Hero's Hall Q&A #1. |
Hero's Hall: |
1. What is the current or planned skill system like? To be more specific, is it like Eve-Online were it takes a certain amount of time to train a skill, or is it like the standard skill tree systems were it takes experience to level up. |
|
|
Simutronics: |
Hero's Journey is a level-based game. Abilities are acquired at level-up,
and do not gain rank through use. If you have an ability, you have an ability.
|
Hero's Hall: |
2. What is the current or planned death system like? |
|
|
Simutronics: |
Though death is (and should be) a setback, our intent has always been to get the player back into the action as quickly as possible. There will be no experience loss, level loss, or item loss from death. Players will be able to choose which flavor of death consequence they wish to incur.
|
|
|
Hero's Hall: |
3. Can you elaborate on just how exactly mixing two classes will work?
|
|
|
Simutronics: |
Two classes are chosen during character creation, a primary and a secondary. The character gains more abilities from their primary choice than the secondary which helps define the flavor of the class combination. For example, a Warrior/Wizard would have more Warrior abilities, while a Wizard/Warrior would have more Wizard abilities.
|
| |
|
Hero's Hall: |
4. How will character stats work? Are we free to distribute them as well please or, will they be set in stone? |
|
|
Simutronics: |
Though there will be a way to modify your character's attack power, spell power, health, and so on, there will not be traditional "stats" or "attributes", per se. |
|
|
Hero's Hall: |
5. How realistic will character maintenance be? Will I have to eat and sleep? Will my character get fatigued?
|
|
|
Simutronics: |
You will not have to eat or sleep. We feel such systems impede the fun of gameplay, and decided against them early on.
Characters may fatigue over time if they have been adventuring for a very, very long time. This system is still being resolved, and will be treatable in numerous ways.
|
| |
|
Hero's Hall: |
6. Some games like Everquest 2, and World of Warcraft have implemented a rest system / Vitality system in which over a period of time you will gain double experience as long as you are rested, or have vitality. Do you plan on implementing any sort of system like this?
|
|
|
Simutronics: |
Most of these systems were designed to give a boost to players who do not play as often as others and help you "catch up" to your buddies. The HJ design should eliminate this problem without needing to introduce the "rested" state.
|
Hero's Hall: |
7. Player housing is something that I believe is in it's baby stages. Some games like Final Fantasy 11 have made it a basic, one room which you can decorate, and others where you can actually view other houses in a separate zones. Will Hero's Journey offer player housing that a random person could walk by in the forest, and notice the Ukar heads on the wall? What features will Hero's Journey incorporate for player housing? |
|
|
Simutronics: |
Ironically, player housing as known in MMORPGs was pioneered in text-based games like GemStone III and DragonRealms. We have extensive plans for player housing, but at the moment they are not finalized.
|
|
|
Hero's Hall: |
8. How will weapons work? Will there be aa 'Uber Dragon Sword of Death' that everyone wants, or will you start with a simple weapon upon creation. Then as time progresses craft it as you move on becoming more accustomed to it as you play, and work with it?
|
|
|
Simutronics: |
HJ is emphasizing making your character look the way you want it to. Conceivably, your character could stay with the same weapon it found at level one and not be impeded.
How this is possible will come to light as we release more details on our design.
|
| |
|
Hero's Hall: |
9. In Simutronics past titles you have had a huge GM support with daily events. When you logged in there was something new to do every day. Will Hero's Journey embrace this idea, and finally create a MMORPG that isn't completely static? |
|
|
Simutronics: |
Yes. |
|
|
Hero's Hall: |
10. On your website it says that you are scheduled for release of Quarter 2, 2006. That's soon, and from what we know, you havn't entered beta stages. Are you still on target for a Quarter 2 release, or will it be delayed?
|
|
|
Simutronics: |
The release date is currently set to "sometime in 2006". Play-testing will ultimately determine our release date. We will not release or beta test the game until it's ready.
|
| |
|
Hero's Hall: |
11. We've been following the IRC chat sessions and developments on the message boards, and we notice a broad spectrum of interest in Hero's Journey. There is some concern, however, that players' input on what they'd like to see/how to develop the game is not being heard through current venues. Does the HJ team have the game basically wrapped up, or are you still looking for input from potential gamers?
|
|
|
Simutronics: |
We always love to hear what players have to say. That's why we set up the Hero Council. Many things the HC has suggested have made their way into the design for HJ.
|
Hero's Hall: |
12. Can you explain the size of Elanthia? How big is it going to be, would it be possible to compare it to another game such as World of Warcraft, or another popular MMORPG that we could relate too?
|
|
|
Simutronics: |
We can't talk about this yet, sorry!
|
|
|
Hero's Hall: |
13. Will there be epic monsters in which it will take a large amount of people to destroy? Raids for instance?
|
|
|
Simutronics: |
There will definitely be boss-type creatures, yes.
|
| |
|
Hero's Hall: |
14. When it comes to content it seemed as if you did excellent in your previous MUD titles. However, there is a huge difference when its a graphical MMORPG instead of a text-based MUD. Will you still be able to create content quite often? Will there be free expansions? Will there be expansions?
|
|
|
Simutronics: |
That will fall mainly to our GameMaster staff. We expect to do events that are free and ticketed events. Major content upgrades (new races, new professions, etc.) will be released as expansion sets.
Of course, this is subject to change as business plans move forward and
impose other criteria.
|
|
|
Hero's Hall: |
15. Finally, a question everyone has been waiting to see. Beta. It's been asked countless number of times, but would it be possible to give an ETA on when closed beta might arrive? When will sign-ups be? How will you go about picking closed beta testers?
|
|
|
Simutronics: |
We will announce beta on our site when we're ready to start testing. We do not have a date.
Hero Council is our number one source for beta testers. Also, we have previously done surveys that added people to our beta list, and attendees at various SimuCons have been promised beta access. There should be other ways, too, for folks who missed those opportunities. When these ways come about, we'll be sure to post about them on our site!
|
| |
|
