Giovanni Caturano: The core team has worked in the games industry since the late 1990’s. Among other things, we worked on the nVidia-flagship game called “DroneZ” which was released on PC and Xbox in many countries and had strong technical innovations. We’ve later exported the 3D technology to other fields (Life-Size games, Simulators, Augmented Reality products) and we have recently finished a netbook-optimized platformer called “Ciro” that is in the featured on Intel AppUp store. The team we are currently working with features professionals with extensive experience on different platforms and we look forward to expand our team even further during 2011.
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SpinVector: Cross platform multiplayer seems to be a major factor for Bang! Can you give our readers an insight into the process of getting the game onto each platform and getting each piece of hardware communicating with each other?
Giovanni Caturano: BANG! runs natively on each platform: this means that code, graphics, menus and controls have been specifically optimized and when required, re-designed, for that particular platform.
The core game logic, however, is exactly the same - all actions are abstracted in a way that is platform-neutral. Different platforms are often developed by different teams: that’s not in our case – the devices “talk” together pretty much to the same way that our development team talks together! The server accepts connections from each platform and handles the match-making and sessions. The hardest part is to harmonize all versions so that the experience is exactly the same on each platform and there’s no compatibility issue. This is mostly done through solid design and hard work!
SpinVector: In terms of game play, how differently does the game feel in comparison to the original board game?
Daniele Azara: When you play the original Bang! you have to calculate a lot of things. For example, in Bang! it's very important who sits beside you and where the other players sit around the board. The physical distance between players affects the gameplay insofar making it difficult for some players to shoot others. Since there are special weapons, but also horses and rifle scopes, this distance can change a lot during the game. In the videogame, you don’t have to think about calculating the distance, as everything is computed by the device and shown to the player graphically. Another example comes with expansions and characters. The players will be able to buy additional packs, additional characters and also special features which don't exist in the original game.
Giovanni Caturano: The game is easier to play than the original board game, because all the distance/range/bonus/move computing is done automatically. Moreover, you can’t play the wrong card by mistake or forget to draw for the chance of dynamite in the digital version. However, we have kept to the spirit of the game - you can still forget to use the barrel or take advantage of a certain ability, and you can decide to take a damage instead of playing a missed card.
So all the strategic and tactical features are still there from the original, whilst the gameplay is easier. There is also an “easy” mode in which character abilities are disabled and some actions are automated (e.g. the barrel).
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SpinVector: How much can players expect to pay for the game on the various platforms?
Daniele Azara: Prices vary from platform to platform and there will be no additional costs to play online, like monthly fees or anything. Mobile and Netbook versions will be available at prices around 3 and 6 euros. PC will be available around 9 euros. We’ll be confirming the prices per market as we near the launch.
SpinVector: Can you tell the readers of some of the technical issues you have encountered especially with various operating systems?
Giovanni Caturano: Every platform has its own great features and some weak points. Maintaining all the code harmonized among all the development environments, while keeping full native programming, optimization, managing the graphics and data assets has been quite a challenge!
SpinVector: Please explain the basic rules of Bang! – how a player wins and the features that make game so compelling.
Daniele Azara: Bang! follows the most important rule for us at Palzoun – that a videogame is easy to learn, but challenging to master. Learning to play Bang! is very easy. You can start with this simple rule: play the Bang! cards to attack; play the Missed cards to defend yourself.
There are many more options of course: cards like “Gatling” and “Indians” affect all players, you can steal cards from other players and even put TNT on the table which will start being passed around like a hot potato! Another interesting aspect is that you have to take distance into account: you are limited to a certain shooting range that depends on your weapon and distance modifiers.
Giovanni Caturano: Every player has a special character with their own abilities and a specific role: the Sheriff, the Deputy, the Outlaw and the Renegade. Everyone has their own goal to win the game: the Outlaws will win whenever the Sheriff is eliminated (even if another player gunned him down); the Sheriff must give chase to the Outlaws and the Renegade(s) and the Deputy must help the Sheriff at all costs (including the maximum sacrifice!); the Renegade wants to be the last character in play, so he will usually behave like a deputy in the beginning and then, only at the end, confront the Sheriff. So the primary objective of every player is to unveil who is a friend and who isn't. Then, every player’s character (there are over 30 to choose from) with a specific ability can sometimes ‘tweak’ the rules. There are tactics, strategy and psychology in Bang!, all of which mirror the main strengths and funny elements of the original. Also, Bang! has distinct RPG elements, which are extremely important to enjoying, and winning, the game.
SpinVector: To continue on, perhaps you can run through how player start the game and the kind of progression line and objectives that must be achieved to win.
Giovanni Caturano: Bang! can be a deep and complex game if played wisely. So, a great part of the strategy is in discovering other players’ roles. The Sheriff is often confused between the Renegade and the Deputy who usually show the same tactics in the beginning (even with very different objectives). The Outlaws’ work may seem easy, but they’re everyone else’s target if they lose cover, so you have to keep an accurate balance between what you do, what you pretend you’re doing and you’re preparing to do. During the game, you play blue (permanent) cards in front of you to change the gameplay and affect the overall situation (e.g. distance, range, additional defence, etc.) and brown cards for immediate effect. A solid strategy is crucial to winning.
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SpinVector: As there is a single player game also – how focused has the team been to ensure the PC version is technically perfect and will it be available through steam?
Giovanni Caturano: We’ve worked a lot to ensure a very stable and consistent game experience and we believe we really got there, but we will keep working on the game post-launch to improve and add to the overall player experience. We will be announcing the PC download channels nearer to the launch at Christmas.
Daniele Azara: It's possible to set the difficulty level in single player mode and even to choose your favourite character or role (which is otherwise random). It's perfect to train for multiplayer matches or quick sessions during lunch time!
