Dishonored dev champions player choice for "authored" feeling

The more approaches a player can take to a situation, the more they own the consequences, according to Arkane Studios boss Harvey Smith.

Arkane's next game, Dishonored, purports to offer a wide variety of gameplay options - shooting, stealth, magic and more.

"One could argue that the game is stronger with a pure focus on [one kind of gameplay], but we find it more interesting when a range of options present themselves," Smith told Sneaky Bastards.

"To us, the most interesting games constantly present the player with inputs and outputs that work in as many general cases as possible: gradients related to movement, powers/weapons, morality, and enemy perception.

"So many things can happen in that environment that the end result feels like something the player authored."

Smith said Far Cry 2, previously flagged as an example of a stealth as an optional path, is one of his favourite games.

"Personally, I think analogue awareness would add to many games. If I play a zombie apocalypse game or a shooter, I really want to be able to play cat and mouse," he said.

Dishonored is expected on PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 sometime this year.

Thanks, Blue.