Diane Duane Discusses the Darkening (March 29, 2011)

[ChrisReid]

AD found an io9 interview from November 2010 that talks at length with Privateer 2 story writer Diane Duane. Ms. Duane is a very accomplished science fiction and fantasy author, and she took a moment to mention her Wing Commander credentials as well. It's a thoughtful article for people who are interested in some perspective on professional writing. Check out the full piece here.

You said you're an early adopter—are you an active gamer?

I don't play so much as build games. About 10 years ago I wrote Privateer 2: The Darkening for Electronic Arts. It was their first foray into interactive entertainment. They were almost trying to do choose-your-own-movie, with game modules to help you determine your path. And that left me with a very clear sense of how to structure a game. The EA people taught me an incredible amount about the structure of building computer games in general and this kind of interactive, flow-dictated game in particular.

And I certainly keep a close eye on what the field is doing. I have lots of friends who do game, and where necessary I pick their brains.

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Original update published on March 29, 2011

 

[Capn Johnny]

Nothing against Ms. Duane, but P2 was hardly EA's first foray into interactive entertainment. Even in the Wing universe.

 

[NinjaLA]

heh.. maybe she meant the first one with Clive Owen.

 

[Bob McDob]

I assume she meant with the Manchester people.

 

[Bandit LOAF]

Nothing against Ms. Duane, but P2 was hardly EA's first foray into interactive entertainment. Even in the Wing universe.

No way, man, before Privateer 2 EA was mostly responsible for grinding rocks into sand for man-made beaches. No interactive entertainment to speak of.

 

[ChrisReid]

I assume she meant with the Manchester people.

It's much more likely that she was just speaking generally about EA and/or has no idea what Wing Commander 3/4 are. And as far as integrating FMV parts, it was some of the same people who did WC3/4, so it wasn't exactly their first foray either.