Sacred 2 Quest System : March 8th 2008

[gogoblender 3,068]

Just found this right now off the net...it's a personal blog by Daniel Bolster from the Sacred 2 Fallen Angel Design Team.

Enjoy the read

 

 

gogo

 

Taken from IGN Blog Index

 

Wednesday, March 05, 2008

 

Sacred 2's Quest System

Hi, my name is Daniel Balster, and I'm part of the Sacred 2 - Fallen Angel team. Among other things, I'm in charge of coding the quest system. Before moving to Aachen to join Studio II, I was based in Gütersloh for seven years. I've been coding for computers and video game consoles for more than twenty years now - I think I'm getting old... :-)

 

Sacred 2's deep story with its many quests required a new and innovative approach, because, usually, every single mission is coded individually. So we developed a quest editor, enabling several people to work with the same database simultaneously. Thanks to the editor level designers may place characters and items on the map, enter dialogues in several languages, define mission parameters and link quests with each other. And since you just click stuff with your mouse and don't code anything, you can't make any coding errors...

 

To me, the best thing about my task is the fact that the quest system combines the work of all my colleagues. The level designers' great scenery, the modelers' cool 3D objects, the extremely complex game logic and, of course, the exciting story - the quest system requires all of that, and so I'm always the first to see and play Sacred 2! I add my colleagues' finished components, code some modifications here and there, remove bugs and develop missing program parts, which may be not as "popular", but have to be coded nevertheless. Algorithms, debugging, coding graphics, logic, network, web server and databases for Windows, Linux and console - a challenging mix of technologies, but, after all, that's what makes it all so special!

 

I'm currently working on the inventory and equipment system. After all, everything the player finds and collects in quests or loots from enemies has to be managed. Which items may players equip, and how? What about equipping two-handed weapons along with a torch? How do we handle healing potions, weapons, shields, armors etc.? And, of course, everything has to be cheat-safe and network compatible.

[Schot 407]

...and so I'm always the first to see and play Sacred 2!

 

I am sooooo jealous!

 

Ah it looks as though they're spending quite a bit of time with the quests. Looking forward to getting in on the story!

 

Nice find there gogo.

[gogoblender 3,068]

I hope so, lol. I'll be honest, quests have never really been a big part of gaming for me...just too impatient here. Course Guild Wars changed all that with the Missions.

Love Missions.

 

And, hope Sacred 2 has something on line with the feeling you got with Guild Wars that you were part of something bigger and very very deep. I'll be frank and say that I was never really much up for Sacred's ingame writing and lore. Compared to some other games out there like GW and Wow...it's sort of insipid...and some of the writing style just makes me outright laugh. Maybe this time around we'll get someone who can get up our hackles when we're supposed to be scared and laughing when it's actually funny

 

The idea of being able to play two different lines of questing with the light and the dark is might interesting I may add, and with the Seraphim only being able to play the light, it adds an interesting limit which has already intrigued me.

 

 

gogo