Editor's note: When I first heard of Greed Corp I assumed it was a Mafia Wars clone. Nope. Over to Toby Davis, with the interview….
The land you see here is Mistbound, a universe created by under-the-radar developer W!Games, and the setting of Greed Corp, which just hit Xbox Live and PlayStation Network at the end of February. If you're a strategy-game lover and on the fence about this one — or have never even heard of it — read on for an interview with Game Designer Nikki Kuppens.
Toby Davis: Tell me a little about the game and the role you played in development.
Nikki Kuppens: Greed Corp is a turn-based strategy game with hexagonal tiles. Four factions fight over land and harvest resources to build their armies, but harvesting eventually destroys the playing field. It’s a constant balance between earning money and having something to stand on, with the goal of being the last player standing. I was one of the game’s designers, responsible for the main mechanics, level design, campaign, writing, and Achievements/Trophies.
TD: Sounds like all-out war…yet the world's very colorful. What was the thinking behind that?
NK: Greed Corp takes place in the world of Mistbound, a universe we created as a stage for our upcoming games. Our artists were very much inspired by the work of Hayao Miyazaki. The current state of the world in Mistbound is pretty apocalyptic, but we wanted to make the world look like it was worth saving and fighting for. This translated into the colorful and lighthearted appearance of Greed Corp.
TD: That explains the jaunty background music as well?
NK: That’s also the result of our intention to lighten up the otherwise heavy theme of Mistbound. The whole world is blown and harvested to bits, but the band keeps on playing its happy tunes. Mistbound was inspired by the industrial developments of the last centuries, so we wanted the music to create the feeling of a classic era.
TD: I tend to take my time with single-player, but I have to beat the game to unlock all of the multiplayer maps. What was the reasoning there?
NK: We really wanted to create a sense of progression within the game and pull people into the campaign, experiencing the different AI difficulties and introducing them to the factions and background story. Of course, we kept the option open to join any game you want, and we offer a third of all the maps right from the start. The rest of them, including the titles you get for unlocking them, are nice rewards for getting to know the single-player part of the game.
TD: What kind of development cycle did you have to work with, and what was the team’s best moment other than launching the game?
NK: Development lasted about two years, but during that time we didn’t just make Greed Corp. We already did a lot of groundwork for Mistbound, but we had to keep expanding and refining it. We also created our own in-house multi-platform engine, which is used by Greed Corp and will also be used for our upcoming projects. A memorable moment I can recall is when the AI was able to beat me for the first time. Being the most experienced player at that time, the programmers felt they had accomplished one of their most difficult tasks for this project.
TD: Do you have plans to provide continued support via downloadable content?
NK: Right now we’re keeping all our options open, closely following all the feedback we get on the game. We have lots of ideas for different kinds of cool things, both within and outside of Greed Corp. It’s the first time we’re doing a project like this, so we try to stay on top of it and learn from it, spotting opportunities and determining how they can fit into our overall strategy and development process.