The murder of an underground hacker in Paris is just the beginning of this extraordinary adventure for George Stobbard and Nico Collard in the highly anticipated Broken Sword III. Powerful seismic events are shaking the world. An Ancient Conspiracy, the Secrets of the Templars, and a fiendish source of pure Evil are responsible…

From the jungles of the Congo to the deceptive calm of the English West Country and gothic castles – time is running out for the Earth and only George and Nico can save it…

Key Features

• An epic narrative from Europe’s master interactive storytellers - Revolution Software
• Stunning graphics delivered by a radical new graphic engine
• Wholly intuitive direct control interface – fresh gameplay with keyboard and mouse navigation for full control of the character.
• Movie quality script and voice acting, with facial animation choreographed by Revolution’s proprietary Virtual Actor Engine.

GCM:	Please start us off by introducing yourself and telling us a bit about Broken Sword’s history.
Revolution Software:	I am the founder and CEO of Revolution Software Ltd., and Director of the Broken Sword games. The first two games were point and click adventures which both sold in the order of a million copies. The game has moved from a point and click interface to direct control while maintaining the essence of an adventure but in a dynamic 3D environment.

GCM:

Please briefly describe for us the story driving Broken Sword – The Sleeping Dragon.

Revolution Software:

The Sleeping Dragon, the third installment of the Broken Sword trilogy, takes up the Broken Sword story a few years after we last saw George and Nico. George Stobbart, patent lawyer and part time adventurer, is flying over the jungles of the Congo in a battered transport aircraft. When an extraordinary electrical storm engulfs the plane and one of the engines burst alight, the Australian pilot assures him that there is nothing to be worried about. Until the second engine catches alight. As the plane hits the jungle canopy, George blacks out. Coming around, he finds that the plane is perched perilously above a deep gorge. Meanwhile, on the other side of the world, we see a hacker typing away at a keyboard. The door bell rings – the visitor announces herself as Nico Collard. He lets her in, tells her of his amazing discoveries but stops – when she draws a gun and shoots him. And so starts another amazing adventure for George and Nico. The game draws upon previous themes surrounding the Knights Templar, arcane knowledge and ancient manuscripts. George and Nico Collard find themselves inextricably drawn into a plot orchestrated by a demonic and formidable megalomaniac.

GCM:

What triggered the move to 3D and—from a gameplay standpoint—what has this allowed the development team to implement.

Revolution Software:

In writing the previous Broken Sword games in 2D, it was incredibly frustrating that we were limited in both the gameplay and cinematography. The move to 3D has been on the horizon for sometime now, and is very liberating. An Adventure, in particular, requires a really high quality of graphics so it was important to wait until the 3D graphics of consumer hardware was able to match the quality of what could be achieved in 2D. The move has opened up both gameplay opportunities and allowed us to employ a high level of cinematography.

GCM:

In switching to 3D, did the development team run into any trouble maintaining the feel and “spirit” of an adventure game?

Revolution Software:

This was certainly a major concern at the outset. Initially, we attempted to emulate the 2D cartoon-look of the previous games, but we were not satisfied with the results because the look was too childish. We did however want a hand-drawn look. We decided to use drawn textures rather than photo-realistic textures and apply ultra-realistic lighting – in complete contrast to most games which use photo-realistic textures with non-realistic shadows! The lighting is achieved through a radiosity map which is applied as a dual pass texture. I am proud of the results. With regard to gameplay, the key was to capture the spirit of adventure gameplay but within a contemporary interface. Again I am pleased with the results. 3D has allowed us to create a much more dynamic environment and greater scope for the player to explore through climbing, shimmying etc

GCM:

Please tell us about the work that has gone into voice acting and generally presenting and engaging story.

Revolution Software:

We take the story very seriously and, having written the key outline, worked with an experienced writer who has considerable experience in both film and television to ensure that the characterization and narrative is strong throughout. The dialogue was then script edited and is, in my opinion (and the opinion of the lead actors) the best yet. We were delighted to have Rolf Saxon to play George again. Rolf has considerable experience and brings a wonderful continuity to the game.

GCM:

What sort of control layout have you opted for?

Revolution Software:

We have introduced a direct control interface to replace the point-and-click. The direct control allows a much more diverse range of puzzles than in previous titles – however, all puzzles and obstacles are adventure-orientated in that the primary gameplay comes from working out what to do to progress rather than the challenge of actually doing it. As you move your character, objects with which he (or she) can interact are highlighted and an action-map indicates what actions are available. The action-map corresponds to the four buttons on the controller. Apart from movement, all actions are controlled through the action-map.

GCM:	How long do you expect it to take the average gamer to play Sleeping Dragon from beginning to end?
Revolution Software:	Always a difficult question. The average gamer would probably spend around 30 hours. 20 hours for more experienced players.

GCM:	What can you tell us about the 3D engine behind Broken Sword – Sleeping Dragon?
Revolution Software:	Apart from the light radiosity (mentioned previously) a real time character animation system, the Virtual Actor system, allows scriptwriters to control the characters’ mood and emotions in both game and cut scenes. Characterization, mood and emotion are portrayed through facial animation and lip-synching, enhanced further with extremely credible body-language.

GCM:	How was it decided to bring Sleeping Dragon over to the Xbox and will there be any apparent differences between the two versions other than control method?
Revolution Software:	Gameplay is identical across formats. The graphics are specifically optimized for the Xbox.

GCM:	Thanks for taking the time to answer our questions. Would you like to close this Q&A with any last thoughts or comments?.
Revolution Software:	There has been an extraordinary level of interest in the game – not least because people want to ensure that the move to 3D has improved the game. To anyone who doubts, I can promise you that pretty much everyone who has played the game has agreed that it really does deliver a much better gameplay experience. You will not be disappointed!

---