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September 22, 2000 
A mysterious change has affected the atmosphere, making the world bitterly, inhospitably cold. Facing the prospect of frozen death, the former surface dwellers had no choice but to retreat underground into the domain of dwarves, goblins, trolls and ratmen, where they discovered a subterranean environment that contains not only dark caves, mines, crypts, dungeons and sewers, but also vast caverns, lakes, lava flows, temples, cities and even the entire habitats of lost civilizations. Unfortunately, their arrival has also awakened slumbering racial differences. And to make matters far worse, it has been revealed that Akbaa, the mighty god of Chaos, has plans to bring his evil presence to the world.
Jonric: Let's begin with an overview. In your own words, how would you summarize Arx?
Raphael Colantonio: I would say Arx is the game that we've always wanted to play here at Arkane Studios - a first person dungeon crawler / fantasy RPG combining a real adventure, puzzle solving, lots of object and NPC interactions, immersive fights and magic, all this linked by an intuitive and user friendly interface. Our goal is to combine depth and accessibility; that's a challenge!
Jonric: You mentioned your company, Arkane Strudios. When and how did it get started? Who are the core team members, and what backgrounds do you have in the industry? Raphael Colantonio: Arkane Studios is based in Lyon, France. It was founded on the 1st of October, 1999. Currently, a total of six people form the core team. We all come from various game companies such as Electronic Arts, Infogrames, Interplay or Heliogame and worked on games such as Fifa Soccer Manager, Dark Light, Beasts & Bumpkins, the Smurfs, Messiah, Hexplore, Ecstatica, Spyro the Dragon, and Sacrifice. The core team consists of Lead Programmer Cyril Meynier, Level Designer Marco Mele, Lead Artist Olivier Enselme Trichard, Sound Designer Christophe Carrier, Animator Alain Maindron, and myself as Lead Designer and CEO. Also, our characters are being designed by Slash Design, creators of the Dungeon Keeper II characters. Our biggest strength is that we have all known each other a long time, and we all share the same passion for games.
Raphael Colantonio: We like various games, so each of us will talk for himself. For my part, I've mainly enjoyed Ultima VII (1&2), Underworld, Thief, Fallout, Dungeon Master, Day of the Tentacle, LBA (relentless) but also a few console games such as Zelda, or Resident Evil. Usually I like games featuring strong stories and deep environments, and I also have a lot of respect for games that can freak me out - Alone in the Dark was the very first one that made me jump out of my chair. Apart from that, I used to play a lot paper RPGs, sometimes with the people from Arkane Studios. We used to play a lot of AD&D; and Call of Cthulhu. Marco Mele: Graphics and engines are quite important for me, but what really attracts me in a game is the strong story. Maybe it's because I read a lot of literature and that's why I'm looking for some deep background and universe. This is why I enjoyed games like Shadow of the Comet, Day of the Tentacle, Thief, and more recently Deus Ex. I share this point of view with Raf so we're trying to bring a lot of immersive elements to the game in order to make the player feel he's acting in a "real" world.
Jonric: Why did you decide to make Arx a first-person game? What do you consider the main advantages of first person, and are there any disadvantages? Raphael Colantonio: I think that first person is definitely the closest viewpoint to reality. Therefore, it seemed the best viewpoint to immerse the player and to make him feel that he and the character are one. When you play a third-person game, you always have this feeling that you control a character, whereas, with the first person angle, you ARE the character. Another advantage is that fighting and projectile throwing seem easier to control from a first-person angle; it's really hard to aim at something when you play third-person. Finally, about the field of vision - when playing first-person, you can see only what's possible to see; you can't place your character in the corner of a wall and turn the camera like you would do with a third person game. Again, it is closer to reality; you have to accept that seeing a monster means that you're taking the risk of being seen as well.
Jonric: What is the backstory leading up to the beginning of the game, and what is the storyline within the game itself?
Raphael Colantonio: As this is a very generic question, allow me to draw upon the text that we usually use for storyline:
Arx is the name of an underground urban environment where your special experience will begin, in the realm of medieval fantasy. Jonric: Please describe the gameworld where this takes place. How will it differ from other fantasy-based settings?
Let's talk about the player character. |
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