Konami’s Mr. Sasaki talks about the online fighting world of S.L.A.I.
By Michael Lafferty

“For combat, each player can take on easy and difficult strategies to reflect his/her preference and personality”

Many games toy with the idea of world domination but few actually deliver in terms of letting players challenge for the right to be No. 1. There have also been mech-combat games that scratch the surface of the notion, but few that actually deliver on a wide scale.

…

Count S.L.A.I. Steel Lancers Arena International, from Konami, as one that will allow players to compete to see who is the best in the world in the arena of mech fighting. Yes, you can play S.L.A.I. offline and in a story mode, but part of the charm of this PlayStation 2 title will be in taking it online to challenge the world for the right to call yourself the best. But there is a long road that must be traveled first.

Consider that the mechs each player pilots can be customized in millions of ways and that online battles can feature up to six players over sprawling battlegrounds. There is even the ability to pick up pre-built mechs to even the battleground with those of less experience – well, in terms of the mech used. The combat system will allow players to hide and attack from the shadows, avoid incoming missiles and use the terrain to advantage.

Mr. Sasaki, the producer of S.L.A.I., took time to chat with GameZone.com about this title.

Question: The game apparently sports an arcade-style experience coupled with in-depth strategy. Does this mean there are several ways to play and tailor the game experience for the player, or are we talking simplified controls juxtaposed against a deep gaming experience that ramps up as the player progresses?

Mr. Sasaki: “Since S.L.A.I. is targeted for various kinds of people and provides many fun features, it looks very complicated at first glance. However, the game is designed for both beginners and hardcore gamers who love mech games in mind. To do this, the game was created to ease the player forward so that beginners can enjoy the game by advancing their level at his/her own pace. The difficulty ramps up gradually. It is also designed for FPS fans by offering a cockpit (FPS) view as well!

“To further satisfy the hardcore and beginners, there are four basic types of controls to match each person’s own preference, level, and controllability. The basic control types range from simple to complex and are all fully customizable.

“For combat, each player can take on easy and difficult strategies to reflect his/her preference and personality. For instance, players can equip powerful melee weapons for close combat and go for quick kills with little retaliation. Or, they can use mid-long range weapons such as homing missiles at a distance while swiftly dodging enemy fire. Furthermore, mixing close combat and mid-long range combat with the Optical Camouflage (which can be used to cloak your machine) makes things interesting. You can climb to the top of a high rise building, shoot the enemy from there, and make your opponent wonder where it came from. You can also hide in the shadows and do a quick whack with a melee weapon when they get close.

“Remember to be nice to your friends. If he/she is new to games, let them use the beginner controls and make sure all players use one of the 10 pre-made robots to keep the playing field level."

Q: How is the combat handled? Is this turn-based or real-time? Does the game employ the infamous “magic missiles (meaning if you attack it is virtually impossible to block) or will twitch gaming play a factor in the combat?

Mr. Sasaki: “The game is not turn-based but rather real-time. Therefore, you could avoid almost any attack if you concentrate enough. Some of the ways to avoid missiles include turning Optical Camouflage on to break the lock from homing missiles. Other, more difficult, techniques are pressing the side dash button to dodge to the side or do jump fakes (pretend to jump and go down immediately) to send missiles overhead. Hiding behind obstacles will do it, too. Watch out against using the camouflage too much against a skilled enemy, though. They can always use a wide explosion blast weapon to uncloak your mech.

“The layout of each stage also makes some weapons harder to dodge than others. You may have to change your dodging strategies according to the arena as well.

“Lastly, a very slow vehicle will have a harder time avoiding fast shots. Still, if you see trouble, dodging to the left or right quickly will minimize damage.”

Q: How much customization will players be able to utilize?

Mr. Sasaki: “Quite a bit, actually! There are three levels to customization. First, there are five robot manufacturers. They sell “body parts” and “weaponry” for installation. The main body will dictate your armor and your legs will determine your speed and how much weight the robot can carry. Of course weaponry is pretty self explanatory and is the key to taking down opponents. Each manufacturer produces exclusive weapons and all robots can carry a maximum of four kinds of weapons on both arms and shoulders.

“Second, players can add ‘option parts,’ which provide a wide range of supplementary functions.  For example, adding an Optical Camouflage option module will make your robot almost invisible for a while, allowing the player to hide from an enemy and pounce on them with a surprise attack!

“Finally, players can adjust the weight of each part (body, legs, and weapons) to 199 different levels. It is a balance of weight and strength. Lightening the vehicle makes it vulnerable, and increasing the weight means making it stronger. But a heavy vehicle has less speed, and less jumping ability. That’s why players have to consider the good balance between strength and mobility. Such combinations will allow players to create more than a one-million different robots.

“Players can also equip maintenance chips which affect missile homing accuracy, armor strength, critical hit rate, et cetera, as well as color their mechs with paints and icons to create more than 200 million unique machines!”

Q: This game totally online, or is there a single-player offline experience as well? Will there be a way to chart a player’s ability so that they are fighting at their level, or is this basic mayhem? Are there tournaments, or are all the arena battles player generated?

Mr. Sasaki: “This game features four modes, three offline, and one online. The three offline modes are Story Mode, Quick Battle Mode, and Vs. Mode. In Story Mode, players can create custom robots and compete to be the No. 1-ranking fighter in the world. Players can also learn the fundamentals here in ‘Battle School’ as well.  

“In Quick Battle Mode, gamers fight through seven difficult stages to try to achieve the top score. This is great for short gaming sessions.

“Vs. Mode is for two-player split-screen fights. Even if you do not have an online connection, you can bring a saved game on a memory card to a friend’s house and fight with your own specialized robot against his/her customized robot.

“Online Mode mimics the single-player story mode where players fight online for points and get ranked. Player can take their customized robot that they made in Story Mode and will receive points for winning matches. Soon, you’ll go from a simple E rank fighter to join the exclusive A rankers. Points are catalogued per day, week, and month.

“The online mode also offers a ‘Free Battle’ where players choose one of 10 pre-made robots to fight with. This doesn’t earn points, but gamers can play immediately online after purchasing the game.” 

Q: How is the economic end handled in the online arenas? Will players have to pay entry fees to compete?

Mr. Sasaki: “Konami sets and manages the servers for S.L.A.I., and there is no charge for online play. All you need is an Internet connection (which may not be free), a PlayStation 2 (which is probably not free), and a PS2 online adaptor (which would be free if you got the new slim PS2 with the adaptor included.)”

Q: Is there a penalty for being defeated? As in, does your bot take damage that needs to be repaired?

Mr. Sasaki: “There are different penalties in different modes. If you are defeated online, you will lose some points, hindering your efforts to be the world’s best fighter. In the arcade-style Quick Battle mode, blowing up will dock your score and end the game. Finally, in the Story Mode, players will have to pay Credits (money) to repair your ride. The only thing you’ll lose in VS Mode is some pride.”

Q: Tell us about the environments of the game – it is a post-apocalyptic world, so how is that reflected graphically?

Mr. Sasaki: “Actually, it’s not really a post-apocalyptic world, but it does take place in the near future, 2071. A machine used to clean the polluted air exploded leaving some areas uninhabitable, (but making them great places for mech battles.) So, some of the arenas reflect this with barren trees and destroyed buildings. However, other places like New York and Cairo are perfectly fine. For further details please check the story page on our official Web site.”

Q: What type of sound tracks does the game use? Are we talking the standard metal-on-metal crunching sound, or does the game employ a robust sound track?

Mr. Sasaki: “We have included more than 90 songs from various genres, not limited to metal. Songs played during battles can be purchased in the in-game shop. Players can enjoy listening to them and create their own play lists.”

Q: What do you consider has been the most challenging aspect of creating this game and what elements do you think set it apart and will appeal the most to gamers?

Mr. Sasaki: “First, with so many field- and customized-robot combinations available, balancing parts and weapons so that no one module becomes too weak or too strong was the biggest headache. The second biggest challenge was to allow a high-speed online battle and connecting players in the U.S., Europe, Australia, Japan, and Asia. Third, creating the world of this game was tough. However, seeing players enjoy a game always makes us forget our past struggle and encourage us to face the next challenge.

“Taking your battle-hardened chip, customized robot, and custom soundtrack to the world stage is the greatest feeling in the world. You won’t be disappointed!”

del.icio.us | Digg This | Glink It

---