Interview with a Made Man - Q&A Feature

We have all read about the demise of Acclaim last year, which was at a time when they had a number of excellent titles on the go. Games like Juiced have gone to THQ, their Rugby title is due for release soon with Hip and there are a number of brands that publishers are eager to take control of. Interview With A Made Man was also another of the Acclaim games that was starting to receive some well earned recognition and we were delighted to hear that the game is still in development and the grapevine tells us it is another title that is interesting publishers.

Our man on the spot, Derek dela Fuente managed to speak with Steve Cain, Art Director from the newly formed Silverback team risen from the ashes of Acclaimâ??s internal development team.

How many of the ex Acclaim staff, now working under the banner of Silverback, are working on the project and are there any assets or hardware shortcomings that the team will have to work on?

Currently there are 15 ex-Acclaim staff working on the project. We have no shortfall in terms of hardware and are working towards completing the in-game assets even as I write this.

What is the setting/s for the game and will it also offer a large collection of cast; perhaps you can name one?

The game is set in sixties Vietnam and New York in the sixties, seventies, eighties and nineties. There is a large game cast including Joeys mafia colleagues, â??Phillyâ?? Lombardi, â??Eggsâ?? Bondini and many others, as well as supplementary characters such as Cheung Li and his daughter Jade.

What are some of the skills and qualities that Joey Verola possesses and will the game offer progression in both character building and difficulty?

He is one stone cold killer. He has no fear and he shows no compassion. Heâ??s a bit like the terminator on valium. Or, put another way, heâ??s just like the central character in a computer game.

The game will show difficulty progression and the character will progress as the player does.

Have there been any design changes that Silverback feel are advantageous to the project and what is the state of play â?“ code wise - on the current skews?

Yes, there have been changes to the design. Because we now have an extended development time we are able to take a more considered look at all aspects of the design and re-work the original to give a more exciting and playable game. The current state of play code wise on the three SKUs is that progress is good and we expect to be finished with the main body of work early next year.

"Because we all lead relatively normal lives we donâ??t really spend that much time thinking about inventive ways to kill at all..."

Can you give us a few interesting facts about David Fisher, his involvement in the project and how the team interact with him?

David was originally brought onto the project by its original Product Manager for Acclaim, Ben Fischbach. Both guys are New Yorkers. Benâ??s involvement ceased last summer when he resigned from Acclaim but David has remained as interested as ever. His involvement with the story, which is vital to this product, is immense. He originated it in the first place and edits it as and when development circumstances dictate. His actual involvement in the development of the game is minor however. Heâ??s the author and weâ??re the game producers.

The game is based on real world events but how close to the facts will the game be and is realism in both action and the environment important and what kind of diversity is on offer?

Real world events provide the inspiration for mission parameters in the game but the product does not slavishly follow real world events or try to re-enact real crimes. The environments are as true to the time and place as we can make them, bearing in mind this is a computer game. The action is also designed to sit within a computer game, to give one example, which means Joey Verola can take more than one hit from high caliber weapons before he succumbs.

How long and hard do the team think about inventive ways to kill (ok weâ??re slightly worried about Derekâ??s obsession with death â?“ Ed); where do you draw your inspiration from and how close to the mark, without evading any censorship issues, do you try to go?

Because we all lead relatively normal lives we donâ??t really spend that much time thinking about inventive ways to kill at all. All of the dying in this game is during firefights. Joey doesnâ??t torture anyone to death so all we have to worry about is what are the appropriate weapons for each mission. We havenâ??t tried to get anywhere near the mark to be honest. We havenâ??t even considered it. If you get in Joeyâ??s way, he takes you down and that includes the censors.

Please tell the readers about the 3D engine behind the game and what part real physics will play in the game?

The 3-D engine behind the game is a proprietary engine and includes a rigid body physics solution.

Many action, confrontational, games have problems with suspect AI, so how sophisticated is Silverbackâ??s AI and can you give us a few examples of how seamlessly but eloquently it works?

The NPCs are environment aware and can use cover to prolong their digital lives. They can also be set up to have â??hearingâ?? and â??sightâ?? but we specify the level to which each NPC can â??thinkâ?? relative to the situation into which they are placed and the job they have to do. This means some NPCs will hide from you, sneak up on you, take a shot and then duck behind cover and some will run at you all guns blazing. It doesnâ??t deal with conversation at any level however.

Apart from lots of action â?“ what other aspects, subtleties, or strategies will Interview with a Man offer?

Depending upon the aim of each mission, the playerâ??s character, Joey Verola, will have to sneak about stealthily, engage in hand to hand, blast away all guns blazing and read the signs, or heâ??ll never find the precious substances!

Originally slated for release towards the end of 2005, Silverback have taken the fall of Acclaim to add extra polish to the title which will now see a release in 2006. Currently Interview With a Made Man is without a publisher, however we expect an announcement regarding this to be made shortly; weâ??ll have further coverage soon.