«Opposing Force 2 is a complete Half-life 2 Modification including a faster gameplay feel that differs from Half-Life 2. Adrian Shephard must run for his main objective while passing through the destroyed, modern-era City 14, the strongly poluted outskirts, the dangerous Underground Complex, and other scenarios. The game will include a singleplayer adventure, together with multiplayer and cooperative to bring to the player a whole new view of the Half-Life 2 universe.»

An interview with one of the developers of ‘Opposing Force 2′ has been posted on their ModDB page. Click on the link to read about what has been cut from OF2 and what has been added, and find out about the full release being delayed until next November (although they hope a beta will be out November 21, 2009).

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Tags: Concept Art, Half-Life 2, HL2, Interview, OF2, Opposing Force 2, Steam, Valve

Gamasutra has had a chat with Ed Harrison, the composer of the soundtrack for ‘Half-Life 2′ modification ‘Neotokyo’, which is set in a futuristic Japan where two special forces groups vie for power. We get some insight into what it is like to make music for a mod, and he talks more in-depth about one particular track, «Departure», that was composed specifically for the NT trailer:

The soundtrack has been released on cdbaby where it can be purchased as a download (MP3) or CD. The entire interview is available on Gamasutra, you can visit Ed Harrison’s website here, or go to ‘Neotokyo’s site to learn more about the mod.

Shrine Map (nt_shrine_ctg)

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Tags: Ed Harrison, Gamasutra, Half-Life 2, HL2, Interview, Japan, Neotokyo, NT, nt_shrine_ctg, Sci-Fi, Science Fiction, Soundtrack, Steam, Valve, Video

‘Babylon 5: A Dream given Form’ is a modification for ‘X³: Terran Conflict’, a space-trading and combat simulator made by German developers Egosoft. Kasabian, Mod Realms’ resident B5 aficionado, talked to the mod leader, I_E_Maverick, about where B5X3TC is now – and where it’s going. There is also a German version of this interview available here.

MR: So to start this off, for those that unfortunately do not know, could you briefly tell us what ‘Babylon 5′ is?

B5X3TC: Babylon 5 is a TV series from the 90s. The name belongs to a space station in a neutral sector, which is also the main place for the series action. Special about the series is that all special effects were done with computer generated graphics, which was new in that time. It also had an epic plot, which was planned for 5 seasons from the beginning. That showed the way forward to different series now showing as well. Last but not least the series had very good actors and characters with believable turnarounds. To make it short, it was a perfect sci-fi series from start to end. That’s one of the reasons we are doing such a mod.

The Shadows and Vorlons fighting during the Shadow War

MR: ‘Babylon 5: A Dream Given Form’ is a modification for ‘X³: Terran Conflict’ – why did you choose this game in particular?

B5X3TC: There are not that much space-games out there anymore I am afraid. Nevertheless X³: Reunion, which we started with, and X³: Terran Conflict are great space-games, which are easy to mod as well. It offers a lot of options to change the game. Furthermore it offers a free gameplay from the start. You can do missions, trade, explore sectors or even build your own business empire. All these aspects fits a Babylon 5 universe very well and especially the way of
traveling the universe is very similar to they way it was in the B5 universe. Besides the graphics are fantastic and there is nothing similar out there. These are the main reasons for choosing such a game.

MR: You made the jump from ‘X³: Reunion’ to ‘X³: Terran Conflict’, why was this? And if there were to be a new engine released, would you make the jump again?

B5X3TC: The main reason for this was the change of some of the scripts and the mission director. There were also some tweaks to the graphics and a new interface. If something like that would happen again I think we wouldn’t change again though because we are too far along now for that. The change from X3 R to X3 TC was quite a big change, which brought a lot of new options to us but also was a lot of work. At a certain point it is just not worth it if you have to start from the beginning again.

Interstellar Alliance White Star

MR: Could you give us a description of your B5 mod and what your aim is?

B5X3TC: This is a tough question. In the beginning it was our idea or wish to bring in all the B5 ships from the series. Now we are working on a total conversion, that means we are changing every aspect of the game. We want to create the perfect B5 game. To do this we have created a complete new universe based on a semi canon map, so estimated 400 sectors including the hyperspace sectors though. Certainly we have built a lot of ships by now. Not only the canon ones but also a lot of our own designs to close the gaps which are necessary for the game. This applies especially to stations which were hardly seen in the series. I could tell you about a lot of other things we have changed, but this would go beyond the scope of this interview I guess. Let me tell you one thing though: We want that every player get the feeling at all times to be part of the series.

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Tags: B5, B5X3TC, Babylon 5, Babylon 5: A Dream given Form, Ceti Gamma, Egosoft, Epsilon III, Interstellar Alliance, Interview, ISA, J. Michael Straczynski, New Jupiter, Sci-Fi, Science Fiction, Shadow War, Shadows, Vorlons, White Star, X3TC, X³: Terran Conflict

A journalist from the Polish site gamecorner.pl has managed to get CD Projekt’s managing director, Michael Gembicki, to answer some questions about ‘Mount & Blade: Ogniem i Mieczem’, which was just recently announced. The interview reveals that although the game is based on the M&B engine, it will be completely separate from that game and Warband (although updates to the engine introduced in the latter will, apparently, be introduced to M&B:OiM as well). According to Gembicki, the major factor that separates the two games is the multi-threaded storyline which will change depending on the player’s actions and decisions.

Other interesting tidbits include the fact that OiM will be as modifiable as regular M&B, that they will add historical battles, and that there will be some modifications to the siege system. You can read the entire interview here (English Google translation here).

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Tags: CD Projekt, gamecorner.pl, Henryk Sienkiewicz, History, Hussars, Interview, Jerzy Hoffman, Michael Gembicki, Mount & Blade, Ogniem i Mieczem, OiM, Poland, Sich Studio, Snowberry Connection, TaleWorlds, With Fire and Sword

Many of you have no doubt heard about the Dominion of the Sword total conversion modification for Medieval II: Total War – Kingdoms. Our «special envoy» Chosen One managed to lure one of the mod leaders, Hross, away from working on the mod long enough for him to answer our questions. Read on to find out what he had to say, and be sure to check out the MR exclusive screenshots he provided.

MR: To start this off, tell us about yourself.

DotS: I am 31, originally from Salford in downtown Manchester, UK. I live in Europe now and work as a writer. I am currently considering re-joining the Royal Marine Commandoes next year (no more modding).

Early era Bohemian Knights (MR Exclusive)

MR: Give us all a basic description of what Dominion is all about.

DotS: A total overhaul for Kingdoms, I suppose a ‘medieval rulership simulator’ would be a good description. Total immersion. We felt that the lack of historical accuracy was only part of the problem with the original game. We wanted to use the potential of the engine to really allow the player to ‘escape’ into the Middle Ages and make that as believable as possible.

MR: Tell us your secret… How are you creating such an amazing mod? Magic? Or… are you CA is disguise?

DotS: Lol, no magic here, just a few dedicated guys keeping a vision alive despite a massive turnover of staff. We have been a rolling stone gathering in fact quite a lot of moss in the form of a few great modders along the way, and these have really made the project a reality. When we started out we had pretty much only the vision. Now the team is more like a small company than a hobby group and the project itself is more like an entirely new game than a mod. Of course its still clearly a Total War game, but no one -not even CA has done anything near as intense as this. For instance, every building bonus has a historical reasoning behind it- in many cases months of research and discussion. Historically accurate titles are often triggered by the creation of new buildings so they enhance your characters. Also, many buildings have negative as well as positive effects- so you have to really RPG the whole experience.

Early era Bohemian Knights advancing on foot (MR Exclusive)

MR: Dominion of the Sword. Why did you choose the name? Any reason, or do you just like the adrenaline pumping sound of it?

DotS: Yeah it sounds great doesn’t it. It comes from a folk-song written during the English Civil War, just after the mod period, so even our mod name is authentic and hundreds of years old! The lyrics are very critical of power-politics and how religion, education and war is/was used to suppress the masses. I was really inspired by the socialist sentiment in the lyrics but also thought it had a great, brutally honest perspective on Medieval life.

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Tags: Boghulcuud, Bohemia, Bohemian Knights, Creative Assembly, Dominion of the Sword, DotS, Foot Soldiers, History, Ildütei Saicud, Interview, Kingdoms, M2TW, Medieval, Medieval II: Total War, Middle Ages, Normanni, Normans, Pedites, Supermod

MR: ‘Hegemony 268 B.C.’ is a highly anticipated modification for ‘Mount & Blade’ aiming to bring the Greco-Roman world of the Hellenistic period to life. The main driving force behind the development of Hegemony, Ealabor, joined us for a chat about the mod and what we can expect to see once it is released.

Welcome Ealabor! Glad you could find the time to answer our questions!

Heg.: Thanks, my pleasure.

MR: So, Hegemony 268 B.C. What’s it all about?

Heg.: Basically it’s the tale of powerstruggle with 24 different factions, based in or around the Mediterranean. Factions vary from Republican Rome, to Carthage, to Alexander’s Successors, and inclusive of 3 different Celtic factions. It also features factions not widely celebrated or known compared to other mods that share the timeframe, such as Nabataea, Cyrenaica, and Massalia.

Spartan Officer

MR: Is the mod a “one-man show” (with contributors), or do you have a development team working on it?

Heg.: For most of developement it’s been “one-man” with contributors, although recently in the past few months that has changed. With the addition of AlphaDelta from TWC, and the return of Stelious, the gears of an industrialized assembly line have started to turn.

MR: Why did you decide to take up modding, and not something a little less time consuming, like, I don’t know, a second full time job? Have you modded any games prior to Mount & Blade?

Heg.: I guess in order to take up a second full time job, i’d need a first one . I reckon modding has really turned into a hobby for me, where I often enjoy that experience, over playing the actual game. I remember when I first played Mount and Blade, I couldn’t get enough. Of course the honeymoon wears off, then the questions start to set in.. “what if the game was done in this fashion”. That “fashion” just happened to be an image I had, of a robust Europe and surrounding Mediterranean, filled with various cultures, not set in a time dominated by Romans.

Alexandria

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Tags: Alexandria, Ancient Memphis, Carthaginian Soldier, Celtic Warrior, Classical Antiquity, Dacian Warrior, Ealabor, Greek Castle, Hegemony, Hegemony 268 B.C., Hellenistic Period, Hierosolyma, History, Iberian Warrior, Illyrian Warrior, Interview, Jerusalem, M&B, Mount & Blade, Phalangites, Rhodes, Roman Fort, Roman Soldier, Samnite Soldier, Scythian Warrior, Spartan Officer, Syracuse, TaleWorlds, Tyre

This video of an interview at Gamescom with TaleWorlds’ lead developer Armağan Yavuz just popped up on YouTube. In it he talks about the upcoming ‘Warband’ expansion pack for ‘Mount & Blade’:

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Tags: Armağan Yavuz, Gamescom, Interview, M&B, Mount & Blade, TaleWorlds, Video, Warband

We’ve been able to grab hold of DVK and Tone from the ‘Roma Surrectum II’ modification for ‘Rome: Total War’ to ask them some questions about Life, the Universe and Everything. Or, as some modders like to put it: Life, the Mod and Modding. They’ve also been kind enough to provide us with a host of exclusive, never before seen screenshots from the mod, so read on.

MR: Hello DVK! Thanks for agreeing to talk to us. Could you, as an intro to this interview, tell us a little bit about yourself, and then give us a quick overview of what Roma Surrectum II is all about?

RS2: I’m a 58 year old unemployed computer technician at the moment. I have five children, one of whom still lives with me (a 19 yr. old son, Matthew). I’m a Roman Catholic, and in my twenties began a lifelong study of theology, the early Church, and Roman history as a hobby. I’ve always been interested in archeology as well, and I’m a voracious reader of books on just about all subjects. I don’t have a college education, as I grew up during the tumultuous Vietnam years and was required to serve in the U.S. Navy, but I have a pretty broad education simply because I read on a lot of subjects. My expertise in the area of computers is ’self-taught’ as well. I was never much of a ‘gamer’ until a few years ago when my son urged me to give RTW a try. I found it confusing and frustrating at first…and initially gave up on it. But after leaving it shelved for a few months I gave it another try…this time, determined to figure it out. I feel in love with the game after that for a number of reasons. My love of anything ‘Roman’, and simply the play style of RTW. I’ve been hooked ever since.

Macedonian Hiera Ile (General's Bodyguard)

MR: What’s your expertise when it comes to modding? Which areas would you say that you are especially proficient in?

RS2: Although I’ve dabbled in just about all aspects of modding except creating models, I’d have to say the area I am most proficient in is the coding of the game….the things that make it ‘tick’……figuring things out, making things work the way I want them to, tweaking and adjusting, and drawing out of the RTW engine it’s fullest potential.

MR: And related to the above question: what do you personally get out of modding?

RS2: A sense of accomplishment, I suppose. But I think more than anything, since I first started doing this, I have enjoyed working with people from all over the world on a common interest and helping to ‘make things happen’ there. RS2 turned into a very big project…much bigger than I ever imagined it would. But it has been fueled by the ideas and work of dozens and dozens of people who’ve contributed in big and small ways.

Achaian Phalangites (Free Greeks)

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Tags: Classical Antiquity, Creative Assembly, DVK, History, Interview, Modding, Roma Surrectum, Roma Surrectum II, Rome: Total War, RS2, RTW, Tone

StrategyInformer has managed to get hold of TaleWorlds producer Cem Çimenbiçer to chat about the upcoming ‘Warband’ expansion pack for ‘Mount & Blade’. Not much new is revealed, though we are told that there will be «hundreds of new features for this expansion such as more combat strategies that we had never thought of before», and there «will also be some additions to the map and the campaign mode in which you’ll be able to travel across a larger map with more cities, more armies in a more active world with better AI.» You can read the entire interview here.

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Tags: Cem Çimenbiçer, Expansion Pack, Interview, M&B, Mount & Blade, StrategyInformer, TaleWorlds, Warband