Date: Thu, 6 Apr 2000 01:30:25 -0800
Subject: MacGamer's Ledge Avernum interview.

>Who are you, and why am I interviewing you? :-)

We've been making games for the Macintosh, for, oh, going on seven years
now. We have created some of the best role-playing games ever made for 
the
Mac, which have been played by many thousands of avid gamers.

Plus, we're fun to talk to. :-)

>Why do you use a Mac?

I've used just abotu every sort of computer for one length of time or
another, and I've just found that I get more work done per unit of time
when I use a Mac than anything else. My basement has 5 Macs in it, each
used for different tasks, and I find that they just plain work well.

>When did you start using a Mac? Which Mac was your first?

My first Mac was a PowerMac 6100, which I got in 1994. Great machine. 
Still
runs, and we still use it for some things. Within a month of getting it, 
I
started work on my first game: Exile.

>What were your first RPGs?

The very first computer game of any sort I ever played was Eamon, on the
old Apple II+. Terrific freeware text-based rpg. A classic. The first 
real
rpg I player was Wizardry, again on an Apple II+. Wow ... that was
seriously exciting.

>What was your inspiration for the Exile series?

Pretty much every game I liked in high school. Ultima IV-VI and 
Phantasie
and Wizardry and Wizard's Crown and a bunch of others. I thought back on
each one and took the quality I most liked from it. Then I wrapped it 
all
up in my own imagination and system design. And, and this was the key
decision that made the games popular, I made the Exile games BIG.

I loved the hugeness of the early Might & Magic games, and the way there
was something special hidden in every corner. That was the quality I 
most
wanted to take.

>Where'd you come up with the name "Avernum"? (I think you already 
answered
>this, so if you don't mind I'll just paste the answer in)

Well, Avernum was the ancient Italian name for the gateway to the
underworld. But Avernus was taken, I think by a metal band. So I picked
Avernum instead.

>How long did it take to develop Avernum?

About 9 months, starting with the Nethergate engine as a base. It took a
lot of time to take all of those old Exile towns, flesh them out for the
engine, and add new material. A LOT of hours went into refurbishing 
Exile.

> How much of a resemblance does Avernum bear to Exile: Escape from the 
Pit?

It's a much richer, elaborate game. We redid a bunch of dungeons, added
literally dozens of quests, nearly doubled the amount of dialogue, and
devised many more special encounters. Plus a whole new interface and a
whole new game system. Playing through Avernum is a very different
experience from playing through Exile.

>Why did you choose to remake Exile, instead of progressing with 
Nethergate?

I felt that Nethergate was a great self-contained story, and I couldn't 
see
any way to continue it. And, more importantly, I felt that Exile 
contained
a whole bunch of fantastic material, and I didn't want to see it get 
lost
in the mists of time. I strongly felt that an upgrade of this old game 
was
in order.

>Will we see any more scenario-driven (i.e. Blades of Exile) games?
>Are there any plans for an editor for Avernum?

Making a scenario editor is a very difficult undertaking, and processing
the scenarios is very time-consuming. Blades of Exile was a fascinating
project, but it's probably not anything we will try to replicate in the
near future, at least with the Avernum engine.

We're thinking about doing a science fiction rpg with an all new engine,
and we haven't closed the door on making public the development tools 
for
that. We'll see.

>Where did the GIFTS (Giant, Intelligent, Friendly Talking Spiders) come 
from?

Their origin is lost in the mists of time. I know it comes from my
annoying, quicky personal habit of making everything around me talk.
Sppons, scissors, whatever. I also made my hands walk around like 
spiders
and talk in cute high-pitched noises. I thought it was funny, so I put 
then
in my Dungeons & Dragons games. That went well, so I put them in Exile. 
The
rest is history.

>How'd you come up with the name "Slithzerikai"? Was the idea for the 
race
>inspired by anything?

I just made it up, and the idea was pretty much my own. I thought them 
up
for the first time in junior high, as part of a D&D campaign I never 
made
up. A decade later, I needed a fantasy race, and there it was. The
trademark two-tined spears, by the way, were already there in junior 
high.

>Why are your products shareware?

Because the market for packaged games is very, very, very difficult 
right
now. No big retailer would look twice at my games, even if I had the ton 
of
money necessary to get them on store shelves. Thus, even if I didn't 
love
the idea of shareware, I would have no choice.

>Will you try your hand at a non-role-playing game?

I keep thinking about it, but I haven't gotten to it. Maybe someday.

>What do you think of these Massively Multiplayer Role-Playing Games? 
(i.e.
>EverQuest, Clan Lord, etc.)

I am an Everquest addict. Anyone who is serious about designing rpgs 
should
play Everquest a lot. It's on a PC, so it would be a pailful 
expericence,
but I see it as a simple necessity for any professional game designer. 
And
if you don't see why Everquest is so brilliant, you should bloody well 
go
back and keep playing it until you do.

>So, are we ever going to see you collaborate with Fantasoft?

No.

I'm not interested in collaborations. Part of the reason I run my 
business
the way I do is that I get all the fun of doing the game all by myself,
exactly the way I want to do it. And I'm sure the good folks at 
Fantasoft
feel the same way.

>What did you think of Ambrosia's RPG, Cythera?

Haven't played it.

>As a developer, do you think Apple is heading in the right direction to
>attract more developers?

Hee hee. I am so the wrong person to ask things like this. I am 
completely
oblivious about anything happening outside my basement. I only find out
about each OS version a year after it's released. I live in a hole.

>Have you considered trying your hand at a science fiction RPG, instead 
of
>the swords and sorcery?

As a matter of fact, yes. While everything is moving on Avernum 2, I 
will
also be working on a science fiction rpg. I think. Don't hold me to
anything on this.

>Can I get a sword in Avernum 2 named after me? "Poisoned Sword of Pat 
+2" :-)

But if I give you a sword, every interviewer will want one, and soon 
every
rock, stick and shrub will have a name! :-)

If you have any new or follow-up questions, fire away!

- Jeff Vogel
Spiderweb Software, Inc.
http://www.spiderwebsoftware.com