Dead Island (Techland) Interview
Gameplay, zombies and combatYouGamers: Can we expect some RPG elements in the game? Pióro: We apply RPG elements to Dead Island. Dialogues, interaction with NPCs, player's influence on the gameplay, sidequests... all this makes the game open ended and some kind of "RPG-ish". Beside all the fights with zombies, it's a very strong feature.
YouGamers: Players encounter other people on the island. Alive, I mean. Who are they? How will they affect our "mission"? What kind of quest will they assign us? Some of them will join us during some missions? Pióro: Since the Island is a tourist resort, there are many places where humans live. They are survivors fighting with zombies and trying to get out of the island just like the main character. There are a few other groups living there, but their goals and motives are unknown in the beginning. Given quests depend on what we have done earlier and come with an attitude of a group. If he's not hostile, the player can join them, or at least cooperate with them for mutual advantages.
HDR, real-time soft shadows, normal mapping - all the top rendering works are here YouGamers: The combat system will be particularly sophisticated, and will take advantage of the island environment. Can you detail further the combat system and this peculiar aspect? Pióro: We assume that you will fight with everything you find and what you can handle to carry. All locations offer wide ranges of weapons that can be used. For example, in the jungle you can find a branch or a rock; in the hotel kitchen you can pick up a frying pan or meat cleaver, and so on. We are focused on melee fighting rather then shooting, but of course you'll find guns across the island. The combat system also gives you a chance to take advantage over the opponents by using environment. Places like pools filled with water, electric fences etc. gives great chance to use them as traps or as a cover from zombies. You can also combine those elements. Water and electricity, gas and fire and so on. There will be a lot of this stuff in the game.
YouGamers: When I read that "the player will make decisions that will influence the entire world around him", what can I expect exactly? Pióro: As I mentioned before the player will influence the surrounding world. For example, if you pour some chemicals into the river, people from the nearest village will suffer from lack of drinkable water. They will have to get it somehow. You can help them or let them die. It's just one example.
Whack zombies with whatever comes to hand! YouGamers: Let's talk about zombies! Are they Romero's kind of zombies, or something like "28 Days Later"? How do they spend their days? Just roaming around looking for food or do they have some kind of collective behaviour? Pióro: Usually if they don't eat some brains out, they take a sunbath :) Seriously, their aim is to find food, I mean flesh, human flesh at best. They got some memories of their previous human life. That's why you can find them around the places where they lived. You can also act like a bait and gather a few slow zombies to follow you and let them do their thing with someone you can't handle on your own. There will be a few different kinds of zombies. I'm sure that both Romero and 28 Days Later fans will be pleased.
YouGamers: We learned at the Leipzig GC event that the zombies have a three-level modeling system: bone, muscle and skin. How will it affect the outcome of a combat? Pióro: Damage system is the main dish in Dead Island. Inflicted injuries are varied and depend on the weapon held by the player and the part of the body he hits. If you fight with machete you can cut zombie's head off. If you fight with a club, after a hit you will see true deformation of the opponent's body. Visualization of injuries is very realistic, thanks to the multi layer body model which shows skin, muscles and bones. This feature will expand survival horror genre to a totally new level of realism.
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