Cesar & Katie interviewed by Alternative Magazine Online!

[KatieHal]

Cesar and I got to do an interview recently with Alternative Magazine Online (AMO) and answer some questions about Cognition, the characters and series potential, and working with Jane!

Check it out over here: http://alternativemagazineonline.co.uk/2011/12/19/interview-in-conversation-with-katie-hallahan-and-cesar-bittar-phoenix-online-studios/

[Thaumaturge]

An interesting interview - thank you for it! ^_^

Hmm...  You mention taking inspiration from Fahrenheit/Indigo Prophecy for one or both of atmosphere and gameplay - If I may ask, are you then planning on including either Simon-style, quick-time or "mash this button to not die" gameplay?

(Fahrenheit had other gameplay indeed, as I recall, but those are the elements that leave me a little concerned... ^^; )

(Not having played Heavy Rain, I don't know enough about its gameplay to be confident of whether or not to be concerned on that count. ^^; )

[KatieHal]

I haven't yet played Heavy Rain myself, so gameplay wise we're borrowing a little more from Indigo Prophecy, of the two. What we're aiming at is having only icons that are applicable available to an object. There won't be "hand" optin, for example, if it's not an object that can be interacted with.

As for the action sequences, I think they'll end up being more like that and like the action section of Episode 3, rather than straight-up QTEs.

[Thaumaturge]

Ah, that is a relief to read, and thank you. ^_^

The icon system that you describe, by the way, reminds me a lot of that used Gabriel Knight 3, as I recall.  In that game, when one clicks to interact with an object, one is presented with a set of icons showing potential actions: food might be examined, tasted or smelled, for example, while a patch of newly-turned earth may be dug, or a character talked with, etc.

(I've been wanting to make something of my own with a similar system, arranged as a radial menu holding a flexible number of items.  I even put together a basic version using Python and the Panda engine, but haven't been working on a game suitable to it thus far, at least not to the point at which it might be integrated. ^^; )

[Enchantermon]

What we're aiming at is having only icons that are applicable available to an object. There won't be "hand" optin, for example, if it's not an object that can be interacted with.

I'm curious...what led you down this path? It sounds like the route that KQ7 took regarding the cursor, a route that I've never been fond of.

[KatieHal]

Honestly? Writing a different narration for interactions with objects that can't really be used or don't actually offer anything helpful is a bit pointless and tiring!

But, don't think of it like the KQ7 one-icon interface. What we're aiming is more along the lines of, say, The Longest Journey--when you click on an object, etc, you'll get icon options that work with that. So if there's something you can do with it, there'll be a hand icon there. If it's only something you can look at, you'll just get an eye.

It saves us from writing & programming useless interactions, and you from getting frustrated at hearing "Tick tock, tick tock, are you done trying crazy things?" a billion times over.

[Enchantermon]

Okay, I see where you're going. It does sound more sensible if you're planning on having options beyond the standard Look, Speak and Touch.

[KatieHal]

Yeah, that too--for example, when you can use your post-cognition ability on an item.

[MikPal]

Honestly? Writing a different narration for interactions with objects that can't really be used or don't actually offer anything helpful is a bit pointless and tiring!

Awww... Those in TSL were one of the reasons I decided to apply.