Strategy Informer: Firstly, could you introduce yourself to our readers and let us know your role within Petroglyph?
Kevin Yu: Greetings Strategy Informer readers! My name is Kevin Yu, but I go by 'SAGEKING' on the forums and in games. I've been tasked with the job as the Community Manager for Petroglyph. Prior to taking up this job, I have been highly active in the RTS and MMORPG communities. Here at Petroglyph, we have developers that sincerely care for communicating with the fans about the same hobbies we share- video gaming. Also having many ex- Westwood Studios staff here, I know we have inherited many strong values of community support. Since I've started, I've been working towards bringing both gamers and developers together to build their own communities and pursue a unique path of community interaction between 'devs' and gamers.
Strategy Informer: Empire at War was the first game to be created by Petroglyph games, when did the idea of creating a Star Wars RTS game come into play?
Kevin Yu: The idea for Petroglyph to create a Star Wars RTS began from a conversation with LucasArts President Simon Jeffrey at E3 in 2003. The idea was to create an RTS game within the classic Star Wars period, but to incorporate epic space combat that was such a powerful part of the movies.
Strategy Informer: Empire at War: Forces of Corruption has been released around some parts of the globe; other places will be getting it very soon. Do you think the expansion will make the impact that you wanted it to?
Kevin Yu: The expansion definitely brings a whole lot of content to the table for an add-on pack. With over 40+ new units, various to maps and planets, a whole new faction which introduces completely different game play from Rebels and Empire, I believe the fans will be pleased. Furthermore, those that go as far to join the community will be excited with the amount of interaction there is going on right now.
Strategy Informer: What kind of support do you plan on giving the community now that the game has been released, is it likely we'll see some patches or other tools to help the community create maps and other files to extend the games life. If not, why has this decision been made?
Kevin Yu: If not? lol. I'm glad I don't have to answer that part. The guys here at Petroglyph are very committed to the community and listening to their opinions on how to make our games better. Over the past months, I have also been working very closely with Community Leaders to create events from tournaments to art contests to give fans opportunities to pursue their own unique interests relating to the expansion. The first Forces of Corruption patch is already in the works, along with the updated mod tools as well. Both releases should be out shortly if there are no unexpected delays. We understand the frustration of bugs or problems that plague games as gamers as well, thus we are all working very hard to address all such issues as a very high priority.
 |
 |
|
Strategy Informer: As a gamer, what's your favorite part of Empire at War: Forces of Corruption, what makes you proud to have helped create it and why is it game fans will want?
Kevin Yu: As a competitive gamer myself, I love the fact that there is a new faction. In terms of strategy, everyone knows two sides is very straight forward. It is easy to prepare for with practice. Three sides changes up the pace of the game, and the anticipation when going into a game, because you never know what you could be up against. A new side also forces a veteran player of Star Wars Empire at War to change their strategies to deal with all the new corrupt abilities. As a Star Wars fan, we are adding new lore to Star Wars! We are answering the questions about what the rest of the galaxy is doing during the Civil War between Empire and Rebels. I believe the traditional story has been told from various perspectives already, a new story that is still canon, was a breath of fresh air, and also opened the doors to adding a creative touch upon Star Wars Empire at War.
Strategy Informer: There must have been some very tricky parts to creating EAW and its expansion pack, what was the hardest part of development for the team?
Kevin Yu: This question would be best answered by our Forces of Corruption Producer and Designer a mini Development Wrap Up Video for Forces of Corruption at: http://www.petroglyphgames.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=630.
Strategy Informer: With Empire at War: Forces of Corruption now finished, you'll now be deciding on what to create next, could you tell us a bit about you future plans for Petroglyph? Is it likely you'll continue the EAW series or will you move onto another project?
Kevin Yu: We are currently working with SEGA on a new RTS game which is shaping up to definitely turn some heads when more information is released. As far as EAW, we have enjoyed working with LucasArts and the Star Wars IP, and are keeping all doors open for a future expansion or sequel.
Strategy Informer: We would like to thank the team for creating such an enjoyable title, we've really enjoyed playing EAW and are looking forward to seeing what you've done with FOC. As this will be our last question, is their anything you would like to say to the fans of Petroglyph?
Kevin Yu: Get involved in your interests and doors will open.
If you guys have any other questions or interests about Petroglyph games or the gaming industry in general, get involved in our community at: http://www.petroglyphgames.com/community. Video games are hot right now and we are always looking for superstars!
