[翻译] Screenrant采访剧情主管Steve Danuser

论坛阅读地址：https://bbs.nga.cn/read.php?&tid=23989911

本次采访主要就先前公布的《暗影国度：彼岸之地》系列动画短片进行回答。

本篇采访由镶金玫瑰旅店Alpha&Beta测试人员合作翻译。感谢 [@折断的竹光] ， [@炸弹小p] 和 [@我将融入这黑夜] 的协力。

译者： [@折断的竹光]

What was the approach to building out these [Shadowlands Afterlives] shorts - disparate in terms of their tone, but unified in terms of their exploration of Shadowlands and its greater themes - to make sure they each stood out in their own way?

《暗影国度：彼岸之地》动画短片的风格各不相同，但它们在探索暗影界以及其更深层主题的步调上是一致的。你们是如何进行主题的构建，并确保它们拥有各自的特色？


We realized early on that Shadowlands was introducing many deep concepts that would provide our players with nuanced themes to ponder. As we began planning the Afterlives series, we recognized an opportunity to introduce those concepts through relatable characters, including many rooted in Azeroth's history.

我们很早就为暗影界引入了许多深奥的概念，这将让玩家对故事主题的思考更加细致。当我们开始策划《彼岸之地》系列时，我们意识到可以通过与玩家有关系的角色来将这些概念做出介绍，包括很多深植于艾泽拉斯历史的角色。


Opening with the iconic death of Uther the Lightbringer, Bastion contrasted our most bright, idyllic afterlife with the hungering darkness of the Maw. Through Draka's ceaseless struggle, we learned that the armies of Maldraxxus had been plunged into strife and division. We followed the wild god Ursoc's spirit into Ardenweald and told a story of hard choices and painful sacrifice. And through the silky venom of Sire Denathrius in Revendreth, we showed how greed and avarice could twist a once-noble society into a realm of selfishness and greed.

以标志性的乌瑟尔·光明使者之死为开场，晋升堡垒的明媚优美与噬渊的饥饿黑暗形成了鲜明的对比。通过德拉卡的不懈抗争，我们获悉玛卓克萨斯的军队已经陷入了冲突和分裂。我们跟随荒野之神乌索克的灵魂来到炽蓝仙野，讲述了一个关于艰难选择和痛苦牺牲的故事。通过德纳修斯大帝在雷文德斯注入的慢性毒药，我们展示了贪欲是如何将一个曾经高贵的社会扭曲成一个自私和贪婪的国度。


While each cinematic stands on its own, they build upon one another to frame the looming threats that players will face when they enter the Shadowlands.

虽然每个短片都是独立的故事，但它们相互衬托，构建了玩家进入暗影界时将要面临的迫在眉睫的威胁。

译者： [@炸弹小p]

How much do the animated shorts explain some of the mechanismsat work in Shadowlands’ narrative? Will there be any hints - big or small -that fans who watched the shorts will be able to pick up on or see thedevelopment of in-game?

动画短片在何种程度上解释了暗影国度的叙事机制？短片中是否有或多或少的暗示，能供观看短片的粉丝们发掘或是从中看出游戏内剧情的走向？


Steve Danuser: We know that no detail, no matter how small orseemingly incidental, escapes the watchful eye of our players. From concept, toscript, to storyboards, to animatics, all the way to final sound and images,every word and every frame is lovingly crafted in painstaking detail. Nothingis there by accident.

我们深知，再微小、看似再偶然不过的细节也逃不过玩家的慧眼。从概念到脚本、到故事板、再到动画，一直到最后的配音与图像，每一个单词、每一帧都是由我们向每个细节倾注感情完成的。短片中没有哪样事物是偶然存在的。


Players have already picked up on a number of elements that hintat larger storylines or concepts. When we depicted Uther's soul being shatteredby Frostmourne, we wondered if the detail might be too subtle. But in fact, thecommunity spotted that immediately and began speculating what that might meanfor Uther and other characters. When we showed Draka infiltrating a BurningLegion stronghold, viewers quickly picked up on a reference to an earliercinematic and realized the implication that the Necrolords not only defendagainst invasions, but travel beyond the Shadowlands to neutralize potentialthreats.

玩家们已经发现了一些暗示着更宏大的故事线或者概念的细节。当我们描绘出乌瑟尔的灵魂被霜之哀伤撕裂，我们还在担心这个细节是否太隐蔽了，然而，实际上玩家社区立即发现了这点，开始推测对乌瑟尔与其他角色而言这意味着什么。当我们展示德拉卡潜入燃烧军团的一处要塞，观众们很快发现此处与先前的短片相呼应，意识到通灵领主们不仅要对抗入侵，也要前去暗影国度之外消除潜在威胁。


There are other details in the Afterlives series that will takeon greater meaning once players can play through the full Shadowlands story andsee how these elements tie together.

《彼岸之地》系列中还有许多细节，一旦玩家游览了整个《暗影国度》故事，就会看到这些细节彰显出更丰富的含义，看到种种元素如何紧密结合在一起。

译者： [@古伊尔·毁灭之锤]

Shadowlands feels very political in the way it explores resource scarcity, and the shorts go to great lengths to show that the regions have the capacity for good and evil. Is there a side in the Shadowlands fight that you anticipate fans will identify as the “good” and “bad,” or do you feel like as we explore what Afterlives has established that will be impossible to call?

暗影界探索其资源稀缺的方式让人感觉非常政治化，短片动画也不遗余力地展示这些地区是善恶兼有的。在暗影界的战斗中，你是否预期会有被粉丝们认为是“好”和“坏”的一面，还是说我们探索《彼岸之地》所确立的东西，将无法以善恶来界定？


Steve Danuser: We intended for the themes introduced in Shadowlands and in the Afterlives series to inspire conversation and debate. It's not as simple as saying something is right or wrong, good or evil. The ecosystem of Death functioned seemingly without incident for countless eons before the Arbiter ceased functioning and the anima drought created a scarcity of resources. Yet we see how swiftly the functions and norms within each of these realms began to break down. Such a rapid unraveling should raise the question of how healthy that system was to begin with.

我们本意是想让《暗影国度》和《彼岸之地》系列中提出的主题能引起交流和辩论。说某个东西是正确或错误，好或者坏并不是简单的事。在仲裁官停止运作，心能枯竭造成资源缺乏前，死亡的系统在无数纪元中似乎没有出过任何问题。然而，我们看到了每个领域里的功能和和规范是如何迅速地开始崩坏的。如此快速的瓦解应该引发一个问题：这个系统在一开始的时候是有多健康？


Visually, we have deliberately played with perceptions and assumptions. The gleaming spires of Bastion hide a darkness growing within the ranks of the Kyrian. In contrast, the overcast skies and looming stone towers of Revendreth exude a gothic horror vibe, yet we learn that the Venthyr exist to carry out a noble calling of redemption and rehabilitation.

在视觉上，我们刻意地玩弄着玩家的感知和假设。晋升堡垒闪亮的尖塔掩盖了基瑞安族群中不断增长的黑暗。相比之下，雷文德斯阴云密布的天空和隐约可见的石塔散发着哥特式的恐怖气息，然而我们知道温西尔的存在是为了执行救赎和恢复的崇高使命。


In the Shadowlands, nothing is exactly what it appears to be at first glance. You must always look deeper.

在暗影界，没有东西的本质是你第一眼看到的那样。你必须要深入去了解。


As is often the way of Blizzard’s best cinematics and shorts, Afterlives leaves us with a lot more questions than answers. How many of these threads are explored and resolved in Shadowlands, and how much can we expect to continue through the larger story of World of Warcraft?

就像暴雪最好的动画和短片一样，《彼岸之地》留给我们的问题要多于答案。有多少线索在《暗影国度》得到探索和解决，我们又能期待多少东西会在更大的故事里继续发展？


Steve Danuser: While we intend this expansion to tell a focused story with a satisfying conclusion, it also opens up countless possibilities for the Warcraft universe. One of the most exciting aspects of bringing Shadowlands to life (pardon the pun) is the opportunity to not only explore established lore, but to build upon it and take it into tantalizing new directions.

虽然我们计划在这个资料片中专注讲述一个有着满意结局的故事，它同样为魔兽宇宙带来了无尽了可能性。将暗影界带到现实最令人兴奋的方面之一是，我们不仅有机会去探索已经设定了的故事，而且有机会在此基础上继续发展，将之带入诱人的新方向。


The Chronicles books provided a window in the Warcraft cosmology from the point of view of the titans and their progeny. In Shadowlands, we get to delve into those mysteries from a different perspective, and we find out that there's far more to the nature of reality and the planes of existence than anyone had realized. Many of the concepts introduced in the Afterlives series and in the stories revealed in this expansion will tee up some very intriguing possibilities that will be explored in future content.

编年史从泰坦及其后裔的角度为魔兽宇宙提供了一个窗口。在《暗影国度》，我们得以从不同角度深入探索这些谜团，我们会发现现实的本质和存在的位面远比任何人所知道的都要多。在《彼岸之地》系列，以及这个资料片的故事中引入的不少概念，将引出一些非常有趣的可能性，这些可能性将在未来的内容中进行探索。


For example, from the dark reaches of the Maw to the ancient halls of Oribos, you'll hear mention of powerful beings referred to as the First Ones. As the story of Shadowlands unfolds, we'll meet allies helping to explore the mysteries of their existence, as well as adversaries determined to plunder their secrets. Yet what we learn will merely scratch the surface of what lies ahead of us.

举个例子，从噬渊的黑暗角落到奥利波斯的古老殿堂，你会听到人们提起一些被称为初诞者的强大存在。随着暗影界故事的展开，我们会遇到帮助我们去探索他们存在之谜的盟友，以及决心掠夺这些秘密的敌人。然而，我们所了解到的一切仅仅只是面前所见的皮毛而已。

译者： [@我将融入这黑夜]

Finally, we have to ask. You can’t just tease Arthas in a Shadowlands narrative and then never see him again in the expansion, right? That would be evil.

最后，我们不得不问一下：你们总不能在《暗影国度》的一个叙事动画中把阿尔萨斯拿出来寻开心，但是却让我们在资料片里再也见不到他了，对吧？那可太调皮了。


Steve Danuser: At the conclusion of the first act of the Shadowlands arc, there is a scene in which several of our main characters discuss the legacy of Arthas Menethil. They note that his specter hangs over all of them like a shroud--an apt metaphor for an expansion focused on Death.

在《暗影国度》故事线第一幕结尾的时候，有一个场景是我们的几个主要角色在讨论阿尔萨斯·米奈希尔留下的遗产。他们注意到，他的阴影像裹尸布一样笼罩着他们所有人——这对于一个以死亡为主题的资料片来说是个很恰当的比喻。


The story of Arthas from Warcraft III to its conclusion at the end of Wrath of the Lich King is one of the most iconic tales in our canon. We do not invoke his name lightly. At the same time, Shadowlands allows us to explore the origins of the darkness that consumed the heart of the young prince. In the process, we just might learn more about him and the others whose lives were forever impacted by the choices Arthas made.

从《魔兽争霸III》到《巫妖王之怒》的结尾，阿尔萨斯的故事是我们最具代表性的经典故事之一。我们不会轻易提及他的名字。与此同时，《暗影国度》将让我们有机会得以探索吞噬年轻王子心灵的黑暗之源。在这个过程中，我们可能会更加深入地了解到他以及那些因为他的选择而被永久改变了人生的人。