Tendo City

With a little interview, and all.

Quote:http://www.gamepro.com/sony/ps2/games/news/30151.shtml

Ever since the game was officially unveiled to the public last month, a ground swell of curiosity has grown around Champions of Norrath: Realms of EverQuest, the latest title from the developers behind Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance. Built around the mythology of EverQuest, Champions of Norrath features familiar locations, items, and characters from the popular MMORPG series, but will be very accessible to the average action/RPG player. GamePro had a chance to discuss the game with Rob Hill, producer for Sony Online Entertainment and one of the top folks behind the EverQuest series.



GamePro: How long has Champions of Norrath been in development? How many people are working on the project?

Rob Hill, Sony Online Entertainment: Champions of Norrath has been in development for a little over a year. At present there are over 16 people actively working on the project.

GP: How much of the game's internals are from Dark Alliance?

RH: We started with the core engine of Dark Alliance and began to add many new features to get the look and functionality we wanted for Champions of Norrath. The engine now has the ability to do random dungeons, higher polygon characters, more detailed textures, and support much more art then previously. We also modified the game's interface to allow for more actions to be available to the player while they are engaged in battle. They can quickly bring up spells and skills at a second's notice, which is important due to the amount we provide to players.

GP: The game will be released on a double-layered DVD; was this decided upon from the start, or did it come as a surprise?

RH: This was realized early on. Due to the amount of content and detail we have added to the world, the amount of art space we needed simply would not fit on a single DVD.

GP: What's the one part of the game you'd like expectant gamers to pay the most attention to?

RH: To start with, the game looks amazing. The detail on the characters, environments, and spells will wow game players. On top of this, the emphasis was placed on providing characters with a deep array of skills, spells, and items to gain during play. This alone adds quite a bit of replayability to the title that will be very appreciated by our audience.

GP: How much leeway has SOE given you with the EverQuest world?

RH: The goal was to make a game that did not require knowledge of the EverQuest world, but provided players who are familiar with EQ many recognizable aspects. We took character classes, spells, items, and location names from EQ and adapted them into a riveting action RPG experience.

GP: Did you play the online game to death before starting work on Champions of Norrath?

RH: We not only played the game, but consulted many of the reference materials that are available about Norrath.

GP: Will there be any online-only expansions in the future?
RH: This has not yet been determined.

GP: Can you use the voice headset while online?
RH: We are still considering a variety of options.

GP: Since Champions of Norrath supports four players online via the multi-tap, can you play online with more than one person on the same PS2?
RH: No. Each player online must be connected with their own PlayStation 2.

GP: Can you please explain what type of online experience players should expect from Champions of Norrath?

RH: Players can expect the opportunity to join up to three of their friends from anywhere in the world online and enjoy an intense action role playing game in a stunningly beautiful game world. We have designed the character classes with many support roles specifically for the multiplayer modes. Clerics will heal and buff friends, warriors will protect them, and the wizards and rangers will support from range. This type of combination is a key component to EverQuest and we try to maintain it where possible in Champions of Norrath.

And a preview from GameSpot:

Quote:Sony Online Entertainment recently dropped by the GameSpot offices with a new build of Champions of Norrath: Realms of EverQuest. Currently in development at Snowblind Studios--the same development team behind Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance--Champions of Norrath is an action RPG set within the realm of the popular massively multiplayer online RPG EverQuest for the PC. As such, fans of the EverQuest series will immediately recognize the five playable character classes: the barbarian warrior, the dark elf shadow knight, the high elf cleric, the erudite wizard, and the wood elf ranger. Each of these characters can be customized in a number of ways--you can customize skin color, hairstyle, tattoos, and facial hair.


Champions of Norrath: Realms of EverQuest will offer both online and offline gameplay modes.

These character classes also have their own unique attributes. The barbarian warrior has high strength and stamina and can swing a massive weapon around and inflict generous amounts of damage on enemies. Conversely, an erudite wizard has high intelligence and thus can obtain enough mana to cast a variety of different spells. Some character classes will have slightly more balanced attributes, such as the shadow knight or the cleric, which have reasonable melee attack skills that are complemented by magic spells. For example, the shadow knight can cast a pet spell that causes a skeleton to rise from the ground and aid in your attack on the enemies in the dungeon. Likewise, the cleric can summon forth a mystical hammer that will attack any enemies within sight.

Like in any good action RPG, attributes can also be boosted by certain types of weapons, items, and armor. Champions of Norrath uses a prefix and suffix system for weapons, so a basic broadsword can be changed into a rusty broadsword of fire, indicating that it will give bonus attack damage for fire. The same sort of effect also works for armor, but instead of increasing offensive strength, it increases your resistance to certain types of attacks--a fire shield would increase your character's resistance to a fire attack. There are also weapon auras that will automatically give trait bonuses to characters that are in the immediate area, which is an interesting design method for keeping players close to each other.


You'll be able to interact with familiar faces from the EverQuest universe.

But weapons and armor aren't always necessary when trying to give your characters a little boost in strength or defense. The high elf cleric has a variety of "buffs"--spells that are designed to enhance a character's current abilities. You can learn additional skills and spells, or perfect the ones you have, by spending experience points in the skill-tree portion of the character data screen. Each character class has a different skill tree that corresponds to its innate strengths, so the barbarian has several special melee attacks that he can learn, while the erudite wizard has numerous offensive-oriented spells, such as fireball and root. The skill tree doesn't have a stringent progression, so it seems that you'll be free to choose which spells or skills you want to use after learning the first two or three skills in the tree.

As for the structure of the actual game, there will be several different hub areas based on various locations on Norrath, such as the treetops of an elven city under attack by goblins. Within these hubs, you can venture into the dungeons to defeat an assortment of nasty creatures, to collect items, and to level up. However, the development team at Snowblind has also designed these dungeons so that they're randomly generated, in the hope that you will continue to play the game and level up your character long after you've defeated the last boss. Whether or not that equates to the 100 hours of gameplay that Sony Online Entertainment is touting for the game remains to be seen. In addition, there are approximately 40 different types of graphic sets for the dungeons, so you'll see everything from spider-infested dungeons covered with enormous webs to more traditional caves. However, the main storyline will not change significantly as you progress through the game.


You'll be able to use a variety of spells to enhance your character's abilities.

The variety in the dungeons is matched by the added detail given to the character models, which now feature three times more polygons than they did in Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance. Plus, you'll undoubtedly notice the attention that was paid to the details on various types of armor, which range from typical shiny metal plating to incredibly ornate designs that look as though they were influenced by Mardi Gras. But more importantly, the excellent water effects from Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance make a return in Champions of Norrath.

Even in its early state, Champions of Norrath looks like it will instantly appeal to EverQuest fans but also any fans of Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance, since the combat and overall controls are quite similar. Interestingly, the game will have support for online play (up to four players at once), but no subscription fee will be charged for the game. Sony Online Entertainment said the game will be shipped in November (before Thanksgiving) on a dual-layered DVD. Look for more on the game soon.

neato burrito

Looks okay. It could be a decent Diablo clone like BG: DA is... that's not high praise, though. Fun, sure... but quite shallow.