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Alganon - Interview with David Allen and Hue Henry By Jason Van Horn
MPOGD: At one time Alganon was going to have seven classes at launch: soldier, ranger, assassin, healer, warden, prophet, and magus. When the game launches, however, the only four it will have are the soldier, ranger, healer, and magus. Why were the other three classes dropped from the launch window?
As we refined the game and brought the classes to life, we decided to focus on a core set of classes and provide players choices within those classes. This approach also allows us to release new classes with the planned free expansions. The classes we add can be balanced based on our players and any new features we add, without changing classes players already know and love. We won't have to "take away" the way you play your Magus in order to add a balanced class that utilizes a new feature.
MPOGD: There's been talk that we will perhaps eventually see new races appear after the game's launch. Is there anything specific you can reveal about them - name or traits? If new races do come, how will they be included? Will they be a third faction or balance out the existing Human vs. Talrok war?
From a project development perspective, the future races are already defined and planned out for release. We have a great plan that allows us to release content quickly, and at regular intervals. We should be releasing details on our expansion plans shortly, which will include the new races, domains, and classes.
From a creative perspective, we have laid down a foundation for each of the races. For example, the Sylvain are a magical race deeply attuned to nature, the lands, all living things, especially the plants and animals. This provides us with an understanding of what general themes they will face, what types of creatures and items they will specialize in, and a basic idea of how we want them to feel as a race.
But, we've also left a huge amount of "wiggle room" that we plan to design based on how our players approach the game. One of our popular forum posts is a discussion on what the Sylvain might look like, and we will keep an eye on the choices our players make in game as we work. Many people may assume "elfish" features, but the in-game choices our players make could show us that they prefer a different type of character, and we will run with that. Think of how a screenwriter can write an entire film without knowing which actor is going to play the lead role. In much the same way, we have planned out quests, domains, and gameplay mechanics, but are still working to wrap that content around the framework that is our players.
Comments
MPOGD: Can you talk to us about the study system in the game and how it's looking to bridge the gap between hardcore and casual gamers? What all can be studied and how will it affect the growth of a player's character?
The great part about studies is it allows a player to manage the time they've been playing to focus on what's important for them. Nobody can gain a leg up on anyone else; it's all about time. So if a player has a year of studies and a new player is hardcore and gets to max level in just a few weeks, that "other player" with the studies will have things the new hardcore player just can't have (and will have to study) to get.
MPOGD: What can you tell us about the dual role system, some examples of it, and why the system was decided upon as a good fit for Alganon?
In many games, your class and your combat role are fused together. Your story determines your gameplay. A brave knight who fights for his king must be a tank. A religious leader must be a healer. A sneaky type thief must do melee DPS.
We didn't want to do this with Alganon. We wanted to provide players with the freedom to choose the story behind their character, and also choose what role it plays in combat. To reach this goal, we decided to allow a story class to choose from multiple combat roles.
A soldier is a heroic champion of the Imperial Army, who fights for his Emperor in defense of the Empire. However, we wanted to give him options as to how he plays. He can play as a "Boss Tank" who stands down a single massive foe with sword and shield. He can be a powerful War Machine, doing huge amounts of melee DPS. He can be Berserker-like multi-tank who charges into the fray and fights dozens of enemies at once. He can be a Leader-of-Men, who actually stands in the back lines, supporting his troops and leading them to victory.
Giving players this choice, however, has a downside. With that much choice, it's hard to find the right player for your group. If you need a Boss Tank, and soldiers can choose any one of those four roles, then you can't just bring the next soldier you see. You have to send them a tell asking "RU Tank?"
Anyone who has played an MMO where your class can choose to be a healer or tank is well aware of how annoying it can be to get a hundred tells an hour asking, "Resto?" We didn't want that, either. We wanted players to easily find the role they needed without having to ask a dozen people. The best way to do that, however, is to link role and class, so that players can look at your class and know your role - but that puts us back at square one. /sigh.
We had a few debates over which was better. Who do we make happy? Players who want to find group mates at a glance, or players who want to choose their combat role? Then it hit us. Why not do both?
We could give each player two combat roles. One role could be linked to their class, so players searching for a Boss Tank could always ask a Soldier - every Soldier is a Boss Tank. The second would be up to the player to decide; they could choose their second role to be a War Machine, or a Leader-of-Men, or a Berserker. It would be entirely up to them.
Also, since they would always have one role that was predetermined, we didn't have to worry about their second role being "cookie-cutter perfect". If they wanted to choose their secondary role for silly fun, rather than for min/maxing gameplay, they could always fall back on their primary role when grouping with players who demand perfection.
This is the dual-role system. Every character has two roles they can flip between. One role is predetermined by their class, so if you need a role, you always know who to invite. The second is purely up to them, built using the ability tree, so they have the freedom to play the way they want to play.
MPOGD: Could you talk about families and the purpose they serve? It's a very interesting idea in order to help likeminded people get together more easily to accomplish a task.
The goal was to group like-minded players together from the start, creating a community that new and experienced players could be a part of that wasn't a guild. With the different family types (Achiever, Competitor, Explorer, Socializer, and Crafter), I think we've created that extra 'strong' starting community. From the moment you step foot in Alganon, you have a group of players who are interested in the same style of gameplay you are.
MPOGD: . What can you tell us about the crafting system? How will players progress and what sorts of professions can the player engage in?
The crafting system of Alganon is very interdependent. We have designed it so that the best crafters will need to work together with other players in order to produce the highest quality goods. Using the auction house, or forming guilds, or meeting other players through MyAlganon.com groups, players will want to form a crafting community, and not "solo the crafting game."
In addition to being able to harvest natural resources from the world - skinning, herbalism, and mining - we have an additional gathering skill known as salvaging. The lore behind our professions is that a tailor is not simply someone able to sew cloth - even a novice can sew together pieces of cloth using a tradeskill called "Novice Crafting" that every player starts with. In Alganon, a tailor is one who can infuse magical elements into cloth armors. The ability to make magical clothing is what makes Tailors special. Salvaging is related to this lore - it is the ability to break down items into the magical parts. These parts can then be used by crafters to make even more powerful items. We joke that it is the "Auction House Gathering" skill.
One last element of our crafting system that is unique is that we have put effort into making every crafting profession viable for every class. Rather than Blacksmiths only creating heavy armor for soldiers, there are magical metals and metalworking techniques that can make light metal armor. Likewise, there are ways for tailors to reinforce cloth armor so greatly that it becomes too heavy for a light-armor wearing class to wear. If you choose to be a Magus and a Leatherworker, it is still a good choice.
MPOGD: What can you tell us about the end game system of Alganon during its launch window? Once someone reaches that level cap, what comes next for them?
The exact details will be announced soon, so I don't know how much I can say here, except, we are planning our launch to coincide with a game-wide event. This event will have all players, across all servers and all levels, working together to fight against a powerful evil and unlock new content and features. A great deal of the content for this event is for players who are at level cap, and, once the event is complete, it will open new level-cap content, such as level-cap versions of our instances.
And this event is just the first of many! We plan to have regular events in which players of all levels cooperate to open and unlock new content. These events will become a part of the official lore of the game. Many players will have the chance to point at content being done by new players and say, "I opened that for you. I made that possible. Don't believe me? Check the library."
MPOGD: It doesn't sound like PvP is going to be available to start, but will be coming later. What can you share about the upcoming plans for PVP, what that entails, and when that might be releasing?
We aren't launching with PvP because we want to do it right, and that takes time. We want to have a solid PvE experience at the core of Alganon, which allows for a good PvP experience. One unique thing Alganon will do is allow for combat-related actions to be balanced separately based on their use in either PvP or PvE, allowing us to balance and refine without affecting "the other system".
MPOGD: One of the most helpful MMO features I've ever seen comes by way of The Library. It acts like the fan made resource sites that are known to pop up around other games, but this one is coming directly from the devs. Could you please talk a little about The Library and what it's all used for?
Since people go and get information on the game on their own, we figured we'd just give it to them, straight from the horse's mouth. It is a great example of one of our core philosophies: Look at what players do and make that more rewarding. We know players will go and get information on the game. Rather than fight it, we decided to make it more rewarding. We decided to make it a fun part of the game. The upcoming Scrying system will allow players to gain recognition and reward for finding items, creatures, and hidden places in the game. When we get closer to releasing this feature, we'll provide more information.
MPOGD: I've been playing the game for several days now while it's in the beta process, and I've noticed there is a lot of interaction in the game's chat between the developers and actual players, which is something I don't often see in other games. Will this type of interaction between the developers and players continue, and if so, how intricate a role will the community play in the overall shaping of Alganon and its future?
It is one of our top goals. However, it is important to realize that Alganon was built to grow. While our community will remain active and our developers will remain a part of that community, once tens or even hundreds of thousands of people are playing, it will become increasingly difficult to interact as we are currently. Right now, our developers may be one out of every thousand players. It will, unfortunately, feel very different when the developers are one out of a hundred thousand. Players who want this type of interaction should get in to the game as soon as possible!
A game is only as good as it's community, and we have, in my humble opinion, the best community in MMOG history. To keep this community active and a part of the process, we have numerous systems in place that will allow us to run a more enhanced community than many other MMOGs.
It's also notable that we are already starting to have difficulties pulling our developers away from playing the game and getting them back to work. The game is just that fun. We'll be playing Alganon along with you, you can be certain of that.
MPOGD: There's also going to be a more direct interaction between the game team and the players by way of the deities feature, which are to be characters played in-game by members of the team. What can you share about the deities mechanics in regards to how they'll interact with the players, the purpose of them, and how they fit into the gameplay of Alganon?
Firstly, you can learn a ton about the different deities on the main website (http://www.alganon.com/deities-crusades). The Deities will become a bigger part of the game as time progresses and we begin to implement the technical support systems for domain control, patronage, and other deity-based systems. The upcoming Crusades will also focus on large-scale group combat tied to deities goals. It will be a sight to see a group of a hundred players and Obsidian Golems invading in the name of Xukiss or calling upon powers granted by Triasha so they can harvest Spirit Roses from the corpses of their enemies.
MPOGD: A lot of features were announced for Alganon, but have since been taken out for this launch window. Why was the decision made to go ahead with the launch instead of pushing it back until those missing elements could be included?
Alganon was designed to grow over time. We built a solid foundation that is fun to play, and then built on top of that. Every aspect of the game, from our gameplay systems to our lore, is designed to allow us to hook in new features as they become available. We have had this core foundation in for some time, and we have added enough of these additional features to feel comfortable letting subscribers in and start adapting the game to the ways they approach our content.
It is easy to look at the maps of Ardonya and Harraja and think that the large expanses yet to be released mean that something is missing, but it's much like looking at a timeline of World War II and saying a game about D-Day is missing elements, because it will grow to include the rest of the war later. There is enough content there for such a small part of the total to still be a complete experience.
The same is true of our content and features. The launch features are everything the game needs to be complete, but Alganon is not finished growing. It will never be finished. Alganon will continue to grow and we will continue to add new content and features.
MPOGD: We already know that the team has a lot of content coming down the pipeline. Once Alganon launches, where does the game go from there and what/where will the team focus their efforts on most?
We have two years of expansions planned, deities, crusades, PvP, expanded domains, races, classes, core features, you name it. We have a few traditional ideas that we know players enjoy, because they enjoy them in other games, and we have a ton of wild-and-crazy ideas that we can't wait to unleash on the genre. The great part is people can start playing Alganon sooner, rather than later, and start building their foundation for a gaming world they will be playing in for years to come.
A link would've worked wonders haha.
Bad interview is bad, and Jason Van Horn might as well be sucking on the teets of David Allen. He doesn't bother to call them out once on their terrible gameplay or the fact that they lifted the UI straight from WoW. I guess that's cool though.
Have a read of his preview at http://www.mpogd.com/news/?ID=5030 - you'd think Alganon was absolutely perfect and flawless and ready to take the world by storm. You can certainly tell from how enthusiastically he gushes over the Library system that he's never played LOTRO nor heard of its Lorebook, that paragraph was particularly embarrassing.
Have a read of his preview at http://www.mpogd.com/news/?ID=5030 - you'd think Alganon was absolutely perfect and flawless and ready to take the world by storm. You can certainly tell from how enthusiastically he gushes over the Library system that he's never played LOTRO nor heard of its Lorebook, that paragraph was particularly embarrassing.
That is Jason Van Horn's style. I wonder how much he is being paid by QoL to attempt to give them some good publicity.
Have a read of his preview at http://www.mpogd.com/news/?ID=5030 - you'd think Alganon was absolutely perfect and flawless and ready to take the world by storm. You can certainly tell from how enthusiastically he gushes over the Library system that he's never played LOTRO nor heard of its Lorebook, that paragraph was particularly embarrassing.
That is Jason Van Horn's style. I wonder how much he is being paid by QoL to attempt to give them some good publicity.
Just give it some time. This game will likely be F2P after a bit of Polishing from the subscribers' money. THis could be a better F2P MMORPG then Guild Wars 2, if they put in the work.
Why would I want to give it some time? It is a clone of WoW, period. No matter what happens it will always be a clone and I quit WoW after 5 years for a reason, because I was bored of it. It won't be better than GW2, because the graphics are horrific and the UI is plagiarized from WoW. You know that GW2 most likely won't be f2p though, correct?
This game is absolutely horrible in it's state. The attitude from the developer's and the itty-bitty community it has now is horrible. Their attitude when being asked about the similarities is horrible. They were threatening to ban users from the beta for asking about the WOW comparisons. I guess the developers must be pretty upset with themself at this point in time for blatantly copying another title; so upset they're actually going to ban what small userbase actually gives a flip about the game for making the comparisons they knew they were going to face from the get-go.
The game lacks anything original and that was/is their main selling point and slogan: "A unique fantasy MMORPG" -- get serious.
Game is bad, community is more bad. F2P in a few months after release, if they even make it to that point. I just don't understand how they can manage to try and sell Alganon as a unique MMO offering unique features. It really blows my mind.
The thing that absolutely boggles me about the Alganon community is that there is so much venomous hatred of WoW in there - I gotta ask, if you hate WoW so much, why are you getting so attached to a game that is a more faithful clone of it than any other fantasy MMO released in the last five years?
I agree. Horrible interview which is going to mislead a lot of people into thinking this game is worth buying at launch, when it clearly isn't. Well, unless you want a generic fantasy MMO which may as well be called 'Medieval Quests Online', or some other run of the mill name. Of course, that name would imply that at least half the quests work correctly, which in Alganon's case, they don't.
I do urge everyone out there who likes generic/unoriginal/copy-pasted games with horrible communities to buy a few copies and a lifetime subscription, however. QoL is going to need all the financial help it can get to make it to the 6 month mark when the 'unique' part of their tagline might kick in...
No, I don't really believe that.
Doesn't anyone have anything constructive to say? It is what it is....like it or not....if you don't like it do something positive to change it or simply move on....if you do like it then support it and help steer it in a positive direction....and that goes for all games.
Don't waste your breath and my time spewing useless garbage talk!
Any more than people try to sell Aion as much more than just another Asian grind/gankfest?
Its amusing to watch people who don't even play the game(nor plan to) rant and rave about it.
Wise words, but wasted I suspect. I'm quite looking forward to what Dave Allen has to offer over the next year or so. If it works out, that will be great. If it doesn't, then perhaps the next game will.
[ Mod Edit ]
Hello another QoL employee, you guys are really trying hard. Sorry you created a WoW clone, and everyone told you that you created a WoW clone, and you threaten to ban anyone who mentions the game is a WoW clone. Would you like a cookie for ignoring what people have said in regards to the game and instead telling them to shut up and only make positive remarks? Seems that is all I see anymore, if someone makes a criticism about the game, you get uppity.
Question: How is the game different than WoW? Outside of a study system that now takes days to earn a point for the smallest bonus?
Wise words, but wasted I suspect on the Aion fan kiddies and other such. I'm quite looking forward to what Dave Allen has to offer over the next year or so. If it works out, that will be great. If it doesn't, then perhaps the next game will.
Who is an Aion fan kiddie? Anyway, if you haven't played the open beta please do. Then come back and tell us all the differences between this and WoW. I will be happy to hear your report.
Also, you sound like a David Allen fanboi, well if this doesn't work out... seems to me that nothing has quite worked out for him has it? Why keep hoping that it eventually will?
Hello another QoL employee, you guys are really trying hard. Sorry you created a WoW clone, and everyone told you that you created a WoW clone, and you threaten to ban anyone who mentions the game is a WoW clone. Would you like a cookie for ignoring what people have said in regards to the game and instead telling them to shut up and only make positive remarks? Seems that is all I see anymore, if someone makes a criticism about the game, you get uppity.
Question: How is the game different than WoW? Outside of a study system that now takes days to earn a point for the smallest bonus?
Here we go again... Given that my post log pre dates QoL's existence, want to accuse me of being employed by them?
So its a "WoW clone"? Big deal. If it follows Dave Allens vision, it will go places that WoW hasn't. I quite enjoy WoW. Having started in late beta, I'm quite familiar with it. Its a good game all the way to level cap. Then its mainly raiding and PvP of various types. I'm quite interested in seeing what Dave Allen can do with Alganon. If you aren't, why are you spending so much time and energy in its forum? I guess everyone has to have a hobby...
Wise words, but wasted I suspect on the Aion fan kiddies and other such. I'm quite looking forward to what Dave Allen has to offer over the next year or so. If it works out, that will be great. If it doesn't, then perhaps the next game will.
Who is an Aion fan kiddie? Anyway, if you haven't played the open beta please do. Then come back and tell us all the differences between this and WoW. I will be happy to hear your report.
Also, you sound like a David Allen fanboi, well if this doesn't work out... seems to me that nothing has quite worked out for him has it? Why keep hoping that it eventually will?
I have played in both of the open betas... Aion and Alganon. I gave up on Aion. Its just another pretty Asian import grinder/gankfest. I think that Alganon has some potential over time, and I have the patience to see what happens.
Sound like? You do catch on fast, don't you? ^^ I've never made any secret that I've been a fan of Dave Allen for years and years now. His original vision for his first game was amazing(to say the least). Given that he was back stabbed by David Bowman last time, that might have had just a *tiny* bit of impact on how things went....<rolls eyes> I'm hoping that he has taken the proper precautions this time. Only time will tell how this turns out.
Hello another QoL employee, you guys are really trying hard. Sorry you created a WoW clone, and everyone told you that you created a WoW clone, and you threaten to ban anyone who mentions the game is a WoW clone. Would you like a cookie for ignoring what people have said in regards to the game and instead telling them to shut up and only make positive remarks? Seems that is all I see anymore, if someone makes a criticism about the game, you get uppity.
Question: How is the game different than WoW? Outside of a study system that now takes days to earn a point for the smallest bonus?
Here we go again... Given that my post log pre dates QoL's existence, want to accuse me of being employed by them?
So its a "WoW clone"? Big deal. If it follows Dave Allens vision, it will go places that WoW hasn't. I quite enjoy WoW. Having started in late beta, I'm quite familiar with it. Its a good game all the way to level cap. Then its mainly raiding and PvP of various types. I'm quite interested in seeing what Dave Allen can do with Alganon. If you aren't, why are you spending so much time and energy in its forum? I guess everyone has to have a hobby...
Nope, I just don't think you are a very intelligent person. Probably, because you think the game will "follow" David Allens vision. You know, the game that has already been slashed so hard from his vision just to release something? It's WoW, instead of 1-60, it's 1-50, they knocked out the first 10 levels and give talent point right away, for skills you don't get until level 10.
I am "wasting" my time because I don't want people to get the impression that game is very good. Of course, you probably think all games should have positive press only, or is it just games you spent money on that is?
Wise words, but wasted I suspect on the Aion fan kiddies and other such. I'm quite looking forward to what Dave Allen has to offer over the next year or so. If it works out, that will be great. If it doesn't, then perhaps the next game will.
Who is an Aion fan kiddie? Anyway, if you haven't played the open beta please do. Then come back and tell us all the differences between this and WoW. I will be happy to hear your report.
Also, you sound like a David Allen fanboi, well if this doesn't work out... seems to me that nothing has quite worked out for him has it? Why keep hoping that it eventually will?
I have played in both of the open betas... Aion and Alganon. I gave up on Aion. Its just another pretty Asian import grinder/gankfest. I think that Alganon has some potential over time, and I have the patience to see what happens.
Sound like? You do catch on fast, don't you? ^^ I've never made any secret that I've been a fan of Dave Allen for years and years now. His original vision for his first game was amazing(to say the least). Given that he was back stabbed by David Bowman last time, that might have had just a *tiny* bit of impact on how things went....<rolls eyes> I'm hoping that he has taken the proper precautions this time. Only time will tell how this turns out.
You are a fan of his because of his vision? So, essentially what you are saying is that as long as someone can keep making empty promises you are going to follow them? Wow, just wow. Also, he wasn't back stabbed by David Bowman. Allen was running the game into the ground, perhaps you need to look up exactly what happened. Of course, as far as it really goes, is a he said/she said argument.
Hello another QoL employee, you guys are really trying hard. Sorry you created a WoW clone, and everyone told you that you created a WoW clone, and you threaten to ban anyone who mentions the game is a WoW clone. Would you like a cookie for ignoring what people have said in regards to the game and instead telling them to shut up and only make positive remarks? Seems that is all I see anymore, if someone makes a criticism about the game, you get uppity.
Question: How is the game different than WoW? Outside of a study system that now takes days to earn a point for the smallest bonus?
Here we go again... Given that my post log pre dates QoL's existence, want to accuse me of being employed by them?
So its a "WoW clone"? Big deal. If it follows Dave Allens vision, it will go places that WoW hasn't. I quite enjoy WoW. Having started in late beta, I'm quite familiar with it. Its a good game all the way to level cap. Then its mainly raiding and PvP of various types. I'm quite interested in seeing what Dave Allen can do with Alganon. If you aren't, why are you spending so much time and energy in its forum? I guess everyone has to have a hobby...
Nope, I just don't think you are a very intelligent person. Probably, because you think the game will "follow" David Allens vision. You know, the game that has already been slashed so hard from his vision just to release something? It's WoW, instead of 1-60, it's 1-50, they knocked out the first 10 levels and give talent point right away, for skills you don't get until level 10.
I am "wasting" my time because I don't want people to get the impression that game is very good. Of course, you probably think all games should have positive press only, or is it just games you spent money on that is?
LOL!... Why, because I don't believe the same things that you do? Welcome to the real world sparky. Not everyone is going to see things the same way you do. Ah, so you are on a Crusade(or Jihad...) to "protect" innocent gamers from the wiles of QoL and the "dangers" of its game Alganon?...How wonderfully public spirited of you!...
Have you considered running for public office?...
The game at this point has potential, but needs polishing. It will receive that and more content as it moves along. Which fact must seriously annoy certain parties.
Really, it's not a matter of belief, you say you have belief in his vision, I ask why? What has he done to proven that faith is warranted? I also ask what are the differences between this game and WoW, so what are they?
Man defending alganon is one thing but saying Aion is crap and praising alganon is just...wow. Right now alganon is no better than anything, when your "vision" actually happens then please come and say algnaon is a good game but for the sake of time being just damn admit it's a total rip off.