I am Ragnar Tørnquist, creator of The Longest Journey saga and the upcoming Dreamfall Chapters. AMA!

When are you going to sue somebody? Twitter was your idea!

Good luck with the Kickstarter ;)

Working on it. Thank you!

Hey Ragnar. I'm a huge fan of TLJ saga, for few years an administrator of polish fansite dreamfall.pl ; I've asked our community members who couldn't write in English to give some questions so I would translate them and pass onto you. Here they are:

1) Piotr asked: Will Dreamfall Chapters be compatible with older Windows systems than Windows 8 (Win7, Vista, XP)?

2) Anna asked: Do you have any plans to make The Longest Journey remake somewhere in the future? One that would introduce better graphics, technicalties, maybe even expand the story?

3) Anna asked: Was Dreamfall storyline cut short for some reasons? (I've seen a concept art with Abnaxus, who didn't appear in the game)

4) Scorpion asked: You mean, mean person, why won't you make April Ryan a playable character? PS. You're the best for making this sequel happen!

5) Journeyman asked: Have you ever considered doing a level, where you could play as Crow? If so, why didn't you follow this idea?

And now here are MY questions:

6) Does the face behind Zoe on this art: https://s3.amazonaws.com/ksr/assets/000/370/827/1f47da1eaf3375a29b286d90365c36db_large.jpg?1359985729 belong to Vagabond?

7) Will Zoe have a diary? I mean real diary, with emotions, opinions and funny commentaries like April Ryan did in TLJ (one of my favorite things in TLJ storytelling!), not dry almost-questlog like we had in Dreamfall.

8) On Kickstarter page you've written that Chapters will be 3D point-and-click. Meanwhile, on GameSpot interview you've stated that the way we play the game will be somewhat similar to Dreamfall (though with much better interface). Simple question: will we need to use keyboard (or pad) to play Dreamfall Chapters?

Sorry for so many questions (I'm just too curious I guess), I hope you'll have at least enough time to answer to the community ones!

SO MANY QUESTIONS.

1. We will try to make it compatible with XP. 7, for sure. I'm not the guy to ask but we'll try.

2. I don't think so. We would prefer to spend our time telling new stories. Also, Red Thread doesn't have the rights.

3. No, it wasn't, but Dreamfall was only the first part of the Dreamer Cycle. We were planning on doing Chapters a long time ago.

4. Um, sorry. And thank you!

5. ...yes. Play Chapters.

6. That's very possible!

7. We're talking about it!

8. We are striving to make Chapters playable with mouse only, if you so wish, at least for the most part. Keyboard will be necessary for some things. A joypad won't be required, but it'll be optional.

Thanks!

How the hell did you guys come up with that rubber ducky puzzle?

I have no idea. I think it was the lack of sleep. Also, possibly, the drugs.

Hi, I don't have any questions really. I just wanted to thank you, and try not to sound like a huge kiss-ass in the process. I play a ton of adventure games, but The Longest Journey is by far the best-written I've ever come across. In fact, I and my friends who have played it all agree that April is easily the most well-written and well-voiced female character of any game we've ever played. She's a little bit terrifying-looking in the cutscenes. But other than that, brilliant.

You guys really managed to create a unique and interesting world(s), populated by fascinating characters, and it doesn't just rehash the same creatures and races from every fantasy story ever. I know that's no easy task, and I'm thoroughly impressed.

Is my nose brown enough, yet? I guess it's time to wrap this up. So, thank you: for Arcadia, for Stark, for the characters within, for the wonderful story, and, most of all, for the journey. For once, it truly wasn't about the destination, and for that, you'll always hold a place inside my wallet.

P.S. I have to give a separate extra-special thank you for Burns Flipper: Thank you.

Thank you, thank you, SO so much. This is why I make games.

Hi Ragnar!

I loved TLJ but absolutely adored Dreamfall (particularly the bits set in Stark). I'm so excited about Dreamfall Chapters - Will you be trying to get Ellie Conrad Leigh back to voice Zoe?

She was brilliant, and in a recent interview she says that she'd love to do it again :-)

Thanks :-)

Hi...you! Yes, we will definitely try to get Ellie back. She's moved to Australia and hasn't done a lot of acting since Dreamfall, but we'll get in touch with her as soon as the Kickstarter wraps :-)

Will anyone else be back to fill voice roles?

Yep!

Give us more April Ryan and Zoe!

Okay!

Howdy Ragnar,

TLJ blew me away when I first played it and is still my favourite game to this day. Whilst I loved dreamfall and thought the story was rather brilliant if not a bit annoying because of the ending shakes fist it was a backwards step from TLJ.

Is this new game going back to the roots of TLJ or is it going to be more like dreamfall?

Thanks.

It's going back to the roots, for sure. We love Dreamfall, of course, but we also feel that it may have lacked a bit of the magic of TLJ, so one of the things we want to get right with Chapters is just that: our roots. Point-and-click adventure gaming. The soul, heart and magic of TLJ.

What did Funcom ask for in return for the rights to continue the game under a different company? (Congratulations on delivering to your fans and doing this - glad beeing able to represent a small part of the founding blocks)

There is some profit sharing involved, which means that they get royalties. Other than that, they've just been awesome to let us do this and not ask for anything up front. We appreciate that a lot.

Hey Ragnar, The Longest Journey has been for most of my life my all-time favourite game, I loved the settings, the bohemian architecture of Venice and the inviting ambiance of The Fringe Cafe. Also the music played an important part in the immersion.

My questions:

1. Are you thinking of contacting Bjørn Arve Lagim again, since he did the score for the first TLJ? Or are you guys gonna go with Morten Sørlie who did Dreamfall?

2. I don't know how powerful is the last version of the Unity engine, but I loved the detail in the Zoe model. Are you planning on including some optional next-gen features, like tesselation?

3. Are you planning on including additional voiced songs, like you did with Magnet in Dreamfall? I don't know if you are aware of this norwegian band, Flunk, their music is dreamy and they would fit the universe quite nicely! Here's their page.

Nothing else I can't think of right now, I backed the project as soon as it was up in Kickstarter, I love this universe, and I can clearly see the passion and love that went in creating it. Can't wait to explore it again!

Best of luck and cheers from an argentinian fan!

Hi! Thank you!

1. Leon Willett actually did Dreamfall, together with Simon Poole. Morten contributed to it, and his work is lovely, but it's primarily the first two. We are talking to people but we have nothing to announce quite yet. The music is SO so important to this saga, we're not going to take the choice lightly.

2. Yep, we are definitely looking into using a lot of 'next-gen' features.

3. Thanks for the tip! Will listen to them :-)

Heya Ragnar,

Here's a few questions for you!

1. There's a mood to all of your games, a certain melancholy and a sense of wonder. Where do you get your inspiration?

2. The women in your games! They're so confident and sassy! If you could reincarnate and choose your gender, which would you pick and why? Go on! Be honest!

3. Why do you make games?

Best of luck with the Kickstarter. I'm trying to convince my wife to let me spend big bucks on the Complete pack, but it's not really working out too well. Advice and convincing arguments appreciated.

Hi!

1. Lots of places. Norway. Being Norwegian, growing up with the nature and spaces and fairy-tales and sagas and the sense of the immensity and mystery of nature. Also, of course, everything I've read and watched and heard. I have so many sources of inspiration, it's hard to list them all.

2. BEST QUESTION EVER. Look, I love writing women, I love being around women, but I also like being a man for lots of reasons! Not the least of which is...women.

3. I make games because I can't NOT make games. I love games. I love how they allow me to tell stories in brand new ways. I love how games allow me to do something so different and unique and new.

Tell your wife that it's not just about you and your wishes, it's about being part of something bigger, something important, and helping us create a game and a story that will last forever! Failing that, just kiss her and tell her you won't do anything she doesn't want you to do. GUILT HER INTO IT.

I love how one of the themes of the TLJ series is struggling with the feeling of being completely ineffectual. It happens to both April at Zoe at the beginning and the end of their respective journeys. This is a pretty unusual even controversial theme for a game. I don't really have a specific question but I'm wondering why you are personally so drawn to this idea?

Good question, and I don't know. I haven't thought about it, but you're right, this is true. Both of those games are deeply personal, and there's a lot of myself in both April and Zoë. So I guess it's something I struggle with myself. Feeling out of control, like I don't know what my role is in this world, or if I'll ever make a difference.

10 hours for Dreamfall:Chapter is TOO SHORT! Please re-think this Ragnar. Your game can´t be long enough by the way :)

I know, we'd love for the game to be longer. It is simply a budget question. Longer means more money, so if the Kickstarter keeps doing as well as it's doing now, the game will definitely be longer.

You've already answered a question so I shan't ask another, but I hope you see this.

http://imgur.com/QbIImGp

Your game happened to come at one of the best moments of my life as well as being my favourite game and so I got a tattoo of the balance in memory of then. You're a fantastic storyteller and I hope you never stop!

Aw, thank you so, so much. Really appreciate it!

Hei, Ragnar!

I'm studying script-writing and have been a fan of your work for a long time. The Longest Journey Saga is definitely up there amongst the best video game stories ever told as far as I'm concerned.

• Would it be possible to have a look at the script for The Longest Journey, If that thing is still around?

• Also, If you were to remake TLJ and Dreamfall today. What would you change?

Also, good luck on the Dreamfall Chapters kickstarter. Very much looking forward to the continuation of the story!

Lykke til videre!

The script for TLJ may still be around somewhere. We might dig that up and make it available some day. Good idea!

Hey Ragnar, first of all I'm super excited, The Longest Journey is my favourite "serious" adventure game ever (all the others are from Lucasarts, but they tend to be more on the humourous side), and I love Dreamfall as well (although I didn't like the stealth and fight scenes that much to be honest, but I think you get that a lot), so I was super excited when you announced the game back in November (heck, I posted it here on /r/games first ;)), so of course I backed it within an hour as the Kickstarter campaign went live (on the $50 level, though I'm considering going up to the $75 level).

So, anyway, here are my questions:

You already said it will be 3d point and click (which is great in my opinion), without fighting and stealth, but will it have "dying" (similar to Dreamfall) or be death-less as was TLJ? On what digital platforms do you plan to make it available to the backers? Steam, GOG, something totally different or all of the above? And will you produce a boxed version for non-backers (or digital only backers) after or will the physical versions remain exclusive?

A general question: For some reason adventure games tend to be much bigger these days in Europe (I'm European myself) than in America, pretty much all new releases these days are from European developers. Do you think it's an advantage producing an adventure game being based in Norway?

So that's all for now, I'm still impressed that you're already over $500.000 two days after launching the Kickstarter campaign and positive you'll reach a couple of stretch goals. And most of all I'm excited to find out how the story of The Longest Journey and Dreamfall will end!

Chapters will NOT have dying. It may have a few 'fail scenarios' here and there, but those will lead to alternative content and won't feel artificial -- they'll be part of the narrative flow.

We hope to make the game available on Steam and GOG, but we have already locked down a good alternative for the distribution of the DRM free version. Can't talk about it yet but it should work out really well for everyone. But yeah, we're trying to land Steam, for sure.

I don't think making an adventure game in Norway is any easier or harder than anywhere else. There's a good community of gamers and developers here, however, and that is very useful. And we're lucky that there is a government grant that can get us started -- which it did.

Thank you!

Hi Ragnar! Thanks for keeping an open line of communication to us fans! :) I just got Andrew Reiner of Game Informer to re-tweet your Kickstarter, btw.

Anyway, here are my questions, happy for any answers you can provide!

1. If it doesn’t imply a spoiler, could you tell us whether the Maerum, Venar, Alatien, or Banda will be sighted in Dreamfall: Chapters? Along the same lines; will we get to visit any of the fantastic locations from TLJ, such as Alais or any underwater city beneath the Sea of Songs?

2. What can you tell us about the game’s user-interface? Will it always be there, or does it make itself unnoticeable while we’re not using the inventory or looking in a journal, for instance.

3. I think you mentioned shifting seasons in the game; will the landscape change around us or are ‘winter locations’ exclusive to winter, and ‘spring locations’ exclusive to spring, etc.?

4. This game is said to conclude Zoë’s story. What of Arcadia and Stark; might there be more games set in that universe, or are you turning your eyes elsewhere after ‘Chapters’?

5. Might a stretch goal for the Kickstarter perhaps include further localizations? I would love a Swedish version with Regina Lund back as April Ryan.

6. How finished would you say the areas in the released screenshots are? Will there be much tweaking to those before release, or do they represent the final result? They are spectacular, btw!

7. Can you give us a very rough estimate on how long it will take to play the game from start to finish at a normal speed, should the Kickstarter stay at your intended goal? Longer / shorter than TLJ/DF?

8. Who is the real protagonist of the franchise, April or Zoë? I’ve always connected more with April, seeing as how she was first, and I really love her cynicism. But with Zoë getting the lead role in two games, you seem to favour her?

Thank you, stay awesome.

Lots of questions! Neat-o!

1. Um, let's see... Maybe, probably, probably not, definitely yeeeee-- or, y'know, maybe! (Some MIGHT be tied to stretch goals, too.) And: yes!

2. It will be very non-intrusive, leaving the screen nice and empty unless you're interacting with things or looking for things to interact with. Design wise it will be very close to our Norwegian hearts, and reflect a Scandinavian design esthetic. In fact, the whole game will feel a lot more 'Scandinavian' than before -- from a design perspective. Not in terms of accents or Swedish chefs.

3. The landscapes will change! And that will be awesome.

4. We hope there will be more games. This concludes the Dreamer Cycle, but the saga will continue.

5. Further localisations will be part of both stretch goals AND discussions with distributors in all the different territories. Swedish would be awesome, but a bit of a long shot unless someone from Sweden gets in touch (hello Sweden!). Norwegian is a sure thing.

6. Not very finished at all. First pass only. They'll be massively improved.

7. Um, a bit hard, but our aim is 10+ hours. Does depend on our budget, so: Kickstarter, yeah.

8. Trick question! For the saga, it's April, definitely. For the Dreamer Cycle, it's obviously Zoë. And then there is Kian. Ah, Kian...

No, YOU stay awesome!

Will there be a dwarf in the game? Will he be Scottish?

Hell, why not.

Greetings Ragnar!

I'll keep this short and sweet. We've heard a lot about what Dreamfall Chapters plans on delivering, and the return of Zoe Castillo and other major players, but please tell me that there are plans to bring back everyone's favourite side kick Crow.

After all, you don't want to leave him waiting again

For. Eight. Years.

edit: I accidentally a word

YES CROW YES! Of course, I'd never make the game without Crow.

Hey Ragnar, thanks so much for doing this! TLJ is the game that basically started my career as a gamer and has one of my favorite stories from any medium, so I couldn't be more excited to finally see all these updates about the sequel. I had a few questions:

1. How did you choose the cities in which to set your characters in the future (Newport, Casablanca, etc.)? Were the choices influenced by personal travel experiences to those places?

2. Any idea who will compose the music? Will there be thematic consistency with Dreamfall (the trailer seems to imply there will be)?

3. Who's your favorite storyteller currently working in any medium, and why?

Side note: The song "The Many Faces" from my album under the name Align in Time was in part inspired by TLJ.

Hi! So glad to hear that :-)

1. Good question! Newport was VERY influenced by years of living in the East Village in New York. It IS basically the East Village, a place I love dearly. As for Casablanca, I've never been there, but we wanted to build a new and shiny Africa, and it was also tied to a certain obscure, black-and-white movie. Marcuria is based on actual travel experience. Lovely place, great summers, nice people.

2. We have an idea, but we can't say anything yet!

3. Ooooh. Good question. So many possibilities! Must I choose just one? Okay. Fine. Right now it's China Mieville. There. Done.

Hi Ragnar! First of all congratulations, I'm happy to see how the kickstarter is at a 60% or so. My question is, what led you to create your own studio instead of sticking with Funcom?

Mostly to get started on Dreamfall Chapters! But also to work with some of my favourite people again, and also to do something new and terrifying. I like terrifying. I'd been with Funcom for eighteen years, it was very safe.

And we have tons of ideas for the future too, and now we can do them, because we are LORDS OF OUR DOMAIN.

(not in that way though)

PLEASE tell me that Wonkers will be back for Dreamfall Chapters?! He's one of my favourite characters! (And I still want my own Watilla!)

We sincerely hope so! Wonkers is amazingly lovely.

Hi Ragnar! You're not only one of my favorite game developers, but The Longest Journey is definitely my favorite video game of all time. I fell in love with the story and characters and have been following this series (as well as The Secret World) for years now.

My main question: Will Cortez be back?! And can Louis Aguirre voice him, if he is back? I miss Cortez.

Thanks!

Cortez WILL be back MAYBE! Aw, do you guys REALLY want spoilers? Cortez has an important role to play. He's a huge part of the saga, and a big part of the Dreamer Cycle. Happy? I love him, the big lug.

Hi Ragnar, you're awesome! Somewhat unrelated to the Kickstarter: what are your favourite games?

Ooooh. I like these questions.

Last year it was Journey. I loved, loved, loved that game. All time? Day of the Tentacle, maybe, or Civilization. Right now I'm playing Ni No Kuni and it's amazing and beautiful and sad and lovely. Um...I love racers. I think Forza Horizon was one of the best games of last year. Katamari Damacy! Yeah, I love games in general.

One of my favourite things about Dreamfall was just wandering around environments examining minutiae eg "An Ancient Postbox". Is this still going to be a part of TLJ in DF:C?

Yes! Definitely, definitely. Much more so than Dreamfall, I would say.

Hi Ragnar, Been a fan since the very beginning of TLJ. One question:

You've said before that the guiding principle of Dreamfall was the concept of "faith". April's faith in the world, and all that. I'm curious, what's the guiding theme in Dreamfall Chapters? Is it an extension of that?

Great question, because themes are SO important to us. Chapters is NOT about faith. Chapters is about...chapters. About the changes we go through in life, the 'chapters' of life. It's about growing up, growing old, settling down, becoming who you need to be and accepting that. And it's about embracing the idea of change AND embracing the finality of death.

I could write about this for hours. But I won't! We'll get back to this during the production of Chapters, though.

Thanks for this question!

Do you imagine there would be any difficulty rounding up the same voice actors/actresses? Also could we get a callback to Fiona and Mickey in Chapters? I'd love to know what they've been up to after the Collapse.

I'd love to look in on those guys again.

Hello Ragnar, Cesar Bittar from Phoenix Online here. Super excited over the Longest Journey.

As a designer myself, I've had stories in my mind that inevitably change over years if they are not fully written down. How different/same is the "Chapters" that we'll see in 2014 to the one we could have seen in 2007 story wise?

Some difference, for sure. We've grown. Time has passed. We've learned and gotten wiser. But the cornerstones of the story are the same.

You said your most optimistic projections were barely half of what you accumulated on day one. What were your most pessimistic projections?

Ha! Do you want to know? I can be VERY pessimistic.

Well, for me the worst case would just be...silence. Like, a few hundred pledges the first couple of days. I was prepared for that. Let's just say I was NOT prepared for this!

I've always wanted to know why you guys decided to portray the future so differently from The Longest Journey to Dreamfall? I mean, TLJ had a pretty dark and gloomy looking future. No colors or happy people, ferry crashes and fumes everywhere. Whilst in Dreamfall everything is Beautiful, colorful and everyone seems happy. Nothing seems bad at all. It might be because of the different places of course, but I always wondered if there was something more to it than that.

Yes! There is more to it than that, and in Chapters you'll learn more about it. Also, Chapters will have some REALLY dark locations.

We're actually revealing one of those, starting next week.

I just have one big cuestion that I'm not sure you can answer right now. Here it goes: there is a big revolution about who is Lady Alvane. Would that be revealed in Dreamfall chapters?

Yes! Maybe! Okay, yes, probably. But it's not as clear cut as all that. So...yeah. Do you really want spoilers?

Will you be able to click on yourself? ("April Ryan, you have got to get over yourself.")

Yep!

Hey Ragnar, I'm proud to be a backer, and really looking forward to more of your work. There's real heart to it, and I'm happy to see the chance for it to continue.

1.One aspect I loved about Dreamfall was its diverse cast. Sadly with almost every character left on a tragic cliffhanger in the last game will we have time to have closure for the less major characters as well as the main three? Like the White Dragon's fate, the remnants of April's rebels, whether Damien was arrested, and the potential of Roper Klack's book getting a reprint?

2.Another aspect I really liked was the atmosphere and the themes that Faith brought to it. I was wondering, can we hope to see more ominous psychological themes, and nightmarish atmosphere within the story?

1. Most of those will have closure -- or at least a continuation -- in Chapters.

2. Yep, for sure! Chapters will start on a pretty nightmarish (literally) note.

Thanks for your support, we REALLY appreciate it!

Are you going to make the Chapters for which platforms?

Right now it's PC (Windows) only. Mac and Linux will be our first stretch goals. I'd love to work on the Ouya and Steambox. And, of course, mobile platforms like Android and iOS. After that, maybe next-gen consoles, but it won't be a focus area for us.

You know that the Steambox is essentialy a PC with Linux? So by supporting Linux you are going to also support the Steambox.

Yep, you're right, but I'm sure there will be additional requirements, particularly in relation to how the game is controlled.

How about some more Wonkers?

oh god yes

Hello Ragnar, first of all I'd like to really thank you for The Longest Journey and Dreamfall. The first time I played TLJ was the year it was released in Swedish, I was 8 years old and played it with my father. Ever since, it has been a big part of my upbringing and life, and I have never found another story that I've been caring about as much or as fully. When it comes to the ability of telling stories, I've never looked up to another person as I am looking up to you.

Here's a question, now that I'm in a position to ask one - How has the story affected you these many years since you started writing it? Has it always been with you, presenting itself in different circumstances? I know that I have carried it with me for more than half my life, and I'm certain it has been one of the most positive and distinctive factors that have made me who I am today. How do you think of it, from the perspective of having created the story and the worlds?

I am so happy Dreamfall Chapters finally is something concrete, and not just an abstract hope the future will bring, and I wish you and your team all the best in the making of the game.

Thank you so much. That means a LOT to me.

Yeah, the story has affected me, and it has stayed with me. I think about it every day, and as I've said elsewhere, it's a very personal, very intimate story. TLJ more so than Dreamfall, but they both have a lot of my heart and soul in them. While I wouldn't say that the writing process was cathartic in any way, it was a story I needed to tell, with characters who had to exist, or they'd be chattering inside my head incessantly. They all had to come out at some point. They're all me.

And this is why I had to return, why I couldn't let the story be untold. Chapters had to happen. It was preordained.

Hi Ragnar, I've got some mixed questions for you:

1) Will we see more to the white spookey girl in Chapters? What was her name again? Faith?

2) Wich city will the game action be in this time? Will it still be Casablanca or are we moving to another place this time?

3) Wich languages will Chapters be in? Will we here in Norway get it in Norwegian just like the other TLJ-games?

4) Steam tells us that TLJ got over 40 hours gameplay. Does that mean the old lady in TLJ tells a story in 40 hours?

5) Do you guys need a webdeveloper?

Hey!

1. No, Faith's story is at an end. Dreamfall was all about Faith (and faith) and Chapters won't be.

2. We will only see a tiny, tiny bit of Casablance. We're moving the action elsewhere. Marcuria's in it, though. And we have two new cities!

3. English and Norwegian are confirmed. We're working on the rest!

4. I guess so! They took breaks for dinner and sleepsies, I'm sure.

5. We may! Get in touch with us via our website.

Hi Ragnar. So glad to see this happening.

I have a question about budget: Making games is expensive. So much so that a million dollars can be a drop in the bucket. Double Fine is starting to struggle to stay within the cash they have, and they made over $3 million to cover the costs of a classic 2D adventure game. Your plans for graphical fidelity are far more ambitious (and what you have already looks great). I'm interested in what it took in funds and wherewithal to make what you have now, and how you think you can make a full game with the budget you've asked for.

Good luck and Godspeed.

Thank you!

We have put together a realistic budget. We have some additional funding, and we are applying for more grants. We also have a very good starting point, a great team, and tons of experience making games. We're confident that we'll be able to deliver as planned with the Kickstarter money.

Loving the announcement of Dreamfall Chapters... Been looking forward to this for a... while.

Some questions, will we see the more of minor characters from TLJ? Such as Warren Hughes (was that his name? The kid who required the hacking done on his record?) or some others?

A detailed description of the Crash(? Memory for names is fuzzy), or is that for the actual TLJ sequel? ;)

We definitely want to revisit some of the more minor characters from the saga, yes.

And yes, we will learn more about the Collapse. It is Important.

Hi, I'm an old player of Anarchy Online which you were the director of for a while, I believe (though you didn't mention it in your post :( ).

Firstly: Thanks for your work on AO. The years I spent playing it was the best MMO experience I've ever had.

Secondly: I can't remember if you were involved in the introduction of the Shadowlands - if you were, why did you decide to go for the Shadowlands as a more "fantasy" part compared to the hard Sci-Fi that Anarchy was originally. If not, what was your opinion on this slight change of direction for the expansion?

Hello and thanks! I was never the director, but I co-created the universe and wrote most of the backstory, along with the first year of the ongoing story.

And no, I wasn't involved with Shadowlands at all. It did go in a very different direction, but I know that a lot of players loved it, and they did a fantastic job. Just wasn't the direction I'd had in mind -- and that's fine!

A few tears may have been shed at the end of Dreamfall. Have more plans to pull at our heart strings?

Yep!

Hi Ragnar, are there any hints you can tease us with about The Secret World’s future story direction? Or is it uh… a secret? Thanks for doing this and best of luck with the Kickstarter!

The Secret World is in the excellent hands of Joel Bylos. We talk and he asks questions and I still write stuff and direct voice actors, but I try to not interfere much with what the team is doing. They're following the Big Plan, though, so I'm excited for the future of that game!

Do you have any reading recommendations right now?

Anything by China Mieville!

Also The Great North Road by Peter Hamilton. Reading that right now. Good stuff.

Hey, do you think the rise of smartphones and tablets combined with easier ways to publish games (Steam, Appstore, Google Play) is the cause for bigger companies to close down?

Yes, for sure. The market is changing, game development is changing, the way we play games is changing, and the entire world is changing. It's exciting and hard and for some people both tragic and life-changing, but it's a good thing. It really is.

Hey Ragnar! Congrats on the amazing start of the Kickstarter. Will the Tome of Balance and the other books be Kickstarter exclusives, or will they be able to buy later?

And will Leon Willet be back as composer?

The answer is really "don't know" to both! As for the first one, we want to make the Kickstarter feel exclusive, but at the same time we also want to make things available to people who didn't have a chance to pledge during this campaign. So we will do something on PayPal at some point, and it MAY include rewards that come from the Kickstarter. But like I said, we don't yet know.

In the pitch video, you said Zoe saved April. But at the end of Dreamfall, I never really felt that was the case. Did I miss something?

Yes and no. It wasn't obvious, even Zoë was confused about that, but it will become clear(er) in Chapters.

Questions questions! I loved Dreamfall and have been waiting for a sequel for years now. I am really happy to see that your funding campaign is going successfully. Here's a few questions:

What platforms will the game be on?

Will there be combat in the game? It felt pretty awkwardly implemented in Dreamfall.

Who is doing the soundtrack? DF had an amazing soundtrack and it would be good to see the same composer be on board.

Hi! Thank you!

Sort of answered these already, but:

1. PC first, together with Mac and Linux if we meet our stretch goals. Beyond that: Steambox, I hope. Ouya, maybe. iOS/Android, definitely.

2. No!

3. Not sure yet!

I just wanted to stop by and say that I absolutely love The Secret World. What an amazing experience to place in an MMO setting. Never stop pushing the boundaries of interactive experience! I wish you the best of luck! :)

Thank you!

Hi, Ragnar! Yay Kickstarter, and yay for Chapters happening!

My question: Iron was used for currency in Arcadia in TLJ; gold was used for currency in Dreamfall. This has bugged me way more than it should. Was the switch just a continuity hiccup, or is there an in-story reason for the switch?

Thanks! SO looking forward to Chapters!

Yay!

And, um, there is A Reason. Definitely a reason.

Thank you!

Two questions - 1.) How did you get started in game development? 2.) What advice would you give to a near-college-age student who would desperately love to get into the industry - for the same reasons you have mentioned doing it yourself, simply loving games and the things they can do?

The Longest Journey was my first favorite video game when I was far too young to understand much of it, and I've replayed it probably hundreds of times since then.

1. I started out making games when I was 11-12 years old, and I kept doing that until I was 17. After that, I focused on what I imagined would be a career in film, and I went to film school. That actually brought me full circle back into games, when I did an internship with a development studio in New York, as an animator, and then subsequently got work at Funcom as a producer. So it was very roundabout, not your usual path into the industry.

2. Find what you're good at, focus on that, and be the best you can be in that field. If you can fill a position in the industry, and fill it well, you'll get a job. But the best way to go about it is to make your own game, either alone or with friends. Work hard, make something excellent, get it noticed, and you'll be on your way!

Thank you!

Any chance for some non-linear storytelling in Dreamfall Chapters?

Yes and no. We will have a linear narrative, but we'll have loads of non-linear spaces where things can be done in any order you want. We call those places 'rooms' (although they can be as big as a city) and you will be able to wander around and do things at your own pace. Explore, interact, talk to people, and experience the world and the story in a non-linear fashion. But the whole game and story are linear by default.

Dear Mr. Tornquist, first of all I would like to thank you for an amazing and unique experience! Both The Longest Journey and Dreamfall are definitely the most influential and meaningful video games I've ever played in my entire life. It's been well over 10 years and I still have both of them installed and always ready to re-visit locations that are well-known but at the same time full of mysteries and to one more time dive into this immersive story. Story that will always have a special place in my heart.

Do i have a question for you? I do, many questions actually. But at the same time I hope they will be answered in Dreamfall Chapters.

Good luck with your work!

Thank you!

Hi Ragnar,

I just wanted to say that "The Longest Journey" is one of my favorite video games of all time. I loved the time travel / parallel universe aspects of "Lost" and "Fringe", and I felt like you captured those concepts beautifully in "TLJ" and "Dreamfall". April Ryan is my Constant variable and my White Tulip.

Anyways my one question, can you confirm if Sarah Hamilton will be returning as April? Thanks!

Thank you! And no, we can't confirm anything yet, and we probably won't until after the Kickstarter is wrapped.

Why you guys changed her hair from the concept art to the 3D model? It was aways nice how the protagonists at TLJ and Dreamfall had an more notable hairstyle than this one you guys are using now: http://i.imgur.com/xn2HCkF.jpg

At the concept looks like Zoe followed more the series style, why it was changed? To be easier to deal with 3D models (since 3D hairs are sometimes a problem)? To look more mature or something else?

Anyway thanks for coming back with this amazing series... was really sad to see everyone at FUNCON focused with MMO only, TLJ was the first game I thinked about when that famous kickstarted from Tim Schafer appeared. Good luck with the new project, already bough my copy here!

The concept art and the 3D model are from two different points in the game, separated by months. Zoë will change during Chapters, she will look different and wear different clothes. She will also visit the hair salon!

And thank you for pledging :-)

Will t-shirt be added as extra rewards for some tiers? I am reluctant to pledge on a high tier, when perhaps I will have to spend more for the t-shirt. Can you give some reassurance here? :)

We are looking into t-shirts!

Hello Ragnar. First of all, I have to say that you're the creator of the best games ever! I admire your creativity. And - of course - I have some questions which I think have never been asked before: 1. You introduct lesbian relationship in TLJ years before it started to become common in computer games. Why did do decided to make such characters? And will we see more not-heterosexual characters in DC? 2. Who do you like more - Zoe or April? 3. What role are you preparing for Kian Alvane in the story of DC? Could you reveal anything? Will he be the playable character? Best wishes!

1. Because there are lots of gay and lesbian people, and why shouldn't they be characters in games? It seemed only natural to me. And yes, Chapters will have gay characters, along with other equally normal people!

2. I love 'em both. They're like my sisters, both of them.

3. Can't reveal anything yet, but stay tuned!

Hi, Ragnar!

I have since the beginning of Kickstarter wondered whether or not it's actually going to work out for the pledged games - this is why:

1. 850,000 dollars may seem like a lot of money, but it isn't really at all when it comes to making of entertainment. AAA titles often have tens of millions of dollar-budgets and even hundreds of millions at times. Dreamfall itself had a 5-6 million budget^1.
   
2. We haven't actually seen many successfully pledged games arrive yet(except for a few, FTL, woo!), but the bigger projects haven't arrived yet for sure. We don't really know how much time and cost it actually takes etc.

• How do you think it will be like having a sixth of the budget of Dreamfall and still trying to make a successor that can surpass the predecessor?
• Are you kinda relying on breaking the 850 000 dollars with a lot, or do you find 850k to be a realistic amount of money to complete the game in a satisfactory way?

Also, unrelated to the kickstarter questions - which 'localization' is your favorite from the previous games - the norwegian or the english one(or maybe a completely different one)?

<Obligatorisk norsk setning for å få opperksomhet for at vi begge er norske>

Hi!

We have some money already, and we will be getting money from a few other sources, but the bulk of the budget will come from the Kickstarter.

We are very confident that we will be able to deliver as promised. We're a smaller team, we're a lot more experienced, we have a very solid engine, and we know how to make games quite cheaply and efficiently.

Our pledgers have nothing to fear: we will deliver!

Takk for spørsmål :-)

No real question, but I just wanted to thank you for this. I look forward to seeing my name in the credits when it comes out :).

Aw, thank you so much!

After the somewhat average sales numbers from Dreamfall:TLJ Funcom made a statement that piracy was to blame and that from now on the company was going to focus on making mmos as they are "easier to protect from piracy", this left many fans disappointed as Dreamfall ended on a massive cliffhanger.

Was it always your intention to wrap the story up and how much of a factor did having a tool like kickstarter available play into the decision to develop the game?

It was always my intention, and Kickstarter made a HUGE difference for us. It gave us the tool to get this going. And it's working!

Hi Ragnar,

How is making a 2D adventure game different from making a 3D one? What are the unique challenges? What assumptions were you forced to re-evaluate?

Very, very different. 2D is easier, in a lot of ways. I'd like to go back to 2D again. We have had discussions. There are ideas. TLJH.

Greetings Ragnar!

I was wondering if DFC will have any horror elements in it, like the Victory Hotel in Dreamfall?

There will be some freaky parts. Not sure if we can call it horror, but very dark, very nightmarish.

Hi! I'm so happy we will finally get a sequel to The Longest Journey and Dreamfall! I was wondering if Dreamfall Chapters can work as an ending to the entire saga or if it will be full of cliffhangers so we'll need another game to get answers to our questions?

If you plan on making another game, will that be first priority for Red Thread Games after Dreamfall Chapters is released or will you move on to other games (like Funcom did)?

It will not be an ending to the saga, but it WILL be an end to the Dreamer Cycle, and there will NOT be any cliffhangers. Not big ones. Not major ones. Teeny, weenie ones. Nice cliffhangers. The ones you can cuddle up with and feel comfy with.

Hi Ragnar!

Do you have/Have you had the complete story for TLJ saga since the begining, or are you sort of writing as you go?

Thanks.

Edit: Also, will donate for kickstarter, just haven't decided on the tier yet. Good luck with the coming game!

Good question. Difficult question!

Parts of the saga have been locked down from the beginning. They're key to the entire story. Parts of it we adjust as we go along. Parts come out of the blue on a Tuesday morning, based on something we saw or heard or talked about, or something one of our artists have done.

But for the most part, we have A Plan. And we stick to that plan in general, but deviate when it makes sense and when we come up with something better. Or when we read something our fans have theorised about and steal it because wow, our fans know their shit.

Ragnar, what is your method or process for developing the story for a game? How long does it take to go from concept and rough outline to full script?

Wow, um, so hard to say. It really differs from project to project. With Chapters, we had the concept already, the rough outline took, like, a DAY. And the full script will be worked on until the last actor has left the recording booth.

I'd love to write more about this, maybe someone will ask me in an interview some day!

Thank you for replying to my previous question! I love how open you are about the game. I was wondering if you will be writing the Journeys Birth novellas? Or are they perhaps already written?

I'm writing those together with my co-writer Dag Scheve. We're almost done with the first collection!

Hey Ragnar!

I think I was 8 years old the first time I played TLJ and I've been replaying it and following your work ever since. :) You're amazing! But I have to admit that my patience wasn't the best back then, and I sometimes turned to walkthroughs for answers to the hardest puzzles. So my question is, how do you feel about online walkthroughs of your games?

I think they're good. Games are no fun if you end up being stuck forever, and I want people to be able to move through the story. Used appropriately, online guides are fantastic.

I am truly looking forward to the next TLJ, but I am also slightly worried about the relationship between Red Thread and Funcom. Funcom is obviously in serious financial trouble at the moment, and while I think it is excellent that you (Ragnar) were able to secure the TLJ license and split off into a sister (or daughter) company, I am also worried about the financial ties Red Thread has to Funcom. If Funcom (the company that presumably still employs you) should have to restructure the company to an even greater degree than they already have, would that affect Red Thread and TLJ? Is there a chance that (the unlikely event of) bankruptcy would influence the ability of RT to complete the game? This would obviously be problematic, because the game is partly crowdfunded.

Oh, and I have played and loved every single one of your games, so I am hoping the answer to my question is "no".

We have no financial ties to Funcom. We're not a sister or daughter company; we are completely independent. Funcom's future has no impact on our future.

Being Swedish, it's hard to miss the extremely high cost of living in Norway, and the high salaries that go with it (GDP per capita is in excess of $97 000, almost twice that of the US). How will you mitigate this, and do you still expect to match the scope of American kickstarted games of similar budget?

We're all working very hard for very little money!

We also have a ton of experience, a great engine, and a lot of assets we can use. So we'll be fine!

Hello Ragnar,

With TLJ being the first game that you designed with auteur-like ambition and authority (probably), I'd imagine that you had many influences that you distilled into the game. Could you maybe mention some of those influences (i.e. movies, novels, plays, music, TV, games or anything really)?

P.S. Thanks for the wonderful games and good luck with the KS campaign!

Hard to list them all, but with TLJ I was heavily influenced by Neil Gaiman, Alan Moore, Sandman, Hellblazer, Swamp Thing... Stephen King, HP Lovecraft, of course. Joss Whedon and Buffy/Angel. Myths and legends, Norwegian fairy-tales and nature. Tons of books, comics, TV shows, movies. Games: Day of the Tentacle, Gabriel Knight.

Hey, I live in Trondheim (Norway) I'm a huge fan of the The longest Journey saga. I'm the Admin of the steam group for the new DreamFall Chapters. And im wondering if I could visit to take pictures and ask a few questions?

Write us an email! Just go to redthreadgames.com and use the contact information there.

You are hinting that Chapters are going to have a little bit more freedom than Dreamfall. What do you mean by that? more areas we can explore and interact with? I always though that the biggest strength of TLJ was how big and deep the world felt.

I agree, and yes, there will be more to do, more spaces to explore, more freedom in-between the narrative beats, more to interact with, look at, listen to and read. A bigger, deeper, richer world.

Ragnar! I'm a huge fan of yours ever since playing The Longest Journey. Dreamfall blew me away (those with gameplay problems, try a XBox360 controller/gamepad.. really). I'm blown away that the Kickstarter is doing so well, but it's well deserved. Sidenote: I love the atmosphere and story of The Secret World :).

Question: If/when Dreamfall Chapters does well, would Red Thread Games consider going back and remastering The Longest Journey and/or Dreamfall? I'm guessing it would take a lot more work than anyone would guess, but I'd re-purchase it in a heartbeat.

Red Thread Games (my new company) doesn't own the rights to the original games, unfortunately, so the chances of doing remasters is slim. Also, they can both be played today and I'd rather spend our time telling new stories than remaking and retelling old ones.

Hi Ragnar! Do you have any ideas towards expanding the TLJ universe into other media? For example, I would love to see a novel (either written by you or others), which tells the story of the Divide.

We are expanding the saga into other media! The Kickstarter features a bunch of rewards, including a short-story collection and a graphic novel. And we have plans for more in the future!

Hi! I love The Longest Journey saga and I'm so excited about Chapters will come true <3 Can I ask some questions?

1. What's your inspirations? I mean.. do you have some inspirations which is basis for your projects?

2. Are we able to see Banda in the Dreamfall: Chapters and have some interactions with them? I love Ayrede and I'm glad to back there.

3. When we will see new playable characters?

4. Who is your favourite character in The Longest Journey saga?

5. Do you like Stephen's King books? :)

Hey, and thank you! <3

1. Yeah, tons. I should just collect them all into one post. I've written about it elsewhere in this AMA. Everything I read, watch, listen to inspires me. Nature inspires me. My family and friends inspire me. My colleagues inspire me. And you guys, our fans, inspire me.

2. I know, and I hope so! We might have more on the Banda very soon.

3. In a couple of weeks we will reveal a second playable character!

4. CROW.

5. Yes, I do. A lot.

Are you tempted to add "twitchy" stuff like The Walking Dead does for "combat"? If so would you consider a "story mode" the turns this off for people who like a slower paced, contemplative game?

No twitchy stuff.

Hello Ragnar, Will we finally find out who the strange man in the cloak is?

The Prophet? Yep!

1. Do you Guys already have the Stretch Goals for Mac and Linux planned out?

2. Which Unity Version did you use for the Prototype?

3. Is the Game going to be DRM free after the Kickstarter or only for Backers?

1. Yes, we do.
2. Unity 4
3. We will sell a DRM free version after the Kickstarter wraps

Ragnar, Dreamfall Chapters has got me completely bonkers! I just pledged $500! Can´t wait to see how the campaign ends, hopefully with lots of stretch goals reached!

Thank you SO so much! Really appreciate it!

Hi Ragnar - I miss reading your blog since you turned to the dark side (aka Twitter).. any plans to start updating it again..?

Yeah, I think about it every day, no lie.

I think so. I will try to get back to it soon, once things have settled down. Long-form is good.

Your thoughts on the market for classic adventure games?

It's good! New platforms, new distribution models, new ways of financing games and reaching smaller audiences -- it all contributes to more choice, more freedom, and better games. And, of course, more classic adventures.

Why there were fights in Dreamfall? Will there be any in Chapters?

Not like in Dreamfall, no.

do you plan to make "previously in the longest journey" recap in the game? It'll help

Yes, definitely!

Hi Ragnar;

I actually struggle to explain why I love the universe of The Longest Journey so much - in short, it's the first series I've encountered that made me truly FEEL something on a deep, personal level. TLJ and Dreamfall are the two titles I direct people to as examples of genuinely MATURE games (whereas adult-rated or violent games are often, ironically, rather juvenile).

Needless to say then that I'm hugely excited for Dreamfall Chapters. My question is actually looking backwards though - after Chapters is released, is there any chance of HD re-releases of The Longest Journey and/or Dreamfall? Perhaps with further tweaks to Dreamfall - removing the combat, for instance?

Not from us, no. We don't have the rights to the previous games, and we want to focus on telling new stories.

Hi,

I wanted to know about your story telling approach in a 3D game and how it it will differ (if at all) from the previous two games.

Was it more of a challenge telling your story in a 3D (DF) world versus a 2D (TLJ) world?

Do you find this story lends itself better to one or the other?

Finally, what story telling lessons did you learn from Dreamfall that you want to improve on in Chapters?

Thank you!

The storytelling will be a natural extension of TLJ and Dreamfall, and will fit right into the saga.

Yeah, telling a story in 3D added a lot of challenges. It was definitely more difficult, though we were able to get closer to things, to characters, to locations, to really allow the player to look behind the facade, so to speak.

I prefer a 3D world when it comes to the Dreamer Cycle. We need to get close, and we need to open up these places, these rooms, and let the player roam freely.

We learned a lot about pacing and challenges in Dreamfall, about interactivity and about what to do (and what NOT to do) to introduce drama and danger. Chapters will benefit from all of that.

I had an idea for future content. You say the game might end up being between 10-15 hours in length, which is a bit shorter than TLJ and Dreamfall. What if future patches adds filler content between the major story points? We'll all certainly replay the game a bunch of times, so I don't think anyone would mind if it grew after launch.

Dreamfall was about 10 hours. TLJ was between 20-30, depending on your play style. Chapters is definitely closer to Dreamfall in length, but the result of the Kickstarter will determine that quite a bit.

What adventure games would you recommend as must-plays, other than Dreamfall and TLJ?

Good luck on the Kickstarter! (And thanks for The Secret World!)

Day of the Tentacle. Monkey Island 2. Anything @TimofLegend has touched, really. Also Gabriel Knight. The first one.

Playing through The Longest Journey and Dreamfall I've always admired your writing. And it really makes me want to write something even though I've never really written anything other than school assignments. Do you think anyone can be a good writer just like that?

Also do you approach writing these games. Do you just start somewhere or do you have different points pinned down in the story and just fill in as you feel like it?

And if you pin down certain things, how do you decide on them? have you ever pinned something down and then kept writing and when you kind of catch up to it been like "Nope, that ain't gonna work."?

What's the most important thing when writing a story? Is there a difference in writing for a game compared to writing something like a book?

I think people can do anything they want, if they put their mind to it, work REALLY hard, listen to advice and criticism, and don't give up.

That said, not everyone can make money off writing, and not everyone will be able to do it well enough to make a living. But if you want to write, then WRITE. And keep doing it. Keep sharing your work. Never stop. Never give up. Not unless you're unhappy and you don't have the fire in you anymore.

Writing games is like writing anything. You have an idea, you work with it until it's more than an idea, and then you flesh it out and put it down on paper. It's very technical, a lot of grunt work, a lot of HARD work.

We toss things out all the time, and rework stories from the beginning. That always happens. We discard a lot of what we come up with and write, and rewrite and rework it until we need to be done with it. And then we're done.

There's a huge difference between writing a book and writing a game, of course. A game is a collaborative effort, and you need to keep everything and everyone in mind. You need to keep your budget in mind. Every idea costs money, so you need to know what's doable and what isn't, what will be fun and what won't work, and you need to sell your stories. The team needs to believe in them.

Chapters seems to be a direct continuation of Dreamfall. How are you planning on attracting new people to the Kickstarter who haven't played Dreamfall or TLJ before?

We will focus more on that in the time to come!

Hey Ragnar,

Huge fan here. So happy for you guys with the Kickstarter. I went ahead and donated $1000 and picked the option to be an NPC. Can we have a bit more details on that. Can we choose where we will be, general clothing, etc or will they be entirely up to you guys?

Just curious. Either way, I still think it's amazing to be an NPC in the game and can't wait to see that.

536k so far, keep it up!

We will work with you to set that up! We'll try and accommodate our pledgers as much as we can. So yeah, placement, general clothing, etc. We'll give you lots of options!

What inspired you?

When? I get inspired by loads of stuff, and my sources of inspiration change. But what inspires me the most is YOU guys. As in, knowing there's an audience for my stories, and being able to tell them and hear your feedback and comments. That's very inspiring.

Could you give any indication of what the possible stretch goals might be?

We're not revealing them quite yet...but hell, let's give some indications.

Additional platforms. Mac and Linux, followed by the Ouya, probably, and iOS/Android.

Additional content, side stories, filling out the saga, bringing back characters. More gameplay, a longer game.

And a pretty huge stretch goal. My favourite. Can't say much about that coughTLJHcough

Was there anything you weren't able to do in the previous games due to "studio pressure" whether it be because of time constraints or mature content?

No, Funcom was always great. With TLJ we just did our own thing, no interference whatsoever (except when it came to the Norwegian casting of a certain lead character), and with Dreamfall...well, the same thing. Management was so supportive, always.

I love your games, how does the direct control 3d movement with point and click over top of it work?

It's hard to explain, has to be shown. We're working on something right now, and we'll have something brand new and cool to show off very, very soon!

hi Ragnar! after Chapters, are you planning to develop other games that take place in TLJ universe ? maybe some spin-offs ?

Maaaaaaybe yeeees? Hopefully! We have ideas!

There was once talk of a MMO set in the Dreamfall universe. Is this still something you see happening in the future?

No, I do not.

Hey Ragnar,

I'm so happy the Kickstarter had a good start! Now comes the hard part, but I'm sure we'll get to that goal :)

I have three questions I hope you'll be able to answer:

1. In the Kickstarter video I noticed you're re-using some of the Marcuria levels from Dreamfall as a basis. Is the plan to eventually connect them and combine them into one giant explorable area? If so, how much fun is (or will that be) that to do?

2. The Longest Journey introduced us to Newport. Dreamfall showed us Casablanca. Both served as a home, a kind of starting point for the main characters. Will there be a new city like this in Chapters? One that's tied to one of the playable characters?

3. One of Dreamfall's best moments for me was the first conversation between Kian and April. It was very interesting to see in both of the character's minds and to decide how they responded to each other. Especially because they came from such different backgrounds. More of that in Chapters, please? :)

Great questions!

1. Yes, that's the plan. And it's beyond awesome.

2. Yes. We are introducing a brand new city connected to one of the main characters, and you will see the first of that very, very soon.

3. That was a fun scene to do! And we will certainly be experimenting with different story-telling and dialogue mechanics in Chapters.

Some fans have been arguing about it for years, so I have to ask: What ethnicity is Zoë Castillo?

Half-Chinese, half-Spanish.

I just want to say Dreamfall is the only game which actually had me roaming the streets of Marcuria, doing nothing, for hours! The world you created is that beautiful! Thank you for sharing the dream and so excited to be a part of keeping your dream alive :)

Thank you! :-)

Hey. Lately The Walking Dead came around and made some fairly significant changes to the adventure game formula, especially regarding choice. Are you planning to include some of these modern adventure game elements, or do you want to stick with the old fashioned formula?

We are going to include modern adventure game elements, for sure, but also mixing that with what made adventures great to begin with.

What's your philosophy regarding the level of puzzle difficulty in the new game?

Also, do you have a special pendant for strong female protagonist?

Wouldn't it be cheaper to work in 2d rather than 3d?

Thanks for creating TLJ AND give us the opportunity to continue the story, it truly is a masterpiece!

Tougher than Dreamfall, possibly not as tough as TLJ. Yes, I love strong and interesting women, I love creating stories about women, and I love writing for women.

Eyo Ragnar. What do you like to do besides being awesome?

Being awesome takes up SO much of my time, so that's a difficult question.

Aaaaand douchy.

But seriously, I do work a lot. When I don't work I like to play games, watch TV shows and movies. I'm a boring guy.

Hey Ragnar :) My apologies if this has already been asked but my allowed attention span at present is short (my kids see to that!), have you any plans to write a series of books focused on telling the entire story of TLJ?

Maybe, in a few years, when we're done with the games :-)

Where did you draw inspiration from for the design of the buildings in Marcuria?

I'm not the person to answer that. Didrik Tollefsen was the art director on TLJ, and it was all him. I just stood over his shoulder and looked upon his work, in awe.

Hello Ragnar, Since The Longest Journey and Dreamfall are realeased quite some time ago there will be a lot of gamers who have played them either long ago or, for the younger gamers, have not even played it (yet).

And since the two previous games have quite some storyline, are you planning to make Chapters more easy to step in for these gamers? And so, how do you want to do that?

Yes, we will make the game easier to play without having played the first two. But don't ask me about details! I have no details on this! We are talking about it. It's a focus area, for sure.

Sir Tornquist! HUGE fan of your games. Any chance we will see any of the great characters from The Secret World make an appearance in Dreamfall Chapters? I've backed and will always support you. I love everything you have ever been involved in. Cheers!

There won't be any crossover characters from TSW, unfortunately (not the same universe) but there will be lots of characters from both TLJ and Dreamfall, along with a bunch of new ones.

Why are TLJ and Dreamfall not available in Steam in Russia? I love these games, they can be bought in GOG, but having them in my steam collection is much more convenient.

I don't know, and I'm sorry. Don't know if we can do anything about that, but hopefully Chapters will be available via Steam in Russia!

Ouya support ?

Hopefully! Stretch goal!

(psst, http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/redthread/dreamfall-chapters-the-longest-journey)

Super-psyched about Chapters!

So, questions: Who killed Asmodean? Oh, sorry, wrong guy. (Unless you want to have a go, I don't think Robert Jordan managed to explain it...)

I absolutely loved TLJ (still do, it ages well). DF never managed to live up to my expectations. If you could have changed 3 things about DF, what would they be, and why?

Combat. Stealth. And, um... Maybe the amount of puzzles, though I still feel it has a good pace to it.

I'm very excited about this project. I found Dreamfall after doing most of the missions in TSW. Great great game!

THANK YOU.

I'm really glad that you are making this game Ragnar, and I have put in $150 to the kickstarter. I appreciate that you recognize the faults of Dreamfall, however I would like to make 2 criticisms that I feel haven't been addressed about Dreamfall.

I felt that the voice acting in that game was very inconsistent, and a few characters, April, Zoe, and Benrime felt very flat to me. It felt like there wasn't much emotional depth in those voices. I don't think the character of Zoe so much as raised her voice once in the entire game. A lot of the characters in the game did not have this problem, just mainly the 3 I mentioned. Do you feel my criticism is accurate? If so, how do you plan to address the issue in the new game?

My 2nd issue with Dreamfall was with the amount of loading screens, was it engine limitations that caused that issue? Thanks, and good luck with the game. I don't want my criticisms to hide the fact that Dreamfall is one of my favorite games ever despite it's flaws. I am very excited for Chapters. This is the most I have ever contributed to a kickstarter.

Thank you SO much for pledging!

I'm not sure I can agree with you in regards to the voice acting, especially since those characters are so well loved, but we will definitely strive to keep the quality of the voices high in Chapters.

Chapters will NOT have as many loading screens, for sure. That was a result of being on the Xbox, unfortunately.

Thank you!

Hi Ragnar.

I thought Martin left the gaming business to do something else. How many bottles of liquor did he cost you?

I can't remember. And neither can he.

So probably a lot.

Martin loves games, though, and he loves working with us, and he was incredibly excited about the chance of working on Dreamfall, so he wasn't difficult to persuade!

7

Only seven? I'm sure there were more. I seem to remember more. And it takes a LOT more than seven to make me forget.

Oh, forgot to ask, I would absolutely love to see the Dreamer Cycle as a film someday. Is it a possibility you guys have already considered?

Yeah, we won't do that. But maybe another story in the universe, that would work better and yeah, I'd love to do that.