Here's an interview with the game's creator Gadi Pollack. Nothing new really, but at least it's something.
It's Thursday, which means another episode of ABC's Lost, which I'll be recapitulating to my wife later this evening over Skype because she's in Europe through the end of April. (They irritatingly block ABC's "view online" option overseas.) In skeptical but hopeful anticipation of the upcoming game based on the show, I chatted with Lost: Via Domus's producer, Gadi Pollack, who mostly plays his cards close, but offers a few interesting notes about the gameplay and production particulars.
MobyGames credits Pollack as producing Far Cry: Instincts and Far Cry: Predator as well as Prince of Persia: The Warrior Within. Lost: Via Domus ships for PC, Xbox 360, and PlayStation 3 on February 26, 2008. The full interview follows.
Game On: Let's start with an obvious, often unasked question: What if I don't watch the show? Is there a game here worth playing if I've never seen an episode of Lost?
Gadi Pollack Our main goal was to create a Lost experience for both fans and non-fans of the show. As a player you don’t need to know anything about the show because you are playing the game from Elliott’s perspective. This allows everyone to feel like they were part of the experience.
GO: How closely did Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse consult on the story? Did they come to Ubisoft and pitch the idea for the game first? Did they plot any of the episodes?
GP: We worked very closely with Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse, and I would present to them the progress of the game every 5 weeks. They were really involved in the story and worked with us to give it that Lost feel.
In fact Damon Lindelof came up with the ending of the game, which is very Lostish and I am sure everyone will love it.
GO: I just read the Cuse quote where he says "they’re writing their own self-contained story that isn’t an extension of canon." Does that mean this is some great big hypothetical "elseworlds" kind of thing, with only a fleeting relationship to the Lost mothership? Would we ever potentially see this character on the show? Any reason Lindeloff and Cuse didn't go for broke and commit like the Wachowskis (or whoever) to making it official canon, say like the tie-in books?
GP: Their main goal for the game was not to answer any questions related to the show but really give everyone the experience of being in the show and on that Island. It would have been unfair for someone to be forced to buy the game in order to find out answers to the show. We all wanted to keep this game as an added experience for everyone. In saying that, you will get to know the castaways a little more and explore areas that you haven’t seen on the show.
GO: When did you start work on the game? How long has it been in development? What portion of Ubisoft Montreal's development resources are dedicated to it?
GP: We started the project summer 2006 and at our peak of development we reached about 120 persons creating content for the game.
GO: Can you tell us a little about the game? Where in the series does it pick up, and if I can ask, whereabouts does it end? How much will be stuff we've seen before versus entirely new?
GP: The storyline of the game take place in seasons 1-2 and you will visit the landmarks up to season 3. The hard part was to keep the story in line with the events of the show.
We put the player in the middle of the main events so they can feel a part of them. We really wanted to stay true to the timeline of the show.
GO: How about the lead character and photojournalist Elliott? What's his story?
GP: Elliott is a photo-journalist suffering from amnesia after the crash. Something horrible happened in his past, but he can’t remember anything. It’s up to the player to find out Elliott’s past and try to find a way home.
GO: What's the gameplay like most of the time? Third-person action adventure? Puzzle solving and carry-quests? Did I read correctly that there's going to be a camera-snapping mechanic?
GP: We developed a survival adventure game we felt would be the best genre for a Lost game. Lost is not about shooting and killing, it’s about putting the player in situations to keep them thinking on what they have to do next to progress in the game/Island and their own story.
Our main goal was to focus on creating action from the tension we put the player in, with the help of the music and mood of the game.
GO: How accurately did you attempt to map the interior locations like various island stations and outdoor areas? Will ridiculously diehard fans be able to appreciate anything special or extra?
GP: ABC and the Lost team gave us blueprints of all the hatches and we even sent our artist director to Hawaii for one week to take reference photos of the jungle and the sets that are used for the show.
We know the fans are diehard and wanted to please them, so everything that is in the game is an exact replica on what is on the Island.
We have some very exciting extras that the fans will really enjoy but for that you will have to play the game to find out what they are.
GO: I see you have some but not all of the original actors doing voiceovers. Was that a budgetary decision based on actor asking fees? Timing? Both?
GP: It’s a combination of scheduling, timing, and budget. However, we have all the main characters’ likenesses and ABC helped us to pick great sound-a-likes, so players will not lose the authentic, immersive feeling of Lost.
GO: A lot of movie tie-in games, e.g. EA's Lord of the Rings: The Third Age, radically alter canon to create a meaningful play experience at the expense of plausibility, arguably alienating diehards. How did you attempt to work around that issue with Via Domus, i.e. to make it feel less like a tour of the show's "greatest moments" than a series of independently justified experiences? I'm thinking of Nikki / Paulo in the third season, for instance -- they just popped in, wham, then ended up with decidedly cooler deaths than they probably deserved (in the opinion of many).
GP: We worked closely with the Lost creative team and in fact hired the very fist Lost script writer to ensure that the main character of the game did not pop into the Lost universe just like that. You will see when you play the game that we put the main character in settings where he crosses over with other Lost characters and you see a clear connection to the Lost universe. We wanted to link the main character to the Lost universe in a way that felt natural.
GO: According to Lindelof, "In terms of solving mysteries, we leave that to the mothership...the game basically just deals with Elliott's mysteries." Is that still the case? Will fans gain any extra insight into the TV show and the central questions (what, where, and/or when is the island?) by playing the game?
GP: The fans will be able to explore more areas and talk to the other castaways, but the main focus is to provide the player with the ability to solve their own personal mystery and live the story that unfolds on the Lost island. This truly puts the fan in their own unique Lost experience.
GO: I've read that the game will have seven episodes, each lasting roughly an hour -- will this be a full- or value-priced game?
GP: The seven episodes all vary in length. The gameplay time also varies on whether players choose to explore everything or try to get from A to B as quick as possible. We estimate gameplay will last between 10 – 12 hours.
GO: And for my one officially dumb question: Is Wikipedia right about the name being a Latin gaffe? Is it really supposed to be "Via Domum" with the "m" instead of "Via Domus"?
GP: You can’t believe everything you read on the Internet. ;)
Source: PCWorld
MobyGames credits Pollack as producing Far Cry: Instincts and Far Cry: Predator as well as Prince of Persia: The Warrior Within. Lost: Via Domus ships for PC, Xbox 360, and PlayStation 3 on February 26, 2008. The full interview follows.
Game On: Let's start with an obvious, often unasked question: What if I don't watch the show? Is there a game here worth playing if I've never seen an episode of Lost?
Gadi Pollack Our main goal was to create a Lost experience for both fans and non-fans of the show. As a player you don’t need to know anything about the show because you are playing the game from Elliott’s perspective. This allows everyone to feel like they were part of the experience.
GO: How closely did Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse consult on the story? Did they come to Ubisoft and pitch the idea for the game first? Did they plot any of the episodes?
GP: We worked very closely with Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse, and I would present to them the progress of the game every 5 weeks. They were really involved in the story and worked with us to give it that Lost feel.
In fact Damon Lindelof came up with the ending of the game, which is very Lostish and I am sure everyone will love it.
GO: I just read the Cuse quote where he says "they’re writing their own self-contained story that isn’t an extension of canon." Does that mean this is some great big hypothetical "elseworlds" kind of thing, with only a fleeting relationship to the Lost mothership? Would we ever potentially see this character on the show? Any reason Lindeloff and Cuse didn't go for broke and commit like the Wachowskis (or whoever) to making it official canon, say like the tie-in books?
GP: Their main goal for the game was not to answer any questions related to the show but really give everyone the experience of being in the show and on that Island. It would have been unfair for someone to be forced to buy the game in order to find out answers to the show. We all wanted to keep this game as an added experience for everyone. In saying that, you will get to know the castaways a little more and explore areas that you haven’t seen on the show.
GO: When did you start work on the game? How long has it been in development? What portion of Ubisoft Montreal's development resources are dedicated to it?
GP: We started the project summer 2006 and at our peak of development we reached about 120 persons creating content for the game.
GO: Can you tell us a little about the game? Where in the series does it pick up, and if I can ask, whereabouts does it end? How much will be stuff we've seen before versus entirely new?
GP: The storyline of the game take place in seasons 1-2 and you will visit the landmarks up to season 3. The hard part was to keep the story in line with the events of the show.
We put the player in the middle of the main events so they can feel a part of them. We really wanted to stay true to the timeline of the show.
GO: How about the lead character and photojournalist Elliott? What's his story?
GP: Elliott is a photo-journalist suffering from amnesia after the crash. Something horrible happened in his past, but he can’t remember anything. It’s up to the player to find out Elliott’s past and try to find a way home.
GO: What's the gameplay like most of the time? Third-person action adventure? Puzzle solving and carry-quests? Did I read correctly that there's going to be a camera-snapping mechanic?
GP: We developed a survival adventure game we felt would be the best genre for a Lost game. Lost is not about shooting and killing, it’s about putting the player in situations to keep them thinking on what they have to do next to progress in the game/Island and their own story.
Our main goal was to focus on creating action from the tension we put the player in, with the help of the music and mood of the game.
GO: How accurately did you attempt to map the interior locations like various island stations and outdoor areas? Will ridiculously diehard fans be able to appreciate anything special or extra?
GP: ABC and the Lost team gave us blueprints of all the hatches and we even sent our artist director to Hawaii for one week to take reference photos of the jungle and the sets that are used for the show.
We know the fans are diehard and wanted to please them, so everything that is in the game is an exact replica on what is on the Island.
We have some very exciting extras that the fans will really enjoy but for that you will have to play the game to find out what they are.
GO: I see you have some but not all of the original actors doing voiceovers. Was that a budgetary decision based on actor asking fees? Timing? Both?
GP: It’s a combination of scheduling, timing, and budget. However, we have all the main characters’ likenesses and ABC helped us to pick great sound-a-likes, so players will not lose the authentic, immersive feeling of Lost.
GO: A lot of movie tie-in games, e.g. EA's Lord of the Rings: The Third Age, radically alter canon to create a meaningful play experience at the expense of plausibility, arguably alienating diehards. How did you attempt to work around that issue with Via Domus, i.e. to make it feel less like a tour of the show's "greatest moments" than a series of independently justified experiences? I'm thinking of Nikki / Paulo in the third season, for instance -- they just popped in, wham, then ended up with decidedly cooler deaths than they probably deserved (in the opinion of many).
GP: We worked closely with the Lost creative team and in fact hired the very fist Lost script writer to ensure that the main character of the game did not pop into the Lost universe just like that. You will see when you play the game that we put the main character in settings where he crosses over with other Lost characters and you see a clear connection to the Lost universe. We wanted to link the main character to the Lost universe in a way that felt natural.
GO: According to Lindelof, "In terms of solving mysteries, we leave that to the mothership...the game basically just deals with Elliott's mysteries." Is that still the case? Will fans gain any extra insight into the TV show and the central questions (what, where, and/or when is the island?) by playing the game?
GP: The fans will be able to explore more areas and talk to the other castaways, but the main focus is to provide the player with the ability to solve their own personal mystery and live the story that unfolds on the Lost island. This truly puts the fan in their own unique Lost experience.
GO: I've read that the game will have seven episodes, each lasting roughly an hour -- will this be a full- or value-priced game?
GP: The seven episodes all vary in length. The gameplay time also varies on whether players choose to explore everything or try to get from A to B as quick as possible. We estimate gameplay will last between 10 – 12 hours.
GO: And for my one officially dumb question: Is Wikipedia right about the name being a Latin gaffe? Is it really supposed to be "Via Domum" with the "m" instead of "Via Domus"?
GP: You can’t believe everything you read on the Internet. ;)
Source: PCWorld