Quasar Bar - Exclusive Netdevil Interview

We've got a brand new and totally exclusive interview with NetDevil for your reading delight.  Yep, I managed to keep off the beer long enough to interview the NetDevil JGE Producer, Hermann Peterscheck, for you my visitors and member, and below is the transcript (ignore the beer stains ;) )

"I’d like to ask some questions that I feel the existing JGE community would like answered, biased towards my own interests, as a gamer, developer, and fansite owner!

JGE appears to be emerging as very much its own game – while still being based on the ideas and IP of JGC.  So along with the factions and space combat, you’ve also got an in-built pre-rolled set of potential players – otherwise known affectionately as the “JG Vets”.

Q. How difficult are you finding it balancing the wants and needs of that group of loyal vets, vs. making a new game which might have a different focus – i.e. it appears you’re trying to make a more mainstream, more accessible game than JGC ever was?

A: Well, everything in game development is challenging and this is particularly difficult area for MMOs. You have to acknowledge that your core is what will act as the base for the more casual players. It’s the core group of people that tell everyone about your game and get less interested people excited. They also have a different level of expectations from the game. The casual player will more or less play the game the way you intend them to and as long as they can have fun and make progress, you can keep them entertained for quite some time. The core players will poke and prod at everything and figure out every little problem and identify every imbalance. They will also demand that the game meet a high level of quality and are much more outspoken about the way the game is working. In short, they own it more. The hard part for the developer is that you have to have both. There’s no way around it. If you make a game only for the core, the outside audience will not come. If you make a game only for the outside audience, they aren’t attracted by the depth. Core people will tell you exactly what they want. More casual players tend to be more silent – so they are harder to find. So yes, it’s difficult. However, once you capture the core players, they tend to stay with you and act as the main source of new players.

Q. You’re now part of the larger Gazillion group (although that’s obviously been the case longer than we realised) – does that mean the view on what makes JGE a ‘success’ has changed?  I’m thinking about board room projections on players and income here.  Does the game now need to achieve a wider subscriber base?

A: Not at all. Part of the reason we partnered with Gazillion is because they were already in alignment with what we were doing. If they didn’t believe in what we were doing and were happy with the expectations and results, they probably would not have worked with us. Board room projections are always important, so that hasn’t really changed either. What has changed is that we now have more help and backing to ensure we meet our goals, so it’s a positive development. Gazillion is able to provide us with things like more QA, customer services, operations and publishing support; it’s nice to not have to worry about those things and instead just concentrate on making the game.

Q. I’m assuming that come day one, you won’t have put everything you wished to include into the game world.  Therefore how far does the roadmap go for additional content and updates past initial launch?  Do you already have an idea on how and when you’ll release content updates?

A: The flow of ideas is fast and easy . I think at this point we have enough ideas that we could work for the next 20 years on them. The difficult part is honing and culling to make sure the ideas have the most value to the customers. We try to keep our eyes on the customer at all times. I would imagine we will follow some kind of fixed content release plan. Probably every few months or so. Then also have a larger major content/feature update on a more semi-annual or annual basis and then the super-mega-feature at longer intervals. People like new stuff.

Q. Do you and the team still enjoy playing Jumpgate Evolution, or are you all played out?  We are told that the testing has been extended to ‘Friends and Family’ – how does it feel now a larger audience are playing the game, and has any of the feedback surprised you so far?

A: Feedback always surprises and really helps us make the game more fun. We do play the game a lot and we do have fun. There are times, of course, when it’s frustrating because getting things to be the way you like can be an uphill battle and until you climb the hill it’s hard to know how close to the top you are. So there are days I can’t wait to play to try something out, and there are days I force myself to play even though I’m sick of seeing the same problem again and again. We all play the game at work and also play quite a bit at home. This helps us play the game the way everyone else will play it and is critical to figuring out what we should be concentrating on next. Once the game is constantly fun we launch .

Q. How final is the current design (for launch) – as the game is entering the beta phases now, is there room for things to change if the feedback comes back strongly enough in certain areas?  Obviously that assumes that things aren’t already perfect for everyone, but as they say, you can never please EVERYONE all the time *smile*  I guess the question is, if it looks like a design decision may be ‘wrong’, is the team big enough to accept it?

A: We change things all the time in response to how the game plays. I imagine this will continue way past launch. One of the humbling lessons of game development is that you are wrong, a lot. If you are not able to admit your ideas sucked and scrap it and try something else, then this business is not for you. It’s a constant battering of the ego to get something to be really good. That’s why it’s important to have outside eyes looking at what you do (i.e. test a lot). Players keep you honest because they either play or they don’t.

Q. There seems to be some worry in the community that the game is focussing on the combat and RvR aspects, to the detriment of crafting, hauling, and RP ‘sandbox’ opportunities.  Do you feel this is justified – and if so, could the focus change, or is the game targeted at a (perceived) larger combat focussed audience?

A: It’s a giant juggling act. If all the balls aren’t moving around in the air, then you aren’t juggling. If we focus on one area, it automatically means we aren’t focusing on another area, but that doesn’t mean we won’t focus on it later. RvR, PVE combat, PVP, manufacturing, missions, grouping – these are all critical features and they all need to be well executed. Combat is the core that drives the game, that’s for sure, so you tend to start at the core first as that is the hardest thing to get just right. That in no way means that other things aren’t equally important. I suppose you have to start at the centre and work your way out.

Q. Squads (and their equivalents in other MMO’s) are often the key to longevity, as a sense of belonging and friendship lasts longer than the initial draw.  Will squads gain XP as their members do? And if so, will any unlocks for squad progression be gained from this?  Is there a big benefit from joining a squad vs. playing solo?

A: Wings and squads are the primary cooperative mechanics in the game. Wings are the 6 person groups that allow player to achieve together. We’ve had to take a bit of an innovative approach due to unique aspects of our game play. For example, Jumpgate doesn’t have the concept of “mob ownership.” Thus when you are in a group you are able to easily identify where your team mates are so you can help them. You can also assist each other on whatever missions you might have, even if you aren’t on the same mission – this avoids the annoying problem of coordinating mission progress. Obviously you share XP, loot drops and mission progress with your wingmen. In addition to this we have what we call “soft grouping” which means that when there’s just a bunch of pilots flying around they can help each other without the formal group structure. So if you and I are in the same area fighting enemies, we both get credit for the kill, we both get loot, we both get XP. It makes the game much more fun and socially enjoyable.

Squads operate as typical guilds in other mmos. Thus, you are allowed to form a new one or join an existing one. There are various levels of operator privilege within the squad (owner, administrator, member). This will also let players know when their squad mates are online, what level they are, where they are in the game and so on. We’ve got lots of ideas on how we can create squad level achievements but this is not fixed or revealed at this point.

Q. Loot vs. crafted items – what sort of balance are you aiming at when you compare looted items vs. item rewards from quests vs. player crafted items?  In WoW, it always felt to me that looted items were king, while in LotrO player crafted items where very close to reward items, with loot items being often the weaker items.  Stronger crafted items often encourages people to invest time in crafting, while stronger loot items encourage grinding.  What’s your take on this within JGE?

A: It’s a tough balancing act. I suspect that we will have some loot items that are great, and some crafted that are great as well. Because we are a skill based game we are able to make different types of items be co-equal instead of relying on simple hit and damage numbers. It’s totally valid that in a skill game person A prefers the mortar canon whereas person B prefers the machine gun. One isn’t necessarily better than the other. Obviously we have to make sure that both loot and crafting are valuable but I suspect that the high end crafting will represent some of the best gear in the game.

Q. I managed to have a few words with Hermann at the Connect 08 event – where we talked about the desire to make JGE more accessible.  How are you trying to ensure the game is attractive to both newcomers and experienced MMO gamers (and JGC Vets)?

A: Lots and lots of play testing. It’s the only way. You have to put the game in front of all kinds of people and see what they like and don’t like... where they get lost and confused on the one hand and bored and irritated on the other. It’s not an easy road.

Q. A bit of a different question – what game(s) are the dev team currently playing (when not busy coding and testing) – and what games have you been impressed with in the last year?

A: All kinds of games really, although a lot of the team is playing Left 4 Dead a lot. Let’s see, what year is it again? Obviously Lich King was great, as was BioShock. To get out of the typical answer front, I really like Braid. I thought it was one of the best games to come along in a long time. If you haven’t played it you definitely should. It’s proof that a small focused innovative title can still be polished and incredibly fun."

Thanks to Hermann Peterscheck for his time and great answers!

krispy on June 05 2009 21:53:00 · 4 Comments · 846 Reads ·