Quest Implementation: Riddles, Traps, a Library and Gaerlan
Original Link (now dead) - http://acdm.turbinegames.com/featuredarticles/?action=view&article_id=141
Quest Implementation: Riddles, Traps, a Library and Gaerlan
By Alicia Brown
We might subtitle this "An Insider's View into the Creation of the Epic Gaerlan's Quest." As part of a series of "implementation" articles on the Gaerlan quest, here we provide a glimpse of what it took to bring to life various aspects of Orion's imagination. Some of the screenshots included, you may note, are not shown the way players see them in Dereth; rather, this is how the world looked to the Turbine developers as they were creating the different pieces and puzzles that went into developing this complex and truly intriguing adventure for the players of Asherson's Call: Dark Majesty.
"I never grow but can become very wide, and everything falls into darkness when I hide. What am I?" A riddle for you, my fellow Derethians! This is one of the riddles players just might hear when they attempt to complete this part of the quest.
Riddle Room
The team first created and decided on the placement of the statues, then combined their collective knowledge to introduce a combination of simple and difficult riddles. Orion created the mechanics and, once completed, handed them over to Speed, who integrated them into the quest.
As an interesting aside, it was while working on the riddle statues that Speed discovered they now had more control in sorting players than had previously been thought. This ability will be reused in coming quests - much like how they are reusing Orion's "smart" treasure dispenser (the nature of the treasure given is based on the type of player [mage, archer, etc.] receiving it) from Gaerlan's Phylactery.
Here is a shot of the Tribunal statue: The large statue in the middle is the "question" statue and around the perimeter are the little "answer" statues.
Floor Walk
It's a trap! Here's a room where you must be careful where you walk - it's full of traps, ready to spring on the unwary adventurers. The best way to describe this is simply to use what Orion, its creator, said about it: "I saved this for last, as I knew it was the easiest. It was a cross between Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade and a D&D module called Castle Amber. We discussed making it a much harsher penalty than it became and we also discussed making the puzzle harder. In the end, I was pleased with how it turned out. "
See here? This floorboard is rigged with a trap! "That's right," Wumpus cackled, "that apple is evil - it symbolizes certain doom!"
Gaerlan's Library
Players wondering just where they might be, experiencing some confusion, but nonetheless being aesthetically pleased - these were some of the main goals Orion had in mind when creating Gaerlan's Library.
Crafting this room took many man-hours. Orion spent most of his time decorating and constructing the maze of staircases, which was quite difficult to get aligned correctly. Zontar added sideways and up-side-down staircases to enhance the look of the library. "My additions were to heighten the 'Escher' look," Zontar recalled. "I thought this visual aspect of the library was its main feature. A very cool thing that is only (practically) feasible in a virtual world."
And at the last minute, well beyond the normal asking time, Huxt was kind enough to provide Orion with the floating candles he so desired. And so, this amazing room was completed! Orion described the overall look below as "a cross between a work by Escher, the labyrinth in 'The Name of the Rose,' the staircase scene in 'Labyrinth' and the staircase/meeting hall in 'Harry Potter'."
Gaerlan, in all his elemental glory!
Finally, the ultimate goal of each adventurer is achieved - they get to meet Gaerlan for the battle of their lives!
