Interview

Star Ruler… the name immediately conjures up an image of an iron-fisted tyrant atop a throne of alien skulls, directing waves of interstellar warships on a path of conquest across the galaxy – but that might just be me.  Regardless of the particular mental imagery, Blind Mind Studios’ forthcoming 4X sci-fi strategy game is promising to make a lot of would-be galactic, er, ‘star rulers’ giddy with excitement.  Boasting a diverse range of features, including procedurally generated galaxies, intricate ship design and extensive moddability, Star Ruler could well be a super nova of the genre.

GameSquad’s shuttle (yes, we have one of those…don’t you?) recently docked at a secret space station and chatted with Blind Mind Studios’ Clayton Woodall and Andrew Ackermann to get the facts on being a Star Ruler.

GS:  Could you tell us a little about yourself and your involvement with the project?

A long time ago (but not in a galaxy far, far away), I once considered myself to be a hardcore wargamer, even to the point of using the moniker ‘Wargamer Scott’.  Well, Tzeentch saw fit to change my gaming tastes and now I am much more of a casual gamer for a variety of reasons.  Be that as it may, I still have many fond memories that continue to make me wistful for the good ol’ grog days.

One such fond memory involves a remarkable individual by the name of Peter Shulman.  Something of a renaissance man, Mr. Shulman is both a talented artist and a miniatures wargamer who likes to wage war on an unprecedented scale.  To see what I mean, check out the following interview with Mr. Shulman way back from 2007:

Lately, I’ve been hearing a lot of PC gamers complaining about the lack of quality titles.  Now, while it is true that a number of big studios have abandoned the PC in favor of the lucrative word of console gaming, it is also true that for every studio that leaves, a new studio seems to appear - often one that is run by individuals with a true passion for PC gaming.  One such new studio is Iron Helmet Games, headed by Jay Kyburz.

Mr. Kyburz was kind enough to take some time and answer a few questions about his new studio, as well as Iron Helmet’s first title, Neptune’s Pride.

GS:  Could you tell us a little about yourself and your role at Iron Helmet?  What games have you worked on in the past?

JK:  I'm the boss at Iron Helmet. I'm also the coffee boy. I wear lots of hats. The job that I enjoy most is game design so let’s call me the Lead Designer or Creative Director.

I worked for over 9 years with Jon Chey and Ken Levine at Irrational Games. Our most successful game was Bioshock where I was a Lead Artists for a while. I also helped out a little on Boishock 2.

Who doesn’t want to take over the galaxy?  I mean, it’s a dream we’ve all had at one time or another (okay, maybe that’s just me).  Fortunately, as long as there have been aspiring galactic emperors, there have been game designers creating new ways to indulge those imperialistic dreams of conquest on an interstellar scale.

We chat with the CEO of Monte Cristo about his plans to re-define the city-builder genre with Cities XL.

GameSquad: Tell us a little bit about yourself and what you do as part of the Cities XL team.

Perhaps one of the most beloved role-playing games ever created is the post-apocalyptic nightmare know as Twilight 2000.

I have always found it a testament to the beguiling nature of Chess that in spite of a modern gaming market overflowing with all sorts of breathtaking virtual experiences, Chess continues to enrapture people from around the globe – of all ages, no less.  Bearing witness to this is the fact that there is a growing number of highly active internet-based chess clubs with which a devotee

It is probably safe to say that Massive Entertainment’s forthcoming World in Conflict is currently one of the most anticipated games for the PC (and soon, the Xbox 360). A gaming tribute to the quintessential ‘80s film Red Dawn, World in Conflict takes place in an alternative 1989 where the Berlin Wall did not fall and the Cold War erupted into World War III. With stunning visuals and hybrid “action-strategy” gameplay, World in Conflict is prepared to launch a blitz attack on gamers everywhere this September 18.

Recently, Gamesquad was able to interview Magnus Jansén (nicknamed ‘Soundboy’), lead game designer for World in Conflict.

Gamesquad: World in Conflict is set in an alternative 1989 where the Cold War has turned very hot. What was the attraction of a World War III setting? Was the classic ‘80’s film Red Dawn an inspiration? Can we expect to find some Red Dawn-inspired scenes in the game?