circa: 2001
genre: action-adventure

engine: Remedy Entertainment MAX-FX

• atmospheric/environmental effects
  • water: drops, splash (jump, hit, shoot)
  • weather: snow (+ flurries), wind (shutters, snow)
  • other: impact dust (bodies, feet, grenades), explosions, fire (+ dies down), ignited gas (pipes, propane tanks), liquid spray (alcohol bottles, fire extinguishers, fire hydrants, potted plants, soda cans/machines, water coolers), smoke (burnt objects, car/truck exhaust, cigarettes, fire, some broken/shot objects), sparks (bullet ricochet, car collisions, stage pyrotechnics), steam (decontamination chamber, hot bath water, pipes, vents), working clock; see particle effects
• collision detection: bodies fall over objects; stop: opening doors/drawers, falling picture frames
• lighting: dynamic, colored, radiosity-calculated; car head/tail lights, computer monitors, door keypads, "exit" signs, explosions, fire, gunfire, metal detectors, molotov cocktails, projector, streetlights, TVs, vending machines
• particle effects: car tire snow kickup, dollar bills, debris, explosions, fire, flies, impact dust, liquid spray, paper scraps, plant leaves, shards (ceramic, glass, fabric, plaster, plastic, tile, wood), smoke, snow (+ flurries), sparks, steam, water (cooler bubbles, faucet flow)
• physics
  • gravity: characters, bullet shells, door (+ bounces & settles), glass tabletop items, elevator ceiling panel, molotov cocktails, picture frames, shards, wood plank (stage walkway)
  • friction, inertia, momentum
  • explosion force
    • breaks pipes and swing
    • knocks over: columns, chair, file cabinets (dominoe), obelesk (+ breaks walkway), shelves (some dominoe)
    • moves: fork lift, chair, dish cart
    • pushes: card catalog cabinet, cars and oil drums up into air, propane tanks from their ignited compressed gas (+ spin), subway door (+ tips over and settles into place), sways hanging signs (bank "deposit", parking garage; + from bullets, fire), and most wall picture frames against wall (+ from bullets, fire, hitting)
  • broken wall falls over, soda cans spin
• reflection: end combat level floor (- characters, bullet shells, effects), opening prologue ice (buildings)
• shadows: polygonal, horizontal, ovalular; characters, vehicles
• skeletal animation: yes
• texture: 16-/32-bit depth
  • filtering: bi-/trilinear, anistropic
  • mapping: mip, environment (bullet shells, Max's jacket, pickupable weapons)
  • decals: blasts/explosions, blood, bullet holes, burn marks, fire extinguisher foam, footsteps, glass shards, graffiti, impact marks, tire skids
• transparency: beams (laser, light), bullet tracers ("bullet time" only), cobwebs, cop face shields, fire, glass (button covers, curtains/drapes, watercooler bottles, windows), police tape, water
• other: shaking (gunshots, large explosions/impacts), slow motion ("bullet time"), stretching (dream level)

player character

• character: Max Payne; clothes sway, cold breath, feet impact dust, footsteps (snow), idle lookaround, limps and holds stomach when near death, looks at important (!) things
• moves: crouch, dive (all directions in shoot-dodge mode), jump (- attack), roll (back, left, right), run, shoot/swing, strafe
• view: 3rd-/1st-person (sniper rifle, + zoom)
  • pan: mouse

level/world design

• # levels: chapters; 22 + bonus end-game level
• location: New York (buildings, docks, streets), New Jersey (Max's house)
• cutscenes: yes
• level editor: yes
• environmental interaction
  • breakable objects: alarm (signs, speaker), boiler, cardboard boxes, cash registers, ceiling fan, circuit breaker, clocks (wall), columns, computer monitors, crates, dollar bill packs, elevator music speaker, food (candybars, potato chip packs), garage door pieces, gas cans, glass (bottles, cups, display cases, shelves, tabletops, windows--+ Max jumping into), laptop, lights (neon, track; + hit), locks, mirrors, oil drums (some), payphones, piano cover support, plates, projector, propane tank valves, slot machines, soda (cans, machine),subway signs, tire block, tripmines, TV, urns/vases, vending machines, video (camera, tapes), walls (cubicle, wood subway barrier), wood (plywood door cover, stage walkway plank)
  • openable: blinds (+ close), cabinets, cases (gun, suit; + close), doors: garage (+ close), floor (+ close); drawers, fridge (+ close), lockers, microwaves (+ close), safe
  • pickupable: weapons/ammo, painkillers, detonator, keys, video tape
  • pushable: buttons, mailbox door
  • rideable: barge/bridge, beds (vibrating), crane-moving metal pile, elevators, lifts, minecart, propane tanks (ignited), subway car, suitcases (opening), washing machines
  • other
    • activate: cash registers, vending machines, water coolers
    • activate: cash registers (beep), laptop (changes picture on screen), payphones (sound: pick up headset, get fast busy signal, hang up)
    • seated dead transit cop falls over when bumped/shot
    • play: drums, piano, roulette wheel, and slot machines
    • raise/lower: parking garage gate arm and toilet seat
    • turn on: alcohol taps, faucets: shower (+ off), sink; TVs (+ off), vibrating beds (+ off)
    • some washing machines stop shaking when Max is against
    • when shot: candles go out (some, + hit), car alarms go off, cash register: beeps, drawer opens, and receipt rises (+ hit); ceiling fans stop, circuit breaker causes door keypad to short out and door to open slightly, door (1) falls, fire extinguisher hoses sway and spray foam (+ hit), fire hydrants spray water (+ hit), hanging signs (bank "deposit", parking garage) sway, laptop flat-panel screen loses signal, mailbox door swings (+ hit), piano plays badly, picture frames (some fall down, tip forward, and slide a bit; + hit; others tilt back against wall, then forward); police car siren stops, propane tank valves come off and ignite (+ hit: bat, pipe, grenade), smoke and/or electricity shorts on various broken objects (+ hit), subway "To trains" signs pivot down and hit metal cases if present--shoot again and they move, Valkyr bottles tip over; leak steam/water: alcohol bottles (+ hit), pipes, soda cans/machines (+ hit), waterbed, water coolers/towers, wine barrels
    • flush toilets/urinals, move cranes & stage backdrops, operate subway car, set off car alarms and metal detectors, tip over: door (breaks off hinges), wood plank to set off tripmine, turn ship wheel and valves
• puzzles: avoid/shoot laser tripmines, find keys and people, jump (lava rocks--which sink), restore subway power, shoot (panel to open door, wood block holding truck up hill); shut off gas, use cranes to move things
• traps/hazards: breakaway elevator floor, broken wood plank, cargo containers, electricity, explosions, fire, gravity (falling), find and free scientist, helicopter, hot gas/steam, lava, subway trains, trap door, tripmines, water (dock)

weapons: bat, guns (Beretta, Colt Commando, Desert Eagle, Ingram, Jackhammer, M79, MP5, shotgun: pump & sawed, sniper rifle), lead pipe, molotov cocktails

• bullet shells: eject, land on things, bounce, and don't disappear (adjustable); clips bounce off things

other

• animals/enemies: humans, rats (non-threatening except after throwing grenade in wall hole)
• AI: auto-adjusting difficulty, dodge/roll, junkies only attack when attacked, kill each other, limp and hold stomach when near death, line-of-sight vision, react to nearby gunfire and explosions (grenades, molotov cocktails, etc), set tripmines
• inventory: weapons/ammo, painkillers, detonator, keys
• sound: stereo, slows in "bullet time"