Interviews:IGN features Stargate Worlds Interview
From Stargate Worlds Wiki (SGW)
Interview at IGN
Stargates are portals that allow people and objects to be transported instantly across the vast distances of space from one to another. They are made of naquadah, a quartzite metal found on several planets such as Abydos. It is the only known element that absorbs and energizes with neutrinos, a quality that permits the creation of stable artificial wormholes. It was originally thought that the gate network had been built by the Goa'uld, who used them to conquer much of the universe and to move humans to many places throughout the galaxy. However, it turned out they were created by a race called the Ancients, who once had surprising connections with Earth. They were allied with the Nox, the Furlings and the Asgard, but according to the last of these, they have moved on to another part of the cosmos.
Stargate Worlds is Cheyenne Mountain Entertainment's massively multiplayer online role-playing project based upon the popular science fiction television series, Stargate SG-1 and Stargate Atlantis, which are themselves extensions of a 1994 movie. Currently in pre-production, the game will reflect the nature of its foundation by featuring squad-based play, either with other players or with bots. Characters may be created on two sides, Stargate Command and the System Lords, within a class system having choices such as Research, Combat Marine, Medical, Scientific, Diplomatic, Engineering, Archeological, and Exploration. Since the factions have opposing agendas, they will naturally battle for control of various planets, but may also ally temporarily against common foes like the Ori. Creative Director Chris Klug agreed to tell us about his team's intriguing endeavor, with Director of Technology Colin McLaughlan and Lead Community Manager Katie Postma also helping out.
Jonric: When and how did the Stargate Worlds project get started? Why is the property an attractive one for an online world, and are its creators involved in your game?
Chris Klug: The project started when a big fan of the show had the idea for doing an MMORPG based on the TV show. He doggedly pursued the idea, rounded up the money, and convinced MGM to license the product to us.
There will be many different types of MOBs. We emphasized the fact they are ALL intelligent beings, and should act like it. We have the rights to ALL the characters and races from the show, and we'll use them.
The show is ideal for an MMO because of the breadth of content and the network of stargates allows a great deal of easy interstellar travel. Stargate's showrunners have collaborated with us on the game's content, and will continue to do so.
Jonric: To what extent will the setting include characters and locations et al from the Stargate movie and TV series? And how important will the backstory and story elements be?
Chris Klug: There are many, many worlds and environments, too many to describe here. We will use locations from the show in situations that call for them. The negotiations with the actors are not final, and so we have no updates on that issue.
The backstory isn't really important to gameplay, because the show and the online world share the same one. The elements of the in-game story are still being worked on because there is such a tight relationship between game system design and game story, and the systems are coming on line. The game is extremely story-driven.
Jonric: In overview, how will the game universe differ from those of other persistent state worlds? And will travel around it primarily be via the stargates?
Chris Klug: The main differences are in the combat system (ranged combat, maneuver is crucial, old MMO archetypes - tank, healer, mage - won't work) and the emphasis on story linked to the broadcast show.
Size is yet to be determined, and as you asked above, there are many worlds with lots of different environments. Stargates are the main method of travel, along with some starship travel where gates don't exist. The game isn't about travel.
Jonric: While we know the design isn't final, what can you tell us about the range of playable characters? And how about the system for advancing them?
Chris Klug: The character aspect is in process right now and I can't comment. This changes almost every day at this stage.
Advancement will be a combination of skill- and level-based. Not all skills and abilities will be available, because there are some radically distinct races in the game. Advancement will be level-driven. Players will choose skills from a tree structure. Yes, being maxed out may occur. Skills will not decay. There will be a buy-back.
Jonric: How combat-oriented will the play be? What are your primary design goals for this key gameplay element, and what led to them? Will there be PvP?
Chris Klug: Combat is an important gameplay element, but we will also have a strong non-combat option for scientists and archeologists. As I mentioned earlier, combat is fast-paced modern ranged combat with an emphasis on squad tactics, maneuver, and cover. You will NOT just stand there and slug it out with a single enemy. Think firefights. We were led down this road because of the show. My number one goal is to deliver an experience that FEELS like you are taking part in an episode of the show in ALL respects.
There will be PvP. The system itself is not designed, but every server will have it, players will opt in, and there will be stretches of content they will never see if they don't engage in PvP.
Jonric: What are you willing to say at this time about the computer-controlled opponents we'll have to defeat, and also about friendly and neutral NPCs?
Chris Klug: There will be many different types of MOBs. We emphasized the fact they are ALL intelligent beings, and should act like it. We have the rights to ALL the characters and races from the show, and we'll use them.
The game is story-driven, and so many NPCs will be in the game, for sure. However, the players are the heroes, and we'll never forget that.
Jonric: What are your intentions with respect to items? Will you have an upgrade system? Will any be especially rare? Will there be a wide variety?
Chris Klug: We will have lots of items. Players will be able to upgrade their items. Yes, there will be rare items. Yes, there will be limits. Items will be acquired by loot drops, requisition and crafting. Items will degrade. There are multiple different races in the game and they all have tech trees. There will be many, many items.
We feel the strength of the license and the unique aspects of gameplay (squad-based combat, non-combat gameplay, story-driven universe) will attract a diverse group of veteran players as well as fans of the show.
Jonric: How much will there be for players to do that doesn't involve fighting, at least not in the sense of direct participation?
Chris Klug: Scientists and Archeologists will have systems to resolve their challenges. They will be very important. This is a military-based society, so our economy will be different from other games. Since scientists and archeologists are two main player character types, these systems will be very important.
Jonric: What role will quests or missions play in the game? Have you started to design them yet? Are you looking at going any GM-driven events?
Chris Klug: Missions form an important core of play. The game is story-driven. None of the missions are designed yet, so I can say nothing at this point. We have ideas, but only when we get them up and running can we see whether they land or not. For the players to understand their character's role in the universe, this will be revealed through the game in many ways, missions included. We hope to do many live events, especially related to the show.
Jonric: What will happen when your character dies? Will players incur penalties such as the loss of items, or experience?
Chris Klug: No character will die, except in one special situation. The 'penalties' for death will be minimal. PvP hasn't been fully designed yet.
Jonric: And how about grouping? Will play be built around small teams to reflect the nature of the property?
Chris Klug: This system hasn't been designed yet; however, the basic unit of play is the squad. Guilds are an important part of strategic play.
Jonric: Why did you choose the BigWorld technology? What client- and server-side features made it the best choice for your game?
Colin McLaughlan: BigWorld provides both a client and server components for their MMO solution. We selected BigWorld because of all the middleware MMO providers out there, their server technology was by far the most mature and most comprehensive. Added to that what they said worked as advertised when we tested it.
On the client side, our rendering engine is able to cope with complex environments, both indoor and outdoor. We will be supporting both first- and third-person points of view. The user will have significant camera control as would be expected in an MMO.
As for the server side, the significant features that BigWorld provides are load balancing, scalability and the fault tolerance of their package.
Load balancing is an incredibly powerful feature. As areas become more congested the system is able to re-allocate resources that have either been added or have become available due to under-utilization
The scalability means that we can add more hardware as the game grows and still get the "bang for the buck" for each additional RAM or CPU upgrade component.
The fault tolerance means that should any particular component fail the system is able to create new processes and seamlessly move data to those new processes.
BigWorld gives us the flexibility to architect the server clusters in whatever manner our designers want. So the decision about number of users per server is actually driven by our vision for the game and for the community rather than a technical directive.
The number of servers available at launch is something that will be agreed between our publishing partner and ourselves as launch date approaches.
Jonric: How much of a community do you have? What key goals are you focusing on in this area? What kinds of support are you planning for guilds, both within and outside the game?
Katie Postma: Stargate Worlds has a huge online community of fans already, and the game is not even out of pre-production yet! Our goals for the community are pretty simple, and yet very important - honesty, great service and fun. We are already sharing everything we can with the fans and getting their input for the game through forums, polls and feedback forms from the website.
In-game support will be built around the best, safest and most fun play available. We have been researching where other games fall short in their guild and clan support, and are making sure to have systems in place to improve in all areas. Out of game support will include extensive guild forums, chat rooms and podcasts, as well as a few very exciting features which we can't name yet. Suffice it to say the community will have many ways to keep in touch and stay close.
Jonric: Why will Stargate Worlds succeed in the increasingly competitive massively multiplayer sector, and what kind of audience will it attract?
Chris Klug: We feel the strength of the license and the unique aspects of gameplay (squad-based combat, non-combat gameplay, story-driven universe) will attract a diverse group of veteran players as well as fans of the show.
Although Stargate Worlds is still at a fairly early stage in development, it's certainly possible to see the how the game has potential to attract both these target audiences. The latter would mean bringing new players into the massively multiplayer category, which adds even more to the project's interest value. We'll definitely continue watching how it progresses, but for the moment, we thank Cheyenne Mountain's Chris Klug, Colin McLaughlan and Katie Postma for telling us about it.
