Dungeon Siege Preview
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Along your journey you will meet many NPCs, most of whom will just present you with information about your current area to get you moving in the right direction. Others, however, may offer you a quest. When you have been given a quest, your journal will be updated with the specifics on what it is you have to do to complete it and even give you the option of seeing the dialogue with the NPC that initially gave you the quest once again. When you've finished a quest, you will often times receive a reward in the form of an item or a skill increase, and your journal will be updated to show that it has been completed. The rarest type of NPC is the one that can be recruited into your party. You'll usually happen upon these NPCs in the various towns that you come across, but some can be found while exploring the outdoor areas and dungeons of the game as well. Many of them will charge a one-time fee for their services, but if you meet the NPC after performing some sort of heroic deed, such as rescuing them from their captors, they will typically join for free. While making my way through the press copy, I came across a total of seven characters that were willing to join my party. You are restricted to a maximum of eight characters in your group, including packmules, so you'll have to choose wisely as to which NPCs you bring along.
Now, if you've followed Dungeon Siege whatsoever, this shouldn't be the first time you've heard of the notorious packmule. Capable of carrying three times as much as any of your party members, you'll find yourself needing at least one of these not far into the game. Each packmule you purchase will use up one of the eight slots available to you for party members, but it also means you won't have to leave magical equipment lying on the dungeon floor because you had no room for it. And if you think that's all the packmule is good for, wait until one of the baddies you come across corners it and feels the wrath of its hind legs.
Virtually every computer game on the market requires you to wait while it loads data, usually when you move from one area to the next. Because of this, we've taken it for granted, and it really doesn't seem like that big of a deal... until you've played Dungeon Siege. Since it was first announced, Gas Powered Games has done everything in their power to make Dungeon Siege completely seamless, with no loading screens whatsoever - and they've accomplished this task extremely well. I can't express to you enough just how amazing it is to play in a graphically fantastic world without ever having to wait for a five-story keep or dungeon to load. It creates a whole new sense of immersion and has literally raised my standards as to what future computer games should offer.
Despite the fact that my first impression of Dungeon Siege was based on a beta version with only 20% of what the total game will have to offer, I felt as though I was playing a finished product. Gas Powered Games has succeeded in providing some of the best elements available in previous RPGs with innovative new features such as the packmule and a seamless 3D world. Combined with the game's multiplayer and editing capabilities, Dungeon Siege is a game destined for greatness.
