Новости Dark Messiah Of Might And Magic

2. How would you describe the concept of Dark Messiah of Might and Magic in a few words?
RWG:
Would you like to find yourself in an era of heroes and discoveries in a fairytale universe shaken by wars?
If so, the answer is the upcoming game Dark Messiah. When we bring a new hero to life in such a world, we usually choose various starting characteristics—sensitivity, who we will be, and how we will defeat enemies, preferring to use muscle, magic, or cunning. In Dark Messiah you start similarly, but each person will live their own story, gain their own experience, and there will not be a single similar ending.
The first-person view will immerse you in an impressive, and to some extent maximally realistic environment. Seeing the world from the first person, you cannot see monsters hiding in the shadows behind you, and only when you stand at a dragon's feet will you understand what the phrase "as tall as a house" really means.
3. You are using Valve's Source engine for this game. Could you explain why you chose it specifically? Does it meet your goals for the game's development?
RC: In 2003, we were developing our own engine. But at one game show, we met representatives from Valve who had fallen in love with our first game (Arx Fatalis). We checked out the Valve booth at E3, saw their amazing demonstration, and realized that the Source engine provided absolutely everything we wanted and even more. Therefore, it was decided to start license negotiations with them. Valve were pleased with our proposal and gave us access to the Source engine in its early stages, even before they officially licensed the engine. It was just great because it was exactly what we needed. Being the second generation of one of the best engines for first-person action games, the Source engine gave us everything we were looking for: a high-quality realistic environment, stunning physics integration, a good multiplayer structure, and great flexibility for rapid prototyping of crazy new ideas.
RWG:
I am very encouraged by the fact that I am working with a team like Arkane. The team does not have to focus on designing a game engine from scratch, with all the technical problems that entails, but can instead devote all its creative energy to creating extensive gameplay. Very soon we were able to discuss prototyping some gameplay elements instead of spending most of our time on development in the hope that "it will work" in the end.
4. What is your current level of relationship with Valve?
RWG: I like to think that our relationship with Valve has gone far beyond just a license agreement. We share the same passion for games. We play each other's games. Our team regularly visits Valve offices, where we discuss and show our latest achievements in Dark Messiah.
It is very useful to see and hear their reaction. We receive consultation from some of the most brilliant people in the gaming industry and we value that.
5. Could you tell us about the game world and the storyline of Dark Messiah?
RWG:
In Dark Messiah, you are Sareth, the apprentice of a powerful wizard. He raised you with a single purpose: teaching you the art of magic and warfare. At the beginning of the game, you are given an ancient artifact that must be delivered to a friend of your wizard. It seems like a simple task, but it is not. Your path will be winding and difficult. Along the way, you will have to face many dangers and adventures, make discoveries, and try to survive clashes... And the shadow of Dark Messiah will loom over your path.
6. How did you come up with the script? Was there an original idea before this?
RC:
The plot idea emerged from constant discussions between Ubisoft and Arkane. Arkane Studio was more focused on story details and narrative elements that would lead through the levels of Dark Messiah. Ubisoft worked more on bringing the images together: Erwan Le Breton and Richard Dansky worked more on the Might and Magic universe and the foundation we share with Heroes of Might and Magic. They also provided consulting support in refining our dialogues and emphasizing personal characters and character motivations.
7. So you say that Dark Messiah is more of an action game? Could you tell us about this in more detail? For example, how can I become a wizard, warrior, or assassin, and is it possible to choose, for instance, the path of the assassin—one specific direction—and finish the game this way?
RWG:
First-person action leads the Dark Messiah through a game that has some RPG elements, all processed in real time, and monsters will not wait for you, thinking before they act. You have the opportunity to plan ahead how to bypass a clash. To do this, you need to look at the scene map, find the necessary course, and plan your actions. Playing as a Warrior and an Assassin will be completely different. One will charge at the enemy using their strength and superior control over advanced mechanics, while the other will wait in ambush and stalk their enemy, killing silently.
8. Were there any difficulties associated with choosing the first-person view?
RC:
We already tested the first-person view in our previous game (Arx Fatalis). In general, the tasks were only in the direction of how to bring something new to the hero's development. We decided to tackle the combat system: creating melee fights. There were attempts in the past, but we hadn't reached anything until now. It is a great opportunity and a great task. A huge challenge, actually...
From the very beginning, we started developing a system of "understanding" the human body (seeing it, almost feeling it). Besides the fact that you need to see changes in the body due to some external objective reasons, you also need to see your legs when you kick an enemy. By the way, this also helps in estimating the distance between yourself and the opponent. And it turns out that you are not just a floating camera, but you belong to a WORLD that is very diverse and dynamic.
This understanding of the body is a very stimulating feature, believe me. There are countless things to think about when you start developing this. Along with body awareness, we set out to solve the problem of creating a melee combat system (the most fun part, in my opinion), where you don't need to aim much; the battle is primally simple. Where the player's strategy is to be at the center of events and where you will feel the hits (both dealt and received).
So far we are happy with the results; the first-person view has become our ally. There are things that we could only achieve this way, for example, precision. This is when you aim for a hand to immediately disarm an opponent or another specific part of the body. The connection between the character and the person, thanks to body awareness, becomes intuitive. You are a fighter because you feel it. You feel that you have boots on your feet. You are the one who just managed to make an amazing lunge or jump, and this is all possible only with a first-person view.
9. How serious is the physics in the game?
RC:
Highly simulated environments have always been one of our obsessions because they lead to interesting situations in gameplay. Physics plays an important role in the gaming process: any object that looks possible to move is physically modeled so that it potentially affects both the surrounding world and changes the player's experience.
RWG:
It is very important for us to provide the player with this "vertical" freedom (as opposed to the "horizontal" freedom you have in games with huge environments), and physics is certainly very important; it adds depth. It is very pleasant and useful to know that you will be able to change the viewing angle of a room, use physics during combat, or carve out a new path.
Using objects and the environment against your enemy will be quite fun, but you will be even more surprised when you realize that your opponent can also use external items in their own interests.
10. What about RPG elements in your game?
RC:
Dark Messiah demonstrates some of the classic RPG elements, such as collecting points and character creation. In Dark Messiah, you progress and gain skills that correspond to your chosen playstyle, but rest assured that your quests will be supported regardless of your chosen development style.
RWG:
For example, if you decide to play as an assassin, you will have access to skills that improve your ability to stalk your enemies while remaining undetected, such as stealthy walking and the ability to secretly stab a knife in the back or disarm them.
A great interest and novelty in Dark Messiah is that innate and acquired properties are linked together in the game. Innate—your own skills, those you have in real life—are nothing without the skills you acquire in the game. And obtaining a new skill is useless if you don't learn how to handle it.
This game is a connection between traditional RPG features (based exclusively on statistics) and action games (based on the player's own gaming skill).
11. What can you say about the multiplayer mode of the game?
RWG:
The game will have a multiplayer team mode supporting 32 players. We have an entire team developing this part. We are lucky to have an engine that powerfully handles games like Half-Life 2 Deathmatch, Counter-Strike, and even such a crazy physics experiment for multiplayer as Garry's Mod.