28.05.2011 02:45
[Interviews (english)]
GameStar: Interview with Mike Hoge
Mike Hoge currently works for Piranha Bytes as a project manager. He was also responsible for Gothic 3. GameStar asked him a few questions, the following interview appearing in the printed magazine (06/2011). The English translation is now available for you here on World of Risen.
We would like to thank bigsnappy for translating this.
GameStar: How significant are the opinions of the community during the development process ?
Mike Hoge: Of course we let ourselves be influenced by the opinion from the community. It is a complex, partly subconscious thinking process, during which we react to certain currents. Single opinions can play a role as much as democratic majorities, because individual opinions can be food for thought as well.
GameStar: How strongly has this influenced the development of Gothic 2 and 3?
Mike Hoge: The essential changes, which we implemented in the Gothic games, were not a consequence of the feedback of the community. Especially during the first years the decisions over the changes were already made, before anyone in the forum wrote something about them. In the case of Gothic 3, for instance, we took the decision to make a big world because we wanted to implement horse riding. Unfortunately, for known reasons, it wasn’t meant to be.
GameStar: What did specifically come from the community?
Mike Hoge: We mostly reacted when a large number of people nagged about adjusting features or interfaces. The proposals were less like "Put in some dwarfs and elves", but way more like tangible things such as "I want to be able to turn off the messages."
GameStar: Are there community-suggestions, which you have implemented and regretted afterwards?
Mike Hoge: No. First of all we are responsible for the mistakes found in our games.
GameStar: Are there moments when you ignore the influence of the community because you believe in your ideas ?
Mike Hoge: Yes. Sometimes the idea can be that good, but with twenty men and a relative small budget you cannot realize everything in the desired quality. That is easily forgotten. Also there are decisions, like the pirate scenario from Risen 2, which will clearly make us lose some supporters, because they simply say: "I think pirates are stupid." In exchange we hope others will join, who say: "Finally we get a pirate role playing game." We do not make the games just for the community, but also for ourselves.
We would like to thank bigsnappy for translating this.
GameStar: How significant are the opinions of the community during the development process ?
Mike Hoge: Of course we let ourselves be influenced by the opinion from the community. It is a complex, partly subconscious thinking process, during which we react to certain currents. Single opinions can play a role as much as democratic majorities, because individual opinions can be food for thought as well.
GameStar: How strongly has this influenced the development of Gothic 2 and 3?
Mike Hoge: The essential changes, which we implemented in the Gothic games, were not a consequence of the feedback of the community. Especially during the first years the decisions over the changes were already made, before anyone in the forum wrote something about them. In the case of Gothic 3, for instance, we took the decision to make a big world because we wanted to implement horse riding. Unfortunately, for known reasons, it wasn’t meant to be.
GameStar: What did specifically come from the community?
Mike Hoge: We mostly reacted when a large number of people nagged about adjusting features or interfaces. The proposals were less like "Put in some dwarfs and elves", but way more like tangible things such as "I want to be able to turn off the messages."
GameStar: Are there community-suggestions, which you have implemented and regretted afterwards?
Mike Hoge: No. First of all we are responsible for the mistakes found in our games.
GameStar: Are there moments when you ignore the influence of the community because you believe in your ideas ?
Mike Hoge: Yes. Sometimes the idea can be that good, but with twenty men and a relative small budget you cannot realize everything in the desired quality. That is easily forgotten. Also there are decisions, like the pirate scenario from Risen 2, which will clearly make us lose some supporters, because they simply say: "I think pirates are stupid." In exchange we hope others will join, who say: "Finally we get a pirate role playing game." We do not make the games just for the community, but also for ourselves.
translated by bigsnappy
proofed by Maladiq
