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TSW will be Action - Adventure, according to Ragnar Tørnquist
Inzra
Member Posts: 679
i was trying to find out what type of gameplay this game will have, as I haven't found alot saying anything about it. I still wonder if there will be any PvP in it though.
Anyway I found this video interview of Ragnar Tørnquist on this site www.dagbladet.no/a/7939385/
Here's what he's saying in the video, please excuse me for any bad english or grammar, I hope those of you interested will get the point still:
Journalist: I know you first and foremost as an adventure game creator, and a little of what we see that you have presented now, the little is that this may look like an MMO-game that is made by someone that loves adventure games?
Ragnar: It's correct that we have some elements from both adventure and more traditional roleplay games and such, but it's very important to say that the focus for this game is that it's an action-adventure. There's alot of combat, there's alot of cool monsters, there's demons from mythology, theres monsters from popular culture, and we have a great combat system that further evolves experiences we have internally that will be very exciting.
When that is said, and it's important that I say that, it's clear that there are elements in this game that are different, and that of course helps that the team have experience with telling good stories, and present and build worlds that are very deep and interesting and exciting and different. So that has been a focus for us, and in the secret world - I don't know if the game will be called "the secret world" in norwegian, but we can pretend - there is a gameplay that has to do with exploring the world, there are mysteries that can be solved, there are minigames and there are puzzles. There are clearly things that are different than what other MMO's do, without us calling ourselves an online adventure game, because we are not. But there is absolutely elements here that you as a player - if you don't want to fight, if you don't want to enter all the action and combat and the war - you can do all these exciting things, you can explore that kind of gameplay.
Journalist: You say you've had this in your head since about 1996-97... you have made a few other games since that time as well, you've had alot of time to figure out what you want with the game - has it changed alot during these years?
Ragnar: Even if this game - the first idea about it came in the middle of or at the end of the 90's it's clear that it has changed alot since that time. We started the development on this game and then it was called Cabal in 2002, and the world is very very similar. At that time the setting and backstory was placed, but the gameplay has changed significantly as we have seen other games, as we have learned more about what we like to do and what we are good at doing, then it has, all the way up until...even if we are deeply into the development now, we still go back and revalueate the type of gameplay we have and see if "this works great, we gotta have more of this" or "this isn't that much fun, let's minimalize that a bit". So that is an ongoing process, and that will continue until we reach beta, but what is interesting about this game is that as an overall game it's been there for 7 years and we have sort of figured out a little of what exactly we are going to tell and what we have planned to do, and that is the same as it has been for a long time.
Journalist: By not using levels, I'd almost say it offers new problems in getting the game to move forward, how do you solve that?
Ragnar: Yes well, the secret world is a game that doesn't have classes or levels, that is skill-based, and in many ways that is a challenge of course, in many ways it is...people are used to classes and level-based games, but I also think people are tired of it. And expecially in a game that takes place in a modern world I think it's important that it doesn't feel like medieval Europe. And both classes and levels are a bit oldfashion in that sense, it fits very well in a fantasy setting, it doesn't fit that well in this game. Both types have their challenges when it comes to the development of it, the balancing of it, and I think we'll notice when we enter beta and see how does the characters evolve. But that one doesn't have levels doesn't mean that there is no evolution of the character. You start with very little, and then you get more and more and more possibilities, you get more ways of deciding how you're going to play the game how you're going to look like, so there is absolutely a progression there that will be very obvious to people.
Journalist: I'm thinking...of what you've learned from Conan and what come forward of critizism after the launch - that there wasn't enough content. You do have a very large world...what do you think in relation to having content in place when we're talking about a...I mean it's the entire, our world, that is a rather large challenge as well?
Ragnar: Even though the game takes place in the real world, then of course that doesn't mean we'll have the entire world online...even if that in fact was the first codename for this game, was "the world online". There is... again we don't focus on having a game that have everything and does everything, we focus on making a game that is very fun, and that's the area that it's made to encompass, to put it that way. Just exactly how much content we'll have when we launch the game, I don't know. What I know is that we'll expand the game all the time, we'll have content that is available, we'll be introducing new cool missions, new areas and that sort of thing, so the game will grow. And there will be enough gameplay in the beginning to get... value for the money, to have fun and to continue to play the game. But again, I don't know exactly... I haven't exactly the numbers of what that is, but I'm very comfortable with what we have will be a world that feels big and which feels interesting and which feels like it has lots and lots of possiblities for you.
Journalist: Who do you imagine will be the typical player of the secret world?
Ragnar: The typical player of the secret world I would guess is just about everyone! No, first and foremost, we aim to two types of audience I think, we aim at MMO-players, because of those there are very very many of, - I don't remember the numbers but I think at least about 15 milion players in the western world that in a way are people that have tried all the big MMO's - and clearly we hope to attract those because we are an MMO that is different, that in a way offer a new setting, a new way of looking at things, a little bit of new philosophy, and those... I think alot of those will want to look at the game and try it out, and I think when you've finally tried it out you'll want to continue playing it. In addition to that we also look at action-adventure players both on PC and especially on consoles as a potential audience. This is a game that is a bit more action-driven, a little more immediate reward for playing the game, it isn't a grind that you have to play and play and play to get to the next level, then the next level, then the next level. It is kind of, you get imiediate enjoyment from playing it and that I think will attract...and because at the same time the world is very...I mean I've been making games that appeal alot to girls and women before, and that is because we have good strong stories, good strong characters, lots of different possibilities, not just fighting, not just combat. And that is also something we aim at, that we have a game that the girls also will like as well.
Journalist: Apropos, games that you've made before, you've barely mentioned that you haven't left the episode-thinking, what happens on that front now?
Ragnar: It's clear that we don't work on "the longest journey" or "dreamfall" right now, but that will...it will, I can at least say that it is guaranteed to be happening on some point in time that we will go back to both universes and both dreamfall chapters and hopefully a continuation of the longest journey, and exactly when I don't know. Our focus is first and foremost on the secret world, but when that is finally in the clear then we will definitely start looking at those universes again, yes.
Not sure if this interview from this year or 2008, the video text only says .."from an interview earlier this year"
Comments
Awesome thanks for posting, i'm loving the way things are going.
"The great thing about human language is that it prevents us from sticking to the matter at hand."
- Lewis Thomas
Track record says there will be alot of Hype and disapointment to follow.
Jihad works both ways
MAGA
Thanks for posting
heheh yup..
i think they are trying to get some unaware investors again.. might aswell drop bags of money from the window.
Great! Many thanks for posting!
Why do people even bother to interview Failcom staff anymore? You could get better news by holding a microphone next to a cow's ass.
" Excellent thought process "
Jihad works both ways
MAGA
i know all about their track record. But i'm still interested in this game, i don't really rage about stuff like that.
"The great thing about human language is that it prevents us from sticking to the matter at hand."
- Lewis Thomas
R.Tornquist's track record says that he delivers :P
So TSW will deliver too.
# A GRIM, ODD, ARCANE SKY
# ANY GOD, I MARK SACRED
# A MASKED CRY ADORING
# A DREAMY, SICK DRAGON
Nice, thanks for the translation Inzra.
Played: UO, SWG, TR, WoW, AoC, EvE
Playing:
Interested in: JGE, LotR, TSW
"You put lipstick on a pig, it's still a pig"
Track records says that some people can't stand to see a post concerning Funcom involvement in a game.
In the land of Predators,the lion does not fear the jackals...
and the monkey which grabs the nut in a jar will run with its hand stuck.It could have let go of the nut and free its hand
In the land of Predators,the lion does not fear the jackals...
R.Tornquist's track record says that he delivers :P
So TSW will deliver too.
^this
i enjoyed AC and AOC, i think i'll enjoy the secret world as well.
Playing: EVE Online
Favorite MMOs: WoW, SWG Pre-cu, Lineage 2, UO, EQ, EVE online
Looking forward to: Archeage, Kingdom Under Fire 2
KUF2's Official Website - http://www.kufii.com/ENG/ -
Track record of who? Funcom or Ragnar? The two are very different. One is fail, the other is win. I think most people hope Ragnar is going to produce another The Longest Journey with this. Give us a refreshing new take on a well known genre.
I have no idea wether Ragnar can deliver. Personally, I think he might be making the same mistakes the Goat made (Gaute of Age of Conan). AoC's development started before WoW was released and it seems clear if you look at the game that they never played a single MMORPG since they started or indeed, had a look at any game. The game at launch just seemed years out of date. They lacked things that we gotten used to. It would be like you played a single player game and it had no quick-save and loading could only be done through quitting the game. Or a strategy game with only 1 save and no automatic save every 10 turns into alternate slots. Simple things we have come to expect.
When I read the interview, I get the idea of someone who had a lot of ideas, but has forgotten to look at what others have done to see if they worked.
"If I have seen furthest, it is because I stood on the shoulders of giants". that is what WoW did, it looked at the giants that were EQ and UO and learned from them. Even if you plan MORE then a cloan, you need to copy the basics.
Age of Conan had NO /inspect command. That has got nothing to do with doing things different, it is like making a radical new car and not including a door because getting in and out of the car is so common.
Lets hope that I just read the interview wrong and we get a game that instead builts on what has been done before and then adds to it, rather then try to be different for the sake of it.
I am not hopeful, 2009 has been a bad year for MMORPG's.
Track record of who? Funcom or Ragnar? The two are very different. One is fail, the other is win. I think most people hope Ragnar is going to produce another The Longest Journey with this. Give us a refreshing new take on a well known genre.
I have no idea wether Ragnar can deliver. Personally, I think he might be making the same mistakes the Goat made (Gaute of Age of Conan). AoC's development started before WoW was released and it seems clear if you look at the game that they never played a single MMORPG since they started or indeed, had a look at any game. The game at launch just seemed years out of date. They lacked things that we gotten used to. It would be like you played a single player game and it had no quick-save and loading could only be done through quitting the game. Or a strategy game with only 1 save and no automatic save every 10 turns into alternate slots. Simple things we have come to expect.
When I read the interview, I get the idea of someone who had a lot of ideas, but has forgotten to look at what others have done to see if they worked.
"If I have seen furthest, it is because I stood on the shoulders of giants". that is what WoW did, it looked at the giants that were EQ and UO and learned from them. Even if you plan MORE then a cloan, you need to copy the basics.
Age of Conan had NO /inspect command. That has got nothing to do with doing things different, it is like making a radical new car and not including a door because getting in and out of the car is so common.
Lets hope that I just read the interview wrong and we get a game that instead builts on what has been done before and then adds to it, rather then try to be different for the sake of it.
I am not hopeful, 2009 has been a bad year for MMORPG's.
Well he did mention that they have changed it over the years as they've experienced other games and found out what works and doesn't work. I agree with you on the 2009 (and would even go further back than that) MMORPG's but I think, in contrast with your argument, that 2009 was necessary to teach the MMO world that you can't just copy WoW, and be a success (*cough* Aion *cough*). Hopefully 2009's lesson is that we don't want a rehashed version of WoW with better graphics.
Track record of who? Funcom or Ragnar? The two are very different. One is fail, the other is win. I think most people hope Ragnar is going to produce another The Longest Journey with this. Give us a refreshing new take on a well known genre.
I have no idea wether Ragnar can deliver. Personally, I think he might be making the same mistakes the Goat made (Gaute of Age of Conan). AoC's development started before WoW was released and it seems clear if you look at the game that they never played a single MMORPG since they started or indeed, had a look at any game. The game at launch just seemed years out of date. They lacked things that we gotten used to. It would be like you played a single player game and it had no quick-save and loading could only be done through quitting the game. Or a strategy game with only 1 save and no automatic save every 10 turns into alternate slots. Simple things we have come to expect.
When I read the interview, I get the idea of someone who had a lot of ideas, but has forgotten to look at what others have done to see if they worked.
"If I have seen furthest, it is because I stood on the shoulders of giants". that is what WoW did, it looked at the giants that were EQ and UO and learned from them. Even if you plan MORE then a cloan, you need to copy the basics.
Age of Conan had NO /inspect command. That has got nothing to do with doing things different, it is like making a radical new car and not including a door because getting in and out of the car is so common.
Lets hope that I just read the interview wrong and we get a game that instead builts on what has been done before and then adds to it, rather then try to be different for the sake of it.
I am not hopeful, 2009 has been a bad year for MMORPG's.
Well he did mention that they have changed it over the years as they've experienced other games and found out what works and doesn't work. I agree with you on the 2009 (and would even go further back than that) MMORPG's but I think, in contrast with your argument, that 2009 was necessary to teach the MMO world that you can't just copy WoW, and be a success (*cough* Aion *cough*). Hopefully 2009's lesson is that we don't want a rehashed version of WoW with better graphics.
A lesson that they badly needed to learn, and ignored any chance of learning it until it could hurt the most. I think they don't have to worry about sticking the the formulaic gameplay of levels, classes and all that anymore, and therefore can start doing some fun stuff. The majority of the MMO population is now grown up enough to handle playing without the training wheels.