Characters and Weapons

Firingsquad: Describe the 3 characters for us: how are they different from one another? Can you switch between them in the game or within a level? How exactly does Dr. Hawkins put items together - that is to say, is it clicking two menu items on top of one another or?

Greg: The player tackles some levels as Kurt, others as Max and yet others as Doctor Hawkins. The story dictates the availability of the characters to play a level. Often, two of the characters in the game are incapacitated and only one character is left to save the day. Each character plays one full level at a time, from start to finish.

Each character has a different focus for his gameplay. Kurt is stealth and sniper-oriented. He still has his sniper scope and ribbon chute. We've added a couple of items for Kurt that enhance his stealthy features. Max is a run and shoot action hero ­ he's part Hong Kong gunslinger and part 6 legged dog. Doctor Hawkins is a nutty old inventor with very puzzle-oriented gameplay. He has an inventory for each of his hands ­ the player can either select a single item (one hand) or two items (one in each hand). When the Doctor selects and uses two items, one of two things can happen, either a new item is created and placed in his inventory or the two items combine for an effect. It's quite a bit of fun playing with the Doctor's items as very unexpected things can happen with some experimentation.

Kurt

Max

Doc

Firingsquad: What sorts of weapons will be in MDK2? Which ones are your favorites so far?

Greg: Hmmm, my favorite weapon? I'd don't want to reveal too much about the game but the Doctor makes a nasty weapon out of common household appliances.

Firingsquad: Is having a singleplayer only game making weapon balance much easier?

Greg: It's making the overall design different. I wouldn't say that it' really making anything easier. What we are able to do is custom develop effects and features based on the fact that there is always only one, single player playing the game. For example, we can do a number of camera tricks and make custom cut scenes for character interaction and interaction with the environment.