Hideo Kojima Interview
by 1UP, 17.03.2004

The MGS3 director explains some finer points of the camouflage system, and lets slip one or two secrets...

Q: You mentioned that Snake loses stamina when in stalking mode, I wondered if you could talk more about the stamina system.

A: That's something we'd like to reveal at E3. Basically, when you walk around in the mountains and you have to climb, you lose stamina, and you have to regain stamina by feeding yourself. One thing you can do in the game is take off the shirt -- wear no camo pattern -- and if you walk around like that you're more likely to lose body temperature and lose stamina.

Q: Is there a consideration for when you're seen, the camouflage index versus the distance from the enemy?

A: Although it is 100%, the enemies do have vision, so if they're really close to you, they'll notice something is wrong, it doesn't look like a tree or something, so then they'll come closer and then they'll spot you.

Q: Are there different types of enemies, human or otherwise? Will there be a difference in how they perceive camouflage indexes?

A: The number only applies to human enemies. There are no camo indexes shown on the screen for animals, but if you want to capture a bird, it's better to be at a higher camo index, blending into the background, so that the bird doesn't see you.

Q: Can you talk about any plans for a pre-release demo for MGS3, and if there are, when we might see it?

A: I really don't know, but there probably will be a time for us to do that.

Q: The hiding part of it extends to Snake, but is there also consideration for hiding bodies, can you use camouflage on bodies? Does your weapon noise factor in?

A: For bodies, you can hide them in the grass, hide them in holes or tree trunks, and you can also carry them to streams or rivers. As for cutting down on the noise, not necessarily weapons, but we want you to make use of the stalking, to walk around slowly and not make any noise. We'll be able to show you more of that at E3.

One thing about the camo uniforms, if you get shot or wounded, there'll be bloodstains, and then your camo pattern will have red stuff on it, and your camo index will go down.

Q: In the movies we saw before this, Snake makes use of his camo to hide, but will there also be enemies in the game that make better use of their own camouflage?

A: Not the typical enemies, but the bosses in the game will be using a lot of different techniques. Again, if I speak more of this, I'll get killed a third time...

Q: In the Twin Snakes, the cutscenes were more stylized. Are you taking that approach with Metal Gear 3?

A: The Twin Snakes demos were done by Ryuhei Kitamura, but for the Snake Eater polygon demos, I'll be working on them myself, so they'll be very Kojima-esque.

Q: On the official website, it mentions there are mountains and streams but also deserts. If there are deserts, what can we expect from them. Also, what kind of animals can you eat and how will that affect your health?

A: It's more like rocky places with no grass -- gameplay-wise, we can't talk about that. We might be showing some scenes from that kind of environment at E3.

There'll be scenes in the game where there'll be fire in the background, or you can light fire in certain spots, so if you wear the fire pattern there, you'll blend in. Snow pattern, of course, there'll be some snowy areas in the game -- that's why we threw that in there. Basically, camouflage is the key part of the stealth gameplay, but it's a passive thing, too. If you want to be a macho, hard-boiled guy like "I'm not going to wear anything," then you don't have to wear any camo. You can just walk around with no t-shirt, and play it your way.

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