Q: Why were specific cultures chosen over others for the various factions (ancient Greece versus Rome in the case of Aleph)? And will we possibly be seeing some other cultures in the future?
interruptor: OKs, to to the question related to specific cultures,
we choose those who has some link with related factions (Hindu for
ALEPH as India is a growing up power in informatics and part of
PanOceania; Greece before Rome, because Roman Myths are a copy of Greek
ones, so its was preferable to take the original, for example.
interruptor: About new cultures, at the moment, we have not planned to add more , we'll keep to the ones we have for the sectorials we still have to develop
Q:I
would like to know which fictions have been the most inspirational in
the creation process of the setting I mean books, comic-books, films, tv
shows, mythology sagas.
interruptor: Inspirations for Infinity are a lot
of them. Apart of the evident Masamune Shirow, we also have been
influenced by euromanga artists like Trankat. In literature, Dan Simmons
was an important influence for the staff at the beginning, but for me,
British authors like Alastair Reynolds or Ian Banks have been very
important
Q: what has been your experience of using a 3D printed master versus one that has been sculpted by hand?
Bostria: What we can say is that the key point for being able to produce 3D models was to integrate the 3D printed models in our actual production system. We tried many different ways in order to being able to make Master Moudls with 3D printed models and obtain the first Metal Master Copies of those models.
The main problem was that the 3D printed pieces usually got stick into the mould and brake during the process.
Finally... it was by using a few drops of dishwasher in the moudl what avoid the sticking problem, and the 3D printed pieces were easily removable from the master mould.
Q: Which faction/ mini have you enjoyed working on the most and which one is your personal favourite?
bostria: My favourtie miniature is the "112 Emergency Service" from the Ariadna Army. My favourtie army is Yu Jing.
interruptor: Personal favourite faction? All of them!
Please
realize all are my little children. There are some that required more
effort, like the Combined Army due the difficult to create "alien"
cultures, and Haqqislam, which required a lot of documentation, and to
be careful to create an attractive faction in a moment in which Muslim
culture was not very popular...
Q: why are females in Infinity so sexualised ?"
bostria: Let me give you an answer.
At some point we made an amazing discovery: "sexy chics sell lots of blisters" We spend months thinking why, oh why? but we couldn't find an answer.
IMHO while many big companies are still not delivering true scale attractive female models that is a commercial gap that other humble companies with good sculptors can take advantage from.
Q: Will Americans or Canadians get models of them in this dark future?
bostria: USARIADNA is the obvious answer to this question. in the future when a new book delivers the new sectorial armies there will be an american themed sectorial army that is creating a huge anticpation these days.
I just hope we can deliver extremely awesome miniatures for them in order to fullfill the expectations.
Q: Are there a set number of factions? If so have we seen them all already? How many sectorials are planned for each faction?
bostria:We have 8 factions right now: PanOceania, Yu Jing, Ariadna, Haqqislam, Nomads, Combined Army, ALEPH, Tohaa
In the future O-12 and mercenaries will also become factions on their own.
Also, we expect to deliver 2 sectorial armies for each faction in the future.
Q: Will future books follow the art style of Human Sphere or the Paradiso Campaign book?
interruptor: About the art style of future books, just wait and see the upcoming Artbook One to have a clue about future art
bostria: I think that the answer is going to be "more like Human Sphere", the only reason I can give you for this is because Chuck Pires, the artists who made 80% of the Pin ups from the Human Spehere books is again making lot of artwork for us.
But we will keep with the horizontal small speed paintings fron enviromental descriptions. we like those very very much.
Q: Will there ever be plans for either a TAGs VS TAGs minigame featuring a more detailed TAG combat system?
interruptor: We really would like to release a minigame of combat TAGs, but at the moment, we have not scheduled that, unfortunately I must say, but we have not time and company resources enough to face that
Q: the designs of the differing proxy mk bodies of the Posthumans, what was the thought process here?
also why where certain Homeridae chosen over others, for example why more Argives than Trojans?
interruptor :Why Argives and less Trojans amongst the Homeridae? As the Homeridae are Recreations, the Argives will feel a little bit uncomfortable with Trojans besides them as they still remember” those characters as enemies
But I’m not saying there will not be any Recreation of a Trojan hero, but at the moment we keep with Argives.
About the process of creation the Posthuman’s Proxies, you will be
able to take a look to that in the upcoming Infinity Artbook One!
Q: Were the Antipodes a biological weapon employed by the Tohaa on Planet Dawn?
interruptor: It seems the Antipodes were in Dawn planet before the arrival of Tohaa, but those were intelligent to not deal with them
Q: I know that the topic of design decisions is a bit of a sensitive/annoying one, but I'm very curious to know how you guys saw Ariadna competing (in Paradiso) against armies that had helper synch-bots and a wide variety of hacker choices (in addition to Engineer choices) available to them? I'm doing well in our local campaign, but I find that my opponents always start with the upper hand because they have so many options to take objectives. I'd love to hear your thoughts on how you feel that this particular faction would keep up with the others.
bostria: I can tell that by the end of the year Ariadna will have some additions that will be helpful for them regardign objectives
Q: Have you ever thought of expanding the Infinity Univrese onto board or cardgames? OR have you ever been approached by video game makers for licensing?
bostria: we have been aproached bby different videogame companies, but it seems that making an Infinity video game requieres something more than enthusiasm, is a complex task that requieres serius financing investment. Green light for a n Infinity videogame requires many factors to happen.
Q: If there will be an Indian Sectoral for Aleph, will there be any Indian Heroes recreated for it?
interruptor: We'll keep with the Hindu and Vedic references in ALEPH, but not necessarily deeping too much in that, maybe some hero, but not necessarily a Recreation (As Achilles is for example)
Q: The next book will have two new sectorial armies per faction... Really??? I mean also for ALEPH and Tohaa??
bostria: @jehuty two sectorials armies per faction is our objective for the books that expands the factions, yes.
Q: on the box set treatment: is it an "exclusive" for link-team able troop profiles, or it can be a viable solution for AVA 4+ guys? specifically, we'll see a Chasseur box, or is a blister a more sound solution?
(that question could also work in the Intruder case!)
bostria: By now we will stick to the 4 figure box for
those units that can make fireteams and Warbands. we are not completely
sure if people would buy a 4 figure box of Hellcats because, as you may
know, is unlikely to see someone using 4 hellcats in the same battle.
interruptor: Boxed set are planned mainly for those
troops who can link or work together (as Support Packs), but it's more
difficult to release for single action models as infiltrators...
Q: Is the new Anaconda TAG Nomad in origin? and What armies will be able to field it?
interruptor: Yes, the Anaconda is Nomad in origin, but being a Mercenary this doesn't mean it can be enlisted by Nomad Sectorials...
Q: What's the reason for the changes in combi rifle designs for Nomads?
bostria: @flipswitch the new 3D modelling miniatures, and the Iguana design were the starting points for thinking about a redesign of the new nomad weaposn. plus, we were also no completely satisfied with the re-size of the classic nomad weapons.
Q: Is the art book purely art or does it have descriptions for things? Are there any plans for novels or other stories to explore the background/universe?
interruptor: You'll find a brief intro to each faction and the main lines of designing of all of them. Plus a sample text of background of the unit you are seeing, but if you have the books, those info it's not new (except of those models which are not in the previous books, of course)
bostria: the artbook goes like this for every faction:
Page 1 New Cover for the faction
Page 2 Speed painting and a brief faction text
Page 3 concept artwork process
Page 4 Pin up of final art of the design
... That is repeated 4 more times and the last concept design process has 3 pages instead of 1.
Q: pin-up, you say? Do you mean pin-up in the style of the new Anaconda art, or just a larger picture of something?
bostria: when I mean Pin up I mean full figure full color
no background made by chuck Pires, final artwork, not just concept
design.
Q: We will see a new design of the Croc men like we have seen in the Hac Tao?
bostria: @arhaim No plans for a new crocman dossier by now.
(Tom: BOOOOOOO!!!!)
Q: What will be the first Bootleg miniatures to release?
schadlez: O-12 Epsiode 17 answers that question!
Q: Is there any same plans for any of the other weapons? I know a lot of people dislike the PanO combi rifles for example, but they look a lot better scaled down than the older ones.
bostria: @flipswitch redesigning PanO their weapons or their
fusiliers... will happen at some point in the future, but if we get into
redesigning such important miniatures... we would prefer to have a
fluff reason to do so, instead of doing it any given Tuesday. so, lets
wait for the right moment for getting into that.
Q: What can we expect from future CA sectorials? Exrah? EI?
bostria: the future of the Combined Army is intentionally a mystery. Things will happen and reinforcements will come. But we prefer not to reveal anything because it has to be something dramatically BIG
interruptor: Seeds of what will happen with CA are placed in Campaing Paradiso
Q: I heard the the bootleg miniatures would be more display pieces with scenery and parts is this true?
interruptor: The most of the 1st wave of Bootleg have display bases, but that's not compulsory on this rang
Q: I want some Civilians! Tons of people I can put on the streets.
bostria: that is a good idea and fit in the
Bootleg line of miniatures that respect the fluff but are not necessary
for playing.
Q: any news on an Aleph OSS sectorial? Or is that coming soon too?
interruptor: @turtleyawesome.At the moment, we're more focused on the Assault Subsection, and the OSS will be closer to the release of the next expansion, so not soon, sorry.
Q: In terms of concept design, how many
concepts/iterations of design do you typically go through in the design
of a unit or character?
bostria: @marcoskoll It differs depending on wich design. sometimes a troop comes from the 1st sketch like the Kaplan... sometimes a troop comes after months of rejected sketches like the Lasiq.
What I can tell you is that the design process of a TAG is usually Looooong
Q: what about sectorial specific Spec-Ops models? are they possible or, if anything, we'll see something similar in the Bootleg range...?
interruptor: @ademaru. You'll see more specific Spec-Ops, but the expansion of these kind of model will depend on the feedback from the player community
bostria: You will all have more spec-ops don't worry
Q: I have noticed myself, and read on the internet too from other peoples experience, that Tohaa can be very difficult to paint. Are you worried this will affect the sales?
interruptor: Tohaa models are highly detailed, but the
painter is not forced to paint everything is on the model. We want to
release high quality model, that cannot affect the sales, on the
contrary!
Q: Are there any plans for more scenario based books, or even stand alone official missions to play?
bostria: Yes, there are plans for more missions. You
will get information and visual support of that stuff later in this year
Q: Are the Riot Grrls an answer or wink to the sexual objectification discussions in the forums?"
bostria: @ademaru No, Riot grrls are not an answer to any forum chat, We made the Riot Grrls because in Bakunin there are Riot Grrls, they exist there.
Q: I would love to get my hands on a moderator detective/investigator!
interruptor: A Moderator Investigator-detective? Me too!
Q: will there be a new TAG for ALEPH in the scheduled new sectorials??
interruptor: Not by the moment for the Steel Phalanx, but for upcoming ALEPH Sectorials I'm sure you'll see more TAGmania
Q: Will the artbook include art of miniatures not yet released?
bostria: yes, the Iguana, the seraph, the Geckos... I guess that there are more... let me check...
Q: and Art of miniatures that have no profile yet ?
bostria: that will happen later in the year, but I cannot reveal more
Q: What other conventions besides GenCon will CB be attending this year?
bostria: this year we will support the NOVA Open, The Feasts of Baldes Event, One Valhalla weekend from BBlueTablePainting... the Vigo tournament... and there is somethin HUGE coming for TableTop Nation in October
(Tom: My guess is this will also be the LAST year they go to the NOVA Open...)
Q: In the future Morat starter, should we expect resculpts of older models (Vanguards, Suryats) that are more in line with the armor design of the Treitak?
interruptor: We want a more brutish look for the Morats, getting them bulkier and menaceful
bostria: About Morats... I have Fausto right next to me and he is making the most awesome Morat figure I've ever seen.
Q: If I may ask, what kind of visual style can we expect from the Tunguska Sectorial?
interruptor: Tunguska is The Money for Nomads, so high-tech style would be a characteristic of its Sectorial
Q: how much of the design process is driven by the artwork and how much by the sculptors and how much by your design team and you
bostria: design process... at the beginning of INFINITY the sculptors had more freedom and final word when it comes to design, but with the years we've learned to make better working method in ordor to have more control over the miniatures for having better results. Right now the miniatures are more similar to the designs than ever
Q: To get back to my earlier question about concept design, what sequence do things tend to happen in? Do background concepts tend to precede visual design, or does cool imagery tend to inspire unit descriptions?
bostria:
Step Zero- gutier fluff idea
First Step Troop profile from Gutier and previosuly tested and approved
second Step- concept design
Third Step- Gutier writes down the final fluff
Fourth step- Sculpt
Q: Interesting. So there's a fairly strict progression of how things are created, regardless of unit type?
interruptor: The most of the troops start as an Army List need (This army needs a Medium Infantry with MSVL2, for example) from that point the process is what Bostria pointed. But in the origin is the game and army balance, awesomeness comes later
Q: So you look at an army's particular need first, and then find/create the unit to match? How do you go about integrating historical references into the game (i.e. Minuteman, Briscard, etc.)? Are any of you big history buffs?
interruptor: @penemue. Well, I have a History of Art university degree, so you can imagine it is natural to me to look after historical references. It is not always easy, but always interesting to me
Q: In which speciality will be the Varuna sectorial focused on? Camo, assault, deployment?
interruptor: Varuna was conceived as the Quick Reaction Force, but we're still testing it, so I cannot assure you the final result
Q: Do you know what programs your artists use to produce these wonderful pieces of art, I am assuming that the artists work digatlly, am I correct in thinking that?
bostria: 80% of our sculpt are traditionally mad by hand, by Pedro fernandez, Jose Lis Roig and Carlos Torres, and also Fernando liste back in the days. by now we have 2 3D sculptors Fausto and Javier Ureña , they are both relativity new to CB and have made the most recent TAGs. about software used by 3dsculptors mostly "ZBRUSH" About software used by artists "Photoshp" and "Painter"
Q: Have you found that with the constant improvements in sculpting and art etc that you have even more freedom to explore your imagination, or has it put pressure on you to come up with even greater ideas?
interruptor: We never have artistic limitations, only production ones, that's one of the reasons we have not large vehicles for example. But our sculptors always have fulfill the expectations, maybe now with 3D have more freedom in the production area, but on the artistic area we still be the same crazy guys as always
Q: What do you really think of your crazy fan base?
bostria: I think we are ALL a bit crazy. the thing is.... everybody want this to happen, we are just delivering something that people wants. This enthusiasm from people from greec, from the USA, from UK, from Spain... is what makes things happen.
Q: if there is going to be a revamp of the Tiger Soldiers?"
bostria: Tiger Soldiers are ESSENTIAL, they will get their moment, and that will require 100% of our attention, time, efforts and awesomesauce
Q: ny news on structure of the Mercenaries as a separate faction? Different companies etc?
interruptor: @ianjw. Yes, in the future different with specific army list Mercenary Companies will be released, some of them have been mentioned in previous books...
Q: what can we expect from Brigadier Jacque Bruant? I'm really intrigued by this character...
bostria: Jean Reno
Q: hmm, wasn't there supposed to be some sort of comic series?
bostria: the whole project of the Comic is being delivered by a french company full of Infinity enthusiast with great contact in the french comic scene. we trust them very much.
Q: Can you share any teasers about Caliphate? Specifically Khawarijs
bostria: Khawarijs, will make fireteams with Tarik mansuri, will have access to new weapons and they will be the less powerful unit compared to the rest of the caliphate super-bio-enginegered soldiers
Q: how powerful could Caliphate super-bio-engineered soldiers get? Are we talking Ajax/Achilles level? I'm highly intrigued to see them!
bostria: Ajax is a retarded gorilla compared to the excellence of the Mukhtar and Numair units
Q: Which anime/manga are you currently watching/reading? Any favorites?
interruptor: At this moment I'm just reading 2 manga
series: Billy Bat and Master Keaton both from Urasawa. Not sci-fi but
both interesting seinen manga
Q: Are there any plans to expand the game setting at all with novels and the like? even if in digital formats?
bostria: the evolution of the Infinity universe
depends directly form the imagination of our friend Gutier Interruptor
here, he is the main head. And he writes the books, any writer who would
like to expand the universe has to OBEY him in a slave-mode level.
interruptor: Infinity novels must be a license, we are not in the publishing business, that's a different area we are not able to manage...
Q: Is there any thought in the studio towards a 3rd Edition core rule book, that compiles all the clarifications from the Wiki, Forums, etc?
interruptor: It's clear that, at some point a 3rd edition polishing rules and adding some FAQs will be necessary to release, when? That's something right now I cannot reply, but we 're always checking previous and future rules, that's sure!
Q: Aproximately when do you think we could see the "acheron's fall" book?
bostria: approximately when Acheron actually falls....
Q: Will there be weapons packs avilable seperatly? I hate not being able to equip my models with the weapons the come with. Many hackers for example. Or better please include single weapons to attach if you want to. I´d be mire then willing to pay for it extra.
bostria: No, by now, the way to get extra pieces is through tournament pack, and spec ops blisters.
(Tom: The SpecOps models ARE their answer to weapons packs... And, since they are all derived from the Factions' basic troop profiles, you ALWAYS need more basic troops anyway!)
Q: So what will the basic Varuna troop be, then... Something we haven't seen yet? Cheaper (points) than Kamau?
bostria: Kamau fireteam is awesome, and fusiliers will be available too
Q: What are the plans for the tohaa sectorials if any?
interruptor: For the Tohaa, we're investigating the possibilities of the pheromonic technology, and we also have the Chaksa Sectorial, too.
Q: I'm right supposing that from now PanO will see a notable reduction in new HIs, while YuJing will keep a steady flow of them? Needless to say I'm putting high hopes on the Invincible Army sectorial.
bostria: now its time for the Yu jing HIs to have their own sectorial arrmy. the Invinicible army.
Q: any more plans for NeoTerran Sectorial?
bostria: @valthonis Neoterra will have reinformcements next year
Q: Or better, will there be Earth sectorial?
bostria: there were testing of the earth sectorial but we decided to delay that until it has more "meaning" to the actual Infinity universe. when Acheron actually falls....
Q: In terms of your overall direction, you've obviously taken some unique approaches. What drew you to your particular balance of following known quantities and attempting to carve out your own particular niche - personal appeal or the growth of the business/game?
interruptor: It is a delicate balance between personal appeals and company needs, after all we have the responsability of support the salaries of all of us (we have families) but finally personal appeals win more than the company, that's the reason you still have money in your pockets!
Q: how many of your design process and game design is influenced by your Spanish heritage and culture and do you think it is has been a great being away from the gaming centres of the UK and the USA?
Q: a fluff question. Can the nomads ships travel in the worm holes whit out the circulars?
Q: Is there
any chance the Antipode threat will be expanded on and with that any
possibility of an Antipode Faction?
bostria: never heard of an Antipode army, so I guess that is not going to happen.
interruptor: We are researching more Antipode troop combinations but the possibility of an official Antipode Faction is a hard one, sorry for that.
Q: can you give any insight into the Gorgos design, currently we do not know it's look or base size, and there are many discussion on the Tohaa forum with mixed to not so great reactions to it
bostria: Gorgos will appear in the artbook
Interesting stuff, no doubt! Exciting times ahead for Infinity: The Game.
Thanks Tom
ReplyDeleteAwesome, I read every word. Thanks so much for this!! Love these guys.
ReplyDeleteCant wait for the Tunguska sectorial. Lil sad no novels are planned though.
Thanks tom.
ReplyDelete"(Tom: My guess is this will also be the LAST year they go to the NOVA Open...)"
ReplyDeleteWhy's that?