Project Eternity Interview
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Buck: What are your plans for the quest system? Are you shooting for quality over quantity and do you anticipate having multiple ways to complete many of the game's quests? Will there be a focus on both combative and non-combative approaches to many of them? Feargus: The core to a great RPG is having all matter of quests and that's what we are going to do in Project Eternity. If every quest was a Fed-Ex quest then that isn't fun, but having some quests like that round out the types of quests we can offer and I know I appreciate the occasional easy quest. That's really the other aspect of a well-crafted RPG. There are the intense times where the quests are deep, every choice matters, and the fallout from choosing one way or another spider webs across the game. While others are lighter, fun, but less earth-shattering. Both types are needed to keep the ebb and flow of the game fun. Ultimately though, we are going to walk the line between quality and quantity tons of single step delivery quests makes an RPG feel shallow, while only a few super complex quests leaves the world feeling empty.
Buck: How about the item system? Will you be hand-crafting the equipment as you did within the Infinity Engine, with elaborate histories attached to even the most mundane items? Or will there be a random element when it comes to item statistics?
Feargus: We are definitely going to go old school here. We don't just want the world to feel unique but everything in it as well. That means creating unique items that fit into the world and have their own descriptions, histories, and potentially, their own personalities.
Buck: You mentioned to me earlier that the game will be both party-based and single player, and that the player will always have control of their main character. Does this mean that we'll be picking up companions throughout the game with their own backstories, banter, romance possibilities, and potential quests as we did in Baldur's Gate and Planescape: Torment? If so, how much control will we have over companion advancement and equipment?
Feargus: When we looked at whether to go the Icewind Dale route or the Torment / Baldur's Gate route, we felt the latter tied much better into the focus we are going to put into the story and character development. We want the central character to be one that players will hopefully not just play through Project Eternity with, but into sequels as well. Like Torment and Baldur's Gate, players will find companions to join their party crafted by the incredible talents of Chris Avellone and Josh Sawyer. When it comes to how they will improve that is something we are still considering and would love to hear what fans out there think. We invite anyone that is interested to come on over to our forums at http://forums.obsidian.net.
Buck: What platforms are you targeting for Project Eternity and when do you anticipate releasing it? When the game is finished, what are your plans for distributing it and supporting it over the long-term?
Feargus: First and foremost it is going to made on and for the PC (Windows). Our hope is to add Mac and Linux versions as we get farther along with the technology and based upon the success of the Kickstarter campaign.
Buck: Thanks for your time, Feargus. Now here, please take my money.
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