Halo Wars Central

This is a record of the original interview, which can be found at Halo Wars Addict

Well this week I was able to sit down with Dispraiser from Slipstream Productions to ask him a few questions. For those of you not in "the know", Slipstream Productions were making a C&C Generals Mod, called HaloGen. A brief Video can be found Here. We'll be adding some Screenshots of HaloGen later today, so keep checking back!!

Dispraiser! Thank you so much for sparing some time to talk to us!

HWA: If you could start out by giving us a brief overview of what the HaloGen project was for the people who don't know

Dispraiser: Halogen was a fan created Total Conversion mod where an existing game (in this case Command and Conquer Generals) has all of its art and much of the code removed then recreated with new ingame content. In this case, all of the modern warfare setting was removed and replaced with Halo and Halo inspired units.

HWA: How did Microsoft go about the Ceasing of the project and was it at all expected that far through?

Dispraiser: Bungie communicated with us and told us that though they supported the mod it had gathered too much attention and we were about to be shut down by Microsoft. We had thought that we would not run into a cease and desist because we were very respectful with Bungie's material and only used content that we created ourselves in the mod.

HWA: I can't seem to find a date of termination for the project, was it before or after the Halo Wars Announcement?

Dispraiser: We were canceled in September, a few weeks before Halo Wars was announced.

HWA: What kind of problems did you face, creating HaloGen on C&C: Generals?

Dispraiser: Constantly, constantly remaking models, skins and units that we had created previously. Many of our units went through several versions before they were completed as our staff got more skilled at creating models and skins.

HWA: When you first set out to create HaloGen, what were your aims for the project and do you feel they were achieved before termination?

Dispraiser: My original aim was to get just a few Halo units ingame. At the time I was a freshman in High School and thought it would be enough to just add a few units. Our team quickly turned to perfectionism, though, and the project gradually grew in scope until its final form. Our goals were not achieved. We were extremely close to release and were a highly anticipated mod. It is disappointing that we spent years working on a project and that a developer that prides itself on loving the community was so fast to crush a fan project.

HWA: How much "positive" communication did you have with Bungie Prior to the cease and disist, did they like the look of the project?

Dispraiser: We had very little communication with Bungie. Prior to our closure one of our staff members actually got some help from a former Bungie employee working on our rigs and animations for infantry (Covenant have some weird bone structures) but other than that the first contact we got was right before we got shut down. The email mentioned that it bothered some of the staff to shut us down because at least some staff members are very supportive of community projects like ours.

HWA: Looking at the Halo Wars gameplay demonstration, what are your likes and dislikes of it so far?

Dispraiser: Our first and primary dislike is that Halo Wars is a console RTS. No matter what developers promise about a creative new controller scheme that's supposed to make the game enjoyable, console controllers simply are not built for Real Time Strategy game. If the gameplay doesn't work, it doesn't matter if they attach the credibility and likability of the Halo franchise, this game will be marred by being "unfun."

HWA: What are your overall feelings about Halo Wars? Have Microsoft left you and your team with a bitter taste in your mouths?

Dispraiser: An absolutely bitter taste. After watching the announcement trailer and reading more details I was immediately surprised that Bungie would let this happen to their beloved franchise. Halo Wars flat out ignores established Halo-universe facts and appears to be appealing to the least common denominator. Microsoft has absolutely sold out the franchise. I bought Halo for both Xbox and PC, Halo 2, Halo 3, every Halo book except for the latest and was a big fan of the series as were all of the staff, but not one of us is at all interested in Halo Wars.

HWA: I can see your point there. If you and your team were chosen to create Halo Wars, what features would you want to make it into the final version of the game?

Dispraiser: The first thing we'd do is change the name. The other thing that was a recurring theme through Halogen's development was making infantry important. In many real time strategy games infantry are harmless distractions and tanks and planes are the only units worth building. We wanted to make it so in a given skirmish maybe only a few sluggish and surprisingly expensive tanks were present so that players were forced to rely on infantry to protect them. Our goal was to make the loss of a tank more than just an "oh well" event.

HWA: Thats a really interesting angle you took there, what do you think about Ensemble being picked to develop Halo Wars?

Dispraiser: It's an outward sign of Bungie's contempt for Microsoft selling out their franchise. They wanted nothing to do with Halo Wars. It's important that to remember years before Microsoft bought Halo and it was anything close to released, Halo was an RTS. I think that if Bungie were happy with the direction Microsoft was forcing the franchise they would have been trilled to finish what they had started. Ensemble also brings to the plate more RTS experience from the Age of Empires franchise. I played Age of Empires 1 and 2 and liked both, though population caps and the length of the games kept me from ever really appreciating them. They are a proven developer, though, and that’s what counts.

HWA: Now Console RTS's aren't known for their solid controls, How would you go about making an RTS control scheme for a console game?

Dispraiser: The problem lies in the analog sticks. They aren't meant for precise movements like the ones that are needed to make a playable RTS. If we were in control of the development of the project, we would reduce the scale of the combat. It can be difficult to constantly switch selections to control different groups of units, but if it’s just a few small squads it might be easier to control. There isn’t a way to make the controls any more practical, so minimizing interaction with the controls is the key.

HWA: Sounds Logical to me. And finally, tell us a bit about your teams current project, Signal.

Dispraiser: Signal is a recycling of Halogen. Every model that was not Halo Intellectual Property was reused and upgraded with higher resolution skins. We created an original plot and original alien nemesis and are working hard to produce a spiritual successor to Halogen. Though I would have preferred to simply release the finished Halogen and not get shut down, it does afford us more opportunities to create new units and balance gameplay to have complete control over the story, so the loss of Halo’s ideas is not all bad.

HWA: Well thank you so much for your time, Dispraiser. I hope Signal does well!

Interview added on 22/05/08