Today, we have the privilege of
getting to interview Mark and Glenn of Membraine Studios, the creators behind
Adeptus Titanicus: Dominus. We'll be picking their brains on how the game came to be, what went into it,
the inspiration, and more.
TOC:
It's a pleasure to have you guys in the hotseat today, gentlemen.
Mark:
Thank you. Happy to be here.
Glenn:
Thank you.
TOC: Dominus didn't start out as
Dominus. Two years ago, a very early alpha footage of the game was shown off at
Warhammer Fest 2016. It generated a lot of buzz since there are no dedicated
Titan games for the Warhammer 40,000 setting. Back then, the game was previewed
as Titan Legions. What have you guys been up to in these last two years?
Mark:
The short answer is A LOT.
Back in 2016, we showed off the build we had in development at that time. We
had developed that prototype to a playable level and GW invited us to Warhammer
Fest to let their fans have a go. It was only ever intended as a "just for
the fans" thing, though, which is why we then went silent again until
recently.
We've essentially used the
intervening years to solidify the gameplay. Doing a true-to-source translation
is perhaps harder than you might expect. There's a fine balance between paying
respect to the source and being a slave to it.
And, of course, there's been a
HUGE amount of art that Glenn has had to develop. As a two-person team, it
means Glenn had to do ALL of it.
TOC: And for those that aren't
aware, what is the source of Dominus's core?
Mark: The source is GW's 4th Edition 6mm
tabletop rules [for those not familiar
with the 6mm EPIC rules, the 4th edition was called EPIC: Armageddon – TOC],
which really started with Adeptus Titanicus.
TOC: Is the game a direct
translation of those rules, or have you evolved it to reflect "age"
and what computer technology allows you to do?
Mark:
Yes and no. We've definitely tried to capture as much of the substance of the
ruleset as we can. This is in part
because of the inherent balance in that system—the 4th edition was developed as
a tournament system, and it is widely regarded as GW's most balanced system yet. However, we have allowed ourselves to diverge
where it felt right to do so in the computer game medium.
For
example, the tabletop game has a concept of failing the activation test, so you
can fail and not be able to execute the order you want to. In the computer game, that didn't feel right,
so we haven't implemented that test in Dominus.
In general, we're avoiding any rules that take control away from the
player.
The big thing that the computer
medium brings is, of course, the action.
We’ve made good use of that to bring the battlefields of the 41st
Millennium to life.
TOC: How did you approach
bringing those battlefields to life? The 40k lore is quite rich and the artwork
that GW has established is very extensive; showing a wide range of
architecture, gothic styles, and plenty of skulls.
Glenn: Like the rules, the
battlefields took their inspiration from the tabletop system. The tactical
opportunities, LOS (line of sight – TOC)
blocking features that make the tabletop work was translated to digital, but
unlike tabletop, we have an opportunity to do things like destructible terrain
that really bring the game to life. The buildings, initially, are very broad
brush stroke Imperial architecture, but as we add more battlefields the scope
of structures will increase with it. We tried to maintain the sense of scale
you get with 6mm games, which differs a lot from other 40k games as we are at a
Titan level, not an infantry level.
Games Workshop provided us with
some awesome examples of large-scale architecture that have me excited for
future updates. These one-offs take a fair bit of time to put together, but
they will bring more of the grand 40k scale and character that Titans deserve.
TOC: Were the buildings directly
inspired by any of GW's terrain (such as the Sector Imperialis), or did you use
your own designs?
Glenn:
We started with the Administorum and Relicos sections. We have the majority of
the Sector Imperialis kit built for the game now. I wanted to start with these
as, to me, they epitomize the 40k aesthetic. Gothic arches, many skulls,
mechanical traces of activity, and of course skulls.
We
recreated the wall sections as close to the models as we could. Then it became
a challenge to assemble a building from them large enough to block a Titan’s
LOS. This was a bit of a mission in itself, but once we began going down the
avenue of destructable terrain, we started making a modular system, just as you
might for a table top scenery collection.
Each
building was designed from a selection of about 12 modules that all fit
together in (most) configurations you place them in. This kind of reuse is
critical when you are trying to produce a suitable set of large-scale buildings
as one person. We then added a roof section for some extra height in the same
style. Each of the 12 building modules
had to work within the architecture of the 40k universe and also fit with the
other components.
TOC: And how did you guys
approach creating the Titans? They look very real, almost like the Titan models
produced by Forge World.
Glenn:
The Titans were recreated from the Forge World models. I started with the Warhound,
as it is the smallest of the three, and built an exact replica of the Titans.
The Titans were partially assembled, photographed from six angles, and this “rig”
was set up in our modeling software. I then set about modeling each piece in
the same fashion as the models themselves.
I
used a caliper to check my dimensions during the modeling, cross-checking it as
I went. The Reaver was probably the most difficult due to the hull’s curvature.
When it came time to animate the Titans we had to go back and remodel some
sections that on the physical models were never intended to move. This was done so that some of the sections could
pivot or rotate to move the Titans more appropriately.
TOC: That is a lot of work to be
done. And a lot of people don't realize that your studio is literally just the
two of you. That means a great deal of challenges, one can imagine. What sort
of challenges have you faced to get Dominus ready for the wider world?
Glenn:
The biggest challenge is the significance of what we are working with. We are
making a game based on arguably the coolest units in the 40k universe. Trying
to make a game that truly reflects the awesome nature of the Titans and their
setting has probably been the biggest thought that has played through my head
over the past few years.
We
are both massive 40k fans, so the universe is as precious to us as it is to
everyone else. The biggest challenge for
me has probably been trying to create something that meets our expectations,
and hopefully many others as well. As a gamer, I want my contribution to the
40k world to be meaningful and positive, as I know how dear the world is to
gamers and 40k fans.
TOC: It sounds like you've both
been in the hobby for a long time. How long have you been a part of it/playing?
And what prompted you guys to look at Titans?
While many see them as the
pinnacle of the hobby, they are cost prohibitive, and a very niche part of the
community. It's why Adeptus Titanicus was previously the only game GW put out
for them, and now we have Dominus and an AT reboot.
Glenn: Well, they were never too cost prohibitive
when they were in 6mm. I got into the hobby when Necromunda was released around
1996 I think.
Mark:
I'm the old man of the team. I've been playing since 1987 with Rogue Trader. I
read that rulebook until the pages fell out...and then I read it some more. I
bought the first plastic "beaky" marines. I still have a couple of
squads of them in my Ultramarines army.
I
played Adeptus Titanicus when it was released, and then moved on to Space
Marine/Titan Legions in the 90’s. Glenn and I met playing WH40K, and we both re-discovered 6mm
through a mate at our then-local club.
TOC: It sounds like Dominus was
a project born of passion for the hobby. What prompted you guys to walk up to
GW, or them reach out to you, and say, 'Hey, let's do this!’
Mark:
We went to them. We had a plan, and a deep love of the large-scale combat that
the 6mm tabletop game enabled. We showed GW what we had in mind, talked about
who we were and where we were coming from, and they were very supportive. We
also had previous projects that we could use to demonstrate our ability to
deliver. In the end, I think GW was happy with how passionate we were for the
subject matter: we love us our Titans.
TOC: The passion has come across
in seeing the early alpha footage vs the early access footage you've been able
to show off. You've both been hard at work on this game. What can players
expect of the experience? Epic music? Massive Titan duels? Boarding actions?
Mark:
Players can look forward to a true-to-source translation of the 6mm tabletop
experience, or as close as we can give them anyway. It's a great fun,
turn-based strategy game, like the tabletop game was. However, it has much better special effects
than you get on your typical tabletop!
Glenn:
We were lucky enough to find an amazing composer in Evan Rogers who has done
close to an hour of music for us so far.
TOC: What kind of modes will the
game have for Titan fans to explore?
Mark:
At present, we have two modes: Take and Hold and Combined Arms. Both are objective-based
modes, where you must capture objectives to score victory points. Combined Arms
is closer to the Grand Tournament scenario from the tabletop, as it brings in
other ways to score points, such as capturing the enemy's Forward Operating
Base or destroying their most expensive (points-wise) Titan. Downstream, we'll
be adding in new modes, but we haven't announced exactly
what these are yet.
TOC: Some players prefer the PvE
aspect of gaming, while others are hardcore PVP. What does the game's
multiplayer offer them?
Mark:
Multiplayer is really geared around the tournament-style game, where two
players select a force, not knowing what their opponent will bring to the
battle. They also don't know what mode they'll be playing. Once the battle
starts, it's all about using the forces they have selected to their best
advantage. In this way, multiplayer is a lot like the tabletop gaming
experience, which is exactly what we set out to achieve.
It's worth mentioning that the game also has a Skirmish mode that emulates
multiplayer, but lets you play against an AI. Skirmish is also intended to give
players somewhere to practice without the intensity of an online game, but the
AI is no slouch and is good fun even for those more solo-inclined players not
interested in going online.
Looking into the future, we will be releasing a branching narrative campaign
with the Full Release version, once we've completed our Early Access journey.
We can't share more details about the campaign yet.
TOC: That's great that a
campaign is coming. What factions will Dominus feature? And is there anything
that can be said about future factions?
Mark:
Dominus currently features four Imperium Legios: Astorum (Warp Runners),
Gryphonicus (War Griffons), Crucius (Warmongers), and Osedax (The Cockatrices.) It also features four Chaos Legios: Mortis
(Death Heads), Vulcanum (Dark Fire), Damnosus (Lords of Ruin), and Fureans
(Tiger Eyes).
We have not yet announced our
plans beyond those.
TOC: What do you hope that
Dominus will achieve for the hobby and the Titan community?
Mark:
We hope Dominus will bring Titans to the attention of a whole rafter of gamers
who might not have gotten into Titans before, or even into 40K. Steam is a vast
marketplace, and a game like Dominus, which is offering a very tabletop-like
experience, is not something many of the PC strategy fans will have seen
before.
There
are no grids or hexes here, just the free-flowing maneuver warfare seen in
tabletop games. By the same token, we're hoping that existing 40K players who
might not have the means to get a Titan for their army will get to know the
Legios and their Titans through Dominus.
We hope it might give them the nudge they need to get one for their
tabletop games.
Glenn:
Hopefully, it grows the hobby and builds even more interest in the universe. I
would love to see it inspire people to, paint, play, and get involved both in
the hobby and also the digital community. Hopefully it bridges between tabletop
gamers and PC gamers, bringing people together to have a bit of fun blowing
each other up with massive Titans
TOC: There's only one thing left
to ask then: a fun tradition for any TOC interview. Any shoutouts, advice, or
bellowing challenges?
Glenn:
Shoutouts to anyone who has completed a 28mm Titan. I hope the studio’s Titans
will grace TOC one day as the mighty Gryphonicus. And I challenge you to a game
Shadow [Shadow conducted this interview,
but the entire TOC staff has been in on the Dominus testing – TOC]. A live stream once we release. The gauntlet
is down.
Mark:
A big shout-out to all our community testers, who have been playing the Alpha
for weeks now, helping us identify and fix issues! Their help has been
invaluable to a tiny [Oh, the irony! –
TOC] studio like ours.
TOC: Glenn, I accept your
challenge. Thank you so much for your time today, gentlemen. It's been a
pleasure and a treat.
