Interviews | SOCOM US Navy SEALs Confrontation
SOCOM’s SEAL In Residence, Rob Roy, On The Finer Points Of Confrontation
October 17, 2008
If you have picked up a copy of SOCOM over the past couple of years, odds are you’ve come face to face with Rob Roy (pictured at left). As a former Navy SEAL with 25 years in the Teams, Roy has appeared on nearly every SOCOM cover to date. And, besides training current operators in close quarters combat, Roy also serves as Sony’s main consultant on the SOCOM franchise.
The latest title in the series, US Navy SEALs: Confrontation, landed on shelves this week. And Roy was on hand throughout development to insure every reference to the Navy SEALs are spot on. Hit the jump to read what Roy had to say about stalking the SOCOM Confrontation dev squad from Slant Six, snipers using games to perfect their craft and, of course, his opinion on Charlie Sheen’s ability to accurately portray a Navy SEAL.
Das Gamer: You made it through 25 years of active service, is that considered a long career by SEAL standards?
Rob Roy: (Laughs) That’s a long career for anybody. The average guy will probably do about 20 years if they’re committed to the missions and being there with the guys. There’s a minimum five-year commitment, after that you can get out and do whatever you want. But a lot of guys stay in just because they feel like they haven’t done everything yet, special projects, sniper, submersibles, sky diving, explosives and demolitions, instructing close quarters combat…there’s just a lot you can do.
It seems like there would be a lot of wear and tear to endure.
Rob Roy: Well, my body held up really well. After I retired I definitely felt the bumps and bruises. But while you’re in it your pain threshold is so high you don’t really notice it. Plus the adrenaline factors in. The back and the knees take the most punishment. It’s like any of the major sport.
Except you guys are armed.
Rob Roy: Where there is that.
Since physical fitness plays so heavily in the SEALs’ line of work did you ask to work fatigue into SOCOM Confrontation?
Rob Roy: Basically I’m a consultant for the game. I say, “This is the way it is,” they come back with how it could work into the gameplay and we go back and forth on what would work out the best. A lot of things have to be taken into account like what the gamer expects. A fatigue factor, which I think is a really good idea, becomes too much a hindrance on the game because gameplay is so much faster. [Sony] did talk about it and they did add a little bit of it to Confrontation, the heavier weapons like the M60 affects the speed of the player.
Did you ever take the developers out in the field?
Rob Roy: We took the guys out from Slant Six and let them experience combat. They experienced the tension, the threat of being shot. We did it in inclement weather, so it wasn’t like a sunny day. I took a couple of other SEALs with me. They really got to experience it. It was eight to one, them against me. I got all of them but one. He came around the backside of a mountain and he got me. He was good. He let his buddies get shot and he stalked me. We used AirSoft weapons that do a fairly good job of replicating the look, weight and feel of the real thing.
Do you think SOCOM has any affect on SEAL recruitment?
Rob Roy: I think the game does a great job of that. It’s a brand, the SOCOM franchise. It’s a brand that, I wouldn’t say the SEALs work with but, as a consultant and a guy that’s been on the posters and all that stuff, it’s a SEAL game. Naval Special Warfare has a relationship with Sony that allows them to use the SEAL emblem, they brand it and say, “OK they use that emblem and it represents what SEALs are like.” When kids see it, and it’s the only game on the market they realize that it has something to do with Naval Special Warfare and if they want to know more about the SEALs they can use it as an avenue to get there. The game isn’t a recruitment tool. But it is a branding tool because it does have Navy SEALs in it. And recruiting has gone up because it does give more of a universal appeal to the SEALs. You would be surprised at how many people have not heard of the program.
