Tim Willits talks about id Software's upcoming action game...

How many weapons and enemies are there in Rage?
I hate to talk about number of weapons and bad guys, but it’s much more of a complete package. We a pistol with ammo types, the crossbow, shotgun, machine gun, the authority machine gun, rocket launchers, different types of grenades. Then we have things used like weapons – the r/c car bomb, displaceable turrets, sentry bots, the mutant stuff. So there really is a whole arsenal - we call it a toolbox of gadgets you can us to engage the bad guys. You can play it the way you want to play it. As far as enemy combatants there are, you have the bandit tribes, mutants and ultimately, the Authority. The Authority has more futuristic kind-of sci-fi type weapons - so it’s really diverse. That was one of the key aspects – if we’re going to have a diverse world we need to have diverse gameplay.

Will you be able to use the Authority weapons?
Without going into too much detail, yes you’ll be able to use some pretty cool weapons.

How big a part of the game is based around vehicle combat?
Well it’s definitively an additive type experience to the first-person action, but depending on the type of player you are, you may really like the vehicle combat aspect of the game. So you’ll go to the bar pick up a job – you earn money for every vehicle you destroy in the wasteland. So we have side missions, we have missions where you have to find a particular vehicle and destroy it. Getting from point A to point B – the best way to do that is to drive. You can walk – but it’s not much fun and it takes a while. It really depends on the type of player you are, but we tailored the game in a way we call open, but directed. You can follow the main storyline; the principal missions and can get through the game in a decent amount of time, or you can explore more and go on side missions, talk to different NPCs and they’ll send you off somewhere.

What role does technology play in RAGE?
As part of the Ark programme, you were injected with these things called Nanotrites; they can heal you when you die, you’ll have a chance to defribulate yourself because I hate dying in videogames. We setup this dichotomy; you’re kind of this Buck Rogers-style futuristic man from the past stuck in this world that’s very rustic and recycled and people are making ends meet any way they can. Ultimately, you find out that there’s more to these Nanotrites than meets the eye. Is it the cosmic radiation that made the mutants or was it the Authority messing with Nanotrites? So there’s this big mystery surrounding that.

How do the PS3 and Xbox 360 versions of Rage differ?
I’ll talk about the discs first. On 360 there’ll be two discs, and we’ve crafted the story basically in two parts – two big chapters. So once you’ve finished the first half, when you switch discs it’s really a big story change, so that you don’t feel compelled to go back. Graphically all three platforms look the same – there’s some challenges with each of them. The PS3 version right now is most stable.

So there won’t be any differences between platforms?
No. Maybe on the PC, y’know John Carmack loves to have a few little wingdings you can turn on – special effects stuff. But it’ll all be the same.

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