[TFW2005]

Originally posted by: NIBMRatchet @ TFW2005.com

Quote:

Universal Gaming Database (UGDB) interviewed Matt Tieger, the Game Director at High Moon Studios about their upcoming Transformers Video Game “Transformers: War For Cybertron”.

What’s so special about this interview is that it revealed who is the composer behind the music of the upcoming game. The maestro is none other than Tyler Bates (300, Watchmen fame).

Hit the Title Bar to read the entire interview.


Transformers: War For Cybertron releasing on June 22nd, 2010. Universal Gaming Database (UGDB) interviewed Matt Tieger, the Game Director at High Moon Studios about their upcoming Transformers Video Game “Transformers: War For Cybertron”.

What’s so special about this interview is that it revealed who is the composer behind the music of the upcoming game. The maestro is none other than Tyler Bates (300, Watchmen fame).

Here's the entire interview...

UGDB: Please, introduce yourself briefly – what is your current job position, your professional experience in the game industry, etc.?

Matt Tieger: My name is Matt ‘Tieg’ Tieger and I am the Game Director here at High Moon Studios. I have been making games for almost a decade now. I am a huge gamer and fan of Transformers.

UGDB: Activision has made the point from the start that Transformers: War for Cybertron is based on the original G1 television franchise and not the recent movie adaptations. Have you looked at Transformers: The Game (2007) and Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (2009) and found any features that you wanted to carry over to your game?

Matt Tieger: We did a ton of research and looked at what had been done before. Because we are not tied to a movie we had more room to explore and ultimately found our own way and made our version of Transformers.

UGDB: The game takes place at the peak of the Autobot and Decepticon civil war on Cybertron which would place the game’s story just prior to the original More Than Meets The Eye miniseries that started the show off back in 1984. In coming up with the overall story for Transformers: War for Cybertron, was there any involvement from the original show writers like George Arthur Bloom, Dick Robbins, Bryce Malek, Donald F. Glut, or maybe some others who have worked in the franchise in the past?

Matt Tieger: We did not work with the original story creators. I and many of us here at HMS are big Transformers fans so we felt confident that we could work with Hasbro and deliver a great story.

UGDB: Without giving away too much of the story can you say whether we will see the game cross over into the early season one episodes? Will we ever see Earth or is that better left for a sequel?

Matt Tieger: I’d like to keep the story under wraps. Sorry but you will have to wait!

UGDB: Do you think the long time fans of the Transformers franchise will greatly appreciate what you have done here? Have there been any obstacles where you have thought, “well that just wouldn’t jive with the original Transformers ideals?”

Matt Tieger: I think the long time fans will be thrilled – I have talked with lots of them and spent a lot of time with Hasbro. The fans are going to love this.

UGDB: Will we hear any recognizable music from the franchise? Lion? Stan Bush?

Matt Tieger: I am excited to say that our music was composed by Tyler Bates from the Watchmen and the 300. He was awesome to work with and brought a lot of enthusiasm to the project. There will also be some other nice little surprises for Transformers fans…

UGDB: How about voice actors? We know that Peter Cullen is returning as Optimus Prime, are any other original voice actors making a reprise for Transformers: War for Cybertron? Have the new voice actors lived up to the legacy of their predecessors?

Matt Tieger: We worked with Hasbro and selected a compliment of great voice actors. Sound is a key component to a Transformers game, so this was something we spend a lot of time on. We had to get it right. All the voices, other than Peter, are new to Transformers and they nailed it.

UGDB: Can you give us more information on the recently revealed multiplayer modes? How many players does Transformers: War for Cybertron support in the multiplayer and cooperative campaigns? How will match matching function, will there be dedicated servers or just listen servers running off of the game host’s personal internet connection?

Matt Tieger: We support 5 vs. 5 competitive multiplayer and 3 player online Cooperative play.

UGDB: About how many levels can we expect to have upon release? Will these levels spread across all of the game modes?

Matt Tieger: There are plenty of levels to keep you coming back for more and yes they are spread across the game modes.

UGDB: It is known that High Moon takes time everyday to play multiplayer together, have there been any highly memorable moments so far during these play times?

Matt Tieger: I can think of a few moments when I knew we were getting it right and on to something special. First was the cursing, when I could hear people yelling at one another across their cubes either in taunt or in anger I knew we were dialing it in. I also remember many post game recap sessions that I would eavesdrop on where people would argue about the best class or best weapons.

UGDB: In the most recent multiplayer game mode trailer we have noticed that around a minute, twenty seconds into the video we see what appears to be either Elite One or Arcee, a female transformer. Can we expect to see other female transformers make the character list?

Matt Tieger: We’re staying a bit quiet on that so fans will have to check out the game to find out!

UGDB: How open is the “create a transformer” functionality? Will creativity be limitless like with the Spore creature creator or is there a strict limit to what a transformer can look like? Now that we have seen female transformers in the recent trailer we can assume that anyone can create a female transformer as well?

Matt Tieger: Players get lots of choices in customization (both visual and gameplay) however in a seriously competitive Multiplayer game there must be some restrictions to keep things balanced. Otherwise everyone would walk around with the thinnest characters, for example. So there are some restrictions.

UGDB: How will the multiplayer ranking, unlocks, and statistics work? Can we expect quite a comprehensive range of possibilities?

Matt Tieger: Everything you expect from a top-notch shooter is in the game – stats, challenges, achievements. There is a ton.

UGDB: We have heard that the cooperative functionality has been created with the option to jump in and out at any time, does this include both online and local co-op? Can there be a mix of the two at once, lets say two players locally, two players locally elsewhere, and a fifth playing as well in a third location? How important was it to have the co-op functionality be as such?

Matt Tieger: Co-op is online only. Transformers is about teamwork and every level is playable (even bosses) in co-op. Playing solo is very fun but when you are in the game with your friends it reaches a whole new level.

UGDB: Will other minor factions like the Quintessons or Junkions make a surprise appearance somewhere in the singleplayer story or multiplayer?

Matt Tieger: We had so much in this game that we had to make some very tough choices. The game focuses on the core transformers, and even there we had to make tough choices because there is so much we wanted to tell.

UGDB: Is there a post-release campaign in mind for new levels, side stories, and/or characters as downloadable content?

Matt Tieger: We are big fans of DLC, however we are not yet ready to announce our plans for it.

UGDB: Have you seen the Wii (Next Level Games) or DS (Vicarious Visions) versions of Transformers: War for Cybertron? What are your thoughts on these two versions of the game at this point? How much or how often have the three studios collaborated throughout the development process?

Matt Tieger: We have been pretty focused at High Moon Studios on our part of the Transformers universe so I will have to admit that I have had blinders on with respect to the other games.

UGDB: Is there anything else you can tell us about Transformers: War for Cybertron that has not been discussed at this point?

Matt Tieger: I am very proud to have been a part of this project. Shooter fans are going to have a great time with this even if they aren’t TF fans, and TF fans are going to get the game they have always dream of.

Transformers: War For Cybertron releasing on June 22nd, 2010.

Original Source: UGDB Transformers: War For Cybertron Interview, Composer Revealed @ Transformers - TFW2005.com.