GamesBeat: There are some other interesting new features in the hardware, like feedback for your fingers in the controller and the more accurate Kinect. Are you planning to integrate some of that?
Esteves: We’ll be talking about Kinect more later on. There will be a cool set of features we think core gamers are going to appreciate. As for the rumble trigger, we were this close to getting it into the build. It’s a super cool feature. We just couldn’t pull it off and get it feeling quite right for the show. But you’ll see that coming on a little bit later.
GamesBeat: Do you have a more directed path through the game, or are we going to have a fair amount of choice in how we pursue objectives?
Esteves: It depends on the level and the encounter. Some of them are a little more linear. When you watch the demo, though, it may seem very linear, but when you play it, you realize that you can roam almost anywhere on this battlefield. We’re trying to keep it very focused, but we still want to give the player some choices.
GamesBeat: Do you have any particular details about timing and things like that?
Esteves: We’re a launch title. You guys know that. Besides that, I’m just the design guy. They just tell me when to finish it up, and that’s when I stop.
GamesBeat: How large is the game altogether? If this is one level, what length are you aiming for altogether?
Esteves: This isn’t quite a full level. It’s just part of a level. But we’re not talking about that too much yet, because the game is still in development. We don’t have a final estimate on time yet.
GamesBeat: With six years in development, I figure you should have something to show for it.
Esteves: Man, if we were making this game for six years, I would deliver you the magnum opus of action-adventure games. [laughs] It’s only really been two years for what you see here.
GamesBeat: You could have done the whole decline and fall of the Roman Empire.
Esteves: That would be amazing. “Hey, here’s an unlimited budget. Make a game about the entire empire, beginning to end.” I would totally sign up for that.
GamesBeat: By the way, how closely are you looking to stick to history here? I get the impression that it’s partly historical and partly fictional.
Esteves: It’s historical fiction. The idea is that we picked the best parts that we liked out of Roman history. It’s such a vast span of time with so many cool parts in it, we tried to pick what we really liked and boil it all down. More important, though, we tried to nail Roman culture. You’ll see things like aqueducts and those awesome giant ships, the triremes. Wherever we could, we tried to stay true to the cultural details of the Roman time period.