Developer: GSC Game World | ETA: Q3 2002

GF: Thank you for doing this interview with Games Fusion. Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and your involvement with this project?

I'm Oleg Yavorsky, PR Manager here at GSC Game World.

GF: Please tell us a little bit about the background of GSC Game World?

We are a Kiev-based game development studio and weˇ¦ve been in the market for seven years now. Our portfolio of released games includes Cossacks: European Wars, Cossacks: The Art of War and Codename: Outbreak. At the moment we are working on several new projects, including two 3D-shooters, two real-time strategies, a turn-based strategy and a racing game we are going to talk about today.

GF: Can you tell us a little bit about the concept of the game and what the game is about?

The game throws you into a realm of futuristic combat racing, where hyper speeds intertwine with vehement gun fighting. Players drive their weapon-slotted hovercraft at enormous speed (up to 500 km/hour) picking up bonuses on their way and smashing their opponents through 4 game tournaments. Enemies wasted and level destruction caused yields you a good money bonus, which in combination with money gained for place in race enables you to purchase cool hovercraft equipment and weapons.

GF: Where did you get most of your ideas and inspiration for this title?

Probably the inspiration came from real life, where you frequently have to stick to the limitation of 60 km/hour when driving in the city. I think every driver has at least once dreamed of driving at breakneck speed and smashing other drivers on the way. Besides, we had been missing a combat racing game of up-to-date possibilities.

GF: In some respects the game appears similar to the console smash hit, Wipeout. Have you taken any ideas from the Wipeout series?

Yes, we remember Wipeout games very well. We thought it a good idea to have a game which would be a mix between Star Wars: Racer, Wipeout and Deathtrack games. HoveRace has a powerful engine, which offers stunning visual effects, along with realistic physics, smart AI players etc.

GF: Can you give us an idea of how many different types of vehicles and levels you will be able to race in?

The game provides you with a wide range of hovercraft to drive. There are five basic profiles (including bike, police, sports and two more), with each of them having 3 different modifications ˇV light, medium and heavy. Each of the vehicle profiles and modifications possesses its own parameters and characteristics, some of them are faster to accelerate, but harder to keep on track when driving at full throttle, others are, in contrast, more stable on track, but slower to speed up and so on. Vehicles also differ in number of weapon slots, armour thickness etc. The game will offer 16 basic levels joined into four championships. Every tournament is devoted to some theme, so there are four of them, including wastelands, icebergs and two more. There will also be two hidden levels in the game.

GF: What features have you implemented into this game that cannot be found in any other racing title of this nature?

What sets HoveRace apart is dynamic gameplay combining both racing and action (about 60% and 40% respectively), vast open arenas with total freedom of movement, destructible and interactive objects, a variety of hovercraft, bonuses, weapons and equipment, smart AI and the engine based on use of cutting-edge technologies.