1. To start things off, why don’t introduce us to the developing team and tell us something about your future plans too?
Burut CT was founded in October 1999. Initially we developed educational software and multimedia encyclopedia. When the employees became the well-coordinated team, we decided to take our chance in game developing. The first project- fantasy RPG “Heath”- proved to be a success. It was released in March 2001 and brought us some precious experience and the reputation in game industry. Now we develop two different projects: FPS Kreed and GoldenLand. As for the plans for the future—we’re going to develop quality,thrilling games.
2. Can you reveal us why did you decide to develop a role playing game?
RPG development allows to create one’s own World, populate it with unique creatures and let it live its own life. Besides, already after “Heath” had been developed, we had plenty of new ideas we wanted to bring to life, though we hadn’t had the opportunity to use them in “Heath”. Among them was the general concept of the main character model, regarding his basic parameters, his interaction with the World, creation of magic forces system, present in the World and affecting all the events; also dialogues, weapons, tactics and so on.
3. Have you drawn any inspiration for the development of GoldenLand from some title in particular or instead have tried to implement ideas that you had already?
Above all we try to bring to life our own ideas mentioned before answering previous question. At the same time we tend not to reject environments, common and familiar to gamers, introduced in other games. Probably the main goal we want to achieve is to let a player fully enjoy the gameplay not bothering himself which of the ideas of the developers allows him to feel himself living in the World.
4. Can you tell us something about GoldenLand?
Firstly, some words about the plot. “Heath” introduced before, ends with victory of good over evil, but the victory isn’t easy and evil only falls asleep for a while…
…People began to forget the horror of the past. The Great Heroes once beaten the incarnation of Drakh-Shoo, were canonized, their deeds deified and the Heroes cult took people’s minds and souls. It seemed nothing could ever worry the peace of GoldenLand, and years of quiet and prosperity followed the fall pf Drakh-Shoo, made people think that kind of living would last ever. But after 300 years the undead crawled out of their lairs and flooded the valley, and hanger, diseases and wars again harvested their bloody crops. And it was only the Supreme Priest of the Heroes Cult, who was aware that exactly the same events predicted 300 years before the soon coming of horrible Drakh-Shoo. He also new that no one could change the situation to good but for one man—the great warlock and ancient sorcerer—Shurba-Khal. And so he summoned the great council, were with the six Great priests elected three acolytes, able according to the council’s opinion to change the situation to good. These three were Seager, Gartranger and Taciturn. Each of them was good at some skills: Seager was the best warrior, Gartranger was a mighty sorcerer and Taciturn was an experienced pathfinder. The day after these heroes set their feet to search Shurba-Khal. That was the will of Kotar —the greatest among the Great Priests—and the Council obeyed. But things turned to be more difficult—the gods gave the Supreme Priest a prompt: it could be useful to assign the mission to one more man, unknown acolyte of The Heroes Cult Temple. And so begins the quest of the main character, who is to save or absolutely destroy the World…
The GoldenLand world homes four different countries with unique climate, inhabitants and fauna. GoldenLand is a country with the pleasant mild climate and fertile soil, a country of rich and free people, a country originating the main character. Marvia is the second country where the character finds himself. The country incarnates the most interesting features of the east—unexpected events, mysterious intrigues and interesting meetings. Turbern is a mountainous country, the home for severe barbarians and gloomy dwarves who prefer to use mechanics instead of magic. Alberia is a cold country of unfriendly northern amazons, a country poorly discovered and fool of mysteries. The World has advanced magic, recently split into six schools, each having lots of followers. According to a legend, a man who is able to master all the schools will become godlike and will be able to unite all four countries into one. Besides the human race, the World’s populated with various creatures—wolves and hydras, living in moist environment, strange rooirri and slow moving living trees and also with various hapless result of experiments of beginner mages. That is the World like, not much cheerful from the first sight, the World where the main character is to settle the fighting of good and evil.
5. Will we be able to explore immediately all the game’s world or instead will we have to activate any location by taking some quest or by progressing though the plot?
The game World will constitute different locations, making the complex system with the help of plot points. Some locations will be constantly available; others will be useful only after the main character has done some definite things. We try to decrease the number of locations needful only accomplishing a quest, make the GoldenLand World more similar to the real world…
6. What kind of plot will we have to deal with? Will be there multiple ends?
The plot is made so that a player could have a maximum free choice of actions, so that everyone could show their own abilities and a manner of playing. Naturally, according to this scheme of plot we allow a player to make a choice between the Light and the Darkness, to decide whether to liberate the World from the power of the Darkness or join them, or take a different way…- in short the game doesn’t have a definite ending.
7. How’s managed character’s level advancement?
Role system presupposes the character’s advancement from level to level providing that the experience points system remains, what actually gives the character possibilities to change the way of advancement.
8. Will we be able to create an entire party?
In the beginning there’s a possibility to set up basic parameters only for the main character, but with the game advancement you can recruit up to six companions. Some of them will join you to fight for ideals, others will be just mercenaries, so there will be some choice. The game also provides a wide variety of interaction of the character and his party: you can change and distribute items between them, dictate their behavior or even row with them.
9. Will be there a deep plot and a great amount of character-interaction, or the game is going to be more action-oriented?
The gameplay is made so that both, a diplomatic player, preferring to negotiate, and a classic fighter, considering a good smack to be the best way to settle an argument, could be satisfied. Actually, the game can be finished without a single kill or with getting everyone met dead.
10. What about dialogue-structure? Will be there multiple choices for the answer? In what manner will these answers affect the game play?
The game dialogues are mostly varied and lead to different ways. Generally, they are built so that a player could feel his interlocutor as a living person. A lot of things in the gameplay depend upon his behavior towards this or that NPC, but NPC’s behavior also depends upon a player, his actions in the past, his reputation and gossip about him…
11. Will conversations be only written, or perhaps also spoken ones?
We’re going to sound most of the dialogues, except for the least significant.
12. Will be there any kind of multiplayer-mode? What about the possibility to live the entire game’s plot again, with our friends on the internet?
Yes, we’re planning to make a multiplayer-mode but the aspects of that are not defined properly at present, so it’s too early to give a definite answer about multiplayer game plot advancement.
13. Spell graphical effects and other special effects are going to use any of the new technologies?
We don’t want to oblige users to utilize some particular hardware: we think a game of that genre could run all right with the abilities of standard hardware, especially if some personal achievement are used.
14. In what state of development are you right now?
How we’re working over details of role system development, game locations and other resources, checking some new ideas that appear through the work process.
15. Will you publish GoldenLand in Italy?
We count upon the worldwide release, but that’s the business of our Russian publisher and agent—company Russobit-M.
