Black & White 2 Updated Q&A - Lessons From Black & White, Tech Details, Creature AI

Real-time strategy games are often characterized by mad rushes on resource deposits to store up enough funds to build a military base and churn out a huge army to crush your enemies. Games developed by designer Peter Molyneux are often characterized by great fanfare...but in more recent times, perhaps with a bit of skepticism. And the designer concedes that yes, maybe some of this skepticism is warranted, especially considering some of the big promises he had made about previous games, like Black & White, an ambitious strategy game that let you play as a god in control of an entire civilization and a gigantic animal ward--and a game that had some notable issues. But Lionhead Studios has been hard at work on the game's sequel. And despite the criticism Molyneux and his colleagues have received in the past, the designer still feels confident that the sequel will not only improve on the original game, but also be nothing less than revolutionary in its own right--and he sat down with us to explain.

GameSpot: We know that the sequel has been in development from around the time of the Creature Isle expansion. Four years after the first game is a long time. But if you had to explain how Black & White 2 will be different from the original game using only one example, what example would that be?

Peter Molyneux: It's a combination of a "god game" and a real-time strategy (RTS) game, which adds totally new elements to the god game genre and totally new elements to the RTS genre.

GS: We understand that many of Black & White 2's nuances and niceties are the result of a lengthy discussion we'll politely refer to as a "complaining session" between designer Ron Millar (whose previous credits include games in the Warcraft series) and you, but what else has gone into the game's design? How much time was spent in design before production began, and what was the design process like?

PM: The process that now exists at Lionhead is to start with a concept, and for Black & White 2, [the concept] is: Are you the god of war or the god of peace? From this point, we kick off research and development. And for Black & White 2, we totally revamped all the game technology, the graphics engine, the way the creature interacts and learns, and the physics engine--this phase lasted quite a few months until we ended up with a prototype. During this phase, we started to design the world and started playing it to death until we had the first playable version, which is what we showed at last year's E3. From there, we have moved on to full production, which is where we are right now. I think it's also worth pointing out that this project started with about 20 people, and currently, the team stands at just over 80.

GS: What were your frank impressions of Black & White's performance after it was released? What did it get right, and what did it get wrong? How did it affect the development of Black & White 2?

PM: Black & White was hugely ambitious, and I am still proud of the brave approach we took. But I think parts of it were flawed, especially the start of the game, the creature learning system, and the micromanagement of your people. Obviously, we have addressed all of the above in Black & White 2 and have enhanced them beyond recognition.

GS: The graphical look of the game has evolved quite a bit since the first screenshots were released. What were the design goals in terms of graphics and physics? What sort of machine will players need to run the game?

PM: The design philosophy was to create a graphics engine which supported what the game was, giving the player the ability to create the most beautiful and amazing cities and to make every graphical feature in the land change to reflect what the player is like, as well as the ability to create massive armies and have huge battles. The implementation of a proper physics system has also greatly enhanced gameplay, particularly the RTS side of the game. Now, you have to smash down walls with boulders and catapults; a few archers just won't be able to do it. As for machine specs, it will run on the same machines that are needed to run the current crop of big games, such as Half-Life 2.

GS: We understand that "peaceful" pets will exhibit more autonomy (but will be less effective in battle), while "warlike" pets will be more effective in combat but may end up bereft of any free will. Aside from this, give us the high points about what else has improved and changed about Black & White's gigantic creature pets. Do they learn faster? Is it easier to teach them? Will they exhibit any other sorts of emergent behavior?

PM: It is right to think of the creature as either the ultimate war unit or the ultimate cute pet. The technology behind the creature is much better now; you can see his thoughts, you can easily teach him a specific lesson, you can even change your mind about the lessons you have taught him and teach him a different way. You can make him think like the commander of a battle, or you can train him to assist you and your people. The creature learning system is vastly improved in Black & White 2, and the AI is greatly superior.

GS: Black & White 2 will have a very streamlined interface. Lionhead's other project, The Movies, is going to be multiplatform, and it too has a streamlined interface. Any chance of seeing Black & White 2 for any consoles, current or next-generation?

PM: Not something I can comment on at the moment. Sorry.

GS: Have you found that after crafting the original game, which laid down a basic gameplay framework in terms of caring for towns, guiding animal pets, and waging war, that working within this framework is a bit easier? Or is it proving to be just as challenging?

PM: Everything we are doing in Black & White 2 is challenging, with the RTS portion effectively adding an extra third to the game. Black & White is a great premise to start from, but every aspect of the game has been vastly improved. Perhaps our greatest challenge has been to retain the interest of our original Black & White fans while appealing to the more seasoned RTS players as well.

GS: Tell us about the game's current status. What aspects of the game is the team working on now? How far along is the game?

PM: We are currently working very hard to get the game to alpha stage by the middle of May. All game features are locked and in place, so now it's a question of refining and polishing.

GS: Finally, is there anything else you'd like to add about Black & White 2?

PM: I am tempted to say this is as good as a game gets...a completely new form of playing a god game and an RTS. Ron [Millar] and I have spent hours and hours playing this game, but we are still continually being totally blown away by what has been built. I'm sure many people will say, "Well, he would say that, wouldn't he?" So, I'll say what I can with total certainty, which is that Black & White 2 plays even better than it looks and has already exceeded my own dreams.

GS: Thanks, Peter.