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The Secret World: Q&A with Ragnar Tørnquist
SBFord
Former Associate EditorMember LegendaryPosts: 33,129
It isn't often that Funcom's Ragnar Tørnquist can be cornered for a long and 'meaty' chat about The Secret World but MMORPG.com Lead Writer Bill Murphy managed to do just that. The pair discussed topics as wide ranging as "Everything Is True" campaign to PvP in The Secret World. Check out our exclusive Ragnar Tørnquist interview and then let us know what you think!
MMORPG: PvP is “must-have” feature for any AAA release these days, and it seems like the common trend is for the match-made instanced sort. But there are a lot of folks out there if our forums are any indicator who long for something more persistent and with more meaning between factions than just a grind for gear. What kind of insights can you give to players who are hoping TSW will offer something like that with its three-faction setup?
Ragnar Tørnquist: We have only revealed a small part of our PvP system so far. The mini-games set in El Dorado, Shambala and Stonehenge are going to be fast-paced, fun, and easy to get into. But we'll soon reveal more about the mechanics behind the secret war between the Templars, the Illuminati and the Dragon.
Read more of Bill Murphy's Q&A with Ragnar Tørnquist.
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Comments
Exciting!
If reviews of this game a a bit decent, I will give it a try. It looks alright graphically, and the concept of secret organizations in the real world is interesting.
I'll keep this one on my radar.
"We're definitely not holding back anything for launch. In fact, we're trying to squeeze out as much content as possible in the time we have left"
= Our release criterea is the time frame and not the quality of our product
"Plans, of course, will change when we open the floodgates and our world to the players. We're not rigid, and we will make sure that the players are heard"
= We listen to the whining minority
im extremely wary of playing anything that Funcom produces, especially after the failure of AoC. The one thing i didnt like is his answer to the pvp question. He basically said that pvp is in mini-games=bg's, which means world pvp will probably be completely pointless just like in every other mmo these days *cough* Rift *cough*
guess ill skip this one too
Playing: Smite, Marvel Heroes
Played: Nexus:Kingdom of the Winds, Everquest, DAoC, Everquest 2, WoW, Matrix Online, Vangaurd, SWG, DDO, EVE, Fallen Earth, LoTRo, CoX, Champions Online, WAR, Darkfall, Mortal Online, Guild Wars, Rift, Tera, Aion, AoC, Gods and Heroes, DCUO, FF14, TSW, SWTOR, GW2, Wildstar, ESO, ArcheAge
Waiting On: Nothing. Mmorpg's are dead.
I need more gameplay vid. From what I can see, the combat and char movement is still not so good. If they wanna make this action based, that is important for me.
Classless and level-less sounds good, but I am still holding the same doubt on the limitations (or lack of) that players can have. I have this same worry before, what if everyone learn every skills (like in Elder Scroll), or everyone just equipe the best set of decks (the most OP ones).
I am ok with marketing, but at least GW gives us plenty of gameplay footages along the way. Funcom hasn't really given much to look at except cool concepts.
I am trying not to let myself hype this game up to much in my mind, but Ragnar makes it hard. I love everything he has done in gaming and I can't wait to see how he brings those awesome adventure game experiences to the MMO and how he makes use of this setting.
I know that there will be a large focus on an evolving game and story with TSW, and I really want to be there for all of it from beginning to finish. This is the only pre release MMO that I would buy a lifetime sub for and feel perfectly comfortable doing it.
Sounds interesting, what appeals to me is the meantion of a World and the fact that there are no Classes and levels or a "set path", this soulds open ended gameplay maybe even sanboxy.
The place PvP has in it is of importance, however, no matter how open PvP is in a game if the rest of the gameplay mechanics are not up to par it becomes just as dull as a game without PvP in it.
So at this point approaching this with an open mind, I am intregued, I want to know more.
Order of the Silver Star, OSS
ESKA, Playing MMORPG's since Ultima Online 1997 - Order of the Silver Serpent, Atlantic Shard
Rather negative aren't we Mimzel?
"We're definitely not holding back anything for launch. In fact, we're trying to squeeze out as much content as possible in the time we have left"
= We could spend the rest of our lives putting every little thing into this game and never releasing it, but we set a time frame for launch to get it out to the players. In that window we're going to get the best quality content in, and not put something half assed out.
"Plans, of course, will change when we open the floodgates and our world to the players. We're not rigid, and we will make sure that the players are heard"
= This can go either way, but sometimes players have good ideas that help games. Many times players have good ideas that help games. Player feedback is one reason there are beta's turns out.
You can turn nearly any statement into a negative rather easy, it isn't a skill. You either look for the good, or you look for the bad. Your choice.
What part of "We have only revealed a small part of our PvP system so far." don't you understand? They said that they're going to be showing off more PvP mechanics later.
To be exact there is a HUGE thing for open faction pvp incomming.
Those who stuck around the game since beginning, should know about what I am talking about. That aspect is not dropped but is being reworked and remodelled.
Either in E3 or Pax Prime, they should announce that whole thing.
# A GRIM, ODD, ARCANE SKY
# ANY GOD, I MARK SACRED
# A MASKED CRY ADORING
# A DREAMY, SICK DRAGON
hmm
"At the end of the day, however, it's all about seeing how this system holds up when hundreds and thousands of players are unleashed upon it, and that's what Beta-testing is for. We've recently started our first Beta phase, and that's already given us a ton of valuable input on balancing and skill progression."
Hope that beta was internal only...and i didnt get an invite
Ragnar has never mis stepped in that company even once on anything he's worked on.
the story work he did for AO was in my opinion, the most impactful and best parts of AO even to this day.
The longest journey was amazing for its time
deamfall was amazing for its time.
everything Ragnar has done at that company has been a major win for the company and hes earned the benefit of the doubt.
you have to remember games are only as good as the staff and leadership building them. you cant just lump sum a company's name into all productions. otherwise, all of us get to loudly see how little you know about what its really like to work for a game company.
this is why starcraft 2 lost a lot of its magic formula. they lost james phinney and eric flannum which were the biggest driving forces in the original starcraft team. despite the fact that Blizzard still made the sequel. for example.
those of you looking for tldr; im telling this kid to stop being such a noob.
Games i'm playing right now...
"In short, I thought NGE was a very bad idea" - Raph Koster talking about NGE on his blog at raphkoster.com
No this is what he said...
""We have only revealed a small part of our PvP system so far. The mini-games set in El Dorado, Shambala and Stonehenge are going to be fast-paced, fun, and easy to get into. But we'll soon reveal more about the mechanics behind the secret war between the Templars, the Illuminati and the Dragon.""
Anyway, so far what I've seen of this game looks and sounds good. I'll definitely be keeping an eye on it.
For every minute you are angry , you lose 60 seconds of happiness."-Emerson
^QFT^
To Ragnar's point I was also disappointed when Midgard was canceled. I still look at that Ravens artwork which is my cellphone's background image with sad eyes.
I have no problem with them planning ahead on future content. I'm very happy about it, actually. I also have no problem with them squeezing as much content in by their launch date as possible (and I do NOT assume that they will rush in unfinished or unpolished stuff).
However, to play or not to play, after the AoC experience, will hinge a lot on how big the world is and how much content there is when the game does launch. If the game launches with a game world 2 - 3 times bigger than AoC at launch, with 3-4 times the content, assuming everything else about the game is solid, I'll buy into the game. If they just repeat the mistakes with the AoC launch and present us with a small world lacking in content, I'll pass, no matter how good the rest of the game is.
I'm hopeful. Not only has funcom experienced some valuable lessons with the failure of AoC, but they've also seen other promising titles from competitors flounder in recent years because they've launched with small worlds lacking in content.
If they haven't learned their lesson, then I'll really start to wonder what the heck is going on with MMORPG developers.
Want to know more about GW2 and why there is so much buzz? Start here: Guild Wars 2 Mass Info for the Uninitiated
So you perceive my post as negative, hmm? Sure, it's youre privilege. However, I have played some funcome titles before, and my first mmo was in fact AO - which I played for many years. He said what he said, and I can either interpret his statements as whimsical or thought out signals that he wants to send to our community. I dont belive too much in chance, so yes - I am at least a bit sceptical to these parts of his interview.
I will play if it is open word pvp, but it looks like it will all be instances instead. Such a shame.
Name me a MMORPG that uses "open world" PvP that is successful.
Remember, you're a member of a "Secret" society. Joe Blow in the Illuminati shouldn't know that Jane Doe in the Templars IS IN THE TEMPLARS. I think people are imagining running around NYC doing the TSW equivalent of NBSI and blasting everyone. So much for "secret" society.
Really only thing that got me interested was Ragnar himself. I loved his work in The Longest Journey and dreamfall. Not to mention now that i hear he was apart of AO that makes me all the more interested. Will be listening more on this title. This could be my second MMO that i play when i'm not playing my "other" MMO.
Help me Bioware, you're my only hope.
Is ToR going to be good? Dude it's Bioware making a freaking star wars game, all signs point to awesome. -G4tv MMo report.
I thought it had already been announced that there will not be server wide ffa pvp . If they've built the game that way wishing for it won't make it happen.
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The person who is certain, and who claims divine warrant for his certainty, belongs now to the infancy of our species.
and the cash shop selling asphalt..." - Mimzel on F2P/Cash Shops
Open world pvp =/= ffa pvp
Fair enough, the discussion wasn't about ffa. But they have already discussed instances where you will be fighting alongside other factions on pve missions etc, this would be a pretty big pointer to there not being open world pvp in all areas at least. But many games atm seem to be having these instanced pvp things and then another area/continent (whatever) which would be open world. Seems like a fair compramise to differing tastes.
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The person who is certain, and who claims divine warrant for his certainty, belongs now to the infancy of our species.