Aliens: Colonial Marines fan FAQ

[Sh0dan]

I decided to create a frequently asked questions thread, to help answer newcomer questions regarding ACM. Though bare in mind this is a fan made FAQ, its not official. I imagine ennui (the Gearbox community manager) will put one of those up when the time is right. Also bare in mind, some of the contents is based on old information from March 08, so there's a possibility some information may no longer be accurate. Please let me know if I got anything wrong. Thanks.


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."

And here is the initial SEGA announcement, which has the old release date and possibly other out of date information:-

ALIENS: COLONIAL MARINES VIDEO GAME DETAILS REVEALED

First-Person Shooter Based on Popular Motion Picture Franchise Coming to Xbox 360®, PLAYSTATION®3, and PC in Late 2008

LONDON AND SAN FRANCISCO (February 21st, 2008) - SEGA Europe Ltd. and SEGA of America, Inc. today revealed details of the highly anticipated squad-based first-person shooter video game, Aliens: Colonial Marines (tm). Licensed through an exclusive agreement with Twentieth Century Fox Licensing and Merchandising and developed by Gearbox Software, the game will be available on the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system and Windows-based PC in late 2008.

In Aliens: Colonial Marines, players are part of a United States Colonial Marine squad and must prepare to face an alien assault more intense and horrific than ever before. Driven by a compelling and original story penned by renowned writers Bradley Thompson and David Weddle Aliens: Colonial Marines will retain the atmospheric look and feel of the original films while leveraging next-generation technology to create an entirely new interactive Aliens experience. Packing classic Aliens weaponry ranging from pulse rifles to flamethrowers as well as brand-new equipment and skills all within a squad-based combat system, players will become an elite United States Colonial Marine. Featuring claustrophobic environments, a brooding soundtrack, and a multitude of surprises and shocks, players will battle against menacing alien hordes in strikingly detailed levels that include the stark interiors of the abandoned Sulaco and unique environments created specifically for the game.

Aliens: Colonial Marines will feature a story driven single-player mode and an all-new four player co-op mode allowing players to share the chilling experience with three friends. In co-op mode, each player will assume the persona of a Colonial Marine and have a distinct role to play in the completion of every mission. Additionally, more multiplayer modes will be revealed later in the year that will complete the Aliens video game experience. Since its 1979 debut, Alien and its three sequels have grossed more than $557 million worldwide, garnering numerous awards, including two Academy Awards®.

2. When is the games release scheduled for?
The release date on the main Gearbox Software website says: TBA (To be announced).

In regards to unofficial release dates, ennui the Gearbox Community Manager had this to say:

Originally Posted by ennui

“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):

Originally Posted by botman

“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.


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 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. Where can I find screenshots or videos of the game?
Most of the media that has been released to us can be found in threads on the forums here. Here's a compilation thread of old released media.


13. 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.

***

Well that should cover most of the commonly asked questions most of us long term forum members know, but I guess it would be okay to post any other questions you have in this thread. No idea when they will get answered though.

[Chris!(($$))!]

Shodan I was thinking that you could include some of the more accurate articles available on the internet as they are pretty good to read for newer members and those looking for the articles. This could include most of the GamesRadar interviews they had with Gearbox. Mainly these two,
http://www.gamesradar.com/xbox360/al...04114510395087
http://www.gamesradar.com/xbox360/al...04114510395087

[Sh0dan]

Not a bad idea Chris, however myself, I don’t really have the time to compile all the old articles together. Besides I’ve already kinda done that on my ACM news blog linked in my sig. I would prefer to keep this thread just on the basics, the things we are fairly certain are accurate for the game. A lot of those old preview articles may not be terribly accurate to what the game looks like, when we see it next.

But I would be okay if anyone else wanted to compile them together in a separate new thread. Anyone willing to take up the task would need to keep editing their original post and adding ACM articles to it, along with dates the articles were published. Aside from that you can organise it however you wish.

Though just a pre-emptive heads-up, once media starts to roll out again, you guys should definitely post anything new in its very own brand new thread, to give it maximum visibility. Though links can be added to the compilation thread if anyone decides to make it.

[Chris!(($$))!]

If you got it all in your blog I think that is good enough. Though if new members come on and ask for some of the older articles I will try and put together the list that I can find.

[Major Johnson]

Will the game offer a single player option?? I'm not sure what the offline 2 player split screen refers to.

[Xhan]

Yes.

[phelankell05]

I'm really hoping someone can disprove or give me hope here. I've heard a rumor about the date being 11/11/11. Please tell me this isn't the case and we'll see the game in 2010!!!

[Chris!(($$))!]

11/11/11 is a bunch of bull ****. We can expect the game anywhere from Quarter 2 2010 to Quarter 1 2011. Thats what someone from Sega said.

[Sh0dan]

Everything we know about the release date is in the FAQ above.

Also, this isn’t the place to discuss release dates. We have a release date speculation thread for that, click here.

Right now, we are waiting until AvP3 is out in the stores, after that we can hopefully look forward to GBX / SEGA / FOX talking about ACM.

[Mr Abecrombie]

Many thanks for this. It's pretty consise and gives you a clear ldea of where things are up to.

Cheers.