Baldur's Gate - Dark Alliance II Interview with Terry Spier
Sia' Garrett' Manzari, 2003-10-14

Black Isle Studios' Terry Spier, Designer for Baldur's Gate -Dark Alliance II was kind enough to answer a few questions about hte Xbox RPG for us:

RPGDot: BG:DA was developed externally by Snowblind Studios. What influenced the decision to do the followup in-house? How has the experience differed from developing for the PC?

Terry Spier: Snowblind Studios was working on another title at the time, and we really wanted to get Dark Alliance 2 moving, so, why not do it ourselves!

It can be very nice developing for a console. The fact that you always know what the end user will be working with makes it easy. Of course, on the flip side, you know that there are very specific limitations. The console can only have an X amount of memory, etc. All in all, console development is very rewarding!

RPGDot: Tell us about the story and setting for BG:DA2. What sort of environments enemies will be the player encounter?

Terry Spier: I don't want to say too many things about the story that drives Dark Alliance 2. I will say that it is very involving and contains a lot of substance for the people that wish to follow it. Do you remember Eldrith from Dark Alliance? Yeah, well, she was a wuss… let's leave it at that.

We have a brilliant variety of environments and enemies for the player this time around. Everything from gorgeous, expansive outdoor areas to claustrophobic, suffocating dungeons and amazing elemental planes, all filled with horrific and powerful enemies for the player to encounter.

RPGDot: BG:DA featured three pre-made characters. What characters are available in the sequel and how do they change the gameplay? What are the opportunities for character development over the course of the game?

Terry Spier: We have some amazing characters for you to play with in Dark Alliance 2! First off, you have Dorn, the massive barbarian. If you want to hack, he's your man. Next up is Vhaidra, our dark elf monk. She has a multitude of nasty hand-to-hand combat abilities that really split her away from normal melee combat. Then we have Borador, our dwarven rogue. He is pretty handy with a crossbow, among other things. There is also Allessia, our human cleric of Helm. She is great in single player games, but can really turn a multiplayer game upside down with all of her healing and buffing spells! And last but not least, we have Ysuran, our moon elf necromancer. Can you say huge and powerful dark magics to CRUSH your enemies? :)

Each character has his or her own options for character development via special quests created for them. These quests will obviously help the character grow in power, but also help the player learn new abilities.

RPGDot: What are some of your favourite feats in the game?

Terry Spier: Oh man, there are just so many feats! How can I pick? It really depends on how I am playing through the game, but I will try and pick one from each of the 5 characters.

Ysuran: It's gotta be Alchemical Lore. The ability to change a potion to another type is huge. Have 30 health potions but no rejuvenation potions? No problem! Just use Alchemical Lore and change them!

Dorn: Easy pick. Hero's Arm. It gives Dorn the ability to wield a great weapon in one hand. Picture your barbarian with a massive two handed sword in each hand! BAM!

Allessia: It's gotta be Flame Strike. If you don't know what that is, you'll find out. :)

Borador: Another easy one! Ransack! This little rogue can knock extra loot from chests and enemies! How cool is that!?

Vhaidra: She has some awesome feats, but I really like Sweep Attack. It's this nasty kick that knocks back all the enemies around you and deals a nice chunk of damage at the same time!

RPGDot: The original was a fun but linear action-oriented game. Has their been any attempt add more depth with different paths or more side-quests with different solutions?

Terry Spier: There was much talk about opening up Dark Alliance 2 and making it more non-linear, but in the end we decided to keep it fairly linear. We have added many, many side quests, and there are even character specific quests that will only be offered to certain characters at certain times. So, the player will have tons of options, but it will be very easy to stay on the path and 'hack it up' should you desire.

RPGDot: Co-operative multiplayer was a successful component of BG:DA. Will that be returning and have you made any changes?

Terry Spier: Oh yes, Co-op multiplayer will be in the game, for sure. Everyone had so much fun with this in the first game; it was a shoe-in for the sequel. We have made some minor changes to the money control system, but other than that, it's the same crazy co-op fun!

RPGDot: BG:DA was widely praised for it's graphics and sound including a soundtrack by Jeremy Soule. Will you be using the same graphics engine and can we expect any improvements? Have you chosen a composer?

Terry Spier: Yes, we used the same wonderful engine that was used in Dark Alliance 1, modified to fit certain needs we had, of course. The game looks absolutely marvelous, if I may be so bold.

To stay in grand tradition, we have some excellent music to accompany your adventuring in Dark Alliance 2. Our music was composed by Craig Stuart Garfinkle, Jeremy Soule, with additional music by Midnight Syndicate.

RPGDot: Unlocking Drizzt Do'Urden at the end of BG:DA was a real bonus. Do you have any similar plans for BG:DA2?

Terry Spier: Oh, you know we have plans for a little secret character action! Right off the bat, I can tell you that Drizzt is making another appearance to help save the great city of Baldur's Gate. There is one more secret character you are able to unlock… but, I think I should keep him/her/it a secret, for now… :)