Dungeon Siege II Q&A

The folks at Gamehelper have published an interview with Gas Powered Games’ Sarah Boulian, Daniel Achterman, and Erik Johnson, in which the developer answer a batch of questions about the upcoming Dungeon Siege II. Check it out:

Q: What can you tell the readers about the enhanced combat system and A.I. of D.S. II as it looks as if there have been quite a few changes here?

A: Heroes and monsters both have improved Combat and A.I. in Dungeon Siege II. On the Hero side, players can organize their party in the form of discrete Party Orders such as Mirror and Rampage. Mirror mode keeps the group under tight control, doing only what the player tells them. Rampage permits the heroes to unleash destruction on their own, while still following along with the player’s main Hero.

Monsters can now become angry with a hero based on our Aggro system, which changes the target of a monster based on Hero actions (and gives some enhanced attack abilities). (Coach A.I.) keeps the monsters interesting in both movement and spatial interaction. Special Abilities such as Buffs, Debuffs, Resurrection, and Healing give monsters the same set of tactics as the heroes. Resistances and Vulnerabilities provide strategic depth to combat by changing how the player attacks a specific monster.