OPERATION Mania

OPERATION Mania a videogame community will understand why games are fun, addicting and always a good laugh. I like to point out there are some games that are built for hardcore players, and the rise of modern titles like Alien Isolation, which we've seen in recent years.

Each new release of a game gets a new set of players to the title. I always had to sit back and get involved and still continue to work on a good game. This year is different because I have been planning on doing my own thing for a couple of years now, and a few of us have been busy doing stuff with my group and have been hit by lag, server errors and poor messaging.

I have spent the last couple of months developing games that can be easily played by a group of players, and in the months ahead you'll see them out to pasture, upgrade and support older games. For the last four months I've invested in some really impressive games and since I've been using them for over a year now, I've invested a lot in other things. There are a lot of games that I'm definitely working on. There's a lot of companies that do systems for online games; I've spent a lot of time on these, and I've learned a lot from them. Some of my friends really love games and like to play them and get them together, so when they're finished I'll make some great choices for how to handle them. There's a lot of different games that I've been working on over the years that I've played with, but that's not an easy task. That's why I like to work with great people, to ensure I're really capable of making the best games I can. If I get a great game, it'll be great.

GS: Do you plan on including a multiplayer component in your new game, or will you be thinking about giving it to you now, too?

JS: There will be a multiplayer component. I want to make sure that there's a multiplayer component in it. We've talked about multiplayer, so I'm not sure what it is yet.

GS: Will there be single-player missions that are completely optional, or will there be story-based missions in the future?

JS: No. You can choose to go into your story mode or play the single-player missions. There will be missions that you can find hidden in the world. You can also select them. They'll be optional and you can have them be as simple as one button press or as complex as you want them to be.

GS: Will we see an online co-op component in either the Xbox 360 or the PC versions of the game?

JS: No, that's still not planned, but we're thinking about that as well.

GS: Are there plans to include an offline version of the game as well?

JS: Right now, we're focusing on the PC version. We're also looking at online game development. And I can't talk about what that will entail at this point. But at this point, there are plans in place for online game play.

GS: Why is it that a successful online game relies on a persistent world that you can explore freely?

JS: It's the ultimate gameplay experience. So we want to make sure that the online experience has great replay value, and it is possible to do that with our scripted campaign missions and how we build the various levels with gameplay. We will have the option to modify these missions with various different parameters, but the objective of the game and the challenge for players is the same.

GS: Why has it taken so long for the team to come up with a coherent single-player story to tie in with the online component?

JS: Yes, the storytelling is there. In terms of creating a rich single-player story with a compelling online environment, the character creation, the combat, the graphics, the AI, the plot, and all of it--I think the biggest factor in making the single-player a successful online game is that it has a unique online premise. That is one of the major things that we will draw upon in a campaign. The player will create a character in order to play multiplayer with other players and the world.

GS: We're not sure how much longer the game will run. How does multiplayer help you decide the direction that the game will take?

JS: Absolutely. Every single-player game has a single-player component, and it has been on this generation's consoles for the last five years. However, it is always a unique opportunity to have the chance to try a new game in a different genre. It is the single-player game, and the single-player will come in at the tail end of the franchise. The fans of the single-player game love that it offers something fresh. This is the reason we will try our best to address that, and the fans will be happy.