Operation: Vietnam – Lead Artist and Designer Q & A – Part I

The Average Gamer managed to secure an exclusive e-mail interview with Dugan Jackson (lead artist) and Michael Traquair (lead designer) of the forthcoming DS shooter Operation: Vietnam. We also got hold of some new screenshots too. Here is the first part of the interview.

TAG: What were your roles on the project?

DJ: I was lead artist on the game. Because we were such a small team I also got to also do some of the design, the particles, some of the smaller creature animations and so on – there was quite a bit of role crossover.
Small teams are fun to work in as it’s easier for everyone to have creative input.

MT: I was the Lead Designer, so it was my job to hit the coders and artists with a big stick when they didn’t do what they were told.

TAG: Tell us about the game. What are we paying for?

DJ: It’s a top down arcade shooting action on the Nintendo DS. In it you control a small squad of individual soldiers who have crashed down into the dense jungle and need to fight their way to safety.
There are 10 main campaign levels to explore. On top of that are 11 varied bonus levels, a hard campaign mode and a number of special cheat modes to unlock.

TAG: What stage of the games development are you at?

DJ: We are all finished now. It’s pencilled in to be released on the 15th Aug in the US by its publisher Majesco. I’m not sure if the European release date is confirmed yet, that version is being distributed by Eidos. They will probably announce a street date at Leipzig.
MT: The game is in a box and on the shelves (US), so I’m at the stage of heading to the pub.

TAG: Do you think that the DS has a reputation for just puzzle games, and how do you think Operation: Vietnam going to fit in?

DJ: There may be a lot of puzzle games on DS, but there are lots of other genres available like Mario Kart, Metroid Prime Hunters, Ouedan etc.
I think Operation Vietnam will fit in really well. Take a look at what else is out there and I think you’ll agree that there really is nothing quite like it on the DS. We had a great time making it, and I think that really comes across in how fun it is to play.

MT: The DS does appear to be geared around puzzle / RTS games, at the present time. However, Nintendo have sold so many DS machines (40m?) it’s safe to assume that there’s a market for games like Operation: Vietnam. From what I’ve been reading on the forums, DS owners have been crying out for a game like this for a long time. I guess there are only so many dogs you can stroke and cows to milk before it starts becoming repetitive. We’ve got cows in our game actually. You can blow em’ up.

TAG: It looks a bit like Cannon Fodder on DS.

DJ: Yes, I remember playing Cannon Fodder on my old Amiga 500; it was fantastic – bloody hard at times too. Operation: Vietnam may look like Cannon Fodder first, as we have some surface level similarities (you control a squad, have rockets and grenades), however we have a narrative at the core of the game so you get a logical progression as you work your way from deep inside the jungle towards your final goal.

Sometimes the levels break in two when the squad gets split up, requiring you to experiment with new gameplay tactics. We also have napalm air strikes you can call in, sniper rifles, minefields, villagers to rescue, lots of animated wildlife, big end of level bosses, player speech.

MT: I guess there are similarities, enemies to kill, traps to avoid etc, but I personally think Operation: Vietnam shares greater similarities with classic top down shooters such as: Commando, Ikari Warriors and Fernandez Must Die.

TAG: Do you think this type of game is particularly suited to the touch control method of the DS?

DJ: Totally, although we haven’t overused the touch control for the sake of it. The game is an arcade shooter at its core, so you use the D-Pad primarily for movement and A,B,X,Y for guns/grenades/medipacks etc.

What the touch screen has allowed us to do is to create a simple and visually accessible interface system that doesn’t get in the way of the game. Our design is very ergonomic as you just slide your thumbs a short distance from the digital controls (then back again) to select your troops / issue orders / toggle the map for navigation – all whilst the game is still running at full speed on the top screen.

TAG: So what were your influences when making the game?

DJ: We drew inspiration from a number of arcade action games like Cannon Fodder, Ikari Warriors, Metal slug, Alien Breed, Midnight resistance and The Chaos Engine. All excellent action games.

MT: Lager.

Screenshots:

Operation: Vietnam is out now in the US and released in the UK in October.

7 Comments

1. Pingback: The Average Gamer » Operation: Vietnam - Lead Artist and Designer Q & A - Part II

2. Pingback: Roushi’s Gaming Blog » Blog Archive » Operation: Vietnam (DS) May Not Suck!