If you’ve seen me online lately, I’ve probably been too busy playing Bioshock 2′s multiplayer to notice any other games (I wish this was an exaggeration). Really, you should try it – it’s a satisfying gaming experience. Fortunately, I was able to unglue myself from the screen long enough to notice that I had been given the opportunity to play a new game from Bioshock 2′s Lead Programmer, Jesse Attard (you may remember his name from the Bioshock 2 developer conference call I sat in on before the release). Turns out, Jesse has taken his talent and experience and started his own company, Tactic Studios. Their new game is called Immortal Empire, a foray into the brower-based RPG world. Check out my interview with Jesse below, and then go to his site and download Immortal Empire.

Q: What was the decision behind going from something like the Bioshock 2 multiplayer to Immortal Empire?

A: Immortal Empire was something I started developing before I began working on Bioshock 2. It was developed in my spare time really just as a hobby because I love making games. Working on a major project like Bioshock was an awesome experience and there was an excellent level of camaraderie among the team.  It has a unique and fascinating universe that was lots of fun to explore – but it’s a universe someone else created. Immortal Empire was an opportunity to bring something I imagined to life, and seeing it materialize is a very special and different feeling.

The class designs are amazing, and it was really hard deciding which character I wanted to go with.

Q: Is “browser-based multiplayer RPG” a genre you’re personally interested in?

A: I love RPGs, being a huge fan of Diablo and Baldur’s Gate, with some obvious influences making their way into Immortal Empire. I knew I wanted to create something that had a storyline and party system like Baldur’s Gate, but was complemented by the multiplayer style and item structure found in Diablo.

The browser-based market was a good medium for the game.  The scope of browser-based games allowed me to make sure I could create a full-fledged world in that old school isometric style, without it feeling extremely dated.  I had no budget other than my own personal income and very little time because I was busily working away on Bioshock.  Web games seemed like a perfect avenue for a game such as this where I could make storyline and gameplay the focus, rather than the mindblowing graphics you see on modern consoles nowadays.

Q: What has the feedback been like for Immortal Empire?

A: It’s been very positive.  Customers tell me it gets more engaging the deeper you go, as you see more storyline and unlock more party members, the strategy becomes more evident and has greater depth.  It’s really exciting to hear comments like that, because it means they are enjoying the more complex and subjective parts of the game.  Those are the parts that I think are the hardest to get right, since everybody has their own opinions on what makes an interesting story or a fun game.

A lot of people tell us that they want more!  Which is good news because we’re planning an expansion in the near future that will explore a lot of the Polar and Volcanic realms, with new monsters, NPCs, quests, the whole bit.

Q: What is your personal background and how did you get to where you are now?

A: I’m a computer science graduate so my primary skill is programming.  That’s what I’ve focused my career around, but I love music, art, writing and game design as hobbies.  Before I started work on console games I was a manager at Capcom’s North American mobile games studio, making mobile versions of their classic games like Street Fighter 2 or Resident Evil.  That’s really where I felt I got to flex my creative skills because I was contributing pixel art, music, sound effects, programming, as well as designing the games.

This is how you correctly use pixels.

Q: Are you playing Immortal Empire, and if so, which class are you playing as?

A: Absolutely. I’ve played through it several times with every character, my favourite probably being the Summoner.  She just has a huge arsenal of powerful magic spells all centered around summoning “something”, and are really fun to use.  I also like the Berserker and Treant.  They’re the most badass of the Immortals I’d say, the Treant being a huge slow tank, and the Berserker being quick and powerful.

Q: Bioshock 2 mulitplayer is amazingly fun – how did you like working on that?

A: I’m glad you think so! I happen to find it pretty fun too.  What can I say, Bioshock was a great franchise and we had a fantastic team.  The project went smoothly and both Digital Extremes and 2K worked very hard on creating a quality product.  I’m very happy with the reception and the number of people who seem to be playing multiplayer.

Q: What’s next for you and Tactic Studios?

A: Well I’m still working full time as a Lead Programmer on a new secret console game, but that won’t stop me from focusing on Tactic.  The next thing is to keep updating Immortal Empire.  We have two expansions worth of content planned, with each expansion roughly doubling the length of the current game.  We’re also adding a very light, optional micro-transaction system, which should come online before the expansion is complete.  Other community features such as PVP ladder, tournaments, trading and the like are also planned after the first expansion.  I really want to make sure Immortal Empire is what I’d consider to be a “full” RPG before we move onto another game – somewhere around 50 to 60 hours of gameplay.

After that however, a new game is definitely the plan.  I have lots of other fun ideas and stories to tell, and I won’t stop making games until they’re out there