Couchpotato
Part-Time Newsposter
My next interview this week is with Jeff Vogel of Spiderweb Software, and was requested by Gilliatt in my suggestion thread on the RPGWatch forums.
More information.Couchpotato: Some members are curious about why you keep making re-makes, and why don't you use a new game engine? How would you respond to them?
Jeff Vogel: I will make an entirely new game engine in the next couple of years. It's a really tough job, though. Very time-consuming. That's why we try to really revamp things every 3 games or so.
As for remakes, well, our newest game, Avernum 2: Crystal Souls, is a rewrite of Avernum 2, which came out in 2000. That's 15 years ago. Fifteen! It doesn't run well on new machines, and we can do such a better job with the design, graphics, etc. Also, when we rewrite it, we can port it to tablets. So I think rewrites are entirely justified, and our customers agree. They sell really well.
Couchpotato: You once mentioned you can't make games as you used to can you elaborate on that statement? I was just curious as most of your games turned out to be enjoyable.
Jeff Vogel: I just have a different brain than I did when I was 25. Back then, I was more energetic, less guarded, more willing to do crazy, off-the-wall things. I was more concerned with making neat, cool things than perfecting game balance or whatever, and that produced games a lot of my fans really love.
So when I rewrite them, I need to be respectful and leave the things the fans love the most alone.