SOE Associate Producer, Kyle Heuer on the company's latest MMO and strategy title.
Legends of Norrath Inquisitor is the newest chapter in the online strategy card game Legends of Norrath, based on the legendary MMOs EverQuest and EverQuest II.Inquisitor continues the story from previous Legends of Norrath virtual card games, Oathbound and Forsworn, with hundreds of new cards and more than 20 new loot items each for EQ and EQII. Inquisitor also reinforces Legends of Norrath as the complete online card gaming experience, featuring numerous casual and tournament game lobbies with three tournament formats.
The following Q&A was conducted with Associate Producer, Kyle Heuer.
HEXUS: The original EverQuest was arguably the first to brave the world of 3D graphics in an MMO, what were the challenges then and, given games like WoW, Guild Wars, and Lineage and so on, what are the challenges in the current MMO climate?
Kyle I wasn’t on the EverQuest team at that time, so it’s hard for me to respond specifically about that part of the question. However, I would imagine that the challenges faced then are pretty much the same as they are now. Your game has to be fun. It has to look good, have engaging game play, interesting mechanics, a good back story, and enough play styles to entice a wide variety of gamers. Whip that up in a blender, and then hope you get enough players interested that you get a community. No matter how much of the other stuff you have in the game, if you don’t get players who care, you just don’t have a MMO.
HEXUS: Does EverQuest II follow the standard MMORPG formula of newbie areas with mission based leveling as the driving force and if so, how will you keep the player engaged to keep on playing once the leveling up slows as the player’s character becomes stronger?
Kyle Certainly, EverQuest II is what you call “standard”, and I would call “classic” with starting areas for new players, and increasing levels of difficulty. But as in all games, you can vary the difficulty, introduce new stories, new game mechanics, new creatures, new areas, new play styles, and new rewards to keep the player interested and vested in the game. Everyone wants to feel like they are progressing, but also wants to enjoy the new challenges, and achieve things they hadn’t been able to overcome before. It’s a paradigm of life itself, ever expanding our knowledge and capabilities. Hopefully the joy is in the journey, not just the destination.
HEXUS:With the Rise of Kunark expansion there’s obviously a strong storyline to keep people playing; can you tell us some more about it and what players can expect? Is it just for high-level players or is there something for everyone? Is it party orientated or can solo adventurers get some fun out of it too?
Kyle The content in the expansion is mainly geared toward high level players. However the Sarnak were introduced as a new race for new players, or for people who like to start up extra characters. Timorous deep (The Sarnak starting area) is also a great place to pick up some quest for low level characters, even if they aren't starting a new character there. We also introduced three new deities to worship in our deity system, and they come with new quest lines and associated deity abilities.
HEXUS:And the same question for EverQuest II… one thing that you can change by snapping your fingers…
Kyle I’d increase the number of people playing the game many fold. We’ve got a great game here, and having more people see the stories we tell, and enjoy the playing of the game would make us all the happier. At the highest level, we do all of the hard work for the satisfaction we get from seeing people enjoy the fruits of our labor.
HEXUS: If you and the Blizzard guys found yourselves in a West Side Story-style gang fight, what weapons would you take from EverQuest II and use in the ensuing battle?
Kyle I’ve got a few very close friends up at Blizzard, and would prefer not to be in a battle with them. I’m also not a dancer, so West Side Story style gang fights are out of the question. I used to be able to sing, if that makes a difference.
However, if evil aliens were to attack the earth, I’m sure that those of us from EverQuest II would grab some of our epic weapons, and stand back to back with them defending the Earth. Of course, if you’ve ever looked at the size of some of those weapons, we’d all have to bulk up a lot to be able to wield them!
HEXUS:Ok, and although I promised myself I wouldn’t ask… who would win? (Note, diplomatic answers are not admissible! )
Kyle The Earth would win.
Continues overleaf...