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May 10, 2007 - The ever increasing budgets of games has slowly but surely been forcing the independent game developer out of the spotlight. Scrounging up the resources to build an engine and see development of a game with high production values through to the end seems like a virtual impossibility. Track 7 Games and
Theseis have found a way. Currently shopping around for a publisher, Track 7 has built its PC and Xbox 360 Greek action-adventure title from the ground up all by itself.
If you're asking yourself just what Theseis is right now, you're not alone. Aside from a few snippets of new media released earlier this year, the Theseis team has been largely silent since E3 of 2006. Thankfully, Demetris Papadopoulos, Product Manager for Track 7 Games, was kind enough to answer our questions with the help of the development team.
IGN: Theseis has been in development for about two years now, but we still know essentially nothing about how it actually plays. Could you summarize the game play for us?
Demetris Papadopoulos: We have chosen a non-aggressive approach with Theseis. This means that the player will not use physical violence to overcome situations. The game starts with a tutorial level that familiarizes the players with the controls. You start with Andronicos. At the end of the tutorial you learn that your step-father has died in mysterious circumstances. Persuaded by Pheve you decide to look further into his death. The characters will be fully controlled and not a click and point type of game play. All elements found in any other action/adventure platforms are implemented. Now if we wanted to compare our game to something else I would say a mixture of both Tomb Raider and Splinter Cell without the use of violence.
IGN: How far along are you in development? When can fans expect to get their hands on the game?
Demetris Papadopoulos: We are about 80% complete. We are currently finishing our second version of our demo which will be handed out to interested publishers.
IGN: How has independently financing and developing Theseis affected the development process? Has it afforded you any notable freedoms?
Demetris Papadopoulos: For starters it gave the developers time to build their own engine. This engine will also be used for future projects. This is a plus and less time consuming. Having that out of the way, we began on our scenario, which has changed once, and now it's even better in our opinion. It's a big one and interesting one. This took time to write and create, however that is the advantage of being independently financed. The developers had the freedom to add or take out whatever they believed was not making the game shape up nicely. Also an important note is that giving the developers freedom to develop a game, or an idea for a game, helps production soar due to the passion behind the creation, which we believe is essential in this type of business. You really don't want developers to create something they don't believe in, it might not come out as good as they would want it to be.
IGN: What does new and more powerful hardware do for the adventure genre? What sorts of new game play mechanics have you introduced that make Theseis better than traditional point and click adventures?
Demetris Papadopoulos: Having new powerful hardware helps the game grow in terms of graphics, lighting and many other elements which we see in today's next gen games. We take pride in our detailed graphics, story, strong musical score, and some interesting game play features. Of course our inventory system that we have mentioned earlier. We are currently developing on DX9.0, and we feature the latest in shaders and shadows.
The developers have been spending most of their time making sure they are covering every corner, every area with amazing details and jaw dropping graphics on the surroundings and the characters. We have also been to locations in Greece for reference, since we live and work here, which is also important in depicting how Greece should be depicted. We have a Greek culture we respect as Greek developers, and we want the world that hasn't been to Greece or studied our culture, to actually be there and see it for themselves.
Wanted to add also, that fans might have seen our old game play videos which in fact and we want to state since I don't think it was mentioned, that they were at the pre-alpha phase of our game, so many things have been changed for the best.
We have a Greek culture we respect as Greek developers, and we want the world that hasn't been to Greece or studied our culture, to actually be there and see it for themselves. Using powerful hardware created today helps us do this.
IGN: We've read that Theseis sports a fully 3D inventory system. Could you describe how this works and what it does for the player?
Demetris Papadopoulos: Our inventory features a system that allows a hands-on approach to object combination and interaction. It allows the player to explore ways in which he can combine objects, solve puzzles, and interact with the objects as if you are holding it in your own hands. You will be able to see any object in every type of direction in full 3d. I don't believe we have seen this in any other game as of yet.
IGN: Story is central to an adventure game. How is the story delivered to the player in Theseis? Will the game use in-engine cut scenes, have all lines delivered with voice audio, or can we expect to do a lot of searching and reading to learn what is going on?
Demetris Papadopoulos: The game will be using in -game engine cut scenes. All lines will be delivered with voice audio using a normal dialogue system, where you can ask questions. Of course there are dialogue options and the player can ask or answer as he pleases.
However, don't get me wrong, there will be a lot of exploring, searching, and discovering clues, in order to proceed and actually find out what ''Theseis'' means.
IGN: Theseis is labeled as an action adventure game. What sorts of action elements can we expect to see?
Demetris Papadopoulos: Running, climbing, swimming, sneaking, and acrobatics, in other words, lots of the standard platform/action elements that you find in this type of genres will be present in Theseis.
The player can die by falling, deadly traps and enemies. There are also other game ending scenarios like being discovered or caught.
IGN: What kinds of puzzles will we find in Theseis?
Demetris Papadopoulos: We have puzzles that require information gathering (NPCs, books, computers) of course you use the information to solve a puzzle or a riddle or to find a location. We also have puzzles that require a more hands on approach to solve them, they might remind you of Rubik's cube in style, but they are simpler to complete and require more logic than trial and error. We have puzzles that require the combination of items in which you use the inventory system.
IGN: How much freedom is there in the adventuring aspects of Theseis? Will the storyline take us from one puzzle or action sequence to the next or will we be free to explore Athens and solve puzzles as we find them?
Demetris Papadopoulos: The game is fairly linear as far as chapters go, but you can roam freely in levels and do things in different order and in certain cases in more than one ways. Did I mention we will have 2 different endings as well?
IGN: What kind of game play mechanics do the two playable characters allow for? Can you give some specific examples?
Demetris Papadopoulos: The player takes on the role of each character depending on the game's story. They acquire different magic abilities which allows them to solve different situations and that is what determines to which locations they will go. They discover this during their investigation.
Their abilities are related to the ancient energy surrounding ruins and mystical places. Magic is also evident in the creatures and characters you encounter.
The have related powers, but they are quite different. There is no kind of measurement system, since they are used mostly in puzzle situations and it would be unfair to the players.
Both characters will use a combination of different actions and it all depends on what level they are on. Some levels will need to be passed by sneaking. Elements of swimming will be available in another, climbing to get from point A to B is essential, Acrobatics to avoid dangers will also be important. So all will be used from both characters.
IGN: Can you give some examples about the kind of enemy AI players will encounter in Theseis?
Demetris Papadopoulos: The AI of our enemies will be based on our sneaking system. The enemies will be able to find you, see you, chase you. You will need to stay quiet, stay in dark spots of certain levels, and avoid being caught. Also the of using your grey matter to trap and disarm can be as effective as shooting a big gun at someone. Sometimes enemies are useful alive.
IGN: Are there any online components to this game? If so, what are they? If no, then why not?
Demetris Papadopoulos: Well for Xbox 360 we are looking into the achievements and leader boards in regards, to how long someone completes a puzzle, or finding an Easter egg, completion of game, ect. People can get online and see what others have done, versus what you have done or completed. It's still in development, and nothing has been finalized of how we will implement this in order to have an online component.
IGN: What art / books / films are you using as inspiration for the style and writing in Theseis?
Demetris Papadopoulos: We are inspired by all the graphics we see in games, comics and movies. We don't follow a certain film look or graphic novel throughout the game. Most importantly we have studied the myths and stories surrounding the myths, we have used reference to create them, but we are not trying to replicate existing locations. We have taken the liberty to make them more mystical and suited to the needs of our story and characters.
Let me mention, that we live and work in Greece, inspiration also comes from our Greek culture that we respect and are proud of. Our offices have the famous Acropolis view, what better inspiration than that?
IGN: What are your thoughts on the state of adventure gaming right now?
Demetris Papadopoulos: Well for the PC from what we see, it's not actually as big as it was in the past. Our commitment to brining out Theseis on both PC and Xbox360 is a reason for this. We believe the PC market is a big one, but for certain types of genres. Mostly FPS's and MMOGS, with a little touch of Sims style genres. Opening our doors to another type of market, such as the consoles, we believe will help us reach everyone we want to be reached.
IGN: Do you anticipate a different reaction from console gamers than PC gamers to your product?
Demetris Papadopoulos: Yes we actually do. The only action/adventure I can think of that is as close to our game and has been on Xbox360 is Tomb Raider Legend. I think console gamers need another type of game such us ours. We are giving them something different, it's non violent, it has an extraordinary scenario that we believe people will appreciate, we are giving them a new myth based on our famous myths for them to re-live, and we are depicting Greece and it's ancient history how it should be depicted. I think this will be enough for them to pick it up and enjoy.
IGN: Thanks Demetris, we're looking forward to seeing the new demo build in motion.
