Construed

Being swamped with ideas, products to review, job opportunities to sift, interviews requested all have gone to make this week one of my busiest of the year, so far.

So I thought to give you all a quick insight into what you can expect to see on Construed & other sites that bare a connection, very soon:

Pete from Dragonchasers hit me with a MEME. I appreciate the words of encouragement in describing my writing:

…his infectious enthusiasm from both games and (sometimes more importantly) other pop culture. It’s good to be reminded that there’s more to life than computer games: there’s comics and movies!

I know who to approach & who not to approach, once I send this MEME on it’s merry way but I feel a word of caution should also be noted when deciding what personal information to put out there, for all to see. Be careful, guys & girls.

I’ll be adding my own flavour to this MEME, later in the week.

The two sites I write for, Caught in the Crossfire & Comic Domain, have both been busy promoting themselves online. Crossfire can now be followed on Twitter while Comic Domain have set up a WordPress blog for comic book news & reviews, so expect to see my future Comic Book Reviews posted there also.

I’ve had to re-arrange the interview with Kate VanDevender, due to both our schedules & we now have a date set for 12th April. The interview itself will be conducted via Google Chat & I have a number of leading questions already worked out. I’d also like to open this out to my readers – so if you have anything you’d like to ask Kate, then feel free to leave a comment here or email me.

Cat from Carocat has asked me to take part in her Twitter based interview series, #TwitLight. I’ll be working through the questions over the next day or two – the current interviewee is @MelissaBianco, Senior Game Designer on City of Heroes. Great idea for a post series, Cat. I hope it takes off!

Game reviews, that you should see me attempting, have begun to pile up. One to add to the list is Godfather II – I recieved the review code in the post today, alongside Spawn#190 & 100 Bullets#99 comic books.

As there’s an online reviews embargo on Godfather II, until 10am on the 7th April, I’ll be posting my thoughts in the Game diary after that time with a review to follow.

How’s your week been?

DM∞

Read the first part of the interview – here!

This is the second part of the interview conducted with Matt Staroscik – Game Designer and Lead Writer for SOE’s spy-themed massively multiplayer online shooter, The Agency. The third & final part of the interview will cover more details about the general gameplay that you can expect to see in the videogame, which is due to be released on both PC & PS3.

My thanks again go to Aaron, for the help with the questions, & Matt Staroscik for taking the time to fill us in with his thoughts about The Agency & MMO gaming in general.

Part 2: Game world in The Agency

Q1 – Game server – will there be just one game world, like EvE Online or many, like WoW?

Matt Staroscik – There will definitely be more than one server. EvE’s approach is great for their game, but our world has its own specific needs.

Q2 – What balance of PvE & PvP content will be included in the initial release? Will PvP be optional for players & will there be specific PvP areas?

Matt Staroscik – If we’re talking about the quantity of content customized for PvP vs PvE, PvE is definitely the leader. We’re very much a traditional MMO in that way, but we know our shooter-lovin’ audience demands a quality PvP experience too. We’re putting a lot of work into making great PvP maps and game modes to scratch that itch.

The great thing about PvP is that your opponents provide most of the variety. A few good arenas can go a long way towards a satisfying PvP experience, if you have well balanced weapons and skills to back them up. Everyone reading this article can probably name a few FPS PvP maps that they have come to love over the years. Hopefully, The Agency will add a couple to your list. (‘til then, maybe I will see you in dustbowl!)

Even though PvP is a critical feature for us to nail, PvP is never required in The Agency. We’re going to do our best to lure you in though, with good matchmaking and remorseless gameplay. We’ll also be putting bonuses for the PvE game into PvP spaces—like unlocking side quests. I expect that many of our players will split their time pretty evenly between PvP and PvE, and I’m very optimistic that even people who dislike PvP will have some fun in the arenas anyway.

Q3 – How much of the game world will be open to the player to explore on release & how much of this will comprise of instance-based areas?

Matt Staroscik – The split between fully public and instanced space is about 50/50.

Q4 – Prague has been highlighted as one of the cities that players can explore as an open environment – how many other cities will there be like this? Can you name any?

Matt Staroscik – While you can explore a good bit of Prague, I want to make sure that people aren’t expecting a GTA-style open world. The Agency is built on a hub-and-spoke model, where you have a large space that is connected via travel services to smaller spaces. So, you’ll run around in the embassy district looking for trouble, and then grab a limo to take you over to the red-light district, and from there maybe you will get into an instance. One other major locale that’s built in this way is Panama City.

There are many smaller locales, too—a couple of examples are Kiev and Cartagena. We want players to feel like they are traveling all over the world instead of spending all their time in a few cities.

Q5 – Will players be able to use land/sea/air Vehicles eg like ‘mounts’ in other MMOs? If so will there be vehicle combat?

Matt Staroscik – I can’t talk much about our plans for vehicles right now. We have some really lofty aspirations, but we have not locked down what we’ll ship with. It’s better not to tease you…

Q6 – How often will new content be added to the game over time? Will new content always via DLC or are you planning retail expansion packs? Both?

Matt Staroscik – The “Agency Current Episode System” (ACES) will expand on the main storyline that players experience in the PvE game with new, free missions. We intend to deliver new ACES missions every other week.

There will also be expansion packs, of course. Whether they will be downloads or in a box, I don’t know yet. I have a feeling we’ll see some of both.

Q7 – Will there be a monthly access fee?

Man, everyone asks that!

SOE is very interested in different models than the traditional MMO monthly fee for our next generation of games. What does that mean for The Agency? I can’t let that out of the bag just yet.

DM∞

In this first part of 3 Q&As with members of the Sony Online Entertainment team, involved in the production & development The Agency(slated for release in 2009) – a self confessed shooter-MMO, the topics of social gaming were looked at & how The Agency hopes to deliver a successful MMO experience to the player. Matt Staroscik, Game Designer & Lead Writer for The Agency, came through with some insightful answers to our questions.

Thanks Matt!

My many thanks also go to Aaron for his help with the questions in the development of this series of Q&As.

Q1 – The Agency seems to break new ground for MMOs in many ways. But what aspects of the game might feel familiar to veteran MMO gamers?

Matt Staroscik – The persistent world, interlocking quests, team play and other social elements of The Agency will be pretty familiar to MMO veterans. Players will also work on building influence in the game world, another genre staple… There is also a crafting system, though the way you research and build things will be different in The Agency from other games. (You’ll be directing a team of Operatives, collectible NPCs, who do the work for you.)
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