Wargasm: There is a relationship between the consumer and the game developer, this goes without question. However, some developers sign away the support aspects of their game to the publisher. For the most part, our experiences with both developer support and publisher support have left us wanting more of the former. Where does Flagship Studios believe the customer should be assisted? And, more specifically, will Flagship support it's own products?

Bill Roper: Supporting the player community is really the responsibility of both the developer and the publisher. This is especially true in the case of a game with an online multiplayer component. In all of our discussions with potential publishing partners we have put the support and growth of the game, as well as interaction with the gaming community, as a top priority. Very directly, we intend to support the game we make and be an active part of the community that grows around it.

Chile: The sole conceptual illustration Flagship has released presents the viewer with a humanoid female that is distinctly non-human. Can we anticipate this dark and otherworldly tone to reflect throughout the rest of the game, or will we see happier looking characters appear in the game? (in other words, will there be any clowns, dude?).

Bill Roper: We like gritty worlds that have a variety of character types. With the launching of our website we wanted to take the opportunity to show gamers a great piece of conceptual art that reflects our design sensibilities. We could certainly have characters with cleaner, less sinister features, but I would be fairly surprised if we ever created someone or something with the distinct intention of making it “happy”.

Chile: Linux is steadily gaining widespread acceptance as an alternative Operating System. In earlier interviews, Bill Roper has mentioned that the focus of Flagship initial game will be for personal computers. Has Flagship thought to develop "the game" for Linux and/or the Mac OS X operating systems?

Bill Roper: We are currently focusing all of our energies on creating a great game for the PC and have not yet discussed our long-range plans for support on the Macintosh or other operating systems. We do come from a tradition of supporting the Mac with our games, and we will certainly be keeping such a great, passionate base of gamers in our thoughts as our development progresses.

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