[remixor]

Hey there guys, remember me? I just did a preview/interview on Dreamfall with Ragnar over at Shacknews (gotta bring the adventures to the masses) and I figured the crowd over here might want to take a look.
http://www.shacknews.com/extras/2006..._dreamfall_1.x

Given this is Adventure Gamers, I doubt there's much in the way of hard facts in there that you guys don't already know (I deliberately didn't reveal anything story-related), but if nothing else there are new Ragnar quotes.

Tada!

[fov]

Hi Chris! Thanks for the link.

[insane_cobra]

Great! Good to see you haven't forgotten us. Not that you could, though, not without therapy.

[fov]

Just read it. It's a very nice preview. Comes at the game from a different angle than most of the press out there.

With the discussion about choice and how choices near the beginning of Dreamfall won't really affect the gameplay later in the game, I wondered if Ragnar had played Fahrenheit (and if so, what he thought of it).

[jjacob]

Rmxr, dude! Thanks for the link, going to read it now!






dude!






edit: Great preview, especially Ragnar's comments, and the fact you didn't spoil anything about the story.

[insane_cobra]

One of the better Dreamfall previews I've read, good job!

Originally Posted by fov

With the discussion about choice and how choices near the beginning of Dreamfall won't really affect the gameplay later in the game, I wondered if Ragnar had played Fahrenheit (and if so, what he thought of it).

I also found that part particularly interesting. He sounds like a smart guy that knows what form best suits his game. That doesn't mean I wouldn't like to see his take on dynamically created stories, but I have a feeling linear narrative is truly his weapon of choice.

[fov]

Originally Posted by insane_cobra

I also found that part particularly interesting. He sounds like a smart guy that knows what form best suits his game. That doesn't mean I wouldn't like to see his take on dynamically created stories, but I have a feeling linear narrative is truly his weapon of choice.

What I was thinking when I read his comments is that Fahrenheit promised a story that unfolded based on your choices, but it really didn't work that way. Very little of what you chose to do ended up affecting the narrative. It sounds pretty similar to what Ragnar's saying Dreamfall will be like, actually... Ragnar's just being more honest* about how it works.

*Maybe that's not the right word, because I don't think Quantic Dream set out to mislead players. Maybe "realistic" would be a better word choice.

[avatar_58]

Damn....I still have to finish the Longest Journey.

[Spiwak]

Wow. Great article. I get more and more pumped with each bit of information I get for the game.

[weelgar]

Indeed, that gives desire !
Especially that I adored the first opus (TLJ).

[colpet]

I really liked TLJ, and was hoping for more of the same. I'm still on the fence about Dreamfall. I guess I'll just have to wait until the game is released and read the comments of the gamers (here, at JA and especially GB).

[Fairygdmther]

Chris - excellent preview! Not only does the game look fascinating, but the preview you wrote came about it from a different angle. I'm glad to see that Ragnar himself is so positive about it - it means to me that he got to make the game he really wanted to make. I know there's a lot of hype about this game, but it's hard to not get excited when what we've seen looks so well done. Again, extremely well-written preview - Kudos, Chris!

Lynsie

[Intrepid Homoludens]

Thanks for a fine and particularly intelligently written preview, Chris. I was doing a "gamer's blackout" on Dreamfall til you posted this. Mostly things I already know based on other previews, but yours penetrates the concepts of the game differently. It's not predictable fluff, but offers a slightly more critical vantage point.

Ragnar's honesty about hyping his game is fresh as well. I love that he's forging ahead more by his own intuition rather than being obsequious to a lot of overzealous fans - and the asphyxiating self imposed walls of a largely stagnant genre - and risk diluting a defiantly strong vision. More power to him!

[AFGNCAAP]

Originally Posted by remixor @ shacknews

Tørnquist noted that the switch was borne out of necessity with respect to the subject matter, not because there are inherent flaws in the old system. "It allowed us to focus on story and characters instead of mechanics [in The Longest Journey], which was important. Dreamfall's shift to a more multi-genre direction was a consequence of the storyline," he said. "I wouldn't call Dreamfall an 'action-adventure'. Rather, I would call it a 'modern adventure', something that mixes genres in a brand new way--and yes, absolutely, this was a conscious decision."

Music to my ears. Why couldn't he have said so before? From the earliest previews I've got an impression that he never really liked puzzles, that "classic" adventure gameplay is too slow etc. (which made one wonder why did he force himself to make TLJ in the first place) But if a gameplay style is modified to serve the new story, that's another thing altogether.

[Intrepid Homoludens]

Originally Posted by AFGNCAAP

Music to my ears. Why couldn't he have said so before? From the earliest previews I've got an impression that he never really liked puzzles, that "classic" adventure gameplay is too slow etc. (which made one wonder why did he force himself to make TLJ in the first place) But if a gameplay style is modified to serve the new story, that's another thing altogether.

But he had stated that before, and several times, just not as clearly as you may have wanted him to.

[AFGNCAAP]

Originally Posted by Intrepid Homoludens

But he had stated that before, and several times, just not as clearly as you may have wanted him to.

How would you know? You were doing a blackout.

[Intrepid Homoludens]

I only started the blackout last month.

It's partly RaNa's fault, he keeps posting stuff on Dreamfall.

[insane_cobra]

Originally Posted by fov

Maybe that's not the right word, because I don't think Quantic Dream set out to mislead players. Maybe "realistic" would be a better word choice.

Exactly. Cage always claimed Fahrenheit's story would be like a rubberband, linear but flexible to some extent. I think choices in Fahrenheit mostly worked through that emotional meter thingy, they didn't affect the story that much. There was some minor flexibility in certain areas, but that's it. Not that it's a bad thing, that was more than enough to somehow make it feel more fresh and forward looking than most story based games out there.

[fov]

Originally Posted by insane_cobra

There was some minor flexibility in certain areas, but that's it. Not that it's a bad thing, that was more than enough to somehow make it feel more fresh and forward looking than most story based games out there.

I agree, but I would have liked a little bit more impact. For example (Fahrenheit spoilers follow)

Spoiler:

early in the story you have a run-in with your ex-girlfriend. You can be a total bastard to her and have her leave all mad, or you can be awkward and caring and wind up having tender make-up sex. Fast-forward about ten chapters, and you end up her apartment. Doesn't matter if you were a bastard or you coaxed her into bed... she greets you the same way.

That's the kind of nuance I was looking for in Fahrenheit. The greeting should have been different depending on how you treated Tiffany earlier, but it wasn't. The cause-and-effect I was expecting (based on what I'd been led to believe) didn't exist , and I was disappointed. But okay, Ragnar's saying that kind of nuance doesn't exist in Dreamfall, either. I can live with that, as long as I know what to expect going in.

I'd still like to know a little more about Kian and how he fits into the story. Seems like we've heard a ton about Zoe, and we already know about April. So I'm left very curious about him. (Maybe that was the intent!)

[remixor]

Yeah, I think that is intentional. Ragnar seems pretty disappointed actually that a lot of press have been revealing more than he requested they reveal. I think part of it is that his publisher also wants to keep new previews coming out by having new stuff to show. He really wants as much as possible to remain a secret to players, though, so I honored that. That aspect of the game should be pretty cool for players who haven't read tons of spoilers.