Online Gaming Review: What was the inspiration for Interstate '76?
For instance, why the 1970s instead of say, the much more used, futuristic
environment?
Scott Krager: Zack Norman, the lead designer and co-conceiver of
Interstate '76, said
it best: "The future is boring." That being said, the idea for the
game originated during a lunch with Zack and Sean Vesce, director of I
'76. The two had just finished working on Mechwarrior 2 as the lead
designers and were looking to do something new with the Mech engine.
Zack, a big car buff, was flipping through a car trading magazine
because he was in the market for a muscle car. As they threw out ideas
like "Hey, what about a helicopter sim?" Zack would say "Cool. Hey,
check out this '69 Mustang." They quickly realized that the best
vehicle for a combat sim was staring them in the face. Flash forward to
a couple of months later and the preliminary design was laid out for I
'76 featuring the two coolest elements from the 70's---muscle cars and
funk music.
OGR: What specific improvements does Interstate '76 have over the
MechWarrior 2 engine, on which it was based?
Scott Krager: Other
than being much faster to allow for fully
textured worlds, some
specific improvements include the implementation of a dynamic terrain
system, realistic vehicle physics, much improved artificial
intelligence, multi-camera angles in the sim for real-time cinematics,
fully textured 3D cockpit and improved multi-player options including
built-in Internet play.
OGR: Was the idea for using the handgun in close combat
situations in the game design all along or did it develop as the game
design progressed?
Scott Krager: It was always part of the design.
OGR: Who was in charge of the "funky" music for the game?
Scott Krager: Kelly Rogers, Activision's in-house music director,
was primarily
responsible for the music. He and I listened to a lot of demo tapes,
but had no luck finding the right sound. Then Kelly hooked up with
friend and music producer Jason Slater, who has his own recording studio
in the Bay
Area. He in turn sent us a demo of a funk band comprised of
professional musicians with whom he had worked. After listening to the
tape, we knew we had found our band. At that point, lead musician Arion
Salazar whipped out a slew of rough tracks and within a month was flown
to Los Angeles with the core band to record the final tracks at
Royaltone Studios, where several well-known bands like Van Halen and the
Scorpions have recorded. After laying down the core tracks, we recorded
the overdubs back in the Bay Area and then did the final mixing and
mastering. The rest is history...
OGR: Groove Champion is one heck of a cool name. Where there any
other names
for the lead character that were dropped or was Groove Champion the sole
choice?
Scott Krager: As far as I know, Groove Champion was always the name
for the lead character.
OGR: Is there a particular car in Melee mode that is your personal
favorite?
Scott Krager: I don't really have a favorite... although I use the
Street Van quite a
bit because of its configuration and armor/chassis reinforcement
allotment.
OGR: From your experience with the game, do you have any personal
tips you can share with our readers?
Scott Krager: Put some thought into your vehicle configuration
including armor and
chassis reinforcement adjustment. This can make a big difference. Also
select your weapons carefully... especially in multi-player mode. The
biggest and baddest weapons aren't necessarily always the best ones to
use.
OGR:
Internet multiplayer is a blast, however, hacked cars are
beginning to
appear on the server -- unlimited armor, multiple turrets. Is Activision
planning a means of combating hacks so players can enjoy the game without
having to deal with cheaters?
Scott Krager: Yes, we will be releasing a patch within a week or
two that will address the cheating issue. The best part is that it will
keep everyone happy including the cheaters.
OGR: Did you expect that hacked vehicles would begin showing up so
soon?
Scott Krager: Based on what I've seen happen with other games, I'm
not surprised that hacks have already appeared.
OGR: Are there any enhancements planned for multiplayer, such as
allowing the game's host to restrict cars and weapons from entering the
game?
Scott Krager: Stay tuned...
OGR: Are there any add-on discs planned, such as further
single-player missions or more cars and weapons for multiplayer mode?
Scott Krager: We currently throwing around different ideas for I
'76 follow-up products, but nothing is set in stone yet. However, the I
'76 gang will return...
OGR: I'm sure you've heard this a million times, but what is the
status of the Direct3D patch and when might gamers expect it?
Scott Krager: We have been working on the D3D patch for a few weeks
and hope to release it by May. It's one of our top priorities.