Rampant Coyote Interview With Thomas Riegsecker

posted in: Interviews 2

Jay Barnson, the Rampant Coyote himself,  has published an interview with Eschalon Lead Developer Thomas Riegsecker. An assortment of topics regarding RPGs and game design are discussed.

Link: Tales of the Rampant Coyote Interview

2 Responses

  1. Janusz11
    | Reply

    Great interview.

  2. msrache
    | Reply

    Excellent interview.

    I was really interested in your comments about skill balancing! I have been thinking in particular about the notion that spreading yourself too thin is often a rookie mistake. I am hardly a new player but nonetheless I perennially spread myself very thin when developing a character, especially my first time through any game. I get greedy for skills and want to try everything. Also I like having a “well-rounded” character, although in practice that can sometimes end up meaning “great at nothing”. I find developing the character and trying out different skills to be one of the most enjoyable parts of a game and don’t have the patience to wait until a second or third time through the game to try out magic AND weapons AND rogue-type skills (yes, my current character is attempting to develop all three).

    One reason I enjoy games like the, er, Eschalons is the flexibility to have this approach or any other to building a character. I don’t generally find my characters too weak to proceed with the story, notwithstanding my efforts to develop multi-skill renaissance characters, because I also like exploring every little nook and cranny, and the time it takes to go down every twisty side road generally lets me level up enough to get stronger and/or accrue resources that let me buy the skills I need from trainers and books.

    Goodness knows the last thing I want is for the game to be dumbed down to allow people to make poor skill choices; I enjoy the challenge of playing a character with many skills just as much as that of developing a character with one strong skill specialty. The whole point is to figure out your own way to be ready for the challenges the game may pose.

    I think it is a really good solution in Eschalon II to include the feats. Those provide a good incentive to develop a skill or two to a decent extent, without being too directive.

    Anyways all this is to say…. not only new players appreciate that Eschalon II is made big and flexible enough for players to take this wide-ranging approach to character development! I am enjoying the game tremendously at my usual glacial, completist pace! Thanks 🙂

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