Automan: Moslavina

Automan: Moslavina is a 2003  developed by  and published by, part of the larger Automan series. It is the first game in the series which is named after the location it was in and not the order in which the game was released in and is the fourth main entry in the entire Automan series. It is set in 2003 within the fictional Moslavina (based on various citiesr regions in southern Rovsnoska) and follows closely Ivan Đanković as he seeks vengenance from his former commanders in the army.

The game is the first title to be developed by Alulim Games, which would then be responsible for all the Automan games that have come out since this one. Production began five months after the release of Automan III in mid-2001. Development shifted from Ljana to Alulim in Éiljir province, although extensive research and field work was also done in Rovsnoska. The story follows closely real life events and the economic depression of the post-UPRZ era, and portrays real-life elements from the time period as-is. The game was also heavily inspired by UPRZ nostalgia and style, bringing in several hits and classic aesthetics from the time period. As such, most of the work done for Automan: Moslavina was in trying to recreate an eastern-Artemian based world. The game was released in March of 2003 for the and, as well as April 2003 for the  and  versions.

After its initial release, the game garnered universal acclaim from various critics and publications, particularly at the environment and style the game world provides. Much of the controversy generated by the game came from Rovnoski veterans and other support groups who bashed the games irresponsible manner in portraying the Rovnoski military and society as a whole. Although heavily criticized, the game still managed to perform well in sales, topping off at 3 million international sales in 2003 alone. The game is also considered to have been one of the most defining games of that console generation, and has been awarded several domestic and internatonal accolades, winning Seratofian Game of the Year in 2003. Since its release, an iOS version has been released in 2013.

Gameplay
Automan: Moslavina is an action-adventure video game played in the third-person perspective set in Moslavina, Rovsnoska. Traditional elements of the game's series have been retained in this edition, including a linear storyline progressed by missions containing set objectives, however, there could be more than one mission available to the player at one time, although the access to some missions require players to complete several missions for that to be unlocked. Outside of completing missions, the player is free to roam the game map and perform a variety of activities, such as complete new side missions, rampages, or vehicle-based missions. New to the series is the ability to consume food and beverages as well as to purchase businesses around the map to generate revenue from them.

Map progression from the previous game is still preserved, and players would need to complete several sets of missions for the map to finally be revealed to the player. Trying to access other parts of the map before gaining access to them would attract the attention of law enforcement, who will then try to kill the player. The game also features the first continuous landmass in the series, meaning that the map is not bounded by waters or is separated into smaller fragments by a body of water. New to the game is the ability to quick-travel between regions by bus or train.

The player may navigate the game's world by either running, walking, jumping, drive a variety of vehicles including tanks and trains, a new addition to the series, and perform a variety of combat actions. The player is able to use melee weapons such as baseball bats and knives to inflict damage to the game's environment including vehicles and other NPCs, as well as use a variety of weapons separated into class. Players may only own one weapon for each class, and subsequent attempts to pick up or buy weapons of the same class will result in the previous weapon being discarded along with all its ammunition. The game also allows players to perform drive-by shootings when equipped with the appropriate weapon, a new addition to the game. When using sinper rifles or RPGs, the game utilizes a first-person camera to let the player aim. It is also possible to buy or pick up armor to increase one's health.

Law enforcement in the game are prevalent, and will take notice of the player's actions. A wanted level is acquired if a player commits a crime depending on the severity of the crimes and if an officer happens to see the crime take place. Attempts to evade law enforcement by fleeing or killing officers will result in a higher wanted level, and an increased range of units chasing after the player. Once the player is out of sight from law enforcement, a hidden cooldown meter will begin, and if the player manages to stay out of sight after a specified amount of time, the wanted level drops, and in some cases disappears entirely. If the player gets arrested by the police, they will respawn in the police station with some of their money taken away, and all their weapons confiscated. Should they die in the process, the player will respawn in the hospital with some of their money taken away, but weapons still intact.

The Heads-up-dsiplay in game presents the in-game time, the weapon currently wielded by the player, the player's remaining health and armor, as well as the wanted level if being chased by law enforcement. The map is also presented in color for the first time, shown in a circular disk at the bottom left of the game. Other activities that could be performed such as eating and drinking and purchasing businesses are also introduced in the game, with their icons appearing in the radar. Similar to the previous Automan, the player's health will be shown as a number between 0 and 100. Armor is also shown at the top right HUD as a number between 0 and 100 too.

Progression of the story is linear, but for most of the game the player has a choice of which missions to complete first while there are multiple missions available to the player. Players enter missions by going to the designated areas or locations in which mission givers are present, and are completed when the objectives of each individual missions are met. Completing missions rewards the players with money, and some missions even unlock specific items or objects, such as the ability to buy property, unique vehicles and weapons, and most importantly map progression. When not on a story mission, the player is also able to perform side missions to gain extra money or to unlock certain perks when completing the vehicle side missions. While not mandatory, they give a boost towards the player such as increased maximum health and armor or the ability to be immune to fire and flames.

Plot
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Development
Alulim Corporation, the parent of Tarmacgear house, after having fully bought the stock of the development company, rebranded the company into Alulim Games, which would then be a subsidy of Alulim Interactive. Production was moved from Ljana to Alulim in Éiljir province northwest of Ljana. After the move, Alulim Games initially began work on "the next Automan game" in late 2001, but development did not officially start until early 2002, when Alulim Games along with several smaller companies under the ownership of Alulim Interactive was merged into one, and work officially began. The game was finally announced on the 18th of June 2002 when several beta images were leaked a week prior. The total cost of the project was 40 million Zakkas ($6 million) and was the most expensive and ambitious project of the company to date.

Initially, developers were eying at including a missions pack, new weapons and vehicles, as well as a new radio station as an add-on to Automan III, however, the developers decided to make this a standalone game to test the potential limits and boundaries of the game, as well as view market reactions to a sort of "spin-off" to the main Automan series.

Setting and open world
The game takes place in Moslavina, southern Rovnoska, in 2003, on the immediate reality of a post-UPRZ split. The team wanted to look for places to satirize which at the time was full of crime and other underworld activities to fully support the game's story and features, and decided that the post-UPRZ, a region strifed with conflict and crime at the time, to be a "perfect" scenario for an Automan game. Developer Danjel Včara stated that "add in the UPRZ nostalgia and the eastern Artemian feel and we feel that this would be perfect for the setting of the next Automan game." The team described the location as "perfect" due to its combination of gang war, drug trade, and general economic depression at the time which breeds crime. Eventually, a two month trip to Rovnoska was conducted, and extensive field research and analysis was conducted, with developers already sketching several prototype maps based on the general region of southern Rovsnoska near the border. The team intended to portray Rovnsoskan life after the UPRZ split, and make it "the most relatable experience of our times, especially to the Rovsnoski."

Much of the work done until this point was solely on the aesthetics and the style of the game, including the game map, while the game physics and script were largely influenced by that of the previous Automan game. The game took inspiration from a lot of local Rovsnoski films and TV shows such as Govorim Pojački (1998) and Međugorje (2000) especially for the characterization and overall aesthetic of the game, including the vehicles, buildings, and overall story of the game. Field research strongly complemented the initial observations done by the devleopers by viewing these shows, and further enhanced the perception of the developers in creating Moslavina. Kžeščírnji noted that "we are trying to create a game with an ultra-realistic feel, especially for Rovnsnoska who had just gotten bad press for its tumultuous war several years ago. TV shows help us relate to that even better." Further emphasis was put on the stereotypical style and design of the vehicles and weapons of Rovnsonka such as the and the

Most of the animations found in game were recycled from Automan III, although the overall field of view was zoomed to make the player and the vehicles appear bigger. The development of the map in Automan: Moslavina, according to lead developer Kžeščírnji, was done "in the span of two months" while the team was in a field trip to Rovsnoska. There, the team conducted extensive topographic and road-layout networking, allowing for the creation of the series' first rural landscape that surrounds a bigger city as Moslavina is also the first game to contain more rural settings than urban settings. New tree and plant models needed to be created and imported into the game. While initially the team hoped for the possibility for the player to be able to cut and burn vegetation, such idea would require longer work into the game and was not that compatible with the devices of that time period.

The old PolyHex 3D engine used to render and run Automan III was used again for Automan: Moslavina. SmartScript, the company's AI code for NPCs, recieved a major update named SmartScript 2.0, providing for more types of NPCs, and a more versatile reaction to various activities comitted by the player. The initial coding for the various forms of actions have largely been completed upon the release of Automan III, and developers, already more experienced with the language, simply added more varities and lines into the script. Kžeščírnji also noted the slight increase in audio files, which, according to him, reached at least 10,000 separate audio files. Although so, few audio files were recycled from the previous game.

Story and character development
The team used a lot of real-life sitcoms, TV shows, and movies to base their story line and overall plot. Govorim Pojački released in 1998 has many analogues in game, and some missions were specifically designed to recreate some of the scenes present in the movie. Developer Danjel Včara does not refute the fact that the game has mimicked several elements from that show, and has stated that the game even goes on to making direct references to Govorim Pojački, along with several other movies and TV shows. The inclusion of several scenes into the game as missions made for a more varied experience than the previous game, allowing for several new mechanics to also be demonstrated. Kžeščírnji has admitted that "developing a story for Automan: Moslavina had been easier than doing so for Automan III since all you could ever want in the game is already out there waiting to be put into a storyline."

For the first time in the game's history, voice actors were given a general look on how the cahracters are acting when speaking their respective lines, and most core dialogues were filmed with the actor behind a blue backdrop so that the actor could mimick how the player acts in game to give the feel of the scene. This is also the first time that developers could record their own sounds and voices in a professional sound studio, as the Alulim studio has a professional recording studio within the office premises. It also use motion capture and stop motion to record the actors speaking and moving for its animations, providing for even smoother animations.

There were also considerably more varied characters and NPCs in the game. A total of 98 pedestrian models can be found in the game files, with each pedestrian model harboring more polygons and textures than Automan III. Skins were specifically designed for each model to be unique. The animations and damage meter embedded within each NPC was also changed, reflecting at a variety of factors in determining the amount reducted from the total health, as well as revamping animations for more specific crashes, actions, and other activities that concern the NPC. Some characters were also based on the film Haruvati (1999), and it has been said that the main protagonist Ivan was based off the protagonist of that movie.

Sound
An improvement to the 3D sound system and environment was implemented by several sound engineers working closely at the company. Better muffled noises as well as diffraction could be observed in game. In addition to the new techniques implemented, an additional 10,000 audio files were incorporated in game to support ambient and dialogues. A recording studio was pursposefully built within the studio grounds for the company to utilize, hiring several Rovsnoski and Pojački voice actors to voice their parts. Licensing the songs to be put in game were a major challenge according to one sound technician due to the stringent copyright and music policy laws at place at the time in Rovsnoska. The songs present in game were mainly Rovsnoski hits of the 80s and 90s, with some western Artemian songs joining the mix for a total of 9 radio stations and more than 200 songs.

Initial release
The game was met with crtical acclaim upon release. It was both CriticMeta's and GamesMaestro highest-rating StayPlaysion 2 game of 2003, and one of the top ten highest rated games for the StayPlaysion 2 ever to be released. The game scored an average of 96% based on 58 reviews and aggregators for GamesMaestro, and achieved a 95/100 score from CrticMeta upon the reviews of 55 of its own critics and several outsiders. Many critics praise the aesthetic and style of the game, with some critics stating that "the game is very polished for its short production run, something you just don't see anywhere else." Most other critics have also praised the game's better controls and animations. SVH has noted that "the game is indeed very enjoybale and will be within the memories of children born in the 90s."

CircleOfGames commented on the increased average mission length in game and praised the overall increase in quality. Several other critics also agree with the statement, with John Gutierrez, who had given the game a five star rating, commenting "the missions are definitely more engaging and relatable to the players than the previous games. There is just so much more you can do with the mechanics developed for the game now." Jacob Blake of ING noted that "due to the increase length of the missions, the story was able to be told in a more in-depth and in a more hands-on approach than previous games, where a cutwscene would usually take on the place of live-action missions." He also welcomed the increased difficulty of the missions, as some critics have noted on the generally easy difficulty of the missions in Automan III.

An area which was met with universal acclaim was the game environment. All critics put the game's environment and game world as one of its strongest points. Comments ranging from "very lively" to "bustling with life" were a common theme in a lot of reports. One famous critique for GamesMaestro has said that "this game captures it all. The style of the current Rovsnoski life and how the fall of the UPRZ has affected the living conditions in which the people have to endure in, starting from the state of the terrible roads in game and the crumbling buildings, it's all there." Several other critiques also commented on the same thing, noting the unpararelled level of detail and attention to it by the developers, who many have thought have peaked for current generation consoles with the release of Automan III.

Critics welcome the advanced sound system and immersion in game, also praising the game's choice of songs and radio stations, with many players, especially those from eastern Artemia, to have correctfully and splendidly capture the state of the eastern Artemian music indsutry in 2003. The addition of talk radio in game was a hotly debated issue, as the developers wanted the radio to be as close as the real deal, hiring several political commentators from Rovsnoska to debate hot topics with other commentators about fresh issues in Rovsnoska and the general eastern Artemian region while being recorded for the talk radio. Critics praise the technique in which the developers tried to capture the true nature of Rovsnoski politics while keeping the discussion satirical in such manner.

The addition of more vehicles in game were noted by palyers and critics alike. The addition of the train was a first in game, and the addition of several authentic Rovsnoski and Pojački vehicles "really brought the scene and environment alive" according to some critics. This is also the first time that cars may have different variants or decals, increasing the variety and diversity of vehicles in game without actually increasing the total amount of vehicles in game. Critics also welcome the easier and smoother driving and handling of th vehicles.

One aspect of the game which was heavily commented was the general physics of the game. Some more outspoken critics have complained and bashed the developers for "entirely recycling the code and game physics from Automan III to Automan: Moslavina, and that the entire game is just Automan III in another setting." Kžeščírnji fired back by stating the truth and said that "the whole idea of the game was to be an add-on pack for Automan III, until we realized it was just too much to be put as an add-on pack, so we decided to greatly improve the game in other aspects."

Doors Version
The Doors version released two months after the intial StayPlaysion 2 release garnered the same critical acclaim, with aggregate scores being even higher than the StayPlaysion 2 release. The Doors version was GamesMaestro and CriticMeta's highest rating Doors game of 2003 in a similar fashion to the StayPlaysion 2 release. The developers have noted that the game, while being ported into the PC variant, gained a little bit more polishing and extra items for the player to enjoy, marking an unofficial "enhanced" version of the game which would eventually then be released for all platforms starting in early 2004. Reviewers liked the visual enhancement of the PC version, including additional weather and climate effects absent from the initial release version. Alulim Games did not change the minimum requirements to play the game like they have done for Automan III.

Huri V. of BreadLife has positively commented on the added visual effects in the game, and was reported to have said "the weather and climate effects in the game are much more improved than that of the original release and that found in Automan III, and I praised both games for having realistic weather!" Other critics also seem to welcome the additional visual improvements found elsewhere, such as the added textures for several buildings to show a more deep and enhanced texture from the time period. Several car textures were also updated by the developers, garnering more praise mostly from the players, who have commented on the "bland composition of colors and materials of vehicles in the initial release version and in Automan III."

The controls were also very well recieved. Some critics have welcomed the responsive and intuitive controls presetted into the game, as well as the slightly improved aiming system for various weapons. TechOutsider has called the aim "better" and ING has called the aim "always better when done with a mouse." One aspect of the game which was lashed in the enhanced version are the several glitches and bugs found in game, such as the textures spilling into the environment and flying pedestrians. This was later patched in a free update by Alulim Games.

Sales
Automan: Moslavina once again became the best selling game in Seratof for the year 2003, selling more than 600,000 copies before the new year. Internationally it has sold 5 million copies by mid-2004, and was the world's best selling game for a few months. By 2005, the game had sold a grand total of 10 million copies, and by 2010, the game had sold 13 million copies. It was particularly a best-seller in Rovsnoska as a game set in their territory brewed massive hype and interest among the general public. Rovsnoska was responsible for almost 50% of all the games sold in eastern Artemia as of 2006. In Seratof alone, it has banked more than 40 million Zakkas by mid-2004, paying off the game's development budget with domestic sales alone.

Accolades
Automan: Moslavina has been nominated in various gaming awards and trophies, and has won a majority of them. Domestically, it has won the "Game of the Year 2003" award, the fourth time an Automan game has been awarded such. It has also been awarded a platinum record by the SERB to reach 1 million sales. The game was awarded "best video game of 2003" by numerous publications and reports such as ING, TechOutsider, and GamesTop.

Controversies
Upon release, several groups which contested the games release in their territory began voicing their concerns over the game due to a variety and wide range of factors depending on the location and group. In Rovsnoska, several military veterans fresh from the war of separation not even a decade ago voiced their concerns on the very nature of the game depicting Rovsnoska right out of a bloody war of separation evident from the ruins and state of the game environment portrayed in game. The same group advocated for the removal of the game from the international market due to its very sensitive nature of the game which might hurt Rovsnoska's image abroad. They filed a lawsuit against Alulim Games in a court in the Éiljir province asking for the game to be removed from shelves, but the court ruled out the lawsuit for the base of their claims, citing that "the court does not have the obligation and the power necessary to upohold international arbitrations."

Several other groups, especially advocates for less violence, heavily criticized the game for its arguably "more violent nature" than the previous one, and that "an adult rating would not suffice." Groups in various countries had some form of success in the form of censorhip of the game. Alulim Games would spend the next few months after release catering to the demands of individual nations according to their specific censorship regulations. As it depicts Rovsnoski gang life, the newly-formed Rovsnoski Tourism Agency asked for the game's removal in Rovsnoska because "it is too realistic and it is hurting tourism."

The game was forced to be censored in Mursland due to the protagonist Ivan hinting at the early 20th century cultural oppression in Mursland, to which the government still denies to this day. The Mursland government has mandated these censors thesmelves, stating that the game "clearly overstepped their boundaries in creating satire."