Section 8 Interview Recently we got a chance to interview the guys working on the upcoming Section 8. Here’s what they had to say about the game.
Q: Can you tell us about the story behind Section 8? A: Section 8 takes place in the future when humans have begun colonizing the far reaches of the galaxy. As colonization expands, small splinter groups begin emerging demanding greater autonomy or even independence from the United States Empire. One such group is the Arm of Orion who the United States Imperial Forces (USIF) is sent to subdue. As the 8th Armored Infantry quickly find out, however, the Arm of Orion are much better equipped and trained than originally anticipated.
I won’t spoil any surprises except to say that there are a couple tricks up the Arm of Orion’s sleeve.
Q: Will the campaign have a different feel than the multiplayer? If yes then how so? A: “Corde’s Story,” the narrative single-player experience, will teach the player how to play Section 8 while providing them with a deeper understanding of the Section 8 universe. Many of the skills needed in single-player are the same ones needed in multiplayer. However, the Corde’s Story is certainly a much more cinematic experience. It is much more objective based and has a strong narrative guiding the player throughout its entirety.
Q: How long has Section 8 been in development? A: The general concept for Section 8 started many years ago, though full production on the title only began several years ago. It’s a very exciting time for us currently as we are finally getting to share our beloved project with the world!
Q: With so many FPSs coming out this year what does Section 8 bring to the genre that is new, fun, and exciting? A: Section 8 is different from other multiplayer games in a wide variety of aspects. The player will immediately notice one of these differences the moment they join a game. Before joining the battle below, players have the choice as to how they want to equip their powered armor suit. Everything is customizable on not only their suit, but their weapons too, and can either be saved or loaded on the fly. Then, players will be able to view the battlefield from over 15,000 feet, noticing the immense amount of terrain, unclaimed bases and capture points, various choke sites, and deployables littered throughout. This allows players to coordinate strategies and plan for their attack.
After the player chooses their burn-in location, they experience a knuckle-whitening drop from their orbital dropship to the battlefield below. However, the burn-in process does not end here. The player must choose between braking and steering their path for a more precise landing, or not braking for the quickest, yet least controlled landing. Players foolhardy enough to burn-in too close to hostile AA turrets or other hazards will face almost certain death.
Once the player is on the battlefield, they will feel as if they are part of a larger battle. Ships firing upon one another above the battlefield and the glow of soldiers burning-in to the battlefield all add to the sense of immersion the player will feel when playing Section 8.
Add these features with the ability to purchase vehicle and tactical asset deliveries with the option to participate in a selection of Dynamic Combat Missions and players will find Section 8 to be a completely unique and exciting experience.
Q: Can you tell us about the backpack feature in the game. A: All players in Section 8 are given a limited use jetpack which allows the player to get the drop on the competition—literally. While it doesn’t let the player fly unhindered, it does allow them to access hard-to-reach sniper perches or evade an increasingly sour battle with an enemy.
Q: What is the max players in one fight online? A: Dedicated servers on the PC will be able to handle 32+ players while listen servers can handle up to 16 players. On the Xbox 360, players will be able to connect to a PC-run server allowing up to 32 players while the default handles 16.
Q: Can you give us some in depth details about the loadout feature? A: Section 8 features fully customizable player loadouts, unlike most other games that railroad the player into choosing between pre-existing classes. Players will be able to equip their powered armor suit the way they see fit, including passive modules, gear, and weapons, and can be saved and loaded on the fly or changed in-between burn-ins. Essentially, players can choose two weapons, two gear items, and 10 passive gear modules to equip to their powered armor suit. There are nearly endless combinations, so players can expect to play around with these quite a bit to see what they enjoy best!
Q: What kind of customization options can we expect? A: Players can customize nearly every aspect of their loadout, from the weapons and gear they want to carry, to what passive modules they want to equip on the powered armor suit. For example, a player can make themselves into a fast-moving, stealthy sniper if they would like, or they could alter their passive modules to be a heavily-armored sniper with a missile launcher back-up for taking out enemy vehicles. We really wanted to allow the player to have the freedom to play as the player they want to be, not what the game wants them to be.
Q: Will there be any neat and original weapons? A: The primary weapons in Section 8 were deliberately kept relatable to the player, such as assault rifle, machine gun, missile launcher, shotgun, pistol, and sniper rifle. However, several weapons may have a different role than what players may be used to in other first-person shooters. For example, the Missile Launcher is fairly ineffective against shielded targets (i.e. infantry) whereas it tend to be the “bread and butter” anti-infantry weapon in other shooters. We worked hard to get the balance right and believe we have succeeded in this goal.
Q: Can we expect to see any vehicle gameplay? A: The player is able to purchase an impressively powerful Heavy Armor and a four-person Tank at any point in a match using requisition points they earn throughout a round.
Q: Can you explain the DCM feature we’ve heard so much about? A: Dynamic Combat Missions, or DCMs, are missions that appear throughout a match. As a team performs positive actions, such as capturing/defending a control point or sniping an opponent, they will receive a certain “feat.” Once enough feats are obtained, a DCM is triggered depending on the type of feats triggering the mission. The mission can be anything from protecting or assassinating an enemy VIP to planting a bomb in an enemy base to blow it up. They’re a number of different DCMs in which to participate and they add an incredible layer of excitement to the gameplay while ensuring that no two games will ever play the same way twice.
Q: How does the combat in Section 8 differ from other FPS games? A: Section 8 is all about choice—the choice of the player to play the game they want to experience. Many other games railroad players by confining them to specific classes—not Section 8. Whether it’s burning-in from 15,000 feet. to any location on the battlefield, creating your own custom class with fully customizable loadouts, purchasing a variety of on-demand deployables and vehicles, or participating in the variety of exciting Dynamic Combat Missions throughout each game, the player will be faced with near-limitless choices to play the experience they want to play in Section 8.
Q: Any quick tips for online play A: Section 8 is a team game. The more players stick together and communicate effectively, the better they will be. Trying to be a “lone-wolf” is not the most effective way to capture a Control Point or complete a DCM.
Q: Can you tell us about some of the online modes? A: The main multiplayer game type is called “Conquest.” However, players will be able to alter the bot modes to allow a co-op multiplayer experience, swarm mode, super swarm mode, and even “one-man-army.”
Q: How long will the single player campaign be? A: We haven’t divulged the campaign length yet, as we’re still wrapping that up internally. It’ll be at least a few hours though; it’s not a one-hour tutorial.
Q: What are your favorite achievements? A: One of the most difficult and most rewarding achievements is definitely the one players can receive for burning-in on top of an enemy player and killing them in multiplayer. Needless to say, it’s an extremely cool experience already. Throw in an achievement on top of that and it’s even cooler!
Thanks for your time and good luck with the game.
Posted By: Devon Marshall
Wednesday, September 2nd 2009 at 7:04PM
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