Interview: Track 7’s Demetris Papadopoulos on Theseis
Set in Greece, Theseis features the exploits of Andronicos and Pheve as they try to uncover the truth behind the disappearance of their stepfather. The game combines the realms of the natural and supernatural as brother and sister join forces to put to rest the struggle between good and evil that his disappearance brings about.
We recently had the chance to chat with Track 7‘s Demetris Papadopoulos, product manager for Theseis, about their upcoming game. In the interview, we were given a peek as to what to expect for the PC version, as well as some hints as to what gamers might see in the future 360 version. More importantly, he gave us a glimpse of Greece, past and present, and that’s something many adventurers, perhaps even Andronicos and Pheve’s father, would have been willing to give their lives for.
The Full Interview after the jump!
Set in Greece, Theseis features the exploits of Andronicos and Pheve as they try to uncover the truth behind the disappearance of their stepfather. The game combines the realms of the natural and supernatural as brother and sister join forces to put to rest the struggle between good and evil that his disappearance brings about.
We recently had the chance to chat with Track 7‘s Demetris Papadopoulos, product manager for Theseis, about their upcoming game. In the interview, we were given a peek as to what to expect from the PC version, as well as some hints as to what gamers might see in the future 360 version. More importantly, he gave us a glimpse of Greece, past and present, and that’s something many adventurers, perhaps even Andronicos and Pheve’s father, would have been willing to give their lives for.
What made you decide on the adventure game genre?
In the beginning the development team (that was working from their own apartments) had an idea for a game which would have been a 2d type game, something like Siberia. However, due to the talent that exists in the team, they decided to build an engine from scratch and turned out that 3d game looked a lot better, and here is where they saw the potential of making a high budget AAA 3d action/adventure game, which is a little more easy to make rather than other types of genres.
The idea just fell on the table, so the owner of Track7 Inc., whoÂ’s shown confidence in this idea, created a full working studio/company in order to make the team’s dream come true.
There seems to be a recent resurgence of adventure titles in the past couple of years, with games like Dreamfall: The Longest Journey and Indigo Prophecy receiving a fair amount of acclaim for reinvigorating the genre. What is it that Theseis offers to make itself unique?
We have a very interesting scenario which includes, mythological creatures, magic, and jaw-dropping graphics. Our game play is based on a hybrid action/adventure in which magic and reality meet in order for our heroes to get through different types of situations.
We have a very unique and innovative inventory system. This inventory system will be in full 3d, and you will be able to manipulate objects in this inventory to solve or find clues. For example you will be able to take an object, look at it from each different angle and combine it with other objects if needed. Basically itÂ’s like holding it in your hands. We havenÂ’t seen that in any other games.
Will players actually be reliving ancient myths as the main character instead of simply encountering and reading about them in the game?
Yes, characters will be reliving ancient myths. Let me be more specific about this subject since itÂ’s a very thin one. There are a lot of myths surrounding the Greek culture. Many different stories have been around each different myth. We took those stories, and we incorporated it with our scenario. Basically we chose the version which is closer to our scenarioÂ’s story line in order to make it more believable. So you’re getting as close to the truth as possible.
We have many mythological creatures and characters in the game. Some we canÂ’t reveal as of now. What you have seen till now is just some of them in full 3D and in game, is the Minotaur.
However, donÂ’t think he is our central character in the game. We just thought he is one of our many impressive characters which we felt we should share with our fans. He is the easiest to spot out and recognize when it comes to Myths. History buffs will see the rest and will recognize them for sure.
Even the locations are as close to the real ones. You will notice, for example, the resemblance of Monastiraki in Athens. The game will be based in different famous locations in Greece as well. Our development team has been to these locations to use reference. WeÂ’re in Greece after all.
Just how important is story to Theseis? Can you give us an overview of the game’s plot? How does the story unfold?
Well the story starts in the heart of Athens in Monastiraki (our offices are found there as well) at Andronicos’ office. The story begins with a call from Pheve, informing him of some bad news that their stepfather Costas Kalogirou, is not only missing but presumed dead as well, and so Andronicos begins his journey to search and discover. Gathering or collecting clues that he must follow to unveil the mystery behind his stepfather’s disappearance or death, and where the meaning of “Theseis” will be revealed as the story unfolds. I canÂ’t say more! You will need to play the game in order to find out what Theseis means.
Another typical level is some region in Greece, where ancient temples or cities existed, the remnants of the past are obvious everywhere. You have to find your way through the levels using special features and magic abilities that the characters have to solve situations. Indoor levels are more of riddles and mechanisms you have to put in motion or use to your advantage.
What sorts of gameplay mechanics are you implementing?
Sneaking, crouching, acrobatics, running, swimming, the ability to use a sixth sense which is obtained after a certain level in the game. This has to do with the past of Theseis. You will see characteristics from many different games: Tomb Raider, Broken Sword, Splinter Cell, Prey.
Are Pheve and Costas both playable? If so, How will the game mechanics amongst the playable characters differ? What will set Pheve apart from Andronicos, for example?
Yes both Pheve and Andronicos are playable. Costas is the Stepfather that is found dead in the beginning of the game, so he wonÂ’t be a playable character. Let me explain who Pheve and Andronicos are.
Andronicos – a man of strong convictions and cynical wit, has spent most of his adult life trying to erase the pretenses of his childhood. Raised as an orphan from a man obsessed with the supernatural and the ‘’lost glory of the past’’, Andronicos came to question everything around him. His search for truth and scientific evidence irrevocably led him to a collision course with his foster parent that resulted in spectacular fights and the eventual break up of all contact between the two when he abandoned the family home. Ever since, Andronicos has charted his own course, investigating rumors and strange sightings as an independent researcher. From his small, crammed office-home in Monastiraki, he has travelled all over Greece in search of the fantastic, only to discover fraud and ignorance under every case he investigated. Bittered and disappointed, he has given up on the daydreams of his youth and taken on a new quest: to prove that there is no such thing as the supernatural.
Pheve was raised alongside Andronicos, a fellow orphan adopted by Costas Kalogirou and she too proved to be strong willed and quick- witted, but all resemblance between her and her step-brother ends here. While Andronicos was questioning everything he encountered, Pheve fully embraced this ocean of folk-lore and Myth. She considered (and still does) that the supernatural is perhaps more real than reality itself and we only need to look at it with open eyes to realize it. When Andronicos stormed out of the family house, Pheve stayed behind under the tuition of her parent and grew up to be one of the best self-educated experts in the paranormal and classical antiquity. The disappearance of her step-father found her traveling all over the countryside, collecting peculiar sightings and strange stories, a task which she immediately abandoned to rush back to her home.
So there will be differences on how they see things in the game. How they will solve the clues and the ability to use the magic I talked about earlier.
How is development of the 360 version of Theseis coming along?
Well, itÂ’s fine, however as soon as we complete our talks with our potential publishers, we are currently working on the PC version as of now, with the use of the Xbox 360 controller we are already programming what the moves and buttons will look like on the Xbox 360. We really want to get the right feeling from the controller so we can be ready for porting on Xbox 360.
We will have achievements, we are already thinking about that, and some other stuff that hasnÂ’t been decided on. So as you can see, we are working on the PC version, with a lot of thought on the Xbox 360 version. We will try and give the Xbox 360 users something different. We hope we achieve it.
Will Theseis have any Live functionality? Can you give us an idea of the kinds of Achievements gamers will be playing for?
Well as mentioned, since we are already thinking about this, achievements will be based on the puzzle solving mostly. Also, the game will include secrets, finding those will also give you that bubble “Achievement Unlocked.” It wonÂ’t be achievements based on finishing up a level, since our game doesnÂ’t depend on finishing up a level. It seems to be one big continuous game, that I think fans will love.
How different will the PC and 360 versions of Theseis be from one another, especially with regards to game play, control and graphical finish?
They wonÂ’t be that different, Theseis already looks outstanding from the PC version, and with the use of the latest graphic cards. Since we havenÂ’t made it for the 360 as of yet, we canÂ’t really answer this. But we really think itÂ’s going to blow peoples minds in regards to the environments, scenery and graphical details.
It is a fact that the team has a thing with quality and details. They really focus on areas where you wouldnÂ’t even think of looking at. I believe giving quality is very important together with game play, which we believe is very important as well. Overall the game is very atmospheric and moody at times with a little touch of humor as well.
In regards to controls, the PC and Xbox360 are different due to the fact that in the PC version, the gamer usually will use the mouse and keyboard. So of course they will feel different than using a controller. For the Xbox360 fans, not to worry, since some of our development guys love playing their Xbox360, and have a right feel for how the controller setup should be like.
I would also like to point out to our readers that , whatever game play videos they have seen on the web, were in the game’s pre-alpha phase. Animations seemed choppy, all these have been fixed. We have received many posts regarding our animations. We worked on those, we made them more fluid and realistic as possible. It’s looking good!
Can you give us an idea of the system requirements for Theseis on PC?
At the moment the current minimum requirements are: ATI Radeon 9500, and nVidia series 5 cards, basically any graphic card that supports pixel shaders 2.0.
Do you have an estimate for how long the game will be on a first play through?
This question really depends on the gamer as well. As of now, we canÂ’t really answer this, since we donÂ’t have the full game at hand. Soon we will be able to answer this. All I can say is that the game will be 20 levels long.
Are you looking at Theseis as the beginning of a franchise?
It could be! It all depends on the success of Theseis.
When can players expect to dig into Theseis?
We are really hoping for the end of 2007. But this depends on our publisher which we are hoping to settle the negotiations by the end of April.
Can you clear up that whole mis-understanding from last year about the PlayStation 3 version of Theseis? Was it ever in production and then canned, or did it simply never get past the planning stages?
Regarding the PS3 land’s article, it was a misunderstanding between PS3 land and Track 7 games. We never stated we were going to develop for PS3 in the first place.
What’s next for Track 7 Games after Theseis? Will you be moving to something new? Are you looking at developing solely for the 360 and PC or are you considering the PS3 and Wii?
Well we are already thinking of our next game. We are hoping itÂ’s going to be an FPS. Nothing has been decided as of yet. We have many ideas, we are eager to create more games, we love what we are doing, and we feel proud that we are currently the only major developing company in Greece, and using big talents from Greece.
Usually, they leave the country to find a job in the Gaming industry, elsewhere. We are using our company as a reason for them not to leave their country but help this country make some good games. We believe that we are pioneers at this, and we want others in Greece to follow suit. Its amazing from the amount of emails we are getting from the Greek fans themselves. It seems that the game is connected to patriotism for themÂ… and due to this we feel very proud. In regards to making games for other systems. Yes why not. The more the better.
Thanks so much for your time!