Hi everyone, here is the Wizard_TPG interview from the TAC 2 mod.

TA : Could you maybe present yourself to the others, who don't know you really good ?

Wizard_TPG : Well, My name is Daniel Neilsen and go by the tag Wizard_TPG in online games. I live in Australia and I develop mods and scripts for Tribes 1 and Tribes 2. My other hobbies include playing music (guitarist) and playing tennis.

TA : Now that we know a little bit about the man, beyond the scene, could you shortly present your mod ?

Wizard_TPG : Well, The concept of TAC is very simple. It is just like base but, if you touch the ground...you die. Sounds like a small change but when you consider that by doing this it FORCES a team to use vehicles and play as a team, then you have a majorly altered game.

TA : How did you come to the idea to make your mod ?

Wizard_TPG : Santa originally came up with the idea. In T1, skiing had been developed and the game had become unbalanced. We wanted to create a game that would once again balance T1 and stop skiing.

TA : Are you also working on other mods (futur mods for t2) ?

Wizard_TPG : I am working on SlipStream as well, which is a racing mod.

TA : In what will TAC 2 different of TAC ?

Wizard_TPG : The vehicle physics is the major one I guess....oh, and of course the beowulf and the jehrico. We have kept the same ethos though. Its just base where you cant touch the ground (well...put simply) ;)

TA : Which are the biggest problem you encounter with the making of the mod ?

Wizard_TPG : Ooohh. That is a tricky one. I guess the biggest problem was learning how everything worked in T2. In beta, no-one knew anythign about T2 code so it was really like jumping in head first.

TA : I think making a mod takes a lot of time, am I wrong ? How many hours you play at Tribes 2 ?

Wizard_TPG : Yeah, we have been working on this mod for nearly 6 months now. I am lucky if I can get 3 hours a week to play T2.

TA : Now, how many vehicules will we see in the TAC 2 ?

Wizard_TPG : Jehrico, Beowulf, Havoc, Thuundersword, Mayhem, Hawkeye. Six, plus the wildcat bike which shows up in specific mission types.

TA : And, will it be possible to freeze the ennemi vehicules with an ELF GUN or other weapons made for that goal ?

Wizard_TPG : The if the elf gun manages to sap the vehicle energy to zero then the vehicle will not start recharging for 15 seconds afterwards, leaving it with no weaponry, shields or afterburners.

TA : So, what will it look like, for the weapons ? Will we have the pleasure to see "special weapons" especially made for "air fight"(for example AA barrels)

Wizard_TPG : The weapons are pretty standard, although they have been altered some. Take the Mortar for example. You press fire to fire and release to explode. This means you effectivy have a handheld flak cannon :)

TA : Will there also be different sort of rocket lauchers and missiles ?

Wizard_TPG : Nope. Just the standard.

TA : Now, for under water, we like to know if it will be possible to stay underwater, and have "sort of" "underwater platforms "

Wizard_TPG : Yes, Definetly. In fact, one of our missions is 99% underwater :)

TA : Will you keep the ground vehicules, or not ?

Wizard_TPG : Oh yeah. The ground vehicles rock. They are VERY dangerous and tough due to the fact they are grounded and slow.

TA : Tell me, did Dynamix give you some help for TAC 2 ?

Wizard_TPG : Yeah, Dynamix helped us from the very inception even to the extent that Qix read through our many design briefs and commented on the gameplay issues that may have problems. Snow Leopard has also been a huge help to us with support and bug fixing issues

TA : Maybe now, you can achieve thinks that were impossible with Tribes 1 ?

Wizard_TPG : Yeah certainly. Overall, T2 is much more powerful for modders than T1 ever could have been.

TA : Finally, how do you see the future of the TAC 2 Mod ??

Wizard_TPG : I think TAC2 will have a much bigger following than TAC1 did. TAC1 had the gameplay but seemed to come onto the scene to late.

TA : Any plans for the futur, after the achievement of TAC 2 ?

Wizard_TPG : hehehe. None yet, Just one thing at a time :)

TA : Thanks you very much

Wizard_TPG : Thanks mate :)