Interface/Sound

FS:Do you have any concrete plans on major changes/advances you're going to make to the look and feel of the front end (interface)?

DR:Front end will get much more context sensitive. Options that you never use you won't see. Options that you use the most will be right there for you. Also look for a more traditional RTS interface in the final version. I'll just say that if you have played any RTSs in the last two years you shouldn't have much trouble. Also possibly look for a roll-down advanced interface more like starcraft which would allow you to track lots of information concurrently. And, of course, roll up to show of the maximum amount of pretty graphics at other times. Again, we're working with Zileas and others on making a great interface for newbies and experts alike.

Burning wreckage and smoke

FS:Will 3D sound be implemented?

DR: Trust me when I say that all of the support for very nice 3D sound is in the code--it's now just a question if writing driver support for A3D / EAX / DirectSound. In short, we plan to implement this but no guarantees on time frame.

FS: Will you be able to record demos of your matches?

DR: Oh yea! All of the functionality is in there. And as an added bonus, you can even replay a recorded demo with an automatic cinematography mode just like in the rolling demo. In fact, because of our synchronous network model, _all_ game state information is preserved in the (very small) demo file. You could monitor player resources / units / whatever you want. Another bonus: you can stop a demo at any time and play the rest of the game. This is a great learning tool if you want to see how various strategies play out in the exact same case.

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