Resistance: The Map Packs

The top selling PlayStation 3 game thus far (and as of this writing, the highest-rated PS3 title on IGN) is Sony's runaway first-person hit, Resistance: Fall of Man. But with an online community as dedicated and large as Resistance has, it was only a matter of time before the developers at Insomniac Games would expand on it. To tell us all about it, Multiplayer Team Lead Eric Ellis, Gameplay programmer Peter Kao, and CEO Ted Price lifted the lid on their secret plans to add brand new patches and a map pack in the coming months. Here's how it all went down:

[Editor's Note: Check back with IGN again next week for an exclusive reveal of the first in-game shots of the add-on -- the ones below are taken from the original game]

Eric Ellis: We wanted to give the Europeans something new and cool for launch, but we also want them to have time to enjoy the levels that shipped with the game before coming out with a map pack.

IGN: -- The new modes added in the March update are Team Conversion and Assault. What can you tell us about them (especially Assault)?

Peter Kao: Team Conversion is the same game mechanic as Conversion except that you play as a team. Both teams start human and have one life on each side. Assault is a mode based around the concept of attrition; wearing down an opponent's defenses before destroying their base. Each team has a base node that they must defend, and the goal is to attack and destroy the other team's base node. In addition, each team also begins the game with a set of base defenses and satellite nodes, which power those defenses. At the beginning of each round, a player can chose to spawn at their main base or any of their team's satellite nodes.

As is the case with the base node, these satellite nodes can also be attacked. In keeping with the attrition concept, the main base and satellite nodes are considerably stronger than in other modes. Satellite nodes also do not regenerate after taking damage, and cannot be captured by the opposing team. Once defeated, a corresponding portion of the team's base defenses are shut down. In addition, defeated nodes become neutral, allowing both teams to spawn at them. This rewards the offensive team with a forward spawn point while still giving the defending team a means of spawning outside of their main base.

IGN: Are there any other modifications/ adjustments that are being made for the March patch?

Ellis: Spectators can now join custom games and observe from the player POV and use a free-roam camera. We've made fixes for just about every glitch or collision hole in the game. We've made matchmaking even quicker and more reliable. We've brought back the old radar as a new custom game option for our nostalgic players. We've done some small tweaking to the weapons to improve balance even further.

IGN: How about bots? Is that something your team is looking at as a possible addition in the future?

Ellis: Nope. We think that, in general, people prefer playing against other people, and often can be annoyed at having to filter out or hunt around to find bot-free games. Instead, we're continuing to look for ways to get more people playing together faster and easier. That's not to say that we would never do bots in a future game, of course.