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Hello everyone, and welcome to Game Spy Arcade's featured event for the day: A live developer Chat event with the Gas Powered Games crew about their sequel to the best selling RPG game from GPG: Dungeon Siege II: Broken World.

GSI]WolfBlade: And now, without any further delays, I'd like to introduce our guests!

[GPG]Marcie" Finnila, Producer
[GPG]Daniel" Achterman, Lead Designer
[GPG]Randy" Post, Character Artist!
[GPG]Matt" Mahon, Lead Level Designer
[GPG]Thomas" Thomas, Lead Environment Artist
[GPG]Jeremy" Snook, Marketing Manager

*Kalia-RPGDot.com* What are the two new character classes? How many new spells can we look forward to for them specifically? Have any new spells been added for existing character classes?

GPG]Daniel: Good one to start with.The two new character classes are the Blood Assassin and the Fist of Stone. They're both multiclass character combinations. The Blood Assassin is Ranged / Combat Magic, and the Fist of Stone is Fighter / Nature Magic. They both have 6 spells, about 12 skills, and four powers. So if you want to make one, you level up in both classes, and that gives you access to their skills and powers. There's also new gear just for them.

We created them that way for a couple reasons. First, it builds on DS2's class system. We didn't have to completely remake it. But it also let us create two classes that had their own feel, instead of just being players that can do, say Fighter things and Nature Magic things. Fists of Stone have a lot of unique earth powers and such that Nature Mages don't. We're really happy with the new classes. They both come with self-buffs that split their experience automatically, so you don't have to switch attack types.

As for new spells for existing classes, we were happy with how we played, and we didn't want to throw off the game balance by changing them. We focused on adding things that would be new for all classes, like items and monsters and quests. Phew! My fingers are going to be TIRED.

*{AC7}Sasuke-Wakashi-gs* How will Dungeon Siege 2 be different from Dungeon Siege?

[GPG]Marcie: When we started BW, we wanted to make more than a standard expansion pack we wanted to give people more of what they liked in DS2, and then take it up to the next level so there are a lot of new features that are designed to really heighten the experience for the advanced players like new tactical combat, a really dynamic, fully developed new world, and - of course - a conclusion to the DS2 story.

Ultimately, this is a game for the fans - we spent a lot of time reviewing feedback from the community and players around the world this was a great project and we had a terrific time making it.

*[Fluffy]monkeys-gs* What are the main new features in Dungeon Siege II?

[GPG]Daniel: Okay, I'll just start listing them until I run out.
*Multiclass characters.
*New race (Dwarves!)
*New pets
*Over 200 new weapon modifiers
*Over 100 new set / unique items
*Craftable unique items - you can find recipes for items in the world that you can make from particular combinations of reagents (aside: We're particularly happy with how recipes worked out - they're scattered all over the new map, so definitely go off the main trail. They're also really strong items!)
*Um, rebalanced Veteran and Elite monsters...
*Two new autocast slots...
*A new act.
*Monsters, baby! Lots of new monsters. Randy's responsible for a lot of them.
Well, it's not a feature, but we put a LOT of work in to tactical combat.
Many of the new monsters have really strong special abilities that you can recognize. The combat and new monster look and style reflect an overall darker tone in the game. So, for example, a monster will have a really strong fire spell that you can dodge. If you're paying attention, there's a lot of room for skillful play. If you're on autopilot, even normal monsters can take you out.

[GPG]Matt: We also add more scripted encounters with the monster than we had in ds2. Little ambushes and things. You have to keep an eye on the whole battlefield, not just on your health bars. Oh right - 5 new bosses. And they rock. You'll like them, even though they may crush you the first time you see them.

*ilEagle_Eyeli-gs* Will the Expansion have an additional soundtrack? if so, did Jeremy Soule compose it?

[GPG]Marcie: There is a new soundtrack featuring new music from Jeremy Soule. It is really excellent - he really captured the new environments and makes the whole experience more visceral. We are especially excited about some of the dungeon music he created - wayy creepy

[GPG]Matt: Jeremy does great stuff. Really reinforces the themes we were going for.

[GPG]Daniel: It's a high-level act. It's designed for level 39 and higher characters. So it's supposed to be pretty challenging, because it assumes you've finished DS2.

[GPG]Marcie: Daniel and his team spent a lot of time balancing the gameplay so that the combat is really dynamic.

[GPG]Daniel: Just as another aside, if you don't have a level 39 party ready to go, you can use one of 6 pre-generated characters that ship with the expansion, then build a party in the first town.

*HassatHunter-gs* we haven't heard anything about the "brutal" mode anymore. Is it still in, and if so could you tell us more about it?

[GPG]Marcie: We spent a lot of time considering a brutal mode in response to player feedback. Ultimately, though, we decided to focus our attention on creating a strong standard experience for advanced players.

[GPG]Matt: The design team did spend a lot of time retuning ds2 through ds2x.

[GPG]Marcie: This allowed us to really bring home the experience we wanted to deliver.

[GPG]Matt: It has a better flow start to finish.

[GPG]Daniel: Yeah - we revised a few of the existing skills and items that were better than intended. The game is definitely harder, and I think the people who were concerned that the game was too easy will be happy with the new act. Elite mode is now somewhat insane in parts. Which makes me happy.

[GPG]Marcie: straight jackets optional attire...

*HassatHunter-gs* Mentioning "go off the main trail" is DS2:BW less linear than DS2's map?

[GPG]Matt: Yup...that was a big part of the design. There's a main story that is fairly linear...but there are many side areas to explore, including stand alone dungeons to support secondary quests. You revisit some of the regions you went to in DS2, but they've been drastically changed by the cataclysm.

[GPG]Daniel: Some new areas have been opened up. I particularly like Lorethal's Tomb.

*yonderPDS* can you give some (non-spoiler) examples on how the expansion will have a darker overtone than the original DS2? Something new in level design or storyline?

[GPG]Randy: Oh sure we tried to make the look of the monsters more twisted and demented but that digs into the storyline a bit. We didn't shy from blood.

[GPG]Marcie: Yeah, there are some things we want to keep under wraps.

[GPG]Randy: Lots of fun, lots of gore, much more blood

[GPG]Marcie: Morien created some of our most technically challenging environments. He really pushed our engine

[GPG]Matt: There are a couple dungeons decorated entirely with body parts. Tastefully of course.

[GPG]Daniel: (Randy's desk is covered with skulls, surgical tools, and, like, things in jars, for those of you joining us from home) (We call them "helpful references")

[GPG]Marcie: One of the coolest things that Randy and Morien did was really keep true to their concepts. They invested an incredible amount of energy into making the in-game assets as close to the concepts as was technically possible.

[GPG]Randy: We did good, I think....and don't forget Joe Kresoja

[GPG]Marcie: Of course not! All of our artists pitched in to things you would not really expect from an expansion like lip synch

[GPG]Daniel: Shoot - I forgot about lip synch in movies in my feature list.

[GPG]Marcie: I think players who go through a couple of times will really get to appreciate the details in the regions. That is when they are not getting their posteriors whipped by hoards of beasties.

[GPG]Daniel: Just to summarize some of the art stuff, one of the main themes of the story is "things are bad", and then some things happen and they get "really bad" and stuff dies... And then more things happen, and it gets "really, really bad"

But the work the artists did really brought that element of the story to life. It's not just people saying "things are bad", you can really see it around you, in the burned trees and cracked ground and tortured innocents and such. You can really see it in the cracked ground and burnt trees and tortured innocents and such.

*ilEagle_Eyeli-gs* Is there an official release date? Month/Day?

[GPG]Matt: August is a specific as we can get.

*sokar_ta-gs* what details can you give us about skill re-assignment? will there be a penalty or a large sum of money to pay to do this?

[GPG]Daniel: Oh good - a question that's not about blood. But, again, it's something I left out of my feature list. D'oh! Anyway, yes, there is an NPC in the expansion pack town that you can pay to unassign a character's skill points. You have to pay gold, but it's a relatively minor fee. We wanted people to be able to experiment with different party configurations without having to start over. Mind you, it's just skill points, not class experience.

If someone's a level 39 combat mage, you won't be able to turn them in to a nature mage. But you will be able to switch them from Fire to Lightning, for example. Having that feature actually freed us up to make some encounters pretty hard. Like, if a boss is really hard for a fully defensive party, that's okay, because they can change skills around to fight it. Which means the bosses don't have to be declawed! (Much to my delight, and the chagrin of the internal playtesters)

*ilEagle_Eyeli-gs* Will multiplayer mode have any additional features that DS2 didn't have?

[GPG]Matt: The biggest change is in the MP front end...It had a pretty significant redo based on some of the feedback we got. The gameplay is largely unchanged. The multiclass characters are pretty cool in MP too. They reward micromanagement, so they're fun to play when you only have one or two characters. Blood assasin in particular

*ilEagle_Eyeli-gs* What Specific advantages will the Dwarven race have?

[GPG]Daniel: They're short, so missile weapons fly over their heads.
Seriously, though. They have bonuses to strength and intelligence, so they can make good fighters, mages, and fists of stone. They also start with a couple points in the new "Chant of Stone" skill, which increases their armor and health, and ties into their dwarf-y roots. Also, they're short. Did I mention that?

*TruePurple-gs* what kind of AI is implemented? Pathing? Might a wounded unit retreat to be healed or join comrades? Might enemies attack in unison? Different AI behavior depending on intelligence? Creatures that attack each other, are peaceful unless disturbed if of the right alignment or otherwise don't necessarily beeline at the protagonist?

[GPG]Daniel: That's a big question. We did a couple things with monster AI. The thing about Dungeon Siege is that it's primarily about fighting hordes of monsters. If one group of monster runs right at you, and another group tries to sneak around from behind you, you pretty much fight them the same way. So, rather than implementing complicated playbooks that didn't impact the player's experience, we focused on special powers and "conditional behaviors" that really change the way you fight. The monster I mentioned earlier with the fire spell is an example. I don't want to give too many away, because they're kind of fun to see and figure out. But the monsters do a lot of stuff you've never seen before.

That said, we did put in a lot of little scripted encounters that make the monsters come across as pretty clever. Sometimes if you see what monsters are doing, you can intercept them to stop them from making things even worse for you. Sometimes the monsters pull you...

[GPG]Matt: We did decide to hand craft encounters much more in DS2x than in DS2. There's lots of little moments you'll notice

[GPG]Daniel: My favorites are the little moments where you're like "Wow, that monster just got a big group of monsters to help him!", and you smile at how clever they are...... and then you realize that, wait, that's a big group of monsters, and you're in a lot of trouble. Matt and his team put in a lot of "difficulty peaks" like that.

*sokar_ta-gs* how will all the changes in the add-on impact the original campaign?

[GPG]Daniel: Well, a lot of the new features I mentioned before apply to the original campaign, as well as the new levels. So magic items will show up with new modifiers, new rare items will drop, you can make recipes... You can make Fist of Stone and Blood Assassin characters and add the new pets to your party... Lots of little stuff has been rebalanced... There are two new autocast slots in the spellbooks... All of that stuff carries in to the original campaign. Making the "definitive version" of that campaign was one of the major goals of the title. Specifically "New content for all types of players, but new and returning"

[GSI]WolfBlade: Any last advice or tips that you'd like to share with the fans? or are we all finished?

[GPG]Marcie: To Dan's point, we really wanted to make it fun to re-experience DS2 - and for me, the game isn't complete without the expansion!

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