Now, Sacred 2: Fallen Angel is on the horizon for the PC and Xbox 360, and set for release later this year, the game seems to be coming along nicely, expanding on the world created in the original and adding in a truckload of new features including a complete overhaul of the graphics. We've been allowed an inside peek on the progress of the game in the form of several Developer Diaries straight from Ascaron Entertainment, with plenty of new and interesting information on the title being revealed to us. This is only the first of what will be many Developer Diaries on Sacred 2: Fallen Angel over the coming days and weeks, so keep checking back for more details soon!
To kick things off, as part of Studio II's team (Ascaron Entertainment) Daniel Balster currently works on Sacred 2 – Fallen Angel and is responsible for the quest system.
"Hi, my name is Daniel Balster, and I'm part of the Sacred 2 - Fallen Angel team. Among other things, I'm in charge of coding the quest system. Before moving to Aachen to join Studio II, I was based in Gütersloh for seven years. I've been coding for computers and video game consoles for more than twenty years now - I think I'm getting old...
"Sacred 2's deep story with its many quests required a new and innovative approach, because, usually, every single mission is coded individually. So we developed a quest editor, enabling several people to work with the same database simultaneously. Thanks to the editor level designers may place characters and items on the map, enter dialogues in several languages, define mission parameters and link quests with each other. And since you just click stuff with your mouse and don't code anything, you can't make any coding errors...
"To me, the best thing about my task is the fact that the quest system combines the work of all my colleagues. The level designers' great scenery, the modelers' cool 3D objects, the extremely complex game logic and, of course, the exciting story - the quest system requires all of that, and so I'm always the first to see and play Sacred 2! I add my colleagues' finished components, code some modifications here and there, remove bugs and develop missing program parts, which may be not as "popular", but have to be coded nevertheless. Algorithms, debugging, coding graphics, logic, network, web server and databases for Windows, Linux and console - a challenging mix of technologies, but, after all, that's what makes it all so special!
"I'm currently working on the inventory and equipment system. After all, everything the player finds and collects in quests or loots from enemies has to be managed. Which items may players equip, and how? What about equipping two-handed weapons along with a torch? How do we handle healing potions, weapons, shields, armors etc.? And, of course, everything has to be cheat-safe and network compatible."
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Keep an eye out later this week for detailed information from Daniel Balster on how the quests are created and placed into the game, along with plenty of other information on Sacred 2.
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