We've had the chance to ask the developer, Petroglyph, a few questions about their new upcoming game 8-Bit Armies. The game will be released this Friday, April 22. If you are still unsure about this game, perhaps this interview will help you decide!
GameReplays: 8-Bit Armies seems to have a lot of similarities between the golden Command and Conquer games. Can you tell us what similarities and what differences we can look forward to 8-Bit Armies? For those that have not played the classic C&C games, can you tell us why they will enjoy 8-Bit Armies?Petroglyph: 8-Bit Armies has fewer units and a faster game pace than C&C. If you are a casual RTS player, or even if just RTS-curious, 8-Bit Armies is easer to understand and requires less of a time commitment for a battle than with typical slower RTS games.
GR: In an age of high graphic fidelity in gaming, can you give some insight into the decision to go with an '8-bit' graphic approach to this game?A: 8-Bit Armies uses an art style that reflects a lighter and more casual feel that mirrors the way we want people to first experience the game.
GR: The action seems to be fast paced in the trailer. How long do you expect a 1v1 between equal opponents will last?A: A typical match might last 10-15 minutes. Equally skilled players that try to play defensively can make matches longer. Eventually, you'll get to build nuclear missiles, which can tend to finalize the game before it goes for too long. But it is definitely faster-paced than many other RTS games. Internally, we’ve had 8-player games that last about 15 minutes. Everything (constructing, unit creation, etc.) is faster, but still straightforward and simple enough so that players don’t feel overwhelmed.
GR: In the trailer it seems you start on a hill or platform. Are there possibilities to expand your base outside this main area? For example by building an extra MCV or building next to a captured building?
A: Some maps do not start on a plateau, but even on a plateau, it is possible to build a structure at the base of the ramp if a structure is placed at the top of the ramp. Once that first structure is placed at the bottom, your base can spread out. In the campaign missions, you often start with structures already placed out into the field that you can build off of.
GR: It's been quite a while since we've seen a dedicated co-op campaign, what made you decide to go down this route, and what can we expect that's different to a team skirmish?A: A cooperative campaign has always held an appeal since it allows friends to play together against the AI and still get rewards as if it was a normal campaign. This is different than skirmish with just has the opponents played by the AI instead of humans. We also believe that there are more players that want to play cooperatively than against one another. After reviewing statistics from our last game, we found that most people were intimidated with PvP so they only played the campaign and left. We think that cooperative play is something new players and veterans will appreciate.
GR: Are there any alternate win conditions or game modes in multiplayer games?A: There are three ways to win skirmish/PvP -- You can win by destroying the enemy HQ, destroy all his structures, or destroy everything of the enemy.
GR: Do you consider 8-Bit Armies to be a casual single player and coop game or will it be more of a hardcore competitive RTS?A: The campaign is designed to appeal to the casual player. Even skirmish (with the AI set to easy) can be casually fun. When the AI is set to hard or when playing against a human opponent in PvP, the pace of the game increases quite a bit and it can be very challenging when playing against a skilled opponent. Hard-core players will find a lot of replay value in achieving all the bonus objectives we have created throughout the campaign.
GR: You’ve mentioned that only a select group of people are working on 8-Bit Armies. Should we consider this a side-project or do you plan to support 8-Bit Armies for a long time?A: We have big plans for 8-Bit Armies. Modding tools, map editor, and additional factions are all in the plan. The team size is small with a very focused vision so that we can remain fast and efficient at development iteration and decision-making.
GR: We know that there will be no quickmatch, replays, ladders and mod support when the game is just released. You’ve stated that you will continue to add features and factions once the game is released and the sales are good enough. Aren’t you afraid that people will not buy 8-Bit Armies because of the missing features and factions?A: Those are features we have added to our other games, and we have a plan for integrating that technology into 8-Bit Armies as well. Because our focus is on bringing new players into the RTS genre, we decided to spend more effort up front on the campaign and cooperative features instead of more niche, hard-core features first.
GR: We are truly happy to hear that Frank Klepacki is composing the music for 8-Bit Armies. Any chance of him adding new music after the game is released? Perhaps with the release of a new faction?A: As we continue to roll out new factions, we’ll add new music themed to the additional content we have planned for. The soundtrack for the game is really excellent and matches the gameplay perfectly. We’re lucky to have Frank on board with us because he is so multi-talented and knows his craft extremely well.
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