Age of Empires DS Interview

Like Age of Empires? Have a DS? Well aren't you the lucky one then! Age of Empires DS is on its way, and Next Generation nabbed an interview with Tyler Sigman, the lead designer on the game. For a wealth of information just read the interview below.

Digital Eclipse has taken on the task of converting the venerable Age of Empires to Nintendo's touchy-feely DS system. Tyler Sigman, lead designer, explains how…

The portable version will allow players to use five different civilizations: the Britons, Franks, Mongols, Saracens, and Japanese. Four-player wi-fi multiplayer will also be available. But the real question about this project is…

…the switch from a real-time to turn-based system

"The biggest reason (for using a turn-based battle system) is that it suits the platform. A real-time strategy game requires dedicated, unbroken attention from the player. You’re constantly on the go, both mentally and physically, giving units commands, scrolling the map, herding sheep, ordering production, etc. That’s great for a PC, but not so good for a portable device.

"We wanted our game to be playable on the bus, in the car, in line at a store, and so on. A turn-based structure is much friendlier for that - you can still 'bend your entire mind' on the game, but if you get interrupted for a minute, you don’t have to worry that the Mongols are going to be breathing down your neck and you’ll be toast when you get back. Also, a turn-based structure lends itself very well to session-based play because of the frequent break points. You can quite comfortably play for 1 turn, 2 turns, 5 turns, or an entire mission. Turns are also very good at enticing the player to keep… on… playing… one… more… turn.

"Another point worth mentioning is that we wanted to present a new AoE experience. We didn’t want 'Age of Empires on a smaller screen'. Our goal has been to capture the core, captivating elements of AoE and then present it in an addictive, spry, handheld format."

On touch-screen functionality

"Obviously, there are a lot of great action games out there that are employing the touch-screen for twitch-style play—Kirby: Canvas Curse, for example. But the main thing about touch-screen control is that it can simply be more intuitive and more comfortable for some players. Our approach has been to use the touch-screen, but not simply for novelty’s sake. We provide the user with two different completely functional control schemes: stylus and D-pad. You can accomplish everything in the game with either method. Some people just aren’t stylus-people, and some are. We allow the user to decide which method they prefer."

On working with the DS hardware

"Well, it’s kind of funny, but always having two screens available presents its own interface challenges. Mainly, it’s that you always need to make sure both screens are full. When I first did my interface mockups, there were a lot of places where I had a blank top or bottom screen staring out at me. So, the dual-screens are a fantastic feature and luxury, but every once in a while they can be overkill. It’s a problem that is fun to have, though. Developers working on a single screen aren’t exactly breaking out the violins, if you know what I mean.

"Another challenge with two screens is to decide what control elements to feature on each. Because of our design goal of having the stylus be a complete and viable independent control method, this eventually led us to set the mandate that all interaction occurs on the bottom (touchable) screen. The top screen is only ever used to present the user with information.

"We’ve been quite ambitious visually, and the result is that we’ve had to overcome some graphics and horsepower challenges. Periodically we slam smack-dab into a big wall—for example there is a hard-limit on how many sprites can be on-screen at once. This is something you tend to run into when you’ve got over 50 unit types and 15 building types, most with 3 different versions (to capture civilizations’ look and feel), and some with different assets for each Age of the game.

"...The DS has truly unique features that make it competitive, so it’s a joy to develop for. The dual screens alone open up so many avenues. Take our game, for example—using the two screens makes it possible to present a really useful amount of information on the surface without requiring the user to drill-down through submenus. This is worth diamonds for a strategy game."

On working with the AoE license

"Making a title in the series is like borrowing a friend’s Ferrari—you don’t want to ding it up. Of course, I don’t actually know anyone with a Ferrari, so some of this is conjecture. Seriously though, working with such a strong license has an implicit requirement: Do well."

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