Montana Has Been Beautifully Recreated Just For Far Cry 5

Far Cry 5

A new behind the scenes video for Far Cry 5 is here to show us how much of Montana has been recreated just for Far Cry 5

By now there should be little doubt that Far Cry 5 is going to look amazing on February 27th when it hits the PS4, Xbox One, and PC. Unless Ubisoft has been going out of their way to only make the small demos look impressive and the gameplay videos are overclocked, it is going to be an amazing looking game. Not just because this is one of those franchises they work to make look visually stunning, but because Far Cry 5 is finally mirroring a real-world location and that just happens to be something that the team over there can do very well. I'll point you all at the Watch Dogs franchise if you were questioning any of that as both of those are insanely well done to give a true feeling for the towns and locations they are set.

Now that Far Cry 5 is set in an area that is truly based on a real-world location, it looks like it is high time for that franchise to do the same. All the way down to the team generating in-game assets from the photos they took around multiple parts of the state. I am not talking in the instance of just using them as a reference, I am talking that they used photogrammetry to actually generate the in-game models and assets for the wilderness. Not something new to gaming in general, but for all of the Americans here, Far Cry 5 is going to feel a lot more like home when you see things you can pass on the road. I am curious to see how well it all goes over in Montana specifically and if the natives there can all overlook the little cult and extreme violence side of the game.

Also, it looks like all of this has led to a fishing game getting mixed into Far Cry 5 as well. It is no big surprise that hunting and fishing are huge out in that part of the country, but as it looks, there will be a fishing mini-game or option mixed in so we can waste hours on that. Or, you know, completely ignore it unless there is a trophy or achievement tied to it somehow. Much like it was the case in many of the other video games out there to add in fishing when the core game was not a fishing game. At least Far Cry 5 will have hunting too so you can shoot more than just the endless cultists running around and doing gods know what to countryside. You would think there would be a better option than just the ragtag team of misfits for this job, but hey, video games…

Far Cry 5 — Recreating Montana

Far Cry is as much about capturing natural beauty as it is about explosive mayhem, and with Far Cry 5, the bar for re-creating the wilderness is especially high. Unlike the fictional Kyrat or Rook Islands, Montana’s forests, farmlands, and highways will feel familiar to a lot of players – and that means the developers needed to accurately capture every detail, from the wildlife to the logos on roadside shops to the bark on trees, to make Hope County feel like a convincing place.

That meant taking a series of trips to Montana, during which the developers trekked into small towns and wilderness locations. They got to know Montana’s ecosystem, wildlife, and people, and took thousands of photos, many of which were used to re-create the landscape in a process called photogrammetry. Using photogrammetry, objects like trees, vegetation, buildings, and even people are photographed from multiple angles and scanned to create lifelike 3D objects. This technique led not only to some of the most detailed environments Far Cry has seen to date, but to a few surprises that made their way into the story.

The team’s photos ended up informing not just the look of Far Cry 5’s environments, but the way the game world itself was structured. Like the real Montana, Far Cry 5’s landscape is dotted with road signs and billboards, and they aren’t just set dressing; they’re there to organically alert you to where you are, direct you to specific businesses or locations that might be of help, and even unlock intel about good fishing spots. And a big part of making those messages stick out is through branding.

What do you think about Far Cry 5 is looking when compared to the real-world counterpart? Do you care about how realistic the setting is to the real world or is it about the gameplay and story to get you hooked? How many hours will you be dropping into the fishing aspect of the game or will it be something that gets completely ignored by you to go on the shooting sprees? Let us all know down in the comments and then discuss. For more on Far Cry 5 and all of its updates, keep checking in here. We will have more as it all flows out and as we head off to the release date.