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SIDNEY EXCLUSIVE:
Interview with STEVEN HILL, Producer of GABRIEL KNIGHT III.



Nico: What are your favorite computer games?

Steven: I'll play pretty much anything: Strategy, action, (OH Yeah) and adventure.
I am huge Sid Meiers fan, and will play anything he puts out for months on end.
As far as adventure games, I have just recently finished Grim Fandango and Sanitarium and thoroughly enjoyed both of them.




Nico: Do you pattern the design or playing style of Gabriel Knight 3 after any of them?

Steven: Jane is an awesome designer so I haven't had much influence over the design or playing style of GK3.
I do think playing other games and using other products prevents me from developing tunnel vision.
Which in turn allows me to make small subtle improvements in the way the interface works or a puzzle is implemented.




Nico: What are the goals that Sierra set out to accomplish with GK3 with technology and interface?

Steven: Adventure games are like reading a good novel or seeing a good movie.
The player needs to be immersed in the environment and the story.
This was one of the main reasons for going with a full 3D engine.




Nico: Do you feel these goals are being accomplished?

Steven: Yes, more than any other adventure game that I have seen.



Nico: Do you feel that the adventure game is back from its hiatus after the onslaught of shoot em up games like Quake and Starcraft?

Steven: I think people expect more game play than the traditional adventure game can deliver.
I don't know if adventure will ever have the prominence they once had.
I see other genre incorporating the strength of the adventure game, like story, character interaction, and puzzles.
I think Half-Life did a great job stealing the best of the adventure game genre.




Nico: Why do you feel that games like Myst and Quake get all the publicity and hype, while games like GK3 and King's Quest are relatively unheard of outside the gaming community?

Steven: Good question, If I knew the answer, I would probably be in marketing.



Nico: Impeach or censure?

Steven: Both.



Nico: Is there going to be anything that comes with the game like an interactive tour of Rennes-Le-Château (similar to Cyberflix tour of Titanic that came with the game) or will it just be the graphic novel, the CDs, and the manual?

Steven: No I think that is all we have slated right now.
We have tossed around a few other ideas, but nothing has been decided.




Nico: Will the game time continue like a normal day or will it only proceed after certain tasks are completed?

Steven: No, the game is not real time.
It will be event driven. But the NPC character behavior will be driven by the time of day so for example the player can find some of the NPC eating during lunch and dinner.




Nico: Will the movement between all the different places be like the first wo Gabriel Knight games where you click on an icon or will you be able to move Gabriel on a larger map (like Quest for Glory 5)?

Steven: We have a map similar to GK1 and GK2 to move around the RLC countryside.



Nico: Do you expect the game to revolutionize the industry?

Steven: In some ways it will.
The full 3D environment will allow players to really feel a part of the world, and has allowed us to rethink some of the typical adventure game puzzles




Nico: Any more news on a demo and the release date?

Kathy Carlson (Sierra Studios PR department): No new news on a demo.
We are on target to release in Summer '99







MANY MANY THANKS TO STEVEN HILL FOR THIS INTERVIEW,
GOOD LUCK ON FINISHING GK3!

MANY THANKS TO DAVID DE SOLA FOR PROVIDING US WITH QUESTIONS!

LAST BUT NOT LEAST: MANY THANKS TO GENEVIEVE OSTERGARD AND KATHY CARLSON FROM "PR" FOR THEIR KIND HELP.