Developer Interview: Rick Goodman
RTSUK | 08/16/03

RTSUK: People will make comparisons with EE (Empire Earth) which is understandable as your company did make EE. So are you using the same 3d engine as EE?

Rick Goodman: We are using an enhanced version of the graphics engine. By enhanced, I'd like to point out that Stainless Steel Studios has put more programming time into upgrading the engine, than we did in creating the original engine!

RTSUK: EE did not have recorded games or rated yet was still popular. Has Empires got recorded games and if so, how much control can you have over the recorded games e.g. can you rewind as this is a feature every RTS game I have played is lacking in and some say essential?

RG: Yes, we have recorded games and ladder ratings. The feature you ask for will not be included because it is a very difficult feature to attempt to implement. Other than saving the game every 10 seconds, there is really no known way to accomplish this, which I am aware of.

RTSUK: EE did not have Rated games, Empires does, in what way is the rated game play going to work, i.e. will it be similar to AOM and zone ratings, starting at 1600?

RG: 1600 has never made particular sense to me, personally, so our rating starts at 1000. If you are familiar with Battlenet of the Zone, you'll have a pretty good idea of the features which Empires: DotMW will support. I think gamers will be quite pleased.

RTSUK: Can you zoom out further in Empires than EE/AOM/AOK a bit like RON?

RG: We have given players many more tactical combat abilities than any of the game you list above. This provides players with a correspondingly higher depth and replayability, not to mention surprises Empires, is not based on Rock Paper Scissors, as are all the games you mentioned. This is a very exciting change which players will see when they play the game. In this one important respect, the game plays more similarly to WC3. And, like Blizzard we are insuring that players have the ability to manage these tactically exciting battles by making units larger, not smaller.

RTSUK: What is the most popular CIV so far amongst the internal playtesters and why?

RG: There is no one favourite, however, I am enjoying playing the French, at this current moment in time. The French are not a conventionally powerful Nation, instead, they are characterized as a "clever¨ Nation. This matches my play style, perfectly. Cause I'm so clever

To illustrate the differences between civilizations in multiplayer games, here is an example. I played a 2v2 game, last week as the French, with a USA ally. The USA broadcast his special ability "Voice of America" over enemy territory resulting in the defection of a large number of enemy citizens. He then, reassigned the defectors under my control. I then, used my special French ability "Militia¡¨ to outfit the newly defecting citizens to combat soldiers. So, in the span of a few seconds, the enemy was besieged by "rebel soldiers¨ everywhere through his empire.

RTSUK: What is the population size. EE had 1200 shared amongst however many people were playing(configurable). Will Empires do the same or be limited.

RG: Players have 10 options to choose from. The max is 10,000 per player -- essentially, unlimited. Players asked for it and we gave it to them.

RTSUK: How does one expand, do you have TC’s that you can place anywhere on the map, or are limited to certain places(AOM) or do you need upgrades to build a new TC (RON)?

RG: You may construct buildings anywhere on the map you like, there are no restrictions. Empires allows players to construct Towers and Walls to protect their expansion sites ¡V which we believe are important to many gamers. Each civilization has different Siege equipment with which to defeat fortifications.

RTSUK: How many resources are there and are they all collectable in whatever age you are in?

RG: Four resources. What is important to understand is that each civilization’s economy works differently. So, although each civilization utilizes a command/realistic set of resources, their economies are still unique.

RTSUK: Will the TC's fire without being garrisoned, with being garrisoned or not fire at all?

RG: None of the Civilizations can build TC's which fire weapons. We have found this to be a huge problem in other RTS games. In Empires, some civilizations can garrison towers to improve the strength of those buildings, and others cannot. Each Civilization has unique economic and military abilities.

RTSUK: How will the matchmaker work, is it using an internal interface or linked to something like gamespy? And will it have options like c&c Generals, where you can set up a filter and only connect to people with good pings, same map, same civ etc?

RG: Gamespy provides the servers, similar to C&C Generals. Activision, EA, Atari and Microsoft have all signed long term contracts with Gamespy to utilize Gamespy technology and servers on all/most of their games. This means that Gamespy will soon become the defacto standard in this industry. I am happy to say that Empires has made the most ambitious use of Gamespy technology, of any game to date, including automatchmaking. We have not, yet, decided what the final filters will be.

RTSUK: Smurfing in AOM Is killing the game, it seems everybody in the 2k bracket has 20 names each, they start a new name everytime they get to 2k(or 1900, 1850, depends on their limit)| Then they play rated again as a 1620 player v a 1750 player win and cause the higher rated player to drop 30 points. This annoys the player who lost especially when it happens 3 times in a row knocking them back to 1660. How will you deal with Smurfs?

RG: Yes, I know exactly how you feel. The alternative is to limit each copy of the game to one player name. This possible solution is more problematic. It means if you buy a copy of the game, you can't loan it to your friends to play, because they will have to play under your name. Given the two options, we chose the former(note from Bowtome, he means you can have as many names as you like)

RTSUK: Will each player start with a scout, or have to research a dog?

RG: Every Nation starts the game differently. Some Civilizations have many citizens, and some have none at all. Some have explorers, such as dogs, and others do not. Some have 1 TC and others have multiple TCs.

RTSUK: Will the game be 4v4 friendly. AOM could not manage 4v4's unless everybody had a mega pc and a decent connection?

RG: Yes, like Empire Earth before it, you will not have any problems playing player games.

RTSUK: In every RTS game that has come out pathing has been an issue. That is, you may send your army of 30 troops to a point on the map and if all units cant squeeze through a gap of trees on the shortest path, some will search for other ways to the point and usually end up going past a castle or unfriendly army. So will the units all take the shortest path and just wait for their chance to go through that gap?

RG: I believe that our pathfinding is as good or better than any other competitors. This doesn't mean its going to be perfect in every situation, for every player, of course!

RTSUK: Are there pop slots for certain units, ie a tank takes 3 pop slots?

RG: Yes, different units require different pop slots. But, you have no population limit like WC or AoM. If you decide you want to play with a standard pop. limit you can. But, if, you want to play with a huge pop. limit, you can do that, as well.

RTSUK: There were prophets in EE which could create volcanoes etc, are there any in Empires?

RG: It all depends on the Civilization you are playing. In Empires players have Monks, Priests, Vicars, etc. All are different, depending on your choice of civilization. Also, none are available to train in WW1 and beyond.

RTSUK: Are the units the relative size in comparison to other units, ie a tank bigger than a person, not as big as a house etc?

RG: Units in Empires: DotMW are larger than in AoM and EE, but, they are not out of scale with buildings. We wanted to give players the ability to manage large combat situations easily, and we wanted buildings to remain realistic is proportion. We accomplished both of these goals, not by making buildings, bigger, but by making them taller. We have also given players 3 default camera views, to compensate: isometric, higher level and nearly overhead. This way, you can play the game the way you like best.

RTSUK: Does every weapon have a counter. For example in c&c Generals the particle cannon was unstoppable?

RG: Of course! We cannot ship a game without a counter for each and every weapon! We'd be crazy to do that.

RTSUK: Will stats be kept on all online games played, rated and non? And if so what stats?

RG: Yes, stats are kept, but only on rated games.

RTSUK: Will there be a limit to the amount of unique units you can have at one time?

RG: No, none at all. Besides, every one of the units in the game is unique, so its not really a question of unique vs. non-unique units. For example, even countries with, say, Tanks and Bombers build weapons of very different characteristics. The King Tiger can destroy 4 or 5 French tanks, for example. As a result, players will have to respond and react to the fact that each civilization has its own unique and amazing strengths AND weaknesses. This is how we have balanced the game instead of relying on R/P/S.

RTSUK: I have heard there is an armoury. Is this the only place to get upgrades for hack and pierce similar to AOM and AOK? I personally liked the EE way?

RG: Yes, the armoury provides players the ability to improve their exiting units. But the way its done is different from AoM/AoK and EE. I think the way we have implemented this opens up entirely new strategies, since it allows for the same two civilizations to progress differently in their weapons and technologies. This has never been done before!

RTSUK: I have read there will not be a public Beta, how many will be on the private Beta?

RG: App. 300 gamers.

RTSUK: When in the Multiplayer Lobby, will you be able to see how long a game has been going and who is in that game? This was a great feature of the zone and you could know if to wait for a friend or not.

RG: Yes, and yes.

All at RTSUK would like to thank Rick for answering ALL questions and skipping none, we wish SSS and Rick and especially Empires all the best and lots of success.