Far Cry 4 Map Is Same Size as Far Cry 3's, But Ubisoft Says That's OK

This fall's much-anticipated open-world game Far Cry 4 will offer players about the same size world to explore as 2012's Far Cry 3, despite being available on more powerful consoles this time around like the Xbox One and PlayStation 4. According to game director Alex Hutchinson, Ubisoft elected to focus on building a world that felt more "alive" instead of just giving players more space to explore.

"With Far Cry 4, we felt that the map size for [Far Cry 3] was really good," Hutchinson told Game Informer in a new podcast. "Maybe you can even go slightly smaller. And instead of going bigger area, we would focus on density. So for me, it was try to pack in more events where you come across NPCs, more events where you come across enemies doing unusual stuff."

Far Cry 4 will also offer a new element called Karma Events. These are instances in the game where you can perform side missions like helping out the local population with a task or interacting with bad guys. These mini-missions, Hutchinson says, should further infuse a feeling of "life" and "density" to the game.

He further explained that the idea of "going bigger" was an exciting one, and it's something Ubisoft considered when planning the game. "There's always a desire to go bigger in open-world games because it just feels cooler," he said. "That sense that if it's bigger then there is more to do; if it's bigger there's more to explore." However, it was later decided that Far Cry 4 would focus on having a "denser" world than Far Cry 3 instead of a larger one. The end result is that Far Cry 4's world size is "pretty much the same" square footage as Far Cry 3.

Game Informer's interview with Hutchinson also reveals a number of interesting tidbits about Far Cry, which were rounded up by a NeoGAF forum member. One bit of interesting insight is the fact that while there will not be sharks (there is no ocean in the Himalayas), the game will have demonfish and honey badgers (above). There will also be a avalanche setpiece moment in the game, but players will not be able to trigger these at will.

It's also revealed during the interview that Far Cry 4 will not have split-screen co-op, that the game will indeed have a head-to-head multiplayer mode, and that you'll be able to turn off the HUD if you want. Hutchinson also says that for some cinematics, you can interrupt them with actions. However, you won't be prompted to; instead, these actions will be hidden, he said.

Far Cry 4 launches November 18 for Xbox 360, Xbox One, PlayStation 3, PS4, and PC. Though the game will not have any playable female characters, Hutchinson said previously that Far Cry 4 is "packed to the gills" with women.