DUNGEON SIEGE III developer interview

Ready for a new adventure? Prepare yourself for a dark and deadly journey on PS3 with DUNGEON SIEGE III's associate producer Nathan Davis.

Can you describe DUNGEON SIEGE III for those who aren't familiar with the game or the series?

DUNGEON SIEGE III is a fantasy action role-playing game [RPG] that puts the player in the role of a descendent of the once great, but now destroyed, 10th Legion. It is up to him to bring the Legion back to restore peace and order in the land. Along the way he's joined by unique companions with a wide variety of magic and martial abilities.

How have you used the feedback from previous DUNGEON SIEGE titles in the decisions you made when developing DSIII?

As we were developing this instalment, we looked at the first two games in addition to many other action RPG titles, Massively Multiplayer Online RPGs and even non-RPG action titles. Using all of these games as inspiration, we distilled down what would be the best skill and ability system, loot system and action mechanics for our game. A lot of that process involved making sure we understood what players liked most about the original games.

What sort of response have you encountered from the game's unveiling so far?

The team sees the game all the time and have gotten used to the look and feel of our engine, the characters, the animation and the environments. So each time we bring it outside of the developer circle and show new stuff to Square Enix, Chris Taylor at Gas Powered Games or to the press, we are often taken off guard by how positive the response has been. Not that we don't think we are making a good game that also looks visually great, it's just easy to forget what you have until you get an outsider's perspective.

What sort of enemies and characters will players face in the game?

You will find some of your standard fantasy enemies like skeletons and giant spiders to hack to pieces. But we've also developed a number of very unique enemies and computer-controlled characters thanks in large part to the creative vision of our art director, Justin Cherry. Many have a dark and exotic flavour that will stand out.

Will the game have multiple endings based on the decisions made by the players? How far-reaching will their decisions be in the game?

Like other Obsidian games, choice and consequence play an important role. So there will be multiple endings and decisions you make in the first region which will impact things that happen in the last region.

What sort of challenges did you come across creating the game?

Initially, getting the visceral feel of console based melee combat was a challenge and therefore a focus for us. We iterated a lot during pre production and now have a fun and rewarding action experience.

What's been your favourite moment developing DSIII?

I really enjoyed seeing rag doll physics get implemented in the Onyx engine. We've had endless fun launching dead enemies as we tweak the weighting of creatures in the game.

Is there anything else you want to add about DUNGEON SIEGE III?

I'm very excited about the story of DSIII. It's crafted by the skilled hand of our creative lead, George Ziets, who was behind Neverwinter Nights 2: Mask of the Betrayer. I think when players can finally sink their teeth into this game they will see a story a cut above other action RPGs.