Tactica Online Interview (Part 1) at RPG Vault

[butsomuch]

http://rpgvault.ign.com/articles/608/608178p1.html

Jonric: How did you arrive at your unusual concept involving both turn- and squad-based play? Do you feel these elements will be positive vs. detrimental in attracting potential players?

Luke Carruthers: We went down the turn-based, squad-based path precisely because they're both pretty unusual. We took a look around the marketplace, and it seems to us there are a lot of similar products out there. It's not that they're bad products - we play a lot of them in the office - but some variety would be nice. Part of the goal for Tactica Online is to provide some of that variety.

Turn-based and squads naturally go together, so going in that direction was one choice rather than two. They grew out of the desire to make combat interactive and engaging, something you had to think about to win. We wanted a system where the average encounter might take 15 minutes, where there was scope to set up devastating combos, take advantage of enemy weaknesses, and turn what looks like sure defeat into resounding victory. Current real-time systems put too much focus on when you do something, rather than what you do, and combat can too easily turn into waiting for the timer on each of your abilities to run down so you can use it again. A turn-based system allows for much more tactical depth because you have the scope to truly consider your actions.

We realize, of course, that the market for a turn-based online RPG might not be quite as large as that for your more traditional online RPG, but that's more than balanced by being the only player in that market. We're also hoping that we can reach beyond the traditional players of online RPGs to those who enjoy strategy games, and even those who play tabletop games.

 

[Sol Invictus]

Yeah, I'm definitely buying this game when it comes out.