Interview: Solar, sunny side up

Solar is one of two recently announced multiplayer-focused action titles currently in the works at Brat Designs, the UK developer behind PC sci-fi shooter Breed.

The game thrusts players into a near future plagued by human conflict, two unique factions fighting for control of scarce resources - not exactly an entirely original plot, but every game needs a storyline.

Solar supports up to 32 players (there's also a single-player component that uses bots) and like Battlefield 1942, combines foot soldier combat with vehicle use. Action is spread across three unique, interactive environments - Earth, the Moon and Mars - and is explosive, or so we're being promised, with the likes of destructible structures featuring courtesy of Brat's own Mercury 2 engine.

We recently caught up with Brat Designs' director and lead artist Jason Gee to find out a little more about what Solar has in store.

Can you give us an overview of Solar, tell us about the setting/story and the type of gameplay experience you are aiming to offer?

Gee: Solar is based roughly 200 years from now. The human race is divided into two main factions, the Eastern Collective Democracy (ECD) and the United Western Alliance (UWA). Earth is a quagmire of mud and trenches. The Moon is a dumping ground and Mars is a bitter, territorial, battlefield.

We are looking at Solar as a mainly multiplayer experience. Single-player games use multiplayer maps with the addition of advanced AI bots to simulate multiplayer gaming styles.

Solar is being built on the Mercury 2 engine - what key new features have you added or built into this generation of your engine?

Gee: Graphically we have already added micro vegetation, improved lighting and shading technology and have already started focusing on improved AI and pathfinding.

On the face of it Solar sounds a lot like Battlefield 1942 in a different skin - how does it differ from that game?

Gee: Folks compared Breed to Halo a lot... Which was a nice compliment so I guess the same could be said here.

The game features three campaigns set on Earth, the Moon and Mars. Are these campaigns linked, with players playing through the whole campaign structure? If so, how does winning or losing battles affect the next battles to come, say?

Gee: The second campaign unlocks half way through the first and the third unlocks once both the first and second are "complete". Levels have cause and effect. Each level has primary and secondary objectives - the primary objectives must be completed to win the level.

However, if the secondary objectives are not completed they will affect the next level. For example, your secondary objective on level three is to take out some bombardment cannons. If you fail to take them out you find you are getting bombarded in the next level from the same cannons.

Presumably environments in each campaign will be distinctly different. Can you give us an idea of what to expect here, and do environments have any distinct impact on combat or battlefield tactics?

Gee: Earth is a big quagmire and going is not all that easy, acid rain pours from the heavens and will burn you if you are not protected. Earth battles will resemble WWI trench warfare, with lots of mud and guts. The Moon is more of an underground environment, with tunnel complexes bored into its rocky skin, with Mars being an expansive desert allowing for some truly huge vehicles with massive weapons.

Could you tell us about the Necro and about how they fit in with the campaigns? Does either side actually get to command the Necro?

Gee: The Necro are the result of Europe's answer to the super soldier. Created from fallen soldiers in combat and grafted body parts, these abominations were all that were left after the ECD and UWA blitzed Europe with WMDs. Now with no masters they have formed their own sub faction and will attack ether of the other two factions on sight.

In-game they are treated as random factor. If they appear in battle each side can attempt to lure them into locations that can cause havoc to the enemy. Necro technology weapons are also sort after and have some rather nasty effects on their targets.

Will teams/sides be classed-based? Can you give us some idea of planned load-out for players and weapons and equipment you're looking to include?

Gee: When you enter a game, you will have the choice of faction you join and the weapon and equipment load-out.

How about vehicles? What can we expect to see here?

Gee: Now you're talking. We have expanded our use of vehicles in Solar to include aquatic vehicles including hovercraft that can travel on land as well water. Helicopters will dominate the sky, with gunships, attack choppers and support helicopters.

Where do WMDs fit in?

Gee: WMDs will form part of the objective-based games. Seek and destroy missions will involve them as objectives to destroy before launch.

Any plans to add space combat or the ability to "fly" between campaign locations?

Gee: You will be able to journey between planets but not by conventional means.

You're including both co-operative and more standard modes of play - is co-op human versus AI? What are some of the more prominent modes?

Co-op modes can be played against AI teams or mixed human and AI. The co-op multiplayer levels will have set objectives much like a single-player mission - take the bridge, hold it, let tank Z cross then get to the bunker at position X etc., with the defending team having to survive and prevent the attack on a time out.

Attack and Defend will be a major section as it has so many possibilities and variations, especially when it is applied to moving objectives.

Which gaming platforms can we expect to see Solar on?

Gee: Currently PC, however we are considering console platforms also.

Finally, why should we be excited about Solar?

Gee: Helicopter dogfights, twenty story-high vehicles, and hey it's by Brat, no-one else.

Solar movie (PC)
Download here

[Please note: some in-game textures have not yet been applied, hence things looking a lttle grey in the screenshots and movie]

Stuart Bishop