The game was hard to categorise before because of the mix of and genres. Is the balance the same?

We have tweaked it a little. One of the pillars is splitting the balance between action and strategy... that's a real pillar, so we thought it was quite unique. You can't get it somewhere else. There are unit strengths and weaknesses... there's lots of strategy, then you can actually jump into the ship or aircraft - and use your own expertise in the battle, and have a blast! So, what we've done, is try to allow the player to do a lot more tactical stuff while staying in the action. So, previously, you'd have to issue ship commands in a separate menu outside of the action, but now you can pull up a quick menu in-game - you can take part in the action - but commands can be issued as an overlay during action. We've put that methodology to task elsewhere too. You can now launch aircraft more quickly - you can call them from the air support manager while you're controlling any unit, and order planes. They're still launched from carriers and bases, but its much more accessible. Its much quicker.

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Keeping players immersed in the action is key?

Right. So its not a swing towards action, it means the player can more easily keep track of stuff. If you're chasing down a ship, you don't want this interrupted - now it doesn't have to be. This isn't a swing away from strategy, its about making the most of everything... and making the game as a whole more accessible.

The game is heading to the and 360. Why no version?

Well, the team's actual area of expertise really sits with the PC and the Xbox 360. However, this is certainly something going forward... we will be looking to do PS3 versions. However, in terms of the of this project, we wanted to press on - so there is no PS3 release this time I'm afraid.

Moving from to Pacific have you upped the ante visually?

Yes! The team have really improvements the environments. There are a lot of little things, but they all add up to quite a big deal. So, water is now semi-transparent, you can see shallow water... this plays a role with the bigger ships... you can also see submarines in the shallows from the shore - so you might catch a sub trying to sneak past you. A sub is quite easy to spot in shallow water - against the bright, sandy background. Also, you'll be able to see ships breaking apart as they sink into the water - transports will break into many pieces and now you can see these chunks floating down. The arenas really look like battlegrounds, while ships that sink in the shallows will stay partially visible above the surface. it looks really great... but this is just one aspect.

The other aspect is that the damage models have been over-hauled. You can shoot wings and tails off planes, the ships will lose cladding, smoke-stacks will fall... the detail has really been increased. Ships can also split in half. The idea is that whenever you shoot down a plane or sink a ship it'll look completely different. Its very random and realistic. Its always exciting... the models behave differently every time. Also, our particle count has been upped; we've really taken it to the limit. More smoke, more tracer fire, we used old news reels. There's a system, the foliage on the islands looks better. You can send marines onto beaches. So... the team have overhauled so much.

Is the visual side the biggest area of improvement beyond the new campaign?

I think there's been an even-handed approach... there is more accessibility, we've overhauled the map screen and the support manager, menus, the Japanese campaign, island capture is huge... the visuals are just a part of all this. Really, we've been lead by what the fans want. We've really been blessed by a very vocal, intelligent fan-base, that will post exactly what they want - in a clear way! We really listen to them! On forums, posters often exclaim that no one is listening to what they want, but, yes we do! We trawl as many forums as we can, to work out what people like. We went to town on it.

Will you take Battlestations to other parts of the world; other conflicts in the future?

We're talking about that right now. Obviously this project is winding up now, so we're trying to get this onto shelves... and we are also talking about the future of the brand. Don't expect the pillars to change - the balance of strategy and action, land, sea and air - but do expect a lot of differences and improvements.

Where would you personally like to see the next Battlestations go?

Personally... I can't say. I really can't... its going where I want it to go - so I can't give it away. Its fantastic, the team are really excited.

Has much changed on the front?

They have... but unfortunately I'm not allowed to talk about it yet. If you think about the fact that we've doubled the singleplayer content and then some, the singleplayer now extends beyond the campaign, I can't tell you how sadly, but it does - we've doubled that. We've done a lot of expansion and added many features to the multiplayer too.

Any plans?

We do! Again... I can't tell you what this will be... but we do.

More community led initiatives?

Yes. We've asked people on the forums what they'd like to see, how they rank multiplayer maps, units, etc. We've really gauged feedback. We've really listened and we've really been driven by the feedback. We've got great fans, and they're very active. We really want to give them what they want.

When's the game out?

Its out Q1 2009. Sometime between February and April probably.

Thanks for your time, Alastair.

By Luke Guttridge