THE SEVEN WONDERS OF THE ANCIENT WORLD

PAINTINGS BY MARIO LARRINAGA

THE SEVEN WONDERS OF THE ANCIENT WORLD were triumphs of art and architecture and grand achievements of the human spirit. Today, efforts are being made to replace the six Wonders not with us any more. This would be a travesty of education and enduring knowledge for they did exist in magnificent splendor. Borne in the cradle of modern civilization, they are the holy grail of ancient art and architecture.

The Great Pyramid of Giza

Location

At the city of Giza, a necropolis of ancient Memphis, and today part of Greater Cairo, Egypt.

History

A great Ancient Egyptian civilization located off the west bank of the Nile built the great pyramids. They were tombs for their magnificent kings. The great pyramid of Giza is believed to have been built over a 20 year period around the year 2550 BC. The monument was built by the Egyptian pharaoh Khufu of the fourth dynasty, to serve as his tomb where he could start his majestic journey to the afterlife.

Large blocks of stone were cut, transported and placed. The outer casing was made up of dense, smooth white limestone giving the monument the appearance of a huge ceramic monolith. The outer stones were quarried at a location much further than the under-stones. Through the eons of time, the outer stones were removed by conquering armies for their own use.

Throughout their history, the pyramids of Giza have stimulated human imagination. They were referred to as “The Granaries of Joseph” and “The Mountains of Pharaoh”. When Napoleon invaded Egypt in 1798, his pride was expressed through his famous quote: “Soldats! Du haut de ces Pyramides, 40 siécles nous contemplent” (Soldiers! From the top of these Pyramids, 40 centuries are looking at us).

Description

When it was built, the Great Pyramid was 145.75m (481 ft) high. Over the years, it lost 10 m (30 ft) off its top. It ranked as the tallest structure on Earth for more than 43centuries, only to be surpassed in height in the nineteenth century AD. The sloping angle of its sides is 51 degrees and 51 minutes. Each side is carefully oriented with one of the cardinal points of the compass, that is, north, south, east, and west. The horizontal cross section of the pyramid is square at any level. with each side measuring 229 m (751 ft) in length. The maximum error between side lengths is astonishingly less than 0.1%.

The structure consists of approximately 2 million blocks of stone, each weighing more than two tons. It has been suggested that there are enough blocks in the three pyramids to build a 3 m (10 ft) high, 0.3 m (1 ft) thick wall around France. The base area covered by the Great pyramid can accommodate St. Peter’s in Rome, the cathedrals of Florence and Milan, and Westminster and St. Paul’s in London combined.

On the north face, is the pyramid’s entrance. A number of corridors, galleries, and escape shafts either led to the King’s burial chamber, or were intended to serve other functions. The King’s chamber is located at the heart of the pyramid, only accessible through the Great Gallery and an ascending corridor. The King’s sarcophagus is made of red granite, as are the interior walls of the King’s Chamber. Most impressive is the sharp-edged stone over the doorway, which is over 3 m (10 ft) long, 2.4 m (8 ft) high and 1.3 m (4 ft) thick. The entire interior stones fit so well, a playing card won’t fit between them. The sarcophagus is only about 1cm smaller in dimensions than the chamber entrance.

Hanging Gardens of Babylon

Location

On the east bank of the River Euphrates, about 50km south of Baghdad, Iraq.

History

The Babylonian kingdom flourished. It was not until the reign of Naboplashar (625-605 BC) of the Neo-Babylonian dynasty that the Mesopotamian civilization reached its ultimate glory. His son, Nebuchadnezzar II (604-562 BC) is credited for building the legendary Hanging Gardens. It is said that the Gardens were built by Nebuchadnezzar to please his wife who had been brought up in Media and had a passion for lush mountain surroundings.

It wasn’t until the twentieth century that some of the mysteries surrounding the Hanging Gardens were revealed. Archaeologists are still struggling to gather enough evidence before reaching the final conclusions about the location of the Gardens, their irrigation systems, and their true appearance. One of Saddam Hussein’s pet projects was the reconstruction of this ancient wonder on the banks of the Euphrates.

Description

Detailed descriptions of the Gardens come from ancient Greek sources, including the writings of Strabo and Philo of Byzantium. Here are some excerpts from their accounts:“The Garden is quadrangular, and each side is four plethra long. It consists of arched vaults which are located on checkered cube-like foundations… The ascent of the uppermost terrace-roofs is made by a stairway…”

“The Hanging Garden has plants cultivated above ground level, and the roots of the trees are embedded in an upper terrace rather than in the earth. The whole mass is supported on stone columns… Streams of water emerging from elevated sources flow down sloping channels… These waters irrigate the whole garden saturating the roots of the plants and keeping the whole area moist. Hence the grass is permanently green and the leaves of trees grow firmly attached to supple branches… This is a work of art of Royal luxury”.

Most recent archaeological excavations at the ancient city of Babylon in Iraq uncovered the foundation of the palace. Other findings include the Vaulted Building with thick walls and an irrigation well near the southern palace. A group of archaeologists surveyed the area of the southern palace and reconstructed the Vaulted Building as the Hanging Gardens. However, the Greek historian Strabo has stated that the gardens were situated by the River Euphrates. So others argue that the site is too far from the Euphrates to support the theory since the Vaulted Building is several hundreds of meters away. They reconstructed the site of the palace and located the Gardens in the area stretching from the River to the Palace. On the river banks, recently discovered massive walls 25 m thick might have been stepped to form terraces… the ones described in Greek reference.

Statue of Zeus

Location

At the ancient town of Olympia, on the west coast of Greece, about 150 km west of Athens.

History

This is the statue of the god in whose honor the Ancient Olympic games were held. It was located on the land that gave its very name to the Olympics. At the time of the games, wars stopped, and athletes came from Asia Minor, Syria, Egypt and Sicily to celebrate the Olympics and to worship their king of gods: Zeus.

The ancient Greek calendar starts in 776 BC, for the Olympic games are believed to have started that year. The magnificent temple of Zeus was designed by the architect Libon and was built around 450 BC. Under the growing power of ancient Greece, the simple Doric-style temple seemed too mundane, and modifications were needed. The solution: A majestic statue. The Athenian sculptor Pheidias was assigned for the “sacred” task, reminiscent of Michelangelo’s paintings at the Sistine Chapel.

For many years, the temple attracted visitors and worshippers from all over the world. In the second century BC repairs were skillfully made to the aging statue. In the first century AD, the Roman emperor Caligula attempted to transport the statue to Rome, however, his attempt failed. After the emperor Theodosius I banned the Olympic games as a pagan practice in 391 AD, the temple of Zeus was ordered closed.

Description

Pheidias began working on the statue around 440 BC. Years earlier, he had developed a technique to build enormous gold and ivory statues. This was done by erecting a wooden frame on which sheets of metal and ivory were placed to provide the outer covering. Pheidias’ workshop in Olympia still exists, and is coincidentally – or may be not – identical in size and orientation to the temple of Zeus. There, he sculpted and carved the different pieces of the statue before they were assembled in the temple. The statue was so high that visitors described the throne more than Zeus body and features. The legs of the throne were decorated with sphinxes and winged figures of Victory. Greek gods and mythical figures also adorned the scene: Apollo, Artemis, and Niobe’s children.

The Greek Pausanias wrote:“On his head is a sculpted wreath of olive sprays. In his right hand he holds a figure of Victory made from ivory and gold… In his left hand, he holds a scepter inlaid with every kind of metal, with an eagle perched on the scepter. His sandals are made of gold, as is his robe. His garments are carved with animals and with lilies. The throne is decorated with gold, precious stones, ebony, and ivory”.

This wonder is said to be the greatest work in Greek sculpture.

Temple of Artemis

Location

The ancient city of Ephesus near the modern town of Selcuk, about 50 km south of Izmir (Smyma) in Turkey.

History

Although the foundation of the temple dates back to the seventh century BC, the structure that earned a spot in the list of Wonders was built around 550 BC. Referred to as the great marble temple, it was sponsored by the Lydian king Croesus and was designed by the Greek architect Chersiphron. The Temple was decorated with bronze statues sculpted by the most skilled artists of their time: Pheidias, Polycleitus, Kresilas and Phradmon.

The temple served as both a marketplace and a religious institution. For years, the sanctuary was visited by merchants, tourists, artisan and kings who paid homage to the goddess by sharing their profits with her. Recent archeological excavations at the site revealed gifts from pilgrims including statuettes of Artemis made of gold and ivory… earrings, bracelets and necklaces… artifacts from as far as Persia and India.

On the night of 21 July 356 BC a man named Herostratus burned the temple to ground in an attempt to immortalize his name, which he did indeed. Oddly enough, Alexander the Great was born the same night. The historian Plutarch later wrote that the goddess was “too busy taking care of the birth of Alexander to send help to her threatened temple”. When Alexander the Great conquered Asia Minor, he helped rebuild the destroyed temple, but the temple was not restored until after his death in 323 BC.

Description

The foundation of the temple was rectangular in form, similar to most temples at the time. Unlike other sanctuaries, however, the building was made of marble, with a decorated façade overlooking a spacious courtyard. Marble steps surrounding the building platform led to the high terrace which was approximately 80 m (260 ft) by 130 m (430 ft) in plan. The columns were 20 m (60 ft) high with Ionic capitals and carved circular sides. There were 127 columns in total, aligned orthogonally over the whole platform area, except for the central cella or house of the goddess.The temple housed many works of art, including four ancient bronze statues of Amazons sculpted by the finest artists at the time. When St. Paul visited the city, the temple was adorned with golden pillars and silver statuettes, and was decorated with paintings. There is no evidence that a statue of the goddess herself was placed at the center of the sanctuary, but there is no reason not to believe so.

Mausoleum at Halicarnassus

Location

In the city of Bodrum (f.k.a. Halicarnassus) on the Aegean Sea, in southwest Turkey.

History

When the Persians expanded their ancient kingdom to include Mesopotamia, Northern India, Syria, Egypt and Asia Minor, the king could not control his vast empire without the help of the local governors or rulers – the Satraps. Like many other provinces, the kingdom of Caria in the western part of Asia Minor (Turkey) was so far from the Persian capital that it was practically autonomous. From 377 to 353 BC, king Maussollos of Caria reigned and moved his capital to Halicarnassus. Nothing is exciting about Maussollos’ life except the construction of his tomb. The project was conceived by his wife and sister Artemisia, and the construction might have started during the king’s lifetime. The Mausoleum was completed around 350 BC, three years after Maussollos’ death, and one year after Artemisia’s. For 16 centuries, the Mausoleum remained in good condition until an earthquake caused some damage to the roof and colonnade. In the early fifteenth century, the Knights of St. John of Malta invaded the region and built a massive crusader castle. When they decided to fortify it in 1494, they used the stones from the Mausoleum. By 1522, almost every block from the Mausoleum had been disassembled and used for construction.

Today, the massive castle still stands in Bodrum, and the polished stone and marble blocks of the Mausoleum can be spotted within the walls of the structure. Some of the sculptures survived and are today on display at the British Museum in London. These include fragment of statues and many slabs of the frieze showing the battle between the Greeks and the Amazons. At the site of the Mausoleum itself, only the foundation remains of the once magnificent Wonder.

Description

The structure was rectangular in plan, with base dimensions of about 40 m (120 ft) by 30 m (100 ft). Overlying the foundation was a stepped podium which sides were decorated with statues. The burial chamber and the sarcophagus of white alabaster decorated with gold were located on the podium and surrounded by Ionic columns. The colonnade supported a pyramid roof, which was in turn decorated with statues. A statue of a chariot pulled by four horses adorned the top of the tomb.

The total height of the Mausoleum was 45 m (140 ft) consisting of a stepped podium, colonnade, pyramid and a chariot statue at the top. The beauty of the Mausoleum is not only in the structure itself, but in the decorations and statues that adorned the outside at different levels on the podium and the roof. These were tens of life-size as well as under and over life-size free-standing statues of people, lions, horses and other animals. The statues were carved by four Greek sculptors: Bryaxis, Leochares, Scopas and Timotheus, each responsible for one side. Because the statues were of people and animals, the Mausoleum holds a special place in history as it was not dedicated to the gods of Ancient Greece.

The Colossus of Rhodes

Location

At the entrance of the harbor of the Mediterranean island of Rhodes in Greece.

History

Throughout most of its history, ancient Greece was comprised of city-states which had limited power beyond their boundary. On the small island of Rhodes were three of the these: Ialysos, Kimiros and Lindos. In 408 BC, the cities united to form one territory, with a unified capital, Rhodes. The city thrived commercially and had strong economic ties with their main ally, Ptolemy I Soter of Egypt. In 305 BC, the Antigonids of Macedonia who were also rivals of the Ptolemies, besieged Rhodes in an attempt to break the Rhode-Egyptian alliance. They could never penetrate the city. When a peace agreement was reached in 304 BC, the Antagonids lifted the siege, leaving a wealth of military equipment behind. To celebrate their unity, the Rhodians sold the equipment and used the money to erect an enormous statue of their sun god, Helios.

The construction of the Colossus took 12 years and was finished in 282 BC. For years, the statue stood at the harbor entrance, until a strong earthquake hit Rhodes about 226 BC. The city was badly damaged, and the Colossus was broken at its weakest point – the knee. The Rhodians received an immediate offer from Ptolemy III Eurgetes of Egypt to cover all restoration costs for the toppled monument. However, an oracle was consulted and forbade the re-erection. Ptolemy’s offer was declined.

For almost a millennium, the statue lay broken in ruins. In 654 AD, the Arabs invaded Rhodes. They disassembled the remains of the broken Colossus and sold them to a Jew from Syria. It is said that the fragments had to be transported to Syria on the backs of 900 camels.

Description

The project was commissioned by the Rhodian sculptor Chares of Lindos. To build the statue, his workers cast the outer bronze skin parts. The base was made of white marble, and the feet and ankle of the statue were first fixed. The structure was gradually erected as the bronze form was fortified with an iron and stone framework. When the colossus was finished, it stood about 33 m (110 ft) high.

Legend has it, based on numerous accounts and sketches, the Colossus straddled a body of water thought to be the entrance to the harbor. Knowing the size of the statue, even on top of its marble pedestal, this would be impossible. It is more probable the Colossus straddled the entrance of a pool or tributary adjacent to the main harbor. This could explain the accounts of (small) boats sailing under the Colossus.

LIGHTHOUSE OF ALEXANDRIA

Location

On the ancient island of Pharos, now a promontory within the city of Alexandria in Egypt.

History

Shortly after the death of Alexander the Great, his commander Ptolemy Soter assumed power in Egypt. He had witnessed the founding of Alexandria, and established his capital there. Due to dangerous sailing conditions and flat coastline in the region, the construction of a lighthouse was necessary.

The project was conceived and initiated by Ptolemy Soter around 290 BC, but was completed after his death, during the reign of his son Ptolemy Philadelphus. The monument was dedicated to the Savior Gods: Ptolemy Soter (lit. savior) and his wife Berenice. For centuries, the Lighthouse of Alexandria (occasionally referred to as the Pharos Lighthouse) was used to mark the harbor, using fire at night and reflecting sun rays during the day. It was even shown on Roman coins, just as famous monuments are depicted on currency today.

Description

Of the six vanished Wonders, the Lighthouse of Alexandria was the last to disappear. Therefore we have adequately accurate knowledge of its location and appearance. Ancient accounts such as those by Strabo and Pliny the Elder give us a brief description of the “tower” and the magnificent white marble cover. They tell us how the mysterious mirror could reflect the light tens of kilometers away.

In 1166, an Arab traveler, Abou-Haggag Al-Andaloussi visited the Lighthouse. He documented a wealth of information and gave an accurate description of the structure which helped modern archeologists reconstruct the monument. The total height of the building including the foundation base was about 117 m (384 ft), equivalent to a 40-story modern building. The internal core was used as a shaft to lift the fuel needed for the fire. At the top stage, the mirror reflected sunlight during the day while fire was used during the night. In ancient times, a statue of Poseidon adorned the summit of the building.

Although the Lighthouse of Alexandria did not survive to the present day, it left its influence in various respects. From an architectural standpoint, the monument has been used as a model for many prototypes along the Mediterranean, as far away as Spain. And from a linguistic standpoint, it gave its name – Pharos – to all the lighthouses in the world… Just look up in the dictionary for the French, Italian or Spanish word for lighthouse.

Source

Interview with Bill Tiller - A Vampyre Story

Hello Bill!

First of all, we would like to thank you for taking the time to talk to Adventure Advocate about the most anticipated adventure game of the last years.

Here are our questions:

Could you tell us a few things about Autumn Moon Entertainment? Like: how and when it was founded?

Well I founded Autumn Moon myself, even though I wanted to found it with other Lucas Arts and former Lucas Arts artists and programmers. But for some reason or another people couldn’t do it either because they already had good jobs, didn’t want to take a risk, or didn’t want to make adventure games anymore. I don’t blame them. Starting up a company is risky, especially if you have a house to pay for and have children, like I do. But I did it anyway because it is makes the most sense to me to do it.

So I quit my good job at Stromfront Studios as Art Director on EA’s The Two Towers, cashed out my 401k retirement money I’d been saving for ten years and started on the A Vampyre Story 2d prototype. The images of Mona in 2d are from that prototype.

Some people said to me “What are you doing? Are you crazy? You are risking your home and security! Go get a safe, REAL job.” I appreciate their advice, but they just don’t understand. I HAVE to do this! Why? Because it just seems like the natural next step in my life. I love illustration. I love animation. I love computer games, and I love story telling. Well, adventure games combine all the things I love into one!

So naturally this is what I want to do for the rest of my life. It only took me 38 years to figure it out.
The timing seems to be right too. Lucas Arts has abruptly decided to do Star Wars and action games only for console and pc. Though I think a new Monkey Island game would do well especially with the Monkey island Movie coming out (Ron Gilbert is right. The Pirates of the Caribbean movie is really a Monkey Island movie).

So the type of game Lucas used to make only two companies, in the USA anyway, are doing it. Tell Tale and Autumn Moon. It is interesting to note that even though we are both doing adventure games, they have followed the path of getting existing licenses such as CSI, Sam N Max and Bone. Where as Autumn Moon is going the route of making original stories and licenses, though I’m sure Tell Tale will get around to doing an original game, and we would love to do games based on certain licenses. Lucas Arts did both back in the day, but now two spin offs are filling the gap.

How many people make up the team? Are there any other former Lucas Arts employees?

Depends on when you ask me. Right now there are only three, me and Dave Harris. We are writing and designing the game. But next week we will have Bill Eaken and Aaron St John on, and then Craig Rundles in a few weeks after that. When in full production this fall, we will have ten probably. But to keep costs down, we roll people on off when they are needed, and bring them on if when the schedule requires it.

So here is the list of Ex Lucas Arts People who have worked on my game so far:
Kyle Balda
Anson Jew
Bill Eaken
Gary Brubaker
Paul Mica
Maria Bowen
Mike Levine
Craig Rundles
Yuan Wang
Tony Burquez
Dave Harris
Ed Chin
Amy Tiller

A few other Ex Lucas people have helped a ton too. A lot of other non Lucas arts people have worked on the game too such as Brooks White, Jeremy Koerner, Aaron St John, Zach Quarles, Charles Beirnaert, Alan Hause, and a few other secret employees. And I am sure I m forgetting somebody, so I apologize to them.

How and when did you come up with the idea of “A Vampyre Story” ?

I love Halloween and scary movies, anything to do with macbre and ‘goth’ stuff like that. One of my favourite artists is Edward Gorey ( http://www.goreyography.com/west/west.htm ). Now if you don’t know who is run out and buy Amphagorey ad Amphagorey II, or The Gashlycrumb Tinies. He does these great black and white ink drawings of Victorian aristocrats in macabre and funny situations. He is the main inspiration, along with Dr.Suess for Tim Burton.

So back in 1995 I was on my honey moon, sailing on a cruise ship in the Caribbean. It was about a month before I was to start on Curse of Monkey Island. And I was on deck with my sketch book and started sketching some Edward Gorey like drawings. I love vampires so I decided to draw an Edward Gorey like vampire woman, and I named her Mona de Laffite, after the loading dock in the ride Pirates of the Caribbean ride at Disneyland.

I gave her a bat companion, whom I named Froderick, after what Igor in the movie Young Frankenstein called Fredric Frankenstein when they first met.

She and Froderick staid in my sketch book for four years while I worked on Curse of Monkey Island and Indiana Jones and the Infernal Machine, and the ill fated Full Throttle II: Payback (not Sean Calrk’s Hell on Wheels). Then I tried it o pitch it to Lucas Arts, but politics kept me from pitching it to officially, and in a way that was a smart move because anything I pitched to Lucas Arts they would have owned. I did show it to Hal Barwood, Jonathan Ackley and Larry Ahern AFTER they quit, and they all loved it, especially Hal. So that was encouraging.

I left Lucas because I could see that after Full Throttle II: Payback was shelved that Lucas was not going to do well. So I hopped around a bit and couldn’t find what I was looking for. So one night I decided to make what I was looking for, a company that was going to produce adventure games the Lucas Arts way- thus Autumn Moon.
Originally we were planning on making the game in black and white, using the Edward Gorey pen and ink style. But we abandoned it when it became clear the color version looked better. I still want to do short flash pen and ink looking mini adventure game, maybe some day.

Could you tell us a bit about the game’s story, characters and interface?

What would happen if you were turned into vampire, but you really wanted to do something completely different? A Vampre Story’s story is really a lesson in perseverance and making due with what life has given you. It is like the old adage “if life gives you lemons, you make lemonade.” So we have a young opera student, the best in her class, becoming the object of obsession for a psychopathic, and slightly pathetic, vampire. He turns her life upside down, first, be kidnapping her and taking her from Paris to fictional Balkan country of Draxsylvania, and second by killing her, and thus, making her a member of the undead, magically enslaved to her vampire master. And on top of that she knows virtually nothing about being a vampire, nor does she really want to. She would rather be singing at the Paris Opera, not turning into bat, sleeping in a coffin all day and sucking on people’s necks at night.

Are there any action sequences in the game?

Yes, right now we plan of at least three. But we aren’t done with our production plan yet, some may get cut. But they won’t be too difficult and will let players who don’t like action in heir adventure games to skip past them

And also how do you feel that some people believe that putting so much action elements in adventure games really helps and renews the genre?

No, I don’t believe that. What will renew the adventure game genre are better adventure games. They need to have better stories, non-frustrating but challenging puzzles, be funny, and have great art direction. THAT will renew the genre.
And I also think the games need to be in story genres that are popular. Take Grim Fandango for example. It is a great, great game, but in a story genre that a lot of main stream gamers didn’t find appealing. That being said, Grim still sold a heck of a lot of copies, it just wasn’t the mega hit many at Lucas at the time thought it should have been.
I think vampires are in a popular genre so I think the game will appeal to many more main stream buyers than some for the more obscure story ideas. At least I hope!

Could you describe to us the kind of puzzles we will encounter in the game?

No, not with out giving it away. But logically they are going to be very similar to Lucas arts puzzles, because those are the kind of games I worked on, and the kind of games people expect us to make. The only new twist on the puzzles is that Mona has vampire powers and restrictions, so some unusually solutions to problems will arise out of this new twist.

How far into the game are you? When should we expect it to be released?

We are 80% done with the game design, 5% done with the background art, 10% done with music, and 35% done with the engine programming, 50% done with the FMV scripts, 30% done with the character designs, 15% done with the storyboarding, 5% done with the animation and 3d character modelling, 1% done with the prop models, and 0% done with the game scripting. As you can see not very far, but we just started on full production in the last two weeks.

Why’d it take so long to start? Blame California and the fact we are not a technology company like Tell Tale. First California is expensive so we need twice as much money to do the same length game as many developers in less expensive parts of the world. We are in California because that is where Lucas Arts was, and thus we all live there.

We can’t get major capital investor’s because we are not making game engine to sell, nor are we publishing any games. So investors don’t want to invest in an unproven new story ideas, nor in a hit based business strategy - too risky. They’d rather invest in companies that make technology they can sell, or in companies that have optioned established licences such as Bone, Sam and Max or CSI. Since we aren’t creating a brand new engine and are creating a risky new story idea, the millionaires with money don’t want to invest.

But luckily for us there are a lot of smart German publishers who are pretty convinced this game will sell really well in their own country and in Europe as a whole. I thank them whole heartedly and agree 100%!

Have you found a publisher? If not, are negotiations coming to a conclusion?

Yes, we have, but details and announcements about this will be coming out soon. For now I can’t say anything beyond that.

“A Vampyre Story” (really, why write it with a ‘y’) has been under production for quite some time now and several release dates have been announced from time to time, which unfortunately were never to be the actual release date of the game. Why is that?

Money. No money no game. Now we have money so there should be a game. People want to know when we will finish the game so I give them my best guess. So I have decided to stop. But I can tell you we will not be working on this first game past the end of 2007. When the game will actually be released is up to the business guys at the publishers and what they think the best strategy is for a releases date. They have coordinated it with the marketing and PR team. So release dates get moved around quite a bit. It is pretty typical in the game industry. Hopefully as we mature as an industry we won’t have those kinds of problems in the future.

The first vampire novel written in English was called The Vampyre and was spelled with ‘yre’ instead of the modem ‘ire.’ So we spelled it the same way in honour of the book that created the whole romantic vampire genre.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Vampyre

Is there any adventure game with which you would say that “A Vampyre Story” resembles? If yes, in which aspects of the game?

Sure, The Curse of Monkey Island and the Secret of Monkey Island, just in the horror genre instead of pirate genre. The art will be a lot like CMI, but I’ll be the sole art director on this time, so the character design may be a it different compare with CMI. But the puzzle structure and the types of puzzles will be very The Secret of Monkey Island like, because it is my favorite adventure game of all time.

How many playing hours - for an average adventure gamer - you expect the game to be?

We are shooting for 15 hours, at least as long as Full Throttle.

Have you really enjoyed playing any recent adventure games? If yes, have you been inspired by them in any way?

Siberia, Runaway, Tony Tough and Bone. I really loved the feel and look of Siberia and the story. And with Bone I really liked what they have done with the interface and GUI. And the animation is great. I have Dream Fall on my shelf though I haven’t played it yet, and I’m planning on getting episode 2 of Bone, because it got great reviews and looks fun. I loved the art in runaway and it inspired me to keep pursuing my game. Tony tough had some good atmosphere and wonderful character designs. But I have mostly been going back and playing old Lucas Arts games. I just went through CMI once more, and I plan to play through Sam and Max again this month.

Nowadays, adventures are not as popular as they used to be in Lucas Arts times. Nonetheless, you have decided to create an adventure game. What led you to that decision? And, what do you expect the reaction of the game community to be towards your game?

No I think they are just as popular as they ever were. The best selling adventure games, numbers wise, are selling the same as they did. There are just more game buyers now and the cost to make games is a lot higher. Syberia sold 161,000 copies in the USA, more than Grim Fandango’s 99,000 back in 1998, and Curse of Monkey Islands 106,000 in the United states alone. I don’t have European numbers but I bet they are the same if not better.

But they were less game buyers in 1997 than there is now in 2006, so adventure games percentage of the market shrank, but the total number of adventure game buyers stayed the same. The big problem is costs. The cost of living went up, cost of software, the size of the teams. and wages went up too, so companies had to invest in games that sold more units then, say, 500,000 world wide. Thus you get Halo and Grand Theft Auto, and endless amount of movie tie in games.

So this hurt adventure games too because the high priced talent went to the bigger higher paying games. That is why Tim Schaffer is making action games, why Larry Ahern is making flight sims, why Jonathan Ackley is making interactive attractions at Disney. I’m not paying high costs either. So the trick is to lure people to work on your project without using money as the sole motivating factor. They way I have done it is offer them a chance to work on fun a game. Almost all of my team members have worked on big name games, but the games are so big and so serious that they aren’t all that fun to work on.

Whereas I offer them a small, more intimate company with more chances to contribute to the projects, and I offer them a fun game to work on. Plus we are all friend so we get along great. How often do you get to work on a small game, for a small company where all your friends work there too, and it is funny game in a fun genre? That is how I get high quality talent to work on my game.

Sorry write such a long answer but this is a complicated issue, but there are same basic trends behind it. So many people just want to say adventure games are dead. They aren’t all. That is just a simplistic answer to complex issue. People make careers out of making simplistic assumptions that are always wrong.

It’s a fact that, as years pass by, games have become much easier comparing to the good old times (LucasArts). Are you going to follow this path too, as far as the game’s puzzle difficulty level?

It is so hard to gage the difficulty of puzzles. I thought for sure power plant robot puzzle Sean Clark and I designed in The Dig was easy- just program where you want it to go and the puzzle is easily solved. But no, all my friends got stuck right there. Like I said earlier we are going to have puzzles very similar to Secret of Monkey Island and Curse of Monkey Island. I’m not sure if people consider those hard games or not, but that is what we are shooting for.

How do you feel about the fact that major companies that produced some great adventure games in the past (Lucasfilm, Sierra and others) have now turned their backs at the genre?

Sad really. I was hoping Tell Tale or Bad Brain would actually get the rights to finish Sam and Max: Freelance Police. At one time Disney was in deep do do. Then they hired Michael Eisner. Everyone said that animated feature films were dead; no one would go see them anymore. Fox and the Hound was so so, The Great Mouse Detective didn’t do well because of the lack of any real marketing budget, and The Black Cauldron was just bad.

But Eisner was smart. He saw that the revival of the animated feature was at the core of revitalizing the company. He thought they would lose money, but he needed to create new intellectual property, or IP. And they’d make money off the toys, merchandise and the rides at Disneyland. But the same time Disney had an image problem. They were thought to be just for kids. So Eisner knew there was money to be made making R rated, more mature films. So he created a new company owned by Disney called Touch Stone. Under that label they put out R Rated hit after hit, such as Down and Out in Beverly Hills. Then Oliver And Company came out and did well, making good money. Roger Rabbit was a big hit. And these were feature animation, and new IP, which according to the industry experts wasn’t supposed to sell! So they put some extra money into The Little Mermaid and even marketed the movie to adults, and boom! It was mega hit! This spawned an animation renaissance that is still going today.

There is a lesson to be learned here. It isn’t the genre that is bad; it is the quality of the product in the genre. Remember when they said fantasy movies wouldn’t sell because they were all bad. Lord of the Rings proved again, it isn’t the genre, it’s the quality of the product.

There is room for the mature games and the sequels and the movie tie in games, but companies really need to invest in quality new IP and games that are not all violent, such as adventure games. Lucas could have and should put out Sam and Max: Freelance Police. Maybe because of the money they spent on it would have been a lose finically, but it would have shown Lucas Arts to be a creative place rather than a factory spewing out Star Wars and Indy sequel after sequel. By putting out Sam and Max they would have said to the industry and potential employees “We are not just about action games and Star Wars. We respect our history and are going keep it going, just like Disney did in the mid 1980’s.” Right now, if you’re a creative genius, why go work at Lucas Arts other than for the cool Presidio office and great benefits, unless you just want to make Star Wars or Indy games. If you are truly a creative person, go work at Pixar or Cartoon Network, where cool new ideas are actually appreciated.

What does the future hold for Autumn Moon Entertainment? Are there any other plans for another game on the works?

Oh yeah, for sure. I have eight other games I want to do, and new ones pop up in my head all the time. But A vampire Story first, and any sequels. Then we will get to other games. We are thinking about expanding to two teams and two projects in a year or two, but right now we are just concentrating on A Vampyre Story.

Sorry for the HUGE set of questions but we really wanted to learn a lot of things about this great game you are making!!!

No problem. Glad to do it.

source : adventureadvocate

Blizzard's Samwise Didier - Interview by Oli Wels

Art is important to Blizzard. The offices of the World of Warcraft developer, currently working on RTS sequel StarCraft II, are plastered with it. Vivid, colourful and extravagant concept art is hung everywhere. The offices even have a curator, part of whose job description is to ensure that huge floor-to-ceiling pieces are displayed around the campus. One such piece is in the canteen - a jolly painting of drinking dwarves by Samwise Didier.

Didier is art director at Blizzard, and a veteran of the company's early days. His bold, humorous style has set the tone for much of the studio's output, not least the look and feel of the planet's most popular virtual world. He also draws cover art for the World of Warcraft comic and the albums of Swedish power metal band Hammerfall, and sings (or rather, bellows) in Blizzard's terrifying in-house band, Level 70 Elite Tauren Chieftain. (L70ETC's imposing body of work includes Rogues Do It From Behind and the mighty metal anthem I Am Murloc.) You can see examples of his work in a gallery at the Blizzard art site, Sons of the Storm.

On our recent visit to Blizzard HQ to play StarCraft II, we sat down with Didier to discuss what makes Blizzard games look like Blizzard games.

Eurogamer: When did you join Blizzard?

Samwise Didier: I started with Blizzard in 1991, when we were still under the name Silicon & Synapse.

Eurogamer: So you're old school...

Samwise Didier: Yes. Old.

Eurogamer: What was the first game you worked on?

Samwise Didier: An iteration of the Lost Vikings. In the final game there were three Vikings, in the one I worked on there were about twenty. It was very much like Lemmings. And then I went on to work on Rock N' Roll Racing and Blackthorne, and then really started hitting a lot of the PC games, when Warcraft came out.

Eurogamer: What are your personal influences? What was it that got you drawing when you were a kid?

Samwise Didier: It would definitely be Conan comic books that got me started. The Conan books with Frank Frazetta and John Buscema artwork. Mostly Marvel stuff, I mean I liked DC as well, but Marvel comics specifically just had that look that really started getting me into comics. And then the Hobbit movies, the old animated ones that were done back in the 70s, those were instrumental to me. I still think a lot of my dwarves look like the dwarves from those movies, just because that's where I learned to start drawing fantasy back then.

Eurogamer: The Warcraft and StarCraft worlds have a lot of archetypes in them... Orcs and elves, space marines and mutants. How can you make sure they look distinctive in your games, rather than generic?

Samwise Didier: Well, take our Orcs for example in Warcraft. Orcs are bad guys, but in our game they're not really bad guys. They were at one time, but we really push their whole kit to be, you know, bringing back the old ways of their shamanistic roots. They're no longer these demon-infused battle-crazy guys, they're more working with nature and becoming one with the elements.

Same with our Terran marines. Everyone's seen space marines, right? Well, we've tried to push ours to have a sort of - I always call it a biker/cowboy mentality, you know they're kinda gritty, they're kinda Old West in their sayings and the way they talk, some of them have Southern accents, sort of hillbilly-ish. We really tried to make our marines distinct that way. I don't think a lot of people have that - they're super good guys. We kinda have ours be a little bit shady. Their basic background is that they were all prisoners.

Eurogamer: So in both those cases, it's about something that runs contrary to expectations...

Samwise Didier: Yeah. We don't want to do something like have our Orcs be super good guys and paladins, that totally goes against what people think Orcs are. We just want to push it a little bit in our own direction so it has our own feel and flavour to it.

Eurogamer: In StarCraft II and Blizzard's other RTS games, you've got some tension in the art between having a really clear zoomed-out display, and a distinctive character to the designs - how do you balance that?

Samwise Didier: All the art in Starcraft II is going to be viewed in the top-down, three-quarter view, so we really put a lot of focus into the silhouettes of the units from that angle, so they're very distinct and iconic. Then we try to keep the detail level a little bit lower - bigger shapes, not as much little dots, nuts and bolts and all that on the metal. That's partly why a lot of our characters are a little bit bigger and over-proportioned, because when you look at it back from how we play, it needs that little bit extra.

Eurogamer: It must have been quite a challenge then to move to World of Warcraft - bringing the view right down, putting the player on the ground in the same world.

Samwise Didier: A lot of the guys really loved it because they could start doing the detail. But we still tried to keep a lot of the basic philosophies the same. Not too much detail, rely on nice big shapes or big swatches of colour, because when you're playing in WOW and characters are far away it's still nice to see that silhouette that you recognise: "Oh, that's a warrior or a druid." Especially in the later part of the game where you have the distinct armour sets that people are wearing.

Eurogamer: Another unusual thing about the games you work on here - whether you're talking an MMO like WOW, or a probable eSports hit like StarCraft II- is that they're going to be played for a really long time. Certainly it's the case with the first StarCraft - it's still going after ten years.

Samwise Didier: Yeah, that's amazing to me.

Eurogamer: So how do you ensure that stuff still looks good years years down the line? Is it fair to say it's because Blizzard places more emphasis on art than technology?

Samwise Didier: We push the technology enough so we don't look like we're behind the curve, but we don't want to make it so advanced that there are people who can't play it.

Another thing that helps out is the art style - it's sort of like if you look at an old Disney movie. It still looks good to watch because it's not a realistic movie, it's a cartoon, it's something drawn. A lot of the big 3D animated movies that come out now still aren't as cool as when Disney was still doing hand-animated things. There's something about a cartoony kind of style that never loses its look, it's always going to look cool.

I think ours doesn't really have a distinctive time style, it's just the Blizzard style. I think that's helped us hold up. I'll look at Warcraft III and go, eugh, that's low-polygon, but it still has a good feel to it.

Eurogamer: Does art have a gameplay function? Or could you replace everything with simple icons and still have essentially the same gameplay?

Samwise Didier: The reason why a lot of Blizzard games are popular is because the games themselves are just fun. You know, you could have worse graphics in our games and people would still be playing them. But I think the art really appeals to a lot of people as well, and helps get people who maybe wouldn't be interested in that sort of game to try it out.

I can't count how many times I've played a game because the art looks great and the game itself just isn't that great. But then there's like, stupid little Flash games you'll find online where the art is just X's and O's or whatever, but the game is just so fun and addictive. It's like, these guys did their job, the other guys spent all this cash making the art look great but they didn't have a fun game. It's like having a great-looking sports car that doesn't run.

Eurogamer: How important do you think the art was in World of Warcraft's success?

Samwise Didier: I think it was pretty important, because it definitely was different-looking than any other MMORPGs out there. Everyone else was a little bit more realistic, and all that's great, but people live in a real world and look like normal people already. Personally I don't like to play a normal-looking human, I always try to play whatever character is the big monster. In Warcraft I love the Horde, in games like Street Fighter I play Blanka and E. Honda, the big sumo guy. Something that I'm not in this world.

Eurogamer: What do the styles of Warcraft and StarCraft have in common? What are the common elements that make them quintessentially Blizzard?

Samwise Didier: Overall, the basic Blizzard art style is that everything's a little bit more over-proportioned, WOW being way more, StarCraft a little bit less. Everything's coloured a little bit more simply. We don't use a lot of light colours and pastels, it's more primary colours, you know, reds, blues.

Eurogamer: Is there a reason for that colour scheme, beyond a personal preference?

Samwise Didier: It basically started out that it's easier to see. The easiest thing in the world to see in a game would be one red square and one blue square going against each other, right? Or even better, a red circle and a blue square. Different silhouettes with different primary colours, no confusion. It's those philosophies, but not as simplified. So we go back to the silhouette, try to make those distinct.

And we put a lot of humour into our games I think, more than other people. StarCraft not as much perhaps, but even then, you keep clicking on those characters, you're going to hear some goofy pop culture reference or something funny.

I don't think we take any of our stuff overly seriously. As cool and epic as a character is, if you play with them long enough, they're going to say something funny. If you watch them long enough, they'll make some goofy animation. We want to keep the coolness of that character, but we're also not afraid to cut loose a little bit and have fun with them. I think that's part of the Blizzard style too, the humour: you know, Diablo cow levels, the Pandaren in Warcraft...

And back to the question of the art: the art of the original StarCraft is not why people are still playing the game. It's because it was a fun game. The gameplay is always the most important. As much as I would love to say that people play the games because the art's so cool, there is that, but it's the gameplay at the end.

You know, people are still playing checkers. That has lame art. Circles on squares - aha! Red and black. See? Classic silhouettes, coming back.

source : eurogamer

Florensia Interview - Set Sail! Begin Your Adventure!

MMOsite: First congratulations, you've successfully launched the first closed beta for Florensia on March 20th, 2008. How is everything going on with the testing? What's the feedback? Does it meet your expectations?

Simone Lackerbauer: Thank you very much! The test was a great success for us. The 700 players we chose out of 20.000 registered users gave us a lot of feedback via our forum. The beta absolutely met our expectations. There were no major bug issues and the positive responses regarding quests, teamplay and graphics quality showed us Florensia can and will be a great success outside Asia as well.

MMOsite: Why did you name the game "Florensia"? Does it have anything related to the storyline of the game? Any story behind it?

Simone Lackerbauer: Before the world of Florensia we know today came into existence, there was only one huge continent called Lux Plena and it was full of magic. Due to corruption and war, Lux Plena almost completely got destroyed and all that's left are the few known islands and the vast sea. But the governors of our world today know there is more to be discovered than only these islands. In the old language, "Florensia" means "travelling and working for your goals, going ahead on the way of life". Everyone in the known world �C may it be the pirates, the brave adventurers or the monsters on the open sea �C is working for their goals, so that "Florensia" becomes the reason for their existence.

MMOsite: It seems a lot of players are eager to play Florensia. And many players feel frustrated that they failed to receive a CB key. In your opinion, why Florensia is so appealing to them?

Simone Lackerbauer: First of all, common facts like the exceptionally appealing graphics and the whole look and feel of the game attract the players. We think our players know that Florensia is more than just a f2p MMOG. They can see we have a growing community which is one of the most important things for a massively multiplayer online game. They also know there is way more behind Florensia than what they have already seen. With the upcoming features, such as the battle pet system and the advanced job classes (and many more we can't name yet), the variety of things you can actually do in Florensia will significantly increase. The well-balanced interdependence of land and sea adventures is also an important aspect.

MMOsite: To tell the truth, I'm fascinated with the graphics of Florensia, which are in cartoon style and not too realistic. Would you care to talk more about the art design of Florensia?

Simone Lackerbauer: We are happy to hear that. The combination of cuteness, individual styles, sophisticated landscapes and dangerous monsters alongside the Japanese art design is really popular in our community. The team behind the graphics and the illustrations is amazing, we already received a lot pictures, for example the illustrations of the Black Dragons Pirate Hideout. One of the creative directors from the game Granado Espada has joined Netts for working on Florensia and we really love the special style of Florensia. For us, the look of a game is really important, because the players have to be able to identify with it.

MMOsite: As we know most navigation online games are based on the real history of the world, but Florensia is an exception. It is a fantasy MMO. What were your considerations?

Simone Lackerbauer: It is not possible to compare Florensia with any other game about seafaring. The naval adventures are closely combined with the adventures in the countryside and even when steering a ship, the personal character is still the decisive aspect. This concept really attracted us and we don't see Florensia as naval strategy game, but as MMOG with exciting features both afloat and ashore.

MMOsite: Compared with other navigation online games, what kinds of innovations and unique features do you have in Florensia?

Simone Lackerbauer: As already mentioned, the seafaring adventures in Florensia are a huge innovation. You can as well reach a higher sea level with your character, so everything is based on the things you yourself do inside the game. When reaching a higher level, it is only logical to extend your journey to the open sea and both parts don't rival. Besides, Florensia is very special regarding the high quality of all the contents that are and will be available. Instead of flooding the players with half-heartedly created contents, every new feature is following a straight concept to support the development of the player's personal character. Another considerable innovation is the introduction of ambitious PvP contents bit by bit. Unfortunately, we can't say more about that, but within a guild or party, teamplay and fighting strategies in sieges will become important in the future.

MMOsite: You emphasize that land adventure is as important as marine adventure in Florensia. So, what exciting experiences can we have on the land in Florensia? Will there be a large number of instances?

Simone Lackerbauer: The world of Florensia has not yet fully been discovered and further islands will be added to the existing maps. Every island and even the ocean inherit a lot of secrets and thus the answer is yes, there will be more dungeons and places for the players to discover. Besides, a big part of the PvP features will as well take place in the countryside.

MMOsite: Currently, there are 4 basic classes in Florensia. Can you basically introduce them to our readers? What sort of unique traits will each of them have? What will the job change system like in Florensia? And what will be the requirements for players to change job?

Simone Lackerbauer: The current basic classes are called Mercenary (a melee warrior type of fighter), Explorer (a swift and agile gunslinger), Noble (a mystic mage and illusionist) and Saint (bringer of light and healing as well as darkness).

Each of the four classes benefits from special buffs and skills for strengthening defense and attack and they all have offensive skills based on melee or ranged combat. Due to the various weapon types, different specializations are possible. Nobles can be played with light swords as well as with the magic energy converter called Kariad, Explorers don't only rely on guns and Mercenaries can choose to wear a shield or not. Thus, many various types and builds of adventurers are available for the players which will hopefully lead to interesting discussions.

As already indicated, the Mercenary is a brave melee warrior who can either tank and withstand enemies or choose the offensive way of combat.

The Explorer is a fleet-fooded master of swiftness with many powerful and lethal attacks for either guns or light melee weapons.

Nobles fight with elemental and spiritual magic power and illusions to trap and kill their enemies in a very effective way.

Saints can either support their friends as healers using the power of light. But they can as well attack with the divine power of light and nature or call upon the shadows of the night.

The first job change in Florensia takes place when the character reaches level 40. Each of the basic job classes can then choose between two advanced classes depending on their preferences. Without foreclosing too much �C the Saint will for example be able to choose the way of divine power or to concentrate on mystic energies and rites all around nature.

MMOsite: There is a rumored class Pirate Class on your official website. Can you reveal some more details about this class to our readers? Do you have any plan to release it in the second closed beta?

Simone Lackerbauer: Yes, there are rumors about a fifth base character class called Pirate who is supposed to be a sneaky melee fighter with sudden attack attributes at short distances. Unfortunately, we don't know yet when and how the Pirate will be introduced.

MMOsite: As a navigation-themed online game, sea battles must play an important role in Florensia. What kind of combat system will be available? And how will the PvP system look like?

Simone Lackerbauer: Unfortunately, we currently can't say more about the sea battles and PvP systems than what has already been described answering the other questions. We are eagerly waiting for the moment to reveal the siege warfare feature and the extension of the PvP battles.

MMOsite: How can players get their ships? So far, how many different kinds of ships are available for the players?

Simone Lackerbauer: Ship pieces can both be found and bought at different locations. In the harbor, the player can build his ship using different parts, such as main mast, ship rear, ship anchor and many more. Currently, there are five different ship types in different sizes:

Ironclads are huge armored ships with strong defensive abilities that won't draw aside when it comes to direct confrontations

Ram Ships are swift offensive ships that cause lethal damage using cannons or shocking horns

Giant Cannon Ships are specialized on long-distance fights and can cause damage to a wide area

Assault Frigates don't have the highest defensive or offensive powers, but due to their high speed, they can swiftly fire at enemies with their torpedoes without getting caught

Logistic Support Ships can repair other ships by means of various repair devices and buffs and furthermore, they can place underwater mines to slow the enemies

The higher the player's naval level, the better the ship. By completing the naval skill tree, a player's ship can use various new abilities. For setting sail, a crew has to be hired at the harbor (anything from sea veterans to lazy scoundrels is available). Furthermore, custom sails can be designed.

MMOsite: Many players are eager to know when you will launch the next closed beta for Florensia. Is there any sort of solid schedule for the second closed beta or open beta?

Simone Lackerbauer: The second CB of Florensia will start on Friday, April 18 and last more than one week. More players will get access to the game and we are really looking forward to see our international community grow and explore Florensia. There will be a third CB before the start of the Open Beta as well. The Open Beta is scheduled for end of May / beginning of June.

Source : mmosite