20 Years Of Spiderweb Software
August 16, 2013 | Cord Kruse | |
Will any of the companions from The Black Fortress be returning in Avadon 2 to help the player?JV: Nope. It'll be a whole new set of five people, each with their own new personalities and issues. A new class with associated unique abilities will be joining the roster in Avadon 2. What sort of role will the class fill? JV: The new class will be the Tinkermage, a sort of cyberpunk magical engineer character. They're pretty cool. Will a new NPC representing the class be a possible companion for players? JV: Yes. His name is Alcander, and he's a hoot. Unique battles and combat situations were a fun aspect of the first Avadon. What can players expect from the sequel? More of the same, with a better start. I think that the first Avadon started way too slow and took too much time letting players see neat stuff and make interesting decisions. I tried to get the storyline and action for Avadon 2 to pick up and get cool right away. The tutorial is very lively. Any chance you'll ever create a sci-fi RPG? JV: I think Geneforge is the closest I will come. I originally conceived it as a pure science fiction game, and then I chickened out and made it part fantasy. No big reason. I just really like fantasy games. After 20 years of crafting RPGs, have you ever been tempted to try another game genre? If you did venture into new territory what kind of game would be your first choice? JV: I am always thinking up new sorts of games. Turn-based strategy comes up the most often (I loved the XCom reboot). However, I'm sort of a coward when it comes to business things. I have a niche I serve, it treats me well, and I keep on being able to buy food for my kids. Even though I have many, many ideas, only the RPG ones tend to stay in my head for long. Spiderweb has made a successful entry into tablet gaming with offerings for the iPad and Android devices. Will all your future titles support tablets? JV: Yes. Definitely. Tablet sales are strong, and I really love tablet gaming. What do you think of the current Kickstarter trend? JV: It's pretty fantastic. Some recent glitches have shown people that it's not the new paradise some people thought, but I think it will stay around for a long time as a way to fund beloved, intriguing, niche-type projects. Would you ever consider funding a game project in that fashion? JV: I am considering it for the next time I start a whole new storyline, but that won't be for a few years. After the upcoming release of Avadon 2, what's next for Spiderweb? JV: Avadon 2: The Corruption will be out this fall. After that, we're doing a ground-up rewrite of Avernum 2. Then Avadon 3, the final game in the trilogy. Then a rewrite of Avernum 3. This will keep us busy for years. And after that? I have a few ideas, little ideas, but nothing I can talk about yet. I'm enjoying the idea of freedom too much. If you'd like to learn more about Spiderweb Software and its games check out the links below. Be sure to visit the gallery on the next page for a few Avadon 2 screenshots Jeff shared with us.
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