Trials of Ascension Interview

Logan Horsford , 2002-04-25

Trials of Ascension is a 3D massively multiplayer online roleplaying game (MMORPG) set in the fantasy world of TerVarus that features new concepts that are supposed to raise the standards in total immersion. Logan had a chat with Shadowpool Studio's CEO and Co-Founder, Don Danielson to find out more.

RPGDot: What is your name and job title please?

Don: My name is Don Danielson and I am Shadowpool Studio's CEO and Co-Founder.

RPGDot: Is first person point of view fully supported?

Don: Yes.

RPGDot: How customizable is the GUI? Are all of the keys remappable or are there 'fixed keys' (ala AO)?

Don: The GUI is extremely customizable and players will be able to map keys to a wide variety of commands.

RPGDot: What things are being done to help the newbie? A tutorial like Everquest use to have, etc?

Don: Our current plans are to have a tutorial as well as an in-game help section that will answer the many questions new comers will have. In addition to this the interface is being designed to be very intuitive and straight forward so the learning curve of the basics will be dramatically shorter.

RPGDot: How many face models are there for each race (not counting the hair)?

Don: I can't be too specific here, but we are confident that the gaming community will be quite happy with what we have come up with.

RPGDot: What elements are in place to stop me from buying 2 accounts, 1 Mr. Respectable, and 2 Mr. Reprehensible, and Don: keep my "woods guy" out slaughtering everyone, and use my good guy to resupply?

Don: There are no elements to stop you from buying multiple accounts, but there are many ways in which Mr. Reprehensible will be kept at bay, most of which are the methods we have given to the players to deal with such issues.

RPGDot: Is it possible to become 'great at everything' or will the players have trade offs to choose from?

Don: Everything is a loose term here. If you mean will a single character be able to become great at all skills in the game, the answer would be no.

RPGDot: In your FAQ, you mentioned "Our quest system is also dynamically driven by the players." Does this mean that the players will be able to create quests for other players as well?

Don: Indirectly, yes.

RPGDot: Besides killing people/critters, what can I do? Is the tradeskill system window dressing or a money sink? I.E. is the game set up so ONLY someone seriously gimped for fighting can obtain enough skills to become a master crafter, and thus create (notice I said create) the uber swords (etc) of the game.

Don: The list of what one can do in TerVarus is nearly endless. You can of course go out and hunt mighty creatures, but can also just as easily build and run a tavern. Maybe become the world's next great explorer, mapping TerVarus one piece at a time and selling those maps to those in need. If that weren't enough try your hand at becoming a priest and amass a following in hopes of one day becoming the highest priest in your order - the hierophant. Don't forget about becoming the towns most sought after and richest merchant by selling your wares to everyone through your NPC shopkeepers. This only touches the tip of the iceberg.
There is nearly a limitless list of things that you can try in TOA.

RPGDot: Can players design and build... A hovel, a house, a keep, a castle?

Don: Very much so.

RPGDot: Many games have attempted to slow their rate of level advancement by introducing downtime. Players are very concerned about it. In EQ, downtime was severe - up to 20 minutes. In DAOC and AO, it is under 1 minute. I view this as an excellent trend. If I was the most powerful fighter possible in your game and wanted to rest after a nasty combat in which I was nearly killed, how long would it take me to get back my full hit points? Mana?

Don: With all the variables in TOA that is hard to say. Some races naturally regain their health faster then others, while yet others may be skilled in such areas. With all the things to do and challenges to face, we feel downtime will not be a large issue.

RPGDot: Will characters be able (upon release) to make vehicles? Enchant items?

Don: Make vehicles, such as ships and wagons - yes. Enchant items - no.

RPGDot: Will you have item degradation?

Don: Yes.

RPGDot: Will you have areas in your world which are extraordinary? IE - Dreamscapes, floating castles, etc?

Don: You'll just have to come and see for yourself! :P

RPGDot: Looking at your death penalties - do you think it is possible that you will at a later stage find ways to ease them? (For example, players who have played a character longer receive more 'blessed counters' the longer you play, etc?)

Don: During testing, we will be watching this very closely. In the end, all players will receive the same amount of life counters. After all, death has no favorites. :)

RPGDot: Do you think that publishers will take the big leap into 'permanent death'?

Don: The market for MMORPGs continue to grow and with growth inevitably comes market segmentation. Once these "niche" markets are proven, I believe publishers will take that leap.

RPGDot: If enough player demand exists, will a non-PDOT (permanent death over time) server be considered? (IE one without the death penalty)

Don: Our entire design is based around permanent death, so the short answer to that would be no.

RPGDot: Will repetitious killing of creatures be required to achieve skill in fighting?

Don: Well, to gain skill in a fighting skill one must fight, but will it be repetitious? No way!

RPGDot: Lets say a player goes on a murderous rampage and kills several other players. His head is called for. Describe the mechanisms coded into the game at release to assist the players in finding the murderer.

Don: The bounty hunting system will allow those hunting said bad guy many different methods to find him.

RPGDot: What is your favorite aspect of your game?

Don: Right now, it would have to be the ability that I as a player would have much more say in how I can impact the world.

RPGDot: Aside for the fact that the game is not yet out, what is your least favorite aspect of your game?

Don: That's like asking a mother to pick a favorite child!

RPGDot: Although I personally like the 'no tells' thing, it has been pointed out by my readers that most of the reason people stay in a game for years is the comaraderie they build up with other players. From your FAQ: "When you logon, you will learn to check the tavern first and if they want you to catch up with them, there is plenty of in game methods for them to notify you of their whereabouts." Can you describe a couple of these methods?

Don: Since day one of design, we have always wanted to encourage and give the players means to create not only a sense of community, but a localized and very centralized one. Without /tells players will eventually settle in on local "meeting places" such as a tavern, small clearing in the forest or a temple. Here they will have tools to get and retrieve the latest news of the area and many other options. There are also more direct methods of communicating that we will not comment on, but needless to say that they will all be in-game methods and nothing that takes away from the immersion of the game.

RPGDot: What features will be coded into the game to allow guilds to be more than just 'glorified chat channels'? (IE guild management tools)

Don: Guilds, settlements and religions all have very in-depth methods for a high level of management and customization.

RPGDot: One of the major problems customers face with all released games is that of content. 2001 has a bad year for releasing games with actual content (AO, WW2OL, DAOC) - what can you say to reassure the nervous masses?

Don: The entire job of one of the co-founders of Shadowpool Studios after the release of the game is to lead a team of Campaign Managers (CMs) in making the world of TerVarus ever changing and dynamic. CMs will not be dealing with technical and customer issues. There entire focus is on making the world a living breathing place for the players.

RPGDot: From the FAQ: "Will there be grouping in the game? There will be no official system to group a party together. If you want to go adventuring, then you should get together with people you trust and go attempt it together. If you already adventure with people you trust with your life, why even bother having a grouping mechanism?" Many people in MMOLG's are often stuck with 'pick up groups'. How will things like monitoring someone's health, division of loot, etc be handled with no grouping system in place?

Don: Grouping has traditionally been a game mechanic to make those you hunt with play fair. By taking that element out, you force players to trust one another before risking their lives and therefore build a sense of trust/community between them.

RPGDot: As there is no grouping system in place, can anyone loot a fallen victim? If so, might someone 'ninja-loot' (i.e. take something that is not theirs) run off, change their name, alter their appearance and 'grief' in that manner?

Don: Yes and no. You can take a person's loot that you are not fairly entitled to, but you can not escape the fact that others may have witnessed you and reported you to the proper authorities.

RPGDot: In your FAQ, siege equipment is mentioned. This implies that walls and fortifications will exist. (Well, running over a person with a battering
ram could be a lot of fun but...) If someone was to stand on top of a wall and shoot a deer would the deer a) teleport up onto the wall with the person (as in EQ), b) strike the person from where the deer is (ignoring the wall as in AO)? C) run off?

Don: Being that deer are non-aggressive, it will more then likely flee. Now if you are talking about shooting it with a catapult, then the deer would do D) fall over dead.

RPGDot: From the FAQ: "There is but one heirophant per religion..." If there was already a heirophant in my religion, would I have to kill him off if I wanted to become the heirophant? (Or better still, hire assassins)?

Don: You'll just have to wait and try it for yourself. :)

RPGDot: Is there any cost in destroying buildings or can I do so at will? (IE become a 'building griefer')

Don: It's *very* unlikely that a person could just chisel away at a structure until it fell. You will really need to call in the siege weapons for this. As for accountability - there is always the laws of the town in which the structure is in to contend with.

RPGDot: From the FAQ: " Place a secret door somewhere within your home that leads to your treasure vault!" In EQ, 'secret doors' are walls with no collision detection on them. You can find secret doors merely by running along the walls. Will you have 'triggered' secret doors (i.e. click on candle and it opens)?

Don: Yes.

RPGDot: What is the most important thing you've learned from the failures and shortcomings of other MMOLG's?

Don: First, I don't think any MMOG that has made it to market is a failure. It takes an incredible amount of resources and shear will power to make it and I have great respect for anyone that has done and/or is trying to do it. I would think that the thing I have learned most is that players are wanting something different aka a niche. Some of our designs are viewed as radical and extreme, but we feel this is the direction to take online gaming if you want to capture that niche and raise the bar on satisfaction from your customers.

RPGDot: Would you say I was way off base if I were to say 'This game will probably come out in 2004'?

Don: As posted on the website, we will not in any way commit ourselves to a date that could potentially lead us to letting down the followers we are gathering.

RPGDot: To get our readers a bit into the 'business angle' of the MMOLG - what was the biggest hurdle you believe new designers have to hurdle when pitching the game to a producer?

Don: I think the single most important thing that a design team has to do when pitching to a producer is stick to their guns and not allow the flash of instant cash, no matter how appealing, to compromise their designs.

RPGDot: Any additional comments you would like to add?

Don: We've been hard at work studying how TOA has been accepted by the gaming community and we see a trend in how players are really caught into thinking all MMORPGs coming out are level based, have classes that must be perfectly balanced and the overall intent of the game is to see how, what's the word, uber one can become. We invite all of those people to come over to the website with an open mind and think outside the box a little. You will be thankful you did. ;)