Far Cry 2

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Far Cry 2
Far Cry 2 - Logo.svg
Studio CanadaCanada Ubisoft Montreal
Publisher FranceFrance Ubisoft
Senior Developer Louis ‑ Pierre Pharand (Producer)
Clint Hocking (Creative Director)
Patrick Redding (Story Designer)
composer Marc Canham
Erstveröffent-
lichung
North AmericaNorth AmericaOctober 21, 2008 October 23, 2008 October 24, 2008
AustraliaAustralia
EuropeEurope
platform Windows , PlayStation 3 , Xbox 360
Game engine Dunia Engine , Havok (physics engine)
genre Action , first-person shooter , open world
Game mode Single and multiplayer
system advantages
preconditions
  • OS : Windows XP SP2 or higher
  • CPU : Pentium 4, 3.2 GHz, Pentium D, 2.66 GHz, AMD Athlon 64 3500+ or ​​better
  • RAM : 2 GB
  • Graphics card : Nvidia 6800 or ATI X1650 or better ( Pixel Shader 3.0 required)
medium Blu-Ray , DVD-ROM , download
language English , German
Current version 1.03 (June 2009)
Age rating
USK from 18
PEGI recommended for ages 16+

Far Cry 2 is a first person shooter with open world elements and the second game in the Far Cry series, released by Ubisoft in Europe on October 24, 2008 for Windows , PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 . Unlike its predecessor, Far Cry , the game was not developed by Crytek , but by Ubisoft Montreal .

Far Cry 2 deviates significantly from the scenario of its predecessor: The player's task is to find and murder a notorious arms dealer, the jackal , in a fictional country in East Africa . The action takes place in an area of ​​over 50 km², which is divided into two halves, in each of which one half of the action takes place. There are no longer any "monsters", and the newly developed Dunia Engine shows itself, among other things, in constant day-night changes. There is also a self-regenerating destructible environment.

Far Cry 3 has been a successor since November 2012 .

action

Course of action

The plot of the game takes the player character to a fictional African country. After the collapse of the government, a civil war is raging between the so-called UFLL (United Front for Liberation and Labor) and the APR (Alliance for Popular Resistance), armed militias who fight for supremacy and terrorize the region and its people with armed violence .

The player character has the task of killing the jackal , an illegal US arms dealer whose deliveries played a major role in the escalation, severity and duration of the conflict. The protagonist initially receives no information about the notorious arms dealer. After he got caught between the fronts of the APR and the UFLL after his arrival in the district of Leboa-Sako Beginn, he was forced to take on assignments from the two warring parties, among other things in order to gradually obtain information about the jackal. Malaria attacks come over him again and again, but he can keep them under control with the help of pills. He also makes friends over the course of the game who offer him alternative options for the main missions.

After a while, the situation in Leboa-Sako becomes so tense that attacks on the last neutral zones are imminent. The player can either try to protect his comrades from a robbery in a bar, or to save the villagers of the city of Pala in a church. The agent himself is seriously injured in one of the two skirmishes and, assuming he is dead, is driven to the southern part of the country, to Bowa-Seko , in a cart . Once there, he tries to continue to gather information about the jackal by doing new assignments for both parties, making new friends. In a later mission, the assignment is to procure a diamond case for one of the two organizations. However, a comrade wants to flee the country with the agent by making him a proposal to bribe the pilot who could bring them out of the country with the diamonds . When the protagonist is about to steal the suitcase, the jackal catches him and kicks him in the face so that he passes out. When he comes to, he finds himself in a prison cell. The actor realizes that all of his weapons have been stolen, but after a short time he can fight his way to freedom and complete further missions.

Towards the end of the game, he should go back to the prison to meet the jackal there. He explains to him that the UFLL and APR have joined forces to kill the fleeing civilians and both of them. The protagonist sets off into an area that was previously inaccessible. First, however, he goes to the airfield in the hope of being able to leave with his comrade. However, it turns out that he was betrayed and his friend wanted the diamonds for himself. So he runs into an ambush and is shot at from all directions. However, the actor manages to fend off all attackers and takes the diamond case. The two allied parties have set up camp nearby. The task now is to take out both leaders. When he succeeds and he has also eliminated all other APR and UFLL supporters, he goes to the jackal's hut to deliver the diamonds. The arms dealer explains to him that there is little hope left for the refugees and that they need to help them quickly. He gives him the choice of either taking the diamond suitcase and bribing the border guards with it, or igniting dynamite on a hill to cut off the path to the refugees for the troops of the APR and the UFLL, which are now allied. In the former, the protagonist or jackal is said to commit suicide after handing over the diamond case, while the detonation is associated with death, as there is no functioning remote detonator. In the credits, the player learns that the jackal's identity remains unclear and that a corpse has never been found. So it remains to be seen whether the jackal will survive whose role has been taken over by the protagonist or a third party. However, the suffering civilian population is free and the war in the country is over.

However, the anomie still prevails in the small state . So both have failed in their plan to end this.

Game world

The playing area is made up of two sectors of just over 25 km², with the southern one only being accessible to the player later in the game. The area consists of a mixture of jungle , savanna , steppe and desert areas . In the southern zone there is also a swamp area . In the center of both sectors there is a city that is considered a ceasefire zone and in which the UFLL and the APR have their headquarters. However, there are no civilians in the entire play area. Since crossing the play area would take a relatively long time due to the size of the map , the player has the option of safe express transport in the form of a bus. Bus stations are spread out on the map. With their help, the player can be transferred to any other bus station, the actual journey is skipped.

The game simulates the course of the day and night; all characters also have a daily routine that they follow.

Gameplay

General

At the beginning of the game, the player chooses his character from a pre-selection of nine mercenaries. The game characters are all male, represent different nations and have different personal backgrounds, which however have no influence on the plot. The remaining eight characters also appear as so-called comrades in the game, supplemented by three more female NPCs .

In Far Cry 2 , the player controls his character directly through the game environment, the game is presented from the first person perspective and largely dispenses with the integration of artificial information elements. A head-up display with game information such as the life energy display or the ammunition level is only shown in certain situations, otherwise the screen only shows the surroundings. The map of the surroundings is also not shown in the usual form of a menu or overlay, but is brought out by the character as an object while the game is running. The game is not stopped and the ability of the game figure to move is not canceled.

In order to regain lost life energy, the character uses injection syringes with morphine, which can be found in medicine boxes throughout the game world. If the life energy has also fallen to the last bar, the character is considered seriously injured and the life energy bar decreases continuously. In this situation, the player has to trigger an automated treatment sequence in which the character takes care of the injury, for example removing a ball from the body or stabilizing a broken bone. If he does not succeed in doing this before the energy display has dropped to zero, the character dies and the game is over ( game over ). During the process, the player is also defenseless against enemy attacks and the rescue treatment sequence is interrupted every time the character is injured by enemy attacks. Burns can be healed by simply knocking them out.

Another way to regenerate life energy is to rest in one of the many shelters spread across the play area. There, the character can rest on a lounger for a predetermined number of hours. At the same time, shelters also serve as fixed storage points to secure the progress of the game. Between two such rest phases, if the player dies, his second best comrade rescues him and can thus avoid the game over. In order to reactivate this rescue option, you have to take another break in a hut.

At regular intervals the character continues to suffer from attacks of malaria, which restrict the field of vision. This must be remedied by taking a malaria drug. In the course of the game, the game character is also concerned with fighting malaria, which in turn has a positive effect on the character's resilience and makes them stronger.

In order to be able to cross the game world in a reasonable time, there are numerous vehicles such as jeeps, transporters or so-called buggies, some of them equipped with weapons. These vehicles can be damaged by gunfire and exploded. Minor damage is symbolized by smoke rising from the bonnet and driving performance is noticeably reduced. This damage can, however, be remedied by the play figure on the motor by means of a manually triggered and then automated repair sequence. The game environment is responsive to the action of the player and the environment can be used to the advantage of the player. For example, the Dunia Engine is able to simulate the gradual spread of fire caused by the wind. By crouching forward and purchasing camouflage clothing, the player can still hide in the vegetation from patrolling enemies. The game continues to use the Havok physics engine , which, to a limited extent, simulates environmental damage from explosions or firefights , for example. The game music is also reactive and adapts to the game situation, such as free exploration or firefights.

weapons

Far Cry 2 distinguishes between primary, secondary and special weapons, of which the player can carry one at a time. There are over 30 firearms to choose from. It is also possible to use a machete for defense in close combat . In addition, depending on the ammunition upgrades (see below) and the degree of difficulty, it is possible to carry up to eight hand grenades and eight Molotov cocktails at the same time .

The primary weapons can be used in almost all battles at various distances. For this, the protagonist has a selection of assault weapons (e.g. AK-47 ), shotguns (e.g. SPAS-12 ) and also sniper rifles (e.g. Dragunov sniper rifle ) at their disposal. Secondary weapons can be used in the game for close-range combat. This weapon class mainly contains pistols , such as. B. the Makarov and submachine guns (e.g. Uzi ). However, it is also possible to introduce tactical elements into the battle with explosives . The special weapons are reserved for the extravagant type of player. From flame (LPO-50) to rocket launchers (e.g. RPG-7 ) and light machine-guns such as the M249 SAW to an arrow rifle , the player is offered a large selection of extraordinary combat equipment.

All weapons can, especially if they originate from the opponent or worn, stoppages have. It is possible to recharge it and thus repair the defect, but the weapon can explode if it is already too worn. There is also the option of buying all weapons  in excellent condition from arms dealers in exchange for rough diamonds . Once you have bought a weapon, you are able to replace a used weapon with a new one again and again. All weapons purchased can also be improved twice at weapons dealers (precision and reliability) and ammunition improvements are available for each type of weapon and repair improvements can be purchased for vehicles. Furthermore there is the possibility to purchase weapon boxes with rough diamonds for the occupied hiding places. These can be used for dumping, so that you can exchange the weapon you are carrying for the one in the box at any time. The deposited weapons can then be found in every shelter and weapon depot, not just in the original building in which the weapon was placed in the box.

Thanks to a differentiated damage model, weapons can also be used in a non-lethal way. This enables, for example, sniper tactics such as wounding an opponent, which only immobilizes them and attracts further opponents.

Missions

In Far Cry 2 , the player has the opportunity to complete a total of 85 missions (excluding underground missions), which are divided into main, comrade and side missions. The 33 main missions are carried out for the two opposing organizations APR (Alliance for Popular Resistance) and UFLL (United Front for Liberation and Labor). It is often a murder assignment with them, and one is rewarded for it in the form of rough diamonds. They are usually supplemented by one of the twelve comrade missions, through which you can improve relationships with your comrades and increase your own reputation. There is also the opportunity to meet his comrades in Mike's Bar to take on missions from them. In the 40 side missions you either work for an arms dealer or an unknown client. For the former, you have to stop convoys of arms by destroying them. This unlocks new weapons that can be bought from arms dealers in exchange for diamonds. The latter is contract killings.

Furthermore, there are underground missions in the game that you have to complete in order to get medicines with which you can fight your malaria disease. The portrayal of a war-torn African country is at the same time (audiovisually) realistic , and on the other hand it is overdrawn with serious undertones .

By completing the missions, the player gradually gains a reputation that affects the behavior of the characters. A distinction is made between a reputation within the game world and a reputation among comrades. The latter builds up individually for each comrade and increases, for example, by completing comrade missions. The comrade with the best relationship with the player character offers the player an alternative solution for every main mission for the APR or UFLL. If the player follows this alternative path, he will receive support from his comrade in the course of the mission and, after successful completion, will further strengthen the relationship with this comrade. The comrade with the second highest relationship rating, on the other hand, rushes to the aid of the player character in the event of death and thus protects the player from the game over. Comrades always put themselves at risk of being killed. If a comrade is seriously injured, it is up to the player whether he rushes to his aid and uses one of his own morphine injections to rescue him. If he does not do it or if he takes too long for the rescue operation, the comrade dies and is permanently eliminated from the game.

Multiplayer mode

The multiplayer mode includes four game modes:

  • Deathmatch , everyone against everyone
  • Team Deathmatch , APR versus UFLL
  • Capture the Diamond , two parties must steal a diamond from the enemy base and bring it to their own
  • Revolt , three targets must be captured and then the enemy captain eliminated.

The aim of the multiplayer mode is to collect as many XP points as possible. These are obtained through kills, resuscitation, executions or through (team) victories in the individual modes. When you have accumulated a certain number of experience points you increase a rank. For the lower ranks you only need relatively few points. The higher the next rank, however, the more points you need. For each rank achieved, you receive diamonds that can be exchanged for weapons. For example, you can specialize in assault rifles or sniper rifles. The extensive use of weapons increases their usability.

In online mode it is possible to upload the maps you have created yourself with the map editor , to play on them with others and to have them rated. However, the XP points that you get on such maps count extra.

It is also possible to set up LAN parties .

development

history

Far Cry 2 was announced in Paris on July 19, 2007 . Ubisoft announced that the game was in development at Ubisoft Montreal and announced October 23, 2008 as the release date. Producer Louis-Pierre Pharand announced that the game would offer 50 hours of gameplay in single player mode. Chief designer Clint Hocking claimed it would take 100 hours to "experience" the full game.

A pre-alpha video was shown in Leipzig in August 2007. A gameplay was shown with armed conflicts and driving sequences as well as unique selling points such as first aid and a physical map that is carried by the character. The presentation also showed regenerative vegetation and the spread of fire ( forest fires can be triggered). The high level of destructibility of the structures built by humans was also striking.

At the Game Developers Conference in February 2008, game designer Patrick Redding identified the four basic pillars of the game:

  1. Freedom of exploration
  2. realism
  3. Immersion with consequences
  4. Meaningful content, supported by game mechanics

Action concept

The plot of the game is influenced by Joseph Conrad's novel Heart of Darkness , which is critical of colonialism and which was written around the same time as HG Wells' novel Die Insel des Dr. Moreau was written, which served as a template for the first part of the series. Another influence was the novel Red Harvest or Blood Harvest by Dashiell Hammett , in which a lone gunslinger comes to a completely corrupted city and uses extreme violence and means of vigilante justice to intervene in the conflict of rival local gangs, pitting the parties against each other.

“I want to create an analogue experience for the player. I want him to feel the grime under his fingernails, the sweat, smell the gun oil. I wanted to create the guns jamming, the dust - the world isn't this clean, sterile, digital representation of Africa. "

“I want to create an analogue experience for the player [Note: Heart of Darkness]. I want him to feel the dark lines under his fingernails, the sweat, the smell of gun oil. I wanted to create jams, the dust - the world is not this clean, sterile, digital image of Africa. "

- Creative Director Clint Hocking : Edge

With its combination of savannahs, deserts, jungles and decaying colonial cities, the game world offers a contrast to the tropical paradise island of the first part. Among other things, because such a sequence of different climatic zones does not exist in reality in a confined space, it was decided to set the action in a fictional African region. Based on Herz der Eclarniss , the game is intended to reproduce the gradual transformation of the player character into a proverbial monster, who is ultimately no longer able to contribute to the solution of the problem, but rather becomes part of the problem itself through its increasing cruelty.

Part of the concept was also to largely hide the character's body and only display it when it seemed appropriate to the situation from the point of view of the game developer. Originally the developers intended to implement an automatic regeneration of life energy like in the Halo games . However, as this reduced the difficulty of the fights too much, especially when the number of opponents was low, the traditional system of life bars was chosen. In addition, the character's increasing strength over the course of the game is controlled by his successful treatment of malaria. In order to gradually increase the level of difficulty, however, the approach of the opposing characters also improves, for example hand grenades are used as the game progresses or the AI tries to gradually corner the player with flanking attacks.

Map editor

Far Cry 2 offers a professional map editor with a multitude of functions. The terrain can be deformed as required and given textures . The flora is applied with a brush. For newcomers, placing objects in three-dimensional space is particularly problematic, as the controls are very complex ( Game One ).

In addition, a wilderness generator is integrated, with which you can create a random terrain that can also be edited.

The tool 'MapInstaller 2.7' has been available from the community since 2009, which enables the simple integration of maps from external sources (e.g. Internet and / or data storage media) into the game.

Engine

Ubisoft developed a new engine specifically for Far Cry 2 called Dunia ( Swahili for world, earth or life). The Dunia Engine was supposed to provide a realistic destructible environment, realistic fire spread, storm effects, real-time day-and-night cycle and non-scripted opponents.

The engine uses multi-core processors and supports both DirectX 9 and 10. According to Senior Product Manager Michiel Verheijdt, only two to three percent of the CryEngine are used again. In addition, the hardware requirements are lower than with the CryEngine 2 used in Crysis .

Far Cry 2 also uses the amBX technology from Philips , which creates effects such as vibrations, flowing light and wind effects (through special fans ) with suitable hardware . Before the game was released, Ubisoft released application software that analyzes the resources of the PC and provides information about whether and at what level you can play Far Cry 2 .

Extensions (DLCs)

On November 21, 2008, Ubisoft announced the Fortune's Pack . It includes three new weapons - a crossbow , a double-barreled and a silenced shotgun  - and additional vehicles, including a truck and a quad . The package also includes new maps for multiplayer mode (Cheap Labor, Fort Fury, Lake Smear, Last Resort). The package is available for Xbox 360, PC and PlayStation 3 on the Microsoft Store and the PlayStation Store . A free bonus mission pack from Intel was also released .

reception

Rating mirror
German-speaking area
publication Rating
4players 81% (Win)
80 (X360, PS3)
Computer picture games Note 2.29
EuroGamer.de 8/10
Games current 9/10
GameStar 82%
Gamona 85%
Looki 83% (Win)
81% (PS3)
PC Games 89%
Game tips 87%
International
1UP B + (X360, PS3)
Edge 8/10
Electronic Gaming Monthly 80%
EuroGamer.net 8/10
Game Informer 8/10
GameSpot 8.5 / 10
GameSpy 3.5 / 5
IGN US 8.9 / 10 (Win)
8.8 (X360, PS3)
PC Gamer (UK) 94%
PC Gamer (US) 94%
PC zone 90%
Meta-ratings
GameRankings 83.67% (Win)
84.42% (X360)
83.98% (PS3)
Metacritic 85% (Win)
85 (X360)
85 (PS3)

Reviews

Most of the criticism for the game was positive, the average rating of all three versions (Windows, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3) on Metacritic is 85%.

Petra Schmitz from GameStar magazine criticized the "absurd detours" and described the movement between points A and B as annoying. However, fighting and the burning savannah made up for this. In the same magazine, Christian Schmidt criticized the plot and praised the “great worlds”.

In the Computer Bild Spiele “great graphics and exciting fights” and “long playing time” were praised. “Long journeys” and the lack of civilians as well as the lack of animals in the game speak against the game. Overall, the "80 hour long game [...] only had to be content with the grade 'good' 'due to the immense hardware requirements".

Spieletipps praised the “visual representation of fire and the realistic spread of the flames”, but criticized the animal-poor landscape.

Technical problems

Far Cry 2 caused a stir due to a variety of bugs in the game. Problems with saving the game status, a frozen image and the disappearance of game characters are recorded on all three platforms. At certain game points, the errors are so serious that Far Cry 2 becomes unplayable. These bugs were partly fixed by means of patches. The current official patch has the version number 1.03.

Digital rights management

The PC version of Far Cry 2 uses the SecuROM copy protection and limits the number of installations of the game. It can be installed five times on three computers. To do this, the PC must be connected to the Internet. In the case of an uninstallation, an installation option is credited again. Hardware - Upgrades have no affect on existing installations.

Mobile game

In November 2008, the company released Gameloft to Far Cry 2 an offshoot of the same name for Java on mobile phones . The game tells roughly the same story as the main game: the player chooses a mercenary who wakes up after an attack of malaria in a village and has the task of murdering the jackal. It is a two-dimensional shooter that reproduces the game from a bird's eye view . The figure fights its way through the game world consisting of ten levels on linear maps. You have a similar arsenal of different weapon types as in the main game. Much of the game consists of the fights that can also be fought from under cover.

novel

In May 2008, the second book entitled Far Cry 2: Bloody Diamonds for the Far Cry series was published in Germany . It was written by Sacred Lead Game Designer Michael T. Bhatty . The book serves as a prequel to the game. The focus is on the veterinarian Paula, who, under the guidance of her CIA mentor Zam, a character from the first Far Cry book, became an aggressive animal rights activist and is drawn into the chaos of war in Central Africa after a plane crash. Life with conflicts and civil war in the blood diamond trade is highlighted . The book ends where the game begins.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. a b c d e f g h i Edge editorial team: Feature: Far Cry 2's Heart of Darkness ( English ) In: Edge . Future plc . January 25, 2008. Archived from the original on November 5, 2012. Retrieved on May 30, 2013.
  2. http://www.shacknews.com/article/61505/havok-launches-independent-developer-program
  3. a b c d Emma Boyes: GDC '08: Far Cry 2 to be modern Heart of Darkness. In: GameSpot . CBS Corporation , March 20, 2016, accessed March 20, 2016 .
  4. Game One, episode 80, part 2 ( Memento of the original from February 7, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.mtv.de
  5. Markus Dancer: Far Cry 2: Bonus Pack released as download. (No longer available online.) In: PC Games Hardware . Computec Media Group , December 9, 2008, archived from the original on April 14, 2016 ; accessed on March 20, 2016 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.pcgameshardware.de
  6. ^ Benjamin Schmädig: Far Cry 2. In: 4Players . 4Players , October 23, 2008, accessed January 8, 2016 .
  7. a b Computer-Bild-Spiele-Critique
  8. Eurogamer.de : Far Cry 2: Scorched Earth (accessed May 31, 2013)
  9. http://www.gamesaktuell.de/Far-Cry-2-PC-147080/Tests/Test-Review-Far-Cry-2-im-ausfuehrlichen-Test-734934/4/
  10. a b Petra Schmitz: Far Cry 2 Test. In: GameStar . International Data Group , October 21, 2008, accessed January 8, 2016 .
  11. Gamona : Far Cry 2 - Review (accessed May 31, 2008)
  12. http://www.looki.de/games/far_cry_2_test_a3744.html
  13. http://www.looki.de/games/far_cry_2_test_a3747.html
  14. Robert Horn: Far Cry 2: Off to Africa - PC Games is testing the open world shooter. In: PC Games . Computec Media Group , October 21, 2008, accessed January 8, 2016 .
  15. a b test on spieletipps.de
  16. Thierry Nguyen: Far Cry 2 Review ( English ) In: 1UP . October 21, 2008. Archived from the original on October 15, 2013. Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved May 31, 2013. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.1up.com
  17. Far Cry 2 review ( English ) In: Edge . November 9, 2008. Archived from the original on April 2, 2013. Retrieved May 31, 2013.
  18. Christian Donlen: Far Cry 2 Review: Island paradise out, malaria in. ( English ) In: EuroGamer.net . October 21, 2008. Retrieved March 25, 2013.
  19. Matt Miller: Far Cry 2: The Good And Bad Of An Open World ( English ) In: Game Informer . September 22, 2009. Accessed May 31, 2013.
  20. Shaun McInnis: Far Cry 2 Review. In: GameSpot . CBS Corporation , October 21, 2008, accessed January 8, 2016 .
  21. Dave Kosak: Far Cry 2 ( English ) In: GameSpy . October 21, 2008. Retrieved May 31, 2013.
  22. Charles Onyett: Far Cry 2 Review. In: IGN Entertainment . Ziff Davis , October 21, 2008, accessed January 8, 2016 .
  23. GameRankings : Average Windows rating , based on 27 articles. Retrieved May 31, 2013.
  24. GameRankings : Average Xbox 360 rating , based on 67 articles. Retrieved May 31, 2013.
  25. GameRankings : Average PS3 rating , based on 43 articles. Retrieved May 31, 2013.
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  27. a b Meta ranking Far Cry 2 (PlayStation 3). In: Metacritic . CBS Corporation , accessed January 8, 2016 .
  28. a b Meta evaluation Far Cry 2 (Xbox 360). In: Metacritic . CBS Corporation , accessed January 8, 2016 .
  29. Limited installations
  30. Levi Buchanan: Far Cry 2 Mobile Review ( English ) In: IGN . December 11, 2008. Retrieved May 31, 2013.