Jeff Vogel's Interview with rpgdot.com 

>[1] Hi Jeff! Before we start with the interview, I musk make a confession. I
>have never solved a SpiderwebGame without using the Editor. I think that
>your role playing games have got the most difficult final level bosses. I
>remember the demon Grah-Hoth in Exile I who was so mean that I hadnāt got a
>chance to beat him (or take Vibius from Nethergate). Did you get similiar
>complaints from other players?

Actually, no. Most players don't use the character editor at all. It's
probably a matter of play style. Some people's style of play is more
compatible with what my games reward than others. Of course, there's
nothing wrong with using the character editor. Do whatever makes the game
more fun.

>[2] What can we expect from Avernum 2? Is it a remake from Crystal Souls or
>are you going to add new quests, monsters and towns?

Both. It's a ground up rewrite, with piles of new material, a whole new
interface, system, etc. Someone who already played Exile 2 will still find
plenty new to do.

>[3] Although you use a very neat top-down engine in your games, I criticized
>in my reviews that all npcs are not animated and don't walk around. Are you
>going to improve this lack of animations?

Not in this engine. There will be animated motion in the next engine I'm
developing.

However, this is a matter of personal taste, and, just because most games
use animated movement doesn't mean that it's better. I find that animated
movement makes it take a lot longer to move around than the instant
movement style I use. I want to spend time playing the game, not clicking
on one side of town and waiting for my people to stroll there.

>[4] Will Avernum 2 have long music tracks with epic sounds and songs?

I don't like music in computer games. And, when I make a decision, I always
do what I personally prefer.

>[5] On your website I read that you are also planning to create a
>science-fiction role
>playing game. Can you give us a brief overview of this game? Will it use a
>similiar engine like Avernum and Nethergate?

The working title is Geneforge. It will use a whole new engine. It will
have real-time movement normally and use a turn-based combat system (very
much like Fallout). More than that, I don't want to say yet.

>[6] When I am talking about Spiderweb games, I am thinking about old school
>crpgs with high-quality gameplay. However I grew very frustrated when I
>played Homeland. This game possessed many brilliant ideas, but I had to deal
>with so many nasty bugs and problems. Are you satisfied with the development
>of Homeland?

Homeland did have some difficulties, but there's a lot to like too. Steven
Morris is a developer with a lot of promise, and I was glad to give him a
shot. And a lot of people like Homeland. That's the great thing about
shareware. Nobody who dislikes the game ever has to spend a penny on it.

>[7] Have you ever imagined what wonderful games you could do with the
>Infinity Engine from Bioware? Have you ever considered to invest money in
>such a program?

No, and no.

>[8] What are your plans for the remote future after Avernum 2 has been
>released?

Working on Geneforge. Working on Avernum 3, and maybe more games with the
Avernum engine. We'll see.

>[9] Pease tell our readers your favourite role playing games. What kind of
>game are you playing at the moment?

Ultima IV and V. Baldur's Gate II. Planescape: Torment. I just finished
American McGee's Alice.