Devastation Q&A

Kreegle · Post by **Kreegle** » Thu Jan 16, 2003 10:35 pm

[ -> N/A]

The forum at <a href="http://www.avault.com" target="_blank">AVault</a> has been bustling with a week-long <a href="http://www.devastationgame.com/" target="_blank">Devastation</a> Q&A session... for those of you who've forgotten, Devastation is a very tasty-looking post-apocalyptic first-person shooter. Here's a sample question from the <a href="http://forums.avault.com/cgi-bin/ultima ... 3;t=000510" target="_blank">thread</a>:<blockquote>I understand that your game is not intended to be a true FPS / RPG hybrid - but will it take a page out of that formula to heighten immersion in the plot path or will it be more passive like most classic shooters? 

It's somewhere in between really, we've taken a new approach and let the visuals do a lot of the talking instead of the NPC's. The key is details though. Lots of details. There's details in the dialog, the pre-game loading maps, the TV monitors, etc. It's the items in the world give you most information on how things are going. There are so many raw materials for us to weave a story with that the details the designers have crafted often speak for themselves.

I like "finding" things in the maps. Personal relics, what appear to be little bits of somebody's life. Some are funny, some are rather sad, while others are just plain mysterious -like a single shoe in the gutter. Ever find one of those in real life???

Here's a good example. A tester was playing one of the missions which takes place in an old abandoned apartment complex and he stumbled across an area where the level designer had made the suggestion that it was apparent that a family had been camping there. The tester said he knew immediately by the way things were laid out, and it projected a very sad image in his mind. It got more disturbing when he walked to the other side of a broken mattress and saw a little teddy bear that had fallen behind the back. The game is full of little details like this, some that help the story unfold, and some that just help set the dark mood of the game.

So perhaps the answer to your question is yes, but we're doing it in a different way, via a more natural delivery medium. The visual approach, much like real life.</blockquote>Sounds fun, but the #1 reason for my interest in the game: RAT BOMBS! Anyway, you can read more <a href="http://forums.avault.com/cgi-bin/ultima ... 3;t=000510" target="_blank">here</a>. Spotted over at <a href="http://www.bluesnews.com" target="_blank">Blues News</a>.

BlackDog · Post by **BlackDog** » Fri Jan 17, 2003 3:20 pm

rat bombs. ripped the idea off from WHL. GJ Devestation team! But I'll still play it.

Bridgeburner · Post by **Bridgeburner** » Fri Jan 17, 2003 5:25 pm

cool. i'll probably buy it
but why is eminem the main character?

Jeff · Post by **Jeff** » Fri Jan 17, 2003 5:49 pm

Because 2pac's dead baby

axelgreese · Post by **axelgreese** » Fri Jan 17, 2003 6:33 pm

He's not dead! He's on an island with Jimi Hendrix.

Nate · Post by **Nate** » Sat Jan 18, 2003 2:41 am

Did anyone else notice the guy didn't talk about any real rpg elements even once during that paragraph you guys cutnpasted? Very promising.

Mad Max RW · Post by **Mad Max RW** » Sat Jan 18, 2003 4:08 am

Maybe because Devastation isn't an RPG? *sarcasm* No, the answer couldn't be so simple! *sarcasm*

ApTyp · Post by **ApTyp** » Mon Jan 20, 2003 4:55 pm

Well RPG elements are traditionaly numbers used to calculate how well your character performs in the game world. Overwhelming majority of action games released in 21st century have these elements.

Mad Max RW · Post by **Mad Max RW** » Mon Jan 20, 2003 5:24 pm

Really? Name 5 mainstream FPS's with "RPG elements". Crappy MMORPGs don't count. The only ones I can think of are System Shock 1/2 and Deus Ex. Too bad they came out in 2000 or earlier.

axelgreese · Post by **axelgreese** » Mon Jan 20, 2003 9:52 pm

No one lives forever 2 had some.

Red · Post by **Red** » Tue Jan 21, 2003 1:27 am

That reminds me of Shogo... You finish that game and then there's this guy after the credits who says something about "Finally a game with actual content"...

I always wondered if whoever wrote that was sarcastical...