The Forgotten War Interview feature

[page=Interview]
modDB: Before we start, could you please introduce yourself, and share with us what positions you serve as on your team?
Pelezo: Hi, my names Eric Pelezo, I’m the project leader and I serve many positions. I do a little bit of everything but the main things I do are leading (contrary to what people think is a VERY tough job, you’ll see if you ever get into a project leaders spot), and coding.

modDB: The Forgotten War is listed as a strategy modification. Please explain to what degree this game will be a strategy game, and if it can be classified as a traditional RTS.
Pelezo: The Forgotten War is listed as a strategy modification because it’s an RTS and a FPS all thrown into a blender. The reason it’s a strategy modification is because the general on both sides will make those game making decisions, you’ll have to designate waypoints for your platoons, those waypoints could lead that platoon right into an ambush and therefore you loose. You’ll also be making important decisions as when to come in with the drop of supplies (Americans) because certain things such as a night drop and a day drop can be crucial (if night & day maps are used).

modDB: TFW seems to be shaping up to be a very unique mod. What single element do you want TFW to be associated with, and remembered by in particular? What will set it apart most from the generic mods these days?
Pelezo: FPRTS (First Person Real Time Strategy) is what we want to set us apart from every other modification. Most games you run around and shoot a pixilated person on the screen, we want you to think and have fun at the same time.

modDB: How much realism can we expect in TFW? Will you design it more with the actual events of the Korean war in mind, with the players in mind (i.e. trade a little realism in for arcade fun), or establish a balance?
Pelezo: We’re going for an accurate representation of the Korean War; you’ll be fighting in the most realistic Korean War locations that you could ever find in a game; keep in mind though, some things just can’t be done. The air vehicles might be a little easier than realistic simply because not everyone has time to learn how to become a helicopter pilot. Generally, you could say it’s going to be about 80% realistic compared to most games that are about 30% realistic.

modDB: How long have you been working on The Forgotten War? What was your inspiration for making a modification based on the Korean war?
Pelezo: Well, I started The Forgotten War after watching old movies, reading up on it, and watching M*A*S*H. I started it up and my friend F|uxx made the website. Then another person in the BF42/BFCentral (now FPSC) forums who’s known as Psy| was making a M3A1 Grease Gun and after seeing it I couldn’t help but love the model and so I proposed the idea to him, it’s been a long friendship since then and he’s never left my side through hard times and through the spoils of war.

modDB: Is there an expected release date that you'd be willing to share?
Pelezo: Well, truly, it all has to do with the lack of staff as of right now. We’re always looking for new staff whether it’s in the graphics department or the modeling department. Right now we’re especially searching for a coder who knows the Far Cry engine or who is willing; keep in mind you have to have an open mind about what we are doing and keep the faith that TFW will be big. The more staff we get the faster TFW will get out the door. The idea of having a public alpha from the first release up has floated around and was almost tested, but certain individuals prevent that because they would bias TFW on that alpha. We’re shooting for at least 2005’s summer, if not before that.

modDB: What can we expect in the first release of TFW? Will you wait until all of the weapons, vehicles, characters, and maps are done, and then release it all as one huge mod, or release it progressively in small increments/patches?
Pelezo: We’re in the process of updating the weapons, vehicles, and other miscellaneous items on the website right now, that’ll be our final list of things to expect in V0.1. We plan on having a incremental patch system that will enable weekly content to be added so that you’ll have that great new vehicle and that bug fix the next day.

modDB: How many people are currently active on your team? What is the highest number of active that were ever on the team at any given time?
Pelezo: Right now, we have 11 people on our team including department managers. The highest to my relocation is 18 members at once but the team was never stable at that time. Right now, it’s very stable but again, we’re always and are looking for more!

modDB: The FarCry modification community is certainly feeling some turbulence, in the wake of an erratic SDK release, and a sudden loss of interest from the general community. How, if at all, has this changed the progression of TFW? Has it changed the way you run it?
Pelezo: It’s obvious that Far Cry isn’t the best in multiplayer, that’s a given. The problem lies in the server owners in my opinion, I’ve seen some good modifications get released (realism modification, cry radio, etc) but none of the servers run them. Crytek I believe will put out a free small expansion pack, at least I hope so.

modDB: Do you have any closing comments that you'd like to share with us?
Pelezo: I would like to thank modDb for giving me this chance to be interviewed and express some certain opinions that I’ve kept in for a long time without saying anything.

I'd like to thank Pelezo for conducting this interview with us. This is looking to be a stellar modification of galactic proportions, so be sure to check their site out at Theforgottenwar.com, and their modification profile at Moddb.com

Also make sure that you look at the exlusive image that they sent us!

[page=Exclusive Images]
Nota Bene: This is the only render that I received in time for the posting of this, and I felt that it would be better to release this interview now, rather than wait another week for more images. When I do receive the rest of the renders however, I will modify this feature to include them. Keep your eyes peeled!

KaBar Combat Knife (US)