Rise of the Argonauts interview at RPG Vault
Rise of the Argonauts interview at RPG Vault
Interview - posted by Vault Dweller on Sat 4 August 2007, 02:15:02
Tags: Rise of the ArgonautsRise of the Argonauts is ... yes, how did you guess? ... an action RPG. You can never have too many of those. Anyway, it's an action RPG loosely based on the famous ancient epic. The website informs you that RotA immerses gamers in a gladiatorial adventure, set in wondrously imagined vision of ancient Greece with deep exploration, epic quests, and brutal combat! If you are dying to learn more, here is a detailed 3-page interview:
In Rise of the Argonauts, you take on the role of Jason, a young warrior king whose wife is assassinated on their wedding day. In an attempt to bring her back, he sets out aboard his massive warship, the Argo, in search of the Golden Fleece. Along the way, he will encounter an all-star cast of characters from ancient Greek mythology...If I may ask, what exactly was wrong with the original setup? Why the extra "assassinated bride" drama? Is it supposed to make Jason more likable as a character as of opposite Jason who simply wanted the crown?
The catalyst for Jason's journey is the shocking assassination of his wife on their wedding day. After grimly hunting the assassin through his own palace and ultimately exacting his savage vengeance, he is left gutted, wracked with guilt and anger - and his wife remains dead. It is then his Uncle Pelias tells him of the Golden Fleece, hidden away on the primordial isle of Colchis, and its ability to unmake the fabric of life and death. Jason immediately knows what he must do. After attaining the blessing of the gods Hermes, Athena, Ares and Apollo, and leaving his uncle Pelias to reign over his kingdom in his absence...*sigh*
In examining combat, we really wanted to convey a sense of weight, impact and lethality that is so prevalent in the stories of the time; just read a battle sequence from The Iliad to get a sense of what we're talking about. Therefore, we felt that we not only needed real-time combat...Makes sense. You can't convey impact and lethality without real-time combat.
This led us to a physics-driven approach to combat, where power and resistance are more important than damage and hit points.How Xtreme!
...we knew we needed robust storytelling tools and a means to make meaningful narrative choices...Looks like meaningful choices are all the rage these days.
...we've created an entirely new experience that will really appeal to fans of both RPG and action / adventure games alike.Perpetuum Mobile of the gaming industry.
We are always seeking to design "clever" reinterpretations of creatures, places, NPCs, etc., leveraging familiar elements to ensure that the player can identify them, and then taking them in entirely new directions.
For example, in myth, Daedelus is the greatest engineer of the ancient Greek world, but he is often represented as a thin and wiry scholar. In our game, he is an avatar of Hephaestus, a great worker of metals, and thus equal parts artisan and smithy. Our version is strong and stocky, reinforcing not only the tone and style, but also the logic of the world.Thanks, that's very thoughtful. I don't need any skinny nerds on my ship. It's a "cool people only" party, if you know what I mean.
At its core, Jason's character development is centered around the concept of dedicating deeds to the gods.
Any meaningful action within the world can trigger a deed. Killing 20 Dryads, discovering a secret grove, saving hunters from certain death, and successfully outwitting, intimidating, or earning the respect of an NPC are but a small sampling of events that will grant deeds.Sounds meaningful indeed.
In Rise of the Argonauts, you take on the role of Jason, a young warrior king whose wife is assassinated on their wedding day. In an attempt to bring her back, he sets out aboard his massive warship, the Argo, in search of the Golden Fleece. Along the way, he will encounter an all-star cast of characters from ancient Greek mythology...
The catalyst for Jason's journey is the shocking assassination of his wife on their wedding day. After grimly hunting the assassin through his own palace and ultimately exacting his savage vengeance, he is left gutted, wracked with guilt and anger - and his wife remains dead. It is then his Uncle Pelias tells him of the Golden Fleece, hidden away on the primordial isle of Colchis, and its ability to unmake the fabric of life and death. Jason immediately knows what he must do. After attaining the blessing of the gods Hermes, Athena, Ares and Apollo, and leaving his uncle Pelias to reign over his kingdom in his absence...
In examining combat, we really wanted to convey a sense of weight, impact and lethality that is so prevalent in the stories of the time; just read a battle sequence from The Iliad to get a sense of what we're talking about. Therefore, we felt that we not only needed real-time combat...
This led us to a physics-driven approach to combat, where power and resistance are more important than damage and hit points.
...we knew we needed robust storytelling tools and a means to make meaningful narrative choices...
...we've created an entirely new experience that will really appeal to fans of both RPG and action / adventure games alike.
We are always seeking to design "clever" reinterpretations of creatures, places, NPCs, etc., leveraging familiar elements to ensure that the player can identify them, and then taking them in entirely new directions.
For example, in myth, Daedelus is the greatest engineer of the ancient Greek world, but he is often represented as a thin and wiry scholar. In our game, he is an avatar of Hephaestus, a great worker of metals, and thus equal parts artisan and smithy. Our version is strong and stocky, reinforcing not only the tone and style, but also the logic of the world.
At its core, Jason's character development is centered around the concept of dedicating deeds to the gods.
Any meaningful action within the world can trigger a deed. Killing 20 Dryads, discovering a secret grove, saving hunters from certain death, and successfully outwitting, intimidating, or earning the respect of an NPC are but a small sampling of events that will grant deeds.
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