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Riftrunner Interview
Myrthos, 2003-07-01 
Swen "Lar" Vincke took some time away from his busy schedule to answer a few question about Larian Studios recently announced game Riftrunner.
RPGDot: What is the relation between the character you play and the Divine One?
Lar: After defeating the demon of lies and the black ring in Divinity 1 the Divine one erected the order of the Divine. The purpose of the order is to cleanse the world of all that is evil - black ring scum in particular. Members of the order are called servants of the Divine and the player is one of those.
RPGDot: Do we start with our character at level 1 again or do we start with a character that has some powers already? And does the character have any special feats?
Lar: You start as a level 1 character - the soulforging which you go through at the beginning of the game weakens you significantly and strips you of your powers. We toyed around with the idea of letting you start with special powers and higher level values at start-up but decided that that would hinder the accessibility of the game. It's far better if you learn things gradually than if you have them all thrown at you immediately. Special feats need to be learnt through the game.
RPGDot: Is there the same selection again of Warrior, Wizard, Survivor? And if so do they have the same special move?
Lar: No. This time it's totally generic. And contrary to Divinity 1, all characters can now sneak and execute whirlwind attacks. It's not limited to specific classes anymore.
RPGDot: Are there the same set of skils again or did you change them and if so how many new skills can we expect?
Lar: It's a totally new skill system but I'd prefer to be a bit tightlipped about it at the moment. We'll release information on it in the next couple of months. It's pretty cool though ;)
RPGDot: Is item generation as random as in Divinity 1?
Lar: No it's not. There's a brand new item system in Riftrunner which allows us to better balance everything as well as implement a lot more uniquely crafted items. We did something very stupid with the items in Divinity 1 and have now cleverly avoided that trap ?
RPGDot: What was the stupid thing you did and why was it stupid?
Lar: The system we used to create/generate the equipment wasn't very easy to use and as a result we couldn't spend as much attention as we wanted to the items in the game. Something players were complaining about was that too much items were random and not enough of them unique: That had everything to do with that system. Each unique item in the game was actually a hack ! This time we don't have that problem and that results in much cooler items and better balanced equipment.
RPGDot: Random quests and random maps. How random is this? Is there really a gazillion of quests/maps or is there a limited set of which you get one randomly?
Lar: The Battlefield technology is 100% random when it comes to the maps and already pretty random when it comes to the stories it generates. We're still working on that so I can't give you a definite answer, but the goal is to have it as random as possible. It really is pretty good - we are actually using the Battlefield generator as a productivity tool to create content.
RPGDot: Are the random quests a part of the storyline in some way?
Lar: They are well embedded into the storyline. When we'll present the world to the fans, that'll become very clear.
RPGDot: Doesn't the random quest/maps not offer the opportunity to create a too strong character? Or is the game automatically adjusted for strong characters? And if so can you give an example.
Lar: The character development and skill system has been designed in such a way that it works well together with the Battlefield technology. That has everything to do with the fact that we haven't put any caps in. Even when you finish the main storyline, there's still going to be plenty to do and the quests you'll be sent on will be in increasingly more dangerous environments. It should keep players entertained for quite some time.
RPGDot: Are there any changes to the combat system?
Lar: We're fooling around with that. Obviously the inclusion of a party whom you can give orders has had its impact. In general we've tried to minimize the hack & slash a bit. There was too much of that in Divine Divinity so expect harder fights with fewer enemies. The way it looks now you'll use the pause button a lot more.
RPGDot: Will we visit Rivellon again in Riftrunner? And will we see some of the Divinity 1 NPC's back?
Lar: Yes and yes and I'm not telling ?
RPGDot: With the concept of a party present in Riftrunner, will there also be a multiplayer option?
Lar: No. Multiplayer will be included in Divinity 2
RPGDot: What is the best feature in your opinion in Riftrunner?
Lar: I'll tell you that when it ships. I believe I will say the skill system but the summoning dolls are strong contender.
RPGDot: How many hours of gameplay are there in Riftrunner?
Lar: The Battlefields make that a bit of a hard call to make. I'd prefer to pass on that question for now.
RPGDot: What system requirements are we looking at for this game?
Lar: It isn't very different from Divinity 1 except that the 3D characters require you to have a DX9 compatible 3D accelerator - that wasn't necessary for Divinity 1. That means a P3-450 with 128MB ram and a good accelerator should be enough.
RPGDot: How about releasing an editor for Riftrunner ;)?
Lar: I think it'd be a bit too hardcore for most people out there. Eventually we will try to get our editors out there, but I think the Divinity 2 ones have a much better chance than the Riftrunner ones.
RPGDot: When do you think Riftrunner is ready for release and how long would we have to wait after that for Divinity 2?
Lar: We're trying to get it ready for Q4 this year. Divinity 2, that's a bit too early to say;
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