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    01/10/2008

    F.A.Q

    I decided to create a frequently asked questions section, to help answer newcomer questions regarding ACM. So here it is.
     
     
    1. What is ALIENS: Colonial Marines?
    ACM is a squad combat, first person shooter based on James Cameron's movie sequel to ALIEN, ‘ALIENS’. The game apparently focuses on the Colonial Marines that appeared in the movie. Randy Pitchford CEO of Gearbox software said:
    "Our game's about becoming a Colonial Marine, and looking at it from the Colonial Marines' perspective."
     
    2. When is the games release scheduled for?
    The release date on the main Gearbox Software website says:  TBA (To be announced). And SEGA have said they are concentrating on their new AvP game first, which will be released early in 2010. So ALIENS: Colonial Marines wont arrive until mid 2010, at the earliest.
     
    In regards to unofficial release dates, ennui the Gearbox Community Manager had this to say:
    “there's a lot of speculation as to the release date, but until you see Sega and us OFFICIALLY announce a date, on our sites and through the news outlets, don't believe it.”
    And when asked about online store dates, this from botman (Programmer at Gearbox):
    “They pretty much just make up a date so they have something to put on the website to get people to pre-order the game.”
     
    3. What gaming platforms will ACM appear on?
    PC, Xbox 360 and Playstation 3.
     
    Though there is also a DS game with the same title name. That version of the game is being developed by Wayforward.

     
    4. How many players will the game support?
    According to the 2008 March (Issue #179) addition of Game Informer, the games main campaign will support 1-4 players cooperative online, with the ability to jump in / drop out at any time, and offline two player split screen.

     
    5. Will there be a online adversarial multiplayer mode?
    At this time it is uncertain. The initial press release said they would be talking more about MP later on down the line.
     
     
    6. Will there be playable aliens in the game?
    Again we don't fully know the answer to this question yet. If there is a competitive multiplayer mode then its very probable there will be playable aliens, but until they talk about MP we cant know for sure. We do know there wont be a single player, playable alien campaign in ACM though, since Gearbox have said they are focussing on the Colonial Marines.
     
     
    7. Which game engine is ACM using?
    A heavily modified version of the Unreal Engine 3. Also Gearbox has adopted Morpheme a middleware animation package for use with UE3.

     
    8. Is this a remake of the cancelled PS2 Aliens Colonial Marines game?
    No. Wieder (Associate Producer) said:
    “The game isn't intentionally related to the previous game, but the title was absolutely perfect. It's not an association we're upset to have, as we all wish that game had been able to be finished because it showed promise. But yeah, any similarities are coincidences or just because they are good ideas for an Aliens game.”
     
    9. Will there be any Predators or AvP references in this game?
    No. According to Wieder:
    “This game is 100% Aliens and Colonial Marine goodness.”
     
    10. Who is writing the story?
    The story is a collaboration between Gearbox Software and the talented science fiction writers Bradley Thompson and David Weddle who most recently wrote for the Battlestar Galactica TV series.

     
    11. When in the Aliens timeline will the game take place?
    Shortly after Ellen Ripley’s death in ALIEN 3. According to Stephen Palmer (Producer):
    “Our game is set after the events of [the movie] Alien 3, which takes place very shortly after the end of Aliens. Our goal is to make a game that answers some of the questions from those two movies, and picks up the story basically right after the squad of marines was wiped out on LV-426 [the moon where humans first encountered the Aliens].”
    In the 360 magazine (issue #35) preview, it states:
    "The opening of the game, taking place around the time of Alien 3 in the series timeline, will see you lead a squad of US Colonial Marines onto the USS Sulaco, to investigate the fate of the crew who all seem to have disappeared, leaving their cryo-chambers empty and the ship floating in space."
     
    12. How accurate to the movies will A:CM be?
    Gearbox Software is well known for their faithful recreation of the source material they are working from as can be evidenced in their previous series of authentic WW2 titles, 'Brothers in Arms'. With Aliens: Colonial Marines, Gearbox have been able to work with people that worked on the actual movies, like the well known concept artist Syd Mead. In the 360 magazine (Issue #39), Gearbox's Executive Vice President and game director Brian Martel said:
    “You know, it's always hard to keep everyone happy. At Gearbox, we have some of the greatest Alien fans right here. As long as we treat the brand sincerely and respectfully, that will reflect in the end result. I think when the players see the story and the game as a whole they will appreciate our efforts, so I'm not really worried. For example, I own several props from the movie, storyboards and probably every single Alien novel and 'making of book ever published. I really think all those hardcore Alien fans out there can rest easy: we are not going to disappoint you: a really awesome Alien game is what you'll get.”
    When asked if Gearbox had worked closely with any of the original movie filmmakers, Martel answered:
    “Not that closely! I mean, we are in contact with Fox, and they've provided a lot of material. We work closely with some of the special effects people at Amalgamated Dynamics, who did the special effects for Alien3, Alien: Resurrection and Alien vs Predator. We went and talked to them to get a better understanding of how the aliens work, and how they would design the aliens for a game. The writers' contributions were also essential in helping us create an experience that is as close to Hollywood as it gets. James Cameron hasn't been round for a chat yet, but hey, we'll keep knocking at his door. You never know...”
    Finally, Gearbox's CEO Randy Pitchford revealed that Brian Martel did get the chance to sit down with Ridley Scott (the original ALIEN films director, and view his storyboards and discuss the whole back story of where he thinks the Alien came from. Additionally:-
     
    - Fox has given Gearbox access to all the original mixed and un-mixed sound recordings from the movies.
     
    - Gearbox went back and accurately matched the film grain and colour tone to recreate the original look of the second movies film print.
     
    - They have constructed their own real working M41A Pulse Rifle from a M1A1 Thompson submachine gun, just like James Cameron’s movie version.
     
    - The Gearbox offices are brimming with Aliens memorabilia and artwork as can be seen in Episode 13 of the Jace Hall Show.
     
     
    ***
     
    That should cover most of the commonly asked questions, but if you guys have any more, feel free to ask them below and I will do my best and try to answer them.
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