Interview with a Zombie!

I was honored recently with being able to interview Blazej Krakowiak, a product manager at Techland, about the upcoming Dead Island for the Xbox 360 and PC. This has got to be one of the coolest games announced for the 360 that have to do with zombies (besides Resident Evil 5 of course). With out further delay, here is my interview with Krakowiak!

UFG– Thanks for taking the time out to talk to us. We really appreciate it! Before we get into the game mechanics of Dead Island, can you tell our readers who might not of heard about DI a little about story?

“We meet our hero while he’s en route to a well-deserved vacation on a tropical island with his wife. This is where things go awry and the plane crashes. He wakes up and realizes that his partner is missing and the island is crawling with terrifying undead.

The main character must fight through the tourist paradise-turned-hell, uncover the mystery of the zombie epidemic and find his missing wife. At least that’s how simple things look at first.”

UFG– What was some of your inspirations for Dead Island? Did you look at other games in the survival horror genre?

“It’s impossible not to think about certain movies and games while making a ‘zombie game’. We like 28 Weeks Later very much for its specific vision of modern apocalypse. The entire development team are fans of the original Dawn of the Dead.  I think that the ”Walking Dead” comic series also deserves a mention. Among all the horror games in our collection we really like Resident Evil for its unique atmosphere and Dead Rising for the intimidating hordes of zombies. There’s something we can learn from Condemned 2 or Silent Hill. All that being said, we’re still making our own distinct game without copying anyone.”

UFG– Being a big zombie fan, I have been reading about DI for some time now. I was wondering, is DI going to be a free roaming game where you can go anywhere at the beginning (similar to Far Cry) or is it going to be more of a “sandbox” game where you have to pick up missions (similar to Grand Theft Auto)?

“I think that Far Cry would be a bit closer in this case but still a far cry from what we’re trying to achieve if you’ll pardon the pun. Players will have a lot of choice regarding their destination, the means of achieving their goals and their relations with other human survivors. At the same time the overriding, important goals will be clear throughout the game. Clear not only to players but more importantly to the character they will be playing. The believable, living (and unliving) world we’re creating will also pose certain limitations but they won’t be artificial. For example it’s obvious that wandering through the jungle alone and unarmed is a very bad idea. This is the sort of limitations that players will encounter.”

UFG– I know that you can use all the elements of your environment as weapons in order to fight off the undead. How many weapons do you think will be in the final build of DI? Also, will we be able to combine weapons (like taping a flashlight onto a gun)?

“The whole idea is that there won’t be a fixed number of weapons ‘til the day we finish designing and placing new objects in the game. We want to allow players to improvise new weapons intuitively. A healthy defensive reaction of an unarmed person attacked by a very aggressive and dangerous opponent is to grab any object at hand and use it. We want to allow players to perceive the environment in Dead Island that way. There will be possibilities to combine and improve weapons, we’re even experimenting with a system allowing to mix chemicals. As soon as we’re 100% satisfied with the way it contributes to the game we’ll explain it in greater detail.”

UFG– Is it possible to use the environment in more defensive ways? Like if we run into a house for safety, can we move furniture up against the door to keep the zombies out?

“This is a must-have feature since we want to create a terrifyingly real environment of the zombie-infested island. We will give players the ability to use their intelligence advantage over zombies to deadly effect. With realistically simulated physics of gases, liquids, fire and electricity combined with freedom in manipulating objects we can promise many exciting opportunities to ruin a zombie’s day.”

UFG– When it comes to the hand-to-hand combat features, I can’t help but think about the upcoming Condemned 2. How do you think Dead Island’s melee combat will differ from games like Condemned?

“Our melee combat is designed to merge seamlessly with two other design features. First comes the aforementioned ability to turn any object into a weapon. It makes going toe-to-toe with undead more survivable and more fun by adding a little tactical depth to the equation. Second is the unparalleled multi layer damage model we can use to visualize all damage inflicted on our enemies. This is very important because players can see the effects of their actions and accurately target certain vulnerable areas. On top of all that we’ve added character development to ensure that that there are many new fighting moves and finishers to learn, constantly adding more variation and effectiveness to combat.”

UFG– What is the multi-layered damage System?

“It’s an innovative technology that allows for simulation and visualization of body injuries with incredible accuracy and realism. It uses three separate layers to calculate damage sustained by skin, muscles and bones. They can be damaged independently of each other just like in real life. We can then show the consequences on any character model with ‘per vertex accuracy’. You can’t get any more precise than that in 3D graphics.”

UFG– Seeing that DI will use a (extremely cool) damage system, will we be able to target specific body parts when attacking? Will we be able to break limbs?

“Yes and yes. I think that my previous answer covered that question as well. Players will be able to target specific body areas and the enemies will react accordingly.”

UFG– Will there be any threats to the main character that aren’t zombies?

“Definitely. An epidemic-stricken island is an extremely dangerous place. There are always people willing to make a profit no matter the cost. Others are simply desperate to survive and won’t back up. Then there’s the wildlife of the tropical island, returning to the areas vacated by the decimated human population. The players are going to be afraid and under pressure all the time as every decision becomes a calculated risk.”

UFG– I remember playing Dead Rising one day and thinking “a lot of these zombies look alike”. How many variations of “zombie” do you think will be in the final game?

“More than in “Dead Rising” . Aside from varied models we’ll also have different types of zombies with their own traits and behavior. This is still one of the things we’re working on but it can only get better and better.”

UFG– Will there be any multiplayer components?

“At this time there are no plans for multiplayer. Dead Island is very storyline-driven. It’s not only about excellent gameplay but also the overall experience and of course the fear. It’s impossible to achieve when there’s a buddy playing alongside, cracking jokes about zombies. And we’re definitely not including a simplified arcade mp mode just to tick an extra feature on the box.”

UFG– I guess my last question has to do with a possible sequel. I know it’s a bit early to ask about sequels, but there seems to be a trend nowadays to make trilogies in the gaming industry. Was there any thought of making Dead Island sequels? If not, can we expect to see any downloadable content once Dead Island is in stores?

“Dead Island will hit the stores as a complete, immersive experience. This is our aim and we’re not thinking in terms of sequels or additional content at the moment.”

UFG– Thanks for your time! I can’t wait to get my hands on a copy of Dead Island. Speaking of which, when to think DI will hit the shelves?

“It is really too early for dates. This is an enormous project and there is still a lot of work ahead of us. We’ll keep you posted.”

UFG– Again, thanks for talking with us!

“The pleasure is on our side and thanks for your interest in Dead Island. Make sure to check the official site at http://deadislandgame.com.*”

*The site has changed, since Techland came under Deep Silver.

 

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