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Questions about Firaxis' present, past and future
Generic Questions Addressed to Anyone Willing to Answer
LDespot: Are there any plans to do another historical game? Some of the suggestions on the message boards are a game based on Waterloo, etc.
Sid Meier: We really enjoyed making and playing Gettysburg! and in many ways we think it is a next step in the evolution of war games, so we would like to continue down this path. There are all sorts of possibilities with the Gettysburg! system, it can handle anything from ancients all the way to wars of the nineteenth century. Interestingly, we've had a lot of requests for a Napoleonic war. But, right now we are very focused on Alpha Centauri. We haven't made any decisions about what we will do with the Gettysburg! system. We're listening closely to feedback on what people like and do not like about Gettysburg! and what gamers would like us to do next. As soon as we get a little lull from Alpha Centauri, we'll start putting some ideas together for our next project.
LDespot: Why the exclamation point in SMG's title?
Lindsay Riehl: We really wanted to show that this game was about being on the battlefield, hearing the gun and cannon blasts and feeling the adrenaline rush as you charge the enemy. We felt the exclamation point created a sense of action and excitement, similar to what MicroProse did with Pirates! a while back. It was very important for us to differentiate this game from the "more classical" war game approach and we thought the packaging and exclamation point helped to achieve this.
LDespot: Can you give us any details on what we can expect from Alpha Centauri?
Brian Reynolds: Specifically, Alpha Centauri is a science fiction strategy game set in on an alien world in the early 22nd Century. It will feature elements of exploration, discovery and conquest. Similar to the other games Sid and I have designed in the past, Alpha Centauri involves taking familiar concepts and gameplay, breathing new life into them, enhancing the original fun, and bringing in exciting new stuff. The idea is to create a synergy which moves beyond the sum of the parts. Alpha Centauri will include some cool features that we have not included in previous game designs, including the ability to play as the leader of one of seven different factions each with special benefits and drawbacks that greatly affect the outcome of the game. Players will be able to create custom units according to their needs and Alpha Centauri will feature full multiplayer support for up to 7 players over the internet, LAN, modem, or serial connection.
LDespot: After Alpha Centauri, what can we expect from Firaxis? Is the company focusing on a specific game genre or will development be fueled by the ideas of the designers?
Jeff Briggs: At Firaxis new game concepts are fueled by the ideas of the designers, which includes almost every member of the company. One of the reasons we formed Firaxis was to create an environment that is focused on making fun games and not driven by outside marketing/financial pressures. Our first two products have taken significantly different design approaches to creating, what we feel are, innovative, fun gaming experiences. I think we will continue down the path of not focusing on a particular style or genre but taking the design approach that we feel is the best way to present the fun.
Next: Jeff Briggs
LDespot: Are there any plans to do another historical game? Some of the suggestions on the message boards are a game based on Waterloo, etc.
Sid Meier: We really enjoyed making and playing Gettysburg! and in many ways we think it is a next step in the evolution of war games, so we would like to continue down this path. There are all sorts of possibilities with the Gettysburg! system, it can handle anything from ancients all the way to wars of the nineteenth century. Interestingly, we've had a lot of requests for a Napoleonic war. But, right now we are very focused on Alpha Centauri. We haven't made any decisions about what we will do with the Gettysburg! system. We're listening closely to feedback on what people like and do not like about Gettysburg! and what gamers would like us to do next. As soon as we get a little lull from Alpha Centauri, we'll start putting some ideas together for our next project.
LDespot: Why the exclamation point in SMG's title?
Lindsay Riehl: We really wanted to show that this game was about being on the battlefield, hearing the gun and cannon blasts and feeling the adrenaline rush as you charge the enemy. We felt the exclamation point created a sense of action and excitement, similar to what MicroProse did with Pirates! a while back. It was very important for us to differentiate this game from the "more classical" war game approach and we thought the packaging and exclamation point helped to achieve this.
LDespot: Can you give us any details on what we can expect from Alpha Centauri?
Brian Reynolds: Specifically, Alpha Centauri is a science fiction strategy game set in on an alien world in the early 22nd Century. It will feature elements of exploration, discovery and conquest. Similar to the other games Sid and I have designed in the past, Alpha Centauri involves taking familiar concepts and gameplay, breathing new life into them, enhancing the original fun, and bringing in exciting new stuff. The idea is to create a synergy which moves beyond the sum of the parts. Alpha Centauri will include some cool features that we have not included in previous game designs, including the ability to play as the leader of one of seven different factions each with special benefits and drawbacks that greatly affect the outcome of the game. Players will be able to create custom units according to their needs and Alpha Centauri will feature full multiplayer support for up to 7 players over the internet, LAN, modem, or serial connection.
LDespot: After Alpha Centauri, what can we expect from Firaxis? Is the company focusing on a specific game genre or will development be fueled by the ideas of the designers?
Jeff Briggs: At Firaxis new game concepts are fueled by the ideas of the designers, which includes almost every member of the company. One of the reasons we formed Firaxis was to create an environment that is focused on making fun games and not driven by outside marketing/financial pressures. Our first two products have taken significantly different design approaches to creating, what we feel are, innovative, fun gaming experiences. I think we will continue down the path of not focusing on a particular style or genre but taking the design approach that we feel is the best way to present the fun.
Next: Jeff Briggs