Interview Lionheart Q&A over at RPG Vault

[Saint_Proverbius]

Tags: Eric Dallaire; Lionheart: Legacy of the Crusader; Reflexive Entertainment

<A href="http://rpgvault.ign.com/">RPG Vault</a> has posted another <A href="http://rpgvault.ign.com/articles/385/385767p1.html">mass interview</a> with <A href="http://www.reflexive.net">Reflexive</a> and <A href="http://www.blackisle.com">Black Isle</a> about <A href="http://lionheart.blackisle.com">Lionheart</a>.
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<blockquote><b>Jonric: What are a couple of memorable surprises you've encountered during the development of Lionheart, and why do they stand out for you?
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Eric Dallaire
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Lead Writer and Designer, Reflexive Entertainment</b>
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I'm pleased with the way sneak turned out. Initially, I just expected the standard implementation where you hide and can skulk around monsters, and some general amount of experience is awarded to you, if at all. The programmers added a nice touch to the skill where you gain experience immediately when you sneak past a creature in real time. You continue to rack up experience as you sneak by them, up to 75% of their total experience value (you have to kill the creature to get the rest of the 25%). It's a nice reward for stealthy characters to see immediate gains when the skill works. In addition, it's easier to sneak from behind, as you'd imagine, and sneaking in front of a monster is more difficult.
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On a different note, I'm very pleased with the voice over talent recruited for the game - Black Isle did a fantastic job casting the parts. I had the pleasure of sitting in on some excellent sessions with a great cast of performers who all gave very memorable performances. Some of the actors will be recognized by RPG fans as characters from other games, like Baldur's Gate and Icewind Dale, and there are a few other surprises. I'm especially pleased that Mako and Dwight Schultz joined the very talented cast.</blockquote>
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Oh, come on, <b>Eric</b>! We all know what your <a href="http://www.duckandcover.net/gallery/gallery.cgi?Category=100006">most memorable surprise</a> was really!
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Spotted this at <a href="http://www.ve3d.com">VoodooExtreme</a>.

 

[Jed]

Bitter at the abandonment of TORN, I have thus far sort of unconciously 'boycotted' Lionheart. I just remember one of Feargut's reasons for the cancellation was something to the effect of, "It's too dificult to sell a fantasy CRPG based in an orginal (ie, not Forgotten Realms) setting." Coward.

Anyway, being that I haven't been paying as much attention as I should have, how excited are people here about this game? I pretty much wrote it off as a continuation of the IE nightmare, but some of the things in this interview piqued my interest: open-ended quests, experience for sneaking...

How 'for real' is this shit? What's the score?

J

 

[Spazmo]

No, the real reason they cancelled TORN was because they had no idea what they were doing with LithTech.

 

[HanoverF]

Add 30 points for Special system
Subtract 100 for Real Time w/pause
Add 50 points for skewd-historical setting
Subtract 10 points for huge honking interface
Add 20 points for Sneaking xp

Its one thing to claim open ended original quests, its another to deliver, so no points for that.

Interesting that they mention Shakespeare, quite a few people seem to think he's either a fabrication or fraud, wondering if they addressed this at all.

Not really excited, but not ready to write it off.

 

[Jed]

Add 30 points for Special system
Subtract 100 for Real Time w/pause
Add 50 points for skewd-historical setting
Subtract 10 points for huge honking interface
Add 20 points for Sneaking xp

So...lemmesee...that comes up to -10. I don't mind the huge interface so much, so I'll prorate that to 0.

Interesting that they mention Shakespeare, quite a few people seem to think he's either a fabrication or fraud, wondering if they addressed this at all.

There's a lot of speculation that he was an amalgamation of writers, and others think he may have been a woman. But that just may be more of my wacky conspiracy theories...

Jed

 

[Jed]

No, the real reason they cancelled TORN was because they had no idea what they were doing with LithTech.

I realize that's the ultimate reason, but I followed the development of that game quite closely, and Fearfactorgus made the above comment regarding the setting several times in interviews. If the 3D problem was the only reason, why isn't Lionheart simply "TORN 2D"?

J

 

[Saint_Proverbius]

The reason they cancelled TORN wasn't because of lithtech. It was because the design of the game wasn't going anywhere. Of course, they were also having problems making the transition from 2D to 3D, which is why there was that screenshot of the foot thick table and some other oddities, mostly on how to get textures synced up in a less noticable fashion. The ultimate reason though was they couldn't get the game world and other design aspects fleshed out.

 

[Jed]

I'm sure the TORN thing could spawn an entire thread by itself, Prov, but I'm more interested in hearing what you (and other Codex-ers) think about LH.

J

 

[HanoverF]

Personal taste could change the point total, just saying how it stacked up for me. My main problem with the interface is screenshots indicate half does nothing unless in dialogue, if the floating combat information was printed there in a scrollable window, like in the left corner box in Fallout, at least then it wouldn't just take up space when not in use. At this point I'll wait to see one or two good reviews before buying, or five doesn't suck reviews, heh.

Hadn't heard the female Shakespeare one, Mostly De Vere or Bacon.

 

[Sol Invictus]

Not to sound like a fanboy or anything, but the game's pause system doesn't work in the same way as Baldur's Gate's. As you can't issue orders while paused, it's more comparable to the pause system in Morrowind, but even more restrictive, as you can't queue potions and scrolls for multiple/simultanious use.

I just thought that I'd clear that up. Unless they decided to put in full blown Pause and Play without me knowing.

 

[Section8]

I'm interested to see how Lionheart turns out. I don't mind a bit of action combat (although I obviously prefer TB) and if the non-combat portions of the game are done well, then Lionheart ought to be a whole lot of fun.

 

[Trash]

The story idea is admittadly a very good one. They say there are plenty of opportunities for diplo chars and I like the idea of using ye good óle fallout skill system again.
There just is something about them perks. :wink:
This game defenitely has me interested, mainly because TOEE is probably still a way off.

Trash

 

[Constipated Craprunner]

The story idea is admittadly a very good one.
Trash

Fuck no.
Without the fourth Crusade, the Byzantine empire would still exsist, and dont give me that "Earthquake" bullshit. Greece is pretty uneven in terms of terrain, and you cant sink an entire two penninsulars.

 

[Trash]

I guess that's why it's called a game and it's all about fantasy? :wink:
Come on, there is something about a medievel (okay renaissance) europe where magic is loose, monsters roam the land, history has shifted and the inquisition and the templars are still around. Personally I've always been interested in seeing Davinci and Shakespeare live and work and walk through old Barcelona watching the armada gather.
Maybe it's because I'm european and have been to spain, britain and france that I'm quite interested what the devellopers wil come up with. Seeing many of the old buildings and towns that have been around for 100's of years and learning about their histories also made me quite interested in what live would have been like in those times.
I'm rather curious and to me the setting seems rather fresh and interesting after all the dwarf and elf crap I've seen.
Cya,

Trash

 

[Araanor]

also made me quite interested in what live would have been like in those times.

Pretty much crap I suspect.

Yeah I think the setting is interesting. In some ways it's the reverse of what Arcanum did, throwing in magic into reinassant Europe instead of putting a fantasy world through an industrial revolution. Yes, I know they're not in the exact same time period.

We won't get the chance to meet DRIZZET or Elminister but there will be prominent historical figures! Happiness!

 

[Constipated Craprunner]

No Byzantium=No play. Alexius Comnenus would have crushed the deamons.

 

[MF]

Craprunner, I always laugh at your feeble knowledge of history and ancient culture.
You wish to display your 'knowledge' for everyone to see, but it is false.
http://www.doaks.org/Crusades/CR01.pdf

 

[Constipated Craprunner]

In 1071 the Empire of Rome was defeated by the Sejuk Turks at the battle of Manzekirt. Subsequently the emporer was killed and the Turks took about 3/4s of Byzantine Anatolia. After a rather pathetic emporer (which saw the noteable rebellion of the Norman Russel), the Comnenus family came to power. It was Alexius who called upon the first crusade to help in his war on the Turks, yet it was not directed towards the pope- the emporer was on good standing with the Count of Flanders. The first crusade resuted in the loss of the lesser Armenian lands, yet for the most part it seemed as though the desperate gambit had at least shifted the focus on the Crusaders. Alexius Comnenus was emporer during the first crusade, and his reign saw the beggining of what could be viewd as a revival.
http://www.encyclopedia.com/html/sectio ... fPower.asp
If the fourth crusade did not occur (or was directed against another source, as Lionheart has us belive) it is not only plausable but likely that the Byzantine empire could have reclaimed Anatolia.
Next time you try to get pretentious dumbass, pick someone who did not just finish the Alexiad.
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/de ... ce&s=books
A great read, almost on par with Psellus.

 

[MF]

Oh come on. Such a work is hardly a representation on the poltics and military scales of the time. It is one sided and has enough myth and lore to pass off as a novel. Historicaly correct, probably but biased. Pretty much any historical source is, but this is like saying God exists because he is in the Bible.

I agree that the empire was powerful. But not even as powerful as Rome many centuries before that. It was one of the few 'states' that did not need religious mandates to preserve unity, though.
The Crusades were a religious excuse, and as far as I know, this game has another excuse.

Besides, it's fantasy. It's primarily set in Spain. In Spain, you had Moors and Spanjards. You're looking East. Hey, wouldn't Japan have solved the issue? I mean it's only about thrice as far away.

 

[Constipated Craprunner]

Where do you get your history from, Gibbon? Ostrogorsky and Julius Norwich says that Anna is most likely correct on more topics than either of her contemporary cultures.

I agree that the empire was powerful. But not even as powerful as Rome many centuries before that. It was one of the few 'states' that did not need religious mandates to preserve unity, though.

During the revival, it was just as powerful as Rome- the HRE was crumbling and the Calpihate was broken into three. After about 1025 and the battle of Manzekirt I will be the first to admit that Imperial power was going down, but Alexius could have saved it, and it seems very likely that he could have taken advantage of it.
Spain? Parts of the game are set in the Mid East, England and from what we can gather Isreal. I dont even care if Constantinople is in the game- just want a referance to Kataprakoti and such.
Anyway, the fantasy makes no sense in the first place- without the Fourth Crusade the Doge of Venice would never have becomed cultured, and Spain, with it's inheritance from the Almoahed Calpihate, would be the only country in Christiondom going thru the "Renisanse", let alone the problems the lack of the Hundred Years War would have brought.

 

[MF]

I'm not pretentious, my friend. I should have probably been more polite, but you seem to think you know what happened and how everything was balanced. There are too may conflicting sources to be absolutely sure, but saying "Alexius Comnenus would have crushed the deamons." is pretentious.

First, it's based on your recently read book, a book which you apparently liked , which used your imagination to excite you. A book which is, no matter what historians say, biased -per definition-. I know your excitement will want you to see this stuff in the game. That's something I completely understand, but you should have said THAT.

What you did was quite obviously an attempt at pimping your knowledge.
But you used speculation. You used an historical figure and a blatant fantasy term.

Then again, this is probably just an aftershock on my part due to the bullshit you posted in the time-travel thread . No hard feelings. I'm actually sorry I posted that.

 

[Constipated Craprunner]

I actually also read John Comnenus (her brother, future Emporer) (Actually, a bit of it) and it seems to confer alot of the facts. Frankly most historians admit that Byzantium was more powerful than they where, though the Sultanate of Iconium was soon to be as powerful.
I have read quite a lot of Byzantine literature recently. Psellus's Foruteen Byzantine rulers is on par with Herodetus, and Procipus's secret history is hilarious.

You used an historical figure and a blatant fantasy term

Alexius was a contemporary of Saladin and the Lionhearted. IT only fits that he would be Emporer of Rome, and it seems likely that he would have been able to pull Byzantium into the new Fantasy world.

 

[Rosh]

I'm not really looking to it at all, mainly because of the following:

Exocet font, if they are still using it, is annoying as hell to read. There's plenty of other typesets from around that time to borrow from.
A lot of the floating information can blend in easily into the effects. Not a good thing.
Interface. If they need to add pause for the sake of scrolling around to see what the bloated interface hides, then that will be annoying as hell.
"Levels" doesn't promise well for the integration of the setting together and other things.

As for TORN, it was an honest shitfest waiting to happen. How they could get LithTech to look even shitter than normal (even to the point where the screenshots looked like colostomy slides), was a feat in itself. They were going to pop that out, then most likely push Fallout through it after they put the SPECIAL system into it. What is pure comedy is that the janitors and paid fanboys at BIS say that was no proof (or "empirical evidence") that their ability to work in 3d was a bit questionable.

 

[Spazmo]

Actually, in a "Gaming Graveyard" feature on GameSpot (I'd provide a link but by now, you'd probably have to pay to read it), Feargus himself admitted that working with LithTech was a bitch for BIS. He said that they had to get guys from MonoLith over nearly every day to fix problems they were having.

 

[Rosh]

Actually, in a "Gaming Graveyard" feature on GameSpot (I'd provide a link but by now, you'd probably have to pay to read it), Feargus himself admitted that working with LithTech was a bitch for BIS. He said that they had to get guys from MonoLith over nearly every day to fix problems they were having.

I'm rather suspecting that might be the same for nearly ANY 3d engine. From what I've heard from a friend who has worked in it, rendering things is the easy thing. Altering the engine to support back-end changes is another matter. Color selection is a seriously moot point in terms of working in the engine.

So there's really no excuse for TORN's screenshits to have foot-thick tables and area screens that look like colostomy slides.