14 DAY TRIAL // The team at the Paradox Development Studios is delivering a new developer diary for their upcoming Runemaster, with the biggest revelation offered being that they do not plan to include any kind of sidequests in their upcoming role playing and tactics mix.
The team basically wants every action that players perform and every choice they make to have a clear and long-term influence on the ending, which will see them trigger or prevent the end of the world via Ragnarok.
Johan Andersson, the leader of the project, writes on the official forums that, “There is a greater limitation in making a story for a RPG than a grand strategy game, and we need to rely more on the imagination of the game- and quest writers than we have previously done.”
He goes on to talk about the way other games like Crusader Kings II and The Witcher 2 have influenced the teams' outlook and offers some details about the starting positions for the various races, and the way gamers can create destinies for their characters.
The developer also explains the complex quest system in Runemaster, adding, “Each quest is stored in a database and your choices and actions will trigger different ones. Some are more exclusive ones, perhaps designed based on your class or race, others will change marginally and offer up new options or path through depending on your traits or quests you have completed before.”
An encounter with a dragon called Fafnir can be achieved via more than one quest, but players will have to play Runemaster multiple times to see them all play out.
Andersson also explains that the title will aim to entertain players while also educating them and delivering an experience that’s captivating enough to be undergone more than once.
The role playing and tactics mix represent a departure from the traditional formula that Paradox Interactive has used for its titles.
Runemaster will be offered on the PC, and the development team has not announced any plans to deliver it on the Xbox One, the PlayStation 4 or the current generation of consoles.
The company is at the moment working on the Rajas of India expansion for Crusader Kings II, the Wealth of Nations content for Europa Universalis IV, both of which will be offered before spring is done.
In 2014 fans will also be able to get access to a new installment in the Hearts of Iron franchise.