Torment: Tides of Numenera - Interview @ GameBanshee

GameBanshee interviewed designer/writer Colin McComb and project lead Kevin Saunders on Torment: Tides of Numenera.

GB: How will the Tides and Legacies factor into Torment? Will we see different societies and cultures that follow one Tide over another? What sorts of gameplay impact will they have? Will they be integrated into the character system, or are they mainly a plot device? Is a Legacy basically just a label (“chaotic evil”), or will it significantly alter gameplay?

Colin: We’re planning to have a variety of inputs and options based around the Tides and Legacies, but we don’t want to give away too much just yet. They’re not widely known, though certain groups have indeed risen that believe that they comprehend (whether dimly or more insightfully) the forces of the Tides, and some of them are consciously or not pursuing aims that accord well with the Tides. The Tides might just be a belief system for others, and unknown to far more. As for what impact they’ll have in gameplay... you’ll have to wait and see. We’re integrating them into both plot and character, and we’re looking to move well beyond 2nd Edition D&D’s alignment system for the effects the Tides have on gameplay. The more funding we receive for the game, the deeper we’ll be able to make this system, and we’re hoping for some incredible reactivity when the game is complete.


GB: The old dialogue tree system is a tried and true way of handling conversations, but some have remarked that it’s also showing its age and it can have some downsides (such as the reliance on huge volumes of text and binary if->then logic). Are you planning to experiment with the dialogue system in new ways for Tides of Numenera, or are you not going to mess with a good thing?

Colin: We do plan to experiment with it in some interesting ways (though many of our readers have demanded extensive text, in the tradition of PST), but we’re not going to overhaul the system entirely and scrap the good work that it produces. Instead, we’re planning to fine tune it.