Interviews

Gas Powered Games' founder Chris Taylor is certainly one of the bigger names in the PC game industry thanks to his work on notable titles as Total Annihilation, Dungeon Siege and Supreme Commander. His company just released Space Siege for publisher Sega and they are now working on the strategy title Demigod for Stardock. As a result, Taylor gets lots of requests for interviews from the gaming press.

However, Taylor in (ironically) an interview with Gamasutra, states he would rather have team members from Demigod answer the press' questions about specific features. Taylor states, "I have been very spoiled, and get more attention than I deserve. So I like to see the team interacting more with the press, and see questions go from the press straight to the guys who create the AI, or [lead artist] Nate [Simpson], who's created this incredible look for the world, or Mike [Marr], who's now the lead designer on the game."

There's been lots of talk over the years on how piracy has kept PC games from achieving some of the sales figures of the console counterparts. However, one major PC developer executive, id Software CEO Todd Hollenshead, thinks that some PC hardware companies see a benefit to piracy.

In a Gamesindustry.biz interview (conducted a few weeks ago at QuakeCon), Hollenshead states, "I think that there's been this dirty little secret among hardware manufacturers, which is that the perception of free content - even if you're supposed to pay for it on PCs - is some sort hidden benefit that you get when you buy a PC, like a right to download music for free or a right to download pirated movies and games." While he adds that he doesn't believe there is an overt conspiracy among PC hardware companies he does say, "I think the thing is they realize that trading content, copyrighted or not, is an expected benefit of owning a computer."

It's one of the biggest flame outs in recent game development history. Flagship Studios, formed a few years ago by the prime developers behind the Diablo series at Blizzard, created the highly anticipated action-RPG game Hellgate London. However mediocre reviews, tons of bugs at launch and poor sales after its October 2007 release served to sink the developer. Flagship closed its doors a few weeks ago.

While we have heard from other Flagship founders what happened to the studio, the highest profile team member, Bill Roper, has kept silent until a new and extensive interview just appeared at 1Up.com. Roper admits, "OK, we made mistakes. The Hellgate game came out, and it wasn't great." He also stated that the mix of free play with a monthly fee with more content was also a mistake. However he also stated they were trying to improve the game in the months following its release. Obviously things didn't go as planned and while Roper stated they were in talks with a number of people to buy Flagship and their IPs (including their in-development free MMO Mythos) they ran out of time. Roper still wants to continue to make games for a living but no future plans were revealed.

It started in 2004 simply as a way for fans of the popular web based comic strip Penny Arcade to get together, talk about and play games and have fun. In 2008, the Penny Arcade Expo has grown by leaps and bounds and is now the largest single gathering of people for a video/PC gaming event in the US. Organizers have predicted that 45,000 people will attend PAX 2008 in downtown Seattle from August 29-31 and considering that pre-registrations for the event have already exceeded the total attendance of 37,000 for PAX 2007 that 45,000 figure might turn out to be conservative.

So why has Penny Arcade Expo grown so much in both attendance and importance in so short of time? Big Download got a chance to chat with Penny Arcade's business head Robert Khoo to find out more and get a little more info on the just announced plans to host an east coast PAX event in 2010.

Many people in the game industry know of the Entertainment Software Association, the trade group that organizes E3 and also fights in court against restrictive game selling laws. However, there is another organization that is centered not around the publishers but around game consumers. The Entertainment Consumers Association (ECA) is a non-profit organization that not only goes after restrictive state laws but also is an advocate for gamers and their rights.

Big Download got a chance to chat with ECA president Hal Halpin to find out more about the group, his opinions on various PC game industry issues and more.

A few days ago we reported that a Capcom US rep was disappointed in the sales of the PC version of their third person action game Devil May Cry 4, saying that the game was being heavily pirated on the Internet. IGN got a chance to chat briefly with that Capcom representative, corporate officer Christian Svensson, to get more info on their stance for PC gaming.

IGN questioned Svensson on the sales of the PC port of Devil May Cry 4, bringing up the fact that previous PC ports of Capcom games have not turned out well and that the Devil May Cry 4 PC port was released several months after the console versions shipped. They also questions why the game, along with Lost Planet Colonies, were not made available for digital distribution, which Svensson admitted, " I'm not completely clear on the reasons to this day." He did say upcoming Capcom games like Dark Void, Bionic Commando, and our favorite game title of 2008 Age of Booty, will be made available via digital download when they are released.

Download the Devil May Cry 4 Demo

What other features do you have planned for the game?

Right now we are focused on creating a game with a really solid foundation, and making sure that it functions the way we want, is fun to play, and feels right. This means that down the road we will be able to build on this foundation, ensuring that expanding the play in a certain direction will always be fun.

You are going with a download-only business model for the game. Why are you doing this in lieu of shopping the game around to a more traditional retail publisher?

The short answer is, because we can do it this way ourselves. We have been approached by a few publishers, and we are talking to them, but we don't want the game to be dependent on an external party like that.

Do you feel the future of the PC game industry is in downloadable titles?

No one has asked me that question so directly, but I guess the answer is yes, I suppose I do think that. I'm pretty sure that's where our future lies. I would broaden and clarify that, though, to of course include MMO's, which may not necessarily be distributed by download only, but obviously by their nature are very well suited to the PC platform. And there will always continue to be big PC titles sold at retail, no question about that. I think the more in depth answer is that distribution by download will serve a huge number and variety of titles and users, will provide an in road to smaller, more innovative titles, some of which will "break through" to retail, though the majority won't. And a great many will be perfectly "happy" as downloadable only – players will love them, they'll make money, etc. I think the way I'd put it is that one of the unique things about the PC is that it is ubiquitous, and we are all just now starting to see that, I think. I think the recent rise of casual games, now aimed at what used to not be considered part of PC gaming, is a great example of this.


Will Tilted Mill update Hinterland with new content and expansions after the game has been released?

Absolutely! We're already cooking up new ideas to develop the game further.

Will there be a free demo of the game available before the full game is released?

That is the plan, though the timing might not be before the game is released.

What hints can you give us about Tilted Mill's future plans beyond Hinterland?

Hmm... let's see... we have three or four titles in the works, all coming out pretty soon. We'll be releasing more information about them in the coming weeks. One is related to Children, the other is going to explore some innovative game mechanics not in an RPG, city building, but still in a historic game...

Finally is there anything else you wish to say about Hinterland and Tilted Mill's new direction in general?

Our hope and belief is that there is not only room for a lot of different types of games in the PC space, but that there is in fact a need and craving for more variety and innovation, and for games that focus less graphics and technology (in addition to those that do focus on those things, which is appropriate for some), and that games of all levels and varying scope can coexist peacefully. We're not out here to buck the establishment, so much as to contribute to the establishment of a new paradigm for PC games, which I think is already underway.

Massachusetts based game developer Tilted Mill has been working on both their own projects and games for other publishers for the past several years. This year, however, the developer is taking matters truly into their own hands with the release later this year of the fantasy strategy-RPG Hinterland. Tilted Mill won't be working with a big publisher on this title but rather will make it available via digital download.

Big Download got a chance to chat with Tilted Mill co-founder Chris Beatrice to find out more about their plans for Hinterland along with their recent re-release of their first game Children of the Nile along with his views of the PC game industry in general and where he sees it going in the future.

Digital downloads for PC games are gaining traction more and more but many of them have some pretty draconian copy protection schemes. Recently the folks at CD Projekt (the team who created the acclaimed 2007 fantasy RPG The Witcher) announced plans to launch their own digital download game service called GOG.com. GOG stands for Good Old Games and that's exactly what they are offering; some classic games from the 80s and 90s. More importantly the games are not only cheap to download they contain no DRM; they are yours to play without any kind of issues on where you install them, how many times you download the title or other issues.

Big Download got a chance to chat with CD Projekt's Tom Ohle as he talks about their plans for GOG.com (due to officially launch in September) which includes plans to create a whole online community to talk about classic PC games.

Take-Two just recently signed the MMO developer Cryptic Studios to publish their new MMO Champions Online. It seems like they aren't going to stop there, though. Talking to GameDaily.biz, Take-Two CEO Ben Feder revealed the company's plans to push aggressively into that area, mentioning such things as a Grand Theft Auto MMO. An excerpt:

"It's important, or imperative, that we participate in that [market], but we have to be judicious on how we enter into the business. We need to be disciplined about our partners and our territories and path to growth. While it's an important part of the business, it's also a risky area. It's not an area that we have a lot of experience in."

You can take a look at the full interview on GameDaily. For more on Champions Online, check out the gameplay trailer here on Big Download or the previews on Massively, our sister site..

Sony Online finally revealed a playable version of their upcoming super hero MMO DC Universe Online at the San Diego Comic Con this week and our sister site Game Daily got a chance to chat with Sony Online CEO John Smedley about the game which currently doesn't have a release date

Smedley feels that DC Universe Online will help to bring a broader audience to the MMO genre than other titles, saying "Maybe they've heard of an MMO, but they've never played one. With iconic characters like Batman and Superman, we can bring those folks into the game." He also feels that the MMO market is larger than some people believe, saying, "I think you're looking at a potential audience in the U.S. of 20 to 30 million people who play some kind of MMO."

Download the DC Universe Online E3 2008 HD Trailer

It's been a long time in coming but as we reported on Tuesday, Microsoft has finally decided to give PC gamers (and in an indirect way developers) a break in regards to their Games for Windows Live service. The company announced that it was doing away with the $50 a year fee to use the previously labeled "Gold" features of the service.

Big Download chatted briefly on the phone today with Games for Windows senior global director Kevin Unangst who talked more with us about this new move. He also chatted with us about other topics such as the just announced DirectX11 graphics API, the upcoming Games for Windows Marketplace and whether Microsoft will ever release any more PC games on their own.

In 1974, quite a few years before computer role-playing games allowed players to traverse dangerous dungeons with a keyboard, Dungeons & Dragons was born. Co-created by venerable game designer Gary Gygax and released through the Gygax-owned Tactical Studies Rules, Inc., D&D equipped users with pen, paper, and several multi-sided dice. Users were forced to bring their own imagination to the literal table as DMs, or Dungeon Masters, led them through treasure-filled tombs and dragon-infested valleys, transforming mothers' basements and comic book shops into the most fantastic of locales.

Fantasy geeks were able to get more than their fair share of D&D. TSR released several character manuals, sourcebooks, and constantly devised new settings -- and honed familiar ones -- to keep players enthralled with the game. Comic book readers, however, yearned for a different type of fantasy, one that would allow them to leap tall buildings in a single bound and potentially move faster than a locomotive.

During an interview at E3, Valve's Doug Lombardi revealed that the company hopes to add a movie making function to Left 4 Dead at some point after the launch of the core game. He loosely described features that would allow players to record, edit, play back, and possibly share their virtual near-death experiences. Sadly, that functionality probably will not be available for a while; we didn't see it in our own hands-on experience with the game.

Lombardi also mentioned that Valve went to Microsoft, Yahoo!, and RealNetworks when it was first conceptualizing Steam, but was told by all that such a service would only exist "10, 15 years in the future." Of course, now Microsoft operates the separate and struggling Games for Windows Live service, which shares some features with Steam.

And yes, we know the above screenshot features the old, now-replaced Left 4 Dead characters. But how about a little nostalgia?