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Citizen Zero : Interview with Paul McInnes
Posted Jul 07, 2004 by Reed Hubbard
Xbox World Australia today posted an interview with Paul McInnes, lead designer of the upcoming Sci-Fi MMORPG, Citizen Zero. McInnes provides some interesting insight into the development of the game:
XBW : Hi Paul, for the gamers out there that might not have been following the progress of Citizen Zero, are you able to explain the story and your goals for the game?
Micro Forte' Citizen Zero is a unique gritty sci-fi MMOG that combines the pace and visceral appeal of action-shooters with the depth and longevity of massively multiplayer online games. It is as fast and fun as Halo, but with the enormous breadth of content and replayability of a RPG.
The game takes place on Typhron, a penal colony that gets cut off from Earth and is under siege from the sinister Black Ops and the 'Automata', the robotic defenders of ancient alien ruins that dot the planet. You play a prisoner whose memories were wiped before you were sent to Typhron. You have overcome your security chip, making you a free agent in a world in lockdown.
As you grow your character you unlock more of the world, delve into the mysteries of the planet, regain lost memories and carve a place for yourself in a unique online world.
We really have two goals for the project. First, we want to create the best co-operative action game experience, bar none. Second, we want to create a world that players can explore, inhabit and master with their friends, creating an online community. When you think about it, an action MMOG really is the ultimate Xbox Live game. CZ is going to be that game.
The interview also touches on the history of the title, particularly the period where development appeared to be canceled:
Without going into the details, is it true that MicroForte stopped development of Citizen Zero a while ago, and how has that impacted on its development?
MF is still developing Citizen Zero.
What has changed is that we are no longer developing the product for Microsoft as an exclusive Xbox title. That allows us to reach both PC and Xbox gamers. In fact, we developed the game on Xbox and PC in parallel all along (supporting the companies using our BigWorld technology).
Well, at least they asked the question. Even though that answer wasn't exactly informative, the rest of the interview is and is definitely worth a read for those interested in this Xbox / PC title. The Q&A may be read in its entirety at this link.
Click here for the Citizen Zero homepage.
