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(This interview is between Ryan Newman and Nick Stewart of EntDepot, and the developers of Kohan from TimeGate Studios.) |
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SH: Steve Hemmesch: Game Designer;
Concept Designer 1.) All right, so, aside from story differences, what gameplay changes have been done to make Kohan: AG differ from the previous title? SH: The primary difference that you will notice right off the bat is that KAG contains units that were designed to fulfill more specific strategic roles in a players’ armies. As a result, new strategies and counters to older, popular strategies were created. For example, the Shadow Knight unit carries an axe that makes his attacks ignore the defenses of the enemy. This unit is very powerful when used against enemy companies that rely on high armor values or protection spells from their support units. We’ve also added a few new game types, such as King of the Hill and Turtle, providing new ways to enjoy the Kohan experience. 2.) Do you have any projects outside the Kohan series that you will be working on? If so, could you give us more info? AM: The announcements of projects following the release of Kohan: Ahriman’s Gift will be following shortly. Unfortunately, we aren’t able to provide any further insight at this time. 3.) How has feedback from the original game impacted upon development of AG? SH: We of course have been listening closely to our fans and testers to see what needs fixing and what areas could use polishing, but the core development of AG started while we were still finishing up Immortal Sovereigns. We had decided on trying new mission types in the campaigns, exploring the Ceyah side of the Kohan story more in depth, and to generally provide more of the same gameplay that made Kohan so enjoyable. We did design new game types and new units after looking at what our fans found popular, what they were asking for, and what we felt they would find to be interesting additions to their favorite strategies. 4.) What was your greatest challenge in putting together this expansion? SH: We had to make sure that in our zeal to pack in as much cool stuff as possible, we didn’t hurt the core gameplay balance that made Kohan so enjoyable. We had to be careful that we didn’t add something that made another aspect of the game obsolete or less fun to play. That was quite difficult, and required many rounds of testing new spells, units, building components, and AI changes. 5.) What do you feel is the single most impressive or outstanding element of AG? SH: I would have to say it is our new SAI’s that we developed for Ahriman’s Gift. We put a lot of hard work into improving the quality of the SAI players. We have had a lot of positive feedback from our testers about their new strengths and abilities. They are more dangerous opponents, and are more compatible allies than every before. A few of our testers even commented that during multiplayer games, it was often forgotten that a SAI was included because they were playing so well and scoring higher than the human players. 6.) Do you feel that you have contributed to the evolution of the RTS genre? SH: I truly believe we have. We took RTS gaming in a whole new direction that emphasizes diverse strategy and careful planning over pat build-paths and rapid-fire clickfests. We showed that you could integrate some of the best aspects of RPGs, Turn-Based and RTS games and end up with a truly new style of gaming. So many games have tried to mix genres and ended up with unfocused gameplay. We made sure that all the aspects we included into the mix were complimentary to each other and only added to the overall experience of Kohan. And we feel we did it quite successfully. 7.) How have sales been? Kohan got much praise in the press, but has it gotten a good response from gamers? AM: The sales of KIS have been extremely positive, especially considering that we are a first time developer. With the release of KIS in Europe today, October 18, Korea not too long ago, and a handful of other territories to localize the game, we expect sales to do well. Gamers have been extremely enthusiastic. We are very proud of our loyal following and even spent a good deal of time with a group of our most active testers at E3 2001. 8.) Will the Kohan franchise be branching off into other genres or media? AM: As soon as we can release further information regarding this question, I will be sure to let you know. 9.) What are your favorite games that you are playing at the moment? SH: Most of us have been busy playtesting Ahriman’s Gift, the standalone prequel to Immortal Sovereigns. Though we all enjoy a round or two of Counterstrike now and then to relieve the tension of a hard day’s work. 10.) Any of you console fans? If so, which are you looking forward to, the GameCube or Xbox? SH: I bought a Dreamcast and I am going to make sure I get as much out of it as possible! I was a good investment, it was! I don’t even want to think about the new consoles yet. Maybe after the latest stream of hype dies down I will have time to seriously look at the Xbox or GameCube. (Wise decision! -Ryan) 11.) Any thoughts of porting either Kohan title to Macintosh? I know our Mac editor has been itching to try it out. AM: Yes, we are exploring the opportunity of porting to Macintosh and are involved in negotiations. If anything becomes secured, I’ll be the first to let you know. 12.) Do you check out websites to read their reviews or see what their community says about your titles, or do you try to keep focused on the work? AM: Of course I read all of our reviews and surf all of the gaming sites for news related to our titles daily being in charge of Public Relations. As soon as I find relevant information such as a new review, our entire staff is informed immediately about it so that they can read it as well! And now for the fan contest questions: (Note to Readers: We received a lot of general questions (ie. 'When will the next title be out?' etc.. so we chose the two most unique (yes, we are aware the first asks that, it's the second portion we're interested in). Also, both are unedited) Godzila0207@----.com: I'm a fan of Kohan: IS (but then again who isn't) and have a few questions the first and most important one is....When is the expansion pack coming out? I already love the original, and with soooo much new stuff, i can't wait very long to get my hands on it. Are you giving each of the individual Kohans their own unique voices? Not to be mean, but pretty much all the Kohans have the same voice and that kinda sucks. This is something that every Kohan gamer can agree on, and fixing it would make the game waaay better. SH: The Ahriman’s Gift prequel is well on its way to the fans. The scheduled ship date is November 6 in North America. You won’t have much longer to wait. You’re right, it does have a lot of new stuff and you won’t believe the improvements in AI, the number of new strategies and tactics, and exciting units. And yes, we did try to get more variety in the hero and unit acknowledgements this time around. Each of the new Kohan heroes has their own voice actor/actress in Ahriman’s Gift and we gave them more to say. Scharnhorst: Why is the billet, along with all the other upgrades to the barracks, so expensive when their benefits are subpar compared to buildings with similiar attributes? For instance, the garrison adds + 2 av and + 4 dv to your militia for 96 gold but the watch towers add more visual range and + 4 dv for only 36 gold. More importantly, though, are there any plans to make the billet cheaper so that it might actually be incorporated into an early build where it's useful? It's lack of use in multiplayer should be a sure sign of its inpracticability. [Hope that's not too long!] SH: We are currently addressing a lot of the “value” issues of many of the components that people are unsatisfied with. Many of the components have been given some improved benefits and there are some new surprises in store for you as well. In direct defense of the Garrison versus Watch Towers example, the basic component of the Barracks (needed to reach the Garrison) is required to recruit your advanced military units (Dragoons, Grenadiers, Paladins, Elites…) while the Wall (needed for Watch Towers) only provides extra health to your city. You must keep in mind the overall benefits of the component plus its upgrade when determining cost vs. value. As for the Billet, it is not intended to be an early build benefit (we have never wanted to encourage rushing strategies in Kohan multiplayer). When used in the mid-to-late game, it cuts the cost of all units produced, including support units (which no other upgrade covers). The Billet allows you to field Elites and expensive support companies cheaper and faster than your opponent. You will have to wait to see if there will be changes such as the one you just suggested made in the future. I’ll assure you that all of our fans’ and players’ comments are recognized and kept in mind when making these decisions. -- Well, we would like to thank you again for your time, and we look forward to playing Kohan: Ahriman's Gift! [ top ] |
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