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Beseiger Q&A Feature
Derek dela Fuente
28/05/2004
Dmitry Zhukov gives us the lowdown on this interesting blend of RTS and Action...
Dreamcatcher is a rapidily expanding publisher that TVG is keeping an eagle eye on. In fact there are a couple of their titles weāve seen that we will be covering shortly that we are very impressed with. Derek dela Fuente caught up with Dmitry Zhukov, Project Leader on Besieger, to find out more about this neat and unusual looking strategy game.
Besieger introduces gamers to a world filled with feudal rivalry in which players can wage war as either Viking or Cimmerian warriors. There you can build flying vehicles for combat or siege towns on horseback in an effort to conquer factions such as Ogres, Werewolves, Centaurs, and other non-human races. It is full of surprises and interesting ideas as we found out!
TVG: What is the core expertise at Primal Software, what games has the team worked on previously and how many make up the team?
One of our strongest sides is our range of abilities and interests. Just look at the games that weāve already published: two adventures (Petka and Petka 2), Action-RPG (The I of the Dragon), now we have a Strategy game (Besieger) and are working on our next project that will come as a surprise for everybody and once again, prove our strengths. There are 38 people working at Primal Software at the moment.
TVG: Tell us about your thoughts on Technology and how important you think it is to be innovative technically. Perhaps you will tell us about one technical innovation on Besieger?
Technology is very important, of course, but itās mostly important for the presentation side of the game. New technology and impressive graphics work together to make the first impression favourable, if you donāt have any of these ā“ no one is going to look at you twice. And yet, they do not guarantee success. Youāll need something else too. Either a big license, a well-known name, or the total sum of everything in the game, the sum that brings fun and entertainment to the player.
Speaking about technology in Besieger, there are lots of good things (such as infinite visibility, physics, etc.), but there is one thing that actually made the game what it is: units walking on walls that you built. Itās a unique feature for the 3D RTS genre, and itās never been done before. As you know, in Besieger one of the most important things is besieging and being besieged, so having units on walls allowed us to make this besieging experience what it should be.
TVG: How pivotal is the backdrop story to the game in regard to the way the game progresses and unfolds and can you tell us about the objectives for the player?
The story is important, of course. Basically, it draws the player into the game world, turns moving pixels on the screen into live creatures that you fight for and feel something about. And the goal in Besieger? Well, to restore justice, of course! Do you really want to know more without playing the game?
TVG: With so many RTS games tussling for an audience what do you believe makes your title one that gamers should pick?
Simply because itās a game that never existed before: the name speaks for itself. We have sieges, warriors on walls, rams, siege ladders, catapults, landing troops, explosive experts, etc. We have everything, and itās all for real.
TVG: Tell us about the two races - Vikings and Cimmerians- and what makes them unique and gives them appeal?
They have a different approach to war, to tactics and fighting strategy. Strong muscled Vikings prefer heavy infantry and big flying ships. They are steadfast, fight from the defensive position and slowly crush their enemies with a steel fist of infantry and heavy siege machines.
Cimmerians, on the other hand, are fast; they have strong cavalry and archers, and prefer to fight accordingly: rapid attacks and concentrated hits into weak places of enemy defensive lines.
TVG: What kind of in game management is there and what resources will you work with?
We were trying to be conservative with this aspect of the game: our main goal was to give the player a strong impression that his town is real; it lives and develops. So we have three kinds of resources, or, well, 3+1!
Wood is the base for all buildings, there is a lot of it around and there are enough trees for everybody who can spare some manpower to get it.
Stone is important for heavy war-related buildings, itās not quite as abundant but itās not very scarce: basically, youāll have āalmost enoughā of it. Next one is iron ā“ itās really valuable. There are very few iron mines and only iron lets you build a high-tech armyā¦ Well, high-tech for those times, of course.
And, finally, people. Your most important āresourceā ā“ you canāt buy them for money, they get born naturally, even if you have heaps of resources. And thatās people who work, gather resources, thatās the same people who take weapons and march to war or stand at the wheel of a flying shipā¦
TVG: Could you tell us about one āin gameā mission that you really feel encapsulates the essence of what you are trying to achieve in Besieger?
Well, it just wonāt work like that. Iāll have to tell you about all the game, then repeat it once again in a different way, and then repeat it on the next difficulty levelā¦ No, it just canāt be described in a few words.
TVG: How important is building to the game and would you say the challenge is aimed for avid strat players as opposed to first timers?
Building is very important, especially for those who play seriously, not on a āvery easyā level. Youāll have to build real citadels to survive and win.
The playersā¦ Well, itās not really a problem, we actually aim to please experts and raise beginners to expert level pretty fast ā“ thatās why there are different difficulty levels!
TVG: Do you see this game as a progression from your last title and how has the experience of the team pushed it on with Besieger? Is it all about creating a unique and interesting world and how do you go about it?
Sure! We couldnāt make the game as big and complex as Besieger without experience we had making our previous games and without technology that we had after them. And yet ā“ no, itās not a direct descendant of our previous game, itās in a different world and different genre.
Speaking of the worlds ā“ they are created in our minds, long before they get to production, they exist for quite a long time without any connection to anything, like self-sufficient worlds, out of genres, out of limitationsā¦ I donāt know, maybe the roots of creativity are a bit too big a theme to explain it here in detail.
TVG: Do you feel that the PC market is slightly unfair to a majority of developers and would you agree that success in many cases depends on the kind of marketing spend a game has which is more to do with the publisher?
Yes, the PC market can be a bit unfair to developers, especially less prestigious ones. There is a very high entrance barrier; and, looking back, we are very happy that we finally have it all behind us.
