Adam D. Bormann
Tell us more about the scripting language used to create the Gabriel Knight 3.
Scott Bilas joined the project in February of 98 as the Engine Architect. At that point, all the game was being hard-coded, which would have meant that to test something you would have had to reprogram it, recompile the whole program, test it, and then try again. The programmers looked at that and decided we really needed a scripting language if we were going to finish the game in a reasonable amount of time. So, Scott rewrote a lot of the front-end to the game, which included many incredible features, including the scripting language “Sheep.” Scott and I worked together on many of the original features that would be included in the language, and later, Jessica Tams joined the team and led the scripting effort. We had a few other scripters on the project at various times, but most of the final game was scripted by Jessica and myself.
The language is similar to JavaScript, but with many functions specific to games of this type. Each scene where you have two characters talking back and forth, or a character performing an action, has been carefully scripted (and rescripted). The other place that the scripting language was used was in all the logic of the game (what topics are available when, what characters are in which rooms, etc). With it, we were able to script when a character said lines, what expression they had on their faces, what they were physically doing, what the other people in the room were doing, whether Larry was wearing his hat, what props were visible, when the music changed, cut to different cinematic cameras, change the score, walk characters around, set flags, etc.
What went into the design of the soundtrack for the latest Gabriel Knight?
David Henry did some incredible work on the soundtrack. Robert Holmes supplied David with some really great themes, and David wrote much of the music himself. Most of it is broken into chunks, a minute long or shorter. These chunks work together anyway you play them, so instead of endlessly looping the same music over and over, the soundtrack is always changing, always different. The soundtrack changes when specific things happen, and is all timed to the length of the action.
How did you feel when you found out you were to work on Gabriel Knight 3?
I was elated! The chance to work on a Gabriel Knight game was literally a dream come true, in many ways. Not only was I helping with design and writing on a computer game (my life’s mission), I got to work on my favorite series of games, and I got to work with my favorite game designer. And I got a chance to work on a game with my college roommate (which we had been planning to do for years).
What was it like to work with Jane Jensen?
Jane was wonderful! I respected her a lot as a designer and writer before I worked with her, and I have even more respect for her now. She’s intelligent, entertaining, and the gears of her mind are always turning. She’s very detail oriented, and very energetic. I was always amazed at how she could keep all of the parts of her projects organized in her head. We didn’t always see eye-to-eye on design issues or dialogue, but it’s her game, and I understand the stress and responsibility of having your name on a product. I would work with her again in an instant.
Was Gabriel Knight 3 your first project?
Before I started on GK3, I was the webmaster for Sierra Studios, so I was working on the websites for projects that were currently in development such as Mask of Eternity, Leisure Suit Larry’s Casino, and a few others that were canceled. I was working with the people working on those projects, and created/updated sites for them, but I wasn’t really working on the games. Before that, like most aspiring designers, I spent much of my time working on game designs in my free time. I spent over three solid years designing my pride and joy. It was sitting on my shelf at work for 2 years, and actually helped get me a job as a writer on a game…two weeks before the project was canceled. But in answer to your question: Gabriel Knight 3 was my first published game project.
So how did you become interested in game design?
I started fairly young. When I was ..oh, say 9 years old, I used to redesign all of the arcade games I was played. I loved Zaxxon, and really wanted to design a sequel for it. So I would sit down and draw out levels and bad guys for my sequel to Zaxxon. When I was a little older I started, literally, dreaming computer games, and designing those. My parents brought home an Apple II when I was 11. A few weeks later, I started programming my own text adventure games in Apple Basic, most of my work concentrated on my masterpiece, “The Lost Unicorn.” Of course, I’d get a little bit done, look around, and there was no one to show it to. So I stopped programming, and just started writing/sketching out designs in notebooks. This continued until high school, when I decided I was going to have to do it professionally, or go insane. During high school, I formed a “company” called “Morphware Associates,” which consisted of around 10 other like-minded kids. Of course, we were missing one of the key components, a programmer. So, we would sit around discussing different game ideas, and then ended up playing games for “research.” When I went to college, I formed a second company,”Black Tulip Entertainment,” this time it was just me designing games . After college, my roommate and I actually started developing a game. We had a fairly detailed design, and he had started programming the tool set for the game. Of course, we both got jobs at game companies, bringing the BTE chapter to an end.
Gabriel Knight 3 has just been released and there is already talk of a Gabriel Knight 4 on the message boards. Will the fans ever be satisfied?
When you’re dealing with an on-going story, like Jane is with Gabriel Knight, it’s hard to satisfy people for long. If we do our job correctly, the fans will always want to know what happens next. In many ways, the end of GK3 sets up the beginning of the next story. It isn’t surprising to me that people who have finished the game want to know what happens next; I want to know what happens next!
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