Arx Fatalis Preview

Fishtank's recently given us some new info concerning their latest game-project called Arx Fatalis. The France-based developer Arkane Studios, lurking behind this title, has gathered an interesting group of people to work on this first-person RPG. Many of them were previously involved in the development of several popular console and PC games.

The creators of Arx Fatalis have proclaimed this title as a game "Ultima Underworld" fans have been waiting for. In addition to that, it is going to merge Quake-like first-person action with intricate RPG-style gamepaly offering features such as spell casting, combining items, gaining experience, advancing your skills, and so on. As the player fights his way through the medieval Kingdom of Arx he will get the opportunity to explore 8 levels, all with various highly detailed surroundings.

However, besides all of these features, one of the most alluring aspects of Arx Fatalis is that it will be powered by the, I think we can safely say, revolutionary capabilities of NVIDIA's GeForce 3. The GeForce 3 will allow impressive real-time 3D interactive environments, plus some spectacular lighting and shadow effects. Just feast your eyes on some of the newest screenshots we've included in the interview.

Naturally, it is almost certain that, after the PC version launches, the designers will be creating the game for Microsoft's next-generation Xbox console system. Although it was pointed out that the game's so far being designed for the PC exclusively, Arkane Studios has the ambition to bring the game to the Xbox (this will, of course, largely depend on Microsoft's approval). So, all of ya Xbox cats out there will just have to wait for this one.

In the interview we speak to Raphael Colantonio himself, who is the Lead Designer, Producer and the Company founder. Plus, Cyril Meynier, the Lead programmer, also took the time to uncover a few details about the game's engine and other technical tidbits. Enjoy!

Action Trip: We know that the developer, Arkane Studios, lurking behind Arx Fatalis, is France-based. But, could you reveal a little about this company's history, the team members, their backgrounds and so forth.

Raphael Colantonio: Arx Fatalis is the first game of the company, so, our history is rather short until now. Although, most of us come from the game industry, individuals have worked on various games such as: Fifa Soccer Manager, Space Hulk, Darklight, Theme Park, Beasts & Bumpkins, the smurfs PSX, Ecstatica, Spyro the dragon, Messiah, Alone in the Dark 2, Sacrifice, wild nine...

AT: Give us a small presentation of the Arx Fatalis storyline. And describe the medieval-kingdom of Arx.

RC: The setting takes place in an underground environment which use to be a Dwarf mine. This place is now inhabited by various races who've moved here due to the death of the sun. You'll meet with some well known medieval fantasy creatures such as Trolls, and goblins, but there are also some more intriguing characters such as the snake women, the Ylsides, the ratmen, or some hideous creatures (giant worms and the 'black thing'). Your role will be revealed as you progress though the game, you'll learn how your destiny actually fits in the history of Arx.

AT: One of the breath-taking features of Arx is the sinister and dark in-game atmosphere. This is probably where the power of the GeForce 3 steps in. Tell us what does this technology allow you to accomplish that you weren't able to do earlier. Reveal some features of the game's 3D engine.

Cyril Meynier (Lead programmer): As you say the atmosphere is our main concern with ARX. The technology means nothing to us if it don't improve the immersion and the whole game experience of the player. The latest technology allows for more polygons, so our characters and buildings uses a high number of polys to look smoother and more realistic, the effects are also improved by the higher polygon capability, fire, lightning, fog, ice, magic are all rendered in a very realistic way in ARX. I could say that we have many technically cool features such as animation blending, animation merging, on-the-fly mesh reduction, multiple-pass maps etc... but in fact what seems more important to me as a coder for ARX is that all of this is nothing if it doesn't serve the design. ARX is a game created around a strong story, and everything bends toward that story... even the technical part of the game...We are not aiming to make a Quake-like engine (By the way I love quake:-) ), what is needed for ARX is a different kind of 3D engine, because we want ARX to be a totally new experience for the player.

AT: The screenshots we've downloaded from your site look incredible, tell us something about the various locations we've seen displayed on those shots.

RC: Thanks... we're glad you like them. There are quite a few of them, so I'm not sure I'll be able to describe all the locations, but let see... There is the human main town area, which is where you'll find most shops and the castle with some of the main characters. There are guards patrolling in case you'd get the idea of stealing anything. You'll be able to go to the tavern and try to listen to rumors or play a game and win money. Then I can tell you about the crypt: the place where Poxsellis (first king of Arx) has been buried. It's been abandoned by the people of Arx, due to the invasion of undeads. Liches, undeads, ghosts, and mummies are to be expected in there. This is also a place with many riddles that the player will have to solve in order to complete the game. I can also tell you about the trolls/goblins area: both these races cohabit, knowing that the Trolls mine some gems and the goblins sell them to the human gem dealers. Finally, let me tell you about the Snake women area: this is a very strange place, inhabited by very strange women... their power and knowledge is very high, their goals are unclear, you'll probably feel uneasy with their presence, due to their ambiguous attitude that can vary from seductive to threatening...