Galleon Preview

As promised, we have updated our Galleon preview with some extra-crispy, exclusive info from the original creators of Tomb Raider, now working on Galleon, Toby Gard and Paul Douglas. On top of that, we got these 2 hi-res pieces of artwork to feast your eyes on! Dive in people:

Action Trip: Can you give us a bit more info on the unique swordplay system featured in the game?

Paul: We really want to keep this under wraps for a while longer. Suffice to say, the fighting will be significantly based around movement rather than just letting Rhama stand still whilst repeatedly hitting an "Attack" button.

AT: Galleon; more action or adventure oriented? In other words, will we spend more time fighting enemies or solving puzzles and reviling the storyline? Are there any "classical adventure" elements in the game, like: in-game dialogue, using inventory objects to solve puzzles...

Toby: The action/adventure balance varies throughout the game. Rhama and his crew get embroiled in different adventures as they travel from island to island. Not only do these islands have different stories, themes and characters, but they also feature some very different gameplay sections.

AT: We suppose that Rhama will get to travel great distances during his quest. If so, can you give us a few hints about some of the more interesting locations and enemies he gets to encounter. A sneak preview of what we might expect...

Toby: Nope. Sorry, at the moment it’s all top secret. The whole point is that Rhama’s journey keeps taking unexpected turns and side-tracks.

AT: We all agree that Lara Croft was, and always has been one of the best-animated characters around. What do you feel have been the major advances made in Galleon (in terms of character animation), in comparison to your work on original Ms. Croft. We are not just talking huge leaps in technology here, but rather some small tricks, new moves, finesse that make Rhama's movements more natural...

Paul: The animation and movement in Galleon is significantly more advanced than poor old Lara Croft. For starters our human characters have many more bones underneath their skin. (45 vs the 15 of LC), including proper hands and spines, thus allowing our characters to move, gesture and manipulate items in a much more detailed way. There is also a full facial animation system that allows you to see characters talk, smile, blink or even cry. We have also developed a unique IK system that allows our character to fully interact with their environment and each other without "clipping" through the ground or each other, and yet retaining the style of animation given to them. This means absolutely no sliding-feet or discontinuities in the movement of Rhama. Movement wise Rhama will be able to do everything Lara can do and a whole bunch more, AND he’ll be able to do these moves at different speeds and in different animation "styles", for instance he can tip-toe past a guard very slowly or run 100 meters in 10 seconds.

AT: We're just speculating... Will there be a "Galleon heroine" that the players get to lead at some point during the game? More than obvious allusion here, but we were really curious...

Toby:

Rhama is the main character, and you only get to play him. However, there are two heroines in the game. Faith is a shamen-like sorceress, healer and scholar. Mihoko is an incredible martial artist, bodyguard and ex-assassin. They both join Rhama’s they use their unique abilities to help him throughout his adventure.

AT: What will be the preferred control interface in Galleon? Keyboard and mouse with free-look, like Heretic II, or keyboard only, similar to Tomb Raider?

This looks nice...

So does this...

Paul: The optimal control method is an analogue joystick or joypad, as this allows the player to have full control over Rhama’s speed, turn rate and actions. However as not every PC owner has a joystick we will be implementing mouse and keyboard control, but as this mode of control has yet to be fully implemented I cant tell you too much about it :). There will also be a keyboard only control option but this will be the least recommended, as it doesn’t allow anywhere near the finesse of analogue control.

AT: Will there be an option that will allow us to play the game from the first-person perspective?

Paul: Almost definitely not. There are several problems with doing a 1^st person perspective, one of the major ones being that Galleon features melee style combat which is virtually impossible to pull off properly in first person mode. However the player does have a "look" mode where the camera goes into 1^st person mode. The camera system has undergone much tweaking to reduce the frustration that most players experience playing 3^rd person games.

AT: Artistically Galleon looks different from what we are used to seeing in today's action adventures. Did you have any particular influences when it comes to character design?

Toby: Galleon’s entire design mission is to create a super-exaggerated world. The characters all move in stylized ways giving us the freedom to make a very dynamic game. As a consequence the character designs have also become more caricatured. It is really hard for me to analyze my own artistic style, but most of my influences come from comics and animation.

AT: How did the lead character, Rhama get his name?

Toby: It’s just what his mother decided to call him. (Editors note - Ain't he a kidder? :-)

AT: Finally, the usual question... How is Galleon's development coming along? Can you give us any pointers regarding the games release date? Maybe give us some news on the possible release of a playable demo?

Paul: Galleon will be released sometime in November 2000. There will probably be a non-interactive demo sometime before this, and perhaps a specially created interactive demo some time around the release of the full game.

Thanks for the heads up lads, and here's our Galleon review!

Great many games are in the spotlight these days, and gamers can’t catch their breath from all the upcoming titles presented in the news & views. Everyone is anxious to get the first glimpse of Black and White, or say... xxxx , and yet some of the games that also deserve their place in the media are by some intangible rule pushed back into the bleachers. Like there is some kind of a virtual codex dictating what previews are supposed to show up on the net, and at what time. Therefore, I have used a bit of a different approach trying to come up with the title that has real potential, but has no (or very little) web exposure at the moment. The primary reason why there is a lack of net coverage on the game that is the subject of this preview has to do with the fact that its release has been scheduled for late 2000. That doesn’t mean of course, that we can’t talk about it and marvel at what it might turn out to be once it actually sees the light of the day.

As you may have guessed from the title of this preview, the game is called Galleon and it falls into the category of 3rd person action adventures. Galleon’s roots are placed in the city of Bristol, UK, where it is currently under development by a compact and talented group of people gathered around the name of Confounding Factor. Two of the game’s principle designers are: Toby Gard and Paul Douglas. Now, the names of Confounding Factor, Toby Gard and Paul Douglas may not mean much to you, but what would you say if I told you that these two guys are responsible for the birth of one of the most famous computer superstars around. Prior to setting up CF, Toby and Paul used to work for CORE Design in Derby. Toby Gard was the lead artist and designer of Tomb Raider, and Paul Douglas, the lead programmer. Yeah kids, you know what that means! Lara Croft creators baby! I think that alone presents a good enough reason to get excited about the prospects of Galleon!

In their newest adventure Bristol "lads" are taking a slightly different approach, replacing the lead heroine with a hero named Rhama. In its essence Galleon is supposed to be a true swashbuckling experience bringing closer the timeless age of vast sea voyages, magic and crafty sword play. In the words of its creators --- Galleon puts you at the helm of the streamlined clipper Endeavour. You control Rhama; Captain, Buccaneer, Merchant and explorer of uncharted oceans. Rhama will lead you into a stunning 3D adventure game set in a mysterious world which bustles with invincible skeleton warriors, spooky shipwrecks, breathtaking pirate battles and epic legends of Gods and folklore.

The game begins when Rhama is summoned to the port town of Akbah by a famous healer. A series of unexpected events starts him on an incredible quest centred around the discovery of a mysterious boat. Picking up clues and characters along the way, Rhama struggles to unravel the complex strands of the mystery as he battles his way from island to island.

Is there a better way to set out on a wonderful adventure than hoping aboard the Galleon with your sword and wits in gear, ready to take on the challenges ahead? People from Confounding Factor are promising a unique swordplay experience, and incredible agility on the part of our lead hero. Rhama will be able to run, leap, climb, swim and swing his way across the wild untamed islands he discovers. We should expect nothing but the best from the creators of the most gracefully animated female characters ever to hit our screens. What Toby and Paul did with Lara Croft was left behind at CORE, as a legacy passed onto many successful sequels of Tomb Raider. These sequels brought not too many innovations and kinda milked the already brilliantly done set of features. Luckily, Confounding Factor revealed that they’re: Using a proprietary animation system, and that Galleon’s characters will have access to an unprecedented array of actions and movements. Fluid, realistic movement and ultra responsive gameplay are brought together in an environment populated by convincing ancillary characters.

Galleon’s Design

The design of the characters in the game is pretty unique. Highly stylised, tall and slim, but with the beautifully placed polys, Rhama gives off that cartoonish look, not so much in a sense of simplicity, but more in the sense of being influenced by some of the comic book styles of the mid 80s. Ms. Croft’s character looks pretty different design-wise from Rhama, and the artistic evolution of Toby’s style is quite noticeable. The same set of principles applies for the female characters, but not to worry. Judging by the screenshots, dames look every bit as feminine as you know who, and even more so, with the design enfaces put on small waistlines and sensible hips and shoulders. I can only imagine the attractive way in which the heroines walk. I bet you they’ll be a few times in the game that you’ll want your character to follow some of them around, just so that you could admire the view. And have no doubt that the character animation will bring out the best features of the design, and that their looks will perfectly match their movements.

From what we could gather on the game’s interiors and exteriors, the design is not exactly elaborate, but it’s complimentary and conceptually compatible with the design of the characters. Overall we cannot say much about it yet since we only got to see a very small number of locations, and what is in store in the final version is still a long way off. The real problem with Galleon is, will the game hold out until late 2000? By then the standards for graphics will certainly be upped a notch and it remains to be seen, how the game will fare once it’s out. If we should draw some analogies and conclusions from Tomb Raider, one could easily predict success for Confounding Factor. Why? As I said earlier, Lara Croft sequels in my opinion survived on the principles set by Toby and Paul, many years before EIDOS released The Last Revelation. The quality of work from the Bristol "lads" is something that will easily shine through even if the technology of the time offers some features not included in the game (this is of course talking hypothetically). In the words of one of the all time greats, Peter Molyneux... Developers shouldn’t really concentrate on chasing the technology. That is pretty much a ‘mission impossible’. They should rather concentrate on creating solid designs, and good gameplay. You should take your time in creating a good game, and if the bases of your project are good, acceptance throughout the gaming community is sure to follow.

We hope this is the case with Galleon. We can’t wait to see what the talented duo will come up with in the game. 3rd person adventure genre is certainly crowded, but these guys showed that they can deliver once before, and we sure hope they can do it many times more in the future.

In the next few weeks, we’ll try to get in touch with the people over at Confounding Factor and set up an interview concentrating on the unique aspects of gameplay... Until then enjoy some of these screenshots and artwork from the game!