Interview RPGDot interviews DS2 Lead Designer

[Spazmo]

Tags: Dungeon Siege; Gas Powered Games

Our pals at <a href="http://www.rpgdot.com">RPGDot</a> have posted an <a href=http://www.rpgdot.com/index.php?hsaction=10053&ID=1059>interview</a> with Gas Powered Games' Kevin Lambert about the upcoming screensaver sequel Dungeon Siege II.
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<blockquote>RPGDot: We have heard from our true role-playing fans that they were a little disappointed with the depth of the story in the original Dungeon Siege. Will the player be more involved in Dungeon Siege II? Do you have some good news for the RPGers out there?
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Kevin Lambert: It was great to hear that fans of the original Dungeon Siege were excited about a deeper narrative because this was an area we also wanted to improve. The quests in DS2 are deeply intertwined with the story, <b>the party members</b> all have distinct stories and personalities, and <b>occasionally they speak to each other.</b> We've also added roughly four times the amount of dialogue that DS1 had and there are many more interactive and non-interactive cut-scenes to tell the story. We have definitely taken a step towards the more classic definition of RPG, but have also struck a balance to keep the action element as well.</blockquote>
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Erm... none of them used to have wings, did they? And, ah, do any of them have big trouble with trusting people and an inclination to make this painfully clear? Please say no.

 

[Stark]

from the interview:

Kevin Lambert: Absolutely. Two of the biggest improvements that add tactical options to battles are the addition of Powers and a new "aggro" system where some monsters will get angry and are more likely to attack characters that do certain things such as healing, using powers, or stealing loot from the ground.

not to bash it or what, but i am intrigued by the practicality of the so called "aggro" system.

why should healing in battle make monsters angry? what about the guy that deals the most damage, or the magic caster that's most lethal in fantasy games?

or for the matter, stealing loot in the middle of the battle in a RT game?

 

[Spazmo]

Well, I suspect it'd really only work for smarter monsters. If you're trying to kill a bunch of guys, wouldn't you go after the guy who keeps healing and perhaps (dunno if DS has this) ressurecting the others?

 

[Sol Invictus]

Aggro is a term that comes from new MMORPGs like World of Warcraft. Casting certain spells or using certain abilities, like heal and resurrect is going to get the attention of intelligent monsters. What they basically see is this scrawny little guy healing his teammates, making battle difficult, so like any intelligent person would do is that they'd kill him first and then deal with the warriors later. The archer would likely get targetted at close range before the warrior, too. He'd be an easy kill and he wouldn't be able to defend himself. The magic caster who deals the most damage in his spells is likely going to be attacked before the swordsman, too. The swordsman would have to do a bit of defending to keep his buddies alive while they nuke the monsters who come too close.

Make sense?

As for stealing loot in the middle of the battle, that's just for convenience. You aren't going to be able to equip it while you're fighting anyway.

 

[Stark]

As for stealing loot in the middle of the battle, that's just for convenience. You aren't going to be able to equip it while you're fighting anyway.

the 2 instances where a gamer would bother to steal loot in middle of battle is

1)the battle is so dull and unengaging, and outcome is fargone conclusion, that the gamer decide to spend one guy picking up loot rather than join the fight.

2) the resultant loot would actually make a difference in the outcome of the battle.

anyway i'm really nickpicking. "Aggro" is just one of their features so who knows it'll work out well.

 

[Sol Invictus]

I think Aggro will work out well. It worked out well for WOW back when the pace of the gameplay wasn't as sluggish as EQ.

It could get pretty hectic, especially with large swarms of enemies attacking. The mage would be busily nuking away with area-of-effect spells like Flame Wave and Frost Nova and all of the nasty little buggers would swarm him, forcing everyone else in the team to stop whatever they're doing and get them off of him. Of course, a good mage wouldn't allow that to happen so often, through controlled and skilled use of spells. All of the mana the healer would have to use to keep his sorry ass alive would be expended in that single round, and likely get the next person killed when the next wave of monsters arrived.

It was pretty damn fun, really, and I look forward to seeing that degree of tactical element in a pause-and-play game, where micromanagement ISN'T a problem. Gosu-style of gameplay (what the Koreans refer to as ultra-micromanagement) really alienated me from Starcraft and Warcraft 3.

 

[Reklar]

Aggro is a term that comes from new MMORPGs like World of Warcraft.

Actually, no, it isn't. The term "aggro" has been used by players (and developers) in EverQuest since it's launch in 1999, as it is one of the cornerstone features of the game. It is not a new concept either, because you can see the effects of "aggro" in older single-player games as well, including Fallout. More than likely "aggro" predates most modern PC and console games, though it may not have been as prevalent back then. You've explained the basics of what the term means well though.

-Reklar
(a Fallout/RPG fan)

 

[RGE]

I first encountered the term "aggro" when I began MUDding. Along with "mob" for monster, because they were "mobiles". Aggro mob.