GS: Rise of the Argonauts features one of the more, shall we say, aggressive combat systems in an RPG. Can you break down the concept of lethality and take us through a few of the more gruesome attacks? Is death-and-dismemberment insurance required or recommended?
ED: Simply put, for Rise we ripped out the traditional hit point systems found in most RPGs and replaced it with a more action game style of combat. That isn't to say that it's an action game. We still have much of the great character development, story, and choice that you have in other RPGs, but this is definitely our own take on them. I'm hoping action gamers see it as a game with more freedom than they are used to and that RPGs see it as a game with more cool fighting and less menu tedium.
Getting back to combat...It's lethal and HUD-less. Most combat is like chopping down trees, and I can't remember the last time I thought that was fun...ahhhh childhood. Anyways, we thought that the players might like a taste of something new, so we came up with something more lethal. Hitting stuff in our game has a tendency to kill it. If it doesn't die, it's usually because it blocked, dodged, parried, or is just damn tough. Tough things (like our hero) that don't die right away show the damage on their bodies rather than on a bar. There are lots of moves. You shouldn't expect as many as a dedicated action game because we're also an RPG, but there are enough to be effective. Other than that, I'd rather the players discovered the moves for themselves. Talking about them individually is kind of like opening the watch and looking at the gears.
PS. If you really can't live without the HUD, you can turn it on in the options.
