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Interview: Puzzle Quest Lead Designer Steve Fawkner
Written by Modojo Staff on Wednesday, June 6, 2007
We ask about PSP bugs, Xbox Live Online Play, and what's next for Infinity Interactive (plus more...)
Modojo has not yet lost the Puzzle Quest fever, so we put some questions to Infinite Interactive CEO and PQ Lead Designer Steve Fawkner. Read on to find out the latest on the XBLA port, details on the development process, and the final word on that damned cheating AI...
Modojo: Puzzle Quest is a HUGE departure from the Warlord's series of real time strategy and "western" artwork. What was the genesis of this concept, and who did it come from?
Steve Fawkner: Puzzle Quest was originally developed with the traditional Warlords western-style artwork. Once our partnership was established with D3, we discussed with them exactly how we could maximize the appeal of the game. It was decided that a slight anime feel would broaden our audience. After quite a few passes, trying to get the style we all wanted, we found that Vicious Cycle (who did the PSP version) were able to provide the very attractive artwork that you see in the final version. Really, it turned out better than I could ever have anticipated.
Mo: Can you explain how the game development duties were broken down? Did the entire design come from II, with the DS and PSP coding handled entirely by third parties? Was it a back-and-forth process?
SF: The original version of the game was created by Infinite. It was a complete and playable game when D3 saw it for the first time, except that it was missing about 75% of the story, characters and enemies.
Over the next 12 months, Infinite finished the game design & story on a "master" version of the game, while 1st Playable did the DS code and Vicious Cycle did the PSP code.
During that time, and all through the lengthy QA process that you get on any RPG, I think all the teams contributed the final touches to the design that make it such a pleasure to play.
Mo: Everyone thinks the game they're designing is a masterpiece, but be honest with us - were you surprised by the game's critical reception? Or did you always feel confident you had a sleeper hit on your hands?
SF: I have a favorite saying: "Good Games Sell." We knew that Puzzle Quest was a heck of a lot of fun to play, because we were all playing it daily (and often nightly much to the frustration of our families), so we figured it would do reasonably well, but exactly how well is often a matter for the Gaming Gods to decide. Sometimes it's a matter of timing; sometimes it's just a matter of dumb luck.
Regardless, we have been pleasantly surprised at how well and quickly it has been accepted by the public and the press - word really does spread around the Internet like wildfire these days.
Mo: Do you have any early data beyond anecdotes regarding Puzzle Quest sell-through? The game has gotten extremely hard to find.
SF: If you think it was hard to find in the USA, you should have tried getting a copy in Australia! We had to install extra locks on Infinite's office doors to keep out the torch-waving villagers demanding more copies!
In actuality, the game should be widely available in most locations at this time. It's against D3Publisher of America's company policy to release sales numbers, but the sell-through has been quite astounding even in comparison to the previous Warlords games that we've done.
Mo: Any word on a reprint? Can PQ fans expect to be able to walk into GameStop and pick up a copy someday?
SF: Reprints are well under way as we speak. In North America and most other locations, there should be plenty of copies of the game available now for anyone with a Puzzle Quest craving.
Mo: A few bugs of varying severity have been discovered in the PSP release. Is it possible that they could be fixed in future editions of the title, or via a memory stick-loaded patch?
SF: D3 is investigating a variety of options as to how best to resolve the issues. We all care about our gamers and will do what we can to provide the best possible gaming experience.
posted June 7, 2007