Fire Warrior: exclusive interview!

THQ's Fire Warrior is released today on PS2 and PC; lead designer David Millard of developer Kuju agreed to answer a few questions on the space-based FPS. Online PS2 deathmatch action? Halo-style single-player campaigns? Tom Baker and Brian Blessed on voice over duties? Get in.

Okay, so for those of us with an instinctive distrust of strategy board games, explain a little about Warhammer 40K, and how Fire Warrior fits in with that?

Millard: Warhammer 40K is a universe created by Games Workshop, where powerful warriors battle vicious and merciless aliens in the far distant future of the 41st Millennium.

Fire Warrior is based around a race from this universe called the Tau, a technologically advanced group of aliens. The player takes on the role of Kais, a young Shas'la Fire Warrior (line trooper). A Fire Warrior is a part of the Fire Caste and is seen as a basic fighter for the Tau army.

You've taken a well-known table-top strategy game licence and made a first-person shooter - what's the thinking behind that?

Millard: Games Workshop and THQ wanted to create a game within the Warhammer 40K universe, but without recreating the table-top experience. So, they decided that a first-person shooter would be the most exciting use of the plethora of visuals, deep background and fictional history.

They took this idea to a large number of developers to find the right pitch.

When Kuju were approached, we thought about the best parts of property and how best to exploit them. One of the most important images in Warhammer 40K is the Space Marine. We wanted to see them and fight them, and the best way to do this was to be at war with them.

So we chose to be a race opposed to humanity, but in some ways more like the current human race, making it easier for the player to identify with their character.

So what can we expect from the single-player game - levels design, sophisticated AI, fancy visual effects, all that good stuff?

Millard: The first thing we decided was that we wanted to build a solid and fun game which would appeal to anyone. So we set out to design and build just that. Players can expect a fun, exciting, atmospheric game with some shocks and scares.

They can survive 21 long levels full of different challenges. They can encounter some smart opponents of varying difficulty. They can enjoy a plethora of visual effects.

The game looks great - we'd say that Halo seems to have been an influence, though we've only seen a small portion of the game thus far. Is that a fair comparison?

Absolutely. From the beginning of the project, we looked at other games for inspiration. Halo was one game that stood out because of its fantastic combat. We looked at other games.

What kind of new weapons can we expect? Will there be stationary, mounted gun emplacements as well as handguns?

Millard: There's a wide selection of weapons taken from the Warhammer 40K universe. We looked at what was available and chose the weapons that best suited this game. We wanted a cool range of different types, so that the player had plenty of choices to make.

There's a pistol, then mostly two-handed guns and a missile launcher, and yes, there are stationary guns which you can use.

What's the deal with online play? How many maps can we expect, and what kind of modes will be included?

Millard: Yes, we have a fantastic eight-player online element to the PlayStation 2 version of the game, with 12 maps, 12 character models and three modes of play (each with tweakable game settings).

We are very proud of what we have achieved in online play in the console version of Fire Warrior and enjoy playing it in the office. There is still some serious rivalry within the design team over who is the best fragger!

For those of us without online access, will the same action be available in split-screen multiplayer mode?

Millard: The speed and playability of the split-screen remains the same as online. We have tried to ensure that the four-player experience is as close to the online and single-player modes as it can possibly be. The maps are based on the online versions, but are smaller to accommodate the fewer number of players.

Does the gameplay in the single-player mode feature different reactions from the bad guys every time, or do you rely more on scripted sequences?

Millard: The game is a mix of scripting and automatic response. Sometimes the enemies will do something which is predetermined at that point in the game; or they are left to simply fight you using the environment by themselves.

What kind of really cool set pieces can you tell us about in the game?

Millard: In the first mission, you land in the middle of a battle on the Imperial planet. As the dropship door opens, you see another ship landing just ahead. As it releases its Fire Warrior, it gets hit by something and this fills the dropdeck with fire, taking out the guys on the ramp.

As you exit your dropship, it takes off and then crashes just ahead of where you are going, blocking your path.

There are many more situations like this as you progress through the game.

Anything else we should know?

Millard: We are still playing in the office. We love it. Hopefully you will too!

Fire Warrior movie (PS2, PC)
Download here