MI6 takes a retrospective look behind the scenes of how James Bond's Aston Martin V12 Vanquish from "Die Another Day" was transported in to the world of videogames...

The Making of 007: NightFire (2)
21st February 2007

MI6 takes a retrospective look behind the scenes of how James Bond's Aston Martin V12 Vanquish from "Die Another Day" was transported in to the world of videogames in 2002's outing "NightFire". Fast cars and fast driving are essential elements in any James Bond experience, and the console versions of NightFire brought. one of the major elements from "Die Another Day" in to the game - Bond's new set of wheels the Aston Martin V12 Vanquish. Working closely with MGM and Danjaq, EA were allowed to use Bond's latest car in new ways, with an original game storyline utilising the vehicle's key features. To bring this amazing vehicle in to the digital realm, EA called upon their "Need For Speed" team located in Vancouver, Canada, with additional support from Savage Entertainment in L.A., and a driving-specific team in Redwood Shores. Executive Producer Jon Horsley explained, "well the Need For Speed team had been working with cars for almost ten years, and their passion is to capture the excitement and verve of exotic sports cars, and they were very excited to get their hands on the Aston Martin Vanquish".

Racing Producer Scott Blackwood described how the team took the real-life Vanquish and created the in-game model, "we worked with Aston Martin to get the 3D specs for the car, so we were able to take that and get it into the game, so all the dimensions were exact. We also got all the performance attributes from them and had a photo shoot with the car from the film so that all the textures on the car, the paint, the interior, the steering wheel... everything in the game is exactly how it is in the car".

In addition to recreating the look of the Vanquish, the team had to capture the visceral feel of driving it. Horsley said, "when we play with the cars we try to get the acceleration right, the train right, sliding right, the sounds, the feel... so it's all those things that add up to the general experience of saying 'hey I'm in Aston Martin Vanquish and I'm James Bond and I'm saving the world!'"

In NightFire, players get a chance to race through the streets of Paris thanks to the level design team. Assistant Producer Jim Boland described the process, "we started off with reference photos of Paris to see what the streets look like, then the artists produced sketches of what Paris was going to look like for our levels. A modeller then took those and started building Paris in our three-dimensional world". Next, the level designers worked to set a challenging course, using as much as 100 triggers throughout the level to cue cut-away cameras and the AI enemies chasing James Bond.

As well as real-world locations and realistic action, the game also features some fantasy elements present in the high-tech and far-reaching adventures of some of the Bond films. In one of the missions, the Vanquish transforms into a submarine in order for Bond to make a stealthy, underwater approach to the enemies' remote South Pacific Island.

When everything was complete, gamers could do things to the Vanquish they never would in real life. Firing hood-mounted missiles, popping up onto two-wheels, driving on frozen rivers and lakes, taking huge jumps - the Vancouver team pulled out all the stops in an effort to 'tip their hat' to all the fantastic vehicle moments in the Bond films throughout history.

Stay tuned to MI6 for more from behind the scenes of "007: NightFire".

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