Microsoft this week revealed the plans for Games for Windows - Live, the Windows Vista version of its popular Xbox Live online service. One of the highlights of Games for Windows - Live is that it will support cross-platform gameplay, meaning that Xbox 360 and Windows Vista players can play one another online. The first game to support this will be Shadowrun, a multiplayer-oriented first-person shooter by Microsoft's internal FASA team. Shadowrun will pit two factions, the RNA Corporation and the Lineage, in a battle for a South American city. Both sides will have magical abilities and high-tech weapons, which should deliver a pretty dynamic gameplay experience as players teleport through walls, resurrect the fallen, and more. With the game set to ship in the first half of 2007, we turned to Bill Fulton, the user interface and matchmaking designer for Shadowrun, for more information on the game's multiplayer.

　　Shadowrun will be the first game to support Xbox 360-to-Windows Vista gameplay.

　　GameSpot: Tell us about the multiplayer modes in Shadowrun. How many modes are there and what are they? Will there be any way for players to create custom modes?

　　Bill Fulton: We have three modes in Shadowrun, which are tried-and-true game types for first-person shooters. With the innovation of the core gameplay, we didn't want to overwhelm players with exotic game types.

　　The game types are raid, extraction, and attrition. Raid is one-flag capture the flag. The Lineage's mission is to get the artifact (the flag) and escape with it. RNA Corp's mission is to prevent that, hopefully by killing the Lineage. In extraction, both teams' mission is to secure the artifact and escape with it. Attrition is team elimination. Both teams' mission is to destroy the other. The team that survives, wins.

　　There is no respawn in any game type. You can get resurrected, but there are no respawns. We like the effect that the "you die, you sit" gameplay mechanic has on players; they try to avoid dying much more, which makes the game feel more serious.

　　All of the game types are multiround matches; you start with no magic, tech, or weapons, and a little money with which to buy them. You earn money during rounds, and at the beginning of the next round, you can buy more magic, tech, and weapons.

　　As for custom game types, we decided not to support those. There's nothing to stop players from agreeing to play by "house rules" in private matches with friends (in fact, that's the origin of attrition--a group of FASA artists played by house rules), but we don't support playing public multiplayer games with custom modes. It often just leads to awkward situations where you join a game playing something weird that you don't want to play.

　　GS: We've been told that getting into a multiplayer game is going to be incredibly easy and far simpler than most games. Could you explain how?

　　BF: We have a new approach to connecting that should make it a little easier to get into good games over Xbox Live or Games for Windows - Live.

　　Private matches let players create matches that only friends can join. The private-match screen will show you any of the private matches your friends are in, along with key details (how many are in the match, map, game type, score, and so on). Just click and join. If your friends aren't online yet, you can create a game.

　　Players can also play in public matches, which anyone on Xbox Live or Games for Windows - Live can join. The public-match screen is pretty simple: hit Play. Our matchmaking algorithm will put you in a game that suits you. It matches players to games by three factors: player skill, connection quality, and map and game-type preferences.

　　We use Live's TrueSkill system for determining the skill of a player. It's no fun to play in games where you're significantly worse than the other players, so we match players in skill as closely as possible. It's also no fun to play in a game with lots of lag, so we filter based on how good the connectivity is.

　　The focus of the game is on fast-paced, round-based multiplayer action.

　　We also have a system where you set what maps and game types you like to play. When you hit Play, it will seek out matches playing those maps and game types. When a match ends, the game takes a look at each player's preferences, then picks the map and game type that most people like. Majority rules.

　　Note that we keep the group you just played with together for the next game so you can get to know how your teammates play and develop strategies together. And, of course, we've replicated Halo 2's party system because that's the best way for friends to play in public matches. For those of you who haven't used the party system, it's a way for friends to aggregate and then travel together over Live. When the party leader joins a game, all party members join with him or her. Playing without the party system is just plain annoying.

Windows Vista versus Xbox 360

　　The blend of magic and technology should provide wild online gameplay.

　　BF: For the most part, they are identical. The Games for Windows - Live team has created features that are comparable to Xbox Live, and so we use them the same way. The guide in Windows Vista looks almost identical to what you see on the Xbox 360.

　　The one exception we have is that Xbox Live players won't be able to browse dedicated server lists--only Windows players will be able to do that. Xbox 360 players will be able to join dedicated servers if a friend is in one, either through the guide or by a friend invite.

　　GS: This is one of the first games that will support Games for Windows - Live. However, will you need to be a Games for Windows - Live subscriber to play the game online? Could a PC user set up a separate dedicated server that allows any PC player to play?

　　BF: You will need to be a Games for Windows - Live member, not a subscriber, to play games over Games for Windows - Live. But if you already have a Live account on the Xbox 360, then that same account will work for Windows Vista. That's the vision of Live Anywhere: one account, multiple platforms.

　　If you don't already have an Xbox Live account, then there are two membership levels for Games for Windows - Live: Silver and Gold. Both can play multiplayer over Live; Silver accounts are free and Gold accounts have a premium feature list.

　　GS: We know that Shadowrun supports cross-platform gameplay so that Xbox 360 and Windows Vista players can play together online. Will the game tell you what platform each player is on or will this be kept invisible to you at all times? Does this information even matter?

　　BF: Shadowrun was designed so that the gameplay distinctions between Windows Vista and the Xbox 360 platform don't matter. In other words, we've balanced the game so that it is fair for both platforms. Because there's no distinction in the gameplay, we don't make a distinction between the platforms in our user interface--we view it as irrelevant information. However, for those who are really interested, it is possible to see platform information in the guide.

　　GS: What sort of achievements are planned for the game? Will they be identical across both versions? What are some of the cooler or tougher achievements?

　　BF: Achievements, like everything else in Shadowrun, are the same for both platforms. Some examples include Triple Rez, which you get for resurrecting three teammates at once for some major payback, and You're Coming With Me, which you get for avenging your own death! A well-timed grenade can even the score, so if you're going to die anyway...

　　GS: What are the plans for leaderboards? Will there be clan support? Will there be community tools or will you rely on the features in Games for Windows - Live and Xbox Live for friend tracking and other community features?

　　BF: We do not support publicly visible leaderboards. We know that having leaderboards seems to reward cheating. Because we don't want to encourage cheating, we're not having publicly visible leaderboards. That said, we're still going to track leaderboard information so that we can monitor how players are playing the game.

　　We felt that a party system is a more useful way to play with friends than clans, so we focused on that. Outside of parties, Live's other features will support friends and community.

　　GS: Finally, what was the thinking behind making a cross-platform action game, especially a PC-to-console game? It's rarely been done before. Just how challenging was it to get the two different versions to talk to one another?

　　BF: Microsoft is committed to leading the way with multiplayer gaming on both the Windows and Xbox 360 platform. And because FASA is all about online multiplayer, we were inspired to lead the charge to fulfill the Live Anywhere vision, which is one gaming service that allows our platforms to play together.

　　The game's release date isn't final yet, but it will ship in the first half of the year.

　　It's been a hard challenge, but we like that. FASA was behind the killer app for the Xbox Live launch (MechAssault), and now Shadowrun is the flagship launch title for Live Anywhere. It's what FASA does.

　　For good measure, we made the game in the hardest possible genre to balance between platforms: first-person shooters. Most people say it is impossible to balance the two. But if you'll remember back to 2001, people also said it wasn't possible to make a console shooter with good controls. But our lead designer, John Howard, was the lead designer on Halo, which set the standard for first-person shooters on consoles. No one doubts that first-person shooters can't have good controls on the console anymore. John wanted that challenge of balancing the two platforms. And Shadowrun has done it, as even the more ardent skeptics are now grudgingly admitting.

　　GS: Thank you, Bill.