Author Topic: Interview : Dragon's Lair 3D : Lead Designer / creative dir.  (Read 4597 times)

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Dragon's Lair 3D Interview      CGN

02.20.03
Written by: Jarrett Lantz
CGN recently conducted an interview with the Lead Designer and Creative Director – Wil Panganiban -- of this holiday’s title: Dragon’s Lair 3D.

taken from www.cgno.com


CGN: What inspired you to reincarnate the old Dragon's Lair franchise?

Wil: After 17 years of Dragon’s Lair success, Rick Dyer, the CEO of Dragons Lair LLC and part of the team that created Dragon’s Lair, along with Don Bluth, Gary Goldman and John Pomeroy, decided that the time was right and the technology far enough along to recreate the magic that made Dragon’s Lair a hit in the 80’s.


CGN: When coming up with the idea for the game, were there initial intentions ever to only recreate the old laserdisc version in 3D?

Wil: No. The idea was to tell the whole story of Dragon’s Lair. The original Dragon’s Lair game only showed the main elements – players had no background and they simply jumped into the game. Dragon’s Lair 3D gives you that history, as well as a surprise or two.


CGN: Are you satisfied with the direction Dragon's Lair 3D has taken? What else would you have changed?

Wil: As an artist, you’re never really satisfied, no matter what. But we have received lots of kudos for recapturing the look and feel of the original. As far as what we would have changed, we would have liked to add more scripted demise scenes, as well as more of the original Dragon’s Lair rooms.


CGN: What influences (books, movies, games, etc.) did you draw on for Dragon's Lair 3D?

Wil: We looked at a lot of Castle Books and at trap books. We were trying to focus on millions of ways to make Dirk’s life difficult, so we also looked at RPG trap books to help us out. Finally, we drew on cartoons – as well as the original Dragon’s Lair game, of course – to help us in making sure the game didn’t become too dark or serious.


CGN: Were there any particularly memorable moments during the lifecycle of the game?

Wil: Having Don Bluth and company walk around the building, giving us personal feedback, was quite memorable. I also recall a night at a Karaoke bar with most of the team, when we were onstage singing Queen’s “We are the Champions.” I don’t remember much after that however. Other memorable moments include bowling, pizza, drum/guitar-mania and Counterstrike that filled in those rare spare moments during our marathon workdays.


CGN: Where there any good ideas that had to be removed from the game because of time or technological restrictions?

Wil: Yes, we had to cut 6 levels, each of which was comprised of 30 to 50 rooms. They were just too ambitious for both the timeline and the technology.


CGN: We hear there's a new Dragon's Lair motion picture and comic book series coming out this year. Can you give us any new details about either of those projects?

Wil: The movie will be a coming of age movie, a prequel so to speak, of Dirk before he went to the darkside. No, wait. Wrong movie. The real Dragon’s Lair movie will take place before the timeline of the original Dragon’s Lair game. The comic book will sort of take off from Dragon’s Lair, taking elements from the game, but will pretty much have its own continuity.


CGN: Will any members from the development team of the game be working with the movie producers or comic book animators?

Wil: We’ve been tossing around story concepts that both the movie producers and the comic book animators can use to create their stories. And Don Bluth and Gary Goldman are personally interviewing artists for both mediums to ensure that the quality in the art remains true to the Bluth standards.


CGN: Can we expect anything new this year from Encore for our Xboxes, PS2s, and GameCubes?

Wil: Encore just released Daredevil for Game Boy Advance, in simultaneous release with the movie. This is a sidescrolling game where players get to be Daredevil as he fights his way through the underbelly of New York’s Hell’s Kitchen to defeat criminals and the Kingpin. Console versions of the game, based on the comic book series, will release before the holidays.

Like to learn a little bit more about Dragon’s Lair 3D? Be sure to check out our review for additional info on the game, and a full review.

That’s it kiddies! Be sure to take a look at our second installment of our interview which will take you behind the scenes of an average day in the life of Wil, Dragon Lair 3D’s Lead Designer and Creative Director.