Risen 2: Dark Waters Interview
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RPGSite: What is your opinion on DRM and its intrusive behavior towards legitimate customers especially as of late and your move to Steamworks for Risen 2?
Daniel: This is an important question. The big problem we have when it comes to our financial return is with people who just pass games to each other, which causes a big dip on sales. What we like to do on a frequent basis is check the market for what tech is available to help prevent this. Risen 1 was a disc-only copy protection, and at that time Ubisoft was already moving to an online-only DRM. We feel that Steam already has a big reputation for hardcore gamers - it isn't really something focused on the casual. We also needed software that has a reputation for a stable system that does not violate people's privacy and their data. We also chose Steam for its longevitity. It also offers users another layer of service, not just with DRM, with community features that can let people chat together in real-time. It has overall become very beneficial for us.
RPGSite: With Risen 1, the ability to join factions played a big part in the amount of depth the game had for players. Are the factions still important to the game, and if so, how will they will work and what have you done to make them more engaging in the sequel?
Daniel: Factions are certainly different in our new game. Risen 1 let you join one of three factions and gave you a unique look on the story. Risen 2 on the other hand gives players far more choices. In the first game, when players chose a faction, players felt like it only let them see a third of the game and not the full game - they missed out on important events like the Inquisition and the wizards and their views of the plot. They basically had to play the game 3 different times in order to get it.
In Risen 2, you will always be a pirate. During development, we decided early that we wanted to make the game appeal to gamers in a much more attractive way. Risen 1 was a neutral space with an indistinguishable interface because the developers didn't know what faction the player would choose. Risen 2's UI is very pirate-focused. There are different factions and exclusive quests for each of them. You also gain multiple companions based on the factions that you choose to be a part of. We want to give choice, but don't close gamers off from the game.
Q: Does the gear you have show on your character when you change equipment?
Daniel: Yes, absolutely! In contrast to Risen 1, we wanted to give players cooler and better outfits earlier. In the original, players had to basically wait almost 3 hours in order to get out of their raggy clothing they started with. We want to incentivise players earlier by throwing thigns such as new hats, bandannas, and more earlier. You can even go into your inventory and see what your character looks like with a 3D render, even in the shop before you decide to buy the clothing.
