Transcript of a short email interview. Answers from M. Majeri, executive Producer on Field Ops from Freeze Interactive.

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ENGINE

J de Juegos Would you say that the physics subsystem is part of the gameplay? In what ways? Please elaborate.

M. Majeri: Our in-house physics engine  provides our game with unprecedented gameplay elements. There are various features at the player's disposal ranging from rolling barrel heaping down on his sworn enemies, sneaking forth in the cover of a crate that he can push with his soldier from FPS/RTS view. Most of the environment will be destructible of course, which create different ways to progress trough the environment.

GAMEPLAY

J de Juegos Can the user give commands to his (her) troops in FPS mode? Like it happens in some tactical shooters?

MM: Yes you will be able to give commands to your troops while in FPS mode, you won’t have to go back to the RTS mode to do so. But these commands are basics such “Follow me, Stop or Heal me.” Which can help the player when he’s focused on a FPS action.

J de Juegos How deep is the control the user has over the troops in RTS mode? Or is it just point-n-click to a spot, and it is up to the AI to decide how to proceed?

MM: We have developed lots of new features in RTS mode that allows you to play with a lot more efficiency, so that it is very well balanced when you play against someone who plays in FPS mode in Multiplayer. Thanks to this, you are able to plan quickly your attack or defence. This is what we call “Advanced command tools”, and it will be disclosed a bit later in the year. Be patient!

J de Juegos Will there be a pause mode in which commands can be issued?

MM: Yes of course. You will be able to switch in Pause at anytime (Except in Multiplayer) in order to plan all kind of orders (Waypoints, Advanced Command Tools etc…)

J de Juegos For what I read there are classes in the game, are they fixed/preset or are they user defined?

MM: Yes, we have different classes in the game. All classes have preset unique skills and Stats. Actually, we have 7 classes which are: Spec Op, Sniper, Medic, Demolition Expert, Heavy Machine Gunner, and Technician. They can accomplish specific action when it’s required. For instance when one of your soldiers is injured your medic will automatically heal him or if a critic situation (near death) you can order to reanimate him. This action can be done in FPS or Tactical view.

J de Juegos What does belonging to a given class mean? Special weapons/equipment? Being able to drive vehicles? Use explosives? Please elaborate.

MM: Yes, each class has specific packages (Weapons / Equipment).

For instance, only the “Spec Op” can carry a M4A1 and Smoke Grenade or only the “Machine heavy gunner” can do a suppressive fire thanks to his heavy weapon.

J de Juegos Do troops/vehicles have some kind of inventory? How do you manage ammo limits, presence and use of med-packs, grenades, special equipment, extra weapons, helmets?

MM: Actually some weapons have unlimited ammo in both view (RTS and FPS) but you still have the reload time which sometimes is time consuming in both view.

In other hands some ammo are limited such as the bazooka or grenade or smoke Grenade as they are really powerful on the gameplay mechanism. This can really break the basics balancing.

But sometime you will be able to get new ammo for these weapons during the mission. (These are secondary objective: For instance: “capture the ammunition warehouse”)

J de Juegos Any examples of special weapons, vehicles and/or equipment they can wear/carry?

MM: For instance, the sniper class has this following weapon

HK-SL9:
Accuracy: very high
Damage: high
Cartridge size: 5

Sniper rifle of S.O.G. Highly precise weapon of extreme penetration force. Armor piercing ammunition renders is effective against light vehicles and light armors, but still the most effective against soft targets. It cannot penetrate heavy armor. Semi-automatic, but has magazines of just 5 rounds, and the re-load process is time consuming. 

J de Juegos Are our squads persistent? If so, do they gain experience as they survive missions?

MM: Yes absolutely, through the game, thanks to the experience system, you will be able to upgrade your units (Increase accuracy, Life etc). At the end of the mission, you get a pool of experience which can be used to buy level for your soldiers. For instance you start with a Private then you can buy different rank such as Private first class which has better stat.

J de Juegos Are the troops/vehicles pre-assigned for each mission, or can the user choose whom and what to take?

MM: For each mission (Single mission or Multiplayer Game), you will have to select your team squad. Actually each soldiers cost mission points that players need to spend to create his team squad. The numbers of mission point are pre-selected by the game.

J de Juegos What happens when a unit dies in battle, does it get replaced for the next mission? Or they just get "wounded"? What happens when vehicles get destroyed?

MM: Then, you will loose these units ? for the remaining campaign. Actually, it’s why we have that kind of Tracking/Experience system trough the game. You have to take care of your units.

J de Juegos What happens if the unit the user is controlling in FPS mode "dies"?

MM: The game will setup automatically the RTS view showing the death body. We are looking to implement an option to switch automatically in FPS view if one of your soldiers closes to the death body.

OTHER

J de Juegos Will there be missions that have to be carried out just in RTS mode, or just in FPS mode? or are they all designed to enforce both modes of play?

MM: The game is designed to enforce both views. The best way to be a commander and to set up tactics and strategies is to play in Tactical view, the best way to live the action on the field is to play in FPS mode. Actually, it’s up to the player to play in RTS or FPS view but through, the game (especially during the tutorial the missions) he will learn that some situation a more efficient to be played in RTS mode or FPS mode.

In most of the cases, a mission can be completed by using exclusively RTS or FPS/TPS modes, but it will soon turn out that the best approach is the combination of the two. 

J de Juegos Would you call your game one of hybrid gameplay, or mixed gameplay? Why? Please elaborate.

MM: I don’t know if we can call Field Ops a hybrid game or mixed game. What I can say that we are bringing something new and fresh. Compare to previous title game like “Battle Zone series” or more recently “Savage Series” or “Rise and Fall” who tried to mix these 2 different views, we are really taking a different way to combine these gameplay to create a new one. 

The “Advanced Command Tools” allow you to really focus on the tactics you can use on the battlefield (Tactical micro management). There is no base building or management of your economy. 

I let the reviewer to decide if it’s a hybrid or mixed game or maybe just a game!

J de Juegos Anything you wish to elaborate on regarding single-user gameplay, multiuser gameplay, or technology? Feel free to get technical. :-)

MM: First, you may ask how we could balance the game between the 2 modes. Actually, it’s a false question; you don’t need to balance these. Everything is up to the player to handle a preset situation whether in single player mode or multiplayer. What we did, is a balancing on the level design itself. Some parts of the map are more designed for the FPS view whereas other locations are in Tactical View. And same things for scripted event in single player.

Even you can pass this part on both view, you will noticed that 1 way is more efficient. For instance, it’s better to use the FPS view to make quick headshots or the FPS view in corridors…

Secondly, the multiplayer, you can imagine what will be the combination of 2 experimented players in both mode which are playing in team play. As you can share multiplayer point to setup your team squad, obviously the FPS player will prefer to get a tight squad ( 4 o 5) soldiers where as the Tactical player will use huge squad ( 15-20 soldiers). I’m really exited by this possibility because for the first time, we can bring together 2 different players in the same game.

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