Online Gaming Review interviews Jane Jensen
Conducted by Doug Radcliffe - August 1997
When gamers think of classic adventure games, it wouldn't be surprising to find many of them thinking of the Gabriel Knight series from Sierra. Mixing traditional adventure gameplay with some of the finest stories you'll ever find in interactive fiction, the Gabriel Knight series has become one of Sierra's headliner titles. With each adventure, the series has supplied something new. The first game, titled Sins of the Father, was a compelling adventure filled with unique characters, crafty puzzles and some of the best voice acting ever in a computer game (the game was in low-res). The second adventure, titled The Beast Within, introduced full-motion video into the series. While most games don't mix well with that dreaded FMV, Gabriel Knight 2 is arguably the best use of the medium ever. The acting was excellent and the full-motion video gave the characters a more intimate appeal. If there was a flaw, it was that the full-motion video was quite limiting to the puzzle design and interactivity.
Well, what's up next? On August 15th, Sierra debuted the Gabriel Knight 3 web site. The third game in the series, titled Blood of the Sacred, Blood of the Damned will again offer something new to the adventure game players. Gone is full-motion video; enter an amazing 3D engine, allowing for more interactivity and more freedom of movement. The story begins when Gabriel is invited for a weekend at the home of a dethroned Prince (naturally, Grace tags along). When they arrive, they realize the Prince's motivation for inviting Gabriel was not a social one; the Prince is concerned about the safety of his new born son. Unfortunately, the Prince had reason to be concerned. Soon after Gabriel arrives, the infant boy is kidnapped. Gabriel gives chase and eventually winds up in a small village - not your ordinary village mind you. Something is definitely unusual about this place. And even more strange, there seems to be a connection between the Prince's problems and the mystery of the ancient little village. While Gabriel investigates the kidnapping suspects, Grace attempts to solve the enigma surrounding the town and the Prince.
GK3 will use a brand new 3D engine, custom-built for the Gabriel Knight series, called the G-Engine. Here is what Sierra had to say about it: "The G-Engine is a cutting edge, 3D engine custom-built for the Gabriel Knight series. It allows you to interact with intelligent, lifelike characters, who have fluid animations as never before seen in a real-time game. The lushly detailed backgrounds will look as if they are pre-rendered - you won't see the pixelating which is so prevalent in games today. G-Engine takes full advantage of 3D hardware and higher-end computer capabilities. But the engine is also fully scalable - so if you don't have all the latest gadgets, you'll still experience a world like no other." What the G-Engine will offer adventure players is freedom of movement, more interactivity than in previous GK games (particularly The Beast Within), more interaction between characters and more complex puzzles. It'll be a long wait for Gabriel Knight fans though; Gabriel Knight 3: Blood of the Sacred, Blood of the Damned isn't due until Summer 1998. Keep your eyes posted here at OGR.COM for more information as this title nears release.
OGR: Now that Gabriel Knight III has been announced and will be ready next year, when you look back on the two previous games, which one was your favorite and why?
Jane Jensen: They're so different, it's hard to say. GK1 is the origin story for the character, so in that sense it's very unique. But I think GK2 had much better technology and I felt more confident in my writing as well.
OGR: There's been a lot of talk about Sierra moving away from full-motion video. How did this change your ideas about GK3? Would you have moved away from full-motion video anyhow?
Jane Jensen: I think I would have moved away from it once I saw what I've seen lately - which is that if you go to conferences or trade shows like E3 you see NO full-motion video. The industry has really reacted against it BECAUSE of the fact that it is so limited on interactivity compared to 3D. No designer wants to kill themselves for 2 years on a product only to have everyone snub it because technology is old. So I think Sierra saw the writing on the wall and I'm glad they were able to convince me as well.
OGR: The actor who portrayed Gabriel Knight II in "The Beast Within" was superb in my opinion. Since GK3 is not full-motion video, do you have any plans to use him for the voice-over?
Jane Jensen: We have not made casting decisions yet but I thought Dean was great in GK2 and he'll definitely be an option if he's available.
OGR: Tell us a little about GK3's new 3D graphics engine. How will it be a more effective adventure gaming environment than the full-motion video GK2?
Jane Jensen: It is more effective - *much* more from a point of view of interactivity. You'll be in environments like a traditional adventure game (hotel, etc.) but instead of being locked into static shots of the 'room', you'll be able to move the camera freely at any time. Games have done this before, of course, but usually they have been 1st person with video overlays or blocky 'monster' characters. In our case, we're doing a kind of 1st-3rd person hybrid, which means you'll see your character on screen but still be able to fly the camera around (like first-person) as desired. For me the best part of this is being able to fly the camera during story and dialogue scenes and being able to get right up close to the characters and change your angle on them while a scene's going on. It's like being a director and it makes the scenes feel less 'non-interactive'. Overall, 3D lends more of a feeling of *emersion* which is key for story-telling.
OGR: In GK3, will players once again split time between Grace and Gabriel? How will the two experiences differ?
Jane Jensen: Yes. But in GK3, Grace's sections are more puzzle/problem oriented than Gabriel's traditional 'investigation' game play.
OGR: What do you see as the future of the adventure genre and the Gabriel Knight series?
Jane Jensen: I don't know. In my ideal world we are all headed towards a virtual reality model. I think there'll be room for story again in this industry when we can achieve virtual reality - when you can actually BE in an action or thriller 'film' or play the hero. People will eventually get tired of shooting things in this kind of a complex environment and want something more interesting to move them. As to how long it takes us to get there and whether GK will still be around for it or not, it's hard to say. I suppose everything between now and then will be baby steps in that direction. I think GK3 is a move in that direction.
OGR: Since GK3 uses a new 3D engine, are there plans to support 3D acceleration hardware?
Jane Jensen: Yes.
OGR: Oh, I've been asked this question many times by adventure fans. Is Gabriel Knight still a werewolf?
Jane Jensen: Er... No. Go play the end of GK2!
OGR: One of my favorite aspects of GK2 was its emotional and well directed cinematic movies before and after each Chapter. Since you've moved away from full-motion video, do you still plan to incorporate similar scenes into Gabriel Knight 3: Blood of the Sacred, Blood of the Damned?
Jane Jensen: Absolutely. I don't see how we could do a GK without them. In GK3 the 'big' ones are more concentrated towards the end, though. That's just the way the story worked out.
OGR: What were your inspirations for Blood of the Sacred, Blood of the Damned's storyline?
Jane Jensen: The story involves a complex real-life mystery. I first read about it about a year and a half ago and was fascinated but didn't think about it as a topic to write about. Then last Thanksgiving I picked up a new book on the subject and was swept away. I knew then that it would fit in perfectly with a few ideas I had for GK3 and it provided me with the 'meat' of my story. I hope people will find it as interesting as I do.
OGR: What do you feel are some of the key ingredients to a challenging and involving adventure game experience?
Jane Jensen: Great characters. Even video game designers I've met agree about this one (take, for example, Mario). A feeling of mystery that is set-up right away and continues. You have to give people a reason to want to go on - just like any page turner. Lots of things to do and responses to get - even if they're just voice-over responses. Great visuals and sound (I have to rely on the team for this one). Great acting (voice-over or live). Interesting and unique puzzles (boy is that tough - it seems everything's been done). And then, ideally, a satisfying story that not only makes the player want to continue, but that gives them a sense of pleasure as they go along and a sense that they're not just wasting their time but actually getting something meaningful in return for their investment - something that will stick with them emotionally and perhaps even intellectually.
OGR: What will GK3's new 3D engine allow you to do that full-motion video couldn't?
Jane Jensen: Basically provide much greater emersion and freedom of movement for the player. I think it will feel less like your going through a pre-programmed script and more like you're in a world where things happen around you and where action is *your* responsibility. It also provides some unique new puzzle opportunities which is important since adventure game puzzles can get stale. Players will have to be on their toes.
OGR: What inspired the GK series in general? How did you create the character of Gabriel Knight?
Jane Jensen: Gabriel himself was mainly inspired by the more adult comic books and graphic novels like Sandman and Hellblazer from Vertigo. Those comics and others like them juxtapose 'hip' modern characters against folklorish legends and adversaries and I wanted to do the same. The idea first began as an idea for a mystery novel series before I went to Sierra. I wanted to write a mystery series but I wanted to write about the occult, too, so I thought I'd do an 'occult mystery' series. Originally my protagonist was going to be a parapsychologist with a troubled childhood, but as I began on GK1 to settle on the voodoo/witchcraft/New Orleans plot, I got the idea of a family line that was descended from Inquisitors and was still 'operating' against the supernatural today (albeit secretly). Thus the 'Schattenjägers' were born.
OGR: Any plans for any romance between the two main characters, Grace and Gabriel?
Jane Jensen: Can't tell! I will say, however, that I'm very much against formula in any fashion. It's not my intention to try to keep a 'sexual tension' ball in the air through fifty-billion episodes the way something like 'Who's the Boss' or 'the Nanny' does. Even 'Moonlighting' got ridiculous, but those producers eventually realized the truth - if you have *real* characters they're not going to go on like that forever. Someone will get frustrated and do *something* one way or the other. The longer you string it out the more you undermine the believability of your characters. To me Gabriel and Grace are 'real' (okay, yes, I know they're not!) and I will treat their responses as such not as formulaic devices.
OGR: Any final thoughts?
Jane Jensen: GK3 is going to be very different from GK2. We don't have a lot up and running yet, but we have enough for me to get a feeling for it. My instinctual response is that I am sad to lose the live actors from GK2 - and I think players (or, at least, GK2 fans) will be, too. You get quite attached. But the return on the other end with the new technology is so great it far outweighs this quibble. GK3 will be much more of a world to explore and story to get lost in than GK1 or 2 because of the intimacy with the environment that 3D provides. It will also, I think, not feel 'stale' like many recent 2D adventure games have to me. That kind of thing has just been done to death. This is definitely something new. We have a great team and the art will be up to cutting edge standards for real time - both backgrounds and characters. I hope we can make GK3 a stellar addition to the Gabriel line-up.
OGR: Thanks again for your time and keep us posted about the progress of Gabriel Knight 3!
Last update: October 30, 2007
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