Beyond Divinity Interview

Just RPG has conducted an interview with Larian Studios’ Swen Vincke about Beyond Divinity, their next installment in the Divinity universe. Check it out:

Q: What are some of the major improvements you are doing in Beyond Divinity in comparison to Divine Divinity?

A: We have a much more extensive skill system now, where the player can create his own skills by boosting different properties of the generic skills. In Divine Divinity you only had the choice of choosing a skill, not to enhance different attributes of the skill. In Beyond Divinity, the player will also have a much larger list of skills available to choose from. To learn the different skills you have to find teachers. Teachers are NPC’s that enable a certain path in the skill system. The player will also find books in the world that enable these paths for him. Once the path is enabled, the player can put skill points in the skill so he can use the skill. There are close to 300 skill possibilities. The Battlefields are another strong point in Beyond Divinity. They provide an alternate universe to which you can jump at any point in time. The Battlefields generate dungeons which you do not have to go through as a player, but which give you access to extra items & experience should you want it.

We basically balanced the game so that an experienced RPG player will find it quite a challenge if he doesn’t visit the Battlefields. We use the Battlefields as areas where players can earn extra experience should they find things a bit too difficult for them. You can always enter the battlefields. Each battlefield has a certain level and you need to find special objects in the world to advance the maximum accessible level in the battlefields. There’s also a party this time. Because of the party aspect and the new character development system, combat has become a lot more tactical and interesting. The pause button has definitely become more important, but we also made modifications, which allow you to play it in real time.