Lands of Lore Official Chat, 1/27 1999

VrtualTed : Hi everyone!
VrtualTed : Thanks for coming to our special chat tonight!
VrtualTed : We have a really special guest with us. Not only is he the executive producer on
one of the
VrtualTed : most anticipated RPG titles of 1999, but he is also the co-founder of Westwood
Studios!
VrtualTed : Hi Louis!
LouisC : Hello all! Thanks VT!
VrtualTed : We're going to run this as a MODERATED chat.
VrtualTed : That means, I'll be taking questions, and then letting you know
VrtualTed : when it's your turn to speak publicly.
VrtualTed : So....let's get started!
VrtualTed : If anyone has a question, just send it to me privately. I'll call on you when it's
your turn. 
VrtualTed : If I may start things off.... 
LouisC : LOL 3 is the culmination of the first Lands of Lore trilogy. 
VrtualTed : Louis, can you tell us a little bit about Lands of Lore 3? Just maybe a general
overview? 
LouisC : It is about a half breed dracoid/human who has to save his soul and in doing so saves
the lands 
LouisC : We seem to be having a bit of a problem 
VrtualTed : Hey, everyone. Seems we had a small hiccup in the service! 
LouisC : Hey everybody, sorry about that. The guys are looking into what caused the slow down 
VrtualTed : Okay, let's give this another shot... 
LouisC : So, anyway, LOL 3 is about developing the character of Copper LeGrey and saving the
lands from a strange curse 
VrtualTed : If anyone has a question, please let me know (privately) and I'll let you know
when it's your turn to speak. 
LouisC : We concentrated on a few elements to make LOL 3 our best RPG to date. 
LouisC : 1) An easier interface so that more people can get into the game, and so we could add
more features 
LouisC : 2) More RPG extensions, things we have wanted to see in RPG games for a while, but
seemed too complicated
LouisC : 3) the sense of developing a character and working with multiple characters to solve
goals 
LouisC : 4) Extend the mythos of the Lands and build on a growing base of characters and
places in the geme bible 
VrtualTed : Coolness! 
VrtualTed : I think Zombie has a question for ya. 
ZombieWP : Will the game support or have any 3DFX graphics? ie Voodoo, d3d, glide, etc. 
LouisC : Definately! In fact the graphics engine hsas been built around glide support but also
supports D3D
LouisC : You can play in almost any resolution and we use many features unique to the Voodoo
chip set 
LouisC : It is still based on our basic RPG engine so we still have some limitations 
LouisC : But we were able to add other great features like the voxel characters from Blade
Runner 
LouisC : Overall, it is a really unique engine with lots of special effects and eye candy 
VrtualTed : Great. Vegeto79 is up next. 
Vegeto79 : How long do you think (on an average) to be able to beat the game. in hours. 
LouisC : It would depend on the type of player you are. 
LouisC : If you want to develop your character and get the best weapons and spells before
taking on the rift worlds 
LouisC : then it is probably about 60 hours 
LouisC : If you are a get in there and fight type of player you may shave it down to 30 or 40 
VrtualTed : Thanks Vegeto. Remember, we're giving away free tee shirts for those with the most
"interesting" questions, 
VrtualTed : so let me know privately what your question is and I'll call on you when it's your
turn. : ) 
VrtualTed : Rileywhit is up next! 
rileywhit : What DirectX will it take to run it 
rileywhit : ? 
LouisC : 6.0 
LouisC : That was EASY! 
VrtualTed : Alright, Partypoop is up next....
Partypoop : how did u come up with the idea for this story line for this game?
LouisC : It is an extension of the bible we have for the Lands
LouisC : We actually have many sotries happening all the time in our minds 
LouisC : We sit down together and try to find the game experinece we are looking to create 
LouisC : Then we talk about the many characters and how they interact and tsee if we can find
the right blend 
LouisC : that will fit our game play and still be intriguing as a story 
LouisC : The writers think along the lines of classic story structure and the game designers
sweat the play patters 
LouisC : in the end it is a top down process that keeps being revisited as the game develops
VrtualTed : Great! Thanks PP. Good question...
VrtualTed : Zero69 is up next... 
VrtualTed : Err. Zero79! 
Zero79 : Are there going to be any sub-quests?? If so how many?? 
LouisC : Many! 
LouisC : In the game there is a journal that you use to keep track of all your questz 
LouisC : the character class selection is actually part of game play as you join guilds and
find out 
LouisC : what they are all about 
LouisC : because of that, you can have many quests from the 4 guilds as well as general quests
related to the 
LouisC : games main 2 story lines 
LouisC : so it is like many linear stories happenig at once with lots of cross over 
VrtualTed : Excellent. Next up, we have Tacache! 
VrtualTed :  how long did it take louis to accomplish this out standing game?? 
LouisC : We have been working on LOL 3 since before LOL 2 was completed in 1997 
LouisC : The story started way back in late 96 but programming and formal design started in
January of 98 
VrtualTed : You're up AJesusFrk! 
VrtualTed : Hmm...maybe he's sleeping.... 
AJesusFrk : so will this game appeal to girls too, my sister likes puzzle type games 
LouisC : Well, I know a lot of girls and they tend to like very different games 
LouisC : But without being cute, the game has a good deal of combat with or without spells
LouisC : You tend to kill things alot and solve p[hysical puzzles as well as brain teasers
LouisC : It has alittle for everyone with each portal world having a game play focus
LouisC : The underworld is all about brain teasing puzzles with only a few difficult compbat
areas 
LouisC : but the Roloi home world has almost all combat 
LouisC : So I guess if she does not mind the combat, her mental skills will make things much
easier and she should 
LouisC : like it, if she HATES combat, it is probably not for her 
VrtualTed : Alright, MJPater has a question... 
MJPater : Do you have to have played LOL I & II to be able to play III or can you pick up the
game from there?
LouisC : Each of the LOL chapters stands alone but is also part of a bigger saga 
LouisC : You don't have to play 1 or 2, or have completed them 
LouisC : but if you have, 3 will be more fun since you'll have the inside track on the
characters 
LouisC : Most of the characters from LOL 1 return in LOL 3 since we go back to Gladstone 
VrtualTed : Okay, Bluddyid is up next! 
Bluddyid : How interactive is the environment? Can you manipulate items? 
LouisC : The environement per se is no more interactive than most RPG /action games. That is,
you can not break down any wall or burn down all the forests 
LouisC : Items, on the other hand, are very flexible 
LouisC : So there are places where you can cause floods of lava and such, but they are "set
up" 
LouisC : It is not an open environment. To build one of those you need physical simulation 
LouisC : and computers are just now getting to the level where we can contiplate that 
LouisC : It still begs the question of if simulation is relly what you want for a good story 
LouisC : Maybe a little of both. Ceratainly more interactive environments than we have now 
VrtualTed : Thanks Louis. Larotech has a question about the development of Lands of Lore 3 
VrtualTed :  how many people is involved in this game creation ( sorry for my
english) 
LouisC : No problem. There are about 25 people on the Lands of Lore 3 team 
LouisC : We have been working on the game for 14 months so it has been a good deal of effort 
VrtualTed : Okay! Klepacki is up next!
Klepacki : why did you choose a deserted nod-base as one of the locations in the game?
LouisC : BWHAHAHHA Actually, we didn't. We created the shattered desert game level which is a
deserted military 
LouisC : installation. One of the C&C designers saw it, and the drama with the computer that 
LouisC : looks over the base and said it looked like Cabal, the NOD computer 
LouisC : I was very worried about the crossing of FRP with Sci-Fi, I'm generally not a big fan
of 
LouisC : genre busting 
LouisC : So we made sure the story was from the context of what Copper knows. He is a fantasy
character
LouisC : so the thinks the computer is a wizard hold up in a room within this strange keep
LouisC : it is great fun to see how Copper deals with the "magic" that is technology 
Sigourney : How many spells can I use in the game? And.. is this gonna be the last LOL game? 
LouisC : We have over 70 spells each with its own magical effect 
LouisC : as well as over 200 items, many of which have spell like effects. You won't be left
wanting to have some magical power that was not in the game! 
LouisC : We have already started working on the next Lands of Lore trilogy 
LouisC : We have the overview story for LOL 4, 5 and 6 and we are now in the planning stage
for LOL 4 
LouisC : It is hard to keep focused on LOL 3 to make sure it gets done! :) 
VrtualTed : Thanks Sigourney! Halibut is up next, and I think he wants a job... : ) 
halibut2 : I'm a college senior Computer Science major. What can I do to get into the gaming
field? 
LouisC : Well, I would say for our company your chances are better as a graduating CSC major
than 
LouisC : as an artist, designer or producer. For CSC I would say to send out your resume 
LouisC : and maybe even write some of your own game engine tools 
LouisC : It is pretty easy to demonstrate competence in CSC and many companies even have tests
(like ours) 
VrtualTed : Great. next up is nimrod69. 
nimrod69 : What is the point of view, what are the fight secnes like, and how do you think
LOL3 will compete w/ 
nimrod69 : some of the newer rpgs like baulders gate?
LouisC : The game is from first person, check out the new screen shots on our site, they were
posted today
LouisC : I like playing RPGs so I'm happy to say how our new RPG compares to theirs 
LouisC : Ours is easier to get into and focuses more on story and visual effects 
LouisC : Theirs is very rule oriented and focuses on detailed oriented character development 
LouisC : I think we are similar in scope, but I can't say for sure since I have not finished
BG yet 
LouisC : I did like the game, but I'm BUSY!! My only complaint on BG was it seemed pretty
encumbered 
LouisC : but the AD&D rules and it did have more bugs than I would like
VrtualTed : Great.. Just to let everyone know, we have already awarded
VrtualTed : quite a few prizes (tee-shirts, games) to people that have 
VrtualTed : asked questions so far. We'll announce the winners at the end of the conference! 
VrtualTed : And, we'll try to get to everyone's questions as fast as possible. We have a _LOT_
of questions to go through! 
VrtualTed : I think b5morden is up next! 
b5morden : Besides characters, lands, etc.; what major differences not already discussed will
there be between 2 and 3 ? 
LouisC : The interface, the character development through shops and a large town, and the
familiar which you 
LouisC : can solicit to join you. 
LouisC : From the technology part there are too many enhancements and changes to count, but a
few are 
LouisC : voxel characters that cast shadows, lightmaps, dynamic lighs and shadows, and more 
VrtualTed : Alright. Apochrist is up next! 
VrtualTed : His question was... 
VrtualTed :  What kind of RPG do you classify LOL as, and is that likely to change
in future games 
LouisC : LOL 3 is a easy to get into and very deep POV RPG 
LouisC : I definately would not classify it as RPG light, bit it is simple enough and has on
line help to 
LouisC : make sure anyone can play. It also has so much depth I think even the most hard core 
LouisC : RPG fan will fine lots of things to get into and explore
VrtualTed : Thanks! Next up is Tricksy
TRICKSY : how replayable will LOl 3 be
LouisC : LOL 3 is very replayable 
LouisC : There are 4 guilds each with their own set of quests 
LouisC : since you can compbine any guilds you like as you join them, the game can be very
different as 
LouisC : you play through it with different classes 
LouisC : However, the main sotry of Copper retreiving his soul and the reparing of the rifts
that threaten 
LouisC : the Lnads is the same every time you play
LouisC : You can do a few worlds in different order, but ultimately, you will need to complete
all the rifts worlds in some manner to finish the game 
LouisC : I would say you will not feel like you have to play it again, but you will definately
know that 
LouisC : you have not seen everything 
VrtualTed : Bottlenek is up next! 
bottlenek : as cofounder of Westwood, I would like to tell you Westwood rocks 
bottlenek : keep up the good work.... 
bottlenek : can you comment briefly on the overall direction that Westwood is headed with RPG
and RTS, etc??? 
LouisC : Thanks! All the people here love it when we get feedback from the public 
bottlenek : (realtime strategy RTS - RPG role-playing game) 
LouisC : We really love making games, and we always have more ideas for making more and better
games 
LouisC : With RTS we will continue to further the C&C line (of course) and we may explore
other ideas in RTS 
LouisC : We feel the category is still rich for new ideas and in fact, it is getting a bit
stale 
LouisC : We are looking forward to introducing new ideas and see which stick to the wall 
LouisC : On the PRG front we are looking to push the genre 
LouisC : IMHO no one has met the excitment of a table top RPG much less bested it. That 
LouisC : is my goal and the goal of the LOL team 
LouisC : I'm very excited about LOL 4 and what it will mean to the fundemental game
LouisC : mechanic of PRGs but that is a story for another chat! :)
bottlenek : thanks......I am more RTS, but I look forward to looking into the LOL RPG
genre..... 
LouisC : LOL 3 is a very nice wrap up to the first trilogy and I really feel we have something
special on the 
LouisC : interface and online help features that raise the state of the art 
VrtualTed : Thanks Bottlenek! 
VrtualTed : Tymaster is up next.. 
tymaster : How would you describe some of the sounds and music of LOL 3? 
LouisC : Well, it is always hard to write what something sounds like  :)
LouisC : But,. I would say that the sound design is something we work extra hard to get right
LouisC : We have rewritten the entire sound system for LOL 3 and have created hundreds of new
sounds 
LouisC : As with all Westwood titles we have created all original scores and have recorded 
LouisC : tens of thousands of lines of dialogs from famous and upcoming actors 
VrtualTed : ok! wa4jte is up next. 
wa4jte : sorry 
wa4jte : do you ever use beta testers for your games and if so how do you get to be one 
LouisC : We use an internal testing staff mostly. 
LouisC : We do open beta tests with limited numbers of people for our online titles 
LouisC : for our CDROM releases we usually don't send out betas 
LouisC : This is due to the rampant piracy that seems to be rekindling itself in the industry 
wa4jte : thanks, i was a beta tester for sole survivor. 
LouisC : we simply can't aford to put out products that take millions of dollars to make and
have them end up from free 
LouisC : all over the world 
wa4jte : i understand. thanks 
LouisC : So, sorry but not too many external beta sites. You can always be a tester ! :) 
VrtualTed : Okay! Madluther is up next! 
madluther : what are the minimum System requirments, and will the game run on NT4 workstation
? 
LouisC : P166 with 32 megs RAM and 6X CD (looks much better with a voodoo card) 
LouisC : The reviewers have been playing it on a P200 with a voodoo 1 and when they are told
what
LouisC : they are playing on they can't believe it. So, you probably won't have any trouble
VrtualTed : okay! We have time for two more questions... 
VrtualTed : Kicdababy is up next! 
VrtualTed : Don't kick the baby! 
KICdaBABY : How much is it gonna cost? 
KICdaBABY : Heh :) 
LouisC : We don't set retail prices but I imagine you will find it for $45 to $55 
KICdaBABY : Is there gonna be any online play ? 
LouisC : Not for LOL 3. :)
LouisC : The story line and engine lend themselves to single player action
LouisC : but we are definately committed to online play for most of our titles, so watch this
space! 
VrtualTed : Okay, our last question is from LTJ976! 
VrtualTed : (then we'll announce the winners..) 
LTJ976 : with the overwhelming succes of C&C.... 
LTJ976 : do you think that LOL will be brought to these levels? 
LouisC : Wow! Well, LOL 2 has sold of 1/2 million copies around the world. That 
LouisC : is pretty good by any measure so I think it is already way up there 
LouisC : As for C&C, that kind of success tends to happen only once every few years so 
LouisC : I can't say when, or if we will hit numbers like that again 
LouisC : but that's waht we keep trying to do! :) 
VrtualTed : Thanks LTJ976. And, thanks to everyone that participated! 
VrtualTed : I think we'll let Louis do the honors of picking our winners tonight... 
LouisC : Heck, I can't pick 
LouisC : How about we give prizes to all the questions we posted? :) 
VrtualTed : No Louis! no! (well, I guess you're the boss...) 
LouisC : Heh 
LouisC : Guess we have to now. It will all come from that big "marketing budget" 
LouisC : Sorry Laura! :) 
VrtualTed : Alright! We have all the information on file for each of you, so we'll be getting
tee-shirts and some other goodies out to everyone that asked a question publicly! 
VrtualTed : Thanks again Louis for stopping by! It was great having you visit.
LouisC : Thanks to all of you for showing up to hear (read) me bable!
LouisC : I look forward to the next one.
VrtualTed : Great! 
VrtualTed : Well, for further questions please visit the Lands of Lore 3 website 
VrtualTed : We have a message board there where you can ask questions, as well as a FAQ sheet, 
VrtualTed : And, a couple new .MP3 files which are EXTREMELY cool. 
VrtualTed : Just head to http://www.westwood.com! 
VrtualTed : Now, I'll make the channel public... 

http://www.westwood.com/games/lands3/html/faq/faq_f.html