Gamerescape E3 Interview

[Wyssahtyn]

Gamer Escape: In the launch trailer, The Warrior of Light is talking to an NPC when he arrives on The First who looks like the NPC that we encounter when we first started A Realm Reborn (Brendt, Brennan, and Bremondt). Is this an Easter egg? Or is this something more?

Naoki Yoshida: This NPC doesn’t tie in closely to the narrative per se, but it is something that is in there to maintain a sense of consistency in your adventures. As you know, the world was shattered into 14 different shards, including The Source, about 10,000 years ago. When the world split into the different shards, because it was based off the same ether, each is a similar realm. So there may be a possibility that certain people, while not exactly replicated, will look similar on the different realms. We wanted to depict that in a easily recognizable form. So, as we’re starting this new adventure in Shadowbringers, we had this NPC show up. This was something that we wanted to incorporate as a reminder that while, yes, we are starting this new important quest, also, “hey look”, there they are again. So it was deliberate in that way.

So, while they may look similar, they are not exactly the same person who follows the same path. Their fate may be different in the different realms. We wanted to depict that aspect of it as well. You will probably encounter other similar situations with other characters that you come in contact with throughout the story.

So. Ten thousand years and Brendt, Brennan, and Bremondt's parents still conveniently get together to have at least one kid because "aether".

[Bright-Flower]

Why not aether it the answer to everything else.

[Anonymoose]

I think that's just a fancy way of saying, "The visual resemblance is a development decision for player recognition. They're not the same guy, they're not related. It's just an interesting coincidence. (Blame aether and fate if you have to.)"

Or, as Banri Oda-san would say, "Please do not think too hard about this."

[RenewalXVII]

I think that's just a fancy way of saying, "The visual resemblance is a development decision for player recognition. They're not the same guy, they're not related. It's just an interesting coincidence. (Blame aether and fate if you have to.)"

Or, as Banri Oda-san would say, "Please do not think too hard about this."

Yup, it's the same as Arbert looking identical to the default Midlander male. It's a narrative echo for the player, but in practical in-story terms there's nothing tangible connecting the characters of the First and the Source--not culture, not ancestry, especially not personal history, unless ShB proper throws some major curveballs in this understanding. As I put it in a similar discussion, they're doppelgangers at best: the similarity is only superficial.

[Iscah]

I really hope they're not going to rely too heavily on this. I don't really want the plot to go that way.

[Theodric]

I really hope they're not going to rely too heavily on this. I don't really want the plot to go that way.

Agreed.

It cheapens the established story if it happens too frequently. I just don't want to see a situation where, for example, Haurchefant comes 'back' because he conveniently has a counterpart on the First who looks and acts exactly like him.

[Iscah]

It cheapens the established story if it happens too frequently. I just don't want to see a situation where, for example, Haurchefant comes 'back' because he conveniently has a counterpart on the First who looks and acts exactly like him.

Exactly what I thought of, and no I don't want to see it happen either.

Any which way you play it, it would turn out strange. Does he survive (and will he be regarded by the fandom as a 'substitute' for the original)? Does he die too? Turn out to be a villain?

I'd rather leave the whole thing alone and just get new original characters.

How far back would they send a reference like it anyway? Does that mean we have alt-Edmont as well? Are they living in alt-Ishgard? What about everyone else that made the city and the people what they are?

...

Oh bother, this whole thing is being run by the DRK quest writer, isn't it? And they've already kinda-brought Haurchefant back once already (and I hated it).

*sigh* Calling it now then. Elf-Haurchefant living in... Il Mheg somewhere I guess, with elf-Edmont married to the counterpart of Haurchefant's mother. At least we'd get to find out what she looks like.

[EdwinLi]

Exactly what I thought of, and no I don't want to see it happen either.

Any which way you play it, it would turn out strange. Does he survive (and will he be regarded by the fandom as a 'substitute' for the original)? Does he die too? Turn out to be a villain?

I'd rather leave the whole thing alone and just get new original characters.

How far back would they send a reference like it anyway? Does that mean we have alt-Edmont as well? Are they living in alt-Ishgard? What about everyone else that made the city and the people what they are?

...

Oh bother, this whole thing is being run by the DRK quest writer, isn't it? And they've already kinda-brought Haurchefant back once already (and I hated it).

*sigh* Calling it now then. Elf-Haurchefant living in... Il Mheg somewhere I guess, with elf-Edmont married to the counterpart of Haurchefant's mother. At least we'd get to find out what she looks like.

You got to get a bit more understanding of the Multiverse thing when it comes to alternate counterparts. In this case with the Source and Firsts....

Most of the people we know in the Source probably are dead in the First or are turned into Sin Eaters since majority of the world is now covered by the Flood of Light while few we know are probably still alive or few we know are dead in the Source are alive. You can bet that they may have already planned for this and one of the Sin Eaters we meet and kill maybe someone we know in the Source but their First Counterpart ended up as a Sin Eater due to the FLood of light consuming their home region such as the First version of Ishgard.

The majority of people we meet are probably going to be the people who should be dead in the Source due to their different life choices and encounters, never met due to different life encounters and choices, or were originally never born in the Source.

It is just how Alternate Worlds/Realities that parallel our world works. The science itself to calculate what can and cannot happen is just way too unpredictable to know what X or Y can happen in a Parallel World to say it is impossible to encounter a version of some one that lived completely different life or not.

[Iscah]

You got to get a bit more understanding of the Multiverse thing when it comes to alternate counterparts...

I do understand how this multiverse works, and the way it works should mean we don't have alternate versions of anyone. The world and cultures have gone in radically different directions, and it should be expected that people's lives have done the same. Different people live, die, meet, fall in love... and the consequence is that it's highly unlikely that the same chain of ancestors over 12,000 years should come together for anyone, let alone large numbers of characters. And they still shouldn't (in my opinion) be regarded as the same person, just a chance doppelgänger who happens to look alike.


Right now I'm dreading that they're going to go the "Haurchefant still lives somewhere, so you don't need to be so sad that he died" route, because it would just devalue how his death has been played up to this point... but thus far the DRK writing has annoyed me when handling emotional stuff, so I wouldn't put it past them. I may need to throw something if they do that.

[kidalutz]

Agreed.

It cheapens the established story if it happens too frequently. I just don't want to see a situation where, for example, Haurchefant comes 'back' because he conveniently has a counterpart on the First who looks and acts exactly like him.

What if He's Eden @.@ *tinfoil hat*