DeYoung: It certainly helps that Gabe and Tycho are working on the game so directly. Tycho is writing all the dialogue for instance. And we iterate with those guys on an almost daily basis so that integration of the writing, story and gameplay gets the attention it needs to get it right.

DeYoung: We aren't saying too much specifically about the storyline or characters so that we avoid spoilers. But it's fair to say that you'll see lots of familiar Penny Arcade characters, and quite a few new ones too.

DeYoung: It's like an old-school point and click adventure game like King's Quest and Monkey Island. You move around the world, interact with different characters and slowly unravel the story by solving various mysteries and performing quests. The game also features real-time turn-based RPG combat, with all kinds of crazy enemies spread through the world.

DeYoung: Ron has been instrumental in a couple of key aspects. First, he has taught us how to structure the adventure game puzzles with the right level of complexity and difficulty, and to integrate them with the story. He has also been a huge help with how to structure the non-linear dialogues in the game. A number of times during production, a few of us from Hothead will sit down in a room with Gabe, Tycho and Ron and hash out elements of the story and gameplay. It's a ton of fun.

DeYoung: You create a customized player character when you start the game. The look of that character will carry from episode to episode. In addition, your character's level and stats will carry over, as well as your inventory of items. I should point out that if you start an episode without playing previous ones, you'll start at an appropriate level with appropriate inventory items. But someone that has played previous episodes will definitely have an advantage.

DeYoung: We haven't finalized the total number of episodes yet--I think it's fair to say we'd love to keep making Penny Arcade games for a long time to come! And while we're still finalizing our episodic production cycle, our current goal is to get episodes out every 3-4 months.

DeYoung: Right now each episode is clocking in at 5-6 hours of gameplay. Of course that can vary quite a bit depending on how thorough the player is about achieving 100% complete.

DeYoung: For the first episode, it's cosmetic. But it's cool that you'll see your custom player not only in the 3D world but also in the comic-style 2D cutscenes.

DeYoung: We feel a ton of pressure! We've got a veteran team at Hothead though, so we definitely feel up to the task. Our main goal is to create something that is both fun and an authentic Penny Arcade experience. Gabe and Tycho and the Hothead crew are putting our best foot forward, but you can bet we'll be listening to the feedback on episode 1 and responding appropriately with what we put into future episodes.

DeYoung: They said that the clincher for them was the amount of creative control we were willing to leave in their hands. The fact that we're working so closely with them helps them to know that what people play will be authentically Penny Arcade.