Seven Dragon Saga "RPGs and Their Words" Blog Update

In a new blog update to the Tactical Simulations Interactive website, Seven Dragon Saga's David Shelley shares a quick development update on the RPG before comparing the approach they're taking to the game's narrative structure to that of inXile's Torment: Tides of Numenera. Striking the right balance of compelling (and lengthy) storyline vs. gameplay is certainly key:

The game is rich in objects simply laying around, with rich descriptions and interaction options. And it appears the player will spend time inside the mind of the protagonist, possibly in cases of death, or similar events. Add in important NPCs and quests, and one can begin to see how Torment is likely to distribute its text. The experience appears to be one of exploration, of the world, and of the protagonist. Exploration is important in 7DS as well, but more oriented around the wilderness, and hidden tactical areas.

Seven Dragon Saga will not have as extensive a word count, as we allow the player to create their entire party, and use our Goals system to create backgrounds and personalities for all the members. The party should have a bit of chatter, and bring color to the individuals, but we have no plans for any player characters to leave the party in disgust, or profess love to another. Since 7DS has a focus on manipulating factions, much of our text is reserved for key NPCs, who have to react to the different choices the player makes. Each game seeks its own balance of story, action, exploration and advancement, and the industry is stronger for it.