insidemacgames.com has posted an interview with Mumbo Jumbo, which contains a few interesting tidbits -
IMG: Can you explain your involvement in Myth III and how it all came about?
MJ: It was actually kinda funny. A co-worker said, "Hey! Why don't we make a design proposal for Myth 3?" And I said, "Uh... OK." And, after a few weeks of re-playing Myth 1 and 2, going through various fan sites, reading all the manuals, extracting all the flavor text, and even role-playing GURPS Myth, I had a story concept. So, after typing it up, we gave the whole Design Proposal to Take 2. Apparently, someone there liked it, since we beat out several other Myth 3 game proposals. Just a few weeks later, and I was saying, "We're actually doing it!?!" Looking back, it really wasn't all that funny.
IMG: Can you give us a little background on the story for Myth III and where the name Myth III: The Wolf Age came from?
MJ: I'm being told by superiors to be intentionally vague about this. But, since interpretive dance does not translate well to the printed medium, I will divulge a few tid-bits of information: Myth 3 is a prequel to the two previous games, taking place 1000 years before the first Myth. The hero of our story is Connacht the Wolf; a hero so great that they name an entire Age after him. Near the end of the Wind Age, the Trow were in the height of their power, enslaving the Oghre to build massive Iron temples to their god. The nightmare Myrkridia stalked the night, preying on humankind. And the being known as Moagim was reborn to raze the world with his army of undead. Out hero definitely has some work cut out for him. This game will allow you play in the dangerous and fantastic past of the Myth world, where many secrets will be revealed about the world of Myth and it's future. And, you'll be able to play Soulblighter when he was a good guy. How cool is that?
IMG: Were any of the Bungie folks involved in the storyline, or anything else in the project so far?
MJ: Well, they gave us the code and a great story to work with. Other than that, we're on our own! Seriously though, we are doing our best to pay homage to the great work that Bungie has done with the Myth series. Our intent is not to change the fundamental stories or gameplay to create our own vision, but rather to build off it and expand this fantastic saga of horror and heroism.
IMG: One huge part of the myth Solo success has been the storyline & history that has evolved over the past 3 years. How can you pacify the story buffs that a non-Bungie game will be of comparable quality, yet still maintain & expand on the history that exists in the community today?
MJ: Let me just make this clear. This game is truly designed for the Myth fans. The game history has been exhaustingly researched! There is a lot of information crammed into the first two games (we talking Tolkien-esque kinda story here) and we've weaved it into an interesting story. It's got heroism, self-sacrifice, epic battles, political intrigue, and even plot twists! It was either make this a novel or a game. We choose game.
(This next excerpt isn't really on the topic of storyline, but it's still interesting.)
IMG: Will Take Two or some other entity be taking over control of BungieNet &/or making revisions to that sometimes taxed system?
MJ: Well with the Microsoft / Bungie merger, we're still looking for a solution for Myth 3 netplay...But, yes, we are definitely supporting netplay! We are keeping all the netplay games that you know and love (Last Man On The Hill, Capture the Flag, Assassin) plus adding a few of our own (like Grinder, Stampede, and Assault). We are also kicking around an idea of ÔTribes of Myth', a ranked system that allows you to play a particular group (such as the Cath Bruig Empire, the Ghol Raiders, the Myrkridian Horde, etc) and allows persistent veterans. That's right! If your berserk survives the battle, he's stronger and faster in future games!
Most of this you all already knew, but the interview provides a good summary, plus a few nuggets of new stuff.
Uriel
