| A
long time ago, in a news post far, far away I mentioned a
game called Freedom Ridge, which was to be the sucessor to
the grand old XCOM games.
XCOM,
in case you've been hiding under a rock all these years, was
the game that really put sci-fi turn based strategy games
on the map as a legitimate genre. The premise looked great,
the graphics were amazing... And it was being developed by
the same team that had done the classics. Sadly, the game
seemed to have dropped off the face of the earth when the
publisher pulled the plug... Or did it?
A
few months back we started to hear rumors that the project
had been revived, and indeed it has been. The description
of the new product reads:
UFO:
Aftermath combines global strategy with small squad tactical
combat in the fight against an alien invasion. It features
run-time generated tactical missions, completely in 3D, with
innovative simultaneous action combat; strong RPG elements
and strategy game on the planetary level.
We
were intruiged, and with the help of an evil mage, a voodoo
witch doctor and the manager at our local 7-11 managed to
hunt down the PR manager at ALTAR Interactive, Jiri Rydl in
his lair of darkness and convince him to do an interview.
So, without further ado, let's all gather round and listen.
(Click on any of the screenshots to expand them, all screenshots
courtesy of ALTAR Interactive.)
FRAGtopia:
For the record, please state your name, and position (job
description) within ALTAR interative.
Jiri
Rydl, PR manager. I am responsible for communication with
the press, fans, and marketing partners.
Age?
26
Area
of residence, here on Earth? Brno or Prague, both in the Czech
Republic
Favorite
type of music/band? Nu-metal/break beat/techno/hard core/hip
hop/... Too much names.
Favorite
soft drink? Pepsi MAX (I don't know if Pepsi sells this brand
outside the Czech Republic, but it's something like Pepsi
Light with a more sweet taste)
Favorite
video games? Oops, too many. Lets say Arcanum, Baldur's Gate,
Deus Ex, Dungeon Master, Half Life, Fallout, Jagged Alliance,
Kingpin, Might & Magic, Max Payne, Original War, Quake, System
Shock, Transport Tycoon, Unreal, Ultima, Warcraft, and X-COM.
I didn't mentioned the numbers, but usually I've liked the
whole series :-]
FRAG:
I know that a large number of our readers are old sk00l XCOM
fans. Mythos did the original games, are any of the members
of the original team involved with the new game?
J.R.:
No, not any more. In the beginning of the development we were
in contact with Julian Gollop through our publisher.
FRAG:
What ever happened to Freedom Ridge?
J.R.:
The project was stopped by the publisher, Virgin Interactive
Entertainment, due to some progress problems. After the release
of Original War, ALTAR interactive was offered the chance
to continue this project, but we quickly realized that we
had to start again, from the beginning. UFO: Aftermath is
completely new game with a new story, design, engine, and
a new name, of course. See our Developer's Diaries at GameSpy
for more info on this topic.
FRAG:
How many people are currently working on the project?
J.R.:
There are about 20 people working on UFO:AM.
FRAG:
And of course, I have to ask: How many of your dev guys played
the originals back in the day?
J.R.:
Everyone did. Personally I played it years ago and I am huge
fan like you are. Some colleagues didn't know it, but before
the project start everyone played it.
FRAG:
What games has ALTAR interactive developed in the past?
J.R.:
A puzzle game, called Fish Fillets, for Czech market only
and the internationally distributed real-time strategy game,
Original War. Take a look at http://www.original-war.com
for more information.
FRAG:
Can you describe the backstory of UFO: Aftermath for us? Does
it tie into the whole XCOM universe or is it a separate experience?
J.R.:
The day after tomorrow, a giant spacecraft approaches the
Earth. Silent, it hovers ominously over the world, and begins
to release great clouds of spores into the upper atmosphere.
Rapidly multiplying, the spores soon darken the skies, and
before too long obscure the sun completely. In later days,
this period will be known as the "Twilight".
Having
reached some critical mass in the skies, the spores begin
to rain down, and over the course of several days, begin to
clog the streets and bodies of water, smothering people in
their homes, and burying animals in the wild.
During
the "Nightfall", as it came to be called, most of the higher
life forms on the earth were wiped out. During the twilight,
all human response was futile. Choosing caution over aggression,
the governments of the world never realized how quickly the
end could come, and were buried alongside those that they
governed. A few, however, did survive, sealed in underground
bases with stocks of food and oxygen. After several weeks,
the spores seem to have disintegrated, decomposing and settling
into the soil. The world seemed safe again, for a time. This
is where you come in: you must gather together the remaining
peoples of the planet, find out what has happened, and, if
possible, get your revenge.
FRAG:
When is the game due out (roughly), and what percentage of
it is currently completed?
J.R.:
We're currently planning for a release in Q1 2003. I think
that we're about 60 percent complete.
FRAG:
How will the basic gameplay be handled?
J.R.:
The campaign pits you as one of Earth's few survivors against
a devastating alien attack. It will be up to these few brave
men and women to resist the alien incursion in any way they
can, and eventually push the alien menace back.
The first
part, the strategic game, is about your advancement over the
surface of the geosphere, where you will be able to see your
bases, UFOs and aircraft, and outstanding missions. You will
also see the spread of the biomass. You can also enter the
Research & Development and Training & Recruitment screens
from here.
The tactical
missions will be the main part of UFO:AM - a top down isometric
view of the battlefield with flexible controls for zooming
and rotating. The gameplay will be a combination of turn based
and real time, where you issue orders to your soldiers in
a pause mode, then see the implementation of these orders
in real time. When something unexpected occurs, the game will
pause, allowing you to revise your orders and react to the
new situation. This pause setting will be configurable, so
to leave the game as fluid as the player wants it.
More
information about our system could be found at on our web
page at: http://www.ufo-aftermath.com.
FRAG:
Will the game take place only on earth, or will be going to
other worlds as well? Any underwater action going on? ;)
J.R.:
No, there are no underwater missions. But you can look forward
to different flora and fauna depending on where you are on
the planet, as well as different architecture for the buildings
on the different continents. In addition to this are natural
variables like time of day, environments like snow, desert,
forest, etc.
FRAG:
What sorts of technology will the player be able to develop,
and how will development/research work? Are we going to have
to run around collecting minerals and gold?
J.R.:
There will be about 70 different technologies and advancements
you can research/develop in the game, like psi weapons, alien
language, UFO engines, and more. The speed of research will
be dependant on how many bases you control, and how many of
those are geared towards research.
No, you
won't collect minerals or other resources, but you need aliens
weapons or artifacts to inspire further research, on occasion.
FRAG:
Is the game going to be single player only, or will multiplayer
be included?
J.R.:
Single player mode only. We don't have enough time to develop
a multiplayer option.
FRAG:
Will they be able to play Aliens as well as humans? (Additional
question regarding the multiplayer.)
J.R.:
If there will be a multiplayer add-on in the future, we will
certainly think about this option.
FRAG:
I've never been a real strategy fan, especially of the turn
based stuff. I've always been more of a shooter fan. What's
special about UFO:AM that's going to draw guys like me to
play and enjoy it, not just the hardcore strategy buffs?
J.R.:
If you don't like strategy or tactical games like Jagged Alliance
or X-Com at all, we can't offer you much. But I hope that
you will be attracted by the post apocalyptic atmosphere,
the interesting battle system, the RPG elements, and the great
number of alien and human weapons.
And it
is important to note that every player will be able to choose
the difficulty level according to his skills, so you will
be able to play it through over a weekend or choose the hardcore
option with many more hours of playtime.
FRAG:
Any final words?
J.R.:
UFO: Aftermath is a combination of "old-school" playability
and "new-school" graphics and interface, and that's why I'm
sure every player will find his way to this game. You can
find out in the next few months!
Thanks
very much for your time Jiri, we look forward to seeing the
new game!
Related links
ALTAR
Interactive
UFO:
Aftermath Official Site |
