Meta:Building Two Worlds

This Q&A was posted to the website ca.ign.com by Hilary Goldstein on May 9, 2007.

It's bigger than Oblivion, but will it be better? Topware Interactive's top man reveals new details on the highly-anticipated RPG.

Questions and Answers

Great RPGs don't come around very often. So when an RPG shows potential, we take notice. Polish developer Topware Interactive hopes it has the next big thing in Two Worlds, a fantasy RPG set to release on PC and Xbox 360 on June 26. Clearly inspired by The Elder Scrolls series, Two Worlds offers an expansive environment that players are free to roam. Players are given many choices in the quest to save their sister and plenty of diversions from the main storyline. It's a big game. Bigger than Oblivion, according to Topware. And with so much to do and see, there are plenty of unanswered questions. That is until now.

We spoke at length with James Seaman, Managing Director of Topware Interactive, to find out every last important detail regarding Two Worlds. Seaman discussed everything from the size of the world to the usefulness of stealth to random acts of pants-snatching. Who doesn't want to know about pants-snatching?

IGN: There aren't actually two game worlds in Two Worlds, so can you explain the meaning behind the title?

James Seaman: We named our game Two Worlds to represent the potential worlds that your character will be creating with his choices. There are many forces at work in the game vying for you to do their bidding. Who you side with and the actions you perform will ultimately shape the world you are in.

IGN: How big is the game world? How many cities, dungeons, etc.?

James Seaman: Really big. Speaking strictly in numbers, the game world is roughly 25% larger than Oblivion's. There are seven major cities in the game, plus a dozen smaller settlements, over fifty underground locations, and hundreds of other places to discover. It's probably also worth noting that there are many different environments. You'll be exploring forests, deserts, islands, snow covered mountains, bamboo forests, volcanic plains, dustbowls and more.

IGN: We'd heard some rumblings that there might be some adventures that take place under the sea. If this is true, can you talk a bit more about the aquatic adventures of Two Worlds?

James Seaman: There will be swimming in underwater caves, the ability to find different objects and entrances to actual quests, but not actual adventures. We are saving that for the Aquaman expansion pack!

IGN: Everyone wants dragons in a fantasy game. Two Worlds has them. Tell us about the different kinds of dragons we'll discover.

James Seaman: What's a fantasy game if you can't battle a dragon, right? We've designed different types of dragons to create that joy of discovery. Even if you die from fighting a dragon (which is likely), you'll still feel like you accomplished something just by seeing it. So, without giving too much away, there's an earth dragon that disguises itself as a pile of stones, a desert dragon that's what would probably be considered your standard dragon, and finally there's a dragon living near lava that you'll probably want to avoid.

IGN: Do we ever get to mount one? Aside from horses, what are the other animals you can ride in Two Worlds?

James Seaman: The closest you'll come to mounting a dragon is climbing on top of it after you kill it. However, there is a lizard mount that looks a lot like a dragon. The other types of mounts I'll leave for you to discover.

I should also mention that we've strived to make each mount a little bit unique. Even different horses will have varying carrying capacity, galloping speeds, and things that scare them and cause them to stop or turn away.

IGN: We've already run across a bandit who demanded our pants. What are some examples of other crazy stuff we can expect to encounter in Two Worlds?

James Seaman: (laughs) Glad you found that one. I heard you gave your pants to them to escape with your life. Good choice! Better to go pantsless so you can live to fight another day.

When a game is as big as ours, we thought it would be dull if it was serious all the time, so we threw in a lot of the goofy ideas that seem to come up when you're working long hours. Some of the lines the main character says during battle or weather changes will definitely make you laugh. They are very much in the action movie hero vein. We also have some missions that are far from serious. The quest where you are trying to find pixie dust has some especially interesting options.

IGN: Factions seem to have an important role in Two Worlds. How many different factions are there and how does the reputation system work with the factions?

James Seaman: There are five major factions in Two Worlds, and you gain and lose reputation with them through your actions and choices. Sometimes, you'll be able to easily predict a reputation change. For example, if The Brotherhood asks you to perform a mission for them, and you do, your reputation will go up with them. But in another instance, you might be asked to steal something and only until the deed has been performed will you realize you've wronged (and lost reputation with) a certain faction.

We wanted the player to feel that they're gaining recognition for their actions, so you'll quickly make powerful friends and enemies as you play Two Worlds. As your reputation with these factions changes, you'll notice a lot of different things opening up for you. Prices at certain vendors will change, there will be different dialogue options, and new quests. There will also be some tough choices that have to be made. Basically, the higher your reputation with one faction, the more opportunity you'll have to decimate that group's enemies. The rewards may be great, but are they worth alienating yourself from a particular group? That's the kind of decision players will have to face.

IGN: Is there a morality system in Two Worlds? Are there "good" and "evil" choices that affect the storyline or gameplay?

James Seaman: Hmm, I guess you could say there are good and evil choices, yes. However, the character you play is a mercenary who is accustomed to performing deeds of any type if the price is right. That's not to say you're an immoral character, but how far the character goes in one direction is up to the player. Ultimately, is there a very big good versus evil choice to be made? Certainly.

IGN: How deep are the stealth aspects? Is it possible to play through and beat Two Worlds as a thief or is stealth more of a supplement to being a fighter?

James Seaman: The skills you start with were very carefully chosen by us so the player can get a taste of everything and then choose what direction to go. You start the game with a few melee skills, a few archery skills, a few magic skills, and a few thievery skills. Some players will want to specialize in very specific areas, others will play the field more. We heard you guys were very into making traps and then attacking people once they were held. That's a fine example of how you could specialize in certain areas to create an interesting and effective character.

So you can absolutely play through much of the game as a stealth-based character. Very few missions specifically require you to kill someone. Even if they do, though, there's a Death Strike skill that allows you to assassinate someone while sneaking. If you want to play a thief-type character to the hilt, it makes perfect sense to concentrate on sneaking, stealing, and Death Strike (and a little trap setting for good measure).

IGN: How much does combat evolve as you learn new skills? Will you be able to dodge or choose different attacks other than the main "attack" strike?

James Seaman: Absolutely. We have 15 skills that are special combat maneuvers to use during fights. You can strip others of their shield, break their weapons, knock them off their mount, kick dirt in their eyes, or even shove a torch in their face. The more points you put into these skills, the more effective these attacks become.

IGN: Is it true that monsters don't respawn? Does that mean that it's possible to kill every creature in the world and wander around a desolate environment?

James Seaman: This is true, but I don't want you to think killing everything in the game world would be an easy task. We felt that new creatures continually appearing seemed unrealistic, so instead we've created a world that's teeming with life. It would be quite a formidable goal indeed to kill everything. Just killing all the wildlife in the woods surrounding the temple you begin the game in would probably take a few hours.

IGN: Oblivion chose to use scaling enemies so that no matter where you went there would be creatures that would test your skills. You chose the opposite route with creatures specific to locations. What was the basis for that decision and how do you think it affects the game?

James Seaman: Again, it felt more realistic to us, and ultimately makes for a more satisfying game experience. Early on, you will find that a bear is the toughest opponent you'll face, and likely after your first encounter with one you'll learn to avoid them. But after many hours of play and besting many challenging quests, there's a kind of joy (perhaps through a sense of revenge) that comes with knowing those bears that used to vex you are no match for your great might.

That's not to say we've illogically placed ridiculously tough creatures. The farther you adventure from the beginning area, into harsh places where few humans can survive, the stronger the creatures can become. This also doesn't prevent players from exploring freely, it just makes them more cautious (and feel more daring) the farther out they go.

IGN: We haven't had a chance to explore many dungeons yet. Some RPGs just use dungeons as a way of throwing some more monsters at the player, but offering little else. Are dungeons significant in Two Worlds? Is there reward for exploring each one?

James Seaman: Very few of our dungeons are there for no reason. Most have a quest attached to them. But regardless of if going to them is quest-driven or not, we tried to have each underground area make sense. There are mines that have been taken over by aggressive dwarves, caves that have become hideouts for necromancers, and city sewers where defiant squatter reside. We didn't want players to just think of a cave as a place to grab some experience points (even though they might be). Like the rest of the world, we want the dungeons to make sense and engage the player.

IGN: If I just followed the main quest and ignored everything else, how long would it take me to beat Two Worlds?

James Seaman: Depending on your play style and skill, I would say 30-40 hours.

IGN: Most gamers, of course, will spend a lot of their time exploring the world and completing sidequests. How many are in Two Worlds?

James Seaman: Wow, I can't believe I'm stumped on a question about my own game! I can't think of the exact number of the top of my head... I know there are easily over 300 sidequests.

IGN: How varied are the sidequests? Are they mostly fetch and kill quests or are there some interesting varieties?

James Seaman: Fetch and kill quests are boring, but unfortunately necessary. So yes, we do have some of those in the game, but we were well aware in designing that we needed to have a wide variety of things to do to keep the game interesting. Quests in Two Worlds range from getting involved in political machinations, thwarting or supporting bootleggers, assisting merchants, chasing down thieves, assembling artifacts, assassinations…those are just off the top of my head.

IGN: The big unknown for most people is the multiplayer. Is it the same world, same missions but with eight party members or is it a completely different experience?

James Seaman: Same world, but completely different missions. If you're online, you're obviously there to play with others, so we designed a completely different set of missions than the single-player experience. Many involve teamwork and your party dividing into smaller groups to accomplish goals.

IGN: The world is persistent, but how exactly does that work since this isn't an MMO?

James Seaman: For the Xbox 360 version, we went with the assumption that people would be playing with a particular group of friends (or multiple groups in different versions of the world). One in the group is the "leader" in that they have to be present for the online game to happen. So if your group of eight is exploring the world, and someone who isn't the leader has to go, the rest of you can keep playing if you want. But if you decide to reconvene later, then your world will be saved exactly as you left it, to be continued when the leader and whoever else decide to enter again. But you're also free to join other people's online game if they're looking for other players.

IGN: Explain the differences between the PC and Xbox 360 multiplayer.

James Seaman: In the Xbox 360 version there is a maximum of eight player characters in the world at once. In the PC version, it is nearly unlimited, and from starting towns you can form groups of eight to go out exploring. Whereas the worlds in the 360 version are stopped when the leader leaves, a world in the PC version will always be there for you to come and go as you like.

IGN: You can't use your single-player character for multiplayer. What's the reasoning behind this decision?

James Seaman: The story in our single-player game is very focused around a specific character, and it never made sense to us for non-player characters to say things like, "You look like a trustworthy type," when you're playing an orc in a black hood. However, we also know the joy in making that orc. So whereas in single-player you have to be a male human, there are no such restrictions in multiplayer.

We've also found that most enjoy starting off as fresh characters with their group. Everyone gets to grow at the same time, and start making characters that mesh well with the party they're traveling with.

IGN: Where does the game stand currently in its development? Is it in the final weeks of testing or are you still adding features?

James Seaman: More features and content will have to wait for future downloadable content. Right now we're deep into testing and polishing, and getting the game out in time for June 26!