When Perimeter came out a couple of years ago, it turned quite a few heads for how the game approached destructible environments in a strategy game setting. Now the game's developers are tackling a new project, Maelstrom, which promises more destruction and a hybridization of strategy gaming with third person action elements. Recently we had the chance to talk with Lead Game Designer Carl Johnson about some of what is planned for Maelstrom.

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Maelstrom Q&A

Armchair Empire (AE): Bringing a sci-fi writer onboard to handle the game’s narrative, in what ways does the process of story writing need to be addressed for an interactive medium like games, compared to a passive medium like television or film?

Carl Johnson (CJ): The reason we brought in someone like James Swallow is because of his diverse background in Sci-Fi writing. He’s penned episodes of television shows such as Star Trek and Dr. Who as well as his own line of novels and, of course, games for major titles such as Star Trek and Battlestar Galactica. We knew we wanted someone who had a great understanding of Sci-Fi in general and James was the perfect candidate. With less interactive media, it’s up to the writer to really spoon feed the audience the story, its very linear and really isn’t too challenging (for the most part). In video games, you really have that opportunity to give players the chance to have direct impact and they drive the story rather than the story being laid out before them. That’s a very important factor to consider when writing for interactive media.

(AE): How did you make sure the story stands out, and doesn’t get mixed in with other post apocalyptic / alien invasion games?

(CJ): Overall the meshing of so many different Sci-Fi facets really came together and made a unique story. For people reading now, it may seem like a very simple premise, two factions fighting for the planet, aliens come down and join in the mix, hurray for apocalypse! However, the way the story begins and the somewhat realism to the way things occur really builds up to the story you see in the game. I think the history that people can experience through the game is what makes it unique. When we went to James to write the story, everyone had a specific idea of an aspect they wanted in the game and it was James’ job to pick up on that and create a good mix, which he certainly did. This really makes the game an awesome mix of both compelling story as well as original gameplay.

(AE): What did you learn from the development of Perimeter that has helped with creating Maelstrom? What about from reviews of the game?

(CJ): In a lot of ways Perimeter was the precursor for Maelstrom. Perimeter was one of the first games to introduce any form of environmental destructibility that was key to gameplay, rather than simply aesthetic. In that sense, we really learned a lot about what we could do to expand on typical RTS gameplay and advance into something new. The game was pretty well received overall and that was a big boost in confidence, not only for us but really for the crew at KDV Games. They worked really hard on the game and when they attained a worldwide release, as a cult hit it was everything they expected and more. The reviews really helped us to really beef up certain aspects of the game and to tone down others. We paid careful attention to what the audience of Perimeter had to say. We want Maelstrom to be released and those people who experienced Perimeter say “wow I loved that in Perimeter, now this is even better.” After all, we’re making the game for RTS and action audience and we know they expect top quality; we want to exceed even that.

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(AE): To what extent will players be able to terraform, and destroy their surroundings?

(CJ): Terraforming really has two faces, the tactical and somewhat delicate approach and the “let me blow this up and see how big of a crater I can make” approach. You’ll find that both work, but sometimes it is more prudent to take

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one route over the other. Terraforming is all about building and changing the map to suit your needs, and there really are no tremendous limitations on what you can or cannot do. Obviously building a 7,000 mile high mountain in the center of the map is a bit lofty, but if you want to build a protective wall surrounding your base that will prevent enemies and water – you’ve got no problems here. Additionally, everything in the game is destructible, from the charred remains of buildings to trees and bushes – you can destroy anything you can see.

(AE): How do plans for third person action segments work into Maelstrom? Will they be meshed together with the more traditional strategy facets of the game, or will they be meant to stand out from one another?

(CJ): In some parts of the game, you’ll be able to take control in the third-person in real time, no changeover except for view and controls. It’s meant to be integrated into the RTS gameplay, not a separate portion. I’m sure there have been occasions where you’ve been playing an RTS and you need that one unit to fire on one specific spot, or manoeuvre a certain way – that’s what we’re aiming for here. In a way we didn’t want it to “break up” the flow of the RTS factor, but at the same time we wanted it to provide a change of pace in the game to keep the player on their toes and offer additional interactivity on a scale never really attempted.

(AE): How will unit advancement work? Leveling up? Technology trees?

(CJ): You’ll have to research your new technologies, most of which will be automatically applied to units, others will have to be activated individually (Trooper to Marauder for example). However, with key characters you’ll see more of a levelling up instead of research and upgrade. The more a character works in the game, the more experience and therefore more levels. As the character levels up they will gain new abilities that they will be able to use in combat. Marcus O’Neil, for example, can heal fellow units around him with one of his special abilities.

(AE): Looking at the factions in Maelstrom, they appear to be highly differentiated from one another. Does this mean that they will each have very unique attack strategies, or will there be a certain degree of overlap between them?

(CJ): The factions are indeed very different from each other and each has a specific strategy that works best for them. The Remnants are most like a traditional military force, with tanks, humvees, etc. You can expect the usual RTS gameplay from them. They rely on their various infantry units as well as an array of vehicles, overall a very well rounded fighting force. They tend to battle in guerrilla tactics rather than head on strikes. The Ascension on the other hand is reliant on their massive machines of war, all of which have dual functionality courtesy of transforming capabilities. Compared to the Remnants, the Ascension are a much more forceful and direct group and have no qualms with marching their machines onto the field and straight into the enemy. The Hai-Genti are very different from the rest, for more than one reason. First of all their entirely bio-engineered race equips them with no vehicles at all, but with massive war-beasts. They are reliant on these massive organic creations to take on the enemy in the field. They often utilize overwhelming numbers when attacking their enemies. They subscribe to the hive-mind mentality where the good of the race comes before the good of the individual. A violent and bloodthirsty race, they have no problem with throwing their vast numbers directly into enemy fire.

(AE): How is multiplayer being addressed in Maelstrom?

(CJ): There is a fully integrated LAN/Online multiplayer system built into the game. We’ve also included a tracking system so you can keep track of your stats and your friends. We’re also planning on having multiple gameplay modes within multiplayer to liven things up a bit.

(AE): How many units can players command at once in Maelstrom’s campaigns? Are you going for massive battles, or smaller, more intimate clashes?

(CJ): There is a unit capacity ceiling within the game, but it’s dependent on resources and certain key buildings you have. That is, you will need to construct certain buildings to support your growing numbers; this is true of all the factions. We wanted to keep the battles intimate enough to keep the player deeply involved, but not so much that they’d lose track of everything that’s going on. In massive RTS games when you’re controlling too much it can be hectic, annoying and draw away from the gameplay. We chose to keep things tight on controls, we want people to be able to experience the game for its unique challenges and abilities, not get lost in a sea of units.

(AE): Changing gears for a moment, it was recently announced that major changes are in store for E3. How do you see this impacting a developer like KDV Games when it comes time to start promoting a new project like Maelstrom?

(CJ): Well, Maelstrom would have been out by the time E3 07 would have rolled around, but, in general, we support a more focused show and we look forward to participating in the new format. I think the new format will put the focus back on the games and less on the media glitz, which can only be for the best.

September 15, 2006

Thanks for your time, Carl!


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