TE: Do you think the pressure for a studio with a successful game to make a sequel ties their hands or distracts them from making something new or different?
SM: I think it liberates them to a certain extent. I think the only reason we're able to try new things when we do is because we have this established track record. I think if your product isn't successful, you aren't encouraged to really take risks. You'll probably have a conversion. If you're a studio with a successful product, you'll be encouraged to make a sequel, but at the same time you might be asked to bring in another team and make a new game. The challenge is more managing growth at a successful studio than coming up with new ideas.
TE: At what point, when you're working on a title, do you know that you've done what you set out to do with a game? How do you know when you've delivered the experience?
SM: That's actually a key point in development. We end up trying three ideas for every one that we end up creating a product for. There's a tipping point about two to three months in that either the momentum is building or an idea runs out of gas. We're very much believers in early prototyping and in those two or three months, we have a playable game and we try to identify the risky or key areas and figure out how they're working, how they're not working in the prototype. There's generally a point when we're playing it and the clouds part and we see what this game will be like. The core game is there. Some ideas reach that point and others just fall apart.
TE: With the release of Civilization: Revolution on consoles and the DS, have you noticed any advances to the process of distribution as opposed to developing for the PC?
SM: I think the console world is much more razzle-dazzle. With television advertising and things like that, it's a much more mass-market, consumer atmosphere than the PC world. I think it's much more in the public consciousness with the console wars between the 360, PS3, etc. You've got the surprising success of the Wii. I think there's more focus on what's happening in the console world these days, and to be part of that is really exciting. The process of making the game isn't much different; we're still just trying to make a fun to play game and take advantage of the particular technology that we're making the game for.
TE: With the PSN and Xbox Live achievements and trophies, do you think PC gaming will be able to remain relevant if the consoles continue to gain popularity?
SM: I think PC gaming and console gaming have different strengths. I think we're seeing a lot of people taking advantage of those strengths. That's why we're seeing more independent games being made for the PC because of the internet being a more open environment. You also see MMO games flourishing on the PC because they kinda lend themselves to that platform. And a lot of the high-tech action games are flourishing on the consoles, 'cause the consoles do a good job with that. With [Xbox] Live and the PSN, we're seeing a lot of multiplayer in consoles where that used to be an exclusively PC thing. We're lucky to have a game concept in Civilization that works well on both platforms.
