From Star Trek Game Information
This Interview with MJCS-gTFC- from the Half-Life 2: Borg Wars modification took place on the 3rd April 2005.
STGU: Can you tell us a bit about yourself and the team making Borg Wars?
MJCS-gTFC-: I am MJCS-gTFC- from the Half-Life 2 mod "Borg Wars". I have been a part of the community since the original Half-Life came out in 1998. I now run www.hlgaming.com a website for other people in the Half-Life community by providing them with news and such. My team comes from all around the world. I have people from here in the United States, Canada, Australia, the UK, and other places around the world. It really makes it hard sometimes to keep in contact with all of these people.
STGU: How did you get into modding?
MJCS-gTFC-: I have always wanted to create a modification ever since Valve released the first SDK. The only problem was I had no clue where to start. I started to work for Half-Life Gaming, and then soon took over its operations. I soon started to learn what it would take to create a mod.
STGU: Have you modded any Star Trek games?
MJCS-gTFC-: I have never modded any Star Trek games although I have played some of them.
STGU: I take it you are Star Trek fan, which of the series are your preferred viewing and has this had an impact on what is going to be included in Borg Wars?
MJCS-gTFC-: My favourite series has to be Deep Space Nine although it is not going to have too much to do with this game. Most of the ideas for the mod have come from Voyager, namely the episodes that involve Species 8472 and the Borg. Also a small influence was the Star Trek Movie "First Contact" for obvious reasons.
STGU: What are your main goals for Borg Wars?
MJCS-gTFC-: My main goal of Borg Wars is to bring a very fascinating and enjoyable game to the HL2 community while staying true to the spirit of Star Trek. I hope to bring something that most people have never seen done in a video game let alone a modification for one.
STGU: How far along is the production?
MJCS-gTFC-: We are still in the developmental stages. We currently are having model work and concept art done. I am looking forward to a December 2005 or Jan/Feb 2006 release. But this is still undecided.
STGU: Can you tell us a bit about the storyline that is planned for this mod?
MJCS-gTFC-: There have been quite a few changes in the scheme of things regarding the storyline of Borg Wars. We have finally decided that it will be best to release the mod in chunks. This way every few months a new chapter in the story can be released. It would take too long for us to develop the mod and then to release it all at once. This way the community can provide feedback on how they managed to complete each chapter. This will help us to determine how the next level should be planned out.
STGU: What sort of weapons will the player be able to use?
MJCS-gTFC-: We plan to have your standard weapons like the type 3 Phaser and such but we also have planned to create some new weapons that will help to combat the Borg and Species 8472.
STGU: Can we expect to see some weapons that have already been created from FPS games like Elite Force and The Fallen?
MJCS-gTFC-: With the exception of items like the type 3 Phaser and what not; you will mostly see new weapons for this mod.
STGU: Can you tell us what races you have planned for the modification?
MJCS-gTFC-: Humans, Vulcans, Borg, Species 8472, and some other familiar races.
STGU: Can you describe what sort of multiplayer experience the player will get?
MJCS-gTFC-: Not sure yet. The draft for the Multiplayer is still being written and is considered a Work in Progress.
STGU: Will there be any beta testing or a demo released before the full version?
MJCS-gTFC-: I do not think there will be any beta testing except for some internal testing by the staff and by a few of my friends. This is subject
to change.
STGU: What do you think about the current state of star trek gaming. Is there more of a positive outlook for modding with new Star Trek games?
MJCS-gTFC-: I think that since the cancellation of Star Trek people are going to still want to get their weekly or daily dose of Star Trek. This mod will be able to provide this. The next scheduled Star Trek game to come out that I know of is Star Trek Online, the MMORPG. Since there is a big gap between now and the time that game comes out, I believe it is the best time to start to re-invent some of the ways we look at Trek gaming today and hopefully I will be able to do this.
Half-Life 2: Borg Wars
Half-Life 2: Borg Wars Forum
Half-Life 2: Borg Wars FAQ
