Weapons and AI

FS: I see from the screenshots that the stranger uses a variety of weapons - which one is your favorite? How many are there and what are they? How do you acquire them in the game? I also saw that the stranger can use two pistols and aim them independently - how does the player aim two weapons independently in the interface?

TR: The Stranger's weapon of choice is the pistol, or, more accurately, pistols. He wields a pair of .45's as though they are extensions of his own body. He can fire upon two separate enemies at the same time, making him twice as lethal with those twin guns. When the situation calls for it, he uses more appropriate weapons. Shotguns can blow apart zombies at close range. Wooden crossbow bolts are wooden stakes, prime ammo for piercing the hearts of vampires. Tommy guns spray a ceaseless stream of death from their smoking barrels. Nothing damages on as grand a scale as a stick of dynamite. Doc Holliday comes up with some interesting devices like the Charged Radiance Emitter that projects an intense burst of sun-like light, great for frying vampires and blinding just about anything else. Flame-throwers are fun in just about any setting. Dismembered zombie arms, wrenches, shovels, swords, axes, and just about anything else the Stranger can pick up can be used as a weapon. The pistols are unique in that they are two independent weapons. In full auto-aim mode, they can each lock onto a target. If zombies are attacking from both left and right, a gun aims in each direction, and the hero guns down both attackers. In manual-aim mode, the player aims only the right gun. The left locks on to whatever character the right one encounters.

FS: Please describe the AI advances you've made in the game. Can you share a couple of surprises that we might expect from the monsters?

TR: Werewolves move in packs. They surround their victims on all sides to prevent escape and then send in a few individuals at a time to pick off the prey. Mobsters are as smart as the average man. They move to flanking positions when attacking en masse; however, they tend to get pissed off when caught in each other's crossfire. They've been known to forget about the hero when accidentally shot by one of their comrades. Very vindictive, they'll attack the last person who hurt them, even if he's one of their own. Zombies aren't really that smart, but they can pick up parts of their fallen buddies (or parts of themselves that have been blown off) and swing them club-like at the hero or even throw them. Keep your eye out for gargoyles. Man cannot carve the likeness of evil into stone without expecting to attract some evil. When your back is turned, the stone statues will rise and attack, but if you turn back to look at them, they'll return to stone. You've got to be quick to catch them in their flesh form.

Firingsquad would like to take this opportunity to thank Mark Randel and Jeff Mills for taking the time to answer our questions, and also Jeff Smith for helping us arrange the interview. What's that? You want pictures? Head back to our Nocturne Preview and scope out those fine looking shots.