18.0.1 Are all your ideas internal or have you taken bits and pieces from your message boards? I'm not expecting Secret Sauce(tm) material just curious if the fans have helped out.
"There have been a LOT of great ideas. Of note, and one we've been talking about most recently, is the campfire. "
18.0.2 What rating are you going for?
I really like the fact that with EverQuest I ran into all sorts of people... different nationalities, both genders, and kids all the way up to the elderly. I also enjoyed parents approaching me and thanking me that there was nothing terribly objectionable in the game, and that they could allow their child to play in good conscience.
Call me old-fashioned, but it made me feel good, and I also think it made the game accessible to more people. I think if we do anything more 'mature' it would probably be using settings in the options or some such, but nothing's set in stone at this time.
18.0.3 What is Sigil's stance on guaranteed content?
We're committed to providing content for small groups, large groups, and raids, and at all levels. But that doesn't mean everyone is guaranteed access to all content unless they earn it -- here's an analogy: buying the game is akin to purchasing a ticket to Disneyland -- it guarantees you entrance, but not necessarily access to every ride. To enjoy Disneyland you have to explore it's lands, ride its rides, and enjoy its sights. How you do so and to what degree is up to you and the time and effort you put into it. The same is true with Vanguard. And also, like Disneyland, it is our responsibility to make sure you are having a good time as much as is possible while you do explore the gameworld -- just because we don't hand you content on a silver platter doesn't mean that earning a right to experience it should be tedious. Challenge does not have to equal tedium.
18.0.4 What are your thoughts on graphical superiority vs. system requirements?
Gameplay is definitely more important than graphics... in fact, it's more important than anything else, because we're making games.
I do think, however, that the immersiveness of EverQuest... the 'wow' factor... was one of several important contributors to the game's success. To that end, technology can really be a means by which to achieve that immersive detail. And that's why graphics are important, as it is taking advantage of better and better technology. In fact, to make the 'virtual worlds' I dream about, a lot more tech is going to be needed.
That said, technology is not the only answer... the art quality and direction is extremely important (look at World of Warcraft). We're committed to using next generation hardware as fully as possible, but not using it as a crutch either. Nor do we implement some new shader just because we 'can'. And scalability is important as well... maybe a lower-end machine can't have all the options on, but the person can still play. Likewise, if an MMOG is still going to look good years after launch, even the hottest machine of the time arguably couldn't max out all of the graphics options.
Lastly, keep in mind that the graphics-guru programmers typically aren't the designers tasked with gameplay, or the content, etc... in other words, it's not zero-sum -- just because a game looks good doesn't mean it can't have awesome gameplay as well, and vice versa, or that just because some of the devs are focused on graphical goodness that others aren't obsessed with detailed gameplay.
18.0.5 Will you go back to the complex gameworlds of MUDs and add today's standard graphics like EverQuest originally did?
In as much as EverQuest built upon MUDs and added graphics, our next game's heritage is the same. One way to think of it is as follows:
We're not as much building upon EverQuest and other MMOGs as we are looking back, building on MUDs again, but this time with better technology and all of the experience and perspective gained by already having worked on EverQuest, EverQuest 2, EverQuest Online Adventures, etc.
18.0.6 Why all the secrecy? Is it to stop a competitor stealing ideas? Is it to give the players a surprise when they start playing? Is it to prevent the spoiler sites publishing their extensive databases prior to launch?
The answer is really 'yes' to all three... it's to protect the developer's ideas from showing up prematurely in another product, it's to help control the release of information to keep up anticipation for the product (e.g. PR/marketing reasons), and it's to keep a lot of the game details revealed in beta away from new players once the game is launched so the game is more fresh and fun for them. Lastly, many systems, mechanics, and details are such that they need to be tested in beta, and until it is tested, tweaked, and brought to where we want it, it makes sense to have an NDA.
18.0.7 Why is it that sometimes the immense backstory of a game is treated as a trade secret from the players and the lore is doled out in such miniscule amounts that people are often unaware of the storylines?
A certain amount of withholding has to happen to add to suspense and mystery, but not to the degree that the players are clueless about their world.
18.0.8 How is Sigil going to protect the backstory as the people who originally wrote it may move around after the game is released?
A major portion of our job here as designers is to make sure that the information is well documented, easily accessed, and to safeguard the continuity.
We've spent a great deal of time on the game's backstory, setting, potential story arcs, personalities and of course, continuity, and it is well documented. This will be an ongoing process as the game progresses and evolves.
Rest assured that when you enter our game, there will be a wealth of history and lore to ground yourself in the world. - John Capozzi, Senior Game Designer
18.0.9 Why do developers try to keep solo play to a minimum, stressing the virtues of grouping?
"I am not going to comment on whether "strongly encouraged" grouping is right or wrong, or whether or not we are going to do this in our game. But, I thought I would give you the rationale, as I understand it, behind the idea.
It is thought, and I think this is correct just based on my own experience, that when people are strongly encouraged to group, they form relationships with people that they would never have met if they hadn't been "forced" to group with them. I think this is especially the case for people, like me, that are less social. And, it is also believed, these relationships keep people playing because they want to continue these friendships that have formed. I know of several people that played some MMOGs much longer than they normally would have just because they had a whole community of friends (or at least a few) in that MMO that they wanted to sign in just to talk to, or adventure with. Aside from that, adventuring with other people, at its best, is much more fun than soloing.
That said, I am fully aware of how long it takes to get a group together in other games, and that it can be almost impossible to make any forward progress in the game if you only have an hour or two here and there to play. I, personally, have frequently been that player that has to log out shortly after getting a group together and starting to adventure because just getting to the point where the exp starts rolling in can easily take an hour or more. This makes people, including me, more inclined to solo. I can't comment on what we are going to do in our game, except to say that we realize these things as a dev team, and we are going to do our best to make things better. - Steve Clover, Senior Programmer"
18.0.10 In EverQuest Complete Heal (CH) became a very powerful spell, maybe too powerful. Does Sigil plan to address spell balance issues like CH?
Well, without getting too specific, I can assure you that we're well aware of the CH issue and the problems that surrounded it. We've all played EverQuest a great deal (and many other MMOs and MUDs as well). The hope is that we'll be able to benefit from our gaming experiences, distilling what's compelling about the games while avoiding a good chunk of the pitfalls
18.0.11 Can PvP work in a PvE world when you will always have griefers?
As long as players have a way to avenge themselves I think this type of player helps add to that extra rush that people look for when they opt to play in a PvP environment.
In my experience, it's only been frustrating when the game's mechanics don't allow me to 'impact' the griefer. If he can kill me and take my stuff, place it into a bag that I can't reach, and then laugh as I give him a shortcut to his bind point, then I feel frustrated.
If, however, the game allows me to repay the griefer then I have a game within the game... In a strange way, I almost look forward to the sneaky griefer smacking me while I'm fighting an NPC, for he just added to my content by giving me a new quest
18.0.12 "What do you mean by "dynamic" content? "
By dynamic content, I mean content that allows players to change aspects of the world through their actions. For example, on another project I was able to implement content that allowed players to assist one of the three races present in the zone in their efforts to kick the other two out. Player action changed the population of the zone, giving them access to special spawns that weren't available initially.
It was a real chore to get the tools that were available at the time to work that way, but going forward it's the kind of thing that I think really adds to immersion and brings the world to life.
18.0.13 Is there a way to combine the challenge of EverQuest with the fast start of Star Wars: Galaxies?
Indeed there must be; and what's more, there has to be a way to use such a mechanism to also accelerate and make easier those eventual bonds you describe where you are known and therefore welcomed into groups as someone people recognize and appreciate.
One of the grave dangers instancing represents is what's already been seen in games that use it extensively: you come into the game, jump into a mission or some such, group up with people in a very transient way, finish up in 30 minutes, an hour, whatever, and then it's on to something else. You either log off, or do another mission, but the people you just worked together with are irrelevant -- they were just tools to help you finish a temporary goal.
Add a total elimination of any downtime to this equation and you don't even have a chance to really talk with these people outside of 'attack that mob!' and 'help!'.
The result is no one gives a crap who you are nor has any reason to remember you, your name, your contributions, your skills, etc. It's so incredibly anti-community building.
So there has to be a way to improve 'lead times' without destroying the community. There MUST be.
18.0.14 If the punishment factor is low enough, is a rule that rewards players for doing things the designers want (e.g. not spending all their time in 1 dungeon) worth it?
Hrm. Tough one.
In general, I think it's much better to use positive reinforcement to get people to move around: the path of least resistance should also be the most fun path.
That said, I've seen trophy systems work, and we may experiment with them. Some forms of diminishing returns (trophy systems, trivial loot code, etc.) are accepted much better when they exist at the game's inception as opposed to added later.
Beta will be fun!
18.0.15 Should power players and casual players yield the same rewards?
At the risk of jumping head first into the controversy, our feelings go back to the concept of risk vs. reward.
If you fight for hours and hours into the depths of a dungeon, knowing that if you screw up it's a lot of time lost, I'd argue the risk is greater, and so should be the reward.
So I think these varying types of encounters and contiguous time commitments do have an impact on risk/reward and that the lewts should be adjusted accordingly.
I think we are very committed to providing different regions of content for different playstyles and time commitments. But I don't think we'd agree to an assertion the rewards should be roughly the same.
That said, fighting to the depths of a huge dungeon to where the most valuable loot is shouldn't have to be done all in one night. Vanguard will offer large dungeons that also allow parties to 'call it a night' at different areas in the dungeon after a few hours of play, allowing them to log on the next day, or the day after that, and continue their trek. This goes back to our primary target audience -- the core gamer -- who typically devotes 2-3 hours a MMOG playing a night, or every other night. Again, we stress that Vanguard is not a 'hard core' game requiring long contiguous play times; nor is Vanguard a game where all of the best treasure and fun is only available by raiding. Most of Vanguard's content is geared toward the 'core' gamer and grouping -- content for more casual gamers as well as more hard core 'raiding' gamers will be present and fun, but not the primary focus.
18.0.16 Should companies provide game expansions for free?
It's extremely unlikely that the one company who puts out free expansions will be able to match the quality of those who do charge for expansions. Something has to pay for the expansion team. Something has to pay for marketing the expansion, getting it into the channel, etc.
This might slowly change as digital distribution becomes a reality, but I still see companies charging for the expansion even if you download it (though the cost could conceivably go down). That, or the monthly charge would go up and everyone pays. Regardless, it takes a lot of time and money to make a great expansion.
Bottom line: people will pay for quality and don't always choose the cheaper or free route in life.
18.0.17 What are your thoughts on the successes and failures of today's newer MMOGS?
We are and have been very supportive of the industry in general and all of the MMOGs specifically -- it's not our job to critique my competition; rather, that's your job, the player. As we've said in the past, we encourage all of you, finances permitting, to try them all and decide what you like and don't like, and then vote with your monthly subscription.
That said, our view on aspects of this have altered slightly in the last year or so. When an MMOG tries to do all sorts of experimental stuff, gets a huge budget, and then tanks, it doesn't just hurt the company that paid for it. It hurts the MMOG industry as a whole, which is in its infancy.
Most posters on this board can look at the various MMOGs, how they've done, and fairly intelligently point to the whys and how's of what went wrong. Sure, we may disagree on some of the finer points, but here's what we don't do: we don't conclude that successful MMOGs were flukes and that perhaps the future of interactive entertainment isn't as bright as people have asserted.
But, what about the random non-gamer executive who doesn't understand MMOG game mechanics, what makes them successful, what makes them tick... how does he interpret $30 million black holes?
In some circles EverQuest was and is criticized for 'just being a graphical DIKU MUD', etc... that it didn't break enough new ground, despite its virtually unparalleled success in both sales and retention. There's the desire to break the mold, to abandon what a decade+ of MUD mechanics and experiences have taught us, and to create something truly revolutionary and 'new'.
And, normally, I'd say that's great. Innovation, thinking outside the box... all good things. But now, at this point, when this genre is still in its infancy, I have a problem with expensive experiments that might have adverse affects on everybody trying to make these games short term, and bring them into the mainstream, where interactive entertainment challenges passive entertainment in the long term.
18.0.18 I was so excited about Ultima Online 2 when it was under development because if they can put out a good game the first time around, they definitely will be able to improve on a lot of things. Do you share this philosophy?
You give us an opportunity here to talk about something I think is important. There is, IMHO, a Ultima Online 2, and it's called Star Wars: Galaxies. When John Smedley put together the Austin Studio deal with Vogel and Koster, we knew we wanted that team because Ultima Online at the time was the 2nd most popular MMOG... and it's still going decently strong today... YEARS later.
Now, we know some people have issue with Star Wars: Galaxies, especially the “EverQuest style” player. Bu we also know, for example, that the guys who enjoyed Ultima Online here at Sigil enjoy Star Wars: Galaxies (though they have their concerns and opinions, but that's neither here nor there).
Why bring this up? Because we think it's in the gamer's interest to identify the teams and key figures in the development of games and to follow them in terms of what they might make next and what you might enjoy. For example, you read a book because of the author, not the book publisher. You watch a movie often because of the actors or the director.
Now, sure, the genre or world setting is important. I enjoyed Alien and Aliens, which were totally different movies, by totally different writers and different directors (both excellent directors). So if someone really loves the Ultima world and mythos, I'm not saying Ultima Online X or something won't be up your alley.
Anyway, quick tangent there, sorry -- but I saw an opening
18.0.19 Many MMOG’s today have been made easier, with less down time, lower risks, easy travel, etc. Do you think you will be able to recapture the sense of adventure and challenge that many of us are missing in our games today?
We're going to try, that's for sure -- and I think we can do it. While we all want fame, glory, money, etc., just as anyone else, we want MORESO to make the game we want to make, and a game that we're fairly sure a bunch of players will enjoy.
I guess, bottom line, is that if we make a game we love, and for a group of people that we've already made a game for in the past that will hopefully enjoy the new game as well, and it garners a 'mere' 400,000 or so subs... well, that would make us MUCH happier than going for the 'accessible' million-plus subscriber game, compromising what we feel is a fun and challenging game, and simultaneously taking a huge risk that we might only get 50,000 subs. And given how much the MMOG gamespace has grown as of late (much of that growth due to World of Warcraft), we are confident that a combination of 'old' school MMOG players attracted to Vanguard because of our heritage combined with many new players looking for a new game will allow us to achieve 500,000 or more subscribers.
18.0.20 There seem to be different chat commands in every new MMOG. Do you think that these commands in MMOG’s can and/or should be standardized?
The majority of EverQuest commands came from text MUDs.
(mini-quasi-related rant: EverQuest was VERY influenced by MUDs, especially DIKU MUDs, and I'm proud of that, and the commands, feel, and even some of the item names were in homage to, in respect FOR, the great MUDs we played (especially Sojourn/Toril)... I just see the occasional negative post in this regard like it's some secret that was discovered -- 'hey, EverQuest is very DIKU-like! OMG! It's not a totally original never heard of before game idea!' Yep -- and that was on purpose -- BUILD upon what's worked in the past... improve the genre... innovate, but on a solid foundation... that's what it's all about).
Anyway.... yes, there definitely should be standardization, especially with basic text commands. If I start playing a new MMOG, I should immediately have the basic knowledge, assuming I'm already an MMOG player, to start communicating and issuing basic commands... finding oneself in an environment totally unique just for the sake of being different is antagonistic to your potential player base and IMHO not a good idea.
18.0.21 How much influence will SOE have over your project development both now and in the future?
Sigil's intent is to remain as involved with this game as it is now. Because we will own Vanguard ourselves and our deal with SOE being one of a co-publisher, we retain more autonomy than the vast majority of developers and will always make the final call when it comes to how Vanguard is designed, maintained, and filled with content
18.0.22 Should you start a beta with tons of stuff not working or not implemented yet, then introduce what is missing and fix as beta progress which is the usual path or go for a more finish product with almost everything in, and most of it in a working form?
That's the concern. Shorter, more focused 'beta' tests to test certain systems and mechanics don't allow you to test for all of the variables, the higher level content... the 'magic' of how the game truly feels and plays as it all comes together, including with a bunch of people for months.
Technically, most things were in EverQuest when we started beta except for content. While we grew the world from just being part of Antonica to the full 3 continents over 9 months we were able to slam the game mechanics and learn how to really populate a fun and challenging zone, etc.
I realize maybe more of this is already 'known' to MMOG developers, but I know I still want a longer test.
18.0.23 Will you game include massive scripted events?
Absolutely.
18.0.24 Shouldn’t a player’s choice of Deity have an impact on the playing experience, in addition to selection of class and race?
I’m going to make a statement that may be unpopular so brace for impact!
Many people seem to think that Deity Choice / Religion should be a key component of character development and gameplay. A majority of the arguments for this tend to hinge around making the game make more sense from an RP perspective or simply creating more “variety” in character.
I think the stance that must be taken is: What does this add to the gameplay of the game? Does it make sense when applied to all roles? What role do gods have in your game world in the first place?
In my opinion it does not make sense to modify gameplay abilities based upon a followed deity. If you have a class called the Sniper, or Warrior in your game, that has nothing to do with religion, why should his chosen belief system change his gameplay experience? If the world setting warrants the modification and it does not negatively affect gameplay or create confusion as to what a class is supposed to be doing I suppose it is ok.
I think there is a huge difference in creating a NEW class that fulfills a role based upon lore, and modifying a core pre existing class based upon lore. In other words, if the world calls for there to be evil dark priests that eat flesh and do blood rituals make the Evil Dark Priest class – maybe this class is lumped into the role of a damage dealing class, not a healer.
18.0.25 Will you keep text to the text boxes or put it in head bubbles?
One of the other Sigil philosophies is to be inclusive wherever possible. If one player wants to have chat appear above their heads, and we have the time and resources to include such a feature we will. The same goes for things like First/Third Person – I personally avoid playing MMOs in third person – however that doesn’t mean that a large percentage of the player base agrees with me. Giving people choices helps everyone. - Bill W. Fisher, Lead Game Designer
18.0.26 What actually happened to Aradune? I've read lore and webpages telling about all sorts of stuff, but I've not found anything conclusive about Aradune himself.
He left the EverQuest universe and is already exploring a new one, interacting with the powers of that reality, patiently watching the cosmos take form and shape. Rumor has it he's already surveying all sorts of interesting places...
18.0.27 Will Aradune be part of Sigil's game?
Aradune existed long before EverQuest, will be part of Sigil's first game, and hopefully many more...
He belongs to me, and is me, just as I hope all of you have names that will stick with you for many fun years of MMOGs to come.
18.0.28 What are your thoughts on the changes in EverQuest that have made the game easier? While some argue that they have made the game more player-friendly, others seem to feel they have “dumbed down” the gameplay.
What's interesting to me is that the original EverQuest 'vision' is often labeled as 'hard core', even by those who enjoy that style more.
Forgive me in advance here for playing numbers... especially because there are a LOT of factors involved with subscriptions... the age of the game, what else is out there, player burn-out, etc.
But I do have to say that the game got to over 400,000 subs under the 'old school hard-core make-the-game-challenging' regime. In fact, I think it was fairly close to the 430,000 or so that seems to be the number that, when talked about at all, the game seems to be 'holding' at... and for quite some time.
Then I also look at the subs of games that are 'less hard-core'...
It's ironic I think that changes to MMOGs since 'original' EverQuest in an attempt to reach out to more people, to make the games more accessible, etc., have subs much smaller.
Sure, I know... there are a lot of other factors... my main point is that I wonder if the 'hard core' are really the 'hard core' or whether they're simply the players who play and enjoy MMOGs the most.
18.0.29 There were a lot of flaws in the original concept of EverQuest. In developing your new game, are you trying to “fix” these flaws?
Absolutely. I think I've posted a lot on where EverQuest fell short of our goals, and where many of our ideas didn't translate well, etc. We are going to try, definitely, and I think we have a very good chance of making a much better game. That said, we're also going to be pushing the envelope and trying to innovate on top of what we think is a pretty solid foundation, so I'm sure we'll introduce some new flaws as well.
18.0.30 Will you have a short movie for players to watch the first time they boot up the game with an option of bypassing it with the touch of a key?
I think I can speak for everyone here when I say our first and primary goal is to make the game as fun and as polished as possible. As much as I want to make an opening movie (believe me I do), I think that should only be done after it is obvious that the game itself has reached a polished level.
The thing about movies is unless you are using the in-game resources they take a ton of man hours to do right. Blizzard does movies right. I don't think anyone here would want to do less than that. I guess it's a little early in the process right now, but it is something we are thinking about nonetheless. - Thad Clevenger, Senior Artist
18.0.31 Will Keith Parkinson be doing the box art for Vanguard: Saga of Heroes?
That was the plan, but unfortunately Keith passed away before he could paint the cover. Vanguard's cover painting was completed in early 2006 and was painted by Donato who has done an incredible job creating artwork that transitions from Keith's style on the left side of the painting and then to his own style towards the right, all in homage to Keith.
18.0.32 What do you think of the relatively new lower level cleric resses and do you think that they impacted the game in a positive or negative way? And if you could, please elaborate your feelings on the 96% exp res, too.
The original intent with rezes was to make them more available and more powerful the higher level you became because the assumption was that you'd be dying more in more dangerous areas, as well as to bolster class interdependence (e.g. you need a rezzer, and you really need one in nasty areas).
What seemed to have happened instead was that while death wasn't a major sting early on, it turned out to be pretty nasty in the mid-levels, and then return to not being as bad at higher levels (assuming you got the rez). Needless to say, this didn't go completely according to plan.
Without directly commenting on what EverQuest is doing now, let me say that in general I think the more we expect players to take risks, to die due to the difficulty of an area, and the more important grouping and class interdependence grows, the more available a rez should be. That said, death still needs to sting, and making a rez recover virtually all exp lost as well as other spells/abilities that make CRs drastically easier at the high-end than the low or mid-levels isn't good, IMHO.
18.0.33 What do you think of regional currencies?
As a huge fan of regional price differences based on varying supply (mostly types) in different areas, I find the idea of different currencies intriguing... especially if the intent was to have these different regions really feel different in more ways than just landscape. Wheather or not we will launch will regional currencies is still TBD at this point, however.
18.0.34 How do you feel about hard level caps (50, 100, 200, etc.)?
I think it's important to set a temporary hard cap that is then increased when an expansion is launched. Any other way and you either have people too high level for the current content and/or (with the soft approach) it's difficult to reconcile their 'post-hard-cap' leveling with the new level cap added after an expansion.
Perhaps some sort of AA system that then more smoothly transitions into the new level cap after an expansion comes out?
18.0.35 Should level progression be fast or slow?
Progression should be challenging and rewarding, and therefore certainly take time, that doesn't mean it should feel slow. In other words, more, smaller rewards, more often, could work. Even if the game was designed to take the average player 2 years to max out, or see it all, there ought to be lots of rewards, new items, new skills, etc. 'unlocked' en route.
18.0.36 What are your thoughts on limited run/production items off special mobs (semi-artifacts)?
I like it... revamping areas and aging out some items is cool because they become collectors items. Rubicite is a great example.
18.0.37 Do you intend to encourage more activity in cities to make the world feel more alive?
It always bothered me that so much time was spent making beautiful and intricate cities in EverQuest, yet there aren't a whole lot of reasons to spend time there. We intend to do better this next time.
18.0.38 Will Sigil's game be providing players with more unique encounters?
Unique encounters that test one's ability to employ special strategies and utilize their abilities, items and skills in new ways are a must. One of the things that excited me most about working on this project was the expressed dedication to making tools that would enable us to make incredible encounters and events (and make them rapidly) while developing systems that would provide for a wide range of player strategies… systems that allow us to make some fights dramatically different from one another. The ring quests and other dynamic content were a blast to implement, but they took a long time with the tools we had then. - Steve Burke, Senior Game Designer
18.0.39 Is it possible to have compelling rewards other than Loot?
One of my personal favorite non loot rewards is access to additional abilities, skills, or spells. Meaningful factional rewards can also be quite interesting. - Bill W. Fisher, Lead Game Designer
18.0.40 "Do I always have to kill the "Uber Mob" to advance? "
"Why not gain access to the "Lobster Kick" ability by fighting a giant Lobster and winning (or losing!)? Why not learn how to become an expert sniper by watching an expert sniper in action? I think we should look beyond not only standard rewards (items), but standard ways of receiving rewards. - Bill W. Fisher, Lead Game Designer "
18.0.41 What about a system where instead of receiving all your spells every 4 or 5 levels that you get 1 or 2 each level?
Speaking of getting more, smaller carrots more often... why not give new effects to spells and abilities as time progresses as well? I'm speaking of things beyond simple damage and nifty particles. For example, your first level ability starts out doing only damage, a few levels later, that same ability adds on a status effect, perhaps a few levels later it affects all entities that you are engaged in combat with. I'm not saying that all abilities should change as you level up, or you should not desire new spells as you level up, I'm simply suggesting more bonuses. - Bill W. Fisher, Lead Game Designer
18.0.42 Should there be some compensation that would benefit players that are not able to invest as many hours in a game?
I'm against anything that, in effect, punishes a player for wanting to play the game more. The whole point of making a compelling game, book, movie, etc. is to bring players into that immersive setting they never want to leave... isn't a good book one that you don't want to put down, and you suddenly realize it's 3am in the morning?
That's entertainment.
Allowing (or even encouraging) a player to enter into a situation where he is disincentivized to play more (or, worse yet, incentivized to figure out a way around it... the hard core powergamer, I imagine, would have multiple characters and/or accounts and just make sure he was playing whichever character who was in his 'power hour') seems like the antithesis of good entertainment.
18.0.43 Did the game designers or the players create camping?
I think we unwittingly created an encounter system that made it such that camping was seen to be more efficient from a min/max standpoint than actually 'doing' a dungeon (the latter being our intent).
There are several other instances where our original intent didn't turn out to be the 'norm' when it comes to playing EverQuest (pulling, FD, resurrection at higher levels, kiting, too much downtime (e.g. boats) and more).
The 'Vision' didn't always turn out to work the way we'd envisioned, and the Vision is always something that's evolving as we learn more and more about these games and what makes them tick. I think the ideals remain the same, but hopefully we're learning more and more about how to realize those ideals.
18.0.44 Would you consider a chat system that was more realistic and allowed one to communicate only with those who are near you (in other words, no chat global chat such as /tells)?
While immersion, graphics, music, etc. are all very important to a game, gameplay is the most important. And then when you come to MMOGs, building community is also paramount.
To that end, while I'm against things like global Bazaars and other mechanisms that make region and location irrelevant, I do think you need basic communication commands like /tell.
It does need to be limited... creating a chat system with a ton of channels that you can link together again ruins the value of location in a virtual world. And one could argue that technically /tell does as well... but the reality is that whatever minor damage is done is more than paid for by the pro-community building advantages of global /tells.
On a tiny tangent, I think game mechanics that support bringing friends and groups together are really key... the trick is, again, to implement that in a way that doesn't 'shrink' the world.
We have some pretty good ideas in that regard, but more on that later.
18.0.45 Will your spells have unique and individual names? Or will you follow the trend to simply number them (Healing I, Healing II, etc.)?
Likely that we would have cool names, and not the I, II, III system.
18.0.46 Will your game include lots of features that will make the world interesting (such as weather changes, lighting effects, animals and characters that behave in a way that enhance our game-play experience)?
We have brainstorming meetings like this a lot... how to make the world distinct... what sorts of points of reference and interest we can make... What more can be added actually gameplay-wise that relates to what you see in the world, where you are, the weather, etc. Our weather system is very advanced and dynamic, with weather systems moving around the world and then reacting to the region it enters (for example, a storm might dissipate if it enters a desert region. Also, some spells and abilities will work differently depending on the weather, what season or day it is, etc.
18.0.47 Why not make languages work like a skill?
Indeed...
If, as your character developed and you spread out into the world and encountered all sorts of exotic races (both player and NPC) you also needed to learn other languages as skills (just as you are honing, say, your skills in swordplay or magic), I think it could work nicely. It doesn't really significantly interfere with community building unless you are dumped into a situation where you and your buddies want to play together right off the bat, but because you chose different races you can't communicate for 3 weeks. This is, obviously, bad... but also, through better design, avoidable.
18.0.48 Will the design of your game focus more on crafting or adventuring?
Crafters and adventurers can not only IMHO co-exist, but they can be interdependent, allowing multiple types of play styles and preferences to exist in the same game-world making things more interesting and robust, especially when it comes to a player driven economy.
18.0.49 Will Sigil's engine take advantage of dx9 and pixel-vertex shaders?
I can say, without fear of contradiction or retribution, that it will. Programmable graphics will quickly become the ONLY way you see graphics in the next and all future generations of games. - Ryan Elam, Lead Programmer
18.0.50 Will the engine be more or less cpu dependant than EverQuest?
No matter what, you are always going to be either CPU or GPU dependant (yes, you could be IO dependant.. but jeez if that's a problem go back to the drawing board!). It's part of the fun of being a programmer to constantly switch the onus from CPU to GPU as we optimize whichever side is slower. Not a glamorous answer, but a truthful one. - Ryan Elam, Lead Programmer
18.0.51 Will Sigil's engine take advantage of the newest video cards?
"One MAJOR rule of an MMOG is that the engine has to be written to "stay hot" for a long time. We have experience doing this. We will make sure that any reasonable computer can play the game when it ships, and that the most UBER graphics card you buy a year later gives you not only better performance, but even MORE features. It is, if you'll pardon the expression, the nature of the game. - Ryan Elam, Lead Programmer"
18.0.52 The AI in games isn't all that great. Isn't there better AI available?
"Considering MMOGs specifically, I think there are a number of reasons that you don't see more complex AI.
It hasn't been a priority. First and second gen games had a lot of challenges to overcome just in defining the genre and learning how to build MMOs.
Server performance is an issue, but the amount of processing needed for more complex AI is actually generally less than what is needed for some other server functions. Unfortunately, if the CPU is pegged by collision checks or visibility determinations, adding more processing in AI isn't going to make performance any better (especially with hundreds, thousands actually, of NPCs per server).
Game balance and enjoyable play experience: Every time a new capability is given to an NPC, it's important to consider what it means to the gameplay beyond "Wow, that mob is way smart now." (Specifically, "Is it still fun?") A programmer working on this has to communicate closely with design such that everyone has the same expectations for the final product (which is a combination of content/mechanics supplied by design and code provided by the programmers). This relates to number 1, I suppose, because the schedule has to be such that design and programming have time to collaborate on this.
That said, 3rd gen MMOs undoubtedly need to move forward with AI. None of the points above are showstoppers for future development. Server speed has increased, developers have experience in the genre and workarounds for previous bottlenecks, and innovation needs to continue.
Specifics? In some cases, I think a solution like that would be overkill, but it could easily be used in the case of pets and other NPCs that have a higher degree of persistence than your average yard trash.
Of course the yard trash needs improvement as well. Many of the suggestions I've seen on our forum fall right in line with what we have talked about here. You should expect NPCs to be smarter both in combat and generally more realistic in their regular old behavior in future games. The world will be much more alive. - Amanda Poe, Senior Programmer"
18.0.53 Is there a difference in designing zones vs. a seamless world?
"You can still have interesting/different terrain in a seamless world. The challenge is making the part in-between the zones that you don't see in zone based worlds.
I think the potential with seamless worlds is much greater than zones. Instead of zoning from a grassy forest instantly into a lava zone, imagine if you will, walking through a forest and seeing the part where the lava has taken over the forest, seeing the burning trees and the devastation as the lava takes over the forest. Picture if you will, trudging through knee deep snow across a mountain, freezing, tired, and seeing a lush tropical valley nestled between the peaks that you can hike to. Experiencing the transition from cold to tropical as if you were actually in a real world instead of "walk through a narrow V where I can't see anything, pop, you're in the forest now, no more snow."
It can be more difficult to create seamless, but it's way more fun because you are creating a real complete world, not just random zones that can be connected any which way. - David Gilbertson, Lead Artist"
18.0.54 What do you think about auto-setting many of the display options based on user specs? Who should be in charge of these options?
"Personally, I like a game that first tells me its recommendations given my configuration, then later allows me to change them myself. I also prefer the game to tell me the potential effects of what I'm changing... for example, if there are 40 settings but changing this ONE will really give me the most bang for the buck, then I want to know that without having to test each setting.
Tough thing to ask for, but I think it's quite doable. In fact, many of today's games include quite healthy arrays of settings that you can tweak. Some leave them completely open for you to play with at a whim, and others bury them in often cryptic configuration files.
To my way of thinking, balance is the key here. Give players the ability to monkey around with things, but give them the comfort of knowing that if things get too screwed up, they can hit a "Reset to Defaults" button and be all happy again. - Ryan Elam, Lead Programmer"
18.0.55 Will Sigil use real time server patching?
"There are ways to patch SOME of your code/data without requiring that servers come down... and if the infrastructure is so designed, that "SOME" number can be pretty high.
But if someone has figured out a way to patch EVERYTHING in real time, I'd like to see it... that would be pretty darn cool.
Personally, it seems like a lot of work with potentially catastrophic bugs... so I'd rather spend time working on other things.
There's LOTS of stuff to work on code-wise in an MMO... and for every feature, you can find SOMEONE who feels "Well, that just HAS to be in there!"... But everyone would agree that you can't fit EVERY feature in a game...gotta pick yer battles, IMHO.
... but yes, it's possible... - Ryan Elam, Lead Programmer"
18.0.56 Will you aim for lower end systems though so the game still looks great and runs smooth for the majority of the players?
"You can bet there will be enough options to allow the game to run "smooth as silk" on the majority of systems out there. At the same time, there will be enough options that when you DO get that Uber Hot system the game improves right along with it.
One main issue with simply upgrading the graphics engine every few months is that you tend to reset the "bugometer" every time you make such a drastic change to the code. Leaving a flexible but stable code base with very MINOR tweaks to the engine allows more people to play it, find the bugs, and get them fixed while at the same time allowing both the "budget" computer and the "uber" computer to run the same game. EverQuest runs on my daughter's 850mHz 256M system just like it does on my 3.0gHz 3Gig system... it's just a different look. - Ryan Elam, Lead Programmer"
18.0.57 Why do you think that in many MMOG’s today, bad patches (patches that break several things further instead of fixing them) continue to get pushed and what can companies do about it?
One of several reasons we partnered with SOE is that they have a lot of great testing facilities and personnel.
Does that mean we won't patch some bad stuff? No, but I'm hoping we do better than we've done in the past.
In the meantime, I'm going to focus on getting this game done.
18.0.58 How often do you upgrade your test systems?
We keep a fairly wide range of systems around here. Some are designated specifically as test machines and others fill multiple roles (like development machines). Everyone here jumps in and checks out/tests the game, so I guess you could say that every computer here is a test machine.
On the server side, hardware specifications are a bit easier because we can load balance across a set of machines. Then, as hardware improves, we can just increase the world size manipulated by a given number of boxes.
Graphics, on the other hand, (I'm pretty sure that's the main target of your question) is the big problem that just about every developer faces. The best we can do is look at our projected release date (wouldn't you like to know) and estimate the state of hardware at that point.
Even though the newest snazzy hardware that will be present at release isn't present throughout development, we can talk with those in the industry most knowledgable about the future. And developers can often get pre-release cards to help out. Graphics APIs can help soften the transition between hardware accelerated features by providing software simulation of future features as well. - Amanda Poe, Senior Programmer
18.0.59 "When you're programming your quest tools, could there be a master "on" switch for the quest somewhere? You should be able to see every portion of the quest in your Quest Tool (TM) so that you can audit the quest for problems or updating if necessary. "
Up until now, and extending into the future, we've been paying a lot of attention to our tools. The point you bring up above is a good one. For all of our assets, we are endeavoring to provide as much potential for cross-referencing as possible. In MMO development, having a living, breathing world is paramount, and we're making sure that our designers have the best possible interface to create this.
You're right about the on/off switch. Questing is something that we're currently devoting a lot of attention to, and we've come to the same conclusion. There should never be a quest on a live server that's only partially finished, and we need to be able to activate and deactivate them at will.
As for your other suggestions, I think you'll be happy with some of the ideas that our design department has cooked up. Pretty cool stuff. - Amanda Poe, Senior Programmer
18.0.60 Have any released MMOG's solved Z-axis pathing and aggro issues? Has Sigil?
The super cool thing is that the amount of precalculation that one can do for this stuff rapidly becomes more and more silly as computers get faster. NP-Hard, meet my 3.x ghz machine. Don't hurry yourself, I have time to wait. Just kidding.
Seriously, I can't imagine an in-development MMOG not taking the z-axis into account. Our pathing really doesn't care if a goal is set on a different Z from the current location, as long as there is a valid, navigable route to get there. Because of this, all the other gameplay Z issues are open for solving. I believe some earlier MMO solutions ignored the 3rd axis for simplicity.
Aggro should be a combination of things: Does the mob perceive the PC (can it see or hear it)? If so, how does the mob feel about that PC? Is attacking that PC more important than the mug of ale in front of the NPC? If it really thinks that PC should die, can it get to the PC? If not, can it recruit friends who can get there? etc etc etc. The most important piece in terms of your question is the perception, which should involve some true 3d check.
Oh, and things won't randomly damage you through the floor. - Amanda Poe, Senior Programmer
18.0.61 Will your game engine utilize DirectX 9 or the newly announced DirectX 10?
At this point, the safest bet is to simply rest assured that we will support the version of DX that makes the most sense at the time... and honestly NOBODY is in a position to say what that version will be, or what features it will include. That sounds like a cheesy answer, I know, but it is the only accurate one. *grin*
DX9 was a quantum leap ahead of DX8 in terms of programmable graphics. It introduced some significant changes to the way we present a polygon to the user, and redefined what we CAN and CANNOT do in real time. It will be some time before they jump ahead by that amount again.
Hardware, btw, has yet to catch up with DX9. To date, no cards FULLY support all DX9 features (the boxes lie! the boxes lie! hehe). -Ryan Elam, Lead Programmer
18.0.62 How can you guarantee me your game will be playable given that the high-end video cards of today on a high end machine (which will be mid-level by the time you release) cannot run a single player fully DX9 game at 1600x1200 without significant FPS issues?
"Several important things to note. An animation becomes "real" at 12fps. A game becomes "usable" at 9fps. A movie runs at 24fps, and your TV runs at 30fps. It is argued that at over 45fps, the average human cannot distinguish a difference in frame rate.
Also, keep in mind that the frame rate required to play a FPS such as Halo is much different than the frame rate required to play a MMO. If you are expected to zero your cursor in on a target and fire as it moves across the screen, you need very very good frame rate... so good in fact that your enjoyment of the game practically HINGES on the frame rate. Not so in a non-"twitch" game.
That said, we WILL endeavor to maintain a usable frame rate. Will it be over 45fps all the time? Probably not... and any MMO that tells you different is either pulling your leg, running years behind in graphics, or not planning on having large groups of players on the screen at once.
I am not pulling your leg (this time), we are going to have cutting edge graphics, and we are planning on having large groups of players on the screen at once.
We will also have pleanty of settings to turn off to achieve whatever frame rate your comfortable with. -Ryan Elam, Lead Programmer"
18.0.63 Will there be multiple monitor support with possible 3d support as well?
"Well there are currently VERY few problems with multi-monitor support... the biggest problem today, 11/3/2003, is card memory and speed. You HAVE to share your memory across the two monitors, so two 1600x1200 graphics screens can suck up some memory fast...
Also, on today's hardware you can only render FAST on the "primary" display. Rendering to any other displays are slowed.
As more people WANT and USE multiple monitors, you can expect hardware support to ramp up along side...
That said, I think it's safe to say at this stage that those who DO have multiple monitors will enjoy playing Vanguard -Ryan Elam, Lead Programmer"
18.0.64 Have you discussed the fact that there could be multiple default UIs implemented, instead of just one? Perhaps one default for each class, customized specifically for their gameplay?
"Yes, this has been discussed with the UI Team and designers. I've expressed that it would be great to have a theme for each race. I'd like a basic UI as default for minimalist, a one UI fits all, then race-specific (UI's that are very distinctive to each of their relative races) accessible through the options menu as a user-defined preference. However it hasn't been decided upon yet, since we're still early in development in regards to the UI, although we've been making excellent progress.
I also like the idea to have control over the UI opacity. I think we could come up with something intuitive in these regards, and I'm a huge fan of minimalism as a default option. There will be plenty of buttons at your immediate disposal to make accessing all the cool features much easier, and I'm working on ways to make buttons accessible without obstructing the games beautiful environment at the same time. Perhaps "toggled states" via a minimal and full UI state button, in the minimal state for instance. The gauges would be free-floating without a background window or frame, and the size may be 1/2 normal as well. Also both Jon and I are huge fans of Tooltips. We could use Tooltips to provide detailed inspection items.
Please keep the fantastic ideas coming! I'm storing them all in a journal I keep with me at all times for reference. -Tom King, Artist"
18.0.65 What advice would you give an avid MUD-administrator who wishes to pursue a career in the MMORPG business?
This is a new and growing industry so there's lots of room for new ideas and the improvement of old ones. Send out resumes that point to work you have done, and make every effort to demonstrate your accomplishments. Getting into this industry is all about experience, insight, and perseverance. - Jeff Butler, Vice President / Co-Producer
18.0.66 Will Microsoft or SOE Beta testers get a head start?
The hope and plan is to handle things pretty much the same way we did with EverQuest... it seemed to work pretty well, so why change it?
18.0.67 What about using professional music in the game?
"I think it's practically tacked onto my name now that I often say "the game industry parallels the movie industry"...
Sometimes I say it differently... and sometimes I say it in a sad voice while downing the seventeenth Diet Mountain Dew of the day and staring at a beautiful scene in a movie that I wish I could do in real time... but the point remains the same...
Hollywood learned long ago that sound is the (please prepare to groan at the obvious pun) unsung hero of a movie. Often times the most exciting thing about a movie is the sound... you just don't realize it.
The game industry in general, and the MMOG games in particular, haven't done a good enough job of realizing this... but we are catching up fast! Anarchy Online, for one example, used a pretty darn low-tech sound solution, tech wise, but wow did they do a good job...
Certainly sound will be a priority in our game, so...
As far as using professional bands like Pink Floyd... hey who knows? Anybody friends with Rush? Feel free to have 'em email us! *grin* - Ryan Elam, Lead Programmer"
18.0.68 Tell me more about the music Nino is doing for the game.
I'm the guy who usually turns the music off after a while in a game even if it's good -- it's just not dynamic enough. I'm thinking this won't be the case with Vanguard. -- Nino.
18.0.69 "Richard Bartle, author of 'Designing Virtual Worlds,' says that most players are not good designers. If designers can't be players in the same way the "rest of us" are, what does that say about game design? "
With all due respect to Bartle, I very much disagree.
In fact, I think one sign of a great game is when one or more of the game's creators can sit down and play and enjoy it. If anything's magic, that is.
The other good news is that as games get more complex and teams get larger, the less a single developer can be aware of all of the mechanics, or most of the content. The sum can definitely be greater than all of the parts.
Now, does a designer have a different perspective than a 'regular' player? Absolutely. She is aware of more of the internal workings, might be aware of where the best loot is, or how to do a quest. She is also (or at least should be) focused not only on the game from her own perspective, but thinking about the game as a whole and interpreting her game experience accordingly (especially important when playing the game to tune or test).
Bartle's quote really surprises me, as I know many early MUD developers who played, and had a great time. And that's on their own MUD/MMOG. Certainly MMOG developers can play other MMOGs and have a great time too. Sure, they might be more aware or focused on the inner-workings of the game, but so are 'power gamers' who reverse engineer how the game works often better than the programmers who wrote the formulae in the first place.
This is almost akin to saying that a musician can't truly enjoy music (either his own or somebody else's) because they are 'forced' to analyze the key, tempo, and chord progressions.
As for the 'magic', I think any experience with enough variables that it's hard or impossible for a person to keep track of them all will often seem more immersive and magical. But I also think this can be experienced by a developer.
I know personally that I kept away from many of the minute details in EverQuest so I could eventually play it and get even more out of it, focusing instead on the '1,000 foot view'. For example, I purposely didn't look up every quest or item drop, and while I'd been to all of the zones, I did so by porting around such that when I played the game I'd recognize areas, but still had to learn my way around.
But then I also know content designers who played a lot more than me and had a total blast. Perhaps they didn't enjoy the zones they actually worked on (they could tell you better than me), but I know they had a lot fun in general.
18.0.70 Who will be doing the customer service on your online games?
Sigil recognizes how important CS is and we have plans to make your online experience as fun as possible.
The guide system will be back. Player volunteers will be able to assist players to some degree in the game. They might wield less power then they have in other games simply because they are volunteers and not paid staff. Rogue guides have caused a problem in the past, but we have plans and polices to minimize this. We strongly believe that community is an integral part of the game welcome player support.
The GM system will also be a core part of customer service. There will be two types of GMs. There will be a more traditional GM that will handle player problems and issues within the game. The GM staff will be familiar with the game -- they won’t be automatons with canned responses and no real solution or understanding of your problem. The other type of GM will be more like a DM than a GM. These GM’s will run in game events and live quests with rewards to keep the game fresh. We want the game world to be active and alive.
Guides: Volunteers that help out with customer service, advice, general help, but are limited in what they can do as well as in authority as they are not employees of Sigil or SOE.
CS GMs: Employed Game Masters whose job it is to help customers with problems and questions, e.g. I got stuck, my items are missing, etc.
Referee GMs: Employed Game Masters whose job it is to adjudicate the rules and intent behind content when there is an altercation, exploit, etc.
Event GMs: More like the traditional 'dungeon master', involved with dynamic content, events, promoting role-playing, actors taking over NPCs and interacting with players, etc..
Technical and billing support is expected to be handled by SOE.
18.0.71 What do you think is the trend of offering in-game rewards for pre-ordering?
I think there could be a lot of cool stuff, in-game and out-of-game that could be awarded to people who pre-ordered, or who contributed above and beyond the call of duty to the game pre-launch, or to people migrating from another game to ours, etc....
But I also strongly believe these rewards cannot take the form of some sort of in-game advantage over other players. It would violate something I think is sacred in a sense: that which affect the status or abilities of characters in-game should be earned in-game. On a quick tangent, it's the same belief that is the reason behind my opposition to buying characters and items on an auction site: outside forces should not have an impacting effect on the in-game world lest the value placed on in-game accomplishments be interfered with, and those doing the earning diminished.
18.0.72 Is your game going to be for console? And if so, will it be compatible with the PC platform?
You may put your 'console-only' or 'geared-for-console' fears to rest.
Since we're in speculation mode, though... don't you see a day when the platform or the location where you're computing or playing a game cease to matter? I've no idea how long that will take, or what an easy or rough road it might be, but it seems to be in the consumer's interest. And the consumer usually wins (not always, and sometimes it does take a while (say, HDTV)). But it's safe to say that Vanguard, at least at launch, will be a PC-only title.
18.0.73 Why not sell a picture book with Keith Parkinson art and concept art for the game?
We've definitely talked about this and are hopefully doing a good job keeping old concept art around, old builds, old screenshots, records of what was done when and by whom...
The challenge of course is the extra work involved in doing something cool like this... right now, where we're at, how hard we're working, how aggressive our goals are... I mean, Keith, when not churning out concept art is constantly on the run directing this and that art asset...
Let's keep our fingers crossed, 'cause what you describe would be very cool. At the very least we'll have a 'making of Vanguard: Saga Of Heroes book or something.