On 20th January 2010, ADM arranged a special chatroom session which gave fans the unique opportunity to ask the Remedy team (Mikki, Markus and Mika) questions regarding the game a few months before launch. Below is the edited transcript. The original can be found HERE (link goes to the Remedy forums). The chat starts off with one fan asking questions and then by the end it becomes three. As it's a chat some of the answers are posted in fragments to speed up the dialogue and to make it more interesting. The transcript below joins the sections together, making it clearer to see the questions and answers, this is also why the same names may appear together. It also is transferred into an easier to read format.
Chatroom Log:
ADM: Ok welcome to the Remedy Q&A chat everyone.
In a moment we'll be joined by Remedy members. Everyone will have a chance to ask 1 question to Remedy. If there's time we'll loop back around and allow everyone to ask another one. If you want to ask a question please PM me the question through this chat, you can do so by double clicking on my name or typing /msg ADM-
MarkusRMD: Great!
ADM: Glad you guys could make it! :)
MikaRMD: Hi all!
MarkusRMD: We will also have a 3rd surprise member joining, Mikki who is a writer on the team working with Sam
ADM: Great :) Well lets jump straight into it shall we?
MarkusRMD: Yeah
ADM: Welcome Mikki :)
MikkiRMD: Let it be known that my keyboard is pink and tiny. For the record.
MikaRMD: Nooo...
MikkiRMD: I WISH I WAS KIDDING.
ADM: First up is yogibbear, quite a well known member of the Alan Wake community. (I'm multi-tasking like crazy here). Hey yogi :)
yogibbear: Hi everyone!
MarkusRMD: Hi!
yogibbear: Anyway my question ;)
Can you tell us more about the daylight gameplay in Alan Wake? What sorts of things do we get to do and how are the transitions between night and day handled? i.e. are episodes accessed via triggers within the daylight mode, or is there a structured path through the "episodes". Basically how does what you do in daylight mode affect what happens when darkness falls?
Morry: grilling them already haha
yogibbear: Yeah sorry... :) Just really interested in the daylight gameplay
MarkusRMD: Yeah, sure, we'll try to shed some more light (haha)
MikaRMD: Nice question, the ball's on Markus' court...
MarkusRMD: So, first of all, we control the time of day - i.e. the clock doesn't run automatically some parts of the game are during daytime, some during night. The daytime is more about interaction and storytelling
and I'm about 3 times faster writer than the others :)
MikkiRMD: From the story point of view, the daytime scenes tend to be more plot-oriented -- most of the action happens at night, as I'm sure no one is shocked to hear. A lot of the time we set up things during the day and watch the chaos unfold during the night. (And sometimes vice versa.)
MarkusRMD: yogibbear, ok? Next?
MikkiRMD: I write very fast. But my keyboard is still tiny. And pink.
yogibbear: Yep. Thanks :)
ADM: Great next up we have Tannosuke :)
Tannosuke: Hello everyone. And to you too RMD peeps ;) Here's my question...We have waited for Alan Wake’s release date for approximately 6 years, but what we saw were improvements over the period of time each time you showed some gameplay trailers at E3. What are your reasons for stalling this game’s release and for its improvements?
MarkusRMD: I think stalling is ... not the right word for it :)
we wanted to get quality, and we also started with a fairly challenging premise - new technology, new story/character/ip and new gameplay. ADM we could probably try taking two questions at a time?
MikaRMD: I think we have used the time also to "gather meat on the bones" so to speak. It has expanded to the quality that's expected of a AAA game.
TannosukeGR: MarkusRMD that's what I suggested him earlier
ADM: Not a problem. 2 questions per person it is then :)
TannosukeGR: 2 question each person to speed up things.
MarkusRMD: Not per person
ADM: Do you want to ask another one?
MarkusRMD: Two guys at a time :)
TannosukeGR: Yep, a sec
MikkiRMD: That's how we roll.
ADM: Ah ok.. Fair enough haha. Ok I think we can give that a try.
TannosukeGR:
MarkusRMD: We have a specific date. It will be announced in the near future. We have had a fixed date for quite some time now.
ADM: Thanks Tannosuke :)
TannosukeGR: I see... Well Thank you very much
* TannosukeGR was kicked by ADM*
MarkusRMD: np
ADM: oops ..
MarkusRMD: ADM please
MikaRMD: lol
ADM: wasn't supposed to do that ;)
MikkiRMD: ADM is a harsh man.
Morry: haha, the power is going to his head
ADM: haha ;)
Ok lefantome feel free to ask your question :)
lefantome: Hi to every remedy dev
ADM: And you too BxB :)
MarkusRMD: hi!
BxB: Ty
MikaRMD: Hi, what's in your mind?
BxB: Go ahead Lefantome.
lefantome: what features do you think are innovative? I mean why we shoudl buy this game. tell us what are the key features in you opinion.
MarkusRMD: Well, the fact that you get to fight with light it adds another layer to the combat, and it makes the game feel unique.
MikkiRMD: Well, we have a pretty nifty story and cool characters, for starters. That's important to us, and we believe it's important to our customers, too. We try very hard to suck you into the mystery, and I think it's working great.
MarkusRMD: the way the technology and use of light work together is also pretty cool.
MikkiRMD: Of course, I'm a writer, so personally, I tend to think that a great story trumps everything else. =)
MarkusRMD: BxB you can go too. we can interleave answers :)
MikaRMD: And we do have a great story, in my honest opinion, and that's pretty unique.
lefantome: So the key features of AW are the innovative combat system and the setting/story and how they merge?
MarkusRMD: lefantome yeah, that's one way of putting it.
BxB: I'd first like to thank you guys for doing this for us. It is very much appreciated by the community. How much Open World/Free Roam is left in Alan Wake? Is there still a out of mission free roam mode where you can explore the world at your leisure or has the game been made mostly linear with exploration limited to areas involving the current mission? Try to give us a solid idea of what people can expect when it comes to exploring the world of Alan Wake, without spoilers of course.
lefantome: I finish my time? BxB, that was my second question xd
MarkusRMD: Alan Wake is not a free-roaming sandbox game, let's start with that.
ADM: Thank you lefantome :)
MarkusRMD: The game is built on open world tech, and it allows us to have pretty large areas the player can access.
BxB: But it is more towards the latter then?
large areas rather than the entire world?
MarkusRMD: We are telling a pretty impactful story, Mikki is writing some more still but thanks BxB
MikkiRMD: A big reason for this is that since the story is important to us, we need to be able to control the player's movements. If Wake is in a hurry, we need to make sure that the player feels like he's hurrying along, for example, instead of just driving somewhere aimlessly or something.
ADM: Go ahead Lestat :)
LestatWake360: Hi Remedy, it's a pleasure be here... My question is : I would like to know how much Remedy has grown since Death Rally. Both in terms of prestige with other companies to Remedy in itself?
MarkusRMD: Heh, the core team in Death Rally was 6 people. Max Payne was 20+, Max Payne 2 ~25 We're now at 45 or so. Plus have quite a few freelancers and outsourcing.. so it's grown.
MikkiRMD: For example, I actually started work on this project as a freelancer a couple of years ago.
MarkusRMD: Prestige is earned by the games you ship. Hopefully a lot after Wake ;)
MikaRMD: Prestigewise, I think Max Payne games did receive a lot of good responses and sold a lot. That helped to lift Rm
MarkusRMD: Thanks Lestat
LestatWake360: Thank you Remedy
MikaRMD: Sorry... "...to lift Remedy's prestige among gaming
companies to a respected level. At the same time that puts Remedy in a
position where people expect a lot from a game from Remedy. We are
humbled by that and work hard to meet expectations.
ADM: Campfire go ahead :)
Campfire: Guess I'm up.. hey guys... here's my ? Huge Twin Peaks fan here. While doing research for the game in Washington state, are there any locations that really made an impression on the team?
MarkusRMD: Yeah, tons.
Campfire: Anything that really stands out?
MarkusRMD: We have done extensive research trips to the pacific northwest and I think we have over 40,000 photos of the locations.
Crater Lake is one inspiration.
MikkiRMD: I wasn't there when I the team was visiting Washington state, but that's really, really beautiful country out there. I think just _being_ there was impressive in and of itself. =)
MarkusRMD: There are others, like town of Astoria.
MikkiRMD: "I the team"? Geez. =)
MarkusRMD: but you'll see a lot of influences of pac-nw in the game's visuals.Thanks campfire, that answer ok?
Campfire: Great.. Can't wait! Thanks!
ADM: Thanks Campfire. AlanNWake you're up :)
AlanNWake: Hi, it's a pleasure to be talking to you guys :) Ok, here's my question I love the classical noir feel Max Payne has, and I love the insanity, the melancholy, the reflexions in Max Payne 2. Do you guys think the feeling in Alan Wake is deeper than in your other games?
MarkusRMD: This one goes to Mikki.
MikkiRMD: Well, yeah, actually. Max Payne is a great character, but he is kind of one-dimensional -- it's all about that revenge, you know? He's not really built for realism. Wake, by comparison, is a lot more complex guy, with his good and bad sides, and motivations that aren't as simplistic.
MikaRMD: I think Alan Wake definitely has a Remedy "feel" to it that I think is recognizable.
MikkiRMD:
Also, even though Max had his hallucinatory sequences, questions like
"what's real?" and "is this really happening?" are a lot more prominent
in Alan Wake.
ADM: We'll
AlanNWake: May I ask just another thing?
ADM: AlanNWake, if it's quick.
AlanNWake: It is.
GENE_BC: Hi everyone. I hope all is going well :)
MarkusRMD: Hi Gene_bc
AlanNWake: In the Cinematic Trailer from 2008, there was a part in which an old man rushed away from the restaurant when Alan saw him. What's his level of importance in the game?
AlanNWake: Ok. Thank you guys keep up the wonderful work :)
MikaRMD: Thanks!
ADM: Thanks AlanNWake :)
GENE_BC: Here is mine: Is the darkness force able to change the personalities? If someone got possessed and we cleaned the darkness with light, does he have chance to get back to normal?
MikkiRMD: Once the darkness gets you like that, there's no cure, I'm afraid. That's why Wake has to resolve things in a pretty final manner -- there's not a lot of reasoning with them at that point.
MarkusRMD: Thanks GENE_BC, that ok?
ADM: sotka, you're up :)
GENE_BC: Thanks
ADM: Thanks Gene.
MarkusRMD: sotka, we'll likely talk about different areas in conferences in the coming year.
MikaRMD: Possibly in some magazine articles as well.
MarkusRMD: so there's definitely going to be some info out
MikkiRMD: We know a lot of you guys are interested in what has obviously been a pretty long process, and we definitely do want to share more details about it once the game is out.
MarkusRMD: and we can definitely tell stuff quite freely on the forum once the game is out there.
sotka: Okay, that's nice :) thanks
MarkusRMD: sotka thanks
ADM: Thanks :) sotka. Kevinsgirl you're up :)
MikaRMD: Hi Kevinsgirl, I remember you from 3DRForums... :)
Kevinsgirl: Yay!
ADM: Yep same :)
Kevinsgirl: Can you tell us a little more about the downloadable content for Alan Wake?
MarkusRMD: Mika will pick this up ...
MarkusRMD: Kevinsgirl long answer coming up apparently :)
MikkiRMD: Yeah, he's creating like crazy over there.
MikaRMD: We're concentrating fully on Alan Wake now. The
announcement of DLC was made by Robbie Bach, but we're going to wrap
this one up first before going into more detail about downloadable
content. What I can tell you is that Alan Wake will have a conclusive
and satisfactory ending.
MikaRMD: Kevinsgirl: We have some really great ideas for DLC
but, to be honest, they are still at an idea stage and will be defined
later on. Alan Wake is our no.1 focus still.
ADM: Thanks Kevinsgirl.
ADM: Markus I'm sure you'll be able to take Jokke_r's one (another regular from the old 3DR days).
MarkusRMD: Sure, go ahead
Jokke_r: Firstly i'd like to say hi, and thanks for the great games you've made.
I'd like to know what other genres you guys would be interested to tackle after Alan Wake is finished, both in terms of story/setting and gameplay. you guys are probably already planning on your next game so no need to reveal anything about that, but what kind of games would you personally find interesting to try out, or do you intend to stick to what you know best (third person action)?
MarkusRMD: Jokke_r we have a mantra about focus. 3rd person action is been our focus for a long time. We also have a set of rules on what a Remedy game should be like. I don't see us changing dramatically.
Jokke_r: Alright :) thx
MarkusRMD: As to personal interest, I like all games I get to develop :)
ADM: Thanks Jokke_r :) Circio you're up.
MarkusRMD: Circio welcome and go ahead!
Circio: Hi everyone. First of all thanks for everthing, really. so here we go: speaking about combat, we saw time slowing in some treailer you released. How much of an impact does the feature have on action sequences, and how does it compare to max payne's bullet time?
MarkusRMD: Circio, Remedy is known for cinematic gaming.
MarkusRMD: Slow motion is one of the tools we know well Wake relies on use of light whereas bullet time was Max's thing
the slow motion accentuates the cinematic feel in Wake.
MikkiRMD:
Yeah, Wake doesn't really do slow-motion dives with guns akimbo.
Instead, we pretty much turn on the slow-motion when a really cool
moment occurs.
MarkusRMD: It's not as central to the experience as bullet time.
ADM: Thanks Circio :)
ADM: You're up as well Demite.
Demite: Hey RMD, you are all gods - heres my question. Can you say anything about what inspired you to change to the newer HUD, and introduce newer 'weaponry' (e.g. flash bangs)
MikaRMD: Demite: The HUD that you've seen is not final. It's been an iterative process and I think we have a great HUD scheme now...that you'll see later on... :)
MarkusRMD: Demite, flash bangs have been part of the game for longer
but we haven't shown all tricks in the game (and won't)
Demite: I see, thanks for the info RMD
MarkusRMD: Demite thanks, hopefully that covers it
Demite: Know you're all working hard
ADM: Thanks Demite :)
djshauny1: Hello everyone and hello Remedy
MarkusRMD: hello djshauny1
ADM: reprec, Feel free to ask your question as well.
reprec: Hi everyone! :)
MarkusRMD: hi reprec
djshauny1: Ok so you have said that you have had a fixed release date for some time. But can you tell us if its still in the spring 2010 period? Many thanks
reprec:
MarkusRMD: djshauny1: yes. Definitely. reprec taking some holiday hopefully :)
djshauny1: Thanks Markus that great news :)
ADM: Thank you djshauny1
MikkiRMD: Personally? I don't know. A bit of vacation time would definitely come in handy. =)
MarkusRMD: It's really busy here now, but the team is really excited with the progress that's happening every day
reprec: I imagined that :P
MarkusRMD: reprec I personally love the end phase in developing a game, all decisions get easier as time is really limited.
MikaRMD: reprec: The feelings are positive but also a mixed bag. We are definitely SO interested in seeing how you people like the game once it's out there.
MarkusRMD: And progress is very visible, everything glues together. Thanks reprec
MikkiRMD: Yeah, and the old rule of thumb is that 80% of the actual
gameplay experience is created during the last 20% of development time,
or something like that. It's definitely true, things just get improved
so quickly at this point. =)
ADM: ConSs you're up :)
Thanks reprec :)
ADM: Ordos you're up as well.
MarkusRMD: ConSs, Ordos, go ahead!
Ordos: Hi there and Remedy! A French Fan ^^
ConSs: nr
ConS: hey all
Ordos: My question is: Alan Wake will have a scenario close to a action-game (as Dead Space, Call Of Duty etc.) with a story linear or closer to a videogame as Silent Hill 2?
MarkusRMD: We're establishing a Thriller in video games, some things
that haven't been seen before. Ordos, that was a hard question. The
experience also depends on your gameplay style. Thanks.
ConSs: My question is this: Will players choices affect the story in AW?
MikkiRMD: ConSs, we don't have a branching storyline. That said, what you get out of the story can differ depending on how closely you observe the game world and things like that, but we have a single storyline here.
ADM: Thanks Ordos :)
Thanks Conss.
piratebirke: hey guys, thanks for taking the time. so here we go with a quick question: Will Alan Wake be a long-living franchise like Max Payne?
MarkusRMD: piratebirke: We certainly hope so.
That naturally depends how much you like it, so ultimately it's up to you.
MikkiRMD: We've certainly planned things in a way that allows us to
do more of Alan Wake in the future. We don't want to close any doors.
MikaRMD: Thanks, piratebirke!
piratebirke: Alright, thanks :)
Wackster: Gday!
ADM: hey!
MarkusRMD: hi!
Wackster: My question is related to the story, but also a bit about the setting. I was wondering if theres a humour element in the game?
MarkusRMD: Mikki can take this. He's the funny guy :)
Wackster: Because in Max Payne there were certain not-too-serious
elements like the TV, and some personalities you encounter which I loved
MikkiRMD: We have a lot of humor in the game, actually. It's always a
bit of a balancing act, because we don't want to make a joke out of the
mystery. It IS supposed to be a psychological thriller, of course, but
you need to balance it out -- otherwise you just grow numb.
Wackster: Yes thats great to hear. Thank you for your time, and I'll be sure to pick up a copy on release day :P
MikkiRMD:
Some characters are funnier than others, and we do try hard to make
sure there's a lot of contrast between the various situations.
MikaRMD: I can say about humour that Remedy is still Remedy... :)
Wackster: Haha <3
ADM: Thank you Wackster
Semikami: Hi everyone. It's a pleasure to be able to talk to you since I'm interested in game development and might be working at Remedy in the future. :)
MarkusRMD: Semikami go ahead.
Semikami: Would you make an appearance in Pelaajacast (Finnish gaming podcast) near the launch to give some inside info maybe?
MikkiRMD: I was just there!
MikkiRMD: (But mostly 'cause I know those guys from way back.)
MarkusRMD: Semikami so I think the answer is 'why not'.
ADM: Keptievo you're up :)
Keptievo: Iltaa Remedy (as we say in finnish) :) Have you calculated that how many work hours have you spent during the development of Alan Wake?
MikkiRMD: A ZILLION.
MikaRMD: oh my lord
ADM: They always email me at insane hours of the morning. They're always there. ;)
MarkusRMD: keptievo: I think a modern game takes about 2000 man months
MikaRMD: Keptievo: No we have not calculated hours.
Keptievo: :D That might be truth. Okay, thanks guys! I'm so excited about AW. Okay, that's it. kiitos!
MarkusRMD: Kiitos!
MikaRMD: Kiitti. That's Thanks
Keptievo: :)
Morry: Keptievo: 40 guys working 37.5 hour weeks for 50 weeks = 75,000
hours per annum. So over 5 years, it would be 375,000 hours if there was
no "crunch time". And i'm sure the Remedy guys will fall out of their
chairs even at this estimate :P
joukom: You'll have to remember that 5 years a go the team was a lot smaller though
ADM: Thanks guys. Welcome Veganexiel :)
Veganexiel: Hi Remedy, First, I want to say I admire your work.
MarkusRMD: Thanks!
ADM: You're up as well Pic
Pic: Hello to everyone! :) Ok, hard question: Regarding gameplay, does it have different levels of difficulty (like Max Payne), if so, all are available from the beginning, how's the overall feeling regarding available ammo, does alan afford to shoot aimlessly or it's more like other survival horrors where you have to be carefull?
MarkusRMD: Pic this is something we will still keep under wraps. Sorry! if you have another question we can take that.
Pic: Ok, I understand :) keep up the good work!
ADM: Thanks Pic.
MikkiRMD: As far as the ammo thing goes, we don't want people to
get frustrated all the time because they're out of ammo, but we also
don't want anyone feeling like Rambo. It's another balancing act,
really. Let's just say that constant spray'n'pray probably isn't going
to be a great idea. =)
Veganexiel: I have one short question and another one longer. The short question is: Will it be a Collector's Edition? We want it! :)
MikaRMD: Veganexiel: Regarding the Collector's Edition, I guess the
best you can do is visit AW forums to find out...:) Can't confirm.
MarkusRMD: Sam just walked in to the room and says Hi!
Veganexiel: Ok, thank you
Khorino: Hello there, Markus, Mika and Mikki! In the name of all the brazilian community, I'd like to thank you all for being here today.
MarkusRMD: Hi Khorino!
Khorino: I have two questions, and the first one is: We have seen many videos with Alan in the woods. What other areas could we expect to see during day/night gameplay?
MarkusRMD: Mikki will take Khorino's question.
Veganexiel: My other question was about the TV series setting in the gameplay and the narration. I'm such a fan series, also of Cliffhangers, what can we expect in the game?
MarkusRMD: Veganexiel Mikki will take that story question too...
MikkiRMD: Well, the woods are a big part of the game, as you've already seen in the released trailers and screenshots, but we also have areas like Bright Falls itself and a pretty wide variety of geographical locations other than, well, trees. =)
MikkiRMD: Well, you can definitely expect cliffhangers, I can tell
you that much. We've pretty much designed the story to ensure that you
get a steady influx of moments where you have no idea what's going to
happen next, but the stakes are really high.
Khorino: Ok, the is the other one: What other forms of Takens should we expect to see besides people and birds?
ADM: Ok Tillu you're up, give Markus something to do ;)
MarkusRMD: Yeah!
Tillu:
What kind of feedback have you received from the test players who have
played AW. Have you learned something from them and have you made any
changes to the game's elements to correspond their feedback?
MarkusRMD: Tillu that's a hard but really good question.
MarkusRMD: Short answer: We've absolutely have learned and changed things based on feedback.
ADM: The Alan Wake forums are a great source of feedback for Remedy -- quick plug.. http://forum.alanwake.com/ ;)
MarkusRMD: The feedback has been about fun factor, story delivery, gameplay variation, what's memorable in the game etc. controls,
so on. There are LOTS of changes based on the playtesting feedback to
get it just right. But the hard part of getting feedback is to analyze
it all and choose what's best for the game. Thanks Tillu.
Tillu: Ok thanks :)
ADM: Thanks Veganexiel.
MikaRMD: Veganexiel: Demo before the launch, most likely not.
MikkiRMD: Announcement: I have now gotten used to my tiny pink keyboard.
MarkusRMD: We should start to wrap up soon. Is ADM still flooded with q:s?
ADM: Just Khorino's last one and then I'll slip in one that I was given before the session from someone who couldn't make it.
MarkusRMD: Ok
Khorino: Ok, the is the other one: What other forms of Takens should we expect to see besides people and birds?
MarkusRMD: We have some surprises but not talking about those yet.
ADM: Thanks Khorino :)
ADM: Ok a quick one from sotka for Markus, since he likes cars :)
sotka: One question to Markus, since you like cars :D
MarkusRMD: Right
sotka: What is the car you drive atm? and what's the car of your dreams?
MarkusRMD: sotka, my dream car would be a Pagani Zonda F in deep red/carbon fibre. But that's a complete pipe dream.
sotka: =)
MarkusRMD: but I think I'll pass the other question.
ADM: Ok and last question of the night, this one is from AnttiApina from the forums: "Is Bright Falls really the only place where the game sets in place. Sure it is the main location, but we have seen some interesting pictures in the last few months (thanksgiving pic)".
MikkiRMD: Nope, we also see some other locations. Not gonna tell you exactly what those are, though. =)
ADM:Oh and before you all leave I have one more prize to give out.. how's a flashlight sound?
ADM: So stick around for that. :)
MikaRMD: A warm thank you for all of you here in the chat! We'll continue to bust ass to make the best possible game for you to enjoy. Thanks to ADM, our community manager, for arranging this meet.
ADM: Ok well that's it. Thanks so much for taking the time for this guys.
MarkusRMD: Folks, we need to wrap up now and continue making the game. Thanks so much for all being here!
MikkiRMD: That hour just flew past.
ADM: Tell me about it!
MikaRMD: Indeed-io.
ADM: I think I need a rest, lots of micro management.
MarkusRMD: I'll keep on hanging around the forum occasionally too and perhaps we can do this again later.
ADM: I think it went well :)
MarkusRMD: If ADM can handle it :)
ADM: Bring it on ;)
MikkiRMD: Yeah, it was good, ADM. Thanks for taking the trouble on this. =)
ADM: ok well I'll let you all say goodbye to Remedy.. I'll take the +m off :)
Morry: A big thank you to all the Remedy guys who were able to drag themselves away from the game for an hour. Much appreciated!
Remedy's Alan Wake Chat Transcript
