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Interview with Dene Carter #2

1. Why did you choose the Xbox as the system of choice for Project Ego?

Because, quite frankly, the XBox is the most powerful machine out there, or, indeed, planned for a long time to come. As you may have noticed, Project Ego is a fairly ambitious game and we really couldn't do anything of the same scope, richness or with the same continuity on any other machine. Full stop.

2. Who thought of the name 'Big Blue Box'?

There are a number of bizarre stories about this. None are true. Names are becoming increasingly worse to copyright/trademark/get domain names for.

3. There are many different systems of battle (i.e. turnbased, cut n' slash, etc.). Can you tell us a little bit about the battle system of Project Ego?

We wanted two things from our battle system: 1) We wanted it to be real-time. Turn-based battles are a weak, 8-bit, cheap way for developers to avoid an otherwise thorny problem. I love turn-based games, but suddenly turning something real-time into a step time activity has really had its day. This is 2001. Can you imagine watching the Matrix, seeing Carrie Anne Moss leap into the air, and then being handed a series of still photographs of her kicking a guard while the film pauses? Turn-based battles make me feel the same way. 2) We wanted something easy to use. In our battle system you can bash a single button and probably win a lot of battles. You will also end up looking like chopped meat. Not very heroic. We want people to be able to show off their skills if they have put in the effort, but not to be so daunted by the complexity of a combat situation that they feel stressed and irritated each time that old combat music starts playing!

4. Black and White was a game that promised us the ability of total freedom; while it was a close shot, there were a few things we were not able to do. Project Ego has promised us the same thing. How close to total freedom will this game be? (i.e. Will you be able to interact with any and all objects; will you be able to trip innocent children walking down the street?)

Nope. You won't be able to trip children as you walk down the street. You will be able to slap them. You won't be able to slash a feather pillow and make a nest of feathers and do chicken impressions. You will be able to poison a well and make everyone sick. However much a game claims to allow 'total' freedom, developers have to program things and draw things and animate things. All we can do is allow the player to do everything we can think of that could be considered fun with those 'building blocks'. We're not going to allow the player to move every single finger of the hero individually with a bunch of joystick combos, or stick a leg out so it trips a kid due to our brilliant physics system. That's moving very much toward the Trespasser end of the dev-model. Bad. Ego is going to allow people to do more than they could imagine, but nothing is infinite.

5. The gamers of today enjoy humourous events to occur in their games. We have already heard that the ability to 'flip the bird' at a guard will be possible. Could you tell us some other possible comical interactions of Project Ego?

Bar fights. Having a gay guard flirt with you. Frightening children in your underwear. You name it, we've probably tried to find a way to let you do it. Within reason, of course.

6. It has been said that nearly every single character (if not every) will be completely unique. One of the aspects of the game which makes a character unique is his or her clothing. Will you be able to take different sets of clothing and mix the garments to create a new set? (i.e. Can you kill an evil warrior, take his/her clothes and mix them with the clothing of a good mage?)

Yes. Or a silly gorilla suit. Or plate-mail top with a gingham skirt. If you want to look stupid, that's up to you. However, the people who inhabit Albion are a pretty savvy bunch where fashion is concerned. They're likely to laugh at you, and a ridiculed hero is not really going to find many patrons - apart from one mad, drooling guy who wants you to find his 'magic wooden spoon' (and good luck looking).

7. In Project Ego you will be able to take a young (or old if you're like that) man or woman back to the house to start a family, and have a son or daughter. How will the child be creating, while not angering American mothers?

Nope - no full-frontal scenes, no 'full-interaction', no 'unique use of the vibration facility'. We like to be silly and imaginative, but we don't really want everyone in the world yelling, "Sick, dude!" at the screen during a touching, romantic moment.

8. Another feature that makes real life characters unique are tattoos. Looking at a screenshot, it appears that they have been implemented into the game. Can you tell us how characters will go about getting/earning these marks? Will they just be for decoration, or of symbolic importance, where they must be earned? Or will we just be able to go to a tattoo shop and have a bald guy with a beer-stained beard carve them on to us?

Depends where you get the tattoo. Tattooing different areas of your body will have different effects on the populace. Tattooed face = loony - probably dangerous. Tattooed arms/back etc probably means people will assume you're not too bright, but handy in a fight. Yep, Albion's full of judgemental people too, you know. Tattoo designs are found as rewards during the game, as are haircut designs. We'd like to allow players to design their own as well, but that's another story.

Thank you so much for your time. It really means alot to the public when you interact with the community, especially when news is going a bit slow. If you have anything else that you wish to add, please do so now.

Not a problem