Messiah-The Shiny Interview

Well hello there boys and girls, its the Madgrad here. Unless you have been sleeping under a log for the past year, you have probably have heard of a little [my ass] game from SHINY, the folks who brought us EWJ. The current project is called MESSIAH, an action game for both the PSX and PC. In the game you play and angel named, and I quote: Bob. And as Bob, you must kick Satans ass. Sounds like fun right? Well, over the weekend, I e-mailed Shiny with some questions about Messiah, and Mr Herrington[designated as SH in the interview] was kind enough to take the time out of his busy schedule, and answer them. Without further ado, here is my pathetic attempt to be Barbra Walters.

Question 1: Can you provide me with an approximate release date for Messiah on either the PSX or the PC?

SH: Yeah, both versions of the game should be out in the summer. Probably hitting the shelves within a few weeks of each other.

Question 2: I am very curious about the engine that Messiah runs on. In several feature stories that I have read, its been stated that the engine will scale the level of detail to accommodate the PC that you are using. Can you describe in layman's terms how this is done?

SH: When characters are created, we make exceptionally detailed models - at the level you're normally used to seeing in cinematics or FMV sequences. Now, when we import those into the game, the engine doesn't remember every polygon in the model, it looks at the final shape of the model. Then during gameplay, the engine displays as many polygons as possible (the number depends on your graphics card, CPU, motherboard, etc.) to accurately recreate the original shape. The engine automatically decreases the number of polygons in a model as it gets further away, while adding polys as the model gets closer to the 'camera'. This way, if you're standing eye to eye with a character, the game can use all the processing power to accurately create the character's face.

Question 3: Which of the following forms of 3-d acceleration are supported: Direct 3d, Glide, Open GL, or other.

SH: We'll be supporting D3D, Glide, the TNT chipset, PowerVR, and possibly doing an OpenGL version. We'll be letting the latest DirectX stuff handle most of the other 3D cards. Actually, from what I understand, the difference between using Glide and DirectX 6 is only about a 3-4% performance hit.

Question 4 : Will the PSX version of Messiah have a completely different engine than the PC version? Since all Playstations have the same hardware, will there be any scalability in the engine like in the PC version? Or will there be an option along the lines of Psygnosis G-Police for the PSX, where you could sacrifice viewing distance for frame rate?

SH: The engine technology for the PSX is the same as the PC version. It's been designed that way from the outset. The scalability of the engine really won't come into play much on the PSX version, it'll simply push the hardware as much as possible. While we haven't made any firm decisions on the quality/framerate issue, I'd prefer to keep a higher framerate. Remember, the eye senses movement before shape and color, so the smoother the frame rate, the better the game looks.

Question 5: Will the PSX version of Messiah be optimized to take advantage of the playstation's hi-res mode? If not, how do you think that the PSX version will compare in graphical quality to the PC, especially if the PC is equipped with a Voodoo 2 card?

SH: We've toyed around a bit with the hi-res mode, but haven't made firm decisions. After all, we're concentrating first on finishing up the PC version and then will turn to the PlayStation and port the stuff over. The obvious difference is the screen itself. A non-interlaced monitor is much sharper in detail than a TV, but the 3Dfx does have a tendency to 'blur' images a bit_ so, they'll be fairly close. For a person who doesn't own a PC, the PlayStation version will look great, and vice versa. For those who own both systems, it's a matter of personal choice.

Question 6: What is the overall game play style of Messiah? By that I mean is it purely a third person game, or will it have a first person viewing element like Metal Gear Solid does? If it is purely third person viewing, will the camera angles be fixed like in Resident Evil, or will the user be able to swing the camera like in Tomb Raider? Also, which of the following third person titles do you think that Messiah can best be compared to: ONE for pure action, Nightmare Creatures for a mix of action and minor puzzles, or the original Tomb Raider with an emphasis on puzzle solving over killing?

SH: I think it's important to not just discuss how Messiah has similar features to other games, but also discuss how it's different. With that said_ Messiah will be solely a 3rd person perspective game. It's really needed, since you have to be fully aware of both your environment (try any platform game mechanics in a FPS and you'd understand why) and of the body that you're controlling. Cameras will follow you around intelligently, and will actually shift a bit to keep you from taking cheap hits from creatures and characters that are just off screen. You will have some control over them, though. The gameplay in Messiah, I think, has a greater balance of different styles than those you mentioned. There are puzzle elements that are much more than just 'find the key to open the door'. We've tried to blend in the puzzles so that they make sense. They're invisible puzzles, in a sense. The player doesn't feel like they're faced with a puzzle, but rather they have situations that they have to overcome. The key word is balance. We've tried to blend a variety of puzzles, straightforward action, strategy, and platform style mechanics into the game so that there is a distinct sense of pace and meter to the whole endeavor.

Question 7: Will the PC or PSX version support force feedback?

SH: We're planning on it. Things like that are usually the icing on the cake for games we make. We concentrate on making the gameplay solid, and then start adding in stuff like 3D acceleration support, force feedback, 3D glasses support, etc. The game has to stand up on its own first though.

Question 8: In most games, there are segments or events that typify the entire experience. For Unreal, it was when I first left the prison ship. In Resident Evil, it was when the dogs first leapt out of the window. In Doom 2, it was a run in with a CyberDemon. Can you describe a combat sequence, boss encounter, puzzle or anything else in the game for that matter that you believe typifies the overall experience that Messiah is aiming for?

SH: Because you can possess and control a number of characters in the game, I think a defining moment is the first time a player comes to an area that they can't pass. The idea that they can possess a different character who can pass through that area is a real revelation. And we haven't limited them to one solution. They can sneak through with one character, break through with another, or bypass it entirely with a third and so on. When a player realizes the freedom that possession allows, it's the defining moment that we're hoping people latch on to.

Question 9: It may be too early to ask this, but what is your favorite level, weapon and character in the game?

SH: For area, it'd have to be the subterranean area beneath the lower city. It has such a different feel and look to every other area of the game, very organic as opposed to the technologically advanced areas above ground. Some of the morph targeting - where walls and floors move in a very fluid manner - done in this area is really mind bending.

For weapons, hand's down: The flame-thrower. It's loud, messy, and really does a lot of damage at close range. The screenshots that are on the Messiah site really don't do it justice.

Characters? That's a bit tougher. For purposes of mass destruction, you really can't beat the armored behemoths. But, just for pure laughs, Mr. Hung (our male prostitute) is sooo bizarre that you just gotta love him. How can you go wrong with a character in a bumblebee colored bondage hood, leather thong, fishnet stockings, and high heels!? Ok, it's a little twisted. Alright, a lot twisted. But it's still kinda funny, isn't it?

Question 10: What was the inspiration behind the development of Messiah?

SH: Years and years of Catholic schooling!

Seriously, when we started out designing Messiah, we wanted to do something different. The technology was already underway, so we knew that an action game would be the best way to show it off. Next, the guys really loved the "future noir" kind of cyberpunk worlds from movies like Alien and Blade Runner - so that helped us create the world. Now, we needed to populate it. Well, a lot of the characters really stemmed from what we thought a world like the one we created should have. The last guy was really Bob, our cherub. We wanted to go 180 degrees away from anything that was being done. No Duke "over the top muscle-bound hero", no Lara "pinup" femme fatales. We wanted a main character who really didn't have a physical advantage, somebody helpless. The first idea was a baby, but that didn't make much sense. Then, one of the guys stuck wings on him and Bob was born. Finally, we came up with the story and that lead us to the game mechanic of possession. Next thing you know, we've got a game design. Like all titles here, it all starts out with worlds and characters. Create interesting worlds and characters, and a cool game idea is bound to emerge.

Question 11: For my last question, I'd like to hear your comments on a trend in videogames that I have noticed. In the past few months, as I have read through dozens of game magazines, I have seen that many games are either religion based, or are using religion as a selling point. For instance, in Requiem: Wrath of the Fallen, you play a fallen angel. In the adds for Revenant, Blood 2, and even Alpha Centauri, quotes from the bible or religious comparisons are prominently displayed in the add. To what do you attribute the rise of religion as a marketing point in video games?

SH: Wow. Thanks for not ending it with one of those "The rise in violence in games and its effect on the youth of today: So, are you pure evil for making these games?" Man, I'm tired of those! I think a big part of it is the age of a game developers who grew up in very secular times. From the 60s through most of the 80s, religious attendance in the US was at an all-time low. The kids from those times have grown up and don't see religion as 'taboo' - they don't see using a Biblical story as something that's "off-limits". Had the technology been as advanced in 1950 as it is today, I don't think you'd see references to religion like you do now. Religious books - whether we're talking about the Bible, Koran, Torah, or other - have stories that even the most non-religious studied person has some grasp. Who doesn't know about Cain and Able, Noah's ark, Moses and the pharos? They're a rich source of inspiration and common knowledge base to work from. Religions don't normally deal in shades of gray either, something is either right, or it's wrong. Games right now are also in that simple state where we don't offer the player a huge variety of experiences in every game. Our genres are pretty narrow ("First Person Shooter" is a genre? How much more narrow can a genre get!?), but as we expand the scope of games, so will the subjects and themes that we'll be able to express properly. Games will evolve in the same way that literature, theater, and films have. It's just taking longer than we expected a while back. I would like to add that I don't think that anyone in the industry has really set out to offend a particular religious group with their games, but it's a very fine line that we're drawing and I can see where some people take offense. I'm sure that the ancient Greeks are spinning in their graves with current depictions of their gods in TV shows like Hercules and Zena!

Well, thats it for now. Hey with one interview under my belt, now everyone will want to talk to me! Yeah thats the ticket!

-Madgrad