6. What engine have you used for the game?

EndWar uses a heavily modified version of the Unreal engine.


7. How does the voice recognition system work? Does it matter if people have different dialects or accents, or does the system work on phonemes and intonations?

We worked with Fonix for the voice recognition system. Throughout the entire process Fonix was very helpful and worked closely with the dev team to ensure that the voice command system was as accurate as possible. The voice recognition system in EndWar was tested and proven accurate with multiple languages and accents from all over the world. We had people from 11 different nations in the dev team alone to help us test the system.


8. We saw the game before and at Ubidays, and each time we saw it there were some major changes to gameplay and graphics. Can we expect anything more in the final boxed version? Are there any surprises?

We’re almost done. Right now the team is focusing on bug stomping. We hope to put out a finely tuned and polished product. As for surprises, they wouldn’t be a surprise if we told you, now would they?


9. Talk to us about how the game works on a basic level. What’s the command chain, will different factions have different weapons, are there upgrades?

At the core of the game is an easy to learn combat chain with three core units: tanks, transports, and gunships. Tanks destroy transports, transports can shoot down gunships, and gunships destroy tanks. Of course, the game gets much deeper than that when you factor in the hundreds of upgrades along with the role of infantry (riflemen and engineers), artillery, Command Vehicles and off-map support such as air-strikes. Different factions will have access to different upgrades.

Also, a note on the combat chain: it can’t be broken, but it can be bent.


10. There have been a lot of discussions on how games have been a bad influence on kids and society. How do you think games like EndWar are perceived by non gamers, and do you consider the feelings of parents when creating games?

Games aren’t the only entertainment medium that portray violence. A game like EndWar is far tamer than some of the stuff Hollywood is putting out, such as the SAW series or Grindhouse. Also, game like EndWar focuses on strategy not violence.


11. What do you say to people who say you are responsible for glorifying war and desensitising people from the real horrors of war?

We’re reflecting current events, not fomenting them. It just happened that a lot of the things we made up for the story in EndWar became a bit more timely than anticipated. Still, we’re trying to live up to the Clancy name, and a solid grounding in realism plays a big part in the Clancy franchise. Plus, we’re not going out of our way to show the gory side of war. Again, our focus is on the tactical and strategic aspects of combat, not the violence and gore.


12. I’m a huge Risk board game player, and I can’t help but draw similarities to the two games. Would it be fair to say that you’ve drawn influences from both board games and the brainstorms and ideas of the development team?

Definitely, Michael de Plater is a huge fan of board games and pen and paper games. During development on EndWar he and other members of the dev team drew influences from all over the place. All you have to do is look at what’s on the desks of key dev team members. They’ve got GURPs, AD&D, collectible card games, military reference books, comic books, graphic novels, the list goes on and on. Every bit helped to fine tune what EndWar.

13. Are there any plans to include or work on downloadable content for the game?

Yes.


14. If so, what would you think about adding or enhancing?

There’s plenty of stuff we have in the works for DLC, we just can’t go into detail on it just yet.


15. Is there anything that you wanted to add to the game that you just couldn’t because of time, technology or any other reason?

Of course. There’s no such thing as a game that ships with every single feature on the dev team’s wish list. Sure, you can get all those ideas in, but then you could end up spending ages on a game and never get it shipped. There comes a point when you have to make some hard calls to ensure that the game gets done within a realistic timeline.

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