Avernum 4 Wrap Report

Areas for Improvement

My primary disappointment in Avernum 4 is that there are not enough plot elements and cool, scripted encounters. It's a very combat- and action-heavy game, but I think there are stretches that go on too long without something weird and wild happening in the story.

Probably the most fun I had creating Avernum 4 was just indulging my evil side and seeing what funky thing I could come up with next.

A lot of the reason for this is that my design energy was going toward making a huge world to explore. There are TONS of non-plot related stuff. Another reason was that I was still unfamiliar with the engine, and it took me a while to get up to speed. Avernum 5 will be a very different game.

Also, there just wasn't enough time to make as many graphics as I wanted. Linda did a terrific job making them, but there are only so many hours in the week. Avernum 5 will have a much better selection.

Audience Response

Avernum 4 has been an enormous success for us. I'm not sure we've ever had a game that sold so fast. It is very satisfying to me. We worked very hard for a long time, and we have been rewarded. Real life should work that way.

Though sales have been fantastic, there is a part of my fanbase that isn't entirely happy with the game. It has much more emphasis on action and exploration, and less on dialogue and intricate plot. For the people who love my games because of the storyline and writing, Avernum 4 was sort of jarring. The Geneforge games are much more to their speed.

But I like to write all different sorts of games. Sometimes, I like action. Big, elaborate, complex battles are a lot of fun! And now that the carnage is out of my system, our next game, Geneforge 4, will have a much more intricate storyline.

What press coverage we've gotten has been quite positive. We're small, so we don't get a lot of reviews, but the ones we have gotten have been very kind.

Personal Thoughts

One of the curses afflicting Avernum is that the largest cities have been invaded by enormous, devastatingly powerful shades. They flit from city to city, and their presence affects the minds of the citizens. People that might normally help you become distant, paranoid or even violent. The shades are definitely my favorite part of the game.

I'm also very pleased with the way the encounters turned out. The scripting engine enabled me to give them a lot of variety. For example, one undead wizard is surrounded by crystals. Normally, he is immune to damage. But, if a crystal is destroyed, it becomes vulnerable to a certain sort of damage for a short time. Then, it recreates the crystal. This, combined with its spells and other abilities, makes for a really crazy encounter. And this is just one of dozens.

Probably the most fun I had creating Avernum 4 was just indulging my evil side and seeing what funky thing I could come up with next.

Jeff Vogel

Designer, Avernum 4

Spiderweb Software

[Wrap Reports are intended to complement reviews by providing a post-release viewpoint that often isn't seen, the developer's. Since introducing this format in November of 2003, it has been our pleasure to publish quite a few, primarily within the RPG and online world categories, with selected action and strategy games also represented. A complete list of the previous ones may be found on the next page. - Ed.]