Eschalon: Book II - Interview @ Rampant Coyote

Dhruin

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Indie developer and RPG blogger Jay Barnson caught up with Thomas Riegsecker to discuss Eschalon: Book II. The conversation covers a little of Thomas' thoughts, the development and the game itself:
Rampant Coyote: The big marketing point for Eschalon: Book 1 was that it was “old school” in style. What does “old school” mean to you? How did you incorporate that feel into Eschalon: Book 1?
Thomas Riegsecker: Modern RPGs tend to consist of action-oriented game play, “skill trees” and storylines that can fit on a napkin. You may ask: what is wrong with a skill tree? Well, with a skill tree you can’t build an incompetent character- your skills may branch out, but they all lead to the same bad-ass dealer-of-death by the end of the game. It doesn’t matter what branches you take- you will have a successful character by game’s end. The only difference is the special effects you’ll get to see blasting out from your weapon.
Old-school, to me, means that we give the player ultimate control over the development of their character. With a complex array of attributes, stats, and skills you have the freedom to experiment with your character’s design- and that means you have the potential to make a jack-of-all-trades dud…or a god-like titan that can walk through the game with little effort. There is freedom in an old-school game; not just in the character design but also in the world design- a sense that you really can go anywhere from the very start.
More information.
 
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well... it could be just a LITTLE BIT beginner friendly...

ive give up on book 1 after beeing killed a kazzilion times by green blobs.

propably ive been doing something very wrong...but should be games THAT kind of hardcore from the very first 30 minutes of gameplay?
 
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it is not that hardcore imho, you just have to realise that you CANNOT go anywhere and expect to win a fight, because it doesn't have level scaling like Oblivion.
 
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I love it. Yes there are some hardcore moments. Book II lacks in food in the early game. Trying to survive hunger and combat as I searched. But it was only a minor struggle, and I survived and continued. It was moments like that I remember from Ultima 5 on the C64. You didn't question it then, it was just how the game played. The old school style combined with the modern touches on the interface and interactions is very welcome in an RPG.

I think the thing I'm most excited about is the continuation of the series. It's like we're at the Ultima 1 of our times, and now the sequel is more complex, and will continue to develop.
 
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I love it. Yes there are some hardcore moments. Book II lacks in food in the early game. Trying to survive hunger and combat as I searched. But it was only a minor struggle, and I survived and continued. It was moments like that I remember from Ultima 5 on the C64. You didn't question it then, it was just how the game played. The old school style combined with the modern touches on the interface and interactions is very welcome in an RPG.

I think the thing I'm most excited about is the continuation of the series. It's like we're at the Ultima 1 of our times, and now the sequel is more complex, and will continue to develop.

Exactly my thoughts as well.
 
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