but what I gather is they run it much like I explained from STALKER, where you don't have traditional stats to improve, but they run the numbers behind the scenes. Part of it plays into the 'Skyrim with guns' concept.
You have your quest, which is saving your friends. But you happen upon a small village of friendlies, and suddenly 'Doc' is asking for help finding his wallet in the jungle where he was gathering herbs. In exchange for finding the wallet, he will teach you how to mix this plant and that to make healing salves to use later in the game. Healing items are few, far between, and IN obvious locations, like medicine cabinets, medical office supply cabinets, first aid kits in glove compartments...
They explain that when you first start out, if you try throwing a knife at someone, there's a REAL good chance it will go wide or bounce off. You actually have to practice! You can go in the jungle and throw knives at tree trunks, or try a knife-throwing carnival style wheel to boost your skill, which will increase in obvious ways without any "You just gained a level" flashing on the screen.
As described, the same goes for firepower. All in all, it sounds pretty damn fantastic! Add in the "platform" puzzles, side quests, shit-tons of wildlife, faction/territory warfare, multitude of pilotable vehicles, and it sounds like this could be one of the greats!
