Interviewer: Roberto Nieves
Interviewee: Peter Maurice, Project Lead, Starship Troopers: Extermination
I just want to take a moment to say thank you to the Offworld team. As a Starship Troopers fan, the game is shaping up to be everything one can hope for, especially those like myself who grew up with the 1999 movie. I am grateful for the many years of hard work you have placed into the game and eagerly look forward to its release.
These are the questions I have below. Thank you for your time and good luck!
For those unfamiliar, what is Starship Troopers: Extermination?
Peter: Starship Troopers: Extermination is based on the 1997 feature film and the subsequent 4 sequels. In our game, players team up to battle against hordes of alien arachnids, or "Bugs," on various hostile planets. The gameplay focuses on cooperative multiplayer experiences where players work together to complete objectives, defend their base, and fend off increasingly difficult waves of enemies. The game emphasizes tactical teamwork and strategic defense, mirroring the chaotic and action-packed nature of the source material.
I see the game is nearing the end of this time in Steam Early Access. What were some of the challenges and triumphs made during this time?
Peter: One of the biggest triumphs we have experienced during our early access phase has been the overwhelmingly positive reception to the game from fans of the movie, as well as fans of first-person shooters. Our community is such a warm and welcoming place, and we have enjoyed building our game with them over the past year. I think the biggest challenge we had to overcome was upgrading our engine mid-development from UE 4.27 to UE 5. This was an immense learning experience for us and a necessary step to bring the game to consoles.
We were all surprised and delighted that Casper Van Dien will be featured in the game! Tell us more about Casper's involvement and the single-play mode he’ll be in.
Peter: Bringing Casper into the game was a no-brainer for us, it was just a matter of how we wanted him to be involved within the game world. The moment we shared with him the plans we had for his character, it was quickly apparent that this relationship was going to be awesome!
Casper, through his iconic character Johnny Rico, is the leader of the Special Operations Group. This group undertakes specialized missions for the Federation that require a team with specific skills. Rico is now a general and answers only to the Sky Marshall herself, so he has full autonomy in deciding which missions to assign his S.O.G. teams.
I understand co-op can handle 16 players. Why 16 and not fewer or higher players? Will bots fill in the empty space if one cannot find 16 players?
We chose 16 players because, for us, this is the sweet spot to truly capture the essence of the movie and create large-scale cooperative battles against the Bug. We wanted to replicate the frenzy and pure exhilaration from the movies in our game and ensure that you always had enough players by your side to take down the arachnid menace. Therefore, having 16 players in the match made total sense. We currently do not have bots to fill in for missing players.
Can you give an idea of the resolution and frame rate for PC and Console?
Console Quality Mode is 4k 30 FPS target
Performance mode is 1080p at 60 FPS target
Tell us about the sound and music. Will it use any samples from Basil Poledouris’ score in the first movie?
No, all the in-game music is composed as originals by our wonderful audio department. When it comes to in-game weapon and bug audio we reference the films and some cases use audio stims from the films.
What is the roadmap looking like for the game? Will there be space environments and other worlds?
I can say yes to that and more, we have exciting things planned for the next 5 years at least for our game. The Official Roadmap will be updated during our Official launch on October 11th, 2024.
Will the game explore the Starship Troopers universe more, such as the animated series Roughnecks?
No, we currently only have access to the 5 feature films in the Starship Troopers Universe.
What are you hoping for players to experience on launch day? The joy of coming together and killing Bugs for the Federation?
This game represents a true labor of love for our dedicated team. We are incredibly proud to bring to life a unique 16-player co-op experience within the Starship Troopers universe. Our primary goal is simple: we want every player to have an amazing time. No frills, no gimmicks—just the pure joy of taking down Bugs in your own style. Dive in and enjoy the game!
Starship Troopers: Extermination is available on Steam.