katzenjammer
Novice
VD, this game has really piqued my interest recently and so I've come up with some questions I don't think anyone's asked yet. Even if they have, a little clarification never hurt anybody, right? 
Oh, and apologies for the almost interview-like length of this. I figured it was best to get everything off my chest in one go.
Here they are:
1) Will there be cheat codes or debug commands available in the game? If so, will they be sophisticated enough to set plot flags/variables?
2) Would it be possible to post a pic of the Options menu? I'd like to see how customizable the game is in terms of keyboard button remapping, audio/visual/interface options, turn-based combat speed, difficulty sliders, etc.
3) Any plans for a soundtrack CD? If not, will it be difficult for gamers to rip music from the game for their listening pleasure?
4) Is there any voice acting in the game at all?
5) To what extent do you expect the game to be moddable by players? Will it be difficult to create custom quests, items, characters, skills?
6) Will there be any non-interactive cutscenes (either FMVs or ones rendered in-game)?
7) Will diplomatic PCs be forced to run from combat encounters in order to remain a pacifist? i.e. Will there *always* be an opportunity for me to defuse conflicts before I'm forced into combat mode, or will even diplomats sometimes have to run like hell?
8) How do shopkeepers work? Are they like in Arcanum, where you can actually steal their items in a break-and-enter? Or is it like the BG games where if you kill the shopkeeper, their inventories are no longer available?
9) Is it possible to be defeated by enemies in combat and yet have them spare you? Since, for now at least, it appears whenever the PC wins a battle he or she can treat their combatants non-lethally.
10) Is it possible to quietly kill NPCs in a back alley without alerting guards? (Unlike in many RPGs where if you commit a crime the whole city goes aggro on your ass immediately).
11) Will there be vulgar language (e.g. FCC's 7 dirty words, racial slurs) or nudity in the game? Does the setting have its own lingo and slang, Ã la Planescape?
12) Will there be flirting or romantic possibilities with NPCs, and if so, will the interactions be strictly heterosexual? For comparison, I'm thinking of ToEE's gay marriage and Bloodlines' seduction options that are (sometimes) gender-irrelevant. Also, will sexual favours be a way to accomplish certain quests?
12) If it's true that works of art are often products of their times, would it be fair to say that AoD has thematic or allegorical references to the world's current political/cultural landscape?
13) Is there any procedurally-generated content in the game at all, or is everything hand-crafted/scripted?
14) Is the world of AoD patriarchal and systematically sexist? e.g. Is this a setting where women are expected to be domestic caretakers, and so a female knight PC would be an unusual thing? Or is it "anything men can do women can do just as well"?
15) What happens when the PC dies? Will we see a simple "game over" screen and the usual load/restart/exit buttons?
16) Suppose I activate Godmode and go about slaughtering everyone I meet without talking to them first. Will I be able to complete the game, or will I eventually kill some plot-important NPC that is crucial to game completion? (I ask this because I'm not sure if the game is designed in such a way that immortal NPCs are unnecessary.)
17) Is the sheathed vs. unsheathed status of weapons relevant in this game? Will the PC be harassed/greeted depending on the emblems, armor, gang signifiers, etc. they wear?
18) By power/metagaming and taking some shortcuts, players could complete Fallout in under ten minutes. Can this be done in AoD? Have any measures been taken to prevent this from happening, or is your attitude one of "people can play the game however they like"?
19) What's the largest number of foes we can expect to face in one encounter (cf. the siege in Hordes of the Underdark)? How long will enemy corpses remain on the ground after combat? Also related: Will items dropped on the ground disappear over time or will they lie there forever?
20) Can the camera angle be panned and adjusted such that we can admire our characters or look at the starry sky? When architecture obscures the player's view, does it automatically fade away? Will it be possible to play from unusual angles, say, first-person or a top-down bird's eye view?
And lastly, a bonus question...
21) Will you be including an easter egg for the credits screen where we can read obscene and perverse remarks by the developers? If not, would you please reconsider?
Please know that your time is very much appreciated and I respect the open communication you have with the people who'll be playing your games. If I can come up with any more things to ask, I'll be sure to add them here :wink:
Oh, and apologies for the almost interview-like length of this. I figured it was best to get everything off my chest in one go.
Here they are:
1) Will there be cheat codes or debug commands available in the game? If so, will they be sophisticated enough to set plot flags/variables?
2) Would it be possible to post a pic of the Options menu? I'd like to see how customizable the game is in terms of keyboard button remapping, audio/visual/interface options, turn-based combat speed, difficulty sliders, etc.
3) Any plans for a soundtrack CD? If not, will it be difficult for gamers to rip music from the game for their listening pleasure?
4) Is there any voice acting in the game at all?
5) To what extent do you expect the game to be moddable by players? Will it be difficult to create custom quests, items, characters, skills?
6) Will there be any non-interactive cutscenes (either FMVs or ones rendered in-game)?
7) Will diplomatic PCs be forced to run from combat encounters in order to remain a pacifist? i.e. Will there *always* be an opportunity for me to defuse conflicts before I'm forced into combat mode, or will even diplomats sometimes have to run like hell?
8) How do shopkeepers work? Are they like in Arcanum, where you can actually steal their items in a break-and-enter? Or is it like the BG games where if you kill the shopkeeper, their inventories are no longer available?
9) Is it possible to be defeated by enemies in combat and yet have them spare you? Since, for now at least, it appears whenever the PC wins a battle he or she can treat their combatants non-lethally.
10) Is it possible to quietly kill NPCs in a back alley without alerting guards? (Unlike in many RPGs where if you commit a crime the whole city goes aggro on your ass immediately).
11) Will there be vulgar language (e.g. FCC's 7 dirty words, racial slurs) or nudity in the game? Does the setting have its own lingo and slang, Ã la Planescape?
12) Will there be flirting or romantic possibilities with NPCs, and if so, will the interactions be strictly heterosexual? For comparison, I'm thinking of ToEE's gay marriage and Bloodlines' seduction options that are (sometimes) gender-irrelevant. Also, will sexual favours be a way to accomplish certain quests?
12) If it's true that works of art are often products of their times, would it be fair to say that AoD has thematic or allegorical references to the world's current political/cultural landscape?
13) Is there any procedurally-generated content in the game at all, or is everything hand-crafted/scripted?
14) Is the world of AoD patriarchal and systematically sexist? e.g. Is this a setting where women are expected to be domestic caretakers, and so a female knight PC would be an unusual thing? Or is it "anything men can do women can do just as well"?
15) What happens when the PC dies? Will we see a simple "game over" screen and the usual load/restart/exit buttons?
16) Suppose I activate Godmode and go about slaughtering everyone I meet without talking to them first. Will I be able to complete the game, or will I eventually kill some plot-important NPC that is crucial to game completion? (I ask this because I'm not sure if the game is designed in such a way that immortal NPCs are unnecessary.)
17) Is the sheathed vs. unsheathed status of weapons relevant in this game? Will the PC be harassed/greeted depending on the emblems, armor, gang signifiers, etc. they wear?
18) By power/metagaming and taking some shortcuts, players could complete Fallout in under ten minutes. Can this be done in AoD? Have any measures been taken to prevent this from happening, or is your attitude one of "people can play the game however they like"?
19) What's the largest number of foes we can expect to face in one encounter (cf. the siege in Hordes of the Underdark)? How long will enemy corpses remain on the ground after combat? Also related: Will items dropped on the ground disappear over time or will they lie there forever?
20) Can the camera angle be panned and adjusted such that we can admire our characters or look at the starry sky? When architecture obscures the player's view, does it automatically fade away? Will it be possible to play from unusual angles, say, first-person or a top-down bird's eye view?
And lastly, a bonus question...
21) Will you be including an easter egg for the credits screen where we can read obscene and perverse remarks by the developers? If not, would you please reconsider?
Please know that your time is very much appreciated and I respect the open communication you have with the people who'll be playing your games. If I can come up with any more things to ask, I'll be sure to add them here :wink:
