Can you tell us a bit about the lore behind the Haunted House and the family that lived there?
The Estate of Unrest is the story of a devoted family of Quellious, the Goddess of Tranquility, and the evil that befell them. Tony Garcia was able to give me Bill Trost's original story, and with some elaboration on my part, I was able to lay the lore ground work for the story of the zone. The details on the building of the house and the history of the family can be found in the scattered pages of the journals that lay torn apart in the house, but the reason for the dark curse that holds the house can be learned through speaking to the former inhabitants of the estate.
The Unrest zone is considered one of the favorite zones for EQ1 players, what have you added to that zone, and what are the main changes that took place?
It was important for me to keep as much of the elements that made the zone great in EQ1 as much as possible. I tried to anticipate what the players wanted to see again and asked other developers what they liked about EQ1 Unrest. Paul Carrico's early map of EQ2 did a great job of preserving the layout of the house and the notable landmarks such as the hedge maze and gazebo. The artists did a great job on elaborating on the map and really bringing the EQ1 zone into the EQ2 world. The main change that took place was how much bigger the basement was expanded. There are some great encounters and events down there that wouldn't have been possible without the added space.
How long did it take you working on the Unrest zone?
Design work and planning, prior to implementation, probably took about a month or so while intermixed with working on other elements of EoF. When I was able to begin implementation once Art had finished putting together the zone, it took about three months. I was happy to get the time I did because I was able to get in everything I planned to have as part of the zone. Early on I prioritized the list of elements I wanted to see in the zone and was worried that some of them wouldn't make the list. Thankfully they all made it into the game!
What are your personal favorite areas in the zone?
All of it! ...But if I had to pick one area, I really like the basement. The atmosphere is thick with tension and really adds to the horror element. There are also some really interesting boss encounters down there and the showdown with Garanel! Another area I really like is the Fallow Nursery. It is really creepy and hopefully scares more than a couple people. Interesting note, the original Unrest didn't have a nursery. The design for the zone had this empty room on the second floor that I really couldn't find a purpose for and it kind of bugged me to have this room with no meaning. One night, while driving home from work, the idea came to me to turn it into a baby's room where I could do all these creepy things to it. Everything else just fell into place. Another cool note that may interest only me is that the jack-in-the-box that I bought for Cat to record the sound in the nursery now sits in my baby niece's bedroom... spooky.
What are the most dangerous areas in the zone, that one should keep an eye for?
It's all dangerous... every inch of it. If you don't watch yourselves carefully you could be in over your head really quickly. The danger really amps up when you get to the basement... and why shouldn't it? You've just entered into the heart of darkness!
A player's goal is to pay a visit to the Unrest zone, and to avoid being a permanent resident there. Can you provide us with few tips on how to do that?
Bring friends that you can trust and work well with. Teamwork and dedication can get you through. Don't rush headlong into danger, because it could be far greater than you first realized. Also... curb your shiny enthusiasm... they make great adventurer bait!
The element of mystery & intrigue is all over the zone, can you tell us a bit about few of your favorite puzzles, traps, and nasty tricks in the zone?
When I set out to create the zone I wanted to infuse the progression of the zone with an adventure game feel like you would experience in a King's Quest or Maniac Mansion. I wanted the puzzles to tie into the theme of the house and require players to think about what was required to unlock a door or obtain an item instead of just killing everything in sight. One of my favorite means to progress wasn't even my idea but came from talking to Noel Walling about how to get the players to use the dumbwaiter in the pantry in order to affect a change in a completely different room on the second floor. I know I wanted to use the dumbwaiter to transport an item that the players wouldn't or couldn't carry to the second floor, but I ran into a block on what exactly the item should be and what would be accomplished. Noel gave me the suggestion that would right away become the basis for that progression puzzle.
Tell us about the bar area and the bartender?
Like in EQ1, the Estate of Unrest has a nice sized bar where the ghosts of the former house guests like to hang out. This bar though, is the pride and joy of one dark elven ghost who now only goes by the title "The Sadistic Bartender". This bartender takes great delight in hurting, poisoning, and maiming individuals. He loves to throw Molotov Cocktails, bottles of Ether, and freezing Halasian Ice Brew at patrons of his bar! He is also known to have a special recipe for a drinkable Halasian Ice Brew that can really perk an adventurer up!
How was the music chosen to interact with the eeriness and the all around spooky atmosphere?
When I went about designing the zone, Cat Neri asked me to submit a list of sound effects and music I'd like to use in the instance. I wanted sound effects and music that really set the horror mood and reinforced the theme of a haunted mansion possessed by the curse of malevolent spirits. I gave her a pie-in-the-sky wishlist of about 10 music themes and close to 30 sound effects, not expecting to get all of it but wanting to shoot for the moon anyway. She was able to create all of them and then some! The sounds add so much to the feel of the zone I couldn't imagine it without them. The only regret I have is that I didn't come up with the design and implementation of the Garanel zone messages early enough for them to make the VO cut for EoF. I hope that is something that could be recorded in the future and add even more to the theme.
