Kheops Interview

*Melanie68* · 11-14-2006, 06:15 PM

That was a terrific read! Thanks.

I was especially struck by these answers as they really hit on some of the things that seem to get argued about a lot at adventure game sites:

Quote:

At the moment, the gaming industry is very much focused on real-time 3D, being able to move freely, but it should not be forgotten that there is more than one sort of audience. I'm a Quake fan personally, but I wouldn't make my parents play it. Many people consider point-and-click dated, but it's a control scheme that has a much easier learning curve, and allows players to immediately focus on the game, rather than having to master the controls first.
We know many people among our friends and family who don't know much about video games, but when we made them play our games, they got into them in a matter of minutes, and absolutely didn't mind not being able to explore behind every tree — and didn't know the difference between real-time and pre-rendered 3D.

Quote:

There are people who enjoy freedom, who don't want to receive help or to feel like they have to stick to a single path. But there are also many players who like more direction. This is especially true of people who play with a walkthrough close at hand, consult it as soon as they get stuck, and want to follow a list of steps; we know those people felt slightly lost in VOYAGE. We have to try to please both types of players, and that's why we're experimenting with a slightly different style in Destination: Treasure Island.

It shows how difficult it is in game development to find that balance that will please the highest percentage of adventure gamers.

AFGNCAAP · 11-15-2006, 01:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Melanie68

It shows how difficult it is in game development to find that balance that will please the highest percentage of adventure gamers.

It does, doesn't it? Personally, I was a little disappointed that they are backing off from the non-linearity a bit based on the feedback they've got on RtMI and Voyage.

I would think that the players "who play with a walkthrough close at hand, consult it as soon as they get stuck" would apppreciate being offered more free exploration even more.

Anyway, great interview. It was nice to read Mr Hozjan is so fond of Michel Ardan. I, too, thought he was a great player character, with more personality than most protagonists in recent memory, including third person games'.

And this is my favourite part:

Quote:

Whenever discussions arise as to whether our games are vast enough, Alexis is quick to point out that you can watch a play set in a single location, and that doesn't make its plot less good. So we don't feel that having a limited number of locations is a problem, as long as they're used well. And we'd rather decide from the beginning that we'll have to work within a limited space, rather than create as many locations as we feel like and then have to end the game halfway through the intended story because we've run out of money.

I love "epic" games as much as anyone, but sometimes it's better to know your limitations than to get ahead of yourself. I believe Kheops was never guilty of the latter, which is one of the reasons I respect the company so much.

samIamsad · 11-15-2006, 02:04 AM

These guys sound like nice people.

Quote:

So why isn't Kheops Studio a household name among adventure fans?

Maybe that's just me, but from EgyptIII to Return To Mysteriously Mysterious Island to... (need I go on?), the premise of their games sounds as exciting as each and every Cryo game in existence put together, and it may be true that I'm exaggerating here. But to be honest, there hasn't been a single game which premise made me go "WOWZERS!", go out and grab a copy immediately. I'm getting excited because of content, not an interface, or any suberficial stuff like that. And: I have options. You, too?

I've been wanting to download the demo of "Mysterious Island" for a while now, if only to see the supposedly cool stuff Kheops did with object interaction and so on.

Kurufinwe · 11-15-2006, 02:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Melanie

That was a terrific read! Thanks.

Well, it's nice to see that at least one person read the interview.

EDIT: Bah, and two people decided to reply while I was typing that.

Quote:

It shows how difficult it is in game development to find that balance that will please the highest percentage of adventure gamers.

Yes, those are tricky problems, and I don't believe for a second that it's possible to make a single type of game that will please everybody. Diversity is the future, but there are unfortunately still far too many people, including possibly-influential people (reviewers, etc.), who still think there exists a single, uniform group of "gamers" (of "the adventure community", which is a phrase I can't stand), and that hurts smaller companies that know they are not targeting everybody.

*Melanie68* · 11-15-2006, 08:03 AM

I agree it's not possible to please everyone. I think that's where a good company succeeds. They have defined objectives. They pick their target audience, they define the types of games they want to make and they put their effort into that.

When you are unfocused and trying many different things, none of them get done properly.

And Kuru, Jackal read your article too.

***Jackal*** · 11-15-2006, 08:29 AM

I think he meant voluntarily.

But it really is a good interview, and it's nice to give Kheops a little more exposure. I admire the principle behind keeping a low profile, both for themselves and their games, but at some point continually flying under the radar is counter-productive to their own success. I'm speaking only for the English-language market, of course, which I'm sure is a challenge for any foreign developer.

eriq · 11-20-2006, 07:06 AM

One of the best adventure gaming companies alive today! Great company and a great interview.

11-20-2006, 07:06 AM	#7
eriq gaybrush threepwoody Last Online: 01-21-2012 03:12 PM Join Date: Sep 2003 Posts: 1,567	One of the best adventure gaming companies alive today! Great company and a great interview. __________________ eriqchangstudio.com Facebook Connect

11-15-2006, 08:03 AM	#5
Melanie68 Super Moderator Last Online: 05-19-2012 11:09 AM Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Ohio Posts: 8,907	I agree it's not possible to please everyone. I think that's where a good company succeeds. They have defined objectives. They pick their target audience, they define the types of games they want to make and they put their effort into that. When you are unfocused and trying many different things, none of them get done properly. And Kuru, Jackal read your article too.

11-15-2006, 08:29 AM	#6
*Jackal* Hopeful skeptic Last Online: 09-18-2013 05:02 PM Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Toronto Posts: 7,743	I think he meant voluntarily. But it really is a good interview, and it's nice to give Kheops a little more exposure. I admire the principle behind keeping a low profile, both for themselves and their games, but at some point continually flying under the radar is counter-productive to their own success. I'm speaking only for the English-language market, of course, which I'm sure is a challenge for any foreign developer.