Gamers have been bemoaning the end of adventure games for years, but ever since The Journeyman Project, Presto has been firmly committed to the genre. How do you see adventure changing to keep up with the audience?
Adventure games are more about thinking -- observing the environment, thinking about the storyline, the characters and their interactions, and making decisions based on those factors. Because adventure games tend to be slower paced and more deliberate, and because so much of the gameplay relies on what you observe in the environment, there is a higher expectation in terms of the game's visual quality. It's less about reaction time and technical expertise. At the same time, people's expectations of computer technology in general are always increasing. Pre-rendered adventure games like Myst have placed a higher premium on the quality of the graphic images, and as a result some technological aspects like real-time 3D have been relegated to a somewhat secondary role. I believe Exile, with its capability of offering a 360 degree field of view, is a step in the direction of complete freedom of exploration in an environment. I think as computer technology and games continue to evolve, adventure games will become as immersive and interactive as any real-time 3D game, while keeping story, characters and aesthetic design at the forefront.

Doomsayers also predict the end of the Macintosh as a gaming platform. With the obvious exception of Star Trek: Hidden Evil, Presto has always been primarily a Mac developer. Will Presto remain committed to the Macintosh?
I don't think the Macintosh is going anywhere just yet, and as long as that's the case, Presto will continue to develop for the Mac whenever it's feasible. We just finished work on the Macintosh version of Myst Masterpiece, and Exile will be available on the Mac platform as well.

What does Myst III do to expand on the universe rather than just continue it?
In Exile, Atrus and Catherine, two of the main characters from Myst and Riven, return and are integral to the story, which builds on certain events and characters that were established in Myst. We are also introduced to a new character from a new world that hadn't been explored or mentioned in the previous games.

Next page: The technology of Myst III