Avernum: Escape From the Pit Interview

The folks at RPGamer had the chance to chat with Spiderweb Software’s Jeff Vogel about its upcoming Avernum: Escape From the Pit, remake of the original Avernum, which itself was a remake of the original Exile: Escape From the Pit. It shouldn’t be a surprise then that Jeff is hardly against remakes, as he states in this snippet:

What inspired another reboot of the Avernum series? These games have been remade before, right?

JV: Avernum: Escape From the Pit is indeed a ground-up rewrite of Avernum, which was itself a ground-up rewrite of Exile: Escape From the Pit. I know this seems odd, but there are several things that justify the rewrite.

First, Avernum came out over a decade ago. It doesn’t run well on Windows 7, and it doesn’t run at all on the Mac. So some sort of update is absolutely necessary. And Avernum is really old and rough, and there is a huge amount of room for improvement. Second, I also want to release it for the iPad, and that also requires a ton of rewriting.

Plus, I love this game, and it has a big following. I don’t ever want it to die or disappear. I really think freshening it up is worth the time.

What kind of feedback have you gotten from fans about remaking the game once again?

JV: A few people have complained, but most of the feedback has been hugely positive. The Avernum games are our most popular creation, and people understand my wanting them to look their best.

Also, there are a lot of iPad owners who are pretty pleased.

By the way, I think one of the saddest things about video games as an art form is the way our old classics are allowed to degrade and disappear. It’s a pity. Not only do I feel entirely justified to refresh my old titles, but I think that other developers should do the same a lot more often. And I’m sure you’ll find plenty of Final Fantasy VII fans who agree with me.