Saturday, 05 December 2009
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Dark Void Q&A
Written by Play2Compete   

Name: Morgan Gray
Job Role: Producer Dark Void

1. DarkVoid will be coming to Xbox360 and Playstation 3, are there currently any noticeable differences between the two and will one have more features than the other?

Dark Void should be pretty much 100% the same between platforms. Obviously, there are unique implementations to deal with the unique aspects of the platforms (Achievements/Trophies, User Playlists, etc.), but the primary game experience remains the same in terms of features and visuals.

2. Can you give us more detail into the story and plot?

Sure! So everyone knows that Will enters the void via a detour gone wrong through the Bermuda Triangle. Once there he learns that The Watchers, an evil alien race, is enslaving the rag tag remnants of humanity that inhabit the Void (both other recent castaways, as well as generational humans who have known no other home but the Void). He gets involved in a resistance movement being led by Nikola Tesla (The brains), and donning an experimental jetpack Will becomes the champion that the resistance has needed to take the fight right to the heart of The Watchers power. Ultimately it becomes a gamble to try to get as many humans back to earth, and prevent The Watchers from realizing their grand scheme to take bring our whole planet back under their control.

3. DarkVoid introduces a Vertical Cover System, can you describe this in more detail and how it differs from other cover systems currently found in games?

Vertical Cover/Combat takes the basic concepts of cover based fighting (fire avoidance, tactical combat vs. spray and pray) and turns it on its head. Suddenly the player is dealing with 360 degrees of combat, as threats can come from above, below, "behind", essentially anywhere. It makes for an extremely aggressive and dynamic combat space. It also presents new dangers, as falling enemy bodies, and other stimuli can rock the player from his grip, forcing him to have to save himself or risk falling to his death. Finally, because Will uses his jetpack to grip from ledge to ledge, there is an aspect of platforming/navigation that comes into play as Will works his way through the combat space from cover to cover. And if thats not enough....sometimes we make the cover move.



4. Dark Void features a unique visual style and storyline. Did you use any external sources as influence when coming up with the look and feel of the game?

We have been strongly influenced by the Rocketeer, Indian Jones series...I think the pulp sensibilities are obvious in our screenshots. I know its old hat these days, but Star Wars comes up a lot, especially the sparse visual aesthetic of the original movie. Alien conspiracy plays a large part in the background of our bad guys, so we did a lot of research on all the prevailing theories concerning little green men and such, especially those related to reptilian humanoids ( I don't want to be too specific or risk ruining some story aspects, but with a little googling you can catch on pretty quick).

5. Can we expect to see additional content released for Dark Void post launch?

 We haven't announced any plans about this yet, but it certainly something we are interested in.

6. Can you give us a list of weapons in the game?

We haven't really focused on talking about the weapons, not that we aren't proud of them, but we've really wanted to get across the depth and variety of the core game mechanics. In terms of weapons, we have about 8 primary weapons split between Tesla created hyper science weapons and alien watcher designs.

7. Did you have to use streaming technology between the flying sections and the on foot sections, and where they any other significant technological challenges to making the game?

Yes, we are using Unreal as the foundation of engine tech, but we have added a great many things on top of it to achieve our gameplay goals. Streaming technology is at the core of all of our levels. Dealing with the scale of our game worlds (and how it changes based on the player tactical choices) was a large issue for us to overcome. Also, dealing with what amounts to two different player characters ( Will on foot, Will flying with Jetpack) meant we had to deal with twice the problems most games deal with. All worth it though, as the end result is a seamless game experience that transitions from on foot combat to seat of the pants dog fighting with the press of a button. Very cool!

8. How big are the levels/maps in DarkVoid?

Big. Our environments deal with flight, so the sheer scale of terrain is huge! However, we transition from exterior to interiors within the same level flow, so it’s hard to pin it down. I don't think anyone will find our play spaces to be too small.

9. How much of an influence has Inafune-san had on the game? And what sort of things have you learnt from him?

Inafune-san has been very kind with his time and his feedback. Chiefly, he has really helped us in the construction and presentation of Will, our Lead Character. He has made us look at our character as more than just a play avatar, and made us explore things like facial expression, vocality, and even core animation less in terms of playability, and more in terms of expressing character as often as possible and in many ways as possible to really make Will stand out in the player's mind as an entity. From a Western perspective these aspects aren't 100% new, but the sheer amount of focus on how these things expand the overall game experience is a new realization that he has helped us achieve.

10. What’s your favourite Capcom character & game?

Oh no! So many to choose from. I have a soft spot for Morrigan for obvious reasons (her costume doesn't hurt things either!). I think from a pure gameplay perspective, Frank West wins as my favorite character. As for game, it would have to be Street Fighter II; it’s less of a game and more of a religion :) Of course, after we're done with Dark Void.......

11. Judging by the videos, is it safe to assume Dark Void has taken some of its cue from games like Dead Space, and Crimson Skies, bur what other games?

We have been inspired by a number of great games out there. Obviously, with the majority of the team hailing from the Crimson Skies team there is the continuation of that legacy. In terms of other inspiration, Gears of War obviously with its use of cover and as a great showcase of what the Unreal engine is capable of. Other fun titles like Shadows of the Colossus in terms of epic scale. X-Wing vs. TIE has come up a few times (which makes me smile). Pretty much any game anyone on the dev team loves finds a way of inspiring choices.

Thanks for your time.
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Last Updated on Thursday, 18 June 2009 14:15