In addition to two -hour (in fact, we played for almost three hours) testing the early build of the game, we have prepared many questions that the key people responsible for the development of the New Union answered. Screenwriter Alexander Zorich spoke about the features of the post -core USSR, and the game designer Julia Romanova and producer Denis Maltsev explained the most important thing – what to expect from the role system and by what principles the world of the game will be arranged.
Alexander Zorich
Alexander Zorich – pseudonym of two writers, Yana Botsman and Dmitry Gordevsky. During his career, which began in 1997, the authors wrote 36 books and created 15 scenarios for computer games. Including a series of tactical strategies “in the rear of the enemy”, the simulator “Tomorrow War” (according to the trilogy of the same name) and the author’s game “Black Halls” about the exploits of the Soviet Marine Corps.
Currently, Alexander Zorich is the main screenwriter of the game "New Union". By the way, Zorich has repeatedly proved the ability to work perfectly with the Soviet flavor and with post -apocalyptics – see his novels “Familly Fire”, “Half -Rasfall” and “Full Caulistance of cartridges”.
Work on the world of New Union is one of the largest gaming projects of the writer. After all, you need to create not only the script, but also describe an alternative story. And Zorich copes perfectly: the game has not yet come out, and we already perfectly imagine how the USSR developed after a nuclear war, who are retrogenerates and what they are doing in the TAFR.
You can learn more about the work of Yana Botsman and Dmitry Gordevsky on the official website – www.Zorich.ru.
New history of the USSR
The theme of post -apocalypse in video games and cinema seems quite hackneyed. Know for yourself draw abandoned buildings, lists of tin and plywood and scatter the key attributes everywhere. In the process of writing the script, there were ideas to avoid nuclear war, but to leave the USSR? How important is the post -apocalyptic motive in the game?
Alexander Zorich: The post-apocalyptic motive is very important, because otherwise, working with the realities of the Soviet Union, it is difficult to organize an interesting playing space in which a lot would be allowed to the player and at the same time in which each new location would be truly original and unpredictable.
As for tin and plywood sheets, as well as the other “key attributes”, for this, the project needs a writer with great experience of adventurous adventure and work in Gamestroy in order to fill the post-apocalyptic with new meanings, create unheated game episodes and non-trivial locations.
[[Bullet]] in the warehouse camp much more fun than in the garrison. In any case, the inhabitants there are not so sad.
There is a cataclysm, there is an underground city – most of all it reminds us of "Metro 2033". Did you have to change any ideas due to the fact that they have already lit up in the game about the subway?
Alexander Zorich: Honestly, we did not watch aside the Metro 2033 at all. At the very beginning of work on the game, we, together with producers, felt for the formula “USSR + positive + post -apocalypse”. This Sky Vegas Casino formula in itself is so original that we have never had fears to cross out somehow unsuccessful with other popular post-core settings.
Since we are dealing with an alternative story, how much the language of people has changed in the game? Have any new words or sayings appeared? And the new cultural features arose?
Alexander Zorich: In the "official" Soviet civilization of cardinal cultural or linguistic changes did not occur. Yes, I don’t think that the players would pleased the full-fledged linguistic show like the one that Vladimir Sorokin arranged in due time on the pages of his novel “Blue Salo”, depicting the Russian language of the future (I will remind, instead of “very good” they say “Top- Direct ", instead of" excellent "-" plus top-direct "and so on).
On the other hand, we, among other things, show various marginal communities: closed communities of people leading a semi -wild lifestyle, and in addition to them (to do without spoilers, I will say streamlined) – and other groups are not quite people, and not people at all at all. Here all this public has cultural features and sometimes very impressive.
Residents formed separate groups or live according to one ideology? Will we be able to stumble upon some strange village with sectarians or an abandoned building with a gloomy history in the process of studying the world?
Alexander Zorich: Yes, that is how. In the process of researching the world, we stumble upon strange villages, and on mysterious buildings, and on much more interesting objects. Actually, the territory of the USSR consists of several types of zones, and there are areas so radioactive or inaccessible that the state sometimes does not even have a clear idea of what is happening there.
Accordingly, there are separate groups of people who are in contact with the Soviet government episodically, or even do not contact at all. At the same time, some of these groups still adhere to a more or less clearly articulated communist ideology (if you think about it, there is nothing surprising in this), but others live on other patterns, let's say, let's say.
Hero of the Soviet Union
Tell us a little about the protagonist of the game. As far as we know, he did not find a cataclysm, but he got on an anomaly on his plane and transferred to the future.
Alexander Zorich: This is a good, strong -willed, strong Soviet middle -aged officer. I would describe it as a "positive practice". On such people – the "air workers of the war" – Soviet aircraft really held and, as far as I know, the Russian.
Accordingly, having got into the radioactive lands of the Moscow Region and picked up the TKB-408 machine, he begins to do what he is used to without unnecessary bustle-to look for a command for a report on the completed task, simultaneously killing the bad and protecting the good. Well, how far our hero will go in search of bosses – depends not only on the script of the game, but also on the actions of the player.
[[Bullet]] Most often, strangers are hostile, but during the passage one of them asked to find his escaped dog.
If the allies will have in his group, then how often will their interests do not match? How partners can affect the decision made by the player?
Alexander Zorich: I can’t say that the mismatch of the interests of the player and allies will be such a frequent business (after all, they are allies, and our main character under the conditions of the introductory is by no means a gullible simpleton who takes anyone in the companions), but, without anything else doubts, his comrades from time to time have all sorts of thoughts and wishes. Which they share with the player, and the player is already free to decide how to react at the whim of his friends.
Julia Romanova: Everything will depend directly on the player's actions. Each companion is a person with its own values, thoughts, with its opinion. Moreover, the character is ready to reproach or praise the player not only after the conversation is completed, the action is completed and the task is completed, but also to wedge into communication right in the middle of the dialogue and openly speak out.
This makes monotonous throwing with replicas between the hero and NPC more interesting and living. And, of course, in some way it affects the resolution of the situation.
Allies will have certain instructions to the player? How important it is to communicate and interact with the companion?
Alexander Zorich: Yes, there will be instructions. Each companion is a person with its own history, everyone has their own “skeletons in the closet” and their dreams of the future. But I can not name the interaction with the companion of a radically important occupation. Although the pleasure of the game, of course, is added.
Anomalous development
Tell us a little about mutants. As far as we know, the reasons for mutating in the game are different, therefore mutants will be very different in behavior and abilities.
Alexander Zorich: We and I, the head of Best Way, Dmitry Morozov came up with such an interesting thing as retrogenets. This is a very wide class of creatures, united by the basic principle of mutations – the activation of "archaic" areas of DNA.
I will explain. It is known that human DNA largely coincides with the DNA of any living being on earth. Well, let's say, there is such a vivid fact that human DNA is 55% identical to the DNA banana. And with a pig we have a 90 percent coincidence in general.
So, retrogenet is such a mutant in which, figuratively speaking, a pig or banana genetically defeated a person.
In addition to retrogenets, we have more classic mutants, and a whole class of living organisms, which owe their existence not mutations at all ..
[[Bullet]] Civilization is close and at the same time far away, because some objects are fenced with “invisible walls” from electric abnormalities.
And there was a place in the game to robots or, say, aliens?
Alexander Zorich: There are no aliens. In the setting with a similar basic admission (there was a global atomic war) aliens seem to me completely inappropriate. You know, Dostoevsky has a brilliant formula: "If there is no God, then everything is allowed".
So, in the games "If there are aliens, then everything is allowed". And if “everything is allowed”, then the brutal struggle for each barrel, for each cartridge suddenly begins to look like some kind of mouse fuss, you just have to seem shadow from a flying plate.
But we have robots, yes. Wonderful Soviet robots under the control of a chic electronic computing machine.
Moscow Region Wasteland
How interactive the game world will be? How a hero can influence him? Is he able to somehow influence the fate of cities and villages, as it was, say, in Fallout?
Alexander Zorich: In the game, quite much attention is paid to interactive interactions. Well, let's say, you can disassemble objects to details, extract various substances from anomalies, fill them with containers, use these containers as sources of energy, grenades, incendiary shells.
As for the influence on the fate of entire settlements – yes, there is such. But I can’t say that the player can directly change the fate of any city. In the end, the very question of the fate of a number of settlements does not get up. Simply because we do not have a state of permanent war "all against all".
[Bullet]] The character’s health is gradually restored only after shootings, and the most correct tactics will run from all legs for the first time.
How will side quests be made? These will be “disposable” orders or for some tasks will introduce additional arches and allow you to make a choice?
Julia Romanova: Almost every task can be solved at least in two ways. Moreover, this rule concerns not only quests, but also the events that can take place with the hero while he travels around the Moscow region.
Suppose the player found a small abandoned building, where local criminal elements arranged a halt, rest, sipping alcoholic beverages and feeding dogs. Of course, we can pass by and not look for adventures on our different parts of the body, but what is the interest then?
So what can a player do?
Option one: we approach the bikes of the stories to social renegades, they notice us and are not too polite tone asking us to leave their territory. Who will like this appeal? We take out a pistol and make several holes in the body of the most impudent, but then we notice that some very nimble guy ran to the corral with dogs and released animals, commanding the FAS!". It becomes a little more difficult to fight.
Option Second: We carefully go around the building and carefully listen to what the bandits are talking about there. We get interesting information, thanks to which we get rid of dogs and take all the valuable that we can take away, and then we do our legs.
True, using the second method, we will never know where there is prey is more impressive … except that we ourselves stumble upon it by accident, carefully exploring the area.
The principles of role -playing game
What archetypes of the development of the character can be chosen? Will there be a perk system for executed quests, as in Fallout?
Denis Maltsev: The archetype we have, in general, one: a combat officer of the USSR Air Force, an excellent student of study and services, a communist. Therefore, in places for the hero, the choice will be problematic. Yes, sometimes there will be options for choosing between "evil" and "kind" solution. Choosing the "evil", the hero will feel uncomfortable, which he will tell. There will be also choice of two, three or more evils, when there are simply no “good” and “good” solutions. In the end, the post -core USSR of the 21st century is a dangerous, harsh place.
If the question was about archetypes like a “dumb pitching” or “frail nerd”-yes, it will be possible to pump some attributes of the character to the maximum without touching the rest. However, this will not be so hypertrophied as, say, in Fallout 1-2.
In addition to the usual research, combat and "conversational" perks, we plan to create an extensive system of skills associated with weapons. So, there is a tree of perks for each of the types of weapons (light, medium, heavy, throwing, close combat), in which each perk either simplifies the use of this type of weapon or increases its power. In addition, each specific model of weapons is pumped with its own perks.
For example, a player likes to shoot a Makarov pistol. He needs to take perks from the Linechek "light weapons" and "Makarov Pistol". Then the beloved PM will acquire increased accuracy, slaughter force, an expanded store, and indeed a player will be able to shoot at the same time from two PM!
[[Bullet]] various types of ammunition are provided for weapons. It is better to hunt boars with armor -piercing, but we have only three pieces left and ordinary cartridges.
The game world will be free or cards will gradually change, as happened in S.T.A.L.K.E.R.? If the world is free, then it makes sense to return to old locations?
Alexander Zorich: The set of cards will gradually expand as the territory explored by the player grows. The meaning of returning to the old locations will be. Firstly, new quests will be given to them, and secondly, no one canceled the hunting for artifacts and trade.
In some role -playing games with the open world, opponents often adapt to the character level so as not to upset the players with excessive complexity. What do you think about this principle? You have such locations in which you should not meddle without preparation and serious weapons?
Julia Romanova: Nobody will adapt to the hero. This approach in a sense kills a sense of danger from the world around him and does not challenge the curious player. But we carefully verify the balance in such a way as not to dump the crowds of invincible monsters on the player in the very first locations.
Nevertheless, even relatively weak opponents, such as mutating dogs, can have a significant resistance, especially if it is a flock that acts harmoniously, trying to bite a piece from the gaping player and bounce away while the relative is preparing for the next attack.
Why Best Way abandoned the extremely successful mechanics from "to the rear of the enemy"? There was an idea to make a game about Soviet post -apocalypse, but in the genre of strategy?
Alexander Zorich: There was such an idea. At the initial stage of development, the Best Way company created game prototypes with a more “strategic” gameplay. The producers looked at these prototypes, we all looked at the prototypes – and jointly came to the conclusion that from the mechanics “in the rear of the enemy” in this case we must refuse. Simply because more attractive.
This was partly due to the fact that when the action of the game is transferred to closed rooms – rooms, hangars, corridors, bunkers, the streets of the underground city of Vobedograd – the game mechanics “in the rear of the enemy” sharply loses its attractiveness (for this reason, by the way, by the way, by the way, by the way , from the release of the game “In the rear of the enemy 2”, at one time had to remove the second half of the Mission “The Sturm of the Reichstag”, which was supposed to occur directly inside the Reichstag building, in its halls and basements).
The hunch for the plot: the main character is of some responsibility for the war with the United States, perhaps provoked it, but found the consequences only after fifty years. During the game, he will gradually restore events by bit and will understand that his actions led humanity to a gloomy future. Then there will probably be a choice: either leave everything as it is, or somehow return to the past and prevent the war. We are right?
Alexander Zorich: You are partially right. But what exactly – I can't say now.