Cyclopean Interview

Critical Gamer interviews Cyclopean’s lead developer, Scott, on a variety of points on his upcoming indie RPG Cyclopean.

CG: Quality writing is obviously important to you, and it must be said that the writing in most games is poor to say the least. Why do you think this is?

Scott: There are a variety of opinions on this subject, I think the most common being that game companies don’t hire published professional writers. But in my opinion advanced 3D graphics are (indirectly) the culprit. What drives the AAA retail games industry in every genre is fantastic 3D graphics that attempt to simulate living, breathing worlds. When the bulk of development resources are committed to perfecting the graphics engine, writing will always come in second (or third, or fourth) place. Another reason writing suffers is because developers are often unwilling to stray from pat fantasy/space opera themes and try something new plot-wise.

CG: It sounds as though you want to stick with Lovecraft’s style in your own script. Has this been difficult? Do you worry that dedicated Lovecraft fans might sneer at your attempts to emulate him?

Scott: Lovecraft pioneered an entire subgenre of horror populated by his own unique creations. I try to emulate his style but don’t claim to be his equal, and I don’t worry about fans sneering at me. More often it’s people who don’t like Lovecraft’s baroque, adjective-laden style sneering at him.

Spotted on RPGCodex.