Now that we have E3 behind us a bit in the rearview mirror I'm going to
start up our weekly updates again. Here is what Leon at Troika had to say
in response to your inquiries.

-Shane

#1: Will the friction of certain surfaces affect player movement/combat?
For Example, will fighting on dry blacktop be noticably different from
fighting on wet grass?

No. In the past we,ve found things like this aren't always understood by
players, and the feeling can be difficult to convey.

#2: There's been mention of secret items and paths that provide an
experience increase, are these items functional or are they more like
easter eggs or maybe just props?

The quest paths you're speaking about are not purely Easter Eggs in the
classic sense of the term. Extra experience is given in a number of
different situations, mostly for paths that are hard to discover/execute. No
items give you XP per say, but sometimes finding them does.