We moved from Thad's desk back to the designers' room. Everyone, Brad and Jeff included, gathered around Bill Fisher's desk while the game booted up. Here again, I won't be able to tell you much because of the NDA. But, trust me on this, the people at Sigil want to tell everyone about their game. Heck, I'd bet they want to tell you more than I do.

The game wasn't far enough along to let me give it a try myself. So, Fisher was at the helm, talking me through what we were seeing. Everything was fairly straightforward and predictable: run here, run there, attack this, attack that. I didn't see any armor or attack animations. There was no real UI to speak of. Again, this is still early in the development process, so I wasn't overly surprised. That was just stuff I really wanted to see. As an artist it's the stuff I can speak the most effectively about.

During the gameplay run though, I noticed that a considerable amount of detail stays visible as you back away from cities, landscape, etc. You see, Sigil wants the world to hold up from a distance so the feel of realism stays true. Mumbling responses came at the end my asking how that affected system specs. **grins** In other words, it requires more power from your system. The recommended specs for this game will be relatively high, but by the time of its release the average gamers' system should be more than able to handle it. The size, scope, and magnificence of the game became more apparent at this point as well. The views are meant to be sweeping and majestic. They were just that. From the top of a winding, earthen spire, we looked out over a landscape that extended off, impressively, into the distance, every inch of it open to exploration.

Now, the Sigil game world is supposedly zoneless, but, like DAoC, there are lines where you move from one "area" to the next; and, that requires a moment to load. Well, actually it took more than a moment to load; the time that elapsed was noticeable. I'm certain, right now, that it is just a product of the stage of development; the game isn't finished and optimized yet. All of that will improve. Also, like DAoC, mobs, purportedly, have no respect for zonelines. Which in my mind adds to the sense of reality Sigil is building into this game. The AI on these mobs, I was told, will be intense: knowledge of their position on the x, y, and z; a certain understanding of how their position applies to you and limits your response; pack mentality; etc. Those are just common mobs though; the intended intelligence of some of the more advanced mobs will be even more impressive and even harder to fool. Now, I didn't see any of these things in action, so I can't attest to their effectiveness. If they're true though, we, as players, will need to be more cautious with our actions and more intelligent about our own strategies. Honestly though, not seeing it first hand, the line between "what is" and "what is speculation" begins to blur.

The run through ended in a discussion about the direction of 3rd generation games. That direction is reality, the ability to do anything you can imagine without being limited by code or circumstance. It's the belief in a caste system, and the option to progress through the game without being forced to be an adventurer. The example that was given to me, by Jeff, was this: Imagine you want to explore beyond the borders of your land; and, the only unexplored border is the open sea. It's not the intention to provide us with a boat, but to provide us with the ability, intelligence, and tools to make a boat, or, at the very least, LEARN how to make a boat. That, admittedly, is a delicious dream. But, is it more than that? A dream? If so, I saw no evidence of it within the game. Again, at this stage of the development, that's understandable. But, it became exceedingly difficult for me to tell when we were done talking about the direction of Sigil's game, and when we'd begun talking about their aspirations for the industry. How much is going to be doable? How much of what was being said would actually be "in" the game? There was no way for me to tell. I could ask specifically, but, I was certain, that even in getting the response the answer would remain completely elusive. **grins**

As the discussion tapered off into me rambling about ineffective, non-functional armor, and the Sigil team asking me what I wanted to see in a 3rd generation game, Cindy came in to let us know it was time for dinner. The visit was over and a good handful of the staff were going out to talk and laugh over an excellent meal. They shared some of their pranks and exploits with me. Including a story about why Lee is wary of UPS delivery men. (Sorry you'll have to ask about THAT yourself.) It was a great way to end the trip. It reminded me that these were hard working folk that enjoy their jobs and the people they work with. These were the faces and voices behind the game, dedicated to making it a success, and more than willing to laugh at themselves and each other.

In summary, Sigil's game will be a success, and it will be beautiful. What I saw proved that to me beyond doubt. But, I'm still a tad unable to factor the team's "enthusiasm" and "optimism" out of my overall "will it succeed" equation. The impressiveness of each individual aspect of the game does not guarantee that the game will exceed all expectation when they are all put together. The graphics, like I said, are phenominal, but ultimately they are only a touch better than what is being released right now. The only thing that really sets this game apart from others, and puts it in the realm of "third generation", is what is "intended" for the game. So, I simply must reserve my final judgment for some point further down the line, when much more of the game ceases to be speculation and becomes reality, when I can qualify the "dreams" and say for sure that they have been realized. Hopefully, this write-up has not hurt my chances to do just that. **whistles innocently**

In closing, I would like to thank the Sigil staff, first and foremost, for having me out. But, beyond that, I'd like to thank them for working with me on the write up to get you the most info possible, without giving away too much. They made a lot of concessions so that this writeup could stay pretty much in tact. Thanks folks!

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