Two Worlds Interview

Polish developer Reality Pump has already released Two Worlds in Europe, but now they’re gearing up to release both PC and Xbox 360 versions of the ambitious open-ended RPG in North America. To get a better idea of what we can expect when Two Worlds hits store shelves, we fired over a set of questions to the game’s North American publisher, Topware Interactive. Answering our questions is managing director James Seaman:

GB: First of all, how is development of Two Worlds coming along? Are you still on track for a June release?

James: Almost. The release date in North America for both the Xbox 360 and PC versions is July 21st.

GB: Can you run us through the game’s character creation system? How much customization will players have at their disposal while creating their character?

James: Well, to be honest, you don’t have a lot of options during character creation. You can alter your character’s appearance a lot, but in the single-player game everyone starts off as a human male with the same ability scores and starting skills. We have a very specific story that was designed around this specific persona. HOWEVER, after that, it’s anything goes. Our character advancement system is completely wide open, so as you advance in levels, your character becomes exactly what you want him to be. Two Worlds has 38 skills spread across melee combat, archery, mounted combat, stealth and magic, so even though everyone starts at the same place, it’s a guarantee that everyone will be playing someone completely different by level 10.

There’s even more freedom in the online multiplayer portion of the game. Since we have no such story restrictions, this is where players can be any race or sex, and can customize their starting skill sets.

GB: Take us through a typical combat scenario in Two Worlds. What sort of maneuvers or other strategic options will be available to the player at the outset of a battle? Is ranged combat handled differently than melee?

James: Hopefully, there is no ‘˜typical’ combat in Two Worlds. After you’ve gone up a few levels, you’ll probably be starting to find out what kind of combat suits you, and you’ve learned some special maneuvers related to that. For example, if melee is your forte, you might stab an enemy in front of you, kick dirt in the eyes of the foe to your right, then perform a deadly pirouette that strikes everyone around you. Or if you’ve specialized in mounted combat, perhaps you charge into battle, strike, then ride off to make another pass (unless someone dismounts you with their polearm).

And yes, ranged combat is a little different than melee. It also has its own special moves to learn, but we’ve designed it so when you pull back the bow string, the camera starts to zoom in on your target. The farther you zoom in, the more damage you’ll do. It’s up to you whether to fire off a lot of less damaging shots, or hold off for one powerful arrow.

GB: Mounted combat is very rare in an RPG, presumably because it’s so hard to implement. How exactly will players control their mount during combat in Two Worlds? Are there any additional tactical options available to our character while mounted (trampling, bonus damage from momentum, etc.)?

James: Your mount is controlled just as your unmounted character would be, except that it turns differently. Therefore, you do have to learn how each type of mount moves and compensate for that. While on a mount, if you attack with a melee weapon, you’ll automatically strike at the nearest enemy. In this way, mounted combat becomes less about aiming your shots and more about timing. You know where your horse is going, you just have to figure out when to swing. As for tactics, mounted combat opens up a world of options. You can charge through a group, fire arrows at people while moving, learn how to do more damage while in the saddle, and a lot more.

James: We do have other steeds besides horses. So far we’ve revealed a lizard mount and a skeletal horse. Each mount (meaning each individual horse, lizard and skeletal horse) has its own personality, and will react differently to different situations. So where one mount will defend itself in combat, another might get spooked and run away. We’ve designed steeds like weapons you have to try it out to know if it suits you.

GB: How does the game’s quest system work? Is there a journal that keeps track of our quests and what steps are still left to complete them?

James: There is a journal that keeps track of your quests what you’ve accomplished, what you have to do next, who you have to see, etc. We also have color coded markers on the map that clue you in to where to go. Basically, we didn’t want players to be confused at all over what to do next.

GB: We’ve read that players can “stack” multiple weapons and/or armor to make a single, more powerful version. Can you tell us more about how this works?

James: Sure. One of the things that bothered us about most RPGs is that you eventually reach a point where you search felled enemies and chests just to grab gold and check if they have an item you don’t have. We wanted searching to always be an exciting opportunity. So if you find an item that has the same name and appearance as another item, you can combine them. This goes for all equipments rings, swords, boots, cloaks, staves, shields, and so on. If each item has a special ability like one raises your Dexterity, the other increases your Swimming skill then you don’t lose either of these in combining the item. We’ve found that many players keep a chest of items they’ve been working on, just in case they find a matching item that could make them even better.

GB: Tell us a bit about how inventory management will work in the game. Will encumbrance be a factor? Also, how will players buy, sell, or trade excess equipment?

James: Strength determines how much weight you can carry, but regardless there is only so many things you can carry on your person at one time. However, we allow you to store items on mounts, and you can always secrete things away in boxes and chests. In the single-player game there are merchants that will buy and sell equipment across the lands. These same merchants are in the online multiplayer game, but you can also buy, sell and trade with other players.

James: The choices a player makes will affect the ending, but it will also affect the world they’re playing in. We have a reputation system that keeps track of your standing with many different groups. Doing deeds for the merchant guild, for example, will raise your reputation with them, but could lower your rep with their enemies. In this way, many quests and areas could open up or be off limits depending on your standing with various groups.

GB: What differences are there between the single player and multiplayer versions of the game? Can a group of friends start the game from the beginning and play through the entire single player campaign cooperatively?

James: Though you play in the same world in both the single-player and the online versions of the game, the quests you’ll take part in between the two are completely different. In all honesty, if you played the single-player campaign with eight people, it would be ridiculously easy. We’ve designed the multiplayer quests to challenge larger groups.

GB: In February, you announced that the PC version of Two Worlds would support thousands of players online at once. Can you elaborate on this a bit more? Will all of these players be adventuring in the same game world and will their characters be stored on hosted servers?

James: The PC version of the Two Worlds online game will be in persistent worlds where players can log on and off as they please. Players can form parties of up to eight people to take on quests, but there can be thousands of players in the world at one time.

GB: Are there any plans to offer downloadable content for Two Worlds, either through Xbox Live or via some type of plug-in or module for the PC? If so, what sort of content have you considered adding at a later date?

James: Absolutely, but what we’re planning has to remain a secret. for now.

Thanks James!