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AMA Recap (27th of April)
Santiak
Member Posts: 130
Heyho folks, sorry for being a bit late with the summary - Tyryt unfortunately got bogged down by work unexpectedly, so here's my somewhat minimalistic summary of the AMA:
- The AMA videos can be found here.
- Recap of the AMA on the 21st of April can be found here.
**************************************************************
Pre-AMA:
- Patient Alpha is going to be kept as is. Team decision, including both the actress and artist.
- Alot of people who refer to HE as those who made the TSW facebook game. Just to be clear, HE came after the facebook game. Funcom asked if HE wanted to do the ARG, after Funcoms TSW facebook game ended.
- The players from the previous ARGs still exist in the world.
Thank you for the votes on the hype-page, and for those who haven't voted yet, feel free to hype us whatever score you feel we deserve!
Questions:
1: Is it possible to pull money together for a real world mission?
The Real World mission will come to you, of course, if you go with 10 or 15 people, it won't be possible to pull the background of all people, and can only get superficial information about you.
If you are about 2 - 3 people, we can make it deeper about you.
If you manage to pool together the money, we're going to try and accommodate you, just remember that the higher the number of participants, the less "personal" it will be, on the individual level.
2: Will it be possible to change your clearence level?
Entirely controlled by you. If you don't want red (safe-mode - you are in control), orange (little bit more interaction, email, phone), yellow (don't come running if you get scared). There's going to be green.
3: How dependent is gaming experience on being close to other players?
Not at all, you will be able to play online, interact. You don't have to be near any other player physically, your activity brings your town into the game - for example using buildings near you as the stage for, for example, "the strange scary witch-house", so you'll be able to help others solve it, by going there physically and investigating it.
For those not near there, you can participate virtually.
4: Multi-pass multi-questions:
- ID vs Multipass: Basically, multipass -> events. For example, major event in New York, cargo shipping through the world, etc., your multipass will let you in.
ID -> property, a building HE/TBW owns, something they own that needs to be entered. Or something that's a much more valuable property for TBW, a real world object (shipping container, what not).
- If we do not hit the 1mil "buy building" mark, what would that mean for the ID-card?:
Good point, without a building, they are more or less the same. Might be some "permanent" virtual stuff that are only for those with the ID, but will have to discuss that with the team.
Not just Detroit, Shanghai is also an option - abandonend nuclear powerplant. Africa.
- Does the Multipass or ID grant access to events?
Yes - they both do.
5: Percentage of GM users who purchased additional items?
2100 players, 900 backers, 225 multiple pledges.
6: Possible to get Dedicated (virtual or physical) through participation?
Yes, but it's going to be after the game is launched.
7: Are there plans for dedicated forums and website?
Yes! ETA: Around May - as soon as the game is secure.
8: How open will the IP be to player-generated content?
You as a player can create missions for lower-level agents - for example if you are caught up in a large event that you can not leave, you can "contract" lower-level players to complete other tasks. A bit like EVE and contracts, but much more blended.
Friend-referral - make a mission for your friend, colleague, what not, in conjunction with HE. With boundaries, of course, to avoid any type of abuse.
9: Will player-classes be chosen? Via a test, organically decided based on completed missions/performance, or merely picked by the player?
[unanswered]
10: Are the character classes tiered? Are there a limited subset of advanced classes to choose from?
No, actually, there's an awesome description about the Scientist about how one might create a template, based on how they've played the Scientist, which evolves into a new class for the next Generation.
11: What effect will having the BDNF mutation on gameplay? How will it be balanced?
Quite simple, the ratio is 1:200, 1:250, so they're not going to be common. When you become one, you are aware you have that mutation. It requires that you gamble with the life of your characters in a mission, enough for the BDNF mutation to kick in - which may result in major deformity and setbacks for your character.
12: Is overpopulation of a certain class a concern?
It's true that in case everyones a sniper or scientist, we're going to let the community organically change it. We dont wan't to force people into a certain role.
13: Can your character die, requiring a re-roll?
Yes, it absolutely can. It´s like Diablo 2 hardcore.
14: What does "Skill level" mean on the class-sheets?
Frequency: How often you are offered a missions.
Difficulty: How hard the mission might be. For example, a level 5 Tactical Skill mission might require a 70 APM, if you have 1 level in Tactical Skill, you only require 5 less than that (65 APM), but if you have 5 levels in Tactical Skill, that number is decreased by a further 20 points (45 APM). It will make it more likely that you can complete a given mission, but it is also dependant on your personal skill.
15: Is failure or succes graded?
Yes, it is not binary, but organic. It will not be black and white, no will your low-level character die on his or her first mission. If you are yellow, however, and heading to a high-level event, bad things may happen, to varying degrees of "bad".
16: Will the companion app be different/specialized depending on class?
[unanswered]
17: Loot questions!
No answers at this time.
18: Will loot carry over between generations?
Yes, but items improve each generation, so they might become "trophys", in other cases, it might be a needed artefact.
19: Will we be able to "buy" hints using loot or in-game currency?
Yes, but it will be dependent on level, not currency. You might get hints about what you should look at, depending on your level. (See Question 14)
20: Stance on the cyber-mage outfit?
We've decided to keep it. "We" being both the artist, the team, and the actress.
21: Rumour of a real cyber-mage dress, do you have any pictures?
It's not a rumour; the design is ready, and will be produced specifically for each player who pledges for them.
22: If we buy the James Bond mission, can we have sexy-time with hot chicks?
If you get the missions, it's likely that there'll be a hot chick or james bond for you. Joking aside, no, there'll be no "escort" or "prostitution"!
23: Will there be interaction with the factions in TSW?
No, not at all. Their TSW iterations are not part of the TBW game, as TBW is placed before TSW; but considering the TSW factions are based on real-world organisations, they are still "out there" - just not as you might know them from TSW.
Addendum:
- Cyber-mage general questions:
No male cyber-mage in 1st generation, will probably come in later generations.
- Will loot carry over between generations?
Yes, but items improve each generation, so they might become "trophys", in other cases, it might be a needed artefact.
General post-Q&A information.
- No word from SyFy yet.
- The space between each generation will be a "leap"; so even high-technology from the prior generation, will be "out-dated" at the beginning of the following generation.
Comments
"23: Will there be interaction with the factions in TSW?
No, not at all. Their TSW iterations are not part of the TBW game, as TBW is placed before TSW; but considering the TSW factions are based on real-world organisations, they are still "out there" - just not as you might know them from TSW."
Anashel, you lost me here. My understanding is that we are in the TSW universe but just a pre-TSW timeline. These secret societies have existed for hundreds of years. Why should they not exist in the exact same fashion as we know them in TSW? The only reason for them to not be exactly the same (excexpt of course younger) is if we're not just in an earlier timeline but also in a different universe entirely. Which quite frankly more and more evidence is pointing towards.
So outside of marketing tie-in and having bought the IP, can you just tell me exactly how any of this relates in any form or fashion to TSW?
Consider it like this and it will make more since, The Factions in TSW had a swell of recruits due to the Tokyo event. Walk through of the investigation of the event by all factions, shows it to be a rupture of unknown origin (at least in the very beginning of the game). Now, unknown at this time to me, it is likely that TBW can stop that rupture and cause a split off where the TSW world never happened. Before Tokyo, recruiting for each faction was very selective... right after Tokyo, the bees activated more BDNF Gene people in order to combat the sudden influx of (the TSW enemy) Filth coming into the world. As in TBW, it is very likely that this is the enemy, but it is unknown at this time. Since we the players all start of as regular every day people working for a Corporation, that could easily tie into the Orochi-Group, could have or don't have the BDNF Gene.
As the nature of the ARG genera is to find out what is going on through the mission we won't know for sure until the game goes beta than live. until than we won't know.
For your question, the factions of TSW are also secret organizations attempting to combat the monsters in the dark. it is very possible that we could ran into them, however not into a Character you play, as in the current time line, only a handful of those ultra powerful magic users are around. in the TSW you are a equal to, or greater in power than a cyber-mage. Immortal in your own right, because of the bees. If that doesn't help, just let the community know, there are other ideas floating about here.
While Arawn already gave quite an intriguing and quite plausible answer, I'll post a different answer worth considering.
We know that the factions in TSW are based off of real-world "secret organisations". However, how they are presented in TSW, has little actual correlation with the real-world myth they are based off - they're more akin to spin-offs than direct "copies".
Then we have TBW, who might also make use of these organisations, but either closer to their original manifestations, or in another iteration different than that of TSW.
It might be possible that Anashel means that because they are a myth - or legend - it is not unlikely that they will make an appearence in TBW, but because this isn't linked with TSW, which I believe has been stated numerous times, it won't be in the shape of the iterations used in TSW.
Think of it as spin-offs of a film. While the underlying concept largely remains the same, because of the source-material, the characters might be quite different, not only in terms of one spin-off compared to the original, but also in terms of one spin-off compared to another spin-off.
Side-kick X might be Hero X in a spin-off, and possess traits very different from his Side-kick X counterpart. Meanwhile, in another spin-off, Side-kick X is antagonist X, entirely different from both the Side-kick and Hero X versions, in terms of portrayal. Regardless, "X" appears in all 3, and while the story changes significantly, the underlying concept remains the same.
On a side-note, the "peripheral connection" with TSW, might just be in the sense described above; same concept, different story, and ultimately a different universe.
Ok you're saying it has been stated several times this isn't linked to TSW and I guess I missed those times, however the fact that it is not is increasingly apparent.
That said I'm sure that in the beginning of all this it was stated that this is the same universe, earlier timeline. Additionally I'm sure that it was also stated that things that happen in this timeline can possibly effect TSW (something buried in the now can be dug up in TSW was I believe the example given). So based upon these things I wanted to know is it linked or not. You're telling me that it's not and even without Anashel, I'm going to believe that because there's no way I can possibly link the 2 things together.
I appreciate both of you giving your examples of how to interpret the statement about the societies. However if I work from the premise that there is no link then that's really all the answer I need.
Yes, sorry for I lost you in translation:
- It's IN the real world timeline, same as TSW
- All three scecret society exist
- We will interact with them as we do with any other real world components
- What WE DON'T guarantee is that your actions will have a direct or indirect impact IN-GAME.
"The Black Watchmen: Set before the events that led to The Secret World universe, the Black Watchmen were created following the fall of Qadhos. Qadhos were a secret organization specializing in paranormal activities. They slowly grew in power, operating in the shadow of an international organization and as a well established secret society."
"The Black Watchmen ARG is a game set before the events that leads to The Secret World universe."
Just so I'm clear it is statements such as the above that led me to believe there is a connection between the 2; TBW happens in an earlier timeline and that it leads up to the events in TSW.
If that is not true...well I guess that's my misinterpretation of those statements.
As I understand it, even though we will be playing the game now, it actually takes place before the Tokyo incident, so I think sometime before October 2010ish.
Wibbly, Wobbly, Timey Wimey.
"like a cup of soup, but with time... no. not like a cup of soup. forget I said that"
Except that we already have a timeline. Captain Patrick gives us a March 2014 date in the very first video. So yeah...emphasis on the "wibbly, wobbly."
and Moiren I get that it's supposed be before Tokyo. Where I was confused is that the AMA indicated that the Secret Societies would not be the same as we know them in TSW and since this game is supposed to take place just prior to the events in TSW, then it doesn't make a bunch of sense to me that the Secret Societies wouldn't be the same...unless...you know it is a different universe entirely in which case they can be anything they want.
I think it's more that the societies are there, and it's not so much that they are different as it's a different IP, so any information about them has to come from what we know about them from TSW, and even if we do something with the other factions it might not change anything in TSW and the focus is going to be on TBW, not CoV, Templars, Illuminati, Dragon, or Pheonicians except as maybe antagonists since we might have different goals.
One thing to keep in mind is that even though I am Agent Moiren here, and I have a character in TSW named Moiren, they aren't the same person. You won't have an avatar or a character you control, you are the Agent. If I were an RPer this is all supposed to happen before she ICly swallowed the bee (despite the dates given already) so this is when the Secret World is still well... secret. We won't have bees, we will have a possible mutation of a gene. So maybe the societies might not even bother with us, since we aren't part of the bees squad, even though we have a secret world of our own going on.
I think if we do see someone from the secret societies it'll more be a nod to TSW players than another else. We race against another agent and see him dress in white and turquoise. Remember TBW started out in TSW, but it isn't exclusive to it. So while it's in the same world they have their thing going on, and we have ours.
Also timey wimey-foo too.
All I was trying to get at is that they are different. Which has been clearly established. I just feel that statements such as "The Black Watchmen ARG is a game set before the events that leads to The Secret World universe" is misleading since one does not lead to the other. They are separate timelines and separate universes.
Except they aren't different. It's been stated it takes place before Tokyo by the people running things, so it's pretty silly to claim it's different. Since we don't have time machines to go back and play this before that happened it requires a little suspension of disbelief. To say it's a parallel world when the people behind it has said it is not, is not really being fair to new players who might read that it isn't related and get confused.
Also no one has said that this led to the events of Tokyo (the event they are talking about), it just happened before it. It's not a cause and affect thing. It's a happening in the same world thing, which is slightly different.
It's the same world, just the timeline is a bit messed up.
As I said before: Timey Wimey, Wibbly wobbly.
Thought I'd get a deeper explanation on the issue, so here it is, from the "Mouth of horse", so to speak:
[05:34] Santiak: Are the factions one and the same though, or is it merely a product of TSW factions being based on "real" secret organisations, and those real secret organisations play a part in TBW, different from the part they play in TSW?
[05:34] Division66: real secret organisations play a part in TBW
[05:34] and TSW factions being based on "real" secret organisations,
[05:35] therefore there is not a direct LINK between the secret organisation in TBW
[05:35] and the faction in TSW
[05:35] but there is a potential of 'influence' or impact in TSW timeline
[05:35] that's up to funcom
[05:35] we won't limit ourselve
[05:35] they will take what fit in the TSW lore
[05:36] Santiak: So if TSW-organisations are "Type Y", and the real-world-organisations are "Type X", TBW would be "Type X+1" - if I'm not being too cryptic. :S
[05:41] Division66: they added a gene (y) and personalized it already
[05:41] But they can optionally, include our gene that we also added (+1)), if they feel it is in line with their mutation (y)
[05:41] Does that help?
[05:41] So Real world: Type X
[05:42] TSW = Type Xy
[05:42] TBW = Type X+1
[05:42] TBW + TSW = Type Xy(+1)
[05:42] (+1) being optionnal to Joel and the team
In other words, it's not a question of whether we live in the same city as our childhood friend or not.
We (TBW), and our childhood friend (TSW), both grew up in the same town (Real-world), but moved to seperate cities when we grew up (TSW-universe & TBW-universe). That's not to say either town didn't exist for the other part. Just that it was of no, or at the most, very little, consequence. We might have grown into adults not having much to do with each other, but if our childhood friend is up to it, we'd certainly be able to meet and catch up on old times.
For now, however, we're living in our own town, doing our own thing (parallel timeline), and while that status quo is kept, we won't be influencing events in TSW - or vice verca. If that status quo is changed, we sit down and have talk, and get to go "Oh, so that was the big Rupture we pinged in Tokyo's Jinbouchou District".
Untill that level of interaction is achieved, the TSW-branches of their respective factions will either remain covert, and whatever faction we encounter, will be a seperate branch that is not tasked with focusing on the Filth - which, we might assume, the TSW-branches are trying to keep isolated from the outside world, especially from an organisation who tasks itself with uncovering secrets.
This might also serve to explain why the TSW factions are so different from their real-world counterparts; much like The Black Watchmen have Divisions, so to do each faction have branches, tasked with specific areas, and the TSW-factions are highly specialised on just what is going in TSW.
Either way, we won't be able to do much more than brainstorm on the matter, untill we get aquainted with more of the TBW lore. At least, that's my take on it.
If you are interested in TSW and TBW interacting to a greater extent, I'd strongly suggest we attempt to recruit more people from TSW, which would likely increase the odds of FunCom and HE wanting to "tie the knot", as that would benefit both games if there was sufficient overlap to generate interest from either game to the other: TSW players joining in on TBWs fun, and TBW folks unfamiliar with TSW being introduced to it.
Edit: Cursed forums, making a mess of my post due to IRC formatting conventions.
It's not a different timeline though. Things can happen over here in Canada, and it doesn't mean that automatically affect things in Europe just because we are on the same planet. People are getting too hung up on the fact that we've done things now, because we exist now, even though it has been stated that it all takes place before the Tokyo event which is either 2012 if you bought the game on launch day, or 2014 for people who bought the game this year for the first time as the opening cutscene doesn't give a date, but the radio is talking about it as it just happened.
Time is not a static thing.
To expand this further, Savage Coast is stuck in October 2010 because the fog rolled in right during Halloween. Yet you can go to Agartha, hop in a swoopy thing and go there daily. There isn't a year given for Egypt, and I would guess Carpathian Fangs are maybe in the 70's or 80's. The further down you go in Agartha, the further back in time we seem to go. And we can can travel back far in time in issue 6.
The fact that we are discussing this now doesn't make it a different timeline than TSW. TSW's timeline isn't exactly straight on it's own.
I think we're agreeing for the most part in regards to TBW, in that case?
I.e., that whole hometown/childhood friend analogy. Two stories playing out in two seperate zones, but not seperate timelines.
For all intents and purposes, you might refer to them as parallel timelines - in other words, things that happen alongside each other - but not separate universes, as the lack of interaction between the two zones doesn't necessarily equate to them not existing in the same country.
Parallel timeline = concurrent events, regardless of interactivity between events in either timeline.
Parallel universe = non-interacting events. regardless of when or where events occur.
As such, the lack of interaction with the secret society factions of TSW, do not exclude the events of TSW from unfolding. Meanwhile, any subsequent interaction with the secret societies, regardless of interaction between the lore of TSW and TBW, can be perscribed to different branches within each faction, which would - as mentioned - also serve to explain why TSW factions are different from their real-world counterparts.
As for the TSW timeline, I have to disagree. While time-travel is not foreign to TSW agents, The Venice Council, recurring characters - including non-anima enhanced people, as well as the tech encountered in a given zone, is all something I take to mean that the time-progression of every zone is, as you mention, not static - and is progressing at the same speed, i.e. no "time-pockets". After all, who's worried about taking down Halloween decorations when the vast majority of inhabitents are dead, and walking about.
In addition, if the Savage Coast was isolated in a time-pocket, there would be little need (nor method) for the Orochi to contain the events.
As for Tokyo, it is quite likely that the event has already taken place, but is merely contained for now, while the other hotspots are being taken care of. We won't know untill the zone becomes available, of course, but we already know that agents are only deployed to a zone in accordance with their experience, and not in accordance with when an event occurs in a zone.
Right, so then how are we supposed to be able to find things IN TSW, as has been mentioned they would like to happen but it will be up to Funcom to decide how much goes in. Artifacts, specifically. I'm not talking about the clothes here. If the plans are to have items in the game, and have events in the ARG possibly affect things in game (Dependant on Funcom agreement and time of course, for putting anything in) how can they be in parallel timelines, exactly? I mean sure, there could be a door, or...something in between the two worlds, and timey wimey wibbly you get the idea...but that is just needlessly complicated.
It's the same world with a messed up timeline.
If time progresses as you say then how come Tokyo happens just a little while ago, despite when you first start playing the game, because a little while ago in 2012, is not still a little while ago in 2014. Not still talking about on the radio recent.
ETA: It was also billed as a TSW Prequel ARG so... same timeline.
You're misunderstanding me.
I'm talking about parallel timelines in the sense that things happen concurrently, but not to the same people. I'm not talking about parallel timelines as in the sci-fi, <insert Whovian quote here>, sense, where things happen outside the realm of interaction, which would require it being parallel-universes.
Things that've happened to me in my past is very much unkown to you - unless you've stalked me, of course - but that doesn't mean they didn't happen. If there's a car-crash in my city, and you come to investigate it, our timelines merge - not in any sci-fi sense - but now there's simply an event we both share; we've both, for the first time, been present at the same event.
I'm not talking about a parallel universes; you don't have to cross any interdimensional planes to come to that car-crash.
Another example; if you write up a timeline of events in Japan during the Senkaku-period, and in Denmark during the same period, you won't get any events that the two countries share. They were in no way related, but events still took place in both countries. Now, later on, artefacts in both Denmark and Japan can be dug up by archaeologists, or political decisions and security issues happening in Denmark, might very well have an impact on Japan. It doesn't have to have been a security threat to Denmark during the Senkaku-period in Japan, for that security threat to be relevant for current Japan - quite the contrary.
I.e.: Japan and Denmark have seperate timelines for the most part. Textbook controversies and fears of resurging imperialism in Japan, has little effect or interest to most danish people. There might, however, be events on both timelines, that causes them to merge - if only in regards to that specific event - such as World War 2.
Another way of looking at it: If events in TBW are to have an effect on TSW, then how can the two games' timelines not be parallel, as opposed to sequential? If I murdered X 6 years ago, nothing changes for you now; X has been dead for 6 years. Now, if I murder X today, your news-broadcast might change, a whole new debate about the correlation of having Jack Russel Terriers and murdering people might start up.
If time is "locked" in TSW, nothing we do in TBW will be of consequence, as time is literally impassable, and according to your theory, have already happened before the current events in TBW either way. In which case there is no way for the two games to interact regardless; seeing as almost every hotspot is locked in time, or happening in the past.
Meanwhile, if I were to directly cause the stock-market to crash, and bring on another recession, then what happens to me, also happens to you.
As for Tokyo, the fact that radio-broadcasts in-game are talking about them in a certain fashion, isn't exactly something I'd take as indicative of the lore in the game; as I have trouble seeing FunCom constantly updating the radio with new news, or turning the clocks forward in Savage Coast. Not because it serves a story-telling purpose, but because it would simply be too taxing from a developing stand-point.
As I alluded to before; we fundamentally agree. The misunderstanding - despite my plethora of metaphores and analogies - seems to stem from the understanding of "Parallel timeline". I'm not using that word in any sci-fi <insert Whovian quote> sense, but in the real-world sense of putting events that happened to someone; be it an individual, a country, or an organisation, on a line to indicate when they happened. In doing so, most of what will happen in TBW, and most of what have happened in TSW, will not be connected (Senkaku Japan & Denmark), except for the things that might (car-crash).
I'm really not going to get in an argument about the flexibility of time, it's a prequel, that much has been said. No matter when timelines cross or not is really not relevant as it's the same timeline. While it's a cool topic, this whole thing started with someone saying they weren't in the same world - they are. Nor am I going to argue about the fluidity of time in a narrative verse the needs of game mechanics. All I have been trying to clear up is the misconception that The ARG and TSW take place in different world. They do not.
Parallel anything is going to be confusing to new players who come along and try to catch up reading the threads - whether it's worlds, or timelines. A lot of people don't know what an ARG is, or still what THIS ARG is about given some comments on the interview page. It's an argument that is probably best served in the pledge forums, rather than on the general forums in an ask me anything thread. Mis-information isn't very helpful in the long run, but it's a dis-service to have it in a discussion people not familiar with the ARG are going to look to for answers to questions.
And Hey! We're the game of the week this week. We're hopefully going to have more people looking (and pledging!) No need to muddy the confusing waters any further.
Hehe, I agree - we should probably take this to the pledges forum, seeing as it's also derailing the thread somewhat - my apologies.
Just for clarification, if any lovely newcommer has been horribly confused: TSW and TBW do not take place in different worlds. Their level of interaction is merely up for debate, not whether or not they can or cannot interact.
Cool about making game of the week; here's hoping it brings in some new people. ^^