Interview Dungeon Lords community Q&A at RPGVault

[Saint_Proverbius]

Tags: Dungeon Lords

There's <A href="http://rpgvault.ign.com/articles/587/587915p1.html">an interview</A> focusing on <a href="http://www.dungeonlordsgame.com">Dungeon Lords</a> with user submitted questions over at <A href="Http://rpgvault.ign.com">RPGVault</a>. There's also some new screenshots of the game buried throughout. Anyway, on to the fun:
<br>
<br>
<blockquote><b>Is there a balance of different solutions - stealth vs. persuasion vs. brute force? Can you sneak through areas or is combat the only way?
<br>
<br>
Mark Harwood:</b> The game primarily focuses on combat and spell casting - there are plenty of games that do stealth right now, and Dungeon Lords is designed as a traditional RPG, rather than trying to incorporate whatever seems popular at the moment. You'll be able to avoid some obstacles by being quick, but sneaking is not a primary focus.</blockquote>
<br>
So, they're making an actiony nothin'-but combat CRPG because it's not popular at the moment? I also like the use of <i>traditional RPG</i> in the same guise as <i>first ever fighting RPG</i>.
<br>
<br>
Thanks for the link, <b>rajajuju</b>!

 

[Reklar]

Sounds like a rather close-minded and shallow approach to creating a cRPG. Sneaking around in cRPGs is hardly mainstream unless you consider the Thief series (which wasn't a huge seller) or Deus Ex cRPGs. The only cRPGs I recall that implemented a reasonably viable combat avoiding stealth approach are Fallout and perhaps some places in Baldur's Gate 2 if you had mass invisibility, though I've read that Bloodlines allowed you to avoid some combat through stealth. Granted I haven't played many of the more recent games labeled as cRPGs, but even from what I've read most of them appear to be more combat oriented. Maybe Dungeon Lords should be labeled a cCPG (computer combat playing game) instead.

-Reklar
(a Fallout/RPG fan)

 

[Screaming_life]

Wow, they actually answered 2 of my questions!

Regarding the complexities of the dialogue system, will your responses have an impact on the game or are they purely functional? Are there any skills that affect dialogues and in what way?

Mark Harwood: Dialogue is based on the traditional keyword concept, where you can speak to people in the game about different things, and certain keywords will be highlighted as new topics arise. Those words will be visible in a separate list that you can select from to ask more about that topic. Although selection of these words will determine the path you'll follow in the game, the main difference will be the guilds and sub-classes available to you, rather than a path of light or dark.

So basically it works like Morrowind which is geared towards functionality and results is less immersion and less depth of character

they say this:
...selection of these words will determine the path you'll follow in the game

Then later on:
The main quest is essentially linear



So dialogues are essentially crap! no complexity and basically just functional!

Will the "Combat RPG" design compromise the RPG elements? Does this term imply hack and slash?

Mark Harwood: We're still working on the balance, but rest assured that D.W. Bradley made his name by crafting RPGs with deep storylines, and Dungeon Lords will be no different. There will be many different ways for players to customize their characters and advance through the plot.

As for hack and slash, this really depends on your definition. While there is certainly combat in the game, it serves to advance the player through the multiple twists and turns of the story. If you're looking for narrative, you'll find it here. If you just want to go kill stuff, you can do that as well.

I term Hack and slash to be where combat takes the primary or only source of gameplay, something like:

...it serves to advance the player through the multiple twists and turns of the story

So it's basically hack and slash then!

Although the talk of the story sounds at least slightly promising... hack and slash with a story! might be good for a blast!

 

[taks]

Re: Dungeon Lords community Q&A at RPGVault

So, they're making an actiony nothin'-but combat CRPG because it's not popular at the moment?

sounds like it... i personally prefer combat options, however, so not a big loss to me.

I also like the use of <i>traditional RPG</i> in the same guise as <i>first ever fighting RPG</i>

kind of an oxymoron there... er, contradiction in terms. the traditional rpgs were all about fighting... heck, the golden-age of ROLE playing games kinda sits in the middle time frame of the genre since recent games have been ONLY action/fighting again... odd statement, i agree.

taks

 

[Saint_Proverbius]

Re: Dungeon Lords community Q&A at RPGVault

kind of an oxymoron there... er, contradiction in terms. the traditional rpgs were all about fighting... heck, the golden-age of ROLE playing games kinda sits in the middle time frame of the genre since recent games have been ONLY action/fighting again... odd statement, i agree.

I was pointing out the shift from "first ever" to "traditional". It looks like the marketting paradigm has shifted.