Interviews:OGaming Gets Answers from our Lead Systems Designer

From Stargate Worlds Wiki (SGW)

Interview at OGaming

he Stargate franchise has become one of the biggest success stories in Sci-Fi TV history. Originally a high budget film starring Kurt Russell that achieved moderate success, HBO would later pick up the rights and commission a TV series staring MacGyver’s Richard Dean Anderson. After ten seasons and a successful spin-off series, the Stargate Universe shows no signs of slowing down.

With a rich mythos established, the Stargate universe is natural prime soil to cultivate a MMO on — and that’s what Cheyenne Entertainment aims to do. We recently caught up with Lead Systems Designer David “Zeb” Cook for a Q&A over the recently announced Stargate Worlds.

OGaming: Stargate SG-1 is now the longest running Sci-Fi television series in history – it has more than ten seasons plus a successful spin-off series. There’s no question you have a lot of universe to build a game around, but what material have you decided to include and exclude thus far into the development process?

David “Zeb” Cook: Since we are still quite early in the process, there are a lot of unknowns, so getting specific is pretty tough to do. Most of our effort right now is in hammering down just what will make sure the game is Stargate SG-1 – how can we capture the tone of the writing, tell stories that feel right for the world, and give players roles that are Stargate-ish. That’s far more important at this stage – the answers to those questions will guide us to the content from the series that best makes the game. "Most of our effort right now is in hammering down just what will make sure the game is Stargate SG-1 – how can we capture the tone of the writing, tell stories that feel right for the world, and give players roles that are Stargate-ish."

So, at this point, nothing is absolutely excluded – although some material is far more likely than others. We have a not-so short list of things that MUST be in the game. (Most of this is horribly obvious – Stargates, humans, Jaffa, etc.) After that comes the list of things we really WANT and plan to include. THEN, beyond that is the list of things that would be nice but is not something we see as crucial.

OGaming: Stargate contains many different story arcs during which one faction may be fighting against another -- such as the humans and the gou’ald. To give us an idea of what Stargate Worlds' universe will look like, can you tell us at what point in the franchise’s history do you intend the game to take place?

Zeb: We want Stargate Worlds to be as current as the realities of coordinating television production and major MMO development schedules allow. It is not our plan to retell stories that have already been told. That would rob you of excitement, since the end outcomes have been resolved long ago. It is important for you to feel as on the edge of the unknown as the characters do in the series.

Now, one of the great things about the galaxy is that it is a very big place. There should be ample opportunities for us to hearken back to previous storylines examining consequences of those events, answering unsolved mysteries, or even discovering alternate dimensions where storylines resolved differently.

OGaming: Are there plans to incorporate any of the series actors and actresses into the game, such as Richard Dean Anderson or Michael Shanks?

Zeb: At the risk of sounding like I’m dodging, I’m the systems guy. The characters on the show are well-loved and defined, in many ways, just what Stargate SG-1 is. It is natural to imagine them interacting with players in the game. Ultimately, this is a question that our executive team is pursuing, I’m sure.

OGaming: From a development standpoint, what aspects of games currently on the market would you want to try to emulate? Additionally, what are some aspects of these same games would you want to avoid?

Zeb: Let’s see… Emulate: “Lots of people playing game!” Do not emulate: “Bad game, no players.” If it were only that simple.

Most importantly we want people to have fun – fun right out of the box. You won’t have to be a hardcore MMO gearhead to have fun playing Stargate Worlds. That means making sure people are doing exciting stuff in the Stargate universe and not struggling to learn a game system. Grinding for levels, repetitious tasks, and complicated game mechanics are bad. Good adventures you tell your friends about, lots of ways to solve problems, sharp writing, and giving you stuff to do that you want to do are all good.

OGaming: War is a critical element in the Stargate mythos. Give us your philosophy on PVP – will it be optional, mandatory, or only in certain zones?

Zeb: PvP is one of those hot-button issues for players, as I am keenly aware from previous experience. So let me be very straight-forward in clear.

1) We want PvP to be a part of the game – we’re designing our systems to account for it from pre-production on.

2) PvP will NOT be mandatory, if only because that’s not what Stargate SG-1 is about. There will be opportunities for PvP, but players have to choose to take part. It is never something that gets thrust on an unwilling player. This is one of the few hard and fast things I’ve got to say at this stage.

This means we are looking at special zones where PvP is a part of the overall story of the game. There may be other types of PvP in addition, but in all cases the important part is that you never get involved in PvP situation unless you choose to.

OGaming: While it may be too soon to say, in recent years space combat has become a central part of the Stargate story. Will there be a way for players to control USAF Space Carriers or fighters?

Zeb: Let’s shake the Magic 8 Ball for this one. Hmmm….””Answer hazy, try again.”

OGaming: Lets talk about story telling. We understand it’s premature for you to tell us the exact details of the game’s story arc, but please tell us what your favorite story arc in the series was and how that will influence the game’s plot.

Zeb: I refuse to single out a single story arc. Why? Because I’ve enjoyed many and expect to do so in the future. I’d love to for some “deceased” system lords to return, but then I want to know more about the Ori. Then there are the Replicators – and what about those Furlings?

The point is, no single arc determines the overall game’s plot. Instead we’re looking at how these create a broader structure that we can use to create and define the overall game arc and what it means for the players.

OGaming: On what platforms will Stargate Worlds be available on for sure?

Zeb: PC, fer shure!

OGaming: Given how rapid technology fluctuates, can you give players any idea what type of system they’ll need to be able to run Worlds on?

Zeb: It’s very hard say exactly at this stage. Certainly a good 3D card will help. How good? I haven’t a clue.

OGaming: Stargate has a very distinct soundtrack. Do you have any plans to have Stargate’s original composer David Arnold do any work on the game?

Zeb: Again, I dodge. We’re are some time away from really laying out what our music needs are going to be. The who and how that gets done is a decision that has to be made by Cheyenne Mountain’s in a way that best meets the company’s overall goals and needs.

OGaming: Do you have any closing comments for us?

Zeb: Well, I should point out that I’m really happy to be here (though the summer heat hasn’t kicked in just yet). Cheyenne Mountain is assembling a good team (I’m biased, though!) and this is a really exciting project for an MMO – there’s so much material to work with it is more a challenge of choosing what goes in and what has to wait. With luck this will slowly settle out and the team will have more answers for you in the future.