3D News interviews Jane Jensen
Conducted by 3D Rage - July 1999
3Drage: What kind of game is Gabriel Knight III?
Jane Jensen: It's a real-time 3D adventure game with a storyline that's a supernatural mystery, like the other two in the series.
3Drage: Can you give us some info on the story line?
Jane Jensen: It involves a real-life mystery in a tiny village in the south of France called Rennes-le-Château. The mystery has to do with lost treasure, the Templars, Freemasons, and royal bloodlines. Oh, and there's vampires in the game, too!
3Drage: What is the biggest difference between Gabriel Knight III and the previous games?
Jane Jensen: It's a real-time 3D adventure game with a storyline that's a supernatural mystery, like the other two in the series.
3Drage: Can you give me some of the features that the 3D engine will boast?
Jane Jensen:
- Highly detailed Real-time rendered 3D environments.
- High poly count characters (over 1000 characters each).
- Player controlled camera for 3D exploration.
- Artificial emotions and lip synchs.
- Realistic lighting changes as time passes.
3Drage: What sets Gabriel Knight III apart from other adventure games?
Jane Jensen: Well, we've always been noticed for the depth of story line and characterization. This is not a game with a simple, framing story - it's a true mystery. Our fans really get into the subject matter. Some have even gone to visit locations in the game - such as castles in Bavaria or New Orleans. Also, I think since I'm the writer and game designer, the puzzles tend to be better integrated into the storyline and people seem to find the game play to have a nice level of complexity and challenge without being frustrating.
3Drage: I have heard that Gabriel Knight III will utilize post-rendered 3D. Can you give us the benefits of this as well as some basic info and how this differs from other adventure games?
Jane Jensen: Is post-rendered 3D the same thing as real-time 3D? I guess so. Well, in GK3 we have real-time rendered 3D which means that it is rendered on the fly. Most adventure games to date have been 2D. That is, you play in 2D even if the environments were created in 3D - you only get static shots of a room. But in GK3 you can fly the camera all around the room at will - looking under desks, etc. You have a lot more interactivity with the environment.
3Drage: Name some of the characters in Gabriel Knight III and the roles they play.
Jane Jensen: Tim Curry is playing Gabriel Knight - he's the main detective, obviously. In the first Gabriel Knight game, he was a horror writer living in New Orleans who discovered that his family was descended from a line of Inquisitor types called "Shadow Hunters" or Schattenjägers. So he is now investigating supernatural cases. His assistant is Grace Nakimura (played by Charity James). She's a wise-cracking New Yorker, a Japanese-American and she does all the serious research on the cases. Also in GK1 and GK3 is Detective Mosely from the New Orleans Police Department, an old friend of Gabriel's. In GK3 the main suspects is a group of tourists and a handful of locales in the area of Rennes-le-Château.
3Drage: Describe our main character Gabriel Knight and his past.
Jane Jensen: As I mentioned above, he's a "shadow hunter". But as a character, Gabriel is an aging lady killer - charming, sharp-tongued, and funny. He's got a kind of mortal fear of commitment. He's played smooooth by Tim Curry.
3Drage: Because Gabriel Knight III is an adventure game with a compelling story, I assume that it will have extremely linear gameplay, am I wrong (I hope so)?
Jane Jensen: Yes and no. The game design is structured differently this time around. We have a 'timeblock' structure - there are 17 timeblocks. Each timeblock, you have a certain number of things you *have* to do to move the time block forward. These things all revolve around the main storyline - that of finding the treasure of Rennes-le-château. and the missing baby. But there are also lots of things to do within a time block that are optional. Once the timeblock moves forward, you've just missed. So how much you find out about all the red herrings and other characters in the game is up to the player. There's a large 'denouement' scene towards the end where it branches all over the place based on what you've learned.
3Drage: Will you get to control more than one character?
Jane Jensen: You play as both Gabriel and Grace.
3Drage: How will combat and actions be handled?
Jane Jensen: There're quite a few more logic kinds of puzzles - a bit arcady, but more brain teasers than wrist-jerkers. There is a bit of combat in the very end game, but it's more timing oriented.
3Drage: Name some of the enemies and creatures that we will encounter?
Jane Jensen: Creatures? Well, most of the characters in the game are human - it's a mystery, not a high fantasy game. But there are some 'special guests', shall we say, that are more unusual. The 'vampires' of the game are a unique hybrid and there's another character who isn't quite human - but I wouldn't want to give a spoiler.
3Drage: Will you view the world through a first person perspective or third person?
Jane Jensen: It's really a hybrid. Gabriel or Grace is on the screen, so it's third. But you can move the camera around at will like 1st. It gives you the best of both world - freedom of exploration with a definite character you can relate to on screen.
3Drage: In GK2, cinematic sequences were played before and after each chapter. Will this be so in GK3?
Jane Jensen: Not in every timeblock, but in many timeblocks. The way the story has worked out, the story sequences begin to build towards the end. A lot of the heavy drama scenes happen towards the end of day 3.
3Drage: How will the playing of the two main characters of Gabriel and Grace be different?
Jane Jensen: Gabriel does more sneaking around, spying on people, searching places, and interrogating people. Grace is primarily working on research, which means that her main timeblock are doing the 'treasure map' - a long, riddle-based puzzle.
3Drage: How will the communication between characters be handled?
Jane Jensen: When you talk to people, you'll get a "topic bar" of icons which represents topics you can ask about - such as "baby". Or you might just get a "chat" dialogue. There's not a lot of superfluous dialogue in the game - usually it's all stuff you need to know. But as characters move around, you can usually chat with them in each new location, just to get a bit more detail about what they're up to.
3Drage: How will the transition from day to night affect gameplay?
Jane Jensen: Well, it changes all of the lighting, of course, but it doesn't change the gameplay other than the fact that you are, naturally, sneaking around and trying to do things you'd only do at night.
3Drage: Will the game take place in one town or setting or will your character travel to a variety of places and environments?
Jane Jensen: The game is played in the town of Rennes-le-Château., in the surrounding valley, and eventually in a special "undisclosed" location for the end-game.
3Drage: Describe the relationship between Gabriel Knight and Grace?
Jane Jensen: Hmmm. I'm not sure even they could do that! They technically working partners, but there is a certain amount of 'unresolved' tension in their relationship.
3Drage: Will you be able to purchase information or items?
Jane Jensen: Yessss. You can purchase a few things. But this isn't an RPG by any means.
3Drage: Will vehicles be at your disposal or will they be only present in the cutscenes?
Jane Jensen: Once you get the bike (that's a puzzle) you can move around at will.
3Drage: Back to the graphics, will the engine support special CPU instructions such as 3DNow!?
Jane Jensen: No.
3Drage: Will there be support for EAX and A3D 2.0?
Jane Jensen: No.
3Drage: When will the game be released?
Jane Jensen: September 1999.
3Drage: Will every character have unique dialogue?
Jane Jensen: Yes.
3Drage: And the customary question of..... What are your expectations for Gabriel Knight III when it is released?
Jane Jensen: I really have no idea. I hope it does at least as well as GK2, and hopefully better. I know a lot of people, Sierra and myself included, will be looking at GK3 sales to determine the viability of adventure games in the future.
Last update: October 30, 2007
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