Europolis

Hi guys, 

So I promised in this post to write about Europolis. For those of you who missed it, I asked Ragnar on twitter if there was any chance we might see Europolis in Dreamfall Chapters and he responded with: "Yep!", which totally made my day. 

So what is Europolis? Europolis is the capital of the unified countries of Europe. The name was taken from Europa (Greek) meaning: broad-faced and Polis (Greek) meaning: City. April's beloved  friend and famous holosculptor Emma de Vrijer lives there. Ragnar described the place as: "[a] poverty-stricken and thoroughly corrupted wasteland (that makes) Venice look like a paradise." Europolis was intended to be a location in Dreamfall, but was later cut alongside other things, for example: Ben and Abanxus.

The place is mentioned a few times in Dreamfall for example Wonkers' newsfeed features a story of the celebrity Gagan Garlanka visiting the "swanky" Eurpolis nightclub Bitte with the Chinese model Vivian Zhu. Reza also mentions Europolis in the message Wonkers plays for him reminding Zoë of when they spend a drunken night in Europolis after which he had to drag her (Zoë) to a sleazy hotel on Jarl Street where she bought him the entique lighter that she later finds in the Victory Hotel.

Fatima, one of the women in the Casablanca Souk, mentions that her Daughter Hana moved back to Casablanca from Europolis last Spring. She says: "It's not a good place to live. So much violence and pollution." The last time Europolis is mentioned is when Olivia uses a Bingo!-Europolis carrier signal to conceal her final message to Zoë when Zoë is in Wati-city.

I think that Europolis would make a great a very interesting new location in Dreamfall Chapters and I love how the name (Europolis) and even hearing that Europe (still) exists makes Stark feels more like our own world that we work and live in. Also: Ragnar did mention that a device similar to the Dreamer was being developed so... what if "Everything is True"? So what role will Europolis play in the story? We'll have to wait to find out. My guess: our new female herione will live there; I have been wrong before though...

Anyway I am really looking forward to going to Europolis in the near future and I will keep you guys updated as new information appears.

-WorldsReunited

More DFC tweets...

Hi guys, 

So Ragnar has been tweeting again... First of all he confirmed that Europolis might be a location in Dreamfall Chapters (I was the one who asked him that because I will do a blog post about Europolis real soon). He also confirmed that there will be several main characters just like in Dreamfall. In fact he confirmed that there will be three again two of which are female. When asked if the two female character would be April and Zoë he responded with: not both, so we will either get April or Zoe. He also said that we already know 2 out of the 3 protagonists (from previous games).

I kinda hope to see April (what is a TLJ game without April?), Kian and the new girl, however the game is called Dreamfall Chapters (not TLJ) and Dreamfall is about Zoe's story... Anway, he also said that crow will be important, but not one of the protagonists (lol). And last but not least he would love more Wonkers, but whether or not he returns depends on the voice actor (Jack Angel). 

That's all I have for now, don't forget to check back and follow Ragnar on twitter for more DFC information. ;)

-WorldsReunited

Pressfire.no interview

Hi guys, 

So our faithful forum member Crow's Fan has been translating this Norwegian interview with Ragnar first mentioned by forums member Norwegian and I thought it was my duty to share this with you guys. The post with the translation has been split into five parts:

Part 1 is about Ragnar, Funcom, The Red Thread Gaming team and Kickstarter.
Part 2 is about interactive films and storytelling.
Part 3 is about gameplay, Faith/faith and indie game makers.
Part 4 is about about the game industry and Kickstarter (again).
Part 5 is about about cutscenes, consoles and platforms.

It is totally worth a read so take your time to do so. All I could think while I was reading this was: Ragnar shut up and TAKE MY MONEY! I am glad he didn't listen to me though otherwise I couldn't be blogging about this amazing interview right now.

By the way... before I forget: Who the hell is this April_R person that is currently stalking the forums pretending to be our beloved big butted heroine? 

That's all I have for now, don't forget to check back. ;)

-WorldsReunited

How could Dreamfall Chapters start off?

Hi guys, 

So it seems like Ragnar and co have gone pretty silent just like he said in the interviews. Of course we all still keep dreaming and speculating about Chapters at the official forums and Silvara4ever posted this genius piece a few days ago.

I hope I'm not spoiling anyone's fun, but I wanted to share my opinion on the actual topic: how would DFC start off.

More than an opinion, though, it's a dream I had. Yeah. Freaky.

There was Zoë's voice in a black background, saying the words with which she finally leaves her body at the end of Dreamfall. You know, like "I would feel really stupid if no one else is hearing this", "this could be like the most important thing ever", and so on. I don't remember the exact words, but you know what I mean.

After she's done, the black starts to swirl and there is panting, and then suddenly we see a pair of eyes open. Someone - a woman we don't know - wakes up with a start, covered in sweat. (Familiar, ain't it?)

So she gets up shaking her head, frustrated for the lack of sleep, showers, and goes to work. She's a nurse. And as she arrives at the hospital, there is a big commotion. Some new patient was just brought in, bleeding to death, very urgent.

She's called in to help, and she sees the patient. It's a woman. Dressed funny, as in some sort of medieval costume. Stab wound. No identification whatsoever. She's barely hanging in there...

I'll leave it at that, since I don't remember my dream going any further either. But man, that made me feel so great that I went and played Dreamfall all over again. And for once, when I finished it, I didn't feel like dying. Knowing there is a guaranteed sequel in the making sure does make a difference...

Well that doesn't sound too unbelievable actually. And it seems like Ragnar has read this post as well because he emerged from the shadows and posted this on twitter:

Ragnar Tørnquist ‏@RagnarTornquist

How does #Dreamfall Chapters begin? Black screen, strings, a haunting song. Then, through darkness, a voice: "The Undreaming is Unchained".

BEST TEASER EVER! You surely know how to keep us on the edge of our seats Ragnar... 

That's all I have for now, don't forget to check back. ;)

-WorldsReunited

More tweets from Le Ragnar

Hi guys, 

I have some new and delicious Ragnar tweets for you guys:

Another confirmation that the game will be out within two years, which is good cuz I'm not very patient in nature and I really DO want answers (and I think that goes for all of us). ;)

Ragnar Tørnquist ‏@RagnarTornquist

@sararose244 It will be out within two years.

Secondly there was a tweet on the engine:

Ragnar Tørnquist ‏@RagnarTornquist

@Eismagier We have picked an engine and we won't be doing our own!

And most importantly there was a tweet about the Prophet. Unfortunately that kinda rules out "learning the true identity of the Prophet" as being the half of the two and a half falsehoods...

Ragnar Tørnquist ‏@RagnarTornquist

@Pawlo_86 The Prophet will be revealed.

That is all for now, don't forget to check back and don't forget to check Ragnar's twitter for more on Dreamfall Chapters.

-WorldsReunited

Ben and Abnaxus

Hi guys,

Edit:

Ragnar answered my tweet:

@RagnarTornquist Any chance of bringing Abnaxus and Ben Bandu back for Dreamfall Chapter, since they were cut from Dreamfall?

@TCO_TSW Yes.

So today I want to talk about Bandu-umanu-banta-au-rubana-biutan-binaort "Ben Bandu", and Abnaxus the Venar.

Ben Bandu
Bandu-umanu-banta-au-rubana-biutan-binaort (meaning the little one who tries hard to live up to his father who sings to the Soil in the Banda Language), also known by the name of Ben Bandu is a character that April encounter in the Longest Journey. She meets Ben Bandu when she is traveling to Riverwood on her way to defeat Roper Klacks. She finds out that Ben is looking for his brother Bandu-Uta who has mysteriously disapeared. April later frees Bandu-Uta from the Gribbler and earns the respect from the Banda. Ben is seen for one last time, just before April leaves the camp and he proudly proclaims that he had been chosen to join the diggers. 

So by now some of you might be wondering: why should we still care about this character? The answer is short and simple: because there is a VERY good chance that Ben Bandu will be seen again in Dreamfall Chapters. Ben Bandu was originally supposed to return in Dreamfall, but was later cut from the game. The scene he was supposed to take part in can be seen below. 

This scene is believed to be the " Rebel Ambush" where we saw April for the very first time during Dreamfall. It is not sure what his role in these scene was supposed to be, he would probably have been attacked by the Azadi and saved by the Rebels, but unfortunately we can only speculate. Ragnar has sad that the character had been cut from Dreamfall because he was not important enough to the story. Eventually his character model "Ben_Bandu" made it into the game. It can be seen in the Old Town market when either playing as Zoe or Kian.

Don't worry, we might still see him again. As I mentioned earlier that there is a very good chance that Ben returns to the TLJ universe in Dreamfall Chapters. Ragnar commented on the cut saying: "Yes, he's still alive, his story is important, and he still has a part to play in the saga." Ragnar also implied that he (Ben) was destined for a dark fate, similar to that of Abnaxus who I will come to in just a second. So will we see Ben return? Only Ragnar knows, but I certainly hope so! I was very sad to learn that he was removed for Dreamfall and I think it would have made the story even better, but hey no point at looking back right? 

Abnaxus the Venar

So I have mentioned the name Abnaxus quite a few times already in this post. Abnaxus is a Venar whom April meets on her second and third visits to Arcedia. Abnaxus is known for his weird speech, which are caused by the fact that the Venar see all times as one. His people have chosen him as an ambassador because (only) he can focus on one particular moment and therefore talk to people who "flow" with time. Abnaxus is last seen only moments before the Tyren invade the city as he gives April his piece of the stone disk. 

Just like Ben Abnaxus was originally supposed to make an appearance is Dreamfall. In the concept art (above) you can see him wearing keys and an amulet that strongly resembles the talisman of the Balance. Ragnar commented on his role in Dreamfall saying: "[he was] left in a very bewildered and tragic stage following the events of TLJ [...] Dreamfall was always a darker and more tragic story, and there were few happy endings". It is a shame this character was a cut as well, because again I believe it would have made Dreamfall's story even better. At least we can hope to see him return in Dreamfall Chapters as well, can't we? 

That is all for now, don't forget to check back and check the wiki entries on Ben and Abnaxus if you want to refresh your memory on the characters stories again.

-WorldsReunited

A LOT of underwear and other twitter goodness...

Hi guys,

So I just HAD to respond to the following conversation on twitter:

Alien Piglet ‏@AlienPiglet

@RagnarTornquist I KNEW chapters would be 13! Good to know you're holding onto old traditions. Which chapter has people in underwear?

Ragnar Tørnquist ‏@RagnarTornquist

@AlienPiglet All of them.

First of all: Thank you Ragnar for REALLY going back to your roots, I mean: what would a Longest Journey game be without underwear right? Second of all: I don't think our new female protagonist will be the one wearing underwear in each chapter so... that might confirm my theory about Zoë become a sort of advisor to the new main character (in her "Dreaming" look of course). Either that or he was just joking...

Ragnar also said that Linux is a possibility and that there WILL be a rubber ducky somewhere, this is valuable information!! I can almost imagine our new main character saying: "Should I attach a clamp and a clothes line to it in order to make progress? Nah-- Too easy!"  Last but not least I have to say that I would be willing to provide Ragnar all the tea that he needs to make DFC so... where do I send it to? 

That's all for now guys, don't forget to check back and follow @RagnarTornquist on Twitter for more juicy DFC information

-WorldsReunited

Dreamfall Chapters: what we know so far

Hi guys,

So I was writing another post on "what we know about Dreamfall Chapters so far", so that you guys could catch up with the newly released information, when I found out that Wandrew8 from the Longest Journey forums had beaten me to it. The following information was taken from this tweet and this interview.

- DFC will be made up of 13 chapters. 
- Red Thread Games is currently made up of 10 people, but they expect that to double at the very least when they get up to full steam.
- After DFC Read Thread Games will probably focus on a brand new game, however they might still return to the TLJ universe with (a) new game(s) after that.
- DFC won't take more then 2 years to make.

- For DFC there will be more of an emphasis on making the world feel alive.

- In DFC there will be more exploration.
- DFC will be more interactive than Dreamfall was. 
- Many of the Dreamfall voice-actors will be approached for DFC.

Thank you Wandrew8 for your amazing summary thread. For those of you who haven't seen the thread yet it can be found here, it is really worth checking out. 

-WorldsReunited

Interview with Ellie Conrad Leigh

Hi guys,

So I just found a very interesting interview with Ellie Conrad Leigh (who played Zoë). It is worth a read, even though she does not really mention anything about Dreamfall Chapters except for the fact that she would love to return as Zoë if she is asked to.

Read the interview here:
http://alternativemagazineonline.co.uk/2012/11/06/interview-in-conversation-with-ellie-conrad-leigh-zoe-castillo-dreamfall-the-longest-journey/

-WorldsReunited

The Story of the Dreamfall Chapters

Hi guys,

So now that the story actually has a chance to continue, I feel that it would be good to look back at what we know about the story for Dreamfall Chapters and the cryptic hints that Ragnar has given us over the past few years:

Note: keep in mind that everything stated below dates back to 2007 and thus it might have been changed by now and/or is still a subject to change: 

- It will continue where Dreamfall left of (story-wise).

- There may be events before TLJ, between TLJ and Dreamfall and after Dreamfall. 

- We may also rewind to see some of the Dreamfall events from a differend perspective.

- The story will follow multiple character, both old and new. 

- There will be a new (female) protagonist.

- There will be overlapping storylines.

- It will have a proper-and-final end to it (sort of). 

- There have been hints that the storyline of April Ryan will develop.

Then there also was this hint:

"The following paragraph contains two and a half falsehoods. Make of that what you want: Zoë’s in it. And Crow. Gabriel gets his groove on. There will be puzzles. And an exciting story. You’ll find out more about the Azadi. A Dragon strips down to the ‘bare essentials’ (if you know what I mean). And you’ll learn the true identity of the Prophet."

Unfortunately I think that is all we know for now. Don't forget to check back as more information on Dreamfall Chapters is announced.

-WorldsReunited

Ragnar's tweets

Hi guys,

So Ragnar has been tweeting A LOT. I decided to make a short summary of what we have learned of Ragnar's tweets so far:

- Kickstarter is coming early next year.
- There was a question wheter or not Funcom would be the publisher and Ragnar said that no decision has been made yet, but they are talking about it.
- Ragnar will be in touch @OGcom.
- They are still discussing the mechanics, but it will probably be direct control like Dreamfall, only better, MUCH better.

- The game will be released on PC, Mac and OS-X. 
- They are considering PS/Xbox versions, but not untill PC and Mac have been released.
- Ragnar does not have any information on TLJ for the iOS because that is still a Funcom project. He is hoping it will be released before DF:C though.
- Ragnar doesn't think an online-only Longest Journey game is going to happen.
- Red Thread Games doesn't own publishing rights to Dreamfall or the Longest Journey.
- Chapters WILL be better than Dreamfall.

Also: you guys remember the confusion about the TLJ online-only game in this post? 

TheChosenOne ‏@TCO_TSW

@RagnarTornquist Does "an online-only continuation of the epic TLJ saga." mean that Funcom will make another TLJ game alongside Chapters?

Ragnar Tørnquist ‏@RagnarTornquist

@TCO_TSW No, I don't think that's going to happen.

For now that is all I have for you guys... Don't forget to check back for more information in the very near future.

-WorldsReunited

Episodic?

Hi guys,

A lot of you have been wondering wheter or not Dreamfall Chapters will be Episodic like Funcom announced back in 2006, and I have the answer for you:

Ragnar Tørnquist ‏@RagnarTornquist
@Tweety3D We're not planning on an episodic format. Dreamfall Chapters will be a full game...but not necessarily the final game in the saga.

Ragnar Tørnquist ‏@RagnarTornquist
@efimpi Nope, it will not be episodic.

So there you have it. Dreamfall Chapters will NOT be Episodic.

-WorldsReunited

The Dream Chamber

Hi guys,

I am just posting this to clear something up: A lot of people have been mistaking the following picture for Dreamfall Chapters artwork, which it unfortunately isn't.

This picture dates back 'till before Dreamfall's launch and is believed to be an early verison of the Dream Chamber. Even though this artwork isn't new, it could still prove to be relevant as the Dream Chamber is one of Dreamfall's many unanswered questions. So... what is the purpose of the Dream Chamber, and what is up with all these flying creatures? We will have to wait to find out. 

-WorldsReunited

Online-only game in the TLJ Universe?

Hi guys,

Edit: I have just been told this quote actually comes from the 2007 announcement of Dreamfall Chapters, which is misleading, very misleading indeed. Of course: that also means that everything stated below is probably untrue. Don't say I didn't warn you. ;)

I just read something that kinda puzzled me... 

Trond Arne Aas, CEO of Funcom, spoke about the Norwegian government’s involvement in the project: “We will be researching an online-only continuation of the epic ‘Longest Journey’ saga, and we very much look forward to develop new chapters to the Dreamfall gaming community. To see the Norwegian government take such an active role in nurturing the local game development industry is impressive. In return for their trust we aim to deliver a modern adventure game with unique qualities.”

Does this mean that Funcom might also do another TLJ game (but online-only) in the future? (TLJ MMO, anyone?) Or is he simply reffering to DFC? I'm not quite sure what to think of that... As Funcom employees are not allowed to work on DFC I feel like it will be a seperate game. If this is true however I would happily welcome another game to the TLJ Universe, however I feel like a TLJ MMO or any online game would take away the magic that the previous games are famous for. If it means that it will be distributed online-only (I was fairly certain they dropped the whole episodic thing) that means we won't be getting any hard-copies of the game, which essentially is a bad thing as well. So I guess we will just have to wait and see what the future holds, and only time will tell what was meant with this statement.

Source: http://www.inquisitr.com/383718/funcom-announces-long-awaited-sequel-to-dreamfall-the-longest-journey/ 

-WorldsReunited

Fan-made teaser pics

Hi guys,

I just really felt like teasing you guys with some fan-made teaser pics of Dreamfall Chapters that I made while I was extremely bored (and still hyped because of the announcement). I really can’t wait to get my hands or “anything” official, but untill then:

-WorldsReunited

Dreamfall Chapters Announced part 2

So yes… then there was the RPS interview with Ragnar which hyped me up even more. (The jumping was getting out of control by then.)

You can read it here:http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2012/11/01/keep-the-faith-tornquist-talks-dreamfall-chapters/

- First off all: They have got some money for the pre-production, but after that they will depend on us because they will use kickstarter. This made me smile even more, in in a good way. I always felt like the fans would have to become hero’s in order to save the Universe in a world where games are made purely to make money and well… it seems like we can all be hero’s right?

- Ragnar has been writing on a story from Dreamfall’s launch until now so he should have quite a lot of it fleshed out right?

- Ragnar mentioning “beyond” Dreamfall Chapter made me squee. I do think it is a bit unrealistic to look that far ahead, but hey I’m grateful nevertheless.

- Since they are still hiring I am SO going to try get at job at Red Thread Games, just like Codex did in the Guild. (luckily I do not see Ragnar turn into a meany like Floyd did any time soon so I should be good)

- I love how he puts focus on the story again (like he always does) and Ragnar do tell us more about the new and interesting things that are coming on the story side.

- Yay for no twitch combat or button mashing. And yay for crate pushing??

- Chapter will unite Dreamfall and The Longest Journey. That does sounds really good. They should aim at the people that played both games and liked them and players that loved TLJ, but did not like Dreamfall as much.

- Yay for no episodic format, but eh Ragnar—the title Dreamfall Chapters does not even include “The Longest Journey” anymore… Sure I get it, it’s the sequel to Dreamfall and about the chapters of life, but still.

- Him talking about faith and all the characters made me realize again how special this games really are.

- Ragnar thinks the time is right for a smart game. I hope he’s right cuz… that HAS been said before.

Overall I could really see in this interview that Ragnar has sticked to his roots, which lets me to believe that Dreamfall Chapters is going to be something REALLY special that is going to be added to my list of games that are very close to my heart.

-WorldsReunited

Dreamfall Chapters Announced part 1

Hi guys,

“O MY GOD!” was all I could say when I read the following tweet by @funcom_TSW on Novermber the 1^st  of 2012. “RT @funcom: Pre-production begins on new game in The Longest Journey saga! #TSW Creative Director Ragnar at helm: ow.ly/eWhAP ”

I was slightly scared but VERY, VERY EXCITED when I clicked the link and read the article. What I found in there boils down to this: Ragnar created his own freakin’ company to make Dreamfall Chapters happen! You cannot believe the enormous smile that put on my head nor imagine the fact of the people that saw me jumping up and down in my house, but hey FINALLY the word is out, Chapters stands a chance again!  

- Ragnar’s company is called Red Thread Games, so I do wonder: what does this Red Thread represent? My personal theory is that the Red Thread are the stories because that seems to be the way it is in all his games. Curiously enough there also is a Secret World mission coming up in Issue 4 that is called The Red Thread…  Well played Ragnar, well played…

- Ragnar also mentioned the nail-bitting cliffhanger which immediately warped me back in time back to when I first finished the game... If anything the cliffhanger was nail-bitting (also frustrating for a lot of people), but I did really like it. I mean, Dreamfall’s story was about Faith and Faith’s story was very much over (although that what is hidden at the end of a certain song may be hinting it’s not). I was however very sad that the story was unlikely to continue as this universe deserves SO much better.

- They FINALLY admitted that Funcom has just abandoned offline games and the TLJ saga even though Ragnar hasn’t.

- He also mentioned the 6 year wait and I realized once more how FREAKIN’ long they have left us hanging, which makes it even harder to believe this announcement is real.

- This announcement has made me replay some parts of Dreamfall again: The story of Faith in the Sint Petersburg lab and Zoe’s Journey (with the conversation between Zoe, Emma en Charlie being the most important part of it) in Venice leading up to the point where she wakes up in Arcedia.

- I decided that I should fully replay both TLJ and Dreamfall first as soon as I get Dreamfall Chapters.

All of that got me excited real good, but I quickly found out there was more as I discovered the RPS interview that they had been holding back on...

-WorldsReunited

A short Introduction

Hi guys,

I’m WorldsReunited from the Longest Journey forums and this is my new blog. In the upcoming months (and possibly years) I will try to keep you guys up to date on everything that is happening with Dreamfall Chapters and I will give my opinion on the Articles, Interviews, Videos, Screenshots, Artwork and what not that will hopefully start coming appearing in the next few months.

Who are you?

I am a Dutch Funcom fan that played The Longest Journey for the first time back in 2007, back then I did not know that Dreamfall existed even though I had stumbled upon it by accident once. In 2009 I finally “discovered” that Dreamfall was the long-awaited sequel to The Longest Journey so I bought it right away. Then in 2010 after having played The Longest Journey three times and Dreamfall twice I finally joined the forum community. By now I have fully played both games at least 6 times and I tend to play at least one chapter (but usually more) a month, I have also watched a lot of playtroughs and the like so I guess you could call me: “obsessed”.

But I started off with saying I was a Funcom fan, which implies that I played more of their games and not just the Longest Journey Saga. I played Age of Conan where I made three character all three of them left Tortage, but none of them ever got higher then level 44. AoC made me realize that: A) Funcom could really make a good MMO, even though the game is FAR from flawless and B) I was fed up with fantasy games and in need for something new. That is when I discovered the Secret World (for those of you who remember it was back on darkdaysarecoming.com) and I got hooked right away. To make a long story short The Secret World became another obsession of mine and my /played is close to 300 hours.

Tl;dr I played a lot of The Longest Journey, Dreamfall, Age of Conan and The Secret World

So why make this blog?

As I told you guys before I did not find out about Dreamfall ‘till two years after finishing The Longest Journey, the game had been out for three year by then and for that I do still feel a little guilty. So for Dreamfall Chapters I want to do things differently. I want to devour every piece of information I get just like I did with the Secret World and just follow this Journey all the way from today ‘till the day the game hits the stores and beyond.

I will frequently update this page as new information is released and I will analyze every inch of it. So stay tuned for Dreamfall Chapters and remember: In Ragnar we trust!

-WorldsReunited