If only Torment: Tides of Numenera were twice as long. Even some of the genre's best could afford to lose 10 to 15 hours of filler quests, cinch up the story's sagging middle, and get on with it. What's frustrating and yet also tantalizing about Tides of Numenera is that it gives us a glimpse of infinite potential, then cuts it short. Despite being billed as a "spiritual successor" to Infinity Engine cult classic Planescape: Torment, it's important to mention the two are officially unrelated. This is not a sequel.

He graciously consented to devote a good deal of his time to this four-part interview about the video game writer's job and the special challenges and opportunities of writing Torment. The interview took place through email and has been edited for comprehension. Ziets received a Masters degree in Cognitive Psychology with an emphasis on Human-Computer Interaction in 1999. I was a member of his thesis committee.) In 2001 he took a job writing dialog for the MMO Earth & Beyond.