Q&A: Chromehounds producer Toshifumi Nabeshima

With the Japanese release of the Xbox 360 mech shooter Chromehounds rapidly approaching, the official Web site of the game's publisher, Sega, interviewed the game's general producer, From Software's Toshifumi Nabeshima. Nabeshima was involved in the planning of the very first Armored Core game and produced the subsequent titles in the series.

He describes Chromehounds as primarily "a network action game," stressing that the network play focuses on "squad-versus-squad, not one-on-one battles," and said the game's development centered on "the twin cores of the mechs and bringing the network onto center stage." Regarding the mechs, he said he wanted the player's assembly process to allow for even more freedom than in Armored Core. Although the player only has to put together the legs and cockpit at a minimum, Nabeshima said "the number of combinations for the various parts is overwhelming."

With respect to the network play, Nabeshima says From Software chose the squad-based approach to increase the importance of the different roles featured in the game. "With player-versus-player battles, each player would simply build the strongest Hound possible, but that's not what Chromehounds is about. Rather, we want players to focus on constructing Hounds that will let them carry out their assigned tasks according to their [squad's] strategy."

As to why the developer targeted the Xbox 360 for this title, Nabeshima said "the fact that squad battles are the game's focus made it inevitable that we choose the Xbox 360. The foremost factor was the Xbox Live voice-chat feature." This will be central to coordinating squad actions and will be available from the time players enter the squad lobby, even during the mech-customization phase. Nabeshima says he wants players to "chat with each other about strategy, who will take on what roles, and how they should construct their Hounds." This communication, combined with a system that lets teammates swap or give each other parts, will hopefully make the game less intimidating to newcomers. "With help from other squad members, even new players will be able to play a meaningful role in battles."

On the subject of weaponry, Nabeshima said the squad-based gameplay has freed the developers to unleash truly devastating weapons. "In games that emphasized battles between individual players, creating weapons that can decimate opponents with a single shot risks destroying the game's balance. Since Chromehounds is squad based, we can have more extreme weaponry. Players may even feel some of the weapons are too powerful." But again, having the biggest gun on the block isn't necessarily a trump card in Chromehounds. "With teamwork, even a very powerful opponent can be countered. Players needn't give their Hound any weapons at all, if that's what their strategy calls for."

Locomotion offers yet another opportunity for strategizing in Chromehounds. As in Armored Core, the types of legs offered to players will affect speed and carrying capacity, and the player's choice of legs is a question of trade-offs. "Players who emphasize speed will have to keep their mechs light, which means low durability and firepower. On the other hand, players who overemphasize carrying capacity could find themselves victims of close-range attacks or be destroyed by snipers before they're able to flee."

Finally, while acknowledging that its always fun to play pick-up games with people met randomly on the Internet, Nabeshima expressed his hope that players who are already acquainted will take advantage of the game's squad-based approach. "After school or work, you can meet your pals again on the Chromehounds battlefields to chat and play...I hope that players will enjoy fighting alongside their buddies while communicating with one another." Chromehounds will be released in Japan on June 29, with a US release expected in July.