Developer Reality Pump Studios and co-publishers TopWare and Southpeak Interactive plan to release Two Worlds this spring . This expansion fantasy RPG will be released for both the PC and Xbox 360 and FiringSquad got the game's producer at Topware, James Seaman, to tell us more about the game and why fans of Elders Scrolls IV: Oblivion might want to check it out.

FiringSquad: First, how did the idea for Two Worlds come about?

James Seaman: I can’t say the idea came from any one place. First off, we wanted to do something that was for a home console. This meant creating an immediately fun pick-up-and-play kind of experience. Obviously, a lot of the basic ideas come from classic fantasy literature. We had been wanting to create a fantasy role-playing game for a long time, and had been shooting ideas back and forth for years. Once these ideas began to solidify into a basic framework, we realized what we wanted to create – and the only thing we’d be happy with – was very ambitious, and was a game that pushed a lot of boundaries. At that point, it was all about scheduling and freeing up everyone’s time to put their full effort into Two Worlds. Again, no single person can say, this was my idea. Everyone on the team has contributed at least a few parts of the overall game.

FiringSquad: What can you tell us about the storyline for the game?

James Seaman: We felt that any fantasy story needs to have some classic trappings, yet at the same time we didn’t want to have a plot that’s been played a thousand times before. In Two Worlds, you start off as an experienced mercenary embarking with your team on a pretty cut and dry mission. En route, you’re attacked and one of your fellow party members (who also happens to be your sister) goes missing. You go in search of your sister, but get involved in a larger plot where you eventually have the fate of the world in your hands.

FiringSquad: What are the playable characters like in the game?

James Seaman: In the single-player game, you’re always going to be the same basic person. Our reasoning for this is so we could tailor the story around this central character. It wouldn’t be right to have someone compliment you on your rugged good looks if you’re playing a hideous orc, right? However, the options for this character are limitless. Your skills and character focus (such as whether to learn magic or not) is left entirely to you.

Online multiplayer is where we removed what little restrictions there are in single player. Since there’s no main storyline, and completely separate missions, you’re free to create a character of any race and type.

FiringSquad: What sort of environments and settings will Two Worlds have?

James Seaman: The landscape in Two Worlds is vast, and there’s basically every kind of environment you can think of. We’ve got forests, plains, deserts, mountains, swamps, bamboo forests, arctic conditions, a vast underworld…exploring the entire world is a feat unto itself! For those that played and explored Oblivion, there is 33% more land to roam here.

FiringSquad: What will the quests be like in the game and how big overall is the game?

James Seaman: Our quest structure is very free form. You’re given a mission at the game’s opening to get you started, but from there you pick up new quests and story options based on where you go and who you talk to. Which quests you complete, and especially who you do these quests for, can have an impact on the overall world, so there are some you may not want to do – but ultimately it’s up to the player to decide.

As for size of the game, it depends on how deep you want to go with the quests, but I can assure everyone that there’s easily over 100 hours of play for those that like to go in-depth.

FiringSquad: What can you tell us about the combat in Two Worlds?

James Seaman: With any role-playing game, combat is going to be a crucial part of the experience, so our goal is to create a way to make each battle interesting to the player. The way we’ve accomplished this is by having a combat system where you’re rewarded for doing “cool” things. For example, say you’re surrounded on all sides by four orcs. If you hack your way through them by button mashing, you’ll still get experience points, but not as many as if you tried to take them down in an interesting way. Say you attack the one in front of you, then performed a sweeping slash to strike one at your side and face the leader, at which point you tried to kick dirt in his eyes and temporarily blind him. By doing something like this, you’ll get a multiplier added to the experience points you’d earn.

FiringSquad: What are some of the more interesting creatures players will encounter in the game?

James Seaman: One of my favorites are the Serpent Men, not only because they look really creepy, but also because they have their own architecture style and goals. You’ll know when you’re in one of their cities, and you just might discover one their secret agendas while you’re there…if you survive.

FiringSquad: What other unique elements will Two Worlds have?

James Seaman: We were tired of the fact that when you get more powerful, searching felled enemies and treasure troves becomes more of a practice in monotony because you already have so much good stuff. What we’ve done is incorporated a system that allows you to stack similar items and continually add new enchantments. So even though you might just find an axe, maybe you’ll be able to smith it together with another axe you already have to create something even more powerful.

It’s the same philosophy with our alchemy and magic systems. There’s never a useless ingredient or spell, you just have to figure out how to put them to the best use with what you already have.

FiringSquad: What can you tell us about the graphical features in the game?

James Seaman: In short, they’re spectacular. We’ve also developed some middleware tools – such as a tree generator – over the years, so naturally we always use the best tech in our games. The lushness of the world is going to surprise a lot of people, as is the vegetation actually having physics. You’ll actually trample grass as you gallop across a plain, and it will slowly rise back up at a realistic pace according to the weather!

FiringSquad: Will there be a playable demo released for the game and if so what will it contain?

James Seaman: Two Worlds is so expansive, it didn’t seem right to us to unfairly try to encapsulate it with a demo.

FiringSquad: What is the current status of the game's progress and when will it be released?

James Seaman: Things are moving along at a lightning pace right now, and we’re on target for a May release.

FiringSquad: Finally is there anything else you wish to say about Two Worlds?

James Seaman: Just that we can’t wait for it to come out so everyone can check out what we’ve been working on for the last few years. We’re hoping to surprise even the most experienced role-playing game fans with what we’re doing.

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