Documentation: Prince of Persia

Prince of Persia : Developer's Diary

The Artistic Direction:
The Prince of Persia art team went to Cairo in Egypt and the Medinas of Marrakech and Casablanca in Morocco to get inspirations. One main feature will be the rooftops, where players will really rule over the enemies due to the Prince's acrobatic ability. Environments include the Palaces to the Sewers, and the homes of the poor.
Another feature is the Tower of Babel. Players will see it towering over many areas in the game. Finally, the Royal Palace features terraces, apartments, the throne room, and the Hanging Gardens.

The Speed Kill System:
A main feature in it's new combat system is it's Speed Kill systems. When the Prince sneaks up upon any enemy undetected, he will be able to unleash a killing blow. This new feature requires the development team to rethink it's AI so that they can learn how to detect the Prince. If the Prince fails in sneaking upon the enemy, the enemy is able to call upon reinforcements and the Prince is forced to fight them heads-on.
Both the Prince and the Dark Prince will have different sequences for their Speed Kills. The Dark Prince's Speed Kills will be launched by a fast-paced combination of buttons, whereas the Prince's Speed Kills will be based on specific button sequences and very precise timing during a window of opportunity. Their animations are also different, to bring out both character's different personalities.

The Dark Prince:
"Who is the Dark Prince? The Dark Prince is a "corrupt" version of the Prince who has been infected by the Sands of Time. He is a personification of The Prince's darker personality traits: ruthless, reckless, and inconsiderate. But it's still The Prince... He is extremely violent (he takes great pleasure in brutal combat), rude, and completely lacking in morals. However, since he's derived from The Prince, he's quite clever in his cruelty. Think of him as the little devil on The Prince's shoulder. If he wants The Prince to listen to him, he's got to be a little bit charming. "
The Dark Prince utilises a chain-like weapon called the Daggertail. It can be used to manoeuvre around the environment.
To revert back to his normal self, the Prince needs to seek out the Water of Life.

Ai and Animation:
The team spent lots of time defining each creature's personalities, and thus the need comes to define the AI for each one of them. Thus each of the creatures has different behaviours. They also implemented detection in the AI.
The Prince is an acrobatic warrior, thus they need to create hundreds of animations for the Prince. And the Dark Prince also has a complete different personality compared to the Prince, thus even more animations were created for the Dark Prince merciless killing behaviour.