The Drunken Lizard Pub

This sort of system requires a knowledge of your opponents and some testing to acquire this knowledge. For example if you have difficulty to hit an opponent it could worth to choose the Finesse mode. And if you hit easily the power mode could worth it. Yes the parry mode will be a help for magic users... if the game enable it when you use a spell. In some occasions it could allow you break a balance to make the opponent hit you less easily. Or if you decide to flee the parry mode will worth it. That sort of system requires a fine tuning so the players have a chance to see the effects and be motivated to use the combat modes. In Avernum 5 there's a too complicate system and worse the effects aren't obvious at all for many modes/special attacks.

In Neverwinter Night there's similar combat modes and some different. In ADOM the system is a bit different it's 5 modes that only rise/lower attack and lower/rise defense.

It's a good move to have add those combat modes, that can make the sword fights more fun. For Book III the game could perhaps go even further without to have a too complex system. There's plenty more idea to borrow/adapt from Roguelike or even from some more standard CRPG.

Very good and informative read. And while I'm looking forward to Eschalon: Book II, the thing that got me thrilled most is the following:

11. After Eschalon: book 2, what is the plans for Basilisk Games?

Of course we are going to be focusing on wrapping up the trilogy with Book III, but we will also be revealing our next game outside the Eschalon universe. More info on this will be revealed later this year, but we can say it will use a completely new engine and it will be sci-fi based, not fantasy. We will be developing both titles simultaneously, though it's far to early to say which game we are likely to finish first.

Wow! What news!

While playing Eschalon: Book I, again and again I was thinking about (and wishing for) a Sci-Fi game with the same quality and mood to it. I was even thinking about suggesting it here in the forum. And now that snippet in the interview! Can't wait for some more information on that!

Sorry lads, but I'm more the Sci-Fi than Fantasy kind of guy!

Yeah I have been interested in that one for awhile....heheh the big mystery is how he is going to clone himself in order to work on both.

Rune_74 wrote:Yeah I have been interested in that one for awhile....heheh the big mystery is how he is going to clone himself in order to work on both.

My guess has been that Book III won't get nearly the engine overhaul that Book II's getting. Also, if he keeps the tiles all the same between Book II and Book III, that would cut down on the workload too.

I'm just guessing, but I've been pretty much assuming that Book III would just be a new/expansion on the story using pretty much the Book II engine, with only a few modifications.

If so, that would leave more time to develop a new game with a new engine.