Axis And Allies

Platform(s): Arcade, Game Boy Advance, GameCube, Nintendo DS, PC, PSOne, PSP, PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, Wii, Xbox, Xbox 360
Genre: Strategy

About Judy

As WP's managing editor, I edit review and preview articles, attempt to keep up with the frantic pace of Rainier's news posts, and keep our reviewers on deadline, which is akin to herding cats. When I have a moment to myself and don't have my nose in a book, I like to play action/RPG, adventure and platforming games.

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'Axis And Allies' - Developer Q&A

by Judy on July 13, 2004 @ 7:29 a.m. PDT

Q : Regarding the various battles, how will factors like terrain and weather affect the game-play?

Timegate: Terrain plays a key role in the battles, defensive terrains (like forest) add a defensive bonus, and slower terrains (sand, snow) slow down and hamper manoeuvrability.

Q : With respect to the various sides the player controls in Axis & Allies, what are the main ways in which their respective forces differ from one another?

Timegate: Each of the nations has a set of generals, each with their own set of special operations; each nation models the strategies of the real-world nation from World War II. For example, the Japanese are best at using quick strikes on their enemies and at digging in. Another big difference is all the vehicle types; each nation has a set of vehicles that matches the equipment that they were able to bring to bear during World War II. Additionally, each nation has special units that are only available to that nation, e.g., Rocket Trucks for Russia, Flame Tanks for Great Britain, and Banzai infantry for Japan.

Q : Operation Sealion appears in the Axis missions - what made this appealing as a mission despite historically never have taken place?

Timegate: Precisely because it never took place, we were able to step in an alternate history version of events and play out a really interesting "What if?" scenario using our game mechanics. It appeals to the player because they get a chance to play through events that didn't occur in history and they get a chance to change what happened or didn't happen.

Q : The game employs a "battlefield A.I system which employs the tactics used by actual battlefield generals, are the tactics different enough? for Example are German tactics vastly different from Japanese tactics and how is this being used as a Game-play dynamic?

Timegate: The Battlefield AI engine is an incredibly complex strategic artificial intelligence player. At its core it is a robust goal engine that is fed a set of parameters, say, the basic information that a player would learn about A&A from a website or the manual. From these parameters and its goals, it begins a process of learning whereby it assigns priorities to goals and adjusts those priorities based on the conditions and events on the map. The Battlefield AI engine will learn and adapt as the game goes on, so that the player is constantly challenged throughout the course of a battle. Interestingly, the Battlefield AI engine is customisable to the point where distinct personalities and tactics can be built into each AI personality.

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