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| .............CONTENT
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| (This interview is between Ryan Newman of EntDepot and John Mancine, A.I. and gameplay programming.) | ||
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JM: Hi there, my name is John Mancine. My primary responsibilities for Deathrow are the Artificial Intelligence and game play programming. 1.) How has it been working with the Xbox? Is there a specific reason why Deathrow is a Xbox exclusive? JM: The Xbox has been great to develop for. You get all the benefits of a console (same hardware across every machine, etc.) but the ease of developing for the PC. The sheer power of the Xbox made it an obvious choice for Deathrow. The power of the Xbox has long been untapped, and having the chance to make Deathrow Xbox exclusive means that we can focus all of our energies on making it extremely impressive for the Xbox platform while not having to worry about the 'lowest common denominator' effect. 2.) What will set Deathrow apart from other multiplayer-focused action titles like Fuzion Frenzy or other party titles made in the same style (i.e. Mario Party)? JM: Deathrow has a very unique mix
of brutal hand to hand combat and extreme sports. People have been
trying to compare Deathrow to other titles and I think the comparisons
all fall short. On one hand, Deathrow is a bloody combat fighting
game, but on the other hand it is a tactic based goal-scoring sports
game. The best part is - it's up to the player to decide how they
want to play the game. 3.) How intricate is the combat system; is it a more action-oriented style or one based on combos ala Virtua Fighter? JM: The combat system is based on single attacks as well as combos. If you choose to keep charging at a player continuously kicking, then you will of course do some wicked combos. If you want to grab a player and break him over your leg, you can do that as well. We have tons of animations to keep the fighting unique and as you train your teammates you will see them acquire even more kick ass moves. Also, I should mention that we have a very easy to learn control system that gives the user great control over his player. 4.) The character design is fantastic, who is responsible for their unique style and what were the inspirations for them? JM: The amazing characters of Deathrow are due to the talents of Peter Ekstrand and Willy Bartels. I think they take inspiration from all kinds of things, but to be honest, who knows what is going on inside the heads of those two guys. It's a scary place I'm sure... =] 5.) What is being done to ensure longevity? It seems multiplayer-oriented titles get tiresome after a bit, what's going to make Deathrow stick with gamers? JM: Although the game will be tons of fun from the first second, there is a lot of content that has to be unlocked to experience. Our unlock system is unique in the sense that you can use your 'unlock credits' anyway you want in order to unlock new levels or teams etc. As you battle your way to the top, the game is constantly evolving. You can train/upgrade your current teammates and turn them into an elite ass kicking team, and if you are doing really well you will attract new recruits to your team also. Throughout the game you will be offered various missions to accomplish in the game, and if you fulfill these missions you will be rewarded handsomely. Besides all of these things, the sheer amount of levels and characters (all unique!) alone gives the game a lot of longevity. Plus, let's face it - what promotes longevity better then the ability to get a keg of your favorite brew and invite 7 of your friends over for a kick ass Deathrow party? =] (Despite media hystaria about
gaming violence, no ASCII smilies were harmed in this interview,
scout's honor - ED) 6.) An interesting element is going to be the ability for players to build their statistics as they progress, please expound on that. JM: As you progress through the league, battling your way to become the champion, you will be able to use the money you acquire to train and upgrade your teammates. All the teams are unique however, in the sense that not every team takes the same path as you are upgrading them. Some teams have a focus on team play and scoring, while other teams may have a focus primarily on breaking bones. Throughout the game you will have the option to alter your team in various ways either through exchanging players for new, more elite players or even by altering your team in artificial ways like drug enhancement or bionic implants etc. 7.) In regards to Xbox Live, Deathrow seems to be a perfect title for such a system, are any updates planned later on in the form of a download or a booster disc to allow gamers to play online? JM: Deathrow will support full system link to allow you and 7 of your friends to battle it out. Although it would have been great to support Xbox Live, the scheduling just didn't allow for it. I would keep your eyes peeled for the feature list of any potential Deathrow sequels, and I would bet you would find Live support. Of course, games like Halo weren't intended to be played online either and we see that happening through various 3rd party programs. So keep in mind the possibility of doing the same thing with Deathrow. 8.) With such an emphasis on hand-to-hand combat, there's been no mention of weapons, have they been totally excluded? If not long range, what about melee? Myself, I'm a big fan of axes, feel free to include one somewhere. JM: Walking into a combat sports game with a rocket launcher just isn't very cool. =] Although we love carnage as much as the next sicko, the fact that players need to get up close and personal to spill some blood just fits better into the Deathrow world. Although no weapons are supposed to be allowed on the arena floor, I think you may just find some surprises in the game as you progress through the leagues. 9.) How about custom logos? Any plan to incorporate a way for gamers to make their own signs to use on their armor or another form of a team 'tag'? JM: No, there isn't currently. Although I think you will find the team designs so varied and unique that everyone should be able to find a team that they are excited to play. 10.) Lastly, what else can we look forward to from SouthEnd? JM: Being a totally independent and
small developer (only 9 guys, and proud of it), we take pride in
knowing that we are doing games we love to play. We aren't just
stamping out titles to make cash - we are devoting a lot of blood
sweat and tears into making games we can be proud of. Some ideas
for our next title have been discussed - and of course I can't talk
about them now (of course - ED), but
I can definitely say that any game you see with the SouthEnd logo
is a game that you better check out. -- Thank you for graciously taking the time to conduct
this interview. I'm looking forward to beating the entire staff
to a bloody pulp in Deathrow, and we hope to be hearing much more
from SouthEnd Interactive very soon. [ top ] |
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