Will we be seeing any vehicles in the near future?
Jeremy:
Yes, except not in this version. We actually have vehicles coded, but as a team we have decided not to fully support and implement them into the mod yet, as the mod as a whole is not ready for them yet. However, come Unreal Tournament 2004, we will surely be going under change to add support for vehicles - maybe sooner. I can assure you all, however, that the first vehicles that will be introduced will probably be transport vehicles, maybe with mounted machineguns, to help bring people into the action quicker and with more ease. There's also always a tense feeling of riding into battle on a transport that can't be experienced while you are in control of your own fate.
Ramm-Jaeger:
Absolutely. We are currently working on the implementation of vehicles. In the near future we will probably add transport type vehicles. We already have functioning vehicles in our internal builds. The main thing we want to do is make sure that they work with our gameplay style. They have to be up to par with the high quality and realism of the rest of the mod. We could have just thrown vehicles in 1.0, but we don't want an arcadey BF1942 style implementation of vehicles. There are a lot of balancing and gameplay issues we have to sort out before they make their way into a public release, but watch out, they are coming :)
How/Will the gameplay be changing?
Jeremy:
The first and most important change will be the fixed and more balanced maps, which will allow gameplay to occur better and more seamlessly. That is the core thing we're working on at the moment. In the near future however, vehicles and fire support weapons will surely help bring even more lively gameplay to the mod. In terms of normal gameplay features however, we're going to be changing and fixing a lot of small things to make the mod less shaky. We fixed the issue where sometimes players can see above what their physical head can see, which allowed people to shoot others without concealing themselves. I'm not a coder however, so I can not fully conceal all the little things that were changed to make game better :)
Ramm-Jaeger:
Vehicles of course will add a whole new dynamic to the gameplay when they are fully implemented. Another thing we are working on is trying to make objectives clearer and more apparent. That was one of the things we've received a lot of feedback on and are working to improve. We won't compromise the realism of course, but we do want players to know what they are supposed to do in game. The level designers are working really hard to balance the maps and improve the playability.
Has the mod lived up to your expectations?
Jeremy:
Not yet. It will though. When I first wrote the Red Orchestra Multiplayer document, about 2-3 years ago, I planned what we'll have for our final release, and how amazing the game will be and what features will be in it and such. However, we're not there yet, and RO is not what I imagined it would be, yet. However, I see us heading in the correct direction towards the original plans of the mod. New weapons, infantry unit characters, vehicles, machineguns, artillery and more will be what will make RO what I expected it to be, and what it will be.
Ramm-Jaeger:
The community response has been incredible. The feedback we have received from the fans has been great, and really makes it worth all the hard work. It's funny because I am addicted to playing my own mod, and spend a lot of time online gaming with the fans.
Will Red Sunday be a habitual occurrence or is this a one time deal?
Jeremy:
Well, we want our community to enjoy it and take advantage of it, but having more of these is something we plan on doing of course because we like to take care of our community as they do their best to take care of us.
What's in store for us after this release?
Jeremy:
Release 2.0, which will be the release to follow 1.2, will be a huge release for us, and for the entire community. As you can see, the number will change quite a bit. The first releases were 1.0, 1.1, 1.1.1, 1.2, and then we plan to skyrocket from 1.2 to 2.0. From that alone, anyone can imagine that we're planning to revamp the mod into something better. By 2.0, you should plan to see machineguns, perhaps paratroopers or special/security forces, vehicles, and even perhaps all new gameplay and weapons. There is a lot to look forward to, even for us developers, who want to play the final version of our mod even more than our community does, and that is what keeps us motivated to keep going!
I want to let it be known, however, that if any of you were turned off by previous versions of the mod, that's okay, but we urge you all to try 1.2, which will be a great improvement over the previous versions of the mod, and we hope that everyone will try it for that reason.
Ramm-Jaeger:
New and expanded roles. A realistic implementation of vehicles on a scale that fits our tight, infantry style combat. Another thing that we are working on is artillery. This will be implemented in a realistic manner that fits with the warfare of the time period. Mobile machine guns will add a lot to the game as well. In general the team is really excited about the new features in the works, and can't wait until the public can try them out.
And lastly, who should I watch out for during the Frag the Developers session later on today?
Jeremy:
I must say I'm pretty nasty with my PPs-43 sub-machinegun, however, the entire development team are definitely the elite forces of the infantry in RO, especially those who have been playing since the first alpha. In terms of community members to look out for, if you see ZuluAlphaKilo carrying a Kar98, you might want to avoid him. Also, if you see anyone in the squads NKVD, 3FJ, 5thSB, DCLI or KGD, you might want to try to avoid them too.
Thank you for the interview! I'd also like to remind everyone that tomorrow (today) we're having an "ask the devs" event at 4pm EST, (3 CST, 2 MST, 1 PST) on our irc (http://www.mirc.com) channel, #redorchestra on irc.gamesnet.net. Once again, I hope everyone is looking forward to 1.2, as I know we are. We're doing a lot to make the gaming experience better for everyone, and still enjoyable and maintaining RO's authenticity. I'll see you all on the servers tomorrow!