O.R.B. Preview

AT: How does the dynamic nature of the environment influence gameplay?

SF: Well, that's the thing, the very fact that it's fluid creates a condition of constant strategic instability. There can be no complacent base camping when you have to be continuously on the look-out for new sources of raw materials. Players that know the game can't just find a "corner" of the map and hunker down with a wall of defenses. For one, the resources are hidden, so you have to send a protected survey mission to find them, then you have to send defenseless logistical units to set up a mine on an asteroid, then protect both it and the cargo convoys. In addition, there are no terrain borders in the game, you are always vulnerable from any direction, so you can't do map-cornering or exploit other artificial terrain limits. In short it makes it very interesting.......

AT: Tell us a bit more about the game's interface. That is obviously a very important part of any fleet-commanding 3D RTS game.

SF: We designed the interface with the player in mind. I basically took all my complaints that I had about bad interfaces and channeled them into the discussions we had on the issue. We have multiple functionality and discreet menus that allows the player to always keep his "eye on the ball". You never have to lose sight of what is going on in order to give another strategic order like research or construction. You are also not forces to only use one view in order to give a certain class of orders. All commands are accessible from either the 3D or 2D map view. We think this frees the player to fight battles and play the game, instead of struggling against an interface :)

AT: Also, will you be able to pause the game during combat -- BG2 style?

SF: Yes.

AT: How does the waypoint system work?

SF: It's a point and click system. You highlight the unit and hold down the control key while placing waypoints on the map. You get a helpful grid while you're doing it, so it's not hard to place them in 3D.

AT: The official game FAQ states: "You definitely want to keep your leaders alive." So, does that mean your leaders can get killed during missions? Are they replaced with anonymous characters, like in R6?

SF: We have a type of unit that has leadership abilities. We are calling the heroes right now, but we haven't decided what they will be called in the final cut. Basically they have a significant influence on the fighting effectiveness of the units that they are grouped with, and they can be killed. There will be a limited amount of these types of units. They are not replaced with anonymous units, they are just not replaced. If you lose all your leaders you are in trouble.

AT: Finally, the expected release date...

SF: Fall 2001.