Peter Sarrett

I became the designer of Betrayal in Antara in a rather unusual way.

When I arrived at Sierra in 1994, I spent some time familiarising myself with the company's products. I dabbled a bit with various games, but none hooked me as much as Betrayal at Krondor. Loading it up at lunch time, I'd wind up playing well into the afternoon before I realised the time had passed. Many evenings I stayed at work past midnight hacking my way through just one more group of enemies. I'd played through all the RPG classics-- early Ultimas, Ultima Underworld, Dungeon Master-- but the story and combat system in this game set it apart.

One day, during one of those extended lunch breaks, Sierra's CEO Ken Williams swung by to see what I was up to, and so we started talking about BAK and computer RPGs in general. Later, when I saw him in the elevator, I wondered aloud why we hadn't followed up on the game's success.

When I got email from Ken saying simply, "Come see me in my office," I spent the elevator ride wondering where I could send my resume. That turned out to be unnecessary-- Ken wanted me to design Sierra's next role playing game.

The result is in your hands. I decided early on not to fix what wasn't broken, and BAK players will find the interface and combat system of Betrayal in Antara familiar. I spent months developing the Antaran Empire in the new world of Ramar, and creating the story which forms the framework of this game. Others on the team, notably lead programmer Rikki Cleland-Hura, helped flesh out the details which make the world seem real. The art team laboured hard to create Antara's rich visual look, and the programmers have brought it all to life.

Betrayal in Antara is a story-rich game, and that story is on a very human level. Our characters-- major and minor-- have desires, motivations, and histories which affect the story's events. Take your time exploring the world we've created. There's much to discover which isn't essential to victory, but which illustrates the fascinating details of the Empire and the world around it. We hope this is but the first of many visits you'll be making to Ramar, just as this is Sierra's first step in our return to role playing games.

Peter Sarrett, Designer