Exodus Interview – Narrative Director Drew Karpyshyn Talks Time Dilation and Player Choice

In Exodus – a new AAA sci-fi RPG developed by Archetype Entertainment, a studio comprised of former BioWare and Naughty Dog vets – time dilation is at the center of everything. After humanity arrives in a distant and hostile galaxy in the distant future, humans play as the Traveler, tasked with setting out on lengthy voyages that require traveling close to the speed of light due to their incredible distances. That, of course, means that when you do return from such missions, though only days or weeks may have passed for you, for everyone else back home, it’s been years.

GamingBolt recently had the chance to speak with narrative director Drew Karpyshyn – a celebrated sci-fi writer who’s best known for his work on BioWare classics like Mass Effect and Knights of the Old Republic – about how Exodus’ central time dilation hook will enable the game to force players to make tough choices, and the long-term consequences those choices will come with. You can read our full interview with Karpyshyn below.

"One of the great things about making games is pushing yourself to try new things. We understand that properly representing time dilation, player choices, and how they interact to affect your homeworld and the people you care about is a challenge, but it’s one we’re very excited to take on."

Time dilation as a concept is one of the Sci-Fi genre’s most fascinating storytelling tools but given just how many moving parts stories involving time dilation are bound to have, I would imagine that would be incredibly hard and complicated to implement in a game. Before we get into Exodus itself and how it’s using time dilation, can you talk to us about what that process has been like from a development perspective?

One of the great things about making games is pushing yourself to try new things. We understand that properly representing time dilation, player choices, and how they interact to affect your homeworld and the people you care about is a challenge, but it’s one we’re very excited to take on. We’ve spent a lot of time and effort working out how player choice and Time Dilation will work in our game, as it is one of the core elements of the story and experience. We want players to truly feel the weight of every decision they make, and to understand the cost and sacrifice they must pay whenever they return from Exodus missions and come face-to-face with the consequences of Time Dilation.

From a storytelling standpoint, there’s so much emotional weight that can be injected into proceedings once Time Dilation and its consequences become a factor. How heavily will Exodus be emphasizing those elements?

Time Dilation is one of the key features of our game, and an inescapable part of being a Traveler. This is the great sacrifice every Traveler must make – to save humanity, you lose years or even decades of time with the ones you care the most about. The game is all about hard choices and long-term consequences, and the effects of Time Dilation are central to that conflict, so we are focusing the entire core story around this cycle.

"The game is all about hard choices and long-term consequences, and the effects of Time Dilation are central to that conflict, so we are focusing the entire core story around this cycle."

Coming to the gameplay mechanics side of things, can you tell us how Time Dilation will be integrated into the core gameplay? For instance, will players be contracting time for themselves every time they hop into their ship and travel at lightspeed, or is that something that the game will only bring into play at predefined story-related moments?

Time Dilation only comes into play when Travelers go on Exodus – a major journey to another system light years from their homeworld. Exploring a planet or moon within your own system doesn’t cause Time Dilation, as you do not need to travel at near lightspeed to visit these nearby locations. You will still make choices that affect the game on these shorter missions, but Time Dilation only becomes a factor when you prepare and embark on a true Exodus.

Given the massive span of time Exodus’ story will be covering thanks to its emphasis on Time Dilation, will that be reflected in the game’s world as well? Will players be able to visually see the effect of the passing of decades, whether that’s through the lives and deaths of characters or changes on a larger scale across the galaxy?

As a Traveler, you exist apart from the world and the lives of those who stay behind when you go on Exodus. Each time you return, you will see how the years and decades have changed your homeworld and your society. Friends and family, you left behind will have aged and continued on with their lives, changing and evolving in your absence. The effects of Time Dilation are inescapable, and you will be forced to confront them each time you return home, on both a personal and societal level.

"As a Traveler, you exist apart from the world and the lives of those who stay behind when you go on Exodus. Each time you return, you will see how the years and decades have changed your homeworld and your society."

Outside of (presumably) Interstellar, what other science fiction media has served as inspiration for Exodus, particularly where its use of Time Dilation is concerned?

Time Dilation is relatively underrepresented in most mainstream Sci-Fi storytelling, which is why we find it such a fascinating concept to explore. Time Dilation is fresh and exciting, and it allows us to approach our world, story, and characters in a way that few other movies or games have. This has allowed us to create a truly unique story and an emotionally engaging experience in Exodus – one that players are going to love!