Sol Invictus
Erudite
Tags: Akella; Hard to be a God
Gameguru Mania has set up an interview with Andrew Teodorovich, the PR-manager of Akella company which is currently developing the RPGs Metalheart and Hard To Be A God. This particular interview covers the subject of HTBAG (seriously, someone needs to come up with a better acronym.) which is scheduled for release only 2 years from now, in 2007.
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<blockquote><b>GGMania: Is the game linear or nonlinear?</b>
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Andrew Teodorovich: It is absolutely nonlinear. Moreover, we mean not simply "several possible variants of the decision of the same quests". First, during gameplay the gamer will have an opportunity of a choice from one of the contradictory parties. It depends on not only a set of quests, carried out by the player, but also on the ending of the game (meanwhile there are stipulated four possible variants). Secondly, as I have already told, practically each task can be complete in two or even more ways. Somewhere it is possible to pay off with money, somewhere you can apply force, somewhere to use eloquence, and at times, it is necessary to connect own sharpness and to search for unconventional decisions. Thirdly, nonlinearity is provided with the random generator, which each time gives out not only new tasks, but also new locations! We met a similar system in Diablo, however, in "HtbG" this element is on qualitative higher level. For example, having come during the first passage to village "X", the player will see there some NPCs, a small tavern and a smithy. But if the player will begin game again, there will already be absolutely others NPCs (with another dialogues and quests!), a bakery, the marketplace and a huge inn. Certainly, some key figures and buildings always will be in their places, but all the rest will change each time. We try to provide our project with the maximal parameter of replay-ability.
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<b>GGMania: How will the quest system work, how much variety will there be in terms of different types, and how will you keep them from becoming repetitive or even stale?</b>
<br>
<br>
Andrew Teodorovich: In one of the previous questions we already mentioned the arrangement of quest system. Besides subject assignments from key NPCs, the player can execute tons of "random" tasks. And they will be rather interesting, instead of to be reduced to boring FedEX-shaped delivery of some thing from point A to point B (where as a variant, it's necessary to kill the spiteful enemy). In this question we look back at experience of Fallout and Arcanum founders, and we try to include some exclusively "detective" quests where the player should connect to the solution of a problem. The player should use not only the weapon and fast legs, but also a brain. Untangle a chain of the mysterious facts, to discuss with set of people, to choose optimum, in your opinion, the decision, from set of various variants … It's all done not only for replay-ability increase, but also to create an authentic atmosphere.</blockquote>
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The randomized quests certainly sound like Diablo's randomly encountered quests which are extracted from a pool of predesigned quests (good), like the poisoned water supply and the slaying of undead King Leoric, which players would not always encounter during their playthroughs of the game. They do not sound like Beyond Divinity's battlegrounds (lousy) which generated everything, including the NPCs, in a completely random fashion, so don't be confused.
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The interview also includes some nice concept art. You can read the rest of it <a href=http://www.ggmania.com/full.php3?show=5720>here</a>.
Gameguru Mania has set up an interview with Andrew Teodorovich, the PR-manager of Akella company which is currently developing the RPGs Metalheart and Hard To Be A God. This particular interview covers the subject of HTBAG (seriously, someone needs to come up with a better acronym.) which is scheduled for release only 2 years from now, in 2007.
<br>
<blockquote><b>GGMania: Is the game linear or nonlinear?</b>
<br>
<br>
Andrew Teodorovich: It is absolutely nonlinear. Moreover, we mean not simply "several possible variants of the decision of the same quests". First, during gameplay the gamer will have an opportunity of a choice from one of the contradictory parties. It depends on not only a set of quests, carried out by the player, but also on the ending of the game (meanwhile there are stipulated four possible variants). Secondly, as I have already told, practically each task can be complete in two or even more ways. Somewhere it is possible to pay off with money, somewhere you can apply force, somewhere to use eloquence, and at times, it is necessary to connect own sharpness and to search for unconventional decisions. Thirdly, nonlinearity is provided with the random generator, which each time gives out not only new tasks, but also new locations! We met a similar system in Diablo, however, in "HtbG" this element is on qualitative higher level. For example, having come during the first passage to village "X", the player will see there some NPCs, a small tavern and a smithy. But if the player will begin game again, there will already be absolutely others NPCs (with another dialogues and quests!), a bakery, the marketplace and a huge inn. Certainly, some key figures and buildings always will be in their places, but all the rest will change each time. We try to provide our project with the maximal parameter of replay-ability.
<br>
<br>
<b>GGMania: How will the quest system work, how much variety will there be in terms of different types, and how will you keep them from becoming repetitive or even stale?</b>
<br>
<br>
Andrew Teodorovich: In one of the previous questions we already mentioned the arrangement of quest system. Besides subject assignments from key NPCs, the player can execute tons of "random" tasks. And they will be rather interesting, instead of to be reduced to boring FedEX-shaped delivery of some thing from point A to point B (where as a variant, it's necessary to kill the spiteful enemy). In this question we look back at experience of Fallout and Arcanum founders, and we try to include some exclusively "detective" quests where the player should connect to the solution of a problem. The player should use not only the weapon and fast legs, but also a brain. Untangle a chain of the mysterious facts, to discuss with set of people, to choose optimum, in your opinion, the decision, from set of various variants … It's all done not only for replay-ability increase, but also to create an authentic atmosphere.</blockquote>
<br>
The randomized quests certainly sound like Diablo's randomly encountered quests which are extracted from a pool of predesigned quests (good), like the poisoned water supply and the slaying of undead King Leoric, which players would not always encounter during their playthroughs of the game. They do not sound like Beyond Divinity's battlegrounds (lousy) which generated everything, including the NPCs, in a completely random fashion, so don't be confused.
<br>
<br>
The interview also includes some nice concept art. You can read the rest of it <a href=http://www.ggmania.com/full.php3?show=5720>here</a>.
