Interviews// World In Conflict Developer: Martin Walfisz

SPOnG: So, how does the ‘credit’ system in the game work?

Martin Walfisz: Well, when your units die, you get the credits that you bought them for back, so you can buy new units. So, in a way we are also mimicking the ‘respawning’ in first-person shooter games – when you die you can respawn at a different location and continue playing – we’ve conceived a system whereby you can do the same kind of thing in a strategy game.


SPOnG: Talking a little bit more about the points system – what are the ‘tactical aid points’ in the game?

Martin Walfisz: The points are obtained by killing enemy units, or taking over command points – or also if you play a support role, for repairing your allies. These points can be used to call down artillery strikes, air strikes and the big nuke (obviously!). Over the two years that we’ve played the game, we’ve seen that the tactical aid weapons are so much fun that we built more in that were originally planned.


SPOnG: I take it none of the team were members of CND [Campaign for Cuclear Disarmament] in their youth?

Martin Walfisz: Ha! I wouldn’t know. I don’t think so, but I don’t think some of them would have minded being in CND. It’s important to NOT mix what we are doing with a what-if virtual reality war game with the reality of history. In no way do we want to promote nuclear weapons by making this game! I think most gamers will understand that and not want to go out and build nuclear weapons after playing this game.


SPOnG: And one last question, in the single player game, why no option to play as the Russians?

Martin Walfisz: Well, that’s a good question! And in a perfect world we could have done a game with everything in it. However, we set out to convey one strong story and following one strong set of characters, and doing a Soviet campaign, we’d basically have to repeat that. Given the time and the effort we have to put into that, it just didn’t warrant it. It would have detracted from having one strong, focused story.


SPOnG: So there’s nothing to rule out seeing a World in Conflict 2 based in Russia at some point in the future?

Martin Walfisz: Nothing to rule out that! Personally I’d love to see some Soviet aspect to the way the story unfolds in the future.


SPOnG: Thanks for your time, Martin.

Martin Walfisz: No problem.