SGWNews:09/14/06 Escapist Russ Pitts Predicts
From Stargate Worlds Wiki (SGW)
Article at StargateWorlds.com'
by Khatie
This year at AGC the Cheyenne Mountain Entertainment Development Team had many interviews, but few as enjoyable as the comfortable chat in The Escapist Lounge with Russ Pitts, Associate Editor.
From the Interview:
"The goal for the game, according to Elggren and Ybarra, is to create a living, breathing extension of the Stargate universe in the MMO space, full of hundreds of hours of scripted content and quests. They tell me that they've been encouraged by the producers of the television program to create not only the worlds and adventures which (for budgetary and other reasons) were impossible for them to create on TV, but also new worlds, races and scenarios of their own devising. This could be especially good news for fans of SG-1 which was recently cancelled by the Sci-Fi network, if Cheyenne manages to capture the essence of the universe just right.
"But that's what was most interesting about speaking with Cheyenne. They didn't seem all that concerned about missing the target. Or maybe they were, but just hid it well. When I asked Dan and Joe if the audience expectation for such an eagerly anticipated property made them nervous, they admitted that it was a concern but insisted that the quality of the product is their primary concern. They added that since the universe is set in modern time, in our current universe, and has been on television for nine years, they had plenty of material from which to draw. Besides, they told me, the creators of the series never took the universe too seriously themselves, which, they hoped, would encourage gamers to treat it the same way.
"The claim of hundreds of hours of content is nothing new, but what is new is their suggestion that much of that content will remain invisible at first pass. Ybarra explained that the goal is to create an experience so compelling and unique that players will come back again and again to replay the core of the game, but that with each play-through, the universe laid out before them will be substantially different; making, in essence, a whole new game. Again, this is something many jaded MMO gamers have heard before, but the team's insistence on the importance of the story element, and their willingness to put their payroll where their mouths are, suggests that this game may actually fulfill that promise."
"As I spoke with Dan and Joe, it became clear that the real story at Cheyenne was Cheyenne itself. Regardless of how their current project turns out, this is a team that's actively employing the kinds of aggressive management and development techniques that many developers (and gamers) have been demanding. Joe insisted that regardless of the pressures on the team to produce a compelling, original and (most importantly) good game, Cheyenne is committed to maintaining a light, agile development team and giving its employees the kinds of benefits that many developers overlook - like time off and regular hours. As aware as they are that the adrenaline of a hectic schedule can often spur furious bouts of creativity, both have been there, done that, and recognize the value of stability. Erin Hoffman would be proud."
