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Following Protocol |
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Sega releases its spy-themed ALPHA PROTOCOL this month. STACK spoke to Associate Producer Matt Hickman. |
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Can you give us a brief run down of the plotline behind Alpha Protocol?
MATT HICKMAN: The game takes place basically in the modern day plus a few years. An airliner has been shot down over Eastern Europe by a US developed missile. It’s up to you, as agent Michael Thorton, to find out who is behind the attack, see if they have any more missiles and thwart any future attacks. Thorton is a new recruit to Alpha Protocol, a secret arm of the US government intended to handle situations in which the US government needs plausible deniability.
What gave you the idea to combine an RPG with a spy-based action title?
MH: We really wanted to make an RPG that felt fresh and exciting, modern day settings have been seldom seen in RPGs, and we saw it as a great idea to pursue. Within the contemporary setting, the spy genre really jumped out at us as naturally compelling and action-packed, ideal for the sort of RPG we wanted to make. We’re also all big fans of the spy genre in general, there’s just so much to sink your teeth into between the gadgets, weapons, women and action. From that point it really became about how we could draw players into a setting full of intrigue and action. Lucky for us we had a wealth of movies and TV shows to draw upon for inspiration. We were able to use those as a foundation to build our story of conspiracy and deception as well as a starting point for how our lead character might react to these situations.
How do you combine RPG-based dialogue with an action game and keep it fluid and interesting?
MH: Actually, in our focus testing we found that a lot of people physiologically had similar reactions of excitement for Alpha Protocol’s dialogue choices as they did with run and gun action sequences. In trying to emulate the intrigue of a spy film, we found it immensely helpful to make our dialogue timed. It forces players to have to think on their feet the way a spy would have to, were they truly undercover. You constantly have to quickly weigh whether to tell someone the truth, hope to win them over with flattery, intimidate them, or any number of other methods.
How important are dialogue choices in the game? Will each decision have major implications in the way events within Alpha Protocol are played?
MH: We handle your choices in a way as close to reality as possible. In real life it’s rare that one word or conversation can be the difference between a friend or an enemy, so many of the outcomes are a compounding of all your little decisions. That being said, sometimes a single word is the difference between life and death, so we try to juggle those in an exciting way that always keeps you on your toes. The fact that players can’t revisit conversations in the hopes of securing a different outcome makes every decision significant. Certain choices can have profound ramifications on where the game takes you. Certain characters may disappear from the story entirely based on your decisions, and missions may open up depending on whether a character likes you or not. Depending on the choices they make, players may have drastically different experiences in game, but we did our best to make sure that regardless of how their character acts, they are still presented a complete and compelling story.
Where did the influence behind the character of Thorton come from? Were Mr. Bourne and Bond central to the character’s development?
MH: Throughout the course of introducing Alpha Protocol to people it’s been handy to use the big three JB characters as a quick way of describing the different ways that one can customise Thorton throughout the game. There is a wealth of spy lore for us to draw upon, and Jason Bourne, James Bond, and Jack Bauer stand out among the crowd as three wholly different, but completely effective, ways of playing the role of secret agent. These certainly aren’t the only ways a player can choose to develop their character, but they stand as solid pillars or archetypes; an example of the level of choice that we give players in developing Thorton’s character.
Would you describe Alpha Protocol as a linear game or a non-linear game?
MH: Alpha Protocol is very non-linear in its design. The game’s missions are built around a few hubs located in different parts of the world. You’re given the choice to hop from city to city whenever you’d like to pursue the various leads you pick up along the way. In each of these cities, the player is given the choice of what missions to tackle, and within those missions can complete each objective in very different ways.
Do you have plans to make Alpha Protocol an ongoing franchise?
MH: We’d love to revisit Alpha Protocol. From the constant action to the mysterious and dynamic dialogue, there’s a lot to love about the spy genre and we’d like to continue to explore it.
Discover Alpha Protocol at JB Hi-Fi » |
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