Take, for example, the motion tracker device used by the USCMC characters (that’s US Colonial Marine Corps, trivia fans). In the film Aliens, this is a rather ‘lo-tech’ device which only scans the area directly in front of its user... and even then it doesn’t do a great job.

However, it is clear that the filmmakers limited this device for cinematic purposes (it’s a great tension builder) and, after a massive internal debate, we decided to retain the limitations for the game too. After all, it would be a much more effective device if it worked in a full 360 degree range, but it would also remove the ‘look out behind you’ element which is an essential part of AvP’s gameplay.

Also, what about the all-important game element of balance? The cinematic Alien was designed as the ultimate fighting machine, so should we introduce some form of ‘Alien lite’ to give beginners a chance? We decided not to, so for balance we gave the player a much better entry-level weapon than is standard in 3D shoot ‘em ups, just to make the contest a little more even.

This entry-level weapon is the M41-A Pulse Rifle which is a 10mm pulse action automatic rifle, adopted by the colonial marines as standard personal issue weapon. The rifle has an over-and-under configuration with a 30mm grenade-launcher.

This balancing act is especially relevant when it comes to the multiplayer game, which enables players to choose between the three main characters... but that’s another story.