Developer Question And Answer, Episode 4
From Stargate Worlds Wiki (SGW)
Listen at StargateWorlds.com.
[edit] Developer Q&A 4
David Read: Welcome back to Developer Q&A I’m community manager David Read bringing you the fourth episode of this on going series, this edition features the answer to fans questions Chris Bernert, Nick La Martina, and a host of others, lets get on with your questions.
DR: Andrew Jay Mark Skinner asks Shawn Dugan; are you taking up other expanded universe content such as information from Stargate novels and comic into consideration when creating Stargate Worlds And if so to what level, and if not why not?
SD: So were not directly working with expanded universe content such as comic or novelization that sort of things, what we are trying to do is work within the universe that we’ve seen on the show and the movie that we are all familiar with, use that baseline the spine we lay down for our story and then try and fill in some of the gaps, try and explore some of the area’s that we haven’t seen that we suggested or feel like they are in alignment with this universe, we work with producers of the show Stargate SG1, Atlantis the up coming show, so that we have a shared universe that feels consistent between all the shows and the game that were doing.
DR: Captain Quint asks Nick La Martina; when Stargate Worlds is released how memorable will the music score be? Especially when compared to other great video game scores?
NL: That’s kinda of a difficult answer because, something I’ve continually debated with myself and its nothing new but the idea between you know does a good score for an interactive medium is it something that is easily digested but not very noticeable or is it something that really grabs your attention and says “here I am, I am music playing for you” there not a right or a wrong to that but the approach am trying to take when trying to examine what kinda of music is appropriate for certain areas so not just making sure that its sensitive to the player experience in the script of what’s going on, but at the same time you know but making sure each planet or area or what ever has a discrete motif that players can pick up on and have emotional response to and at the same time making it I guess in a way forgettable that is doesn’t stand out to them and annoy them every single time they come to back to that, so I guess you could say that its going to be both in a way, its going to both really memorable but at the same time completely forgettable so that it doesn’t get in the way of the player experience you’ve been to that area over and over again, so don’t be frightened by that answer just trying to say where working on finding a balance between the two.
DR: Jayna asks Chris Bernert what is the point of having a leveling system if even higher level characters were hesitant to take bullets from low level characters?
CB: You ask a pretty big question in the guise of the point of any leveling within an MMO particularly is really to provide a plateau and that plateau represents where your character is within the game at that moment, it’s a persistent game where your at that plateau and I’ve got the experience that ramps up to level 10 and level 10 represents the accumulated knowledge and personal power that I have amassed during those 10 levels, ok weather it via items via abilities I choose and in some cases little bit extra stats now in a medieval fantasy game levels are everything because your player gains more hit point’s becomes stronger they become more agile and they can get abilities but outside of that they can get items as well we are making a modern slash Sci-fi range combat game so if levels where everything and we where throwing bullets at each other then it would properly make a sense that high level guy could throw bullets harder at the lower level guy and the lower level guy can’t throw them hard enough at the higher level guy to really make them hurt, but that’s not really the case is it? a lower level guy can pick up a P90 as well as the high level guy and they can shot each other so you know what where doing in this game is were really pushing the item base so what is a level mean in our game, well a level is that plateau what does that plateau mean? I get some abilities, Great, more than that the power that be either being threw SG1 or the other side they have a trust, in that I can now use that higher tech equipment, a level 40 guy in full a bladed armor in our game is a sight to behold I mean the technology is ramping up its and arms race and the story tell that and players are going to come and expect that, so really what happens is I’ve got this a bladed armor I’ve got this Asgard tuned automatic weapon that shooting naqahdah enhanced rounds am blowing up buildings with that not literally but figuratively, a lower level guy her properly has the standard P90 properly has a flack jacket and we meet out on the battlefield am gonna melt him, But if I take off my a-bladed armor put aside my Asgard tuned gun and am granted a P90 and he’s granted a P90, he’s shooting bullets at me and am shooting bullets at him so really level doesn’t matter in that regard we don’t have this artificial means of making me miss you cause run and fear of your level status, so hopefully that answers your question satisfactory, because I understand where your going with that and really what we are try to do is just kinda make it feel more like it’s a make sense situation with regards to level disparity.
DR: Darkstar asks Jim Poole is voice chat going to be a possibility with the release of the game to help coordinate combat at the speed it needs?
JP: We wont have it on release of the game and wont be needed, it will be something were looking at for the future but its not something that’s going to be at the release, now with regard to the speed of combat maybe something that will be nice for combat but its not needed fro combat you will be able to do everything you need to with out voice chat.
DR: Chris Brient asks Chris Klug as well all know the Stargate show based around the SG1 team and I am imagine the game will be team orientated however casual players are those players who like to solo in the persistent world finding a team of other players maybe difficult or not desirable, will the game incorporate some kind of none player team mates? system for example like the henchman system in guild wars?
CK: While the show is certainly team orientated the game treats teams as a little bit of Bonus rather than having the player penalized for not having a team 95% of the game will be complete able solo, we believe that enabling the solo player is the best way to maintain a consistent core audience there’s a lot of talk in the industries about promoting social contact with these game are inherently social, I understand that, we understand that but the reality is that many people will play these games in half hour bursts when they find the time after they’ve put the kids to bed, when they get up morning before they go to work, and it isn’t’ always possible to find a team mates at that hour of the day, that being said there is no planed mechanic for artificially intelligent non player team mates, the Goa’uld are pet class so they have pets, the Asgard have there drones, but the others archetypes do not have any built in systemic additional team members if you will, the times where going to encourage people to group will be in our instance, epic play spaces that are all tied into our epic story and even those will be spawned alternatively for solo play, but there’s no question that to enjoy them to there fullest team would be needed.
DR: Essention asks Jay Ambrosini will the inventory system be based upon encumbrance or slots?
JA: Well not going to be using encumbrance we’ll be using a slot based inventory system where not looking for inventory to be any kinda of a mini game or any little small thing like that, just inventory hold your items and we want the excitement of play basically be combat and what your doing and we want to make it easy for you to use your inventory and that pretty much where we are sitting on that.
DR: Ed asks Chriss Bernert will the Goa’uld be able to travel between worlds by mother ship? If so will other players be able to hitch a ride with them? Will human players be able to make use of earth ships?
CB: World travel within the game is varied, we use Star gates, we use ring teleporters and in some cases we use do use star ships, can players all travel together absolutely they can, if they are grouped up in squad or grouped up together they can travel together or one guy can jump threw and then the next guy can jump threw in sequence to get to the same place, but for us the universe is a really big place so what we want to do is provide as many means as possible to get the player from point A to point B and some of those things will included, if I was to look at that question will a player be able to control a star craft that not in the works yet, but travel is definitely something we are looking at to provide cool ways to get from here to there.
DR: Grem asks Brian Hindes will there be any cut scenes from the SG1 TV series in the game?
BH: Well Stargate worlds is actually going to be telling a different story than the story told during the 10 sessions of Stargate the TV show so we wont be using cut scenes from the TV series because it wont fit with the story line were telling and the story where telling is all new and its been shown to Brad Wright and Robert Cooper and they’ve signed off on the story and their happy with it, their excite about it, so where actually looking forward to showing the player a whole new experience in the Stargate Universe.
DR: That’s it for Developer Q&A I’m David Read and thanks for tuning in, be staying tuned in cause much more going to be heading your way later including 5th episode of Developer Q&A on stargateworlds.com.
