Interview Jeff Vogel on Blades of Avernum

[Vault Dweller]

Tags: Blades of Avernum; Spiderweb Software

<a href=http://rpgvault.ign.com>RPG Vault</a> has posted <a href=http://www.avernum.com/blades/index.html>Blades of Avernum</a> 3-page <a href=http://rpgvault.ign.com/articles/528/528503p1.html>wrap report</a>. Tons of intersting info. Here are some snipets:
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<blockquote><b>The Team</b>
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We're a charming little company in a basement in lovely Seattle, Washington. It's me and two employees. I handle the bulk of the design and coding. My employees handle the business and web end, and help me with doing the design.
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<b>Technology</b>
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Well, we're a little company, with a low budget. In addition, we're download only, so our game has to be small enough to be downloaded reasonably by a 56k modem. These two constraints provide a lot of limits in terms of what we can do with graphics and sound. I would really like to make games with elaborate and lovely graphics and sound,
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<b>Best Decisions</b>
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The first good decision was moving to a full scripting language. Every good thing about the project came from this. You simply can't beat scripting for getting good, interesting character and special encounter behavior.
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<b>Personal Thoughts</b>
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It's simple and dated, but it's fun. The game system, after years of polishing, just works. It plays fast and easy, and it's really addictive. And because the design system is so versatile, people will be able to do new, funky stuff with it for years.</blockquote>
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That's a really good way to describe Spiderweb games: simple and dated, but fun.
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[POOPERSCOOPER]

Funney, thats the same thing I said about your mom.

 

[Vault Dweller]

Pooper strikes again!

Out of curiosity, recently you demonstrated that you can think and talk, what's with "witty" one liners then?

 

[Psilon]

From Jeff's phrasing, it sounds like Avernum 4, while eventually coming, might not be the MYSTERY PROJECT. Anyone know when Jeff actually sent that wrap report in?

 

[Jed]

I'm really hoping Jeff will drop a sweet sci-fi game on us...but he seems pretty happy with his brand of Fantasy-with-a-Twist.

 

[Whipporowill]

So, Geneforge 3 will probably use the old engine then? And this MYSTARY X game will be the first with the new one? Or is the MYSTARY just a new setting, and Jeff keeps polishing on that new engine until Avernum 4?

Holy Handgrenades Batman, that's a lot of MYSTARY in one post.

Stay tuned. Same bat time, same bat channel

 

[Greenskin13]

Out of curiosity, recently you demonstrated that you can think and talk, what's with "witty" one liners then?

Don't take that away from Poops. He's my main source for funny.

 

[Anonymous]

I imagine if the mystary project was Avernum 4, he would of said so.

So unless it's Neithergate 2, it's probably going to be a new game.

 

[Psilon]

Even Nethergate 2 would probably be announced. I suspect he's working on a new setting.

 

[Saint_Proverbius]

Blades of Geneforge?

 

[Whipporowill]

Well, no. He's pretty clear he's done with the editor bit for now. Something about once every 4 years being enough... to lazy to trawl for the quote.

 

[Sol Invictus]

Blades of Geneforge: The Exiles.

 

[wizard]

Well, no. He's pretty clear he's done with the editor bit for now. Something about once every 4 years being enough... to lazy to trawl for the quote.

Search for Spidweb forums and you'll find a newer quote where Jeff said that the editor for Geneforge is very likely to come...we don't need to wait for 4 years for it

besides, Geneforge's are done by using same kind of editor system as BoA has......so it wouldn't be so hard to release Blades of Geneforge or whatever Jeff will name it