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Author Topic: Stargate Worlds: Jimmy Crack Corn and I Don't Care! (um... interview, acually)  (Read 5991 times)
Signe
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on: February 28, 2008, 11:51:30 AM

Quote
An Interview With: Stargate Worlds Exclusive


Feb. 27, 2008 | by Indelible | Tags: cme, exculsive, kevinbalentine, stargateworlds

2008 promises to be a big year for the MMO space with Warhammer Online and Age of Conan storming the fantasy genre, but at the center of the science fiction arm of MMO gaming right now is a franchise that has sat with such science fiction classics as Doctor Who, Star Wars, Star Trek and Battlestar Galactica.

In 2006, Cheyenne Mountain Entertainment announced that they were working on an MMORPG to be based on the massively popular Stargate franchise. Stargate started many years ago with the original Stargate movie. This took Kurt Russel on an adventure to an alien planet where he decided that the best thing to do was escape. After this, a TV series was created and it promptly took the sci-fi world by storm. Stargate SG1 pitted humanity -- with its machine guns and green camo -- against the might of a highly sophisticated, laser wielding bunch of aliens who got their kicks from pretending to be Gods. SG1 ran for ten seasons, spawned an offshoot series called Stargate Atlantis -- now in its fourth season -- as well as two straight-to-DvD movies and 2008 will see the franchise enter into the MMO world with the aptly titled Stargate Worlds.

Stargate Worlds, which is being developed by industry new comers Cheyenne Mountain Entertainment, will allow players to take control of a character in the Stargate universe. Players will be able to explore an ever-expanding galaxy of planets, spaceships and aliens all the while waging war as part of one of two player factions – the light side or the dark side.

We decided to go to Kevin Balentine -- PR Manager for Stargate Worlds -- with your questions, and he happily agreed to sit down and answer them. He also provided us with two exclusive screenshots for you to feast your eyes on!

Firstly, could you tell us a little basic information about Cheyenne Mountain Entertainment and how the project came about?

KB: The secret history of Stargate Worlds goes all the way back to 2002 when three game designers and fans of Stargate first approached MGM about creating an MMORPG based on the franchise. Three years later, the license was secured and Cheyenne Mountain Entertainment (CME) was formed.
Mesa, AZ businessman Gary Whiting jump started the company and began raising the capital necessary to get the company started and the game in development. Senior Vice President of Strategic Operations Joe Ybarra, a 25-year veteran of the video game industry, was the next member to join CME and he immediately set about building a world-class development team.

How much of the Big World suite of development tools have you employed in the process of designing Stargate Worlds?

KB: We’re using Big World as our back end and Unreal 3 as our front end. On the back end, we’re using the navigation path and the server monitoring tools from Big World, but none of their client side tools.
Goauld_022

What kind of new possibilities does the Big World server infrastructure create for an MMO like Stargate Worlds?

KB: The main thing we get out of Big World, and Unreal 3, is time. By using established technology, we cut a lot of time off of the front end of game development that we can reinvest on the back end. The time we saved is being invested into tools for our content guys.
We’ve got a new tool that one guy jokingly calls the “Make Mission” button. Obviously it’s more complicated than that, but essentially it’s a tool that allows content to plug in mission elements. Tools like that allow writers to focus on the story and increase productivity. That’s just one of the ways that we are improving the way MMORPGs are built and reducing the time it takes to put the game on shelves.

Are you going to be releasing new content via periodic content patches that are free, such as new planets and environments?

KB: Absolutely. The Stargate franchise is so large and varied that we can keep building content for years and never reach the edge. We have an aggressive live team plan that will deliver regular updates including plenty of new content. Because of the way our game “map” is set up we can drop new content anywhere in the story.

How big will the Stargate universe be on release of Stargate Worlds? For example, will we be seeing hundreds of planets and environments or will the number of planets start smaller and be increased over time?</p>

KB: At launch, Stargate Worlds will have dozens of planets to visit with more added post-launch.

Stargate is based on the concept of exploration. That is, humanity exploring new planets and discovering new races. Will we see this kind of reactive content in Stargate Worlds? Will players directly affect the way the lore plays out or will it be more of a "follow the story" experience? For example, will player action be able to influence things like faction wars?

KB: Stargate Worlds is a story-based game. If you take a look at the 13-plus years of the two series, it’s been at its heart a search for technology that will save the Earth, or Atlantis, or wherever, from the threat of enslavement or destruction. That is the dynamic we want to capture through our storytelling.

There is currently a new Stargate TV series in production that will no doubt introduce new concepts and new races into the Stargate Universe. Can we expect to see any of the new ideas being introduced in the new series, in the game?

KB: Obviously this is something I can’t go into great detail about, but, we are in near constant communication with the guys at Bridge Studios and MGM about ways we can work together. We’ve had many discussions about items and events that appear on the show also appearing in game and vice versa. Robert Cooper, one of the show’s creators, has already pitched a movie to MGM that will feature an Op-Core character.
Tollana_1

Will Stargate Worlds feature profession systems such as the ability to create weapons and armor for your character? If so, how will players attain high level items and gear from such a system?

KB: The details of the crafting system are in development even as I write this answer. I can tell you that our vision is for a system that’s easily accessible, effective and an integral part of the game’s economy.

Starships are another very big part of the Stargate series. Everything from the Replicator ships to Goa'uld motherships. Will players be able to travel around in ships and fly vehicles like Gliders or will travel be limited to the Stargate system?

KB: At launch, we are focusing on the core elements that give Stargate its unique Stargateyness. In our eyes, those elements are modern combat vs. science fiction weapons, exploring alien landscapes, encountering ancient cultures and saving the galaxy ... again! We’re not ruling out player-controlled vehicles for an expansion, but it won’t be part of the game at launch.

How is the Stargate Worlds team taking into account the failures and successes of previous Science Fiction MMO's? Are there any former or current titles you have looked at for inspiration?

KB: We all play video games at Cheyenne Mountain Entertainment. Even our CEO Tim Jenson has a max-level character in World of Warcraft, so I think we’re well grounded in what’s been done in the genre before us. Obviously, we all see the success that Blizzard has achieved and we believe there are lessons to be learned there, but the lesson isn’t “make WoW with a Stargate skin.”
Now, when it comes specifically to science fiction MMOs, that’s a more interesting question. We’re following our competitors closely and frankly, we want them to succeed. It doesn’t do any good for the industry when high-profile titles fail to meet expectations. There have been too many games over the course of the last two years that have completely failed for us to ignore. We’ve got a group of smart, dedicated guys in our marketing department that analyze these launches in great detail to see what went right and what went wrong. We know what we have to do to succeed. We’re not depending on our license to carry our product. We are building a polished, fun game. We believe that’s the real key to success.

On release, what races will we be able to play as? Are there plans to make any other factions (i.e. Wraith, Ori, Replicator, etc.) available at release or via future patch content?

KB: Players will be able to choose from seven archetypes at launch: Archeologist, Scientist, Soldier, Commando, Jaffa, Asgard and Goa’uld. Five of the archetypes, Archeologist, Scientist, Soldier, Commando and Jaffa, are available on both the light side and the dark side. The Asgard are available on the light side and the Goa’uld on the dark side.
We will add other factions over time, some of them in content updates and some in expansions, but for now we’re focusing on our launch material.
battle walker

In regard to the character classes, is there any possibility of the attainment of certain "prestige" or "hero" classes such as SGC General or Goa'uld System Lord proper?

KB: No. I see the archetypes we have in place as the hero classes.

With major franchise titles such as Star Trek Online and the speculation that Blizzard Entertainment may be working on a StarCraft MMO and BioWare may be working on a new Star Wars MMO, do you think that Stargate Worlds will be able to hold its own in the coming year? How will Stargate Worlds define itself from its main competitors?

KB: There’s one obvious answer that sets us apart from other genre games, and that’s the license. The fact is there aren’t many games, and no other MMOs that I’m aware of, that feature the same mix of modern combat vs. science fiction weapons and humor. If you’ve watched Stargate, you’ll recognize the elements that we have incorporated into the game and immediately feel like you’ve become the star of the show. If you haven’t watched Stargate, you’re going to experience an accessible MMORPG with a deep, tactical combat system and innovative non-combat game play featuring a variety of minigames and puzzles.

Will we be seeing a closed beta and if so, when can we expect to see it?

KB: Yes, we will have a closed beta, probably coming this summer followed by an open beta in the fall.</p>

Lastly, the question that is on everyone watching Stargate Worlds' mind is: Do you have a solid release date for Stargate Worlds?

KB: MMORPG development is a long series of deadlines and milestones that all have to be hit in order to hit your targets. The deadlines interact and intertwine with one another so extensively that missing one seemingly insignificant deadline can cause unforeseen problems far down the road. We believe we’re on track to hit a fourth quarter release this year. That’s what is on our calendar.
We don’t want to play the game of announcing a date, pushing it back with another date announcement and doing this over and over. When we feel that we have a solid date that won’t get pushed, we’ll announce it.

Source
« Last Edit: February 28, 2008, 11:53:22 AM by Signe »

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Ratman_tf
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Reply #1 on: February 28, 2008, 12:34:08 PM

That was a lot of text to say nothing.

Quote
There’s one obvious answer that sets us apart from other genre games, and that’s the license.




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Miasma
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Reply #2 on: February 28, 2008, 01:12:09 PM

Quote
a franchise that has sat with such science fiction classics as Doctor Who, Star Wars, Star Trek and Battlestar Galactica
Hehe, I don't think so.  It has "sat(?)" with other B grade series like Babylon 5, Earth: Final Conflict, The Six Million Dollar Man, Andromeda, Lexx etc.
tazelbain
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Reply #3 on: February 28, 2008, 01:20:56 PM

This going to be another LotRO, a techically solid product that won't catch on because they are just following the formula without any passion or understanding of MMOs.

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SnakeCharmer
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Reply #4 on: February 28, 2008, 01:32:09 PM

They've been on a publciity blitz of sort since just a bit before GDC.  Mostly it's been repeated MMO dev rhetoric, following standard marketing protocol answers.

So far, they're planning on beta by summer, launch in Q4 '08.  If private beta invites haven't gone out by now (i.e. before officially taking beta aps), then they're awfullly optimistic about how beta is going to go. 

Not that I think it will launch Q4 '08.
« Last Edit: February 28, 2008, 01:35:29 PM by SnakeCharmer »
Hoax
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Reply #5 on: February 28, 2008, 02:12:20 PM

Press release Sir Brucing ahoy!  Honestly, we should have a f13 method for taking these sorts of things apart...


Best thing he said:
Obviously, we all see the success that Blizzard has achieved and we believe there are lessons to be learned there, but the lesson isn’t “make WoW with a Stargate skin.”
Now, when it comes specifically to science fiction MMOs, that’s a more interesting question. We’re following our competitors closely and frankly, we want them to succeed. It doesn’t do any good for the industry when high-profile titles fail to meet expectations. There have been too many games over the course of the last two years that have completely failed for us to ignore. We’ve got a group of smart, dedicated guys in our marketing department that analyze these launches in great detail to see what went right and what went wrong. We know what we have to do to succeed. We’re not depending on our license to carry our product. We are building a polished, fun game. We believe that’s the real key to success.

Worst thing he said:
There’s one obvious answer that sets us apart from other genre games, and that’s the license. The fact is there aren’t many games, and no other MMOs that I’m aware of, that feature the same mix of modern combat vs. science fiction weapons and humor. If you’ve watched Stargate, you’ll recognize the elements that we have incorporated into the game and immediately feel like you’ve become the star of the show. If you haven’t watched Stargate, you’re going to experience an accessible MMORPG with a deep, tactical combat system and innovative non-combat game play featuring a variety of minigames and puzzles.

Vaporfeature alert:
At launch, Stargate Worlds will have dozens of planets to visit with more added post-launch.

Smells like SWG failure:
Players will be able to choose from seven archetypes at launch: Archeologist, Scientist, Soldier, Commando, Jaffa, Asgard and Goa’uld. Five of the archetypes, Archeologist, Scientist, Soldier, Commando and Jaffa, are available on both the light side and the dark side. The Asgard are available on the light side and the Goa’uld on the dark side.
We will add other factions over time, some of them in content updates and some in expansions, but for now we’re focusing on our launch material.

A nation consists of its laws. A nation does not consist of its situation at a given time. If an individual's morals are situational, then that individual is without morals. If a nation's laws are situational, that nation has no laws, and soon isn't a nation.
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Morfiend
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Reply #6 on: February 28, 2008, 03:15:04 PM

But will there be precasting?
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Reply #7 on: February 28, 2008, 04:24:55 PM

But will there be precasting?

Is it sad that that made me LOL?
Signe
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Reply #8 on: February 28, 2008, 04:44:00 PM

But will there be precasting?

Is it sad that that made me LOL?

Me too. 

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Reply #9 on: February 28, 2008, 05:25:11 PM

Quote
a franchise that has sat with such science fiction classics as Doctor Who, Star Wars, Star Trek and Battlestar Galactica
Hehe, I don't think so.  It has "sat(?)" with other B grade series like Babylon 5, Earth: Final Conflict, The Six Million Dollar Man, Andromeda, Lexx etc.


Oh, bitch, you did not just diss B5.

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Reply #10 on: February 28, 2008, 05:25:41 PM

Vaporfeature alert:
At launch, Stargate Worlds will have dozens of planets to visit with more added post-launch.

I think it's been said that some planets will just be small instances, just big enough for one or two missions. POBS has 80 ports, all fully functional, but they're not sprawling megalopolises....

This going to be another LotRO, a techically solid product that won't catch on because they are just following the formula without any passion or understanding of MMOs.

LOTRO didn't catch on? Weird, I heard they had at least 300k subscribers....

"Role playing in an MMO is more like an open orchestra with no conductor, anyone of any skill level can walk in at any time, and everyone brings their own instrument and plays whatever song they want.  Then toss PvP into the mix and things REALLY get ugly!" -Count Nerfedalot
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Reply #11 on: February 28, 2008, 05:54:55 PM

Vaporfeature alert:
At launch, Stargate Worlds will have dozens of planets to visit with more added post-launch.

I think it's been said that some planets will just be small instances, just big enough for one or two missions. POBS has 80 ports, all fully functional, but they're not sprawling megalopolises....

Thank god because Tortuga is a scary mess illustrating what a wreck the game would have been if they'd needed, you know, level designers.
Miasma
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Reply #12 on: February 28, 2008, 06:45:14 PM

Quote
a franchise that has sat with such science fiction classics as Doctor Who, Star Wars, Star Trek and Battlestar Galactica
Hehe, I don't think so.  It has "sat(?)" with other B grade series like Babylon 5, Earth: Final Conflict, The Six Million Dollar Man, Andromeda, Lexx etc.


Oh, bitch, you did not just diss B5.
I loved Babylon 5 and even think Stargate can be pretty fun but trying to put them in the same league as Star Trek/Wars/Dr. Who is bullllllshit.
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Reply #13 on: February 28, 2008, 07:44:11 PM

Thank god because Tortuga is a scary mess illustrating what a wreck the game would have been if they'd needed, you know, level designers.
Maybe it is a mess because they didn't need level designers.  Or at least feel they did for a few tiny ports.  Weren't they added on towards the end?

Hahahaha!  I'm really good at this!
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Reply #14 on: February 29, 2008, 06:03:03 AM

Quote
a franchise that has sat with such science fiction classics as Doctor Who, Star Wars, Star Trek and Battlestar Galactica
Hehe, I don't think so.  It has "sat(?)" with other B grade series like Babylon 5, Earth: Final Conflict, The Six Million Dollar Man, Andromeda, Lexx etc.


Oh, bitch, you did not just diss B5.

Im about to get in line as well, LEXX was a masterpiece!

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Reply #15 on: February 29, 2008, 06:14:57 AM

I wonder how they are going to handle the fact that on Earth there is one Stargate and one Stargate Command with N teams of M players at the base?   Are they going to have 100 shards (Earth 1, Earth 2, ... ) or are there going to be 1000 people wandering around Stargate Command and waiting to go though the portal?  Or are they going to have 100 Stargate Commands on Earth 1 and only shards?  Or hyper-instance the 1 Stargate Command so to join your firends its all 'switch over to instance 25' crap like CoH / Guild Wars?


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Reply #16 on: February 29, 2008, 06:28:31 AM

I assume they'll have shards/servers like WoW, with one city instead of three, but larger (and that would be the Stargate Command base), with an instanced stargate room; you plug in your code as a minigame at the door, and then you enter the room with the gate already dialed and active and no one else but you there.  Shrug, I don't know.

If we have an F13 method for taking these things apart, we should also have an official F13 "Critic" certification; pass a test, get our name colored in Green, so that when we take things apart, people know we know what we're doing.

As far as this game, it's kind of like the original movie or the SG-1 series; it could turn out to be decent, who knows.  They did identify the humor as one of the things that makes Stargate stargate-y, so we'll see how they implement that.
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Reply #17 on: February 29, 2008, 06:42:12 AM

This going to be another LotRO, a techically solid product that won't catch on because they are just following the formula without any passion or understanding of MMOs.

HEY!  But their CEO has a level 70 WOW character!  How can this not FAIL?
Hoax
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Reply #18 on: February 29, 2008, 10:22:24 AM

Vaporfeature alert:
At launch, Stargate Worlds will have dozens of planets to visit with more added post-launch.

I think it's been said that some planets will just be small instances, just big enough for one or two missions. POBS has 80 ports, all fully functional, but they're not sprawling megalopolises....

Fair enough, I'm sure they will have 24 instances that they say take part on different "planets" but if they have 24 unique tilesets, let alone environments that seem unique I'll be fucking floored.  Floored I say.  Yes I'm sure they will have 8 "planets" with green grass where you do missions to kill X of mob type Y and if we are lucky mob type Y will have 8 color swaps.   awesome, for real

A nation consists of its laws. A nation does not consist of its situation at a given time. If an individual's morals are situational, then that individual is without morals. If a nation's laws are situational, that nation has no laws, and soon isn't a nation.
-William Gibson
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Reply #19 on: February 29, 2008, 11:00:38 AM

While I reserve judgement until they actually ship something, I don't really have much interest in any mmo outside EQ2 anymore. And I'm a Stargate fan. IP doesn't mean shit compared to a good game system (shades of the Champions thread, I guess).
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Reply #20 on: February 29, 2008, 11:52:38 AM

Im about to get in line as well, LEXX was a masterpiece!
<3 Eva Habermann

The only reason to watch that crapfest, and the first season only, too.

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Mrbloodworth
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Reply #21 on: February 29, 2008, 11:58:50 AM

Im about to get in line as well, LEXX was a masterpiece!
<3 Eva Habermann

The only reason to watch that crapfest, and the first season only, too.

Water and Fire. Season 3. And lets not forget Lyekka. and bunny, Bunny loves the presidency.

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Morat20
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Reply #22 on: February 29, 2008, 12:35:03 PM

Fair enough, I'm sure they will have 24 instances that they say take part on different "planets" but if they have 24 unique tilesets, let alone environments that seem unique I'll be fucking floored.  Floored I say.  Yes I'm sure they will have 8 "planets" with green grass where you do missions to kill X of mob type Y and if we are lucky mob type Y will have 8 color swaps.   awesome, for real
That's not canon. There are exactly five types of planets in the Stargate Canon

1) Temperate planets, that look like the forests near Vancouver.
2) Industrial planets, which look like like the industrial/warehouse areas of Vancouver.
3) Desert planets, which look a lot like sand.
4) Medieval planets, whose villages all have highly similar layouts.
5) Earth, which looks like Vancouver.

So really, they only need maybe three tile-sets. Anymore is taking liberty with canon. (And yes, I actually LIKE the show!)
Miasma
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Reply #23 on: February 29, 2008, 12:47:15 PM

It's science fiction so they can come up with whatever they want to explain having multiple stargates, or just instance that room, or make it a cutscene from a computer terminal where you get your mission.  And didn't the Russians have a second one on Earth at some point too?
tasmia
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Reply #24 on: February 29, 2008, 02:37:27 PM

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