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.
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.