E3 2014: Exploring Different Approaches in Tom Clancy's The Division

In a behind-closed-doors presentation of Tom Clancy's The Division, Ubisoft attempted to highlight the open and varied nature of post-pandemic New York and its hostile inhabitants. We saw the same area played in the above video, but approached from a different angle. The dynamic time-of-day shifting also saw this take place at night, which Ubisoft vaguely claimed will affect the nature of the enemies you'll encounter.

As the Division agents entered the large open area toward the end of the demo, they avoided heading to the large base of operations and instead went to liberate a small shop from an enemy force. Inside this shop was a generator that could be activated to increase the security of the surrounding area, similar to the way liberating an Outpost in Far Cry 3 affected the presence of nearby hostile non-player characters.

The shop was put under the Division's control by killing all nearby enemies. This then opened up the safe house seen at the end of the above gameplay presentation. Ubisoft claims that these safe houses will provide benefits and bonuses to players, but it did not elaborate on the exact nature of these. Because Ubisoft was not willing to go into specifics, it was difficult to get a sense of how open the world of The Division was, and how different encounters in the same areas could be.

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