BioShock Interview
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GB: How elaborate is the game's inventory system? Are we only going to be hauling around a selection of weapons or will we be scavenging a variety of keys, tools, and other useful objects from all over Rapture? Nate: There are a huge number of items to collect from the world of Rapture. However, we only present this information when it is relevant to the player. For example, when the player goes to a (U-Invent-It!) crafting-station, it is then that they see all the components they have that are relevant to what they're trying to do right then. Also, weapons and plasmids are accessed on-the-fly from rotary selection interfaces (in the 360 version, the pc version has a custom interface). When it all comes together it's really seamless and intuitive.
GB: How linear is the game? Will we have the option to simply wander through various areas in Rapture and complete side missions that have nothing to do with our primary objective?
Nate: There is a very detailed quest structure in the game, but one of the most compelling aspects of BioShock is how much player-driven objectives there are. One benefit of having such a deep and versatile system of weapons, powers and abilities is that we find that player-driven quests are often the most engaging. In a playthrough I was doing the other day for example I came to a situation where I had to kill a Big-Daddy but was short on the right kind of ammo. So I went on a hunt for components by searching the world and scrounging off dead splicers until I could make enough ammo to have the advantage in the fight. It's this kind of emergent questing that really sets BioShock apart from the (Get-Blue-Passcard-For-Blue-Door) kind of questing that FPS gamers are, I believe, a little tired of.
GB: Will BioShock offer the ability for players to assume a "good" or "evil" role throughout the game and will the player's choices ultimately affect the game's ending?
Nate: Much of what we wanted to achieve as the emotional landscape of BioShock was to give a sense of moral ambiguity to the player's purpose. Often throughout the game the player will find themselves asked to make choices without a clear (right) or (wrong) decision. It will be up to the individual player to decide to their own course of action. As far as how your choices effect the ending let's just say there will be a time when the player will face a reckoning. But I'm not going to spoil it here!
GB: We've heard a lot about the AI being implemented into BioShock. Can you give us an idea of what we can expect when we go up against the game's various adversaries?
Nate: The BioShock AIs have really vast variety of attacks, weapons, movement-types and vulnerabilities. One of the really unique things about the combat of BioShock is learning to leverage all of these various characteristics to make the player deadlier and more efficient. Undoubtedly the most fascinating aspect of the AIs in BioShock is the myriad ways they react to, and interact with, the larger environment. Set a Splicer on Fire? He will run to the nearest body of water and hurl himself in to put out the fire. Got a Splicer down to his last sliver of life? He will run to find a health-station to heal.
In addition to the Splicers we have the Big Daddies, the hulking metal-suited protectors that have become the face of BioShock. We approached these AIs as being a kind of wandering Boss-fight, where the player chooses when, where and how to engage. It's this kind of interaction that we think will stand-out among many (firsts) that BioShock has achieved in terms of gameplay.
GB: You've mentioned that you plan to offer downloadable content for BioShock. Any idea what sort of content this would be? New plasmids? New weaponry? More sections of Rapture to explore?
Nate: Sorry, I'm not really able to address that right now...But stay tuned!
GB: Once BioShock is finished and on store shelves, what's next for Irrational Games? Aside from a potential BioShock expansion or sequel, might there be a chance that we'll see a third Freedom Force title?
Nate: Thanks to the fans, the anticipation of BioShock alone has already afforded us a lot of really enticing opportunities. We are currently looking at a number of possibilities and you'll certainly be hearing something from us in upcoming months. As far as Freedom Force goes, we are all still very fond of that franchise and try to keep our options open!
Thanks Nate!
