The Fall - Last Days of Gaia Interview
Sia' Garrett' Manzari, 2003-10-06

Today, we learned about Silver Style's new game The Fall - Last Days of Gaia. And today, we also bring you an interview with Silver Style's CEO and Lead Designer Carsten Strehse

RPGDot: Hi Carsten - please introduce The Fall - Last Days of Gaia to us in a few words. What is the background story and setting?

Carsten Strehse: Hi Sia! The Fall - Last Days of Gaia is a post-apocalyptic 3D RPG. In terms of comparison, the scenario is similar to Mad Max or Fallout, the Look & Feel to Morrowind or Gothic.
The story is about a climate cataclysm caused by mankind itself. In 2062, so called Terraformers blow enormous amounts of CO2 in earth's atmosphere. Primarily, the machines were meant to be used on Mars to manipulate its atmosphere and make it habitable for humans. Due to an assault of a fanatical sect the Terraformers go out of control. The CO2 inflicts a radical change of climate on earth: The average temperature increases by 10° (C, equals 18° F) resulting in storms and floods of biblical extents. Mankind is thrown back in its evolution several centuries. There is little food and even less water, there is anarchy.
Our hero will be in this scenario. The loss of his family drives him out of his home village in the south of the USA. Reportedly, a new government is being formed in the region of former New Mexico. Word is, that even a president was named. We shall see the truth in this…

RPGDot: For how long have you been working on The Fall already?

Carsten Strehse: Almost two years.

RPGDot: Is it more action- or story-orientated?

Carsten Strehse: The Fall is a story- and no action-RPG. But we break new ground for combat. Frankly, the combat system in current 3D RPGs is not really their strong side. That's why we decided to make combat in The Fall more tactical. The player has by far more influences on his up to 6 member party, if he wants to. If not, he can let the AI handle the combat.

RPGDot: As for gameplay and interface: Is there an automap, a journal and a quest book? Are there multiple choice dialogues?

Carsten Strehse: Four times 'yes'. : The Fall implements all the typical story-RPG elements. We keep everything that worked so far or improve it if we consider it necessary. Furthermore, The Fall offers a lot of USPs (Unique Selling Points) as for example the already mentioned new combat system, the direct control of vehicles such as pick-ups or buggy's or the very intense possibilities of interaction between the main character and the party.

RPGDot: Can you describe typical situations regarding combat? Can you solve a situation like a puzzle or a confrontation in different ways?

Carsten Strehse: OK, a short description of a combat situation:
The story demands that the player raids the headquarter of a plundering, murdering and defiling criminal gang. Easier said than done, for the territory round the quarter is surrounded by high walls and thoroughly mined. Luckily, there's always a few crazy people among the citizens who are sick and tired of the gang's brutality and are revolting. If you do a little research and some clever arguing, you can talk a farmer whose truck was stolen by the gang into letting his cows walk the mine-belt. So you can make a path through the mine field and even have meat for a BBQ.
After the poor animals sacrificed themselves, the guards are alarmed by the explosions of course. The player now can start a frontal attack, sniper away attacking guards or take other tactical measures to eliminate enemies (maybe even place mines yourself where the cows walked, so the enemies step on them?).
And now you have to kill the enemies inside the wall also. They are hiding behind barricades, shooting around house corners or throwing grenades. Once the majority of the enemies is defeated, the rest is hiding in a bunker on the terrain which the player can't enter. Now he has to get explosives via a quest from the citizens to then be able to bomb away the bunker. The remaining gang members shouldn't be a problem then.

RPGDot: Is there magic or something similar like psi forces? If so, what different spells are there? How does the spell system work? Based on reagents, only mana/force or totally different?

Carsten Strehse: No, The Fall has no magic. That would not become a realistic scenario.

RPGDot: What weapons are there, just the classic guns and rifles or also medieval weapons like swords or bows?

Carsten Strehse: Overall there are more than 50 weapons and more than another 300 unique items. Weapons are foremost shooting weapons, but there are also knives, baseball bats and crossbows. There are no swords however.

RPGDot: What races and classes are there in The Fall? And which of them can you play actually?

Carsten Strehse: The Fall does not differ between races and classes. The player can form his characters through 6 attributes and 14 skills according to his ideas.

RPGDot: Is there a character creation process? Can you describe the RPG system also? What skills and stats are there?

Carsten Strehse: The Fall has 6 attributes…

Strength

Agility

Dexterity

Constitution

Intelligence

Charisma

…and 14 Skills:

Close Combat

Light Weapons

Heavy Weapons

Sniper Weapons

Special Weapons

Throwing Weapons

Explosives

Survival

Move silent

Pickpocket

Picklocks

Technique

Vehicle Maneuvering

Medicine

To explain all attributes and Skills would lead too far here. In common we pay close attention for each attribute and skill having its right to exist and its effect in the game. No RPGamer likes to spend a lot of points into the development of one skill and to see in the course of the game, that it has almost no effect or advantage.

RPGDot: Can we travel with a party or recruit NPCs or are we on our own?

Carsten Strehse: As mentioned before, a party of up to 6 people can gather. But there is always one protagonist, one main character, the leader so to speak. During the game you'll meet a lot of people willing to join the party. It is absolutely the players decision which people to let join the party.

RPGDot: Speaking of NPCs, do they act according to your actions or how you talk to them, like allying with your enemies or helping you against others?

Carsten Strehse: In the world of the The Fall, there are more than 1000 NPCs altogether. Each NPC has its own way of life, likes and dislikes and connections to other NPCs. Of course you can talk to each NPC. As far as possible, we are simulating the social life in a post apocalyptic word by detailed NPCs.
They are also reacting to the status of the game and the player. For example, if the player has killed the boss of a gang, people will show respect to him. If he is a nobody, they simply push him out of their way grunting.

RPGDot: How does level up work? Do you get XPs for killing monsters and/or solving riddles, quests? And if so, how can you use the XPs?

Carsten Strehse: Yes, you get XPs. Both for killed enemies and for quests. For level up you need a certain amount of XPs…quite traditional. If a character gains a level, he can distribute a certain amount of points on skills and attributes. By this level up however, not only the effect of the skill is increased, but he also gains new, special ways to use the raised skill.

RPGDot: Will there be Multiplayer support and if so, what does it look like (different modes)?

Carsten Strehse: At this time we have decided against Multi-Player. The success of games likes Morrowind or Gothic shows, that Multi-Player in RPGs is nice, but not necessarily needed. But we are planning an Add-On, which offers new game content and an editor next to Cooperative Multiplayer.

RPGDot: Will you release a demo?

Carsten Strehse: We don't know yet. It is possible.

RPGDot: Is there anything else you would like to tell our readers?

Carsten Strehse: I think, you'll have a lot of fun with The Fall. We will open an English language forum soon. We are looking forward to welcome you there.

RPGDot: Thank you for your time and answers.

Carsten Strehse: Thank you!