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Army of Two: The 40th Day Interview - Part two
We speak to EA Montreal's Producer Alain Tascan about guns, online, designing your own masks and fratboy culture
Written by Andy Griffiths, 15 December 2009
GamerZines: The weapon customisation is a huge improvement over the original. How long did it take you to design and research all the different attachments?
Alain Tascan: We could have had even more! There was one point where we wanted to morph stuff, but we thought that it took the concept too far. It took some brilliant people to get all these things together, there's between 10,000 and 20,000 different combinations. We made sure everything could reasonably fit on your arm which carries the gun and if you attach a screwdriver or knife it completely changes your play style. It took a full team, but you know the first one was a step forward and the second one is giving players a lot more. You can also customise your mask online and import it into the game which I think is a first for a shooter. The gun is really your avatar in the game, depending on the gear you choose your experience will change and it will be different from your friends.
You've seen a few of the camouflage options where you can either go classic or really wacky. People really dig the crazy stuff.
GZ: With the EA face feature and all the potential gun combinations do you see a thriving competitive scene in the future?
AT: That's what we would like because when people go online they can take their own uniquely designed mask with them. Of course there will be lots of dicks and things like that, but you can click a button to say it's offensive and we'll erase it. We'll be doing a lot in the community stuff after the game launches. We want to have a huge website where we're tracking 120 statistics including headshots, who you kill, who you save, how long you play and lots of other stuff. You can put that on the website, track your friends, and compare your statistics with the best in the world. This means that everyone can play with everybody else, you can then form a clan, design your own mask and form an online identity.
360Zine Issue 17
For our latest Army of Two coverage, click here to download 360Zine Issue 17 for free.GZ: One of the great things about Army of Two is that it didn't take itself too seriously. Does that continue in the sequel?
AT: Yes of course but they, Tyson and Elliot the two main protagonists, have grown up a little. It is still the same as before, even the first line of the game sets the tone nicely. They are a little bit less childish, but they still have a fun take on stuff and bicker. You can make them snipe each other, fist bump and play Rock, Paper, Scissors. So we kept the tone but added the Bruce Willis or Steven Seagal test- if it's Steven it doesn't go in, if it's Bruce it does. You will be facing some tough situations though, especially towards the end.
GZ: The morality aspect sums that up rather nicely...
AT: It affects gameplay, but not in a huge way because it's just to show you how you've played the game. If you want to play badly that's fine, you want to be good that's fine, we aren't going to judge you. The first game made you play like an ass - I exaggerate - with the fist bumping and killing people, but this time if you don't want to play like that it's fine because you have a choice now. Ultimately if you're doing that it's because you like that sort of thing, but if you want to save everybody you can. We'll be tracking it, so if you want to show you saved everybody you can show your friends. We've really turned it around and the game constantly asks, 'what sort of player are you?' Be what you want to be.
GZ: Do you think this new impetus will win back some of those of passed on the first one?
AT: That's why we are trying to explain the release and that's why we put in the option. People were distracted by it fratboy factor to the detriment of what the game was, and how different it was. They just focused on killing people, getting paid and doing fist bumps. "Even if I like that, I don't like you for making me like it", and that was actually some of the feedback we got. So we tried to take a different approach, keep the same aspects and still have fun, but not let it distract people.
Army of Two coverage available in 360Zine Issue 17 - click here to download it for free!
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