WIP Focus: Kratos, by Kratos and DooM Part 1

Volzzilla has done it again. He has shared another interview with a very talented creator in the MUGEN community, Kratos. The best thing about Mugen is the wide variety of characters available from very different universes so that battles that we always wanted to see can finally be done. I'm really glad to see a character based on Kratos. Volzzilla's comments and questions are bolded and Kratos' are unbolded.

Hold onto your chains ladies and gentlemen, I just sat down with lead programmer and gameplay designer, Kratos, for an exclusive interview about the upcoming God of War Mugen character. Check out the article to see what's in store for this vengeful Spartan.

1) Why did you personally decide to start work on this character?

There are a couple reasons for this. One is that I'm a huge God of War fan (haha, that's obvious). Another is that I was going to work with DooM on a Kratos character about 2 years ago, but it never took off. It wasn't until recently that I learned that he was going to start spriting Kratos again. I saw the sprites on MFG and it was a major overhaul. They were bigger and better. So I contacted DooM through msn, we got to talking and before you knew it, we were partners once again. But this time we're in it to finish.

2) Why are you primarily drawing from GoW 2 and 3 for inspiration for this character and not the first game and the PsP versions?

We feel there is much more potential for gameplay and story if we focus the character on GoW 2 and 3. GoW 1 is a great game, but we feel that 2 expands upon it and really breaks into Kratos' persona. The story is deeper, and we get to see much more of Kratos’ abilities. We haven't learned much about GoW 3 besides what's available for public knowledge, but what we have seen so far is very interesting and could make it's way into the character.

3) I've been reading your WIP threads about how the weapons system will be an accessible inventory system you can switch on the fly. Can you go into more detail about this system please? What weapons will you be using?

Right, the weapon system will be on the fly. That means no graphical inventory. Kratos will use a weapon button. That means you can setup for some pretty sick combo's by weapon switching during them. I won't go into full detail right now about what weapons you'll see, because surprises are good. But here are a few that we have planned:

• Typhon's Bane - A magical bow and arrow-like weapon that allows Kratos to fire rapid blasts of wind.

Blade of Artemis - This is a large, curved, cumbersome blade given to Kratos by the goddess Artemis. It is quite slow, but also does more damage to enemies than the Blades of Chaos.

Barbarians Hammer - A slow but powerful close combat weapon originally wielded by the Barbarian King. With it, Kratos can deliver powerful slams and smashes, and also summon legions of souls.

4) Considering he was a pretty significant component of GoW2, will we see Pegasus implemented in any way?

Yes. I think one of the greatest parts of GoW 2 was the Pegasus ride. We probably won't be seeing Pegasus in the combat aspect of the character, but actually in the intro and/or outros.

5) Magic was also one of Kratos' main attacks, what spell concepts are you planning to use in the MUGENized version of him?

There will definitely be magic abilities. These are only some of what's planned.

• Atlas Quake - A wide area ground pounding attack in which Kratos summons earthquakes and rocky debris.

• Head of Euryale - The severed head of Euryale, which can be used to turn enemies to stone (similar to the Medusa's Gaze from the first game).
  
  We will reveal more magic abilities later as the character progresses.

6) Any plans on implementing fatalities? If so, can you please go into more detail about that?

If Kratos does have any fatalities, you won't see an actual Fatality screen. This isn't Mortal Kombat and I don't think it would go with him very well. Much like the original games, fatalities would most likely be in the form of QTE Finishers. Though this is all still being worked out. If we include them, we want to make sure it's done right.

7) What's been the most challenging part of your project so far, and what challenges do you think you will encounter as you continue the character?

So far the challenge is making everything look right. DooM is an amazing spriter, and when I code the animations, they also must look fluid and natural. We don't want the character to just play great, but look great as well. God of War pushed the PS2 graphically, and we're looking to do the same in Mugen.




I would say overall this would be my most challenging project. This character is going to be more complex than anything I've worked on. We're setting the bar so high I'm going to have to learn a thing or two about things I never coded. And lastly, the AI of the character…I haven't coded AI before. So this will be something new to me. Though I am looking forward to it. It's going to be a challenge not just because I haven't coded an AI before, but also because the AI I want to code has to be perfect for this character.

8) Anything else you would like to share?

I'd like to thank the community thus far for the support we've received on this character. DooM and I are always open to questions and suggestions. After all, this is a character made by the fans for the fans. Keep an eye out in the coming weeks for more news. And for all those who don't know yet, God of War: Mugen Carnage - The Official Site is the dedicated site for our character. See y'all around...in Hades!

Thanks, Kratos! All right, so that wraps up the interview with Kratos. Stay tuned for part 2 when we interview lead spriter and website designer DooM. Are DooM and Kratos planning to unveil something new? Find out next week.

To follow their progress, take the following links:

http://www.infinitymugenteam.com/Forum_345/index.php?topic=21237.0

http://forum.mugen-infantry.net/index.php?topic=124375.0

http://mugenguild.com/forumx/index.php?topic=93833.0

For more info on Kratos in general, go to:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/God_of_War_(series)