KoA: Reckoning - R.A. Salvatore Interview @ GameSpot

Dhruin · January 31, 2012

GameSpot caught up with R.A. Salvatore in an article format interview about creating the world of Amalur:

Though his skill brought imagined worlds to life on the page, Salvatore found crafting an interactive story hard to do. In print, the author is the one charged with supplying the heroes; in games, the hero is the player, meaning a game's story has to be flexible enough to let players project themselves into the story while maintaining enough richness and complexity to stand on its own.
In creating the world of Amalur, Salvatore looked toward existing human mythology and folklore in search of patterns of cultural behaviour. By studying the evolution of creation and destruction myths found in different cultures at different times, Salvatore was able to handpick different world views and customs and place them side by side, rearranging them like pieces of a puzzle.
"Why did some cultures succeed and others fail? Why did one thing work in one part of society but fail in another? I tasked my team of writers on Amalur to ask these questions and to research different mythologies from around the world and imagine what the world would be like if some of these stories were actually true. What would a real race of elves or dwarves behave like? We worked backwards, unraveling the stories we found and putting them together again."

More information.

wolfgrimdark · January 31, 2012

Enjoyed reading that from his view point. I tend to agree on the direction he entioned games are going in.

Hexprone · February 2, 2012

This was a great interview, and really does increase my interest in playing the game.

Going back to world mythology - rather than simply a D&D rulebook! - to find a deeper context for familiar RPG elements like elves and fairies is a really great idea, similar to what Greg Stafford did with the wonderful Glorantha game setting.

I continue to wish that the writing on the micro level - the actual dialogue in the demo - had presented something as interesting as this description of the writing on the macro level. A shame if all this cool work is done on the setting but it's missed because of a too-familiar initial presentation.

Drithius · February 2, 2012

RedSocialKnight said:
I continue to wish that the writing on the micro level - the actual dialogue in the demo - had presented something as interesting as this description of the writing on the macro level. A shame if all this cool work is done on the setting but it's missed because of a too-familiar initial presentation.

I am reminded of DA:O with this sentiment. Back when I followed Bioware products, long before their EA acquisition, it seemed like Bioware writers were the only ones working on the game (others were likely working on the engine, to be fair). Years passed and still the only web page updates were that of lore. Being a world and setting fanatic, it increased my desire to play the game; furthermore, it played into Bioware's claim that DA was going to be the spiritual successor to BG and all of that.

Eventually, we got DA:O and, while it didn't stink, I felt that the hackneyed storyline and dearth of settings ruined a great deal of any potential the writers may have worked into the game. I chalked it up to production deadlines and it being the first game in the series, placing my hopes in the sequel.

Heh.

KoA: Reckoning - R.A. Salvatore Interview @ GameSpot

Dhruin

SasqWatch

wolfgrimdark

Follower of Fenris Wolf

Hexprone

Thou hast lost an eighth!

Drithius

Magic & Loss