Demigod Interview

01 Mar 2009 at 18:28:08 by

One of IncGamers' most anticipated RTS games of 2009 is upcoming Stardock title, Demigod.

Stardock are no strangers to RTS games, with Sins of a Solar Empire giving RTS fans a depth of gameplay they hadn't expected.

Speaking to Brad Wardell, executive producer of Demigod, we find out what players can expect.

An exciting title for strategists and RPG players alike.  I think the first thing to ask is whether or not the Demigods will be based on actual mythical creatures, or are you creating your own gods for the purpose of this game?

Demigod has its own rich mythological background that has been developed. In essence, one of the gods has been cast down for interfering in a larger conflict in the mortal realm. The gods have convened and decided that one of the offspring of this fallen god should inherit his place. To find out which of these demigods is most worthy of ascending to the pantheon.

How many types of Demigods will you be able to choose from?

Initially we plan to provide eight with additional Demigods arriving over the course of the year. Each Demigod is akin to a race or faction you would see in a traditional RTS. These Demigods have their own powers, some have their own minions and troops, etc.

While eight is a lot of different Demigods to choose from, we think players will quickly get the hang of them and then we can gradually add to them.

How is the story incorporated?  Is it an original IP or is it based on a story from somewhere else (historical or not)?

It’s an original concept.  Since it’s an action strategy game first, the story isn’t quite as central to the game as much as the game mechanics are. The RPG side of the game is more along the lines of Diablo or Dungeon Siege in terms of building up your character (the Demigod) but there isn’t some sort of quest or anything as the game revolves around battling in the arenas.

One of the biggest features of this game is the RPG elements.  How much will RPG play a part in progression of the game, and will there be a deep RPG tree to follow, can it change the characteristics oor will mt have ertoifolìtw,acana bearing in another way?

The RPG elements don’t involve the story too much. The story explains where these Demigods came from and the origin of their great powers, but we want to focus players on the game play.

RTS games are best played online, no doubt about that.  How many people will you be able to challenge and what game modes are there for multiplayer games?

Indeed. Demigod does include a pretty outstanding single player component with strikingly good computer AI.  But in the long-run, the Pantheon (the persistent on-line world) is where most of the action will take place.

Online, players can play in either skirmish mode or on the Pantheon where they choose a side and can take part in trying to help their side ascend.

Once they are in the arena, there are many different game modes ranging from conquest (destroy the opponent’s Citadel) to slaughter (first to kill a certain number of Demigods is victorious) along with several other modes.

How long is the single player campaign (in hours and on average)?

The single player campaign has been designed as a tournament.  In most RTS’s, the “campaign” is effectively just a series of scenarios tied together.

One of our objections to the traditional campaign is that it has very limited replayability and is often just a set up for “training” users to go on-line.

So instead, we’ve designed the first (to our knowledge) RTS single player tournament where players take on AI players in a quest to ascend.  They play a certain number of arena matches in order to gain favor points. The player that wins the most favor points ascends.

What’s nice about this is that players can then go back and replay this with all kinds of different settings. 

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