Team Factor Q&A

Without question, team-oriented first-person shooters are a favorite among fans of the action genre. Initially started by Red Storm's Rainbow Six and presently fueled by the popularity of Counter-Strike and other games like it, the subgenre shows no signs of slowing down, and small Czech Republic developer 7FX hopes to capitalize on the frenzy with its upcoming game, Team Factor. Team Factor lets you select from three different teams, each with its own subunits, soldiers, and specialized set of weapons. Once the action begins, all three teams must complete a series of objectives that have been designed in a way that prevents two teams from forming an alliance and taking on the single remaining team. Of course, you're also forced to decide whether you want to take a more offensive approach and tackle the mission objectives right away or stay back and form a defense to make it difficult for other teams to complete their objectives. How well you perform in a mission factors into what kind of weapons you have access to in later missions.

We caught up with Pavel Sinagl of 7FX to learn more about Team Factor, including the differences between teams and subunits, as well as the game's weapons, secondary items, and different mission objectives.

GameSpot: Tell us a little more about the company behind Team Factor. How did 7FX come together?

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Pavel Sinagl: The originator of the whole project is Marek Trefny, who is actually the lead programmer as well. Back in 1999, he finally came to the decision to start work on his own engine for a project he wanted to start. In October 1999, he invited a few people--along with his friend Petr Slavik--to set up the project and start working under the wings of Czech IT company ICCC, where they successfully presented their plan to develop computer games. From that point, the rest of the team guys were hired in May 2000, and in the summer of that year, the first demo showcasing our engine technology was finished and ready to be shown to the public. I joined in at that time and helped to shape the game idea into the form that we are presenting today.

GS: What inspired 7FX to create a team-oriented first-person shooter?

PS: The game was inspired by other successful tactical shooting games, ranging from Rainbow Six to our beloved Counter-Strike. We love such games, but we always thought something was missing from them. We simply started right there with the goal to deliver what we want to have in perfect team-oriented multiplayer tactical ops game.

GS: One of the key elements in Team Factor appears to be the inclusion of three distinct teams. Do these teams have any differences other than physical features?

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PS: Yes, the differences may not be major, but there are trade-offs in some tactical abilities.

GS: Having three teams allows two teams to form an alliance and attack the third team. Do you foresee this being a major problem? If so, how will you address it?

PS: No, the goals are set so that they prevent alliances from forming between two teams against a third one. Only one team can win.