Way down, deep in the darkest reaches of our childhood, we wanted desperately to be MacGyver. We wanted to make guns out of bubble-gum wrappers. Mirrors out of peanut butter. Fembots out of garbage bags. Alas, that opportunity never came, but then the TV show Stargate: SG1 came along, and our aspirations took a distinctly sci-fi turn.
Stargate, the popular sci-fi series on cable television, may not have the heft of the Star Trek franchise, but it’s got MacGyver (er, Richard Dean Anderson) and is on the verge of getting its first videogame later this year. Perception, the forthcoming game’s Australian developer is putting the wraps on Stargate SG1: The Alliance, but they’ve taken a few minutes to divulge a bit more information for SG fans everywhere.
What you won’t find below is confirmation of the game’s non-PC platforms, although Perception says the game will appear on PC as well as “major consoles.” What you will find is information about the third- and first-person gameplay and general background about the storyline, all courtesy of Product Manager Radek Majder.
Click on any image below to see it in high resolution.
When did you begin working on Stargate SG1 ? The Alliance, and how did you got hold of the Stargate licence?
Radek Majder: We started working on what would become the game in 2003. We were looking for a license with which to develop a game on. We approached MGM in regards to Stargate as we were all fans and felt that it would be a perfect fit for video games. We went through the regular processes you go through for something like this and emerged through the other side in late 2003.
Can you tell us about the story at all?
Majder: The game takes place right before the episode ?Threads? in Season 8 of the series. We?ve already revealed that Anubis is involved somehow. What we?ve not revealed explicitly is that we?ve created a new enemy called The Haaken. These guys were bottled up by the Ancients thousands of years ago and Anubis has let them out. It?s safe to say these guys are Uber-Baddies? We have really crafted a storyline that is up to date with where the series is at, taps in to many of the major themes set up in the show over the years and added the layer of the Haaken. We have SG-1, Anubis, the Tok?RA, the Re?tou, the Replicators, the Ancients, (Oma and Shifu in particular) and the Haaken. It?s a storyline that fans of the show will love, but for those that are completely new to Stargate, they?ll be able to pick it up and follow along.
What sorts of missions will players encounter?
Majder: There are many different types of objectives in each mission. We have several mission types including a Foothold situation at Stargate Command, where the base is overrun and you have to retake it. Others where you must infiltrate one of Anubis?s bases and of course we have the Haaken? Making missions challenging and new is an ongoing task that takes many months.
At the start of a mission players have the option to decide how best to tackle the mission, but is that really important, and can players just skip that and head straight in to a mission?
Majder: As the story line puts certain demands on the game the missions are pre defined. We?ve tailored each mission to the abilities and characteristics of the player. If you play as Daniel Jackson in a certain mission for example, you will be required to use different skills than if you play a mission as Jack O?Neill.
Since the game combines first-person and third-person aspects, what features do you feel will grab the attention of “traditional” FPS fans?
Majder: It is a first-person shooter with a strong team aspect. There are many of different and visually stunning worlds to explore, some based on episodes from the show as well as some new ones. We have also incorporated the humor and wit of the series combined with a strong story. The player will be able to draw upon the SG-1 team members special combat abilities or employ them him/her self when playing the particular character.
We also have a unique co-op mode. The player will be able to play through the story mode in single player and the AI will assume control of the other 3 characters. In co-op, you will be able to go back and play through the story mode with 3 friends, each one assuming the role of a member of SG-1. With each character having unique abilities and taking different paths through some of the game, there is excellent replay value in co-op where players will be able to see parts of the game that they didn?t in single-player.
We understand the game uses the Unreal 2.5 engine, but have you also created your own in-house tools?
Majder: The unreal engine is a proven piece of technology, it was chosen as it allows us to make many modifications and additions of new cool features and improvements to create this game. Our in house testing and R & D department continuously reviews our game as well as other latest games. Based on their findings we are continually refining and updating the toolset and the game to deliver a great gaming experience.
Since you’re working with a rather well-known license, how are you getting round the expectations that this will be just another licenced game while still capturing the feel and humor of the videogame?
Majder: First, we aim to make a good game irrespective of the license. Second we try to stay true to spirit of the show and third we try to be as accurate as possible to the show. Having 60-odd Stargate freaks working on the game helps too. We don?t feel that we have to compromise the quality of the game at all, in fact we think we have translated the feel and humour of the show into the game making it even more exciting. When we first looked at Stargate, one of the things we decided that we needed to maintain were the team aspect that SG-1 (our heroes) have, and second, the humour in the show. These goals have been constant throughout.
