Secret Files 3 – Steffen Schamberger and Marco Zeugner

action adds so much.  Why do you think we don’t see more of it in the genre? 

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[b]Steffen:[/b] We think action, suspense and drama are important elements. After all, the players should not lose interest. With Lost Horizon we tried to do that with the typical mechanisms of an adventure game – which proved to be a pretty difficult task, because sleight of hand or action sequences, time pressure or even the on-screen death are not well liked among adventure-gamers. Lost Horizon, for example, had the car chase scene in Hong Kong, where one had to apply the laws of inertia in order to climb onto the lorry. Some might remember LucasArts’s Full Throttle. It had motor-bike battles and even a Demolition Derby which reeked of action sequences, but ultimately were all about careful thinking and the appliance of the right items. I cannot explain why such elements are so rarely used in games. The gamers approved of that in Lost Horizon, which is why we included such special tasks in Secret Files 3 as well (don’t worry, there are no mini-games or action sequences), because they provide a much needed diversion from the usual Look-At, Pick-Up, Combine.

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[b]AG:[/b] The Secret Files games have been known for some pretty bizarre (okay, I’ll say it – illogical) puzzle solutions.  Have you heard that criticism and taken it to heart at all?

[b]Steffen:[/b] Of course. Logic was the highest commandment – only Nina’s dreams may differ slightly from this rule. Riddles and tasks should arise from the situation and story at hand so as not appear contrived. Story always came first during development; riddle design had to fit the story and not the other way around. Compare this to the scavenger hunt in SF2 or the Cellphone-Cat in SF1 and you hopefully see the difference.

[b]AG:[/b] What else have you learned from previous experience that you’re trying to incorporate into the new game?  Or is it pretty much status quo at this point? 

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[b]Steffen:[/b] We constantly follow the customers’ and the press’s feedback. We improve what they liked, we lose what they didn’t. We also come up with brand new ideas: For example, the main menu which every player can create individually by answering a few questions in a “psych-test”.

[b]AG:[/b] Your last game wasn’t a Secret Files adventure, but the equally entertaining Lost Horizon.  Why the change of direction then, and why the switch back to Secret Files now?

[b]Steffen:[/b] We needed some time out so as not to have SF3 become “just another Secret Files game”. Apart from that, Lost Horizon provided us with the opportunity to get away from logic restraints – something made possible by the theme “Shambala” and the time difference to the 1930s. Having hand-drawn backgrounds instead of rendered ones was also a nice change. Apparently we should not try that with Secret Files. The SF recipe for success seems to be “Crime + Mystery + realistic design + present day” – something also reflected in sales.

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[b]AG:[/b] Lost Horizon in particular hearkens back to the classic serial movie adventures of the 1930s and ’40s.  What were some of your other inspirations, either individually or collectively as a team? 

[b]Steffen:[/b] For the main part it appears to be a homage to “Indy”, who drew his inspiration from classical adventure films from that time.

[b]AG:[/b] What about adventure games?  Any classics that you pattern your games after, or seek to emulate in any way?

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[b]Steffen:[/b] Lost Horizon surely possesses its own originality. But elements from our favourite adventure games as well as Indiana Jones will of course find their way into the game. The classic Flight of the Amazon Queen should also be recognizable in LH.  Just look at the screenshots below.

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[b]AG:[/b] You’re also working on a new episodic game called Columbus 4, correct?  We know next-to-nothing about the game in the English-speaking world. What can you tell us about that? 

[b]Marco Zeugner:[/b] Columbus 4 is still in its early stages. The completion of Secret Files 3 was of course our priority. That is why detailed information of our next projects will be released this fall. 

[b]AG:[/b] Amidst the current crowd-funding frenzy, it’s refreshing to see a conventional publisher-backed adventure game being produced and sold in stores.  What’s your relationship with Deep Silver been like?

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[b]Marco:[/b] Deep Silver proved to be a dependable and competent partner who always had a sympathetic ear for us developers during our work on our first adventure game Secret Files: Tunguska. That is why we successfully continued our collaboration from project to project. Crowd-funding is at first glance an interesting thing. But there are always two side to a coin. We are very comfortable in our current constellation and think the task sharing between us as developers and Deep Silver as publishers are well managed and work perfectly.

[b]AG:[/b] Your previous Secret Files games have been ported to the Nintendo DS and Wii.  Any chance of seeing the new game on the 3DS or any other platform?

[b]Marco:[/b] We would love to do an adaptation for the 3DS. That would definitely be less problematic than the adaptation back then for the DS. We were forced to make some profound modifications because of the limited data medium capacity. For example, the complete omission of speech output. That would not be a problem with the 3DS. We even converted some of our locations to 3D and it looks very pretty. Sadly, the publisher has the final word when it comes to porting. And if they believe that there is no market for this then there won’t be a port.

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[b]AG:[/b] Secret Files 3 is still on track for release at the end of August, correct?  So you’re busy putting the finishing touches on it at this stage?

[b]Steffen:[/b] The German version is scheduled for an August 31 release – in a nice box and as a Steam download. The English version should be done soon afterwards. Right now that depends on how long the voice recording will take.

[b]AG:[/b] Well, we’re certainly looking forward to playing the game when it’s done, but thanks for taking a break during crunch time to join us.

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[b]Steffen:[/b] Actually, this was not really a break from crunch time. While answering your questions, I am in fact testing the Goldmaster. If the sales version really does have a bug somewhere it will be on your head. 😉