Gameogre Project Blackout Interview w/ Daniel Noss, SG Interactive's Game Operations

"Project Blackout will test your skills as gamer with fast paced action, precision shooting, and twitch response times. Project Blackout's graphics, surround sound, and camera effects will put you in the middle of the action and test your skills at a whole new level. Lock and load!"

Gameogre: Project Blackout is a free to play FPS soon to be released by SG Interactive in early 2011. Can you tell us a little about the backstory for Project Blackout and what the game play will be based around?

Daniel N: Project Blackout takes place in the country of Korogese. Since its inception, Korogese has risen through the ranks of global power at a meteoric rate. So fast, that the piecemeal government can no longer sustain itself and has been taken over by the massive corporations and merchants that grew out of its success. Now that the country has matured, and the populace is at peace, these same corporations are seeking to disarm the general populace with the promise of laws to protect the innocent and police to keep the peace.

The game play will be fast, fluid, & furious.

Gameogre: Can you describe to us a little more about the game mechanics in Project Blackout? Will there be quests, levels, or stat distribution? How do players advance through the game and interact with other players?

Daniel N: PB has some very interesting and character focused leveling aspects; similar to that of an RPG leveling system. For instance, all players start at level 0 and acquire “Rank†as they gain exp levels. As well, players start off with the first of many quest style “Mission Card†sets. These Mission Card sets have a list of FPS style “quests†that are completed as they play. For instance: gaining kills with a specific weapon, scoring headshots and the like. As Mission Card sets are completed, a player would acquire Ribbons and or Medals. Once a player obtains Exp “Ranksâ€, and enough Ribbons and Medals are acquired, the player then exchanges the Medals and Ribbons to unlock slots on the Advanced Combat Training (ACT) map; similar to a Skill Tree.

Each level of the ACT that is acquired will add combat stats to the character. Awesome things like: faster movement, damage or control improvements, bullet capacity, etc… However, the ACT hones the skills of varying play styles. That means if you’re the “Spray and Pray†kind of Operative, you’re not going to want a majority of the Sniper or Engineer tree skills. Though the buffs are great, the de-buffs may play against you. Finding the perfect balance when optimizing your ACT to your play style is part of the fun, and what makes for the ultimate competitive edge.

Gameogre: There will be 2 Factions and 4 classes available in Project Blackout. Can you give some details about them? What makes them different and what makes each faction and class stand out?

Daniel N: There will be two factions, and two starting characters; one for each faction. Other characters can be purchased in the shop (for both in-game currency and premium purchase options). The actual characters themselves are purely aesthetic; it’s up to the player to customize the character for looks and stats.

There are a few different reasons as to why a player may want to play The Corps or Aegis Inc. (ze’ factions): A wicked story-arch, killer looks and gear that may suit your own style, and for the “particular†FPS player… map control. Each faction will always start on a designated map side.


Gameogre: I understand that Project Blackout will feature a destructible environment. Can you give us some more details about that and what exactly that means for anyone who may not know? How will these destructible environments incorporate into the game play?

Daniel N: Shooting through dry wall like Robocop (minus the Murphy), blowing through glass like John McClane, nade’ completely through some walls that get in the way, you see a camper tucked out behind a rickety car… blow it up, and god forbid some poor soul meanders passed an oil barrel /boom! A homemade hole-in-the-wall is not just a flashy entrance, it all plays into leet Project Blackout Tactics.

Gameogre: Project Blackout will feature fast paced action, precision shooting, and twitch response times. Given this how easy will it be for first timers to get into the swing of things? Do you offer any type of learning curve for players just starting out in FPS games?

Daniel N: Any player with some mouse-&-keyboard FPS experience will feel right at home. Though PB is quick on the twitch trigger, the entry barrier is minimal. In short, the minimally experienced FPS player can jump on this game and understand the fundamentals with ease.

And for the new to FPS players, fresh outta’ boot camp, we’d strongly suggest experiencing PB’s AI Challenge Mode. The AI Challenge can be played solo or co-op, and the AI difficulty ranges from 1 being extremely easy (great for warming up your sites) up to level 10... feeling like you’re playing against live opponents; it’s almost scary, but that’s how good the AI system is. If you start off the AI Challenge at level 1, the difficulty will only increase if you go on a killing spree (every 20 enemies killed), and even then; marginally. If you want to go for the gusto, crank up the difficulty to taste. What is also great about the AI Challenge is that you actually pick up a little bit of Exp and in-game currency for your trouble.


Gameogre: There are unique gameplay modes in Project Blackout that offer 5 ways to fight. Can you tell us some more about these and the differences between each one?

Daniel N: All game modes in PB are team based. The PB Open Beta will have 4 maps to start with, but we will definitely develop new maps in the not so distant future.

Death Match = When any player dies, you will respawn almost immediately. The team with the most kills at the buzzer, or the first team that hits the established kill total wins the match.

Eliminate Mode = Is an elimination style (last man standing) match, if you die then you have to rely on the rest of your team to pick up the slack until that round is up. The first team to kill all of those on the other team wins that round. Then you play best 2 out of 3, 3 out of 5… etc.

Destroy Mode = Go to the enemy base and destroy the predetermined object. Be careful though, the object in question just might be a helicopter, that’s airborne, with an enemy operating the mini-gun and raining hell down on your team… Yes, that means you can have fun with the copter too, as long as you keep them away from the RPGs.

Bomb Mode = Elimination style objective mode: plant the bomb or defuse the bomb for the most Exp and in-game money, or slay the other team while they figure out how to arm the bomb… your move.


Gameogre: Can you tell us a little about the gear and items that can be found in Project Blackout and the ways players can obtain them? What are the benefits to getting or earning these items?

Daniel N: We will starter weapons and shop weapons (in-game currency and premium items) - SMGs, Assault Rifles, Sniper Rifles, Machine Guns, Explosives, Throwing Weapons… even an axe, Pistols, Dual pistols… DUAL SMGs (eat your heart out John Woo), and an SMG or three (well, maybe).

Some items in the shop will contain character packages, armor, max ammo increase, buff items that add stats, looks, etc… This is an MMO, the sky’s the limit, and we plan on constantly expanding what’s available and how the items are available.

We will promote special events that players can participate in order to receive premier items.

Some special items can even be acquired through obtaining Exp Ranks.

Gameogre: How many different weapons will be featured in Project Blackout? Tell us a little about some of them and how choosing the right weapon for the right situation will give players an advantage?

Daniel N: Each player has either their weapon preference, each weapon has it’s pros and cons, each map caters to both play and weapon styles, and at times, it’s imperative to healthy competition to choose the right weapon for the right circumstance. For example, in “Destroy Mode†you will need to destroy a helicopter, but using a sniper rifle is not the best choice, instead using a weapon with a high rate of fire (preferably with big bullets) would be more affective, or… go find the not so conveniently placed RPG to knock that ghetto bird out of the sky. And, if you have a full team of Snipers… somebody has to lay down suppressive fire with an SMG or an Assault Rifle.

Gameogre: Project Blackout will offer extensions for weapons, what are the extensions, how do the extensions work, and how will they benefit the player?

Daniel N: Some of the weapons will have traditional “Extensionsâ€: silencers, scopes, alternate fire methods (full auto to 3 round burst) and laser sighting.

Some pistols, shotguns and rifles can be used to smack people with the butt end of the weapon, or stab-n-slash with the off-hand shank (a knife Extension).

One yet to be named weapon will offer an akimbo/dual SMG Extension… brutal!

Gameogre: Speaking of weapons, will the ammo be unlimited for your weapon? If not, how do players find or obtain additional ammo?

Daniel N: All weapons have a limited supply of ammo; some more than others.

Weapons can be upgraded to carry more ammo through some future shop items.

If do run out of ammo on your main weapon, then switch to your sidearm/pistol (or nades’).

If you run out of ammo all together and can’t find another gun magically lying around, then knife an unsuspecting enemy and steal their gun.

Gameogre: Tell us some more about the body armor and helmets found in Project Blackout. Why are they important to gameplay? How do they improve upon the customization experience?

Daniel N: There is no such thing as being truly bulletproof, and what the helmet and armor does is marginally increase your survivability. Living through 1 more bullet can actually turn the tide of a competitive game. The security of knowing you’re a little tougher can greatly improve the overall gaming experience while keeping it fun. If you hear “Helmet Protection†in-game, you took your “1†bullet to the head and lived… I assure you, the next head shot will drop you, even from a pistol, no matter how much armor you have. The hard-core FPS player won’t pass up that chance.

Gameogre: Since Project Blackout will be free to play, will you have an in game item mall or cash shop? If so, what types of items can players expect to find in it and how will they affect the game play?

Daniel N: We will open up the in-game Shop to both in-game currency (Credits) and Premium products (Points) in the future.

From there you will be able to purchase Items, Characters, Weapons and much more with both in-game and real world currency.

Again, some of the more unique items that players will be able to acquire will not only kick rounds and explosives in the air, but offer our players the option to customize their own character look and play style, but more detail on those options later.


Gameogre: Is there anything else you would like totell us about Project Blackout?

Daniel N: A choice needs to be made: Honor or Freedom, and when you’re at 10’ and closing… (PB Slogan) “Let the bullet decideâ€.