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Exclusive: Dungeon Siege II Chat Feature
Derek dela Fuente
22/10/2004
TVG takes a trip to Gas Powered Games to discuss the eagerly awaited return of Dungeon Siege...
Dungeon Siege II returns players to the beautiful fantasy land of Aranna, but it is a land scarred by civil war, where the lines between good and evil are blurred. Players must lead an elite battle party against Valdis, a vicious marauder determined to return the world to order, no matter the cost. Dungeon Siege II promises to set a new standard in role-playing games by combining an intriguing story line with intense real-time party combat and cutting edge 3D graphics.
Derek dela Fuente spoke with a couple of the internal development team, Kevin Lambert (KL), designer, and Chris Taylor (CT) from Gas Powered Games, to get a fuller insight.
KL: âThe goal of Dungeon Siege was to create a beautiful fantasy action/RPG with a streaming world, simple interface, and fun, party-based combat.â
âWe felt like we achieved that goal, and were very happy with the success of the game. That being said, after playing a lot of the first game and listening to the fans, my vision for Dungeon Siege II was the same as the team's vision - to provide a deeper RPG experience across the board with improved combat, a better story, and more choices to make.â
Some might say it is hard to create/improve on a sequel when Dungeon Siege appeared nigh on perfect? With the same environment, same character set, how much discernable improvement will new spells and powers, along with weapons disciplines, advance on the overall essence of the game? Chris Taylor expanded.
âNaturally, we didn't see DS as a perfect game; in fact, we saw it as a good start to a whole world of possibilities in the action RPG space. We have spent enormous effort building a brand new world for a fantastic and huge adventure to take place in.â
âSpecifically, we believe that the new skills and powers system will radically enhance the game, and draw the player in much more than before. Our goal is to insure that Dungeon Siege II will not be a game played casually, but will instead require the full attention and focus of the player.â
The world of âDungeon Siege IIâ is brimming with activity. From pitched battles raging around players as they adventure through the world, to special environments that players can turn to their tactical advantage in the heat of battle â“ players will do well to pay heed to the world around them.
Players will face-off against opponents whose power and tactical prowess will rival their own. The enemies in Dungeon Siege II will have all-new powers and abilities. As a result of the new Coach AI technology introduced in âDungeon Siege IIâ, enemies are full of surprises.
KL: âRather than add new character classes to Dungeon Siege II, we decided to take the approach of making the existing character classes from the first Dungeon Siege deeper and more interesting, by adding a skill tree and power system. These systems will allow players to develop characters carefully into one or more ârolesâ.â
âFor example, through the expenditure of skill points acquired at each level of experience, a player may focus their fighter character on mastering a balanced sword and shield style, an offensive two-handed weapon style, a quick dual-wield style, or perhaps even a jack-of-all-trades approach.â
Dungeon Siege II introduces a new Flick authoring system providing a new level of in-engine cinematic storytelling that keeps players in the game world instead of pulling them away from it. New story-driven quests provide a deeper adventure that evolves with players as they complete quests and missions. In addition, the dynamic world of âDungeon Siege IIâ changes around players in real-time in response to their combat and quests.
KL: âA movie set is only as interesting as the actors who appear on it and what goes on there, and so one of our primary area of focus for Dungeon Siege II is to make the party characters and story more compelling. Fans of the first game will notice we still have gorgeous environments, but that this time, we've added even more interactive sequences and elements, to reward exploration.â
For those not au fait with the game, CT gave a basic overall to the setting and overall task the player will be set.
CT: âThe player's character starts out as a mercenary, and through a twist of fate, finds himself a captive in the hands of his enemy. Naturally, because DS II is a RPG, the player is thrust into a journey, which unravels mysteries and follows a story arc meant to excite and titillate. I shouldn't really give away much more, as this is the fun of playing the game and finding out.â
âEven though Dungeon Siege is mostly about party-based combat, an improved story is a perfect focus for thinking about the additional RPG depth we are shooting for in the sequel. For example, we want to have party characters with specific histories, personae, goals, and relationships with one another. The story for Dungeon Siege II takes place on the continent of Aranna a few hundred years after the close of the original Dungeon Siege.â
Asked if the team had to break down the gameâs structure in terms of innovations, technology, strategy, focus, what would they have seen as the most important facets pertaining to creating a game of interest and originality?
K: âThat's a great question. Although it sure would be nice if such a thing existed, I don't believe there is a specific formula for the guaranteed success of games. If it were as simple as âTake a 3D engineâ, create a likeable main character, add some big flashy weapons, and don't forget to include an ice level, then every game would be amazing.â (A smile appears on Kâs face.)
âI do believe, however, that there is a more generalised formula that can help keep the design of a game focused. It is to start with a core gameplay mechanic which everyone feels is fun, and then to build the entire game around it, trying to keep the interface as simple as possible. If you start with a fun core gameplay mechanic and don't lose focus, you're almost guaranteed to have an interesting game, regardless of the technology used. Much like the film industry, originality can come just as much from introducing something completely new as it can from a fresh take on something that's been done a million times before. In games, it's all about your own creative interpretation of âfunâ.â
âIf you asked me to pick one of my favourite elements from the game it would either have to be one of the interactive combat/story sequences that play out during the siege of a castle in the mountains, or maybe one of our awesome boss battles... neither of which you'd want me to spoil, I'm sure.â
As the stakes have increased, so have the party's abilities. Each class now has access to unique Heroic Powers that are capable of turning the tide of battle, but they require wisdom and strategic timing to use properly. In fact, there are so many improvements and fleshing out of ideas that Dungeon Siege II is coming together and looking brill. The new SFX engine takes visual special effects to the next level for everything from the environmental atmosphere to dazzling spell effects. Creating an engrossing and immersive gaming experience have been top on the priority list for the team and has been achieved.
