This FAQ covers the most frequently asked questions about
Interplay and it's computer role-playing game products.  It will be
updated and posted to comp.sys.ibm-pc.games.rpg every month on or
around the first of the month.  The most recent copy of this FAQ
will be available via FTP: ftp.netcom.com/pub/an/anarchy/ipfaq.txt

If you have any questions or comments about this FAQ, please e-mail me.

        Thanks...  Chris Taylor (ana...@netcom.com)

Questions answered in this FAQ
==============================
When is Stonekeep going to be released?
Why has Stonekeep been delayed?
What is Stonekeep?
What about this real-time combat in Stonekeep?
What are the system requirements for Stonekeep?
When is Dungeon Master II: The Legend of Skullkeep going to be released?
Is Dungeon Master II the same sequel that was released many years ago for
        the Amiga?
Will I be able to use my characters from Dungeon Master in DM2?
How come Skullkeep and Stonekeep sound so much alike?  Are the games related
        at all?
What is the deal with Interplay, EA and the Bard's Tale/Wasteland series?
Will there ever be a Bard's Tale 4?  A Wasteland 2?
What happened to Meantime?
What about Dragon Wars II or Lord of the Rings, Vol. 3?
What RPGs has Interplay developed and/or published?
How can I get a copy of the older Interplay RPGs?
What RPGs is Interplay developing and/or publishing?
What is the deal with Interplay licensing GURPS(tm) _and_ AD&D(tm)?
Where can I get more information about the GURPS product(s)?
What other platforms does Interplay support?
How can I playtest an Interplay game?
How can I contact Interplay?

Interplay CRPG FAQ
==================

Q: When is Stonekeep going to be released?
A: I don't know, but it'll be great!  Seriously, as of 2-15-95, "soon".
We're working on it.  Really.  We are.

Q: Why has Stonekeep been delayed?
A: It's a really big game.  Both in technology and story.  We have
had a huge team of programmers, artists, musicians, designers and
other happy folk working on it for a long time.  We want to make a
game that we would be happy playing, and that takes time.  Please
be patient, we're sure the end result will be great!

Q: What is Stonekeep?
A: Stonekeep is a full-screen, first person perspective, real-time
skill-based combat system, fantasy role-playing game.  Stonekeep
is Interplay's biggest RPG, having been in the works for over three
years.  We have digitized actors, rendered hallways and monsters,
a cool rune-based magick system, a journal to record information,
digitized dialogue, stereo sound effects (over 600 of them) and
cinematic music.

Q: What about this real-time combat in Stonekeep?
A: The combat system is Stonekeep is pretty simple.  You move a cursor
around the screen and click to attack.  Based on your character's combat
skills and the weapon that you are using, you will hit closer to the
point you clicked on.  Don't worry, it's not difficult and we have
big, full-screen monsters for you to hit.  The combat system is balanced
50/50 between the skill of you the player and of your character.

Q: What are the system requirements for Stonekeep?
A: Pretty relaxed, actually.  Here they are:

        386/40 or better
        4 megs of RAM
        CD-ROM drive (150k/sec or better)
        Mouse

        A soundcard is recommended (we support most soundcards in
        their native mode) but not required.

        An optimum system would probably be a 486 with a 2x CD-ROM
        drive, 4 to 8 megs of RAM and VESA Local Bus video.  Past that
        point, you should not notice too much of a difference.

Q: When is Dungeon Master II: The Legend of Skullkeep going to be released?
A: As of 2-15-95, the release date is March.  DM2 is currently in
Quality Assurance, one of the last steps in the software production
schedule.

Q: Is Dungeon Master II the same sequel that was released many years
ago for the Amiga?
A: You are probably thinking of Dungeon Master: Chaos Strikes Back!,
an add-on disk for the original Dungeon Master.  No, DM2: The Legend
of Skullkeep is a completely original title.

Q: Will I be able to use my characters from Dungeon Master in DM2?
A: No.

Q: How come Skullkeep and Stonekeep sound so much alike?  Are the
games related at all?
A: Coincidence.  There is no connection between the two games.

Q: What is the deal with Interplay, EA and the Bard's Tale/Wasteland
series?
A: Interplay was the developer of the Bard's Tale series and Wasteland
for Electronic Arts (EA).  EA has the rights to those titles.  Now that
Interplay is a full-blown developer/publisher in our own right, whenever
we want to do something with those games (like the 10th Anniversary CD-ROM
or the Bard's Tale Construction Set) then Interplay must license some of
these rights on a per title basis from EA.

Q: Will there ever be a Bard's Tale 4?  A Wasteland 2?
A: Contact Electronic Arts.  Some people consider Dragon Wars, an
early Interplay developed and published CRPG to be BT4.  EA put out
a game called Fountain of Dreams, which used the Wasteland engine
and was very similar in setting.  Many people at Interplay would love to
do a sequel to either of those games, but we don't have the rights.

Q: What happened to Meantime?
A: [Wow, you've been around a while if you know what Meantime is.]
Meantime, a sort of sequel to Wasteland, was in development for a long time.
A beta version was actually up and running on the Apple // when the 8-bit
market took a nosedive.  Interplay attempted to update and upgrade Meantime
for the MS-DOS market, but after several attempts (contractor problems and
other minor details) the project was scrapped.  It occasionally rears it's
head, but the project is currently not in development.

Q: What about Dragon Wars II or Lord of the Rings, Vol. 3?
A: Dragon Wars II was planned, but never got past the design stage.  Lord
of the Rings, Vol. 3 is currently not in development.

Q: What RPGs has Interplay developed and/or published?
A: Several over the course of many years.  Here is a list:

        Bard's Tale I
          (actually titled "Tales of the Unknown, Volume 1: The Bard's Tale")
        Bard's Tale II: The Destiny Wand
        Bard's Tale III: The Thief of Fate [see footnote 1]
        Wasteland [2]
        Dragon Wars
        Neuromancer [3]
        Lord of the Rings, Vol. 1
        Lord of the Rings, Vol. 2: The Two Towers
        Bard's Tale Construction Set [4]
        Lord of the Rings, Vol. 1 (Super Nintendo) [5]

        [1] Interplay developed BT3, but did not program the
            IBM and Amiga versions of that title.  All three
            Bard's Tale games were published by Electronic Arts.
        [2] Published by EA.
        [3] A cross between an RPG and an adventure game.  Based
            on the novel by William Gibson, Interplay's rights to
            the title ran out in 1991.
        [4] The Bard's Tale name was licensed from EA for this
            title.  EA still owns the Bard's Tale license.
        [5] The SNES version of LOTR is different then the MS-DOS version.

Q: How can I get a copy of the older Interplay RPGs?
A: Interplay released their 10th Anniversary CD-ROM.  This title
contains: Bard's Tale 1, Wasteland, Dragon Wars and Lord of the Rings,
Vol. 1 along with other top Interplay titles.  You can find the 10th
Anniversary CD-ROM at your local retailer, or call 800-969-GAME.

Q: What RPGs is Interplay developing and/or publishing?
A: A bunch more.  Here is a list, in tentative order of release:

        Dungeon Master II [1]
        Stonekeep
        Untitled GURPS(tm) project(s)
        Untitled AD&D(tm) Planescape(tm) project(s)
        Untitled AD&D(tm) Forgotten Realms(tm) project(s)

        [1] FTL is the developer.

Q: What is the deal with Interplay licensing GURPS(tm) _and_ AD&D(tm)?
A: We think that there is enough of a market to support both licenses.  
Frankly, Interplay wants to dominate the RPG market again.  AD&D(tm)
is the number one paper and pencil RPG.  Forgotten Realms(tm) is their
number one world.  Planescape(tm) is doing very well, and is very
exciting.  Many Interplay employees play GURPS(tm).  There is enough
difference in the two licenses that we will be able to make great games
based on both of them.

Q: Where can I get more information about the GURPS CRPG product(s)?
A: There is an Interplay/Steve Jackson Games/GURPS FAQ available
via WWW at:

        http://www.io.com/user/tcain

Q: How can I get more information on the AD&D(tm) titles?
A: Nothing is available at this time.  We hope to have some sort of
demo by GENCON, but we are not committing to that date.

Q: What other platforms does Interplay support?
A: A division of Interplay, MacPlay, does many ports and original titles
for the Macintosh.  The Amiga version of DM2 will be released in europe only.
As of this writing, we are planning on doing a version of Stonekeep on the
Mac.  Dungeon Master II is also planned for a Mac release, and in fact
should be done shortly.  We currently support the SNES and Genesis, but
we are looking to the future with the 32-bit and 64-bit console machines.

Q: How can I playtest an Interplay game?
A: We have an in-house Q/A department that does all playtesting of
Interplay titles.  We do no out of house playtesting at this time.
Interplay's Q/A department is the largest single department at Interplay,
and quality assurance is very important to us.

Q: How can I contact Interplay?
A: You can reach Interplay customer support/technical service at:

        714-553-6678 (business hours only, M-F)

        Interplay Productions
        ATTN: Customer Service
        17922 Fitch Avenue
        Irvine, CA 92714

        Interplay BBS: 714-252-2822, 28.8k, N81
        America Online: keyword INTERPLAY, email to IPTECH
        GEnie: Scorpia's RT, type M805;1 from any prompt
        CompuServe: GO GAMBPUB, section 4
        Prodigy: email to PLAY99B
        Internet: email to sup...@interplay.com

I tend to hang out in comp.sys.ibm-pc.games.rpg, alot.  So if there is
something you want to know about Interplay RPGs, feel free to ask there.
If I can't help you, or if it is about other Interplay products, then
I'll refer you to a regular customer service person.

============================================================================
GURPS is a trademark of Steve Jackson Games.  Used under license.
AD&D, Forgotten Realms and Planescape are trademarks of TSR, Inc.  Used
under license.
All other mentioned products are the copyright of their respective owners.
============================================================================
For the record, I am an in-house designer at Interplay but I maintain this
FAQ strictly on my own time, and nothing in this FAQ should be taken as
official Interplay propaganda.  Thanks- Chris.

--
      Chris Taylor - ana...@netcom.com - Video/Computer Game Designer
      I may work for Interplay Productions, but these opinions do not.
      "I say, Edward, is that a South American tiny yellow bush .sig?"

>                  The semi-official Interplay RPG FAQ
>                     Last Update: 15 Feburary 1995

[FAQ deleted]

Bravo!  I wish other game developers would take note.  (BTW, don't I get any
credit for suggesting the idea in the first place?)  :)

Paul Bartholomew
pau...@socketis.net

: credit for suggesting the idea in the first place?)  :)

        I'll do that.  ;)

--
      Chris Taylor - ana...@netcom.com - Video/Computer Game Designer
      I may work for Interplay Productions, but these opinions do not.
      "I say, Edward, is that a South American tiny yellow bush .sig?"

>Q: What is the deal with Interplay licensing GURPS(tm) _and_ AD&D(tm)?

I have a question about the AD&D titles that will be coming out.  
Specifically, will you have to adhere tightly to the game rules like SSI
had to?  I think most of us hated having to memorize spells so damn much
and I think that SSI knew this but there was nothing they could do
because TSR insisted they follow the rules.  There were other things that
slowed the game because they followed the rules of the pen and paper game,
 which they could have done without.

So what's the scoop?  Are your hands tied like SSI's were?

David L. Mitchell
DDF...@prodigy.com

: system? From the game's advertisements this surely looks to be the case.
: Chaos Strikes Back was not an add on disk, it was an entirely new stand
: alone game which alllowed utilization of characters from the first game.

        Yes.  DM2 is the same game as the Sega-CD version (with
much better graphics, sound, interface, etc).

        Thanks.

--
      Chris Taylor - ana...@netcom.com - Video/Computer Game Designer
      I may work for Interplay Productions, but these opinions do not.
      "I say, Edward, is that a South American tiny yellow bush .sig?"

ana...@netcom.com (Stonekeep's Chris) wrote:
>
>                   The semi-official Interplay RPG FAQ
>                      Last Update: 15 Feburary 1995
>  

        SM

        TSR wants us to follow the rules very strongly.  Any variation of
the rules must be approved by them.  I would not use the language you are
using ("hands tied"), but it's their game and any changes we make will be
for the conversion process only.  We will try to make it as easy to play
as possible ("don't fight an interface, bob, fight that orc.")

        pax,

--
      Chris Taylor - ana...@netcom.com - Video/Computer Game Designer
      I may work for Interplay Productions, but these opinions do not.
      "I say, Edward, is that a South American tiny yellow bush .sig?"

My point exactly!  I don't want an AD&D game that is SORT OF FUN TO PLAY.
I want an AD&D game that is extremely fun to play.

David L. Mitchell
DDF...@prodigy.com

Ehh....DON'T LISTEN TO THIS PERSON!!!!!!!!!!

Keep as close to the original rules as possible.....It's what makes AD&D
sort of fun to play!!!!!!!

--
| Per Kristiansen        | My opinions are MINE,MINE,MINE..okay..Stay the  |
| Elisenbergvn. 20         | hell AWAY from them ..*OKAY*.. Or I'll visit    |
| 0265 Oslo               | you and your family with my BFG 9000.                  |
| NORWAY                      |    <this space is MINE, and is NOT FOR RENT>          |

:         TSR wants us to follow the rules very strongly.  Any variation of

: the rules must be approved by them.  I would not use the language you are
: using ("hands tied"), but it's their game and any changes we make will be
: for the conversion process only.  We will try to make it as easy to play
: as possible ("don't fight an interface, bob, fight that orc.")

Hi Chris.  I was excited to see that Interplay would be publishing AD&D
games.  I've got a few questions, too, about them.  For instance--will
Interplay limit how far a character can advance in any given game (like
the gold box games used to do)?  Will the games feature more NPC
interaction than did the gold boxers?  Will the games feature more
choices that make a difference to outcome?  Will the games allow parties
to sell the surplus items they collect?

I liked the spell memorization too--at least once SSI changed the way it
was handled.

Notice I didn't even mention that it'd be nice if we could name our own
characters. ;)
--
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
dennis owens                                dbc                      ko...@netcom.com

Stonekeep's Chris (ana...@netcom.com) wrote:

:         TSR wants us to follow the rules very strongly.  Any variation of

: the rules must be approved by them.  I would not use the language you are
: using ("hands tied"), but it's their game and any changes we make will be
: for the conversion process only.  We will try to make it as easy to play
: as possible ("don't fight an interface, bob, fight that orc.")

You know what else--when it comes to interfaces, the one Lands of Lore
featured was one of the better I've seen.  Congratulations to its
designers for it.

--
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
dennis owens                                dbc                      ko...@netcom.com

: games.  I've got a few questions, too, about them.  For instance--will
: Interplay limit how far a character can advance in any given game (like
: the gold box games used to do)?  Will the games feature more NPC
: interaction than did the gold boxers?  Will the games feature more
: choices that make a difference to outcome?  Will the games allow parties
: to sell the surplus items they collect?

        No info is available at this time.  Frankly, I have no idea... ;)
        I would expect (and this is just a guess) the following:

        Yes.  Yes.  Yes. Yes.

: I liked the spell memorization too--at least once SSI changed the way it
: was handled.

        Yes.

: Notice I didn't even mention that it'd be nice if we could name our own
: characters. ;)

        Yes.

        pax,
: --

: ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
: dennis owens                                dbc                      ko...@netcom.com

--
      Chris Taylor - ana...@netcom.com - Video/Computer Game Designer
      I may work for Interplay Productions, but these opinions do not.