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redMatter said:
- Coppermantis asked:
- Will Intruder Alert! have Achievements? I like achievements.
There's no reason for it not to! We just hope that, with the community's help, we can come up with fun/smart choices for them instead of the usual "get 1000 kills" and "play for 200 hours".
- Do any of you guys know any of the others in real life?
Of the current team, the only two that have met in person are Namen (our lead programmer) and I. He's actually visited me twice now. Perhaps some day we can all meet somewhere, get matching tattoos and take a group photo. :o
EDIT: Turns out that Jared (one of our other programmers) and Namen have also met in person. That Namen sure gets around!
- Will Intruder Alert! have Achievements? I like achievements.
- ScrooLewse asked:
- How deep do you expect characterization to go? 1-Various "Agents" against a generic "Evil Mastermind"? 2-Or will there be a team of Agents that everyone plays as, like Alien Swarm? 3-Or a flagship team, while everyone customizes their own backstory-less Agents ala MMORPG? 4-There's always 'none of the above' if it's going to be something else.
The closest would be option #3. While character personalization won't be as thoroughly detailed as a modern RPG, you'll definitely be able to make your in-game character stand out from the rest. Our artists are currently designing what our base characters will look like; as soon as they're done, we'll release some images and ask for your feedback!
- Will there be a backstory to GOOD Agency and EVIL Corp in general (as if I didn't already know)? If so, how involved will it be?
Definitely. Probably not very involved at first, but (like TF2) it'll grow over time.
- Do you have more specifics on things such as how weapons and role items are going to be treated (like using a loadout system or item shop or something like that)?
Roles can still be picked up/dropped like in Overwatch, but they may be "distributed" to players in a slightly different way (read: no more swarming!).
Loadouts were mentioned in the March AtT!, and we definitely still plan to have them. As for having an item shop, it's a possibility since we want to be able to release new content (in addition to levels) that players can use to customize their OP/GP characters as uniquely as possible. Whether we do so through an item shop, DLCs or updates (or even a combination of methods) remains to be seen (it's still a bit too early to decide on it).
- Have you also nailed-down how the Mastermind's resource system will work?
We have a pretty neat system designed, tons better than what we had in place for Overwatch. We're still testing it though, so I wouldn't say that we've nailed it down. As soon as we're satisfied with the results, we'll be making one big Spotlight blog entry about it. Did I mention that it'll be tons better than Overwatch's? ;)
- How do arcade-style scores sound for the Agents/Mastermind?
Sounds like what we have in mind!
- What did the strangest looking person you've ever seen look like?
Gary Busey? (I like him!)
- Will you answer "no" to this question?
Maybe? Maybe not.
- How deep do you expect characterization to go? 1-Various "Agents" against a generic "Evil Mastermind"? 2-Or will there be a team of Agents that everyone plays as, like Alien Swarm? 3-Or a flagship team, while everyone customizes their own backstory-less Agents ala MMORPG? 4-There's always 'none of the above' if it's going to be something else.
- WAXT asked:
- What qualifications do the members of redMatter possess (if any)? (e.g., Bachelor of Software Engineering, Masters of Computer Science, etc.)
I honestly don't think we've ever asked anyone for specifics. I know that at least half the team (myself included, when time permits) has either completed or is currently working towards a Bachelor or Master of Computer Science degree (or something similar). Our environment artists are both art school graduates. We're all qualified ramen gobblers, though.
- What prior experience do the members of redMatter have? Specifically, the duration and position of any placements. Perhaps a short description if you want to go the extra mile.
I assume you're asking specifically about game development-related work? We've had a handful of team members who've left us over the years to accept jobs in the industry (most companies, unfortunately, wouldn't even let them keep working on personal projects anyway), so there's really only one person still on the team with actual industry experience (Namen, our lead programmer, currently working for a big MMO developer as a.. programmer!). However, many of us have indie and mod experience, having worked on titles such as Sven Co-op, Dystopia, Decadence, Renegade-X, Dove & Crow, War for the Overworld, ... and Overwatch, of course!
- Could you please recommend a number of languages a young university student, such as myself, should endeavor to learn? Preferably programming/scripting/query languages, but you can add in any spoken languages if you'd like (so long as it's not Klingon).
If a career as a game programmer is what you're after, C++ is definitely the way to go. On the other hand, if you're just looking for a hobby, you could try something a little lighter like C# (and Microsoft XNA, or even Unity) or Java.
Python and Lua are two popular game scripting languages that you could learn/use as well (UnrealScript would have made the list, except it's being phased out/replaced by C++ in UE4). Since you're a fan of the Source engine, you could do quite a bit with Lua and Garry's Mod (like TTT).
If you just want to have fun (or if programming games isn't your goal), my vote goes to Python. It's a great OOP language and has countless uses. It's used heavily by Google and even powers EVE Online!
As for spoken languages, Klingon has to be a choice! mevyap! If you're really keen on learning a useful language, Mandarin would probably be it.
- What qualifications do the members of redMatter possess (if any)? (e.g., Bachelor of Software Engineering, Masters of Computer Science, etc.)
- Sabre asked:
- What is your opinion on the UE4 demo and the hype surrounding it? Will you use it?
UE4 looks sweet, and some of the changes they've announced for their tools seem quite useful. We might eventually use it on our next project, but probably not for IA! (it'll be a while before it's available anyway).
- The prefab building you showed, is it possible to go inside of them, or enemies to jump out?
The ones we've shown are just simple props for now (so no), but we'll soon be making similar prefabs that will allow for much more interaction. With our new spawning system for OP units, we want enemies to be coming at you (as a GP) from every direction. Keep an eye out for big robots punching through walls!
- How long does it take to model a prop usually? Is it fast or slower than usual 'realistic' stuff?
It's definitely much faster, which is one of the reasons why we picked this style for IA!. The challenge is finding the right balance between detail/quality and time. As for how long it takes to model one prop, it can vary from a few hours to a couple of days depending on the complexity of the asset (and keep in mind that creating the model is only half the work; you also need to texture it!).
- What were some of your more memorable moments developing IA! and Overwatch so far?
For OW, I don't think we'll ever forget the all-nighters we pulled to get our releases out on time, and watching people having tons of fun playing the game we created. As for IA!, it's all been one crazy fun ride! It might be best to ask us again once that first release is out the door and we can take a moment to reflect. :P
- What on the team is best at those games would you say?
I've looked at this question sideways and upside-down, and I still don't understand what you're asking! Could you let me know in the comments below?
- What is your opinion on the UE4 demo and the hype surrounding it? Will you use it?
- rickinator9 asked:
- In what periods does your historical interest lie?
A1win says the 1920s (because of Lovecraft) while Yakko, our resident history buff, answered "everything" and wants you to watch this: http://youtu.be/Pa1ImgOcOPM?hd=1
- What are your favorite current generation consoles?
It's a fairly equal split between the PS3 and the Xbox 360. I (fortunately or unfortunately) own neither of the two. There are only two consoles I'd ever put on a "favourites" list, and they're not current gen. Bonus points to whoever figures out what they are (one guess per person!). :P
- In what periods does your historical interest lie?
Remember: any features/aspects described above are still subject to change.
That's it for this month's episode of Ask the Team!. Until next!
