Wildman Interview With Chris Taylor of Gas Powered Games

Posted on February 3, 2013 by Robert

Recently I spoke with Chris Taylor of Gas Powered Games about their new game Wildman which is being funded via Kickstarter, Chris was kind enough to speak to us about the game as well as using Kickstarter for funding the game.

What can you tell us about the game’s background and setting?

Chris Taylor – The game covers a huge expanse of time, from the dawn of man, about 200,000 years ago until medieval times. The idea is we follow the technological evolution of mankind, and put a focus on empire building around a single character, your Wildman.

What was behind the decision to use Kickstarter and what are the pros and cons of using it versus conventional development?

CT – We are a PC Game developer at heart, and over time we found it was harder and harder to find publishers will to invest in medium sized PC games. It was a huge gamble to go with Kickstarter to fund the game, but we weighed that against the challenge of finding a traditional publisher, which can take 3-6 months to sign a deal (more time than we had on the clock)..

Can you tell the readers an overview of how a game goes from concept to reality at a company and then how it works on Kickstarter?

CT – With the Kickstarter campaign, you bring the “backers” into the process, sharing the details of the design and production from day 1. It’s a very different approach, and it relies on openness and honesty at every level. The idea that backers get to see the game being made, practically right in front of their eyes, and can not only watch, but participate in the process helping to make important design decisions.

What would you say are the main reasons people chose to support a game via kickstarter and do you see it becoming more of the norm in the future?

CT – The design is manifold, but all things considered the entire package of using crowd funding offered many advantages, from the financing to the development process, and becoming more closely integrated with the customer… and cutting out all the folks in between which can often be distracting and confusing to the creative process.

What can you tell us about the character classes in the game and their abilities?

CT – We wanted the game to follow the model that we like, which I call a “Skill based class system”. This means that the Wildman starts out with no particular skills, and by having the player utilize a particular weapon or spell, becomes more adept in that area. It could be Melee, Ranged, Spirituality or Leadership to name a few of the top ideas that I’m working on right now.

What type of multiplayer will the game offer?

CT – The first release of the game will only feature COOP MP mode, and later, if the game is well received, we hope to add a PvP mode as well… but it’s worth emphasizing that we want to really deliver on the single player game experience first and foremost.

What can you tell us about the gaming engine you are using?

CT – We are using an evolved version of our popular streaming world engine. This engine is very flexible and allows any size and shape of world, and allows us to design an overland experience, which seamlessly transitions into dungeons… all the things that made Dungeon Siege a success like the spiral staircases and multi-floored towers are possible.

Compare and contrast the game to Dungeon Siege please and what new features will it bring to the genre?

CT – I think there will be a familiar feeling to those who enjoyed Dungeon Siege, but the game at its heart is new and different, especially in theme and gameplay. WIldman is focused around the technology evolution of man, and around the idea that once this technology is discovered, the player gets to try using it on the battlefield by equipping an army with the new weapon, armor or other technological advancements. We are really working to elevate Action RPG to the next level by introducing some of the best aspects of RTS gameplay in what we call, the war zone.

What can you tell us about the leveling system in the game and the size of the gaming world?

CT – We are aiming for between 20 and 40 hours of gameplay, and during that time the Wildman (or Wildwoman) will level up according to the player’s choices and play style. We imagine that in a single play through the character will become fairly advanced in a single area, and have captured about 30-40 percent of the available technology in the world, and that upon multiple play-throughs, this will increase and approach 100 percent. What’s cool about Wildman is that we are releasing the development tools so that backers can create mods and release their own worlds as well.

Will the game feature co-op is so how many players?

CT – Yes, COOP MP will allow for up to 5v5 games, and all combinations in between.

What can you tell us about the music and voice work in game?

CT – The incredibly talented Jeremy Soule will be composing the music, and we will use local Seattle voice talent for the in-game characters.

How will weather be incorporated in game and what can you tell us about the A.I. in game?

CT – Weather is supported in the game engine, rain and snow are two of the prominent forms, as well as the potential for day and night cycles. Our goal is to create the most compelling enemy AI every experienced in a game of this kind… making the player feel as if they are playing against a very real and capable opponent.

If funding is reached, when do you expect the game to be completed?

CT – With the already completed set of development tools, our goal is to deliver the game in under a year, targeting March 2014 as a completion date.

Learn more about how you can support Wildman Here

Check out the latest issue of our new magazine at Barnes and Noble Here for the Nook, Tablets, and Smartphones.
Barnes and Noble Link

Posted in Gaming Interviews

We Tallk The Elder Scrolls Online with Paul Sage

Posted on January 28, 2013 by Robert

We recently spoke with ZeniMax Online Studio’s creative director, Paul Sage about the hottly anticipated Elder Scrolls Online. Paul was kind enough to tell us what he could about the game but some of our questions had to remain in secret until a later date.

Check out the latest issue of our new magazine at Barnes and Noble Here for the Nook, Tablets, and Smartphones.
Barnes and Noble Link

What is the background and setting for the game please?

The game is set in the Second Era before the rise of the Septim Dynasty almost 1000 years before the events in Skyrim. The old Empire is in disarray, and recently three powerful Alliances of nations have risen up on the continent of Tamriel. As each of these Alliances gathers for war against the others, they are almost oblivious to the fact that a dark pact between a Daedric prince and the rulers of the crumbling Empire threatens the world.

What are some of the player types and their abilities?

Players will have access to many different skills and abilities. What they choose to become an expert in is really up to them. Players can choose to become experts in certain weapons such as two-handed weapons, they can become experts in the art of healing, or they might choose to concentrate more on things which enhance their skill in armor. As they gain new abilities or skills, players will add abilities to their shortcut bar. How they fill this bar, really defines how they want to play right now, or their role.

For example, some players might choose to fill their bar with healing abilities, and they might choose to equip a healing staff. So the role they have chosen is one of healing and support. However, that same player might, on a different day, choose to go for more defensive abilities. The longer you play The Elder Scrolls Online, the broader in scope what your character can do becomes.

How will player customizations be handled?

Players will have a ton of ways to customize their character, some of which I touched on in the question regarding player types. From the very beginning players will choose which alliance they wish to become a part of, which race they are, what they look like, and what skills they wish to start with. As players gain experience in the game, they will choose to add to their health, magicka or stamina, and they will choose which abilities they acquire.

Then there are the other ways they will customize their character: which armor, which weapons and which clothing they will wear. They’ll also make choices in quests and other important situations that will further differentiate their experience from that of other players.

What will the in game economy be like?

What we hope it will be like is players will have to work hard to get the gear they really want, but will feel rewarded every time they do. Obviously having a huge economy, especially in the megaserver environment is going to be a challenge, but we are looking to make sure players never feel poor, but few should ever feel rich. Players should have enough items and in game money to play how they want.

Combat is key to the series so what can you tell us about the combat and casting system in the game?

I really feel players are in for a treat with our combat. You don’t have to hold down a button on your mouse to look around, you just move your mouse. By default, the primary weapon attack is on the left mouse button, and the longer that button is held down, the harder the attack. Right mouse button blocks and abilities are fired off using the 1-6 keys on the keyboard. We kept the controls simple because what is happening in the game world should be more interesting than what is happening in the UI.

Our combat has a visceral feel to it; you’re looking into the world and you’re reacting to what is going on there. Players are going to feel much more in control of their character. Put simply, if someone played Skyrim or Oblivion, they’re going to be able to get right into our game and play.

What game engine are you using for the game and what are some of the features it allows you to include that are new to the genre?

Our engineering team has worked diligently on our toolset. Players are going to see a large variety of quest content in the game. There will be quests that really are different from what people have played before in MMOs. Our design team has been able to put these quests together fairly quickly given the scope of the quests. The toolset has enabled us to do that.

Also, I’ve shown the game to a lot of different people over the last couple of months. I have not had one person who hasn’t said something about the game being beautiful or pretty. That is a credit to both our art team and our tech team. When you consider that you can also get 200 players on the screen at once and it runs on PCs or MACs that are five years old, then I think you understand why the team is pretty happy with our engineers.

There is also our megaserver tech, our highly reactive combat, our customizability, etc.

What have been the biggest challenges in creating the game and the biggest rewards?

I’d say making sure a service is up and running alongside the game is probably the biggest challenge. You have to have a huge IT effort, customer service team effort, as well as just making the game. You also have to make sure those things are seamless for the player. Players just want to play the game, they don’t care about all those other things unless they aren’t working.

One challenge on the game side has to be making three completely different alliances, each with a completely unique experience. Also challenging is taking something that people really love, like Elder Scrolls, and crafting the right amount of familiarity for fans of the series, while making sure it is still fun in a huge online multiplayer setting.

Tell us about the mass combat abilities of the game and how day/night combat will work please as what we saw at E3 last year looked amazing.

You might be referring to what we call ‘synergy’ abilities. Those abilities are special abilities where one player casts it, and another player can augment it. The system is incredibly simple and is not meant to be a timing puzzle. As long as the player is aware of what is going on around him or her, then it is as easy as walking into a specific area and pressing a key. Again, we want to encourage people to cooperate and have fun playing together.

There is a day/night cycle, but we aren’t commenting on how or if that would affect combat at this time.

Will the game have a branching storyline as it appeared at the E3 preview that players could chose quests and side missions that would alter the look of the landscape and gaming universe.

Players will be able to make a lot of choices in the game. A branching storyline would seem to imply there is only one, and so I want to be careful and say that there are lots of different storylines and many have choices that affect the outcome of that storyline as well as the player’s experience throughout the rest of the game.

Posted in Gaming Interviews

Company of Heroes 2 Interview With Game Director Quinn Duffy

Posted on December 21, 2012 by Robert

As our cover story for the December 2012 issue of our magazine, I got the chance to speak with Quinn Duffy who is the Game Director for the pending Company of Heroes 2. I got a chance to play the game at PAX Prime and loved it. The following are selections from the interview, you can read the full interview in our latest issues which is available at Barnes and Noble. The full interview talks about new units, multiplayer, and much more.

Skewed and Reviewed Magazine at Barnes and Noble

What made you decide to use the Eastern Europe front for this version and how much continuity is there from the last game in the series?

In the original Company of Heroes, we covered four months out of the six years of the war so there were a lot of stories left for us to tell. We actually wanted to do an Eastern Front expansion for the original game, but we just couldn’t do it justice with the technology we had. When it came to do Company of Heroes 2, there were two things on our mind. First, we couldn’t leave the biggest part of the largest conflict in human history alone, and secondly we wanted to support our fans with a new game in a new location where we could use our brand new Essence Engine to provide all kinds of cool new tactical features and environmental gameplay.

In terms of continuity, there is no connection narratively to the original game. The new game is a little darker in tone to help deliver on the brutality and ruthlessness of the war on the Eastern Front. However, we were really conscious of the fact that the gameplay in COH was much-loved, and we wanted to recapture that feeling with the sequel. It has the same intensity and drama of the first game, but feels fresh and looks amazing.

What can you tell us about the technological advances using Essence v3.0 allowed you to include in the game?
Lots of stuff! We started with how the engine should be built to help support the creative vision of the game. Its whole job was to make the game look better, feel better, sound better, and play better. But of course, that meant we needed to deliver on the tone and experience of the Eastern Front. We really wanted to make sure we have the best ice and snow of any game and that it not just look pretty, but be part of the gameplay experience. We wanted cold weather to impact gameplay, we wanted new tactical options with our TrueSight system, we wanted the game to run faster, so we can multithread now and put more effort into our visuals and audio to support the gameplay and deliver a really compelling experience.

Weather has played a part in strategy and battles in the first game and in the expansions. What made you decide to use the Coldtech system to make weather an even larger part of the game experience?
It’s more a case of building Coldtech to make the Eastern Front experience more relatable and to deliver on the tone. The Soviets and Germans both spoke of General Winter and he’s really a neutral third team in the experience. He’ll make both sides suffer if players don’t adapt, but he’s really there to illustrate – very graphically – the consequence of choice and sacrifice. That’s a theme that the franchise, and this game in particular, really explores.

Compared to the last game, what was it like casting the voice actors for this game?
Much more challenging to be honest – it’s a case of finding actors who sound Russian and German, but not too Russian and German. We found a great partner in London, England that we also used on Space Marine and we have some great actors lined up. Speech in the game is super critical from a feedback perspective, and for tone so it’s critical for us to get great writing and great actors together.

In our hands-on session, we found the gameplay intense, challenging and honestly, very stressful. How typical is this of the experience you wanted for the players?
I’d be disappointed if it didn’t cause some of those emotions. I firmly believe that intensity comes from engagement with the game, so that’s really a great sign. If players aren’t engaged, they won’t care about the outcomes, they won’t feel the stress, and they won’t play the game for very long.

Where do you see the franchise heading in the future? How likely do you think it would be to see the franchise take on the Pacific theater?

When we kicked off Company of Heroes 2 we took a long look at the creative vision and tried to determine what it was that made the game feel the way it does. Now we have a Creative Vision for the franchise that we could move into any theater of war or any time period. Company of Heroes is set in World War 2, but it certainly doesn’t have to stay there.

Posted in Gaming Interviews
Christopher Emerson Talks About Resident Evil 6 and How He Brought Piers Nevin to Life Posted on December 7, 2012 by Robert Recently I got to spak with actor Christopher Emerson who plays Piers Nivans in RESIDENT EVIL 6. Aside from voicing the character, Christopher also provided the motion capture work and speaks to us about his experiences bringing the character to life. What can you tell us about your character and what attracted you to the part? Piers Nivans, the young sniper ace of the B.S.A.A., is a naturally gifted soldier, much like his fellow captain Chris Redfield. Due to his extreme sharpness and concentration, he is known as “the man who never misses a target”. He is also characterized as a person with a strong sense of responsibility and an astute discernment, being able to influence his teammates into the correct course in the battlefield. It’s because of these qualities that makes Piers a trusted and valuable comrade of Chris, who regards him as the figure that will lead the B.S.A.A. one day. In RE6, he’s determined to find Chris, who was MIA due to his loss of memory, and have him returned as the leader of the BSAA team once again. The character qualities that attracted me most to the role of Piers Nivans were his sense of honor, integrity and his passion to… well… kick ass and save the f#@%ing world. That’s why he fights so hard to bring Chris back into the fray. He knows that Chris might be the last military hope standing between civilization’s survival and its total destruction. No matter what, Piers is going to make Chris remember and restore him to his rightful place as the ultimate hero he was and needs to be again. Piers is sort of the Sam Gamgee to Chris Redfield’s Frodo Baggins…if…you know… Sam packed a BFG. What sort of research did you do for the role and how did it compare and contrast with past roles? Being hired to be Piers Nivans, I as Christopher Emerson was essentially being recruited to be a member of the BSAA, Bioterrorism Security Assessment Alliance, THE anti-bioterrorism defense organization arm of the UN. And as all fans of these games know, this team is often the last line of defense against… well… a REEEEEALLY bad day. If, of course, by “bad day” you mean the complete devastation of the human race at the hands of such ego-maniacal hair gel addicts such as Albert Wesker in previous games. So…to be true to that? To honor that and respect the realism for unforgivingly discerning fans? YEAH! You bet your sweet C-virus I prepared for this role! I actually watched a lot of video file footage of embedded journalists in the gulf wars and Iraq invasion to be able to bring a respectful authenticity to the way a team like this communicates, advances, bounds together, and really takes care of some brutal business in real life. I think gamers and real world soldiers alike deserve such due diligence being paid to these details when portraying the dark hell of war, even if it is zombies and monsters. Any concerns about being part of such a huge series knowing how fanatical the fans are and how serious they take the game and it’s characters? For me there were never really any hesitations or concerns. I have the advantage of playing a brand-new lead character being introduced to the franchise for the first time in Resident Evil 6. So with Piers Nivans, not being a legacy character, there’s a little bit of room to breathe without the pressure of living up to previously constructed expectations. That being said you still have to respect the fact that you are walking into the house that Capcom built. There’s a certain reverence and respect you pay walking into such a project for the first time like this. It’s sort of the exact opposite of that dinner scene in Borat. Contribute without ego. Create selflessly to tell the most affective and authentic story. Even more so than any producer or director actually in the studio, the fans out there spot bad acting and hotdogging BS faster than Ada Wong can get a drink at a bar. Even if Leon is bartending. What was a typical day of filming like and how much input did you have during the process? As typical as fighting invisible zombies in a small padded room lined with infrared cameras while your body and face are covered in motion capture gear can be… We’d usually go for these 5-hour long recording sessions. The day would start with about 30-45 minutes in a makeup chair getting little silver motion capture tracking dots spirit gummed to your face. Throw on special clothing with larger motion tracking balls on it that’s fitted and makes you look like the ninja version of a scuba diver. And then… it’s time to jump into the recording booth. Liam O’Brien, rockgod voice director of the game, is such an accomplished voice artist pro himself, that he’d expertly craft this ramp up of vocal strain through the session. Meaning, in hour one, it’s all the whispers needed for that day. “Pssst, over here.” “Careful.” “Hey, Chris, I think I heard something.” “Was that you?” Then by hour 5 it’s… “GET OVER HERE!!!!!” “THERE’S TOO MANYYYYYYY!!!!” “CCCCHHHHHRRRRRIIIIISSSSSS!!!!!!!” “NOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!” “I NEED A THROAT LOZENGE!!!!!!” “BLAAAAAAARRRRRGGGGGHHHHHH!!!” Liam was so awesome to work with; every session was a real give-and-take collaboration. Though you find his fantastically maniacal brain spitting out ideas that are almost always a thousand times better than yours, you are more than happy to “take” more than worry about the “give.” How would you compare/contrast working with motion capture to other acting work you have done and which do you prefer and why? It’s completely fascinating. It’s a radically new way to tell story. Motion capture is the nascent technology of which we’ve only barely started to scratch the surface. As a voiceover artist it allows you to play roles that you’re fully capable of breathing life into via your voice talents, but may not be physically right for the part had it been an on-camera film role. The realism and authenticity the technology lends to these game worlds is breathtaking and yields such an immersive and enriching experience unlike anything before it. With all that said, at the end of the day, the most important part of any good piece, be it a film, TV show, on stage, or in a video game, is telling good story. Effective story. As an actor you are constantly “chasing Amy”, trying to give the perfect performance or tell your character’s tale the best you can. This technology both in films and in video games opens up incredible frontiers for actors to tell stories and portray characters in previously unimagined ways. Just ask Andy Serkis. Who would be your ultimate cast and director to work with and in what type of project? In video games, it would awesome to be directed by Liam O’Brien, alongside this really killer cast we had in RE6 again. I mean, Courtenay Taylor, Troy Baker, Matthew Mercer, Roger Craig Smith, Eden Riegel, Laura Bailey, AND Yuri Yowenthal? Too much fun! Throw in some Nolan North, Jennifer Hale, Peter Jessop, and DC Douglas… and we’ll take a flamethrower to the place! On TV… an Aaron Sorkin show. Anything Sorkin. Doesn’t matter. He writes it, I’ll read it. For film, which is where my heart and highest ambitions lie, I really want to work with the new-ish director Duncan Jones who did Moon with Sam Rockwell and Source Code with Jake Gyllenhaal What do you like to do in your free time and which movies are on your to watch list? I am a licensed helicopter pilot, so when I get the chance, which I hope increases in the future, I would like to spend that free time flying more often. I travel as much as I can. Enjoy learning languages. Lately, I have had a bug up my butt about being able to solve any Rubik’s cube in under a minute. Yep. So that will torture me until it’s done. As for movies, I like to split my watch list between old classics, independents, and the latest and greatest. So for every Casablanca and High Noon there is a Bottle Shock and salivating for the next Star Trek. What do you look for from a director to help you give your best performance and what type of characters do you tend to be drawn to? Focus and specific knowledge of what they want. Couple that with an effectively ability to communicate those desires and you have an outstanding director. I tend to gravitate toward the flawed, broken, and hopeful characters. I am attracted to the dark side of nature, of humanity. It’s there that you find the most incredible testaments to character. So, those director traits become very important, when you are portraying such roles to be able to put your full faith and trust into your director’s hands to get you through. When you consider a script or a potential TV or film project, what elements tend to draw you in and make you want to work on that film? I put a lot of trust into the very first read of a script. How a respond, what I think, how the story affects me. And then, if the idea of taking on a certain role scares me, then that’s the one I want. I like the danger of failing. I like taking risks. Life’s too short not to be perpetually stepping out into the unknown. Which games are you playing now, are on your to play list, and what do you think of the Wii U? Perfect “next question.” We were getting all deep and introspective, enough of that! LOL Well, don’t you know, Capcom has me under contract to play Resident Evil 6 on a constant never ending loop right now. I have started to just blurt callouts at random things, like in line at the store. The cash register opens and I yell, “Good work!!! NICE!!!”, while give the clerk a fist-pumping thumbs up. Let’s see… I am finally making a big push to finish LA Noire, which I love. Now that we’re wrapping up the year, I will be starting a bunch. Skyrim, Halo 4, Batman Arkham City, Red Dead Redemption, many others. I’ve got some catching up to do. What can you tell us about your upcoming projects? I have been hitting my twitter feed at @PlanetEmerson a bunch with some really cool things on the horizon. I will continue to be a voice of Southwest Airlines TV campaigns, I will be the lead in a very fun, dark and sinister horror film called Antioch, filming early February. Then, late Spring, I will be in Biloxi, MS filming a lead in a psychological thriller with the great Eric Roberts and the fantastic Juliet Landau under the direction of Price Hall. So, exciting 2013 on the way! Final question, what is the one thing about acting that most people are shocked when you tell them? It’s so funny that you are asking this question. Because, when I was just in Biloxi, Mississippi on a pre-production trip for the Eric Roberts movie, a woman actually asked me if it’s possible to work in Hollywood WITHOUT selling your soul. She was dead serious too. So I guess, right now I would say, some people are shocked to hear that actually… no… no way…. it’s absolutely not possible. Kidding, of course. Wait… will kids read this? Then, yes, of course it’s possible. Live your dreams. Stay in school. And don’t do drugs. And… only you can prevent forest fires. The more you know! Posted in Gaming Interviews Far Cry 3 Interview Posted on November 26, 2012 by Robert We have a full interview with Mark Thompson, Lead Level Designer for Far Cry 3 in the December issue of our magazine. You can find it at… Buy Our Magazine and Help Support Sandy Victims As a preview, we are posting select questions from our interview. Look for the game on December 3rd. What are some of the weapons players will be able to use? We have a huge selection of guns, we are a shooter at the core and having that moment-to-moment combat experience feel tight and polished was one of the foundations of the game. Everything you would expect in terms of pistols, SMGs, assault rifles, LMGs, sniper rifles, grenade launchers, etc. We also have a customization system so you can personalize your weapons to suit your play style. If you are more of a stealthy player, you can add a sound suppressor. If you like to be loud and straightforward you can add an extended magazine and a recoil reducing muzzle. My favorite weapon is the bow. We have a crafting system that allows you to make your own special arrows. This means that the bow can be a great long-range stealth weapon for silent kills. But by using a fire-tip arrow or an explosive-tip arrow you really have a versatile weapon capable of some insane combat moments. What type of multiplayer will the game offer? We have a large multiplayer offering, we have a dedicated four-player co-op campaign that can be played online or offline including split-screen play. We have multiple PvP modes that reward and encourage team play as players face off in a blood feud between Vaas’ pirates and Citra’s rebel warriors. On top of that we also have the map editor which allows players to create and share their own islands of insanity in the Far Cry 3 world. We are introducing a brand new single player sandbox mode to the map editor that will allow players to experiment with wildlife, and AI to create their own insane scenarios. What are some of the biggest obstacles you see in creating the game, and what are your biggest goals for the game? One of our biggest goals was to create a real, living, breathing open world, a place that players could really become immersed in exploring and discovery. We wanted to make sure that the world was rewarding so we created a number of interconnected systems that would encourage exploration and would also reward discovery on a number of levels. It all comes back to surviving the island. Early on you won’t have the best equipment or weapons. If you want to carry more weapons or get more weapon upgrades you will need to head out into the jungle, down into the temples, or up the mountains to find the components you need to get better equipment. The island is there to support players if they spend the time they will be duly rewarded, just watch out for the tigers. What can you tell us about the gaming engine and what it will bring to the table? Far Cry 3 uses the Dunia engine which is built on the technology proven in Far Cry 2. We’ve expanded on the engine to provide a true open world where you can get to any point of the world that you can see without a loading screen or waiting time. The lighting pipeline was reworked so we could explore interior locations which allowed us to create caves and temples and mines, and really allow players to discover a world underneath the jungle to expand the possibilities for exploration and discovery. What have been the biggest challenges in creating the game and the biggest rewards? The biggest reward is when you listen to people talk with each other after they play the game. Three people who all play the same section of the game will have completely different stories about what they did, what they saw, and the insanity that happened around them. Sometimes you’ll hear a story about a bear getting loose and attacking pirates, other times you’ll hear about the time the Rakyat showed up at a side quest which distracted the pirates, sometimes you’ll hear about punching a shark in the face to get a relic at the bottom of a shipwreck. It’s always great when you hear people talking about things that you didn’t even know were possible in the game. Posted in Gaming Interviews We Talk Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn, The Twilight Saga and X-Men With Daniel Cudmore Posted on September 25, 2012 by Robert Daniel Cudmore is a very busy actor and he was kind enough to speak to us about voicing Master Chief in the new Halo series. He also talked to us about his work in “Twilight” and “The X-Men” series. This is a shorter version of the interview, the full interview will appear in our October magazine. You can subscribe for just .50 cents a month and get the latest issue at Barnes and Noble, simply click the link below. August Magazine Are you a fan of the Halo franchise and if so, what is your favorite game in the series? It’s funny because when my wife and I were first dating she bought me a Halo game as a present. I had bought an Xbox and she wanted to impress me by getting the latest hot game and that’s what they recommended at the store. Halo was the only game I played front to back, all the others didn’t last long, but I’m not such a big fan that I’ve played all of them and have a favorite. I will say though, from what I’ve played of Halo 4, it’s pretty unreal. Which games have you enjoyed recently and what are you looking forward to playing? I got to play Halo 4 at Comic Con and was completely beat down by the guys at 343! I can’t wait to play the whole game. I did play a bit of Assassins Creed back in the day and would definitely like to play the newer versions. What drew you to the role of Master Chief and what can you tell us about it? It’s a very cool character; he’s iconic even though you don’t know much about him through the game. A lot more is explained in the fictional books. I was originally drawn to the role at first because Master Chief is the ultimate badass soldier, but the more I read in the books of his origins and who he really is, the more I like him as a character. What character components are you focusing on when creating the role of Master Chief? It’s hard because I’m in a suit, but I still have to act as this character for the other actors to get what they need out of the scenes. So for me, a lot went into the feeling of being battle hardend and trained at an elite level. I had to try and make him seem agile, precise and fast all the while wearing an amazing suit that’s not the easiest to move in. What are some of the big difference for you in doing a web series versus major Motion picture, versus TV series? It’s interesting because when you think of a web series, they don’t typically have the same resources as a major motion picture or TV series. However, this project had a much better budget and an amazing cast and crew, so at no point did it feel different than filming a major motion picture or a T.V series. With Twilight coming to a conclusion, what are your thoughts on your character, the series, and the fandom associated with it? I’m happy that I got to play Felix. Of course, like any actor, I would like to see him grow more in the series, but it doesn’t make sense in the story. He was a lot of fun to play, and it was such a great opportunity to be part of the Twilight craze. The fans are absolutely amazing and having people enjoy your projects as much as you do, is all you can really ask for. As a follow up, any fun or bizarre fan experience you can share? I’ve been pretty good, but I did have a grandma try and grope my stomach once..so that was weird Looking back, what were some of your most memorable experiences from X-Men and what did you think of “X-Men: First Class”? I think being in such a massive movie with amazing actors early in my career, just really blew me away. I do remember flying over to Victoria, BC for some filming and being in the rear of the plane with Sir Ian Mckellan, Halle Berry, Hugh Jackman, and just thinking “how did I get here?” I thought “First Class” was great. As a moviegoer, it was a blast to watch Posted in Gaming Interviews, Movie Interviews Rise of the Triad Interview Posted on September 12, 2012 by Robert Recently I spoke with Frederik Schreiber (FS), CEO and creative lead at Interceptor Entertainment, and Terry Nagy (TN), chief creative officer at Apogee about their new game Rise of the Triad. Rise is a remake of the classic 3D shooter from a time before 3D graphic cards, and when online play involved dialing in on a modem. They were kind enough to answer all of our questions about this awesome looking game. What is the storyline for the game? TN: Since we are staying true to the original game, the overall storyline will remain intact. We may change a few things here and there to add support to items within the game for which no explanation was given in the original game, but that’s it. Why bring the game back now and how did the decision to do some come about? TN: Over the past few years, there have been “mentions” of a reboot of Rise of the Triad, and there seemed to be a great deal of interest from the gaming community on the subject. We had a few different attempts to remake the project, but none of the attempts quite hit the mark of what we would consider an impact remake of the classic game. I was tracking the progress Interceptor Entertainment was making on the Duke Reloaded project, and was quite impressed with their ability to take a classic game and re-envision it with all updated technology and, most importantly, keeping it fun. Once I saw that the Reloaded project was put on hold, I immediately contacted Frederik of Interceptor regarding Rise of the Triad with our proposal. A mere 5 months after we started work on the project we were showing it at QuakeCon 2012. Will any of the people who helped create the original game be involved with the new versions? TN: Yes. Joe Siegler who worked on the original game and did most of the level design for Extreme Rise of the Triad is working with Interceptor Entertainment. We also have some exciting news to share regarding the music composer. The others we contacted were unfortunately engaged in other projects at the time and were not able to be involved. What can you tell us about the music and voice talent in the game? TN: Interceptor’s musician Andrew Hulshult is doing a fantastic job of preserving the essence of the original songs created by Lee Jackson and introducing his own personal creativity to give the songs an updated sound while also taking them in a new direction. So finding a balance between classic and new direction is our challenge. However, we are including an option to allow the game to be played with the classic songs, sounds and voiceovers. As for the voice talent in the game, we have put together an interesting bunch to portray the Triad and bring some personality to the H.U.N.T team. The original game didn’t allow for the H.U.N.T to have any personality due to technical limits of the day, but now we have the opportunity to introduce the H.U.N.T to gamers and bring those personalities forward. Will players still be able to do “Dog Mode” FS: They sure will! We are particular proud of our Dog Mode. Aside from graphics, what would you say are the biggest differences between the old version and the new one? FS: The new one focuses heavily on scoring. Everything you do in the game gives you points. From speed-running through levels and finding secrets to killing enemies in new and creative ways. We have global leaderboards for the entire game and each level, so you can compare your scores with others. What are some of the weapons players will be able to use? FS: We have a lot of crazy weapons. From the extremely powerful Excalibat, which shoots exploding baseballs, to the Flamewall, which creates a wall of fire. If you like crazy weapons, this game is the one to play. What enemies will players face and will there be vehicles that players can use? FS: You couldn’t use vehicles in the original, and you can’t use vehicles in our game. On the flip side, we have some crazy enemies and bosses you will meet. Everything from death monks and heavy guards, to robots and monsters. What can you tell us about the gaming engine and what it will bring to the table? FS: We are using a modified version of Unreal Engine 3, to bring the game alive. We support all the latest features you would expect from a current generation game. The best feature though, is that we will be able to supply users with our Editor, so they can create their own content to the game. What type of multiplayer will the game offer? FS: At launch the game will supply the classic multiplayer features, such as Deathmatch and Capture the Flag. The important fact here is that the game is fully moddable. We expect fans will create a variety of new and awesome game modes, and we will release free DLC down the road, which further expands the multiplayer part of the game. What are some of the biggest obstacles you see in creating the game, and what are your biggest goals for the game? FS: Some of the biggest obstacles were our own ambition to create a game on such a short schedule. We want to create a great game, but we also want a game that fans can play very soon. Our goals are to create an extremely fast-paced and fun experience for old- and new school gamers. Posted in Gaming Interviews | Tagged Rise of the Triad Planetside 2 Interview With Senior Game Designer Jason Good Posted on August 28, 2012 by Robert Recently we spoke with Jason Good, Senior Game Designer on the upcoming Planetside 2. What I saw of the game at E3 was amazing and as part of our PAX Prime 2012 coverage we get the details on what is shaping up to be an awesome game. What is the background and setting for the game please? After traveling through a worm hole on a mission of exploration, a fleet of human spacecraft are stranded at the far end of the galaxy, cut off from Earth. They colonize the planet of Auraxis, a world full of mysterious alien artifacts that pave the way for leaps forward with technology. Over 200 years of strife and social breakdown, tensions have devolved into war between three empires: o The Terran Republic: The historic authority on Auraxis, the Terran Republic is obsessed with the preservation of law and order and is seen by some to be an oppressive and dictatorial force – though many view the TR as the only hope for lasting security. o The New Conglomerate: The New Conglomerate operates as a loosely organized band of dissidents, vehemently opposed to the stranglehold that the Terran Republic has on Auraxis. Led by an unusual quorum of outcasts, industry titans, pirates and former military leaders, they are willing to achieve their goals by any means necessary. o Vanu Sovereignty: The Vanu Sovereignty is extremely advanced, employing powerful alien technology on the battlefield. Their singular purpose is to uncover the secrets hidden away in ancient artifacts scattered over the surface of Auraxis and they will annihilate anyone who interferes. Why was there such a long gap between PlanetSide 1 and PlanetSide 2? • There are numerous factors that played into this, but the foremost is that the technology that a game like PlanetSide 2 requires just didn’t exist. The original PlanetSide was able to deliver a scale that was unparalleled, but due to the technology available at the time, the shooter element of the game wasn’t as deep as many people would have liked. With PlanetSide 2, we have a decade of new technology and the brand new ForgeLight™ engine that we created to meet the specific needs we’d have for a game like this – so not only can we blow away the scope of the original PlanetSide, we can do it without sacrificing any of the mechanics we’ve all come to expect in a modern shooter. What are some of the challenges you have encountered blending a MMORPG and a 3D Shooter? • An MMORPG needs a sense of progression and advancement in order to keep people engaged over the long term, but in a skill based shooter it would be pretty frustrating to get rocked by potentially less skilled “high level” players simply because they’d been playing longer than you. With that in mind, it’s definitely been an interesting challenge to keep that sense of progression without making an unbalanced playing field; we’ve had to be very careful. As a result, we focus more on choice and specialization as players advance as opposed to simply making them “better” than starting characters – but that’s a more time consuming and tricky thing to execute well than simply bumping stats on characters and weapons. How will Player VS Player be handled in the release? • All of the gameplay in PlanetSide 2 is PVP, so it’s going to be hard to miss. Players generate all of the content through the actions they take. What are some of the player types and their abilities as we have heard about the three factions? • All empires have access to 6 different classes, and each of them can be tailored to more specialized strengths and play styles with equipment and certifications: o Light Assault: a highly mobile attacker that makes use of jump jets that give them a tactical advantage over other infantry units on the battlefield. o Heavy Assault: heavily armored and packing the big guns, this class is useful for taking out enemy vehicles. o Combat Medic: has the ability to both heal and revive injured and fallen allies. A force multiplier that will make any squad or platoon more powerful o Engineer: Able to repair vehicles, turrets, and MAX suits, the engineer is an integral support class with access to various deployables and explosives. o Infiltrator: Has the ability to cloak, make use of sniper rifles, and access advanced recon and hacking devices. o MAX: Utilizing an armored exo-suit, the MAX is a heavily armored mobile weapons platform, sacrificing agility for firepower. What are some of the weapons and vehicles players will have access to and how have attempted to balance them out? • Balance is always ongoing at this stage of a project, and opening up Beta is going to help us a ton on that front. That said, here’s a brief overview of how we approached the design for weapons and vehicles. • o Weapons: The goal is to make weapons of a particular type (all pistols, all sniper rifles, etc) balanced against each other, but with different strengths and weaknesses that will allow players to be effective in their own style of play, or in specific circumstances. So one rifle may do more damage, but its bolt action, so you only get one shot. Another does less damage, but is semi-auto and you can fire multiple rounds. One is not inherently better than the other when all factors are considered; it depends on the situation and preferences of the player. o Vehicles: All the empires have access to a common pool of vehicles, so outside of the way players equip those vehicles; the factions are on a level playing field there. Where it starts to get interesting is in the faction specific tanks and air superiority fighters. These vehicles have a much more empire specific set of strengths and will outperform/underperform against each other in a myriad of ways. What game engine are you using for the game and what are some of the features it allows you to include that are new to the genre? • We are using the ForgeLight™ engine, which we’ve created in house with PlanetSide 2 in mind. I can’t speak to the detailed technical aspects, but from my perspective, the key thing that ForgeLight brings to the table is the ability to support thousands of players without needing to sacrifice the mechanics of a modern day shooter. It’s been pretty amazing to watch develop. How are missions assigned in the game and what are some mission types players will see? • What we originally had been calling “Missions”, we’re now calling “Hotspots” as a callback to the original PlanetSide. Here’s a quick overview: o The top five hotspots (as determined by a bunch of factors like population, combat activity, resources, influence, etc) appear on the Map screen. o You can click on these hotspots and they will expand out the details on the region/facility o From here, you can click an “Instant Action” button. After a short countdown, you’ll drop pod into the hotspot you’ve selected o While we want people to be able to get in and have fun quickly, we still want players to commit to the fight they have chosen, so there will be a cool down period before you can use “Instant Action” again. What have been the biggest challenges in creating the game and the biggest rewards? • I think it’s safe to say creating an MMO of any kind is one of the hardest things to try and execute as a game developer due to the scope and scale. Even with as much experience as we have as a company, in some ways we’ve had to tread in unknown territory with PlanetSide 2. No one in the industry has ever really done what we’re trying to do before. We tackle serious challenges on what feels like a daily basis, so it’s tough to single any one thing out. Luckily we’ve got a group of incredibly talented people working their butts off to get it done, along with the support of a fantastic community who is super passionate about the game. In terms of rewarding moments, I’d be hard pressed to top the first time we let players outside of the company in for testing – finally getting to see huge numbers of players battling it out was a fantastic feeling. Will the game be free to play or subscription based? • It’s totally free. You never have to pay us a dime if you don’t want to – but hopefully you’ll have enough fun that you’ll decide to spend some money on stuff like character and vehicle customizations. We will have an optional membership that offers some benefits that we’re still in the process of narrowing down, but we’re approaching that knowing we need to maintain a level playing field between subscribers and non-subscribers. • Tell us about the mass combat abilities of the game and how day/night combat will work please. • We’re targeting about 2000 players per continent and two continents at launch, so the game has a huge emphasis on massive combat. We’re optimizing constantly to make sure everything will run as smoothly as possible, even under that kind of load. • The game’s day/night cycle creates another tactical variable within combat. When it gets dark, it will impact your ability to see and indentify the enemy. Players can use the cover of darkness to do things like help mask troop movements and make being sneaky a bit easier. We’ll have some options available that will help counter the effects of darkness as well, but those tend to be things you’ll have to trade off for in your loadout. Posted in Gaming Interviews | Tagged Jason Good, Planetside 2 Heroes & Generals Interview With with Level Designer and co-founder at Reto-Moto, Peter Fleckenstein Posted on August 28, 2012 by Robert Recently I spoke with Level Designer and co-founder at Reto-Moto, Peter Fleckenstein about their new World War II game Heroes & Generals. Peter was kind enough to answer our questions about their awesome looking game. What is the background and setting for the game? When we started the design Heroes & Generals, which should be a new online multiplayer shooter and strategy game we were looking through several scenarios, and after many discussions we decided to go for a well-known era: WW2. The conflict fitted our design perfectly, and since it’s a well-documented and well-designed period in war history we could start very fast to get assets into the game. There is a broad appeal to WW2 – and the conventional warfare can be well balanced. The first (and current) setting is in Western Europe – from London to Berlin, throughout all of Europe. We have two factions at this point in time; the German and the US But it is our goal to expand with more factions and territories – since we’ll never stop developing the game. We won’t just have annual updates and expansion packs – but monthly or so. In games of this type, A.I. is often critical for the success of a game. How has the A.I. for the game been setup and what features will it have? Right now Heroes & Generals is PvP only, but on our developer server we have the first iteration of AI for some singleplayer missions like the “Interdiction” mission. In the Interdiction mission you fly in a fighter plane and need to take out as many wagons of a supply train as possible – but it’s guarded with mounted AA-guns, controlled by AI. There will be several missions later on where AI could be a fun feature, so keep an eye out for that. What are some of the units featured? Our strategic units are called Assault Teams, and these are the ones you can control as a General or Commander on the strategic map. All FPS missions are initialized when the Commanders attack an occupied battlefield on the strategic map. The current Assault Teams are Infantry, Anti-Tank Infantry, Mechanized Infantry, Recon, Tank Destroyer, Armor (Tanks), Paratroopers and Fighter Squadron. The Commanders plan which Assault Teams will be most efficient in a coordinated attack – it depends on the opponents’ strength and units. If you only attack with one type of Assault Team you might run into challenges – like Tanks works are very well as distance cover fire, but are not that useful in the cities and close combat. The scope of the game sounds amazing. What are some of the biggest obstacles you see in creating the game for a console and what are your biggest goals for the game? The PC online market is evolving quite a bit these days, and our main focus to be in this market. However, we’ll quite soon release an iOS/Android app called “Heroes & Generals: Mobile Command”, where you’ll be able to access and play the strategy part of the game on your mobile devices, including chatting with the other players. Consoles are not currently in the pipeline – but it will be doable with some changes. One of the challenges in creating a free2play game is to avoid pay2win. Are there mega weapons and if so, how do you balance giving players the destructive power they want, yet maintaining a balance in the game? We don’t have any nuclear bombs yet, but still – imagine that your faction during the war can develop nuclear bombs if you get the right resources. We try to make the overall balance between the factions a little bit different than other games. The Germans might have the most powerful (but slower) Tiger tank – but the US have very fast tank destroyers, that are fast to maneuverer and difficult to hit. The same balance goes for guns and planes – upsides and downsides for each asset. How is resource gathering handled for the game? Some battlefields on the map represent factories, and the resource flow will depend on how many factories your faction controls. We have many plans for further resource gathering – like a cluster of battlefields representing some mineral resources, etc. What forms of multiplayer will be featured? The first game mode is “Assault/Defend” – but where the access points to the map are controlled from the strategic map – so you’ll experience different scenarios almost every time you play. The resources you attack or defend with are also linked to the strategic map, so sometimes you are defending with just an Infantry unit versus fighter planes, tank units and motorized infantry. You can then blame it on the General if you lose.  Right now we only 12 vs. 12 players in each mission, but in the next build we’ll have 16 vs. 16 and it’s our goal to go much higher, like 64 vs. 64 on some maps. Weather has played a large part in strategy and battles in the past strategy games. How do you plan to implement weather conditions in the game and what can players look forward to? We currently have a day/night cycle and fog, so the tactics for the battles vary a lot even using the same environment. Infantry are at better use during the night than e.g. Tanks or Fighter Planes. A weather condition like fog also gives a huge impact on the feeling and gameplay – and we have a lot of other weather conditions lined up for future releases. Do you have a favorite unit and strategy when playing, and if so, what is it? Even though I’m getting old I like to move fast and furious, so I prefer the Mechanized Infantry with MG’s mounted on my jeeps and halftracks. I’m always equipped with SMG and grenades as I’m not camping in the forest as a sniper. What sort of missions and campaigns will players face? The campaigns will have different victory conditions. Right now we only operate with one victory condition, which is to conquer the opponents’ capital, but other scenarios, such as controlling 80% of all battlegrounds, etc., are also in the pipeline. Besides the “Assault/Defend” mission, which is a progressive CTF game mode with a number of central objectives, we currently have the “Skirmish” gamemode, which basically is Team Deathmatch. And the next game mode we’ll introduce will probably be the single player “Interdiction” mission. We have many other game modes planned – mostly multiplayer modes, but with the introduction of AI, we’ll also introduce more single player and coop missions. Official Site and Beta Sign Up Posted in Gaming Interviews | Tagged Heroes & Generals Transformers: Fall of Cybertron Interview Posted on August 17, 2012 by Robert We spoke with Dave Cravens, Senior Creative Director, High Moon Studios about the new Transformers: Fall of Cybertron game. I saw the game at E3 and Comic Con and it looks amazing. I want to thank Dave for answering our questions and also Kelvin at Activision for setting up the interview. What is the background and setting of the game? Tranformers: Fall of Cybertron takes place at the tail end of the civil war between Autobots and Decpeticons on their home planet of Cybertron. When our story starts, the good guys have lost. The planet core is so damaged its shutting down. Energon, their life giving fuel, is in scarce supply. Optimus Prime has just made the hardest call of his relatively short career as leader of the Autobots—that its time to leave their home forever. But Megatron, leader of the Decepticons, isn’t about to let that happen. He blames the Autobots for everything that’s happened to Cybertron and aims to wipe them out before he can set the world right again. The story takes place millions of years before the Transformers ever came to Earth, and does a great job of explaining why Earth is so important to them. How many playable characters will there be? A ton–each with its own distinctive personality and special power to really add a lot of variety of gameplay for the player. When I play as Starscream, I can cloak, jet around and take enemies from behind before they even know I’m there. When I play as Jazz, I have a grappling hook that gets me in and out of trouble. When I play as Optimus Prime, I can call in artillery strikes and order my city-sized buddy named Metroplex to step in and shatter buildings. When I play as Bruticus I’m a combination of five transformers into one! And of course when I play as Grimlock, I’m a fire breathing space T-rex!!!! There is so much more, but I don’t want to ruin all the surprises. What are some of the weapons as well as transformation options players will be able to select from? In the single player we’ve added a lot of new weapons, each of which can be upgraded or swapped out in our Teletraan store that players will encounter throughout the campaign. Transformation itself is always a game changer. With the exception of Grimlock, who has to earn his transformation into a T-rex by building RAGE, players can transform at any time and any place. WHAT you transform into, of course, varies from character to character. Starstream can change into a jet. Cliffjumper can change into a speedy little hovercar. Megatron turns into a tank. Each vehicle has its own weapons, feel, and strategy as to how to best play them. What forms of mulitplayer will the game feature? Fall of Cybertron has everything you would expect from a great multiplayer game, but on top of all that we give you a powerful character creator. For the first time, players can really create the transformer they imagine in their head and customize it like never before. Head, torso, arms, legs, everything you would want to change you can. You can even dictate how much of a metallic sheen you want on your creation: old school G1 matte? Or sporty race car reflection? It’s all up to you. Is it harder or easier to make a prequel game covering areas not seen in the films and games and why? Not being tied directly to a movie can be very liberating. We’ve established a great trust with Hasbro over the years and they were great in allowing us to tell the story we wanted to tell, and make the game we wanted to make. They know we’re going to treat their characters and franchise with the utmost respect, as we’re fans of Transformers ourselves. What game engine are you using and what does it allow you to do that was not possible in previous Transformers games? We use Unreal 3 and have been for quite a few games now. With each game, we add a little more functionality to help our development process, a little more tools to allow for more iteration on ideas. It’s really about freeing up the team to try ideas out as quickly as possible, and then seeing whether those ideas are something worth pursuing or something to throw out. The better tools we give our designers and artists, the better game we can make in the time we have. Having used Unreal 3 for many years now and I think we hit a very good stride on this game that has paid off in dividends. What have been some of your greatest challenges as well as triumphs in creating the game? I’ve said this before, and I’ll say it again—I feel that we’ve created the DEFINITIVE TRANSFORMERS GAME OF ALL TIME. No kidding. We threw everything we had at this one, and then some. So to see it all come together in the end, that was very satisfying. Ultimately fans and critics will be the final judges, but I’m convinced we’ve got a shot to make some history with Fall of Cybertron. Who is doing the voice work in the game? We have several veterans voicing our game. Of course, Peter Cullen reprises his role as Optimus Prime. Gregg Berger, the voice of the original Grimlock from the cartoon has delivered a wonderfully more mature performance in our creation. Nolan North lends his great talents as Bruticus and Cliffjumper. There are so many, and they’re all world class performers. It’s been a real honor working with them. What final thing would you like to tell the readers about the game? If you’re a Transformers fan—THIS IS THE GAME YOU’VE BEEN WAITING FOR. Seriously, if you don’t believe me just download our demo and see for yourself. That’s just a hint as to what you’ll get with the full version. If you’re NOT a Transformers fan, but have always been on the cusp wondering—“Well it looks cool– maybe.” No maybe. THIS IS THE GAME YOU’VE BEEN WAITING FOR. We took a lot of care in crafting a story and game that both satisfies hard core fans, but also allows newcomers to experience and appreciate this wonderful franchise! Check out our latest magazine. Coming soon to Amazon and Barnes and Noble. Posted in Gaming Interviews | Tagged Fall of Cybertron, Interview, Transformers Natural Selection 2 Interview: Mixing a FPS and RTS For a Killer Experience Posted on June 22, 2012 by Robert Check out our latest magazine at Barnes and Noble. Our Magazine Is now at Barnes and Noble Get your Issue Here. Recently I got to speak with Hugh Jeremy at Unknown Worlds about their game Natural Selection 2. If you are not aware of the game, you will want to add it to your watch list as it is shaping up to be one of the most unique and enjoyably original titles in ages. The original game was a Half Life mod. Natural Selection 2 is a standalone game that as the dvelopers say “seamlessly combines Real Time Strategy and First Person Shooter genres – Think Starcraft having a lovechild with Call of Duty, where an order given to a unit is an order given to a real person”. What is the storyline for the game? Natural Selection 2 does not feature a defined plot. Instead, players create their own story within the Natural Selection universe. The animalistic Kharaa fight the human Frontiersman for control of various locations. Their motives are largely left up to players, though our community has generated a small amount of lore. The game is a teamwork based shooter strategy game, in which up to 32 players vie for domination of various maps. One player from each side plays as the real time strategy commander, while the others play out the game in first person. What types of weapons will be available to players? Human players can select from a wide variety of classic Alien on Human weaponry, such as rifles, shotguns, flamethrowers, grenade launchers, axes, and welders. They may also use equipment such as jetpacks, mobile siege cannons, and exoskeletons. Alien players can choose to evolve into any of five different life forms at any time during a game, provided they have the required resources. Each life form is completely different, from the wall-running Skulk to the flying Lerk to the giant, hulking Onos. Depending on which life form you are playing as, you will have strengths and weaknesses that will determine how you choose to engage the human enemy. Players may customise their life forms with various upgrade evolutions during a match, depending on what strategic path their commander has chosen. Apart from the individual weapons available to first-person players, the real time strategy commanders have a huge variety of structures available. Apart from structures that directly influence battle, such as sentry guns, commanders direct the overall strategy of the game through their structure choice. For example, a commander may choose go for jetpacks by constructing a prototype lab. Or, they could choose to expand quickly for a large number of extractors, limiting their tech options but allowing their team to purchase large numbers of weapons. The possibilities are endless! What enemies will players face and will there be vehicles that players can use? Players face each other, and whatever weapons and terrifying life forms they have chosen. As each alien has a different movement method, each one is a little bit like driving a vehicle. The Gorge can belly slide, allowing you to ‘drift’ around corners as if driving a car. The Lerk flies, and is therefore a little bit like flying a fighter plane. The Fade blinks in and out of existence, and so on through each alien life form. On the marine side, the Exosuit offers the experience of piloting a large robotic mech. The jetpack gives marines the opportunity to fly. There is other equipment available to marines, though not all allows a human player a ‘vehicle’ experience. What can you tell us about the gaming engine and what it will bring to the table? The Spark engine is a brand new in-house engine developed specifically for Natural Selection 2. It is fully dynamically lit, capable of hot-loading game code, and requires no map pre-composition. The engine is designed to be extremely moddable. All the game code is open source, and can be changed by anyone. We are confident that this is one of the most, if not the most moddable games ever produced. All the tools we use to create the game are shipped with the game, including the map editor, script de-bugger, and animation editor. The advantage of this extreme moddability is that players can produce content for the game, and changes to the game. What will it bring to the table? Likely an incredible number of possible game experiences. We cannot wait to see what the Natural Selection 2 community produces. What are some of the locales gamers will see in the game? Most official maps are pieces of a large ‘Alterra Corporation’ facility on an undisclosed planet. Each map offers striking contrast. Some, such as Docking, feature clean living quarters. Others, such as Mineshaft, feature dark mining tunnels and drilling equipment. Because of the extreme moddability of the game, players will likely see a huge variety of locales. Already, the community has produced a huge number of maps. One of them, Summit, is now officially included in the game. What type of multiplayer will the game offer? Natural Selection 2 is multiplayer only, everything you see discussed in other questions is what you can do in multiplayer! Blending action with a detailed plot can always be tricky, how have you attempted to create this in your game? As mentioned earlier, plot is something that player create for themselves, within the NS universe. Because the game offers such a deep well of possible experiences, mixing plot with action is easy. Who knows what story a player will tell after any given match. Was there a desperate fight over Crushing Room? Did the aliens break through into Data Core and cut the lights? Did you manage to fly through the marine base, destroying their armoury and snatching victory from the jaws of defeat? What are some of the biggest obstacles you see in creating the game, and what are your biggest goals for the game? The creation of our own engine was and is the biggest obstacle. Getting the game to perform strongly and stably on our new engine is an ongoing challenge. Our goals? Bring the unique Natural Selection experience to as many players as possible, and keep improving it long into the future! What can you tell us about the customization options in the game? The ability to customise NS2 is completely unlimited, because of mods. If there is something a player wants to be, do, or see – it can be done using the Spark engine. We are integrating with Steam Workshop to allow players to publish and auto-download mods, making experienced a customised NS2 a seamless experience. Posted in Gaming Interviews | Tagged Half Life, Mod, Natural Selection 2 Aliens: Colonial Marines Hands On and Audio Interview E3 2012 Posted on June 6, 2012 by Robert During our coverage of the 2012 E3 expo in Los Angeles, I was invited by Sega to visit their booth for a hands on look at their highly anticipated game Aliens: Colonial Marines. The game is being developed by Gearbox Software for a 2013 release and while fans have complained about the delays during the development cycle, I can assure you that the game is looking amazing. From our coverage last year when I first saw the game in action, I learned that the game was a solo to four person co-op experience that was a direct sequel to the film “Aliens”. The developers had access to everything from the set design plans to the props and sound FX from FOX in order to ensure the highest degree of accuracy and continuity. After posing for a couple of photos with the Alien queen herself, I was taken to a gaming station to play the game. In no time I was up and running and I was following a squad of Marines through a compound under attack by the Aliens. I was able to select my weapons loadout and decided to go with the standard Pulse Rifle and sidearm for my combat patrol. In no time, I was under attack, and managed to dish out a good bit of damage to the attackers. I was thrilled to see that assisting my fellow Marines rewarded me with points which I learned could be used later to access better weapons such as Smart Guns. Death comes fast and furious as the acid-spraying Aliens left a pile of Marines in a bloody mess with a few quick swipes. I learned that we were playing a team of developers who in the guise of the Aliens, were masters at pack hunting and setting traps. The steady pulsing tones of my tracker were eerie and effective and set me on high alert whenever its signaled an impending bad guy. The second map was set on the colony from the film, and despite my best efforts, I was no match for the enhanced bull like Alien who took me out again and again. Undaunted, my fellow Marines and I formed a fire line, and used short controlled bursts to repel the advancing hordes. That was until they dropped from above to rend us apart in a classic divide and conquer strategy. The action was fast and furious and I can tell you from just this small sample of the multiplayer alone, the game is the best adapation of the film series ever created for any gaming platform. The action is intense and the deep attention to detail have made this a must-own title. Look for the full game in 2013. As an added bonus, we spoke to a member of the development team to get the details on what the campaign mode has in store for fans. Aliens: Colonial Marines Audio Interview Posted in Gaming Interviews, Gaming News Interview With Extra Life Founder Jeromy Adams Posted on June 1, 2012 by Noelle Mitchell We recently spoke with Jeromy Adams, Extra Life founder and programs director at Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals about Extra Life. For those who are not aware of this great program, it allows gamers all over the world to raise money for sick children by playing video games. How did the idea of raising money by playing video games come about? I met a young lady named Tori while working for a radio station in Houston. Through the Radiothon program there for Texas Children’s Hospital, Tori and her parents and I became friends. Throughout 3 battles with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia, Tori fought like a champ. During one of those long long hospitals stays, I asked my readers and fellow gaming community leaders at Sarcastic Gamer to donate a couple of games to Tori to give her something to do while in the hospital. I was totally unprepared for the response, which included systems, games, and money from all over the world. It was then that I first realized how generous gamers are, and it was reinforced to me that gamers aren’t just gamers. They are moms and dads, aunts and uncles, even grandparents. After Tori passed away, I wanted to do something to honor her and keep her memory alive. Extra Life was born out of a desire to create an event that gamers, like cyclists, runners etc… could do something they enjoyed doing while raising money for a fantastic cause. What kind of participation do you expect this year? It is our sincere hope that 50,000 people will step forward this year to play games and heal kids in their local communities That would be mind-blowing! Last year, just over 14k participated, so you can see that would be quite a leap. How does this fundraiser compare with your other fundraisers? Like all Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals fundraisers, funds raised at Extra Life all go to the local CMN Hospitals. But many of the similarities stop there. Extra Life is a far more grassroots effort than most programs. It was actually born and got its start outside of CMNH, and only became an official program just over a year and a half ago. This means a huge sense of ownership by the people that participate in it. Extra Life gamers appreciate that you’re not just signing up and sending in a check—they take a personal interest in its success, make suggestions to improve it, many of which get implemented fairly quickly, and look after its growth. Gamers encourage each other, team leaders push their teams, and companies that normally compete with one another put away their differences to do the right thing for local kids. It’s a really unique and powerful model that will be difficult, if not impossible to ever completely duplicate. What is this year’s goal? We are very superstitious around here about announcing goals. We want to do better than last year, for sure. So that will always sort of be the goal. But we do have a quantifiable goal for this year outside of dollars raised. We want to see 50,000 people step up to play. You can do the math if you’d like, but the average participant raises just north of 100 dollars. Statistically, what state has the highest number of participants? Surprisingly, I believe it is North Dakota. Somehow we got some serious traction up there and about 50 people signed up, which I believe is half of the population of that state. Do you have a wide range of gamers or are they mainly from a certain age demographic? Are the participants mostly male? Have you seen an increase in female participants? On average our players are in their early thirties. Only a slightly larger number of men than women, and the gap seems to close every year. The ladies may even take over one day, which I can personally say I’d be fine with! But we have youth groups from churches that participate, and we’ve got groups of men in their 50′s settling in for day-long Madden binges as well It really runs the gamut. What do you have planned for the future growth of the company? Well Extra Life itself is a program and part of Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals The organization raises funds for 170 children’s hospitals across North America and it’s on a course to increase the funds that we raise from over a quarter billion dollars last year, to a billion dollars a year within a few short years. To do that we need groups of people, like those that have embraced Extra Life, to continue to be advocates for local sick and injured kids. Whether it’s through a pastime like playing video games, or by telling the stories of how those hospitals have impacted them and their family, it is going to be a group effort to get there. We’ve recently hired the right guy to lead us there in our CEO John Lauck, whose vision for saving the lives of kids and embrace of programs like Extra Life, are just what we and our hospitals need to get there. How have you gone about letting people know about Extra Life? We are getting the word out with fine folks like yourself, and we’re also present at a lot of conventions like E3, PAX, Comicons, Gen Con etc. Aside form that, partners like G4TV, Trion Worlds, Playstation Network, Xbox Live, and more help spread the word to their audiences, which has been invaluable. But more than 60% of our participants find out about Extra Life from a friend. From a post on Facebook, or a conversation around the water cooler. We’ll continue to look for new groups and partners to help spread the word about Extra Life, and we hope our players will continue to get their social circles involved. From a fundraising perspective, we prefer people to sign up to play, as ultimately they will have a greater impact on local kids that way. You can learn more about this great cause and support our team at the page below. Our Extra Life Page Posted in Gaming Interviews Mercenary Ops Interview Posted on May 17, 2012 by Noelle Mitchell By Geneveive Mc Bride and Gareth Von Kallenbach Recently Genevieve and I got a chance to ask some questions to the creative team of the pending third person shooter Mercenary Ops. What is the storyline for the game? Mercenary Ops is set in the near future when powerful corporations have led to the imminent downfall of humanity. With national governments edging towards the brink of collapse, and scientific breakthroughs having opened the eyes of the world to their darkest fears, the earth and its people have fallen into disarray. Due to the ongoing liquidation of government assets, wealth has now been distributed into four global, privatized organizations that hold the only means of employment in a world bent on chaos; and those capable of bearing arms have been hired to wage war on what remains, being paid the highest price to oppose the advancement of those bent on seeing the destruction of their employers. What types of weapons will be available to players? There are actually too many weapons to list, but to name a few, there will be weapons like the AK-47, M16 and M4A1 assault rifles; mostly modern day weaponry. Most of these weapons will be readily available to all players, but the stronger, more powerful weapons like the rocket and grenade launcher will be placed throughout the map to incentivize players to push forward to gain competitive and strategic advantages. What enemies will players face and will there be vehicles that players can use? Players will be pitted against hordes of AI controlled enemies and mini-bosses in fights for survival as well as bouts against fellow mercenaries in clashes of competitive multiplayer to determine the best mercenaries the world has to offer. As of right now, there will not be any vehicles available for players to use in the game. What can you tell us about the gaming engine and what it will bring to the table? Mercenary Ops was created using Unreal Engine 3, which was selected for its cutting-edge graphics, multi-core processor support, optimization for the PC and massive world support. In addition, Mercenary Ops combines the real-time physics of NVIDIA PhysX to provide a truly competitive and dynamic gameplay experience. What are some of the locales gamers will see in the game? Maps range from inner city to forest. Players will battle across the globe from China to New York, across various weather conditions, such as snow and storms. What type of multiplayer will the game offer? Mercenary Ops offers fast-paced, competitive online multiplayer for up to 16 players. Those interested in gaining power and prestige can faceoff across a number of dynamic maps and in 3 intense, head-to-head game modes: Team Deathmatch, Demolition and Elimination. There will be an in-game ladder and an ELL-based ranking system as well. Blending action with a detailed plot can always be tricky, how have you attempted to create this in your game? While there is an overarching storyline in Mercenary Ops, most of the gameplay focuses on a single theme: to be the best mercenary the world has to offer. Like games such as League of Legends or Counter Strike, the story isn’t the focus – the gameplay is. What are some of the biggest obstacles you see in creating the game, and what are your biggest goals for the game? The biggest obstacle so far has been map balance. Creating really balanced dynamic maps is a very difficult process, which requires hundreds of hours of testing. Designing maps that work across multiple map modes is also very difficult, so many maps in Mercenary Ops are mode-specific. What are some of the influences that went into creating the game as I saw some elements all the way from classic Contra to newer games like Mass Effect 3. We have combined the best tactical gameplay elements found in other third-person shooters like Gears of War, Mass Effect and Ghost Recon with the fast-paced action of online multiplayer titles like Counter-Strike, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare and countless others. How are the controls in the game setup and will players be able to customize them? The control setup on Mercenary Ops is very similar to any other PC shooter in terms of keyboard controls. Third-person games on the PC can be difficult to those familiar with point-and-click shooters, so we’ve tried to simplify the hotkeys around single keys. For example, the spacebar key is your universal movement key: roll, sprint and take cover. Check out the trailer and more at the Mercenary Ops Site Posted in Gaming Interviews Interview with Tech Expert Scott Steinberg Posted on April 8, 2012 by Noelle Mitchell Our first visit in 2012 with Technology expert Scott Steinberg is here and we talk C.E.S. 2012, the future of tech, and more gadgets that will be on your must have list. Scott was kind enough to speak with Genevieve and answer the questions we had about what we saw at C.E.S. and what is to come in an ever-changing industry. Scott is the CEO of high-tech consulting firm TechSavvy Global, and a frequent tech analyst and gaming expert for ABC, CBS and CNN who’s covered the field for 400+ outlets from NPR to Rolling Stone. The founder of GameExec Magazine and Game Industry TV, he also hosts video series Game Theory, hailed as “the smartest take on the video game industry.” Click the link below for more. Interview with Tech Expert Scott Steinberg Video Game Expert.com Posted in Gaming Interviews, Hardware and Gear Dark Legends: Our Interview with the Designer Posted on April 5, 2012 by Noelle Mitchell Recently I spoke with Niklas ‘Swede’ Johansson, Senior Game Designer, Spacetime Studios about their new game Dark Legends. The game is a IOS MMORPG that lets you wage battle against the Undead. What is the background and setting for the game? Dark Legends is set in an alternate version of Earth. Here the battle between Humans and Vampires has been fought in the shadows for millennia. Recently the Vampire Nation decided to make their existence known to the public, in an effort to live alongside Humanity. Unfortunately many Humans distrust and fear their newfound neighbors and so Vampires often find themselves the target of crime and persecution. Some shady organizations hunt them outright and their goal is to exterminate all vampires – regarding them as aberrations and demons. The game is set in Carvina, a fictional city in North America. An unusual number of Vampires call this city home and it’s considered a safe haven. With the sudden disappearance of the city’s Vampire Queen things have gone from bad to worse. Internal squabbling and power plays have become opportunities for Vampire Hunters to gain a foothold. Now the city is on the brink of outright war between Humans and Vampires. How do the controls work for the game? The HUD layout will be very familiar if you have tried our other Legends titles: movement with a joystick on the left or through tapping the screen, abilities and attacks controlled with your right thumb. However combat in Dark Legends is a different story. There’s no longer an auto-attack, you want to do damage you have to tap a button. The attacks are instant and often directional instead of auto targeted. It plays more like an action RPG than our other Legends games. Combat is fast, furious and visceral. In addition this is the first of our titles to include ‘charge’. Press and hold down any of your abilities for a super-charged version of the attack, with a stronger (and gory) payoff. How is social networking handled? With Dark Legends, we make it easier than ever before to play with your friends, as well as make new ones. In dungeons, you may choose to play multiplayer, which will automatically try to match you up with other players of your level. If you make new friends, adding them to your friends list will make it really easy to play with them again. You can even go straight to the world map and see little icons next to the dungeons that your friends are playing, making them simple to find. For Android devices, we take advantage of the new Android Beam™ technology. This will allow you to add them to your friends list by simply tapping your phones together, or if you’re already friends, teleport to their location in the game. What are some of the challenges in creating for the IOS market compared to console and PC games? From a tech standpoint, it’s more comparative to PC game creation. There are so many different platforms out there and you have to make sure your game works for all the different hardware and screen resolutions etc. For the gameplay you have to consider how your target audience generally consumes games on the mobile platform. As an example, play sessions are shorter so we want to cram them full of excitement. That way the player can’t wait for the next time he’s stuck in a line at the grocery store and able to play again. The smaller play space also provides challenges – limited space for storytelling through text, making sure the UI is user friendly and intuitive, balancing so that there’s enough game surface around the player so he can see monsters approach but at the same time not so far zoomed out that his character is a blip and the environments lose their luster. What enemies will players face? The Vampire Hunters play a significant role as the opposing force for the player. When they’re not directly involved, they’re often the puppet masters behind other enemies. A secret society that has been around for millennia, hunters’ methods have improved and they now employ modern technology to battle Vampires, such as UV lights. We have a wide range of enemies though, from zombies and corrupt police to gargoyles and unfriendly Vampires. What can you tell us about the gaming engine and what it will bring to the table? Our proprietary engine was originally created for full scale PC MMOs, so it has a lot of power and capability which allows us to rapidly improve and update our games as more powerful mobile devices reach the consumer market. Additionally, our brilliant programming team works hard to keep up with the (often) crazy demands of the design team – further improving the engine’s capabilities. Without this engine, it would have taken us many more years to be able to create the fantastic new action style combat that you will see in Dark Legends. What are some of the locales gamers will see in the game? Our artists outdid themselves this time, with some of the best looking environments in any mobile platform game. Some examples include modern city streets, ancient crypts, large mansions and insane asylums. The maps are rich with detail. Players will also experience interactive objects, such as bookshelves to rummage through and animated set pieces which really make the world come alive. What are some of the biggest obstacles you see in creating the game, and what are your biggest goals for the game? Dark Legends was new ground for the team. It has an action style combat and a brand new way to present story and content, so it’s unlike any other product out there. It is Spacetime’s most ambitious project since the PC MMO days and as such many parts of the game were iterated upon and redesigned several times to meet our steep requirements. It’s our goal that players will feel as happy with the end result as we are. Creating something new is always a gamble, so we’re both excited and nervous to see how it’s received. How are characters created? Creating a new character in Dark Legends is straight forward. Your first choice is simply your gender and at the end of the tutorial you have the opportunity to change features, hairstyles etc. The real meat of individualizing your character comes as you’re playing the game. With all clothing being ‘vanity’, meaning that it has no stat bonuses on it, you can pick the style you want without it affecting your combat efficiency. What classes are available? For Dark Legends we decided not to create set classes. Everyone is a Vampire and it felt strange to divide them up between classic archetypes such as tank, healer etc. Instead, you choose what to specialize as you progress through the game. Selecting what abilities to equip and rank up, as well as directing your gear towards the role you want to play. Want to be a ‘Tank’? Choose the appropriate abilities and find equipment that has a high health and armor bonus. How is leveling handled? Leveling is handled a little different in Dark Legends than most RPG’s. Instead of receiving experience towards your next level each time you defeat an enemy, we grant you a set number at the end of a ‘dungeon’. This removed the restraint of balancing exactly how many enemies were in our maps, allowing us to instead focus on providing the most fun for the player. Our dungeons also scale with the level of your character, increasing both the difficulty of the monsters and the power of the loot they drop. This ensures that it’s both fun and rewarding to replay dungeons post the first play-through. How are new skills, power ups, and weapons managed and obtained? New skills are unlocked as your character grows and at higher levels you are able to rank these skills up- improving them and further tailoring your character the way you want to play. Power ups are found while performing the story elements of Dark Legends. These come in the way of timed buffs, ranging in power from a slight speed boost to doubling your damage output. We basically took the elixirs of our previous Legends titles and instead of selling them, made them rewards for exploring the content. Loot is acquired by defeating enemies, searching for stashes and successfully completing dungeons. The most important of this loot will be weapons and power gems. Weapons very directly affect your damage output but often have secondary stats that improve both offensive and defensive capabilities. Power gems are shards of power that can be equipped to further customize your character towards defense or offense. Posted in Gaming Interviews Director Morgan Spurlock Talks About Comic-Con Episode Four: A Fan’s Hope Posted on March 15, 2012 by Robert We got a chance to speak with Director Morgan Spurlock about his new movie “Comic-Con Episode Four: A Fan’s Hope” The Oscar nominated Director of “Supersize Me” talks about his love of fandom and the most poular convention in the world. One of the subjects of his film, Holly Conrad, talks about how her appearance at the convention and the film has lead to costumer design work for the Mass Effect universe as well as her thoughts on the feature film and controversy over the Mass Effect 3 ending. Interview with Director Morgan Spurlock Posted in Gaming Interviews, Movie Interviews Tribes: Ascend Interview Posted on January 9, 2012 by Robert Recently I spoke with Todd Harris, Hi-Rez Studios Chief Operating Officer about the latest in the Tribes series, Tribes Ascend. We also have Beta Keys available for the game so if you are interested, please contact as to get yours while they last. As an F.Y.I. I was at Sierra for Tribes 2 and was Lead QA and Tech for the game so I have a good background with the series. I am so glad you picked it up. We’re glad as well. Those Tribes games were well ahead of their time – first game with pilotable vehicles, first game with very large maps incorporating indoor and outdoor environments, first game to introduce team-oriented shooter gameplay, and of course skiing and jetpacks! Today’s military shooters are fun but more slow-paced and cover-based. We’re excited to re-introduce the Tribes fast-paced and skill-based combat. What is the background and setting for the game? The Tribes franchise is set in the far future and Ascend picks up late in the 34th century. Humanity has discovered artificial wormholes called jumpgates and used these to travel and spread among the stars, settling in an area called The Wilderzone, far from Earth. War divided humanity into many small tribes, but eventually four major tribes emerge as dominant. Tribes Ascend focuses on a new conflict between two of the major Tribes – the Blood Eagle and the Diamond Sword. Other Tribes will make an appearance through cosmetic skins. What was the process of picking up the series and how did it come about? Our studio has always been a fan of the series and Tribes was one of the big influences behind our first game Global Agenda. We like jetpacks. We like action shooters. We like team-based multiplayer. Tribes has all three! So in the fall of 2011 we looked into acquiring the series. The Tribes series belonged to InstantAction and they were working on a web-based version of Tribes in order to advance their browser platform. We were able to work out a deal and purchase the IP outright in order to make Ascend as well as future titles related to the Tribes IP. Any concerns since the last two games in the series did not meet expectations yet the original is such a beloved title. No. We’ve found that there is still an active and vocal community around each of the previous games. And each of those titles had some strong elements. Our challenge has been to preserve the spirit and feel of Tribes but also evolve it forward with some new concepts. Our Beta community is providing solid feedback and we’ve been patching and updating every single week. We think that is best approach for a great game upon release. Will the game have a solo/story mode or is it online only? No solo story mode. We see Tribes as the original online Internet sport. And we want to release Tribes: Ascend in that spirit – with a focus on online multiplayer. We will have tutorial, map-roaming, and practice mode with very simple bot targets but any of that solo content is just training toward multiplayer. What are some of the new weapons and locales I the game? Most of the familiar Tribes weapons return – including multiple varieties of the popular disc-launching Spinfusor, the Chaingun, and the Mortar Launcher. But we introduce a great number of new weapons as well such as the Arx Buster that shoots timed mines and personal deployables like turrets and forcefields. In terms of locales, all the maps are set within the conflict of Blood Eagle and Diamond Sword and include arctic, desert, tropical, and urban. Most importantly for Tribes, they all have terrain that is good for skiing. Will the game support customizations and mods upon release if not, is this support planned? Our first priority is to support great pub-level play through easy access to Hi-Rez managed servers. We will also offer Custom Server support for players who want to manage and customize server-side game rules through configuration flags. The Custom Server functionality should support competitive play and tournaments as well as some of the community looking for specific mod-rules. For example, if a group wants to play Capture The Flag and have the base generators be more or less important there will be server configuration flags for that. Any actual mod-tools would be later and after release. Aside from graphics, what are some of the biggest changes and features from past versions? The biggest gameplay changes include: 1. class-based loadouts – so there is more diversity on the battlefield vs. everyone running around with a similar weapon-set, 2. progression within the match – so players earn credits in the match and then spend those credits in the same match on base upgrades or vehicles or call-ins – that way the intensity of each battle escalates over time, and 3. character progression between matches – a skill-tree and perks give players something to unlock over time and also a way to further specialize around playstyle. Another big change is that we are releasing the game as free-to-play or fremium. Players download the game at no charge and unlock any game-affecting item simply by playing the game. But it is fremium in that players can spend money if they want to unlock items faster or get certain cosmetic items. What have been the biggest challenges in creating the game and the biggest rewards? Taking on an existing franchise is always a challenge because the fan-base has very specific expectations. Our decision to go free-to-play certainly challenged some of those expectations. But going free-to-play allows a large new audience to try out the fast-paced combat and we are seeing great response. So the biggest reward has been seeing both Tribes veterans and n00bs enjoy the game enough to tell their friends they should check it out. How many weapons will be available and how many maps at the launch? At launch we expect at least 30 weapons and 10 playable maps. With additional content coming very frequently after launch. What can you tell us about the A.I. in the game and how many multiplay modes? Given multiplayer focus, our AI is really limited to turrets – although they are pretty good at predicting player movement in the air. The marquee game mode is Capture The Flag – which behaves as you would expect except that each side also has a base with functioning generators and base defenses, inventory stations and vehicle spawns. We also offer some more casual gamemodes such as Team Deathmatch and Rabbit. And we’ll continue to introduce new game-modes after release for free. How many players will a game support and what are some of the mega weapons you have planned? Currently we support up to 32 players. Mega-weapons would have to include the vehicles – a two-person GravCycle option, a Beowolf tank, and a fast flying Shrike; as well as call-ins like Tactical Strikes. Will the game appear on consoles? For now we are focused on the PC platform. Posted in Gaming Interviews Evil Controller Interview With the CEO Adam Coe Posted on December 13, 2011 by Robert Recently we caught up with Evil Controllers CEO Adam Coe, and talked about the past and future of his company which is making big waves in the gaming industry. What is your background and education and what got you into this industry? I completed high school and began classes at the University of Arizona, but did not finish. I entered into the industry because I am an avid gamer and I had an opportunity to make a business related to something I’m passionate about. How did the company get started? It began in my college dorm at the U of A, where I originally sold my controllers on eBay. My account quickly piled up with orders, so the following summer I decided to officially start the business with my brother. What were some of the biggest challenges then as well as now? The biggest challenge in the beginning was keeping up with the demand, but also advancing our brand and product lineup. Being a niche market, it’s a 24/7 job that demands and relies on constant innovation. Now that we have a strong foundation, we are challenged, in a sense, by our success and aspirations. Now that we have structure, every day we improve as a team and each member becomes better at their job. This in turn makes Evil better and the services we offer better. How do you come up with your designs? Cosmetic designs on the controllers are done by a few of us at Evil, being gamers we know what other gamers are interested in. However, the modifications to the controller’s internals are done by me and my programmer, who has been with the business since the beginning. There is a lot of input from everyone at Evil about our products and how we can improve them so we constantly strive to do so. Do you have plans to do PS3 or WIii controls and if not why? Yes we definitely plan on creating products for those markets as well. They are sadly lacking in innovation, in comparison to what we have done to the Xbox 360 controller. However, we will be addressing them soon and will be happy to offer them in the new year. How do you handle marketing for the controls as it must be tough in this economy? I believe making a good product will market itself. If it improves your gameplay experience, then it’s a no brainer, it will catch on. Word of mouth is one of the best ways to advertise. However, marketing outside of word of mouth is a major aspect of our business model that we believe we excel in and can continue to improve upon within our business structure. In reference to the economy, we actually believe that our company thrives more in a down economy. As more people have to change their lifestyles by staying in and taking fewer vacations, they need a source of relatively cheap entertainment After an initial startup cost gaming is fairly cheap in reference to how many hours of entertainment you can receive. Tell us about the quality assurance standards you have and how the controls are tested please. Our quality control is very strict when it comes to our controllers, as well as customer service. Each hand modified controller is touched by at least 5 Evil Techs and finally tested by our warehouse manager for approval. Each feature is checked on the controller (buttons and mods operating properly), then each button is pressed to assure the controller feels just like a manufactured controller off the line, and finally the controller is checked for any cosmetic damage before entering our highly protective shipping boxes. When it is all said and done the controller goes through an 18 point inspection. Where do you see the company in 5 years? In 5 years I see the business encompassing anything related to gaming and customization. With the new gaming systems coming out in the coming years, I’m excited to have the years of experience in the industry already behind me. With the innovation that we’ve done already, I’m excited to see what we will be doing years down the line. One aspect I believe will be a major part of our business will be making accessible controllers for disabled or limited motion gamers. It’s an avenue that is sadly underground and not growing at the same pace of video games, leaving these gamers to play catch up. We want to even the playing field for every gamer out there! Posted in Gaming Interviews, Hardware and Gear Actress Ellen Dubin Talks About Her Character in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Posted on November 11, 2011 by Robert Recently I got to speak to the talented Ellen Dubin about her work in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. Ellen has a very long list of television and film credites which include LEXX,The Collector, Napoleon Dynamite, and The Pending Dead Before Dawn. Ellen also has done voice work for games and animated shows. What can you tell us about your character in Skyrim? What I found fascinating about my character in Skyrim was the great gamut of emotions I got to play. When you first get cast in a game, you don’t know till you are recording what the character entails because you only see the dialogue at the actual sessions. So when I initially auditioned for COMMON WOMAN , I thought it was just going to be a small role. But, it was a juicy meaty feast – - I got to use both my comedy and dramatic skills. Had a blast playing this multilayered role and loved all the directions she could go in depending on what the Player chose to do with this character. I loved Common Woman How did you become attached to the project? My wonderful voice agent Tom Lawless at VOX in Los Angeles sent me the sides for the project and I auditioned by self- taping some of the dialogue in my own closet for a wide variety of roles in SKYRIM. The casting director/ production supervisor Timothy Cubbison of BlindlLight heard my read and I guess along with the creative team at Betheseda Software cast me in the role. I am very grateful to be a part of such an iconic game with such an incredibly strong cast of actors and an astounding production team. What type of research did you do for the part and have you played any of the previous games in the series? I went online to see what type of game it was and if there were any diagrams or drawings of the game – just to get a sense of style. I had not played any of the previous games in the series. I went in and basically used my actor skills and “played” the role using my voice. I just jumped in and with the help of the creative gang did my best! How many sessions did you record for the game and over how long of a timeframe? The game recording for my character was done pretty quickly in a few short months and if I remember correctly, I had about five four hour sessions for the recording process. They were very well thought out recording sessions- The creative team was very organized and thoughtful because there were major screaming sections in the script . So they always made sure we did the intense shout outs at the end of the session to preserve our voices. How much input did you have into the character and were you able to see visuals of her and the game at any point in the process? What is so impressive about working on a game of this calibre, is that it is all worked out for you- they have done years of research and basically they are so aware of what they want and need , that you just go for it. Yes , when I am recording and I decide to try another way to do a line, they were very open to me playing around with it. But I loved the fact that they were so specific with the direction.They have worked with these characters for years and know their backgrounds so I welcomed their notes. We would usually record a few variations on the line so they could fit whatever version would work best with the game once it was all put together. I did see a a visual before the first session begun. The wonderful sessions director Brenda Phillips showed me a diagram of Common Woman. The character was a very different physical type then I am. I am long tall and lean and she was short stocky and round. LOVE IT! In what ways were recording lines for the game similar and different from past voice work and from traditional acting? I love video games more then any other form of voice work because I am able to use my well trained acting chops and apply them. The style is very cinematic so my tv and film background is a huge factor when I am recording. I find strong objectives and have to turn on a dime and change direction quickly. This is more subtle work then doing an animated film – A pause , a beat can change the whole direction of a character whether it be a comedic or a dramatic turn. I approach all my voice work from an actor’s point of view because that is my training. I dont’ think about the sound of my voice, I think about the intention – the relationship I have with the other characters ( even though in voice work , you are not working with another actor in the studio) – You have to imagine ,he or she is there. So that is even more of a challenge then traditional acting. You also have to have a huge imagination because you are talking about a whole new world you have never heard of. I love creating and being part of another universe. My sci fi background definitely helped me with this element. The game is set to launch to tremendous expectations, do you have any nerves over how gamers will respond to your character knowing how serious they take the series? I am not nervous at all . I know in my gut ( just from the sections I recorded) that this game is going to be huge and absolutely astounding. I am not sure how they will take to my specific character but I can’t worry about that- Like any job I do, I commit one million percent . I have to love what I do with passion and dedication and hopefully the fans will appreciate it. This is one stunning game! I am one small cog in a huge magnificent wheel! How did your character evolve over your sessions as I am guessing there were constant changes and additions to your lines as the game development grew. The character had many different scenarios to record. What if the Player went this way with you what would happen? What if he went the other way? So we taped many versions depending on the choices of the Player. I found that fascinating- I never quite knew what was going on but loved the challenge of creating something strong and compelling for the Player. The final session only took about fifteen minutes with very few additional lines- For a game of this size and magnitude, these creators were really on their game. Excuse the pun! Posted in Gaming Interviews Hunt The THING MMORPG Interview Posted on October 10, 2011 by Robert Recently I got to speak with Jon Jacob at Neverdie Studios about their new free to play, MMORPG Hunt The Thing. The game is based on the movie due in theaters October 14th. I want to thank Jon and Brandon for arranging the interview. How did the idea for the game come about and what is the background and setting for the game and how close does it follow the new and previous film? We were discussing with Universal the possibility of using ROCKtropia as a backdrop for Movie length MMO’s and The THING stood out as a perfect fit. Our Platform Entropia universe features the Cryengine2 which is an amzing graphics engine for creating stunning Landscapes and the Antarctic is such a powerful setting. We chose to draw our inspiration primarily from both John Carpenters’ The THING and the upcoming prequal, but our story is set on our Virtual World ROCKtropia which exists in a parallel Universe so we are not Locked into the specific storylines of the movie. Is it opened ended or story-based gameplay? The main adventure is story based, you are recruited to hunt down The THING, it’s a very tight adventure that can be completed in a couple of hours if your good, perhaps longer if you don’t watch your back. But once you have completed the initial story, you can take on tougher challenges in an open ended scenario. What sort of graphics engine is the game using and what does it allow players to do that is new to the genre? The Cryengine2 is a superb engine and with destructibles and new audio elements we are really bringing a solid FPS feel to the MMO genre, the initial reaction to Hunt The THING from the ROCKtropia player base has been overwhelmingly positive, I think that for those gamers that love FPS games like Crysis, the delights of an MMO like ROCKtropia may have just become more tempting, How will players gain experience and level? Almost every action you take in Hunt The THING gives you experience, all of which has an impact on your Professional levels, so you can expect to gain a fair amount of combat and healing skills on this adventure! How will player deaths be handled in the game? When You die you revive at the nearest revival terminal which typically puts you back along the path, you don’t actually lose any experience but you may have wasted some valuable ammo. How will missions and tasks be assigned? The moment you enter Hunt The THING you are given the choice between two Mission paths Soldier or Scientist, from there you will be given the next mission all the way to the conclusion. How is player vs. player going to be handled? Well since this is a free to play adventure inside an MMO with a micro transaction economy, you need to be super careful with Your free Ammo, if you blow too much, then you are going to have to visit the Supply Dump and try to pick up enough free oil barrels to trade for ammo, but the supply dump is a PVP combat Zone, so You are gonna have to fight for it. When you are ready for your final showdown with The THING, you are also going to be in a PVP combat zone so you are going to need to make alliances to survive. How is leveling and new powers dealt with in game? If you are lucky you may Loot a powerful weapon from one of the Mobs, if it is too powerful for you to use, you can either sell it to another player or you can start skilling up to get the maximum effect. After you complete Hunt The THING you can acquire some SIB Weapons (Skill increase Bonus) to train with. But you don’t have to go through any grinding to Complete Hunt The THING. That is purely optional if you decide you want to enter expert mode or explore ROCKtropia or the rest of the Universe. The scope of the game sounds amazing. What are some of the biggest obstacles you see in creating the game, and what are your biggest goals for the game? Our biggest challenge was to have the game have the same vibe as the film, so far the feedback on that level has been very positive. The other great challenge was to balance the game so that new users and experienced ROCKtropia players could enjoy it equally. How is combat handled in game and what weapons will players be able to use? Its an FPS style combat System and the missions reward you with automatic weapons and of course a prized Flamethrower and if you get infected by The THING you will grow a tentacle! There are also Very Powerful and valuable Weapons you can loot as prizes. Do you plan guilds and commerce? Yes You can Join Gangs, Guilds, Groups, companies, no doubt you will meet people ready to enlist you as soon as you arrive and the commerce system is simply mind blowing, go check out the in world auction when you reach the 3rd base camp, there is an enormous amount of player 2 player trade, with plenty of opportunity to make money. Get in on the action at Hunt The THING <a href="http://www.extra-life.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=donorDrive.eventDetails&eventID=501">Make a Donation!</a> Posted in Gaming Interviews Counter-Strike: Global Offensive Interview Posted on September 16, 2011 by Robert Recently I spoke with Chet Faliszek at Valve Software about their pending game Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. Chet was kind enough to give us tons of news and we want to thank him for taking the time for this great interview. What is the background and setting for the game? Counter-Strike: Global Offensive is a new version of the Counter-Strike. It builds on the previous versions of the game to deliver the best version yet. We have not only improved the graphics but added match-making, clan support, and new game modes and more. It will be released early next year on Xbox 360, PS3, PC and Mac. Will the game have a solo/story mode or is it online only? CS:GO will offer offline play against the bots or split screen against another opponent. What are some of the new weapons and locales I the game? We have 8 new weapons including some new throwable weapons. My favorite is the Molotov Cocktail. It is a great choice for when you want to block one avenue of entry to a choke point while you attack another. Will the game support customizations and mods upon release if not, is this support planned? On the PC we will offer the current level of customization Counter-Strike: Source allows. So if people want to play CS by shooting at other players while they surf down virtual waves – go for it! People who play an aggressive style like myself have at times found the one kill then wait a bit frustrating, will the game continue this approach or will other options and re spawns be possible? Many of the changes in CS:GO have come from looking at what the community was doing. One of those changes was lowering the round timer. A shorter timer leads to quicker games and less down time. Aside from graphics, what are some of the biggest changes and features from past versions of Counter Strike? One of the biggest changes in CS:GO is the inclusion of skill based match-making. Jumping into a match on the current versions of CS often mean either stomping over the competition or being so thoroughly owned you don’t have a chance. For CS:GO we want you to always be able to find a challenging game for your skill level. What have been the biggest challenges in creating the game and the biggest rewards? The biggest challenge is taking a game that has been played by over 25 million people in 10 years and making sure you deliver a game that stays true to its roots. It would have been easy to look at other shooters and take our cues from there – it has been 7 years since the last CS. But we wanted to make sure CS:GO is about competition in the moment, not the meta game deciding who wins or loses. As for rewards, we will see. But it was great having some pro players come in and give us feedback and see them excited to play. Play balance is always tricky in a shooter especially with so many weapons, how will the game address this? One of the concerns we had with CS was players really only cared about 4 weapons. We wanted to rebalance the weapons to give players more options. This fall we will have an extended PC beta which will help give us feedback on the balance and let us tune the weapons with the community. How will weapons be made available in game and will players still purchase upgrades? Correct. In Competitive Mode we offer the classic way to earn in-game money which you use to purchase your weapons. CS:GO will also offer a casual mode where money is not an issue and you can purchase any weapon you wish in any round. This is a great way to allow players to experiment with different weapons and tactics as they get familiar with the game. Posted in Gaming Interviews Hedone Interview and Images Posted on August 25, 2011 by Robert Recently I got to speak with Mario Rizzo (Game Director at Acony Games, about the new pending shooter Hedone. I want to thank Mario for taking the time to speak with us. You can sign up for the beta by going to the companies webpage as well. What is the storyline for the game? There is a trailer that explains the entire back story of the game Hedone Trailer You can also check our website www.Hedonetv.com for more information. What types of weapons will be available? The players have access to a variety of conventional and modified weapons from the near future. They will also have access to John J. Lazar’s technology which spans from robots to mini-Gatling guns to special combat endorphins to give the contestants the edge in a match. What enemies will players face and will there be vehicles that players can use? The players will face other contestants in various combat modes on the show. The players do not operate vehicles but they can control some of John J. Lazars technology (such as the flying Blastdrone) in order to win matches and destroy their opponents. What can you tell us about the gaming engine and what it will bring to the table? The title uses Unreal Engine 3 and we include all the features of a retail title in the creation of Hedone. The engine provides everything from physics, high dynamic range lighting, destructible environments, etc…. What are some of the locales gamers will see in the game? The Hedone television shows select only the most interesting locales for its viewers. The show can take place anywhere from a prison, to a sports stadium, to an abandoned shanty town in the desert. John J. Lazar’s scouts only look for the most suitable and fun locations in order to host the show each week. What type of multiplayer will the game offer? Hedone focuses on multiplayer gameplay and will have various game modes at commercialization. We have not announced them all yet and they will all be revealed in time during our closed beta. Blending action with a detailed plot can always be tricky, how have you attempted to create this in your game? Hedone is operated by us as a modern television show. Details of the plot are interwoven into our levels, gameplay, and also primarily in our operation of the game. The story of Lazar.US and John J. Lazar will unfold in a series of updates over the next several years. The team has crafted the story to run in tandem with our live service. What are some of the biggest obstacles you see in creating the game, and what are your biggest goals for the game? The biggest challenge is ensuring that we have the highest quality game for our audience. The FPS genre is a very competitive space and the goal of Hedone is to be the highest quality Free to Play FPS title. We want to offer the quality of a retail game for free to gamers around the world. Free Digital Issue of our magazine. Issue 6 Free Follow us on Twitter at sknrgareth Facebook at Skewed and Reviewed or Gareth Von Kallenbach Posted in Gaming Interviews Steve Sinclair Creative Director from Digital Extremes Talks About The New Star Trek Game Posted on July 6, 2011 by Robert Steve Sinclair, Creative Director on Trek from Digital Extremes (Unreal Tournament, Bioshock 2, Dark Sector, The Darkness II) talks about the highly anticipated new Star Trek game with us. The game is a follow up to the JJ Abrams film and allows players to play as both Kirk and Spock. I want to thank Casey and Steve for setting up the interview with us. What is the storyline for the game and how soon does it follow the events of the last film? Can’t give it away but I can tell you it takes place between the last Star Trek movie and the one that is in development. It’s being written by Marianne Krawczyk (God of War series) in collaborations with Bob Orci who is writing the next film. The game story isn’t recreating events from any film – it stands on its own. Why did it take until now for a game tie in to the film to be announced as many people expected it to be announced within a year of the release of the film? The game isn’t a “tie-in” for a movie… this is a piece of the Star Trek universe, an awesome single player & Coop Action-Adventure with an original storyline that stands on its own. We didn’t cannibalize any film for this game. The goal is for it to be an additive experience rather than riding on the back of the franchise. The Star Trek game falls between the two movies. We’ve been fortunate to have a long development cycle for the game that we hope will remove the stigma of a’movie game’ with this one. What types of weapons will be available? Crazy cool alien technology, but we’re not talking about that yet. The cooler things we showed in the demo was Kirk and Spock have their own character-specific weapons that evolve as you play through our skill system. In the demo Kirk gets this amazing Vaporize attack that suits his play-style whereas Spock’s weapon gets more efficient – fully automatic at the same energy cost. We also showed an example of Coop weapons – Kirk grabs a Federation Rifle which has this nice defensive mode: a deflector shield… it has this great sum-is-greater-than-parts moment where Kirk raises the shield and Spock fires his Vulcan pistol into it… the deflector actually banks and concentrates that energy! Kirk turns around and clears a room full of enemies in a crazy discharge. What enemies will players face and will there be vehicles that players can use? We’re keeping the enemy under wraps right now but I can’t wait to talk about it. I think Star Trek fans will love it and those who don’t know the universe as well will find them super intriguing. For vehicles – it is an action adventure – so I don’t want to promise too much, but there is definitely a lot of variety in the game. In the demo we showed our take on the Star Trek LSPU (Life Support Propulsion Unit), with Kirk and Spock flying through space, dodging debris as they raced toward the most amazing vehicle ever made: The Enterprise. How will puzzles and problem solving be handled in the game? Without revealing too much, we did show an awesome example of Coop variety in the demo during the Medbay sequence. Leading up to it, Kirk and Spock were finding dead crew around the ship… if they scanned them with their Tricorders they’d collect a sample of an alien parasite. Later on, Kirk is hit by that same toxin and is crippled. Spock carries Kirk to Medbay (Kirk blasting a few aliens with his one good arm) and places him on a Medbay bed… now Spock has to use a Medbay beam to surgically remove the parasites using this custom computer interface. Of course enemies start pouring in so Kirk has to cover him while he does it: very tense! What can you tell us about the gaming engine and what it will bring to the table? We call it the Evolution Engine, something we’ve been building here for several years. For Star Trek, we’ve had to build a ton of flexibility into it to support how much gameplay variety we have. From the reaction we got to our pre-alpha demo, people said the game looks and sounds amazing… so hopefully that means the table will be set with an amazing Star Trek game! What are some of the locales gamers will see in the game? Strange new worlds of course! The great thing with such a close collaboration with filmmakers for this game is that we’ve been given unprecedented access to their Star Trek archives. We have the blueprints, set photography, ILM’s CG assets – everything we need to make this the most authentic Star Trek game possible. Will players be able to explore and roam or are missions linear in nature? I would say it’s a mix – the opening of the game is pure pandemonium but as Kirk and Spock unravel the mystery they end up seeing amazing spaces that players will love exploring. What type of multiplay will the game offer? Right now we’re just talking about my favorite form of multiplayer: COOP!!! Blending action with a detailed plot can always be tricky, how have you attempted to create this? We showed a great example in the demo: when the enemies surprise Kirk and beam in, Kirk stumbles but gets to his feet – players immediately have control, even though it’s a crazy cinematic moment, players can aim and fire as Kirk runs for cover. We also have the iconic aspects of narrative that Star Trek created – the Captain’s Log, the First Officer’s Log… these work so great for the game because the can underscore more pensive moments of the game, delivering narrative without taking control away from our players. What are some of the biggest obstacles you see in creating the game, and what are your biggest goals for the game? In my mind, they are one and the same – not making a great Star Trek game… but making a great game that happens to be set in the most incredible science fiction universe. I loved the film reboot so much, it brought back the heat to Star Trek, and I want to do right by it… but more than that I want to make a great game in and of itself. With the huge fan following of Trek how much pressure is there compared to other titles you have worked on and is it restricting working on a property like this in terms of what you can and cant do? The responsibility to Star Trek fans is huge – at the start of the project we went through the entire series – that’s a lot of Star Trek! What jumped out at me was how well the original cast still worked… I loved the friction and the camaraderie between the crew. I loved how the values of equality and race were tackled in the show and how it was often a morality tale. As far as restrictions go, I am happy to say that we’ve actually been pushed to stretch the boundaries. It is incredible how much freedom we have considering this is Star Trek we’re talking about! Can you tell us about who is doing the voices for the game and the music and what they bring to the production? It is still early for us to announce such things… stay tuned for more on that and much, much more! Posted in Gaming Interviews Tech Expert Scott Steinberg Talks E3 2011 With Us. Posted on June 30, 2011 by Robert Technology expert Scott Steinberg is the CEO of high-tech consulting firm TechSavvy Global, and a frequent tech analyst and gaming expert for ABC, CBS and CNN who’s covered the field for 400+ outlets from NPR to Rolling Stone. The founder of GameExec Magazine and Game Industry TV, he also hosts video series Game Theory, hailed as “the smartest take on the video game industry.” Scott took the time to have a conversation with me about the good, bad, and potential of what we saw at the 2011 E3 Expo. E3 2011 Interview Video Game Expert.com Posted in Gaming Interviews PREY 2 Interview Posted on April 25, 2011 by Robert Recently we got to speak with Matt Bisenius – Associate Producer, Human Head Studios about the hotly anticipated PREY 2. I want to thank Matt for answering our questions Pete and Angela at Zenimax for arranging the interview. What is the storyline for the game and how soon does it follow the events of the first game? Prey 2 tells the story of Killian Samuels, a US Marshal who was abducted during the same events that kicked off Prey. Killian was aboard an airplane crossing over Oklahoma that gets sucked up to the Sphere (mother ship) hovering over Earth. This wreckage is actually encountered by Tommy Towadi, the protagonist of Prey, during his journey to destroy the Sphere. While the same events are responsible for starting off each game, the sequel quickly takes a turn and explores a new part of the Prey universe. Following the crash landing on the Sphere, Killian is taken by a race of slavers to a distant planet he calls Exodus. Killian awakes on this planet and it’s made immediately clear that he has been here for much longer than perceived. In the time passed, Killian has established himself on Exodus by converting his skills from being a US Marshal into that of being a Bounty Hunter. He also learns that he’s the only human (that is, until he encounters Tommy), he’s made a handful of friends, and has made a lot of enemies. Through Prey 2 the player is tasked with uncovering Killian’s past, taking missions as a bounty hunter in the present, and uncovering the greater looming mysteries of the very near future. Why did it take until now for a sequel to be announced as many people expected it to be announced within a year of the release of the first game? Immediately following the release of Prey Human Head Studios began work on other projects. In the summer of 2009, Human Head Studios signed with BSW and, together, began work on Prey 2. Bethesda Softworks: We announce games when the timing is right – and that’s now! What types of weapons will be available to players and will spirit walking be included? The new protagonist, Killian, has a whole new bag of weapons and gadgets that speak to the bounty hunter thematic. His gadgets run the gamut but fall into one of several categories. There are gadgets to incapacitate enemies (Boladeros, Anti-Gravity Grenades), to kill enemies (Frag Grenades, Rockets), to assist with navigation (Hover Boots), to provide a tactical advantage during combat (Hex-Shield), and to provide info (Scanner), and some other types as well. In all we’ll have over 20 gadgets with up to 40 upgrades in all. The number of gadgets available to the player allows them to take a unique approach to any given situation. The gadgets by themselves are quite a lot of fun and are very beneficial when facing a tricky situation but what puts them over the top is their ability to be used in conjunction with the weapons. Killian can be shooting and reloading his pistol at the same time Shoulder-mounted rockets are being fired. Regarding weapons, Killian will have 40 different weapon configurations built from 5 core weapon types. Will portals be a part of the game and if so how have they been enhanced since the original? Portals were part of the Sphere which met its demise in Prey when Tommy drove it into the sun. While portals made for an interesting gameplay device and excellent features to extend our puzzles, it really has no place in Prey 2 thematically or through gameplay. We’re introducing a set of mechanics that are new to the first-person shooter market and will serve the same function of providing a fresh experience to players. What enemies will players face and will there be vehicles that players can use? The player will not have access to vehicles in Prey 2. The player will encounter a variety of new species in Prey 2, as well as a number of re-envisioned species from Prey. There is a system in place to mix and match costuming on the aliens to provide a greater sense of variety in the world. Seeing as it’s an open world game, variety in the general population goes a long way towards conveying the sense of a living world, especially across different levels. More specifically, regarding enemies and combat variation, species will share a range of weaponry and varied alien tactics. The player will also encounter the occasional individual exotic/alien ability such as teleporting. It’s also important to note that in an open world NPCs can become enemies at any point. It’s not always cut and dry as to who has the means and agenda to hurt you so as a player there’s another layer of gameplay that is being conscious of everyone in your immediate surroundings. Another interesting aspect that ties in to the Bounty Hunter role is that many enemies must be captured and taken alive so gunning them down would result in mission failure, or for enemies that must be captured alive or dead, it becomes player choice how to take them down. This makes for a very fresh and unique first-person shooter experience. PREY had many puzzles for players to solve, will the new game be more or less puzzle centric? Prey 2 is much more focused on agile combat, fluid navigation and open world exploration. This doesn’t mean that the player won’t have to use their wits to figure out the best way to approach the various situations they encounter in the game. Puzzle solving becomes more about tactically reading the situation and determining how to approach given the player’s current gadget/weapon loadouts, the enemies encounters, and the location itself. There are always multiple ways to tackle each encounter, which — depending upon the encounter — are more or less effective. While playing the game, the player will learn which tactics work best for each situation based upon the encounter, their loadouts, and their own personal play style. What can you tell us about the gaming engine and what it will bring to the table? Work on the technology began immediately after Prey 1 shipped in 2006, with idTech 4 as our base. Throughout development we’ve revamped and evolved the engine focusing on physically based lighting, virtual texturing, and large open worlds in order to build the beautiful and unique open-world experience of Prey 2. Physically-based lighting means all of our lighting is based on the real physics of light, including real world values for all light sources and materials. The lighting system seamlessly mixes dynamic deferred lighting and shadows with very complex pre-computed effects such as soft shadows, glossy reflection, and global illumination. Combine this with a practically unlimited texture budget provided by virtual texturing and you get a result typically found only in offline CG. Trust me, you haven’t seen anything like this before. What are some of the locales gamers will see in the game? Prey 2 takes place on Exodus which is a tidally locked planet. Similar to how the same face of the moon is always facing Earth, the same face of Exodus is always facing their sun. This results in a hot/light and cold/dark side of the planet. Between the two extremes you have a thin in habitable ring of life. Up until now, we’ve showed the Bowery – a location which is located right in the middle between dark and light and is at permanent dusk. Throughout the game the player will unlock and freely travel between a few other locales including one more skewed towards the light and another towards the dark. All of these locales share a common theme of ‘Alien Noir’. What type of multiplay will the game offer? There is no multiplayer in Prey 2. With Bethesda’s great knowledge of the single-player open world genre and our drive to create a fantastic open world first person shooter, we opted to take multiplayer out of the equation. Our primary goal is to create a fun, engaging, and memorable single-player experience. Blending action with a detailed plot can always be tricky, how have you attempted to create this in Prey 2? While Prey 2 does provide lots of great action it also takes time to let the player catch their breath and absorb some story. The conveyance of story will occur through a variety of means which we are not talking about yet. What are some of the biggest obstacles you see in creating the game, and what are your biggest goals for the game? We’ve managed to modify an engine designed for linear corridor gameplay and convert it into an open world shooter with new parkour-like navigation. This required us to break down the walls (literally) and provide greater draw distances, build new player mechanics from the ground up, new AI and AI pathing, an overhaul on the rendering (physical based lighting, virtual texturing, and more), and to build our levels in an entirely new fashion. The outcome is mind-blowing and we’re excited to show the public more of what we’ve been working on. Can you tell us about who is doing the voices for the game and the music and what they bring to the production? Not yet, but we’ll keep you posted! Ipad and Ipad 2 users can get free issues of our magazine here. Posted in Gaming Interviews Marvel vs Capcom 3 Interview Posted on February 10, 2011 by Robert We got a chance to speak with Capcom’s Wes Phillips about the upcoming Marvel vs. Capcom 3 for the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3. Wes was on his way to the airport, but managed to squeeze us in to answer our questions about the new game. I want to thank Alan at OCmodshop for helping with the interview. Why has it been so long since the last Marvel vs. Capcom (over 10 years)? WP: There’s so many properties involved and so many different license-holders. Half of the problem was wrangling all of those things together and half of an ending-game renaissance to get the sting back on track. It took a bit of time to get everything together, but we finally did it, and Marvel vs. Capcom 3 is an awesome game. Was Stan Lee involved with the game at all? WP: No, Stan Lee is not really directly involved, even though he created most of the characters, which is why his fingerprints have been on the title. It’sthe hands-on development team that have fostered this baby to the world. WP:What is the background and setting for the game? I don’t want to ruin it too much because the background is part of the story, but it obviously takes something significant to get these two worlds to come together. Let’s just say it might have something to do with an interdimensional portal (or one of those types of devices). Do you start out with a subset of characters and unlock more as the game progresses? WP:You have access to just about all of the characters from the start. There’s four characters that are locked at the beginning but they’re fairly easy to unlock (no more than a few hours of play). Are there any secret characters (beyond the locked four)? WP:Secret is used a little lightly. Akuma and Ashinko from Dark Stalkers, and Task Master and Sentinel from the Marvel Universe. What environments or levels can the player fight in? Are there elements in each environment that players can use to their advantage? WP:The environments don’t necessarily interact with the characters directly, but they are cool. There are all sorts of iterations from the Marvel and Capcom universes. We have X-men stages, Metro City stage from Final Fight. We have a really cool Resident Evil lab setting where if you smash something then things will escape from their cages and start crawling around the stage. We even have a throwback to our old Ghosts and Goblins game with Arthur. There’s all sorts of crazy backgrounds from both universes. A lot is going on, but they don’t necessarily affect the gameplay experience. In MvC2 there was an improved control system. I’ve heard rumors about the control scheme being updated again. Can you tell us about this new button system? WP: There are two button layouts in MvC3. There’s a “normal” control scheme and “simple mode”. What simple mode does is essentially assign some of the harder combos to particular buttons. A more experienced player might say “Oh, that’s not fair!” to pull off a combo so easily, but only a few of the combos are available in this mode. For instance, Dante has a few dozen moves he can pull off, but if you play in Simple Mode then you’re limited to four of five of them. Simple mode makes the game a little more accessible, but you’ll have to learn the combos to unleash the full power of each character. As a game developer it’s about opening up the game to a larger audience because we want more people playing, which is part of the rationale for implementing this basic control scheme. What’s new about the “Evolved VS” Fighting system? WP: A big part of the game are “air combos” (when you attack your opponent up in the air). In the past, each command to launch your opponent in the air has been different for each character, but what we’ve done now is utilize a “special attach button” which is essentially a “universal launcher”. You don’t have to learn different launchers for each character, and it allows gamers to get into air combat more easily which will allow for more of the fun crazy battles. We’ve also added the “X-Factor” element to the gameplay. Let’s say two of your guys are down and your opponent has three characters left. You can trigger “X-Factor” and get a small damage boost for a limited amount of time which might allow you to even out the odds a little bit. Say that Character X is known in their universe to have powers A, B, C. How do you pick which ones to use, versus which ones to leave out because they are to powerful, and or don’t fit in to your concept? WP: It really depends on which universe you’re talking about. For Capcom we worked with the various producers of each respective game to make sure that each character falls within the confines of their particular game. We really do work to make sure that each character’s ability is true to their world. Marvel has their own team that decides which powers to include in the game, and we come together to get everything just right. It’s been a really cool collaborative process, and it makes for a really detail-rich game. Are there any moves that are locked out until later? WP:There are no moves that are locked out, but the way the VS system works is that you have a damage meter at the bottom in order to pull off specific moves. For instance, the Level 3 Hyper Combos are the most powerful, so you have to build up that amount before you can access those particular attacks. In another example, once Dead Pool reaches level 3 on the Damage Meter he will grab the life bar off the top, hit you with it and hit a Home Run with you. As you progress within a particular match you have access to better and better Hyper-Combos. What can you tell us about the multiplay in the game and is there co-op? WP: We’re focusing on the core fun experience, which is the straight-up Versus mode and of course we have the high-quality online connection that you would expect from Capcom fighting games. When you get into a game it feels just as smooth as if someone was in the same room with you. One of the cool things we’re doing is we’re adding lobbies to MvC3 so you and seven of your other buddies can get together, pool up, and cycle through battles, talk smack to one another… it’s a pretty cool online addition to the game. We have some more things in store as we talk about downloadable content down the road, too. How does 3-on-3 Tag Team Fighting work? WP: You control three different characters, and four attack buttons (Light, Medium, Hard, and a Special Attack). You also have two assist buttons, which are used by the characters that are off the screen at that particular time. You can tap the assist button, and that character will attack and then leave the screen again, or you can hold that button down to “tag out” and play as that new character. Each one of those buttons corresponds to a different fighter. If you want to switch Dante for Dead Pool, then hold down the first assist button, but if you then want Chun-Li, then hold down the second assist button. The engine is based on Resident Evil 5 and Lost Planet 2, all of which are available on the PC? Why no PC version for MvC3? WP: As a company we never really eliminate the possibility of something, but there’s nothing to announce today. Right now we have no plans to announce any other platforms, but right now what we have announced is the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3. When is the official release date? WP: Oh, yeah, the game comes out February 15th, 2011, so it’s right around the corner. Posted in Gaming Interviews Tech Expert Scott Steinberg Talks About the Future of Gaming and Technology Posted on February 5, 2011 by Robert by Gareth von Kallenbach & Genevieve McBride Recently we were given another opportunity to interview technology expert Scott Steinberg. Scott is the CEO of high-tech consulting firm TechSavvy Global, and a celebrated gadget guru and video game expert who frequently appears as a technology analyst on ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC and CNN, and has contributed to 400+ outlets from The New York Times to Playboy and Rolling Stone. He’s also the author of Video Game Marketing and PR and host of online industry insider video series Game Theory. What have been some of the most exciting trends in technology at the CES? We’ve seen tremendous innovation in mobility and convenience. Dozens of tablet PCs from the BlackBerry PlayBook to Motorola Xoom promise to make high-performance computing more manageable for road warriors, while smartphones such as the Atrix 4G, HTC ThunderBolt and Xperia Arc continue to gain in power and practicality, adding features like casual videoconferencing and netbook-grade processors. Of course, you can’t beat the rise of affordable 3D either, thanks to new video camera units like Sony’s Bloggie 3D, which bring three-dimensional movie making home. What have been your biggest suprises and disappointments? I think most surprising is just how quickly manufacturers are flocking to make tablet computers the next standard, when just last year we were fixated on netbooks, and wondered if there was even a market for a higher-grade touchscreen units, given historical performance prior to the iPad. Also shocking is just how prevalent Google’s Android operating system has become, and will continue to be going forward thanks to the launch of dozens of new smartphones and the tablet-specific Honeycomb operating system upgrade. I think the biggest disappointment thus far has been in the eReader space (we’ve seen a lot of talk, but little action outside of Kindle, Nook and software-based platforms), and how slow digital publishers have been to take advantage of these platforms. What do you think the future holds for 3DTv and 3D gaming? Greater affordability, thank heaven, and growing ubiquity, as prices come down and more 3D content becomes available. The dawn of affordable 3D video cameras for home or professional movie making, growing range of 3D solutions, including glasses-free options like the Optimus 3D smartphone or 3D video recording units such as the G-Slate tablet and increasing variety of 3D gaming content available like PlayStation 3 Killzone 3 and the glasses-free Nintendo 3DS, are all helping 3D become much more palatable. Of course, don’t forget the success of Microsoft’s Kinect and Sony’s PlayStation Move – which enable 3D gaming in the form of 360-degree movement – also point towards a bright future as well. When do you believe we will see the next generation of gaming consoles? A greater push towards online connectivity and digital delivery of content, as well as the drive towards more app-like bite-sized on-demand software, ongoing downloadable updates (including regular microtransactions and in-app purchases) and total functionality as a full-fledged entertainment device capable of delivering music, movies, apps, streaming media and more on-demand. You can bank on more social networking and connected multiplayer features too, as well as cloud-like instant delivery options, as Gaikai and OnLive are trying to push. What do you believe is the next great technological leap for PCs and PC Gaming as well as in handheld devices? Free to play titles available via Web browser that approach the production values of full-fledged retail blockbusters, including the evolution of MMO games into browser-based outings that don’t require massive installs. Also, cross-platform titles that allow you multiple points of entry – Facebook, tablet PC, handheld console, etc. – into the same game, offering multiple experiences, yet tangible overarching progress and benefits. What is your take on the growing tablet market? Extremely positive – while tablets are tricky to upgrade, they make computing much more intuitive and convenient, and are effectively acting as a Trojan horse to get computers’ in more people’s hands. Apps are just software programs, and touchscreen monitors are just simpler ways to navigate. They’re just doing a better job at translating computing basics – Web surfing, email, productivity, multimedia, entertainment, digital reading, etc. – for the general public, and are a hell of a lot easier to cram in a carry-on. What do you believe are the biggest problems and challenges in the industry today and moving forward? Part of the challenge is pioneering new markets; part is juggling with new standards of value as the price of content (e.g. apps, social games, etc.) is quickly becoming a race to the bottom; part is massive audience fragmentation across platforms and devices; and part is increasing pressure given a growing range of competition and shrinking barriers to entry. Today’s developers, publishers and manufacturers have a bigger opportunity to reach a wider audience than ever – the question is just how do you connect, and how effectively? What is your take on the Move and The Kinect? Great solutions that are helping introduce a new generation to gaming, and have tremendous potential to complete redefine how we interact with games and consumer electronics. But applications thus far have been very simple. It’s time for developers and publishers to step up and add new dimensions to the experience that illustrate how they can redefine gaming for hardcore as well as casual audiences alike. We’re just scratching the tip of the iceberg in terms of capabilities, though. Posted in Gaming Interviews Post navigation ← Older posts

Search Search Twitter Things From Another World Visit Things From Another World for a massive selection of Star Wars, Hellboy, Manga, Superheroes and other pop culture favorites. Rude Gameware Visit Rude Gameware! Recent Posts Iron Man 3 Guacamelee Dead or Alive 5 Plus FUSE Trailer and Information Injustice: Gods Among Us Star Trek: The Video Game Skewed and Reviewed’s 2013 Summer Movie Preview Pain and Gain We Talk Fast & Furious 6, The Lone Ranger, Captain America: The Winter Soldier and More With Stunt Driver Robert Nagle Gangster Squad Blu-ray Why The Next Xbox’s Always On Feature Is No Big Deal Oblivion Updates Are In The Works Wondercon 2013 42 Archives May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011 December 2010 November 2010 October 2010 September 2010 August 2010 July 2010 June 2010 May 2010 April 2010 March 2010 February 2010 January 2010 December 2009 November 2009 October 2009 September 2009 August 2009 July 2009 June 2009 May 2009 April 2009 March 2009 February 2009 January 2009 December 2008 November 2008 October 2008 September 2008 August 2008 July 2008 June 2008 May 2008 Think Geek! The Nerds Good Stuff!

Skewed 'n Reviewed

Category Archives: Gaming Interviews

Wildman Interview With Chris Taylor of Gas Powered Games

We Tallk The Elder Scrolls Online with Paul Sage

Company of Heroes 2 Interview With Game Director Quinn Duffy

Christopher Emerson Talks About Resident Evil 6 and How He Brought Piers Nevin to Life

Far Cry 3 Interview

We Talk Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn, The Twilight Saga and X-Men With Daniel Cudmore

Rise of the Triad Interview

Planetside 2 Interview With Senior Game Designer Jason Good

Heroes & Generals Interview With with Level Designer and co-founder at Reto-Moto, Peter Fleckenstein

Transformers: Fall of Cybertron Interview

Natural Selection 2 Interview: Mixing a FPS and RTS For a Killer Experience

Aliens: Colonial Marines Hands On and Audio Interview E3 2012

Interview With Extra Life Founder Jeromy Adams

Mercenary Ops Interview

Interview with Tech Expert Scott Steinberg

Dark Legends: Our Interview with the Designer

Director Morgan Spurlock Talks About Comic-Con Episode Four: A Fan’s Hope

Tribes: Ascend Interview

Evil Controller Interview With the CEO Adam Coe

Actress Ellen Dubin Talks About Her Character in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

Hunt The THING MMORPG Interview

Counter-Strike: Global Offensive Interview

Hedone Interview and Images

Steve Sinclair Creative Director from Digital Extremes Talks About The New Star Trek Game

Tech Expert Scott Steinberg Talks E3 2011 With Us.

PREY 2 Interview

Marvel vs Capcom 3 Interview

Tech Expert Scott Steinberg Talks About the Future of Gaming and Technology