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Developer Lesta Studios is working on an upcoming real-time strategy game, Aggression: Europe 1914, to be released in the fourth quarter of this year. Set in the years between 1914 and 1950, the game allows players to rewrite this key portion of European history. Alex Skakovsky, of developer Lesta Studios, took the time to answer some of our questions about this upcoming title.

Alex Skakovsky: Hello, my name is Alex Skakovsky and I'm a game designer and an assistant to project lead.

Gamersinfo.net: The game appears to be a combination of Europe spanning grand strategy and real-time strategy battles, can you tell us about the game play process?

Alex Skakovsky: Well, pretty much so. The game combines a global strategic level, where all the usual operations are conducted, and a real-time tactics mode for squad-based combat. They are all intertwined in such a way that the tactical mode isn't just a bunch of pre-set missions, but acts as one way to resolve actual battles. Of course, for players that actually prefer global strategy over RTS there's an option to skip the battle with automatic resolution.

Gamersinfo.net: What was the inspiration for the game? Why start in 1914 with WWI?

Alex Skakovsky: I think you could say that the inspiration is history itself. Lesta Studio has been specializing in well-researched historical strategy for quite a while now. The game starts in 1910 actually, to allow players to get prepared for the war, or to take measures to evade it completely. And as of 'why', well, we just wanted to design a game that will include both world wars.

Gamersinfo.net: What resources were used for the development of the game in terms of the weapons, vehicles and other technology used by the various countries in the early 1900's?

Alex Skakovsky: We used a lot of reference literature and called in some of our military history experts, if that's what you asking about. We do have some in-house experts that are modellers and designers, plus we have some good connections with military historians and experts.

Gamersinfo.net: Does the technology development in the game follow the development that actually occurred in history? Or are you able to "jump ahead" and have access to weapons and tech that are in advance of the year that the game is occurring in?

Alex Skakovsky: The game is rather integral. There's no wild jumping timelines anywhere, and the players will only have the technologies they actually researched (or stole). The technologies are based on real ones, though, and the order players get them in won't be too far away from history I suppose.

Gamersinfo.net: How does diplomacy work in the game? How much will it influence the outcome of individual missions or the overall game?

Alex Skakovsky: Frankly, we've been trying to keep the diplomacy as simple and easy as possible. There's a table of international relations like hostility/neutrality/friendship etc (actually, a number that is modified in many ways during the game). Plus, countries may be at war, at peace or be united by an alliance. Further more, they can make a trade agreement for better economic development. Some tasks that the players will have to face will, for example, be to achieve a certain level of relations or to make a temporary alliance with a neighbor.

Gamersinfo.net: Is the game limited to the European theatre? Or does it involve the whole world and those countries affected by/involved in WWII in the late 1930's to 1940's?

Alex Skakovsky: We limited the playing field to Europe, including only North Africa and a portion of the Middle East, mostly because you can't make a game about WW1 and WW2 AND omit the African or Middle East events at all.

Gamersinfo.net: Will the game deal with a country's bureaucracies, resources etc? If so, in what way?

Alex Skakovsky: Again, we didn't go for an overly complicated resource system. Everything is based on two major resources, namely Industry and Education, representing physical resources of all kinds and intellectual effort. These resources are used as a basic currency. But there are various factors that will affect production, research, and building construction. Keep in mind that time is also a valuable resource.

The 'bureaucracy', or the command and control of a country, is realized in a specific way. First of all, players get to choose one of the government systems, like monarchy or democracy. This will affect several aspects, reflecting the particular characteristics of the chosen system. But the most important part of it all is character management. Players will be able to hire up to ten different characters that have professions (aka RPG classes) with experience-based levels and special abilities. Characters are able to change the game considerably; you'll need generals to lead armies, ministers to keep your country stable and efficient, a leader to be the head of the state, scientists to help you beat your rivals to new technologies, humanitarians to keep people happy and make them support you, and, finally, spies to keep an eye on both your friends and enemies.

Gamersinfo.net: Will the game have a multiplayer aspect to it?

Alex Skakovsky: It hasn’t been decided finally yet, and right now we are taking up the options. There is an opportunity that multiplayer will be implemented in the game.

Gamersinfo.net: What, so far, is your favorite part of the game?

Alex Skakovsky: Uhm, can't quite put my finger on it. I suppose designing this game has been more fun that any playing can be, anyway.

Gamersinfo.net: Thank you for taking the time to answer these questions for us,

Alex Skakovsky: Thanks for your interest in “Aggression: Europe 1914”! Have a great day!