The developers from Ubisoft Montreal seem to try really hard to stay faithful to the source material, in this case - the state of Montana. The devs used a complicated process called photogrammetry to recreate the beautiful territory, its flora and fauna. They took hundreds of high-resolution photos to make sure that their game will be grounded and as real as possible.
But what exactly hides behind the term? If you ever played games like Get Even The Vanishing of Ethan Carter you've seen the results. Filled with details and unique textures, complicated, real-looking objects and even the physics behind the illumination - that all comes from the process. Developers photograph an object from various directions and a computer does the rest - it recreates the photos and shapes an object into the three-dimensional reality.
You can see how Far Cry 5's developers used the process and how they tried to recreate the culture of Montana (including a pretty gameplay-heavy fishing game) down below:
Welcome to Hope County, Montana, home to a fanatical doomsday cult known as The Project at Eden’s Gate that is threatening the community's freedom. Stand up to the cult’s leader, Joseph Seed and the Heralds, and spark the fires of resistance that will liberate the besieged community. In this expansive world, your limits and creativity will be tested against the biggest and most ruthless baddest enemy Far Cry has ever seen. It’ll be wild and it’ll get weird, but as long as you keep your wits about you, the residents of Hope County can rest assured you’re their beacon of hope.
Join the Resistance on February 27, 2018, with Far Cry 5. Available on PS4, Xbox One, and PC.