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The Agency Interviews: Hal Milton Interview
Hal Milton is the Lead Designer of The Agency, SOE Seattle's upcoming spy MMORPG. He spoke to MMORPG.com about the game's progress, balancing the console/PC crowd and more.
By Dana Massey on May 26, 2009
The Agency is one of the next generation of MMOs that must find that balance between a game that works well on a console and has the depth PC gamers demand. Recently, Lead Designer Hal Milton took the time to discuss that tight-rope walk and the rest of The Agency.
“If people are worried that the game will be dumbed down,” said Milton, “then no. I don’t think that’s the route we’re taking.”
;)
Cover me!
He believes that the limitations of a console title, namely screen resolution and the controller, help them create what will ultimately be a better PC product.
“Game systems are game systems,” he added, and then noted that the goal of a game should not be complexity. “Instead you should be trying to create something that’s relatively easy to get into. Something that naturally reveals itself to you.”
The smaller screen resolution of a Playstation 3 game, for example, forces the developers to work harder on a UI. Sometimes, with the now ridiculous resolution many of the latest gaming rigs run at, it’s tempting to just throw a million buttons on the screen. Thanks to the PS3, they cannot fall for that trap with The Agency.
Milton anticipates parity between the two games, both with a very similar experience. The goal, for them, is a tight and fun action-shooter experience, a message they’ve consistently delivered since the game’s announcement.
Yet, as longtime fans of the genre know all too well, sometimes messages evolve throughout a game’s development cycle. What young, idealistic developers say three years before launch is often clawed back prior to actual launch. Now a few years in, will SOE Seattle follow the same route?
;)
BLAMO!
“The really great thing is that all the ideas we’ve been pursing really do stick,” said Milton, who believes the key to many of their features is how they’re presented to the user. “The rest of our assumption have been coming on quite swimmingly.”
As this stage in the development cycle, SOE Seattle has begun to really delve into the bad guys of the game and more locations for the players.
“[There’s] tons of work on the content side,” he said. They have put a lot of work recently into locations in Europe and Central America, two favorite spy-genre locales where players will conduct their capers.
Another focus has been their player vs. player (PvP) game. In The Agency, all their worlds – or servers – feed into the same PvP environment, which indicates a more firmly segregated form of PvP than a lot of other recent and upcoming games have boasted.
One of the most fascinating aspects of The Agency, though, is their complete and total disregard for individual genres. They’re not afraid to introduce elements that they think will work, even if they’re far afield of what is expected in this genre.
A good example of this is their Operative System.
“Operatives are collectible characters in the world that based on how you play and what kind of agent you’ve created you’ll be able to have access to different ones,” explained Milton.
They did this to get rid of clicky crafting and turn something that can be often boring in MMOs into a sexy, spy-appropriate experience.
“[Each agent has] a host of people who work for him, whether or not he’s online,” he said. “And if you’ve opted in… operatives will even keep you apprised of their progress.”
That right, offline progression. Operatives will craft and do things you told them to in real time, which means players can leave their basements and still advance in The Agency. There’s also just something really cool about the idea of getting a text message from your explosives expert while you’re in a bar. In some ways, SOE Seattle no doubt hopes, it will make the player feel like they’re always in The Agency, without actually forcing them to be. A neat trick.
;)
Dressed to kill
At the time of the interview, they’d crafted 480 agents to play and Milton noted that players will “only ever be able to max out to around 100 of them” on a single character.
“Some of these operatives have their own specific stories associated with them,” he added that some will be based on how players interact with them. “As far as betrayal backstabs, etc, I have to keep some things to myself.”
The trick will be to balance this system, no easy feat. While operatives all have positives and negatives, Milton said they hope to create a system where there isn’t one perfect combination of operatives.
And if they fail and there is? “We can always give those guys a conflict,” he laughed, before more seriously adding, “We’re trying to avoid the specific imbalance before we even hit the shelves, which is why we’ll have a good long beta process so everyone can tell us how stupid we are.”
One area where they’ve made no promises, despite reports to the contrary, is how they’ll monetize the game. On that front, SOE has delivered a quite consistent message that they just have not decided yet.
“The big thing we’re doing right now is we’re watching to see how FreeRealms is received,” Milton noted, in reference to the recently launched SOE children’s MMO, which tries out some new economic models. “We actually don’t have a robust plan for microtransactions in place.”
Obviously, SOE is a business though, so it remains to be seen what will be the most effective way to monetize it. As a game designer, Milton said that, “We’re trying to create a game that doesn’t have a whole host of hidden expenses because, as a gamer myself, I don’t want to be nickeled and dimed to death for no good reason.”
Ultimately though, the decision on how the game will be priced remains completely up in the air. “I’m waiting for word to come down from the guys upstairs,” he added.
The Agency continues a steady march through development. “We’re hoping to get into the Beta sooner than later,” he said. Look for some news on that front this summer.
I must say, I've been keepin my eye on the Agency since it was revealed, and I'm realy looking forward to see how this game will play. Because on paper it seems quite awesome. :)
It sounds a bit wonky to me. Did I read that correctly - it will have PS3 users and PC users? Sounds like oil and water. Since it's Sony they will also probably try and slip in some micro-transaction crap. Heaven help you Hal, if you get that dirt bag Silius from Vanguard on your team.
hmm...
" There’s also just something really cool about the idea of getting a text message from your explosives expert while you’re in a bar."
SOE's Operative Text Message: <<Priority Encoded Message>> Troneas, I have found clues to the entrance to the bunker. Our mark has been spotted in the area and evidence suggest he will camp there for the night. I can continue my surveillance to gather more clues or explode the whole damn building to pieces. <<<Operative Out>>> To continue surveillance, PRESS 1 (U$2,00); to explode the building, PRESS 2 (U$3,00); to ignore the message, PRESS 3 (will loose the operative); to purchase the new and exciting X-2000 Masterpiece Gun PRESS 4 (U$4); to purchase Nightvision infrared R-45 goggles PRESS 5 (U$4); to purhcase...
LOL. And then the Anti-Terror squad (after intercepting numerous suspicious texts and emails) bursts thru the door (and windows) and ... you disappear forever...
I was excited for this till I read this article.
First, they claim it won't be dumbed down, but because they are making it PS3 compatible, it will be even better on the pc??? OK, FAIL. Fail left and right on that one. What a joke. It needs to be designed for the pc if it's going to be better on the pc.
Making it a console game is a major fail. Big mistake. Sorry. but sitting in front of a ps3 for hours on end playing a game such as this isn't the same as a pc. It just isn't. These aren't the kinds of games you play in your living room where your little sister wants to watch Dora the Explorah. Como?
Next up is the wonderful (and by wonderful I mean worthless) world of Free to Play. Welcome to microtransaction mania. The WORST thing to happen to gaming since the whole ads in games debaucle.
Microtransactions make games worthless to me and i'm sure many others. I just love games where the people with advantages are the rich jack holes who get anything they want from mommy. So awesome.
Why doesn't someone take a semi-new approach and charge 5 bucks a month instead of 15 and ditch the microtransactions altogether? Then it won't be a bank breaker or give the unfair advantage or access to the "cool" stuff to just the fortunate few. And pull an eve online and let people pay with paypal or other means without credit cards if they still want all the little kids to come and scream profanities (which eve thankfully avoids due to it's insane learning curve).
The game is doomed from the start if this is how it's going to be. Which is too bad since it is a cool idea. It would be nice to get a decent mmo that isn't set in a freaking fairy world. Something urban would be fresh. It's just too bad they are setting out to ruin it with concole garbage and balance breaking microtransactions.
Basically, the limitations imposed by the PS3 will produce a superior developed MMO for a PC. Right...
Well it is a known fact that a keyboard and mouse are superior to the console controller in playing a game. Most PS3 owners don't have them, hence they will not be required to play the game on the console. Hence you can bet the game has had to be dumbed down alot so that console players don't get constantly owned in the pvp portions of the game.
When you add in the RMT factor, you can pretty much consign this game to the automatic loser status bin.
Someday, someone at Sony will wake up to the fact that Smedley lost his touch years ago and has kept SOE in a tailspin forever. I just can't imagine anything good coming out of SOE while this fool is at the helm. How can any exec be so out of touch with his customers?
OK I get that a LOT of you guys are SOE haters, but come on. I read countless threads in these forums from people demanding something different. Constant whining about how all MMO's are the same. Well it sounds like they are trying to do just that. The game will have unique MMO elements and yet play like an FPS. The operatives system sounds promising and would be a welcome change from the oh so overdone crafting systems out there.
Also I own both a decent gaming PC, and PS3. My PS3 can render some extremely impressive HD graphics AND it can support KB/Mouse so I'm guessing there will be fewer limitation than you think.
I am really hoping they can pull this off! Most companies just don't take chances on anything new. It is your right to rant and rave, but until we actually see a game it's pointless
Cliche Negative Response!
Yeah if the only games you ever play are RTS, FPS and MMORPG's. Try downloading the Devil May Cry 4 demo and see how well your mouse & keyboard will work.
Well I was referring to any game written for both the mouse/keyboard and console controller. You just can do so much more with the mouse/keyboard solution it is just a slam dunk.
The thing is, you can't. A mouse & Keyboard just doesn't give you as much control over your characters movement as a controller does. Keyboards tend to use WASD for movement. Thats only 4 buttons allowing you to move into 8 directions. You can have more but only if you use the mouse, which also handles your camera. This means that you can't have full control over your character movement without using your camera.
Controllers don't have this problem. You can push the stick in any direction without ever touching the camera.
Global Agenda FTW! :P
Yeah, quite a bizarre logic. It's like going to a country suffering from bad harvest and telling the people it will make them healthier... yeah, right. Less is more. ><
I just stopped reading after that BS.
Damn that is funny but yet sobering as I could see that being true.
Damn that is funny but yet sobering as I could see that being true.
Heh, not to mention that they arrest you as being suspected for terrorism. ;)
They have actually said for a long time PC and PS3 users will likely not be playing on the same servers because of obvious advantages to control.
One way to look at it is innovation on gameplay and another is to see it as removal of more traditional systems so that a new mechanic can be put in place that can be monetized through cash shop sales and rare virtual loot cards. Time will tell I guess.
oops
I have nothing against SOE. Hating publishers is useless. If a crap game is made, it's on the devs. If it's great, I don't care who published it.
That said, ps3 supports keyboard and mouse, sure. I have a gaming PC, ps3, 360, all but the Wii (sold it). But name any game that supports playing with k/m on the ps3. I don't know any FPS, or any games that support k/m on ps3.
I agree the game sounds to have at least a someone new novel idea. But whining and complaining even before the game is somewhat justified due to the fact that so many games are so hyped and claim so much and don't pull it off it's rediculous.
Devs need to read what the potential customers are thinking good or bad while they are developing and not just during beta.
If this turns into another Hellgate London it will be a sad day for us all.
Bottom line, I hope you are right that it won't be as bad as I think, but I have low expectations with it actually being a ps3 game, but you never know. But it's nothing against SOE. It's all based on the fact that as to date I can't think of a single console game that has transitioned to pc as well as they are claiming with their whole "being made for ps3 will make it a better pc game" crap.
So here's to hoping!
Reply Quote Edit
Unreal Tournament 3 on the PS3 supports keyboard & mouse.
Wasn't aware. That's 1.
I am doubting the agency will be supporting them though.
I reserve my judgement, champions online is coming out on the xbox 360 as well as pc and if they pull it off, then i dont know why anyone would have a problem including soe on doing the same.
Yes, but name me one console player that actually has bought a keyboard/mouse for his/her console and actually uses it.
Fact is, people buy a console so they can be lazy and hang in their sofa with their controller in their hand.
Not sitting in a very uncomfortable position behind a salon table with mouse and keyboard in front of the TV.
And so, the game will be DUMBED DOWN and optimised for the CONTROLLER!
Same for Unreal Tournament 3. It's optimised and easy to play with the XBOX360 controller!
Cheers
If its possible to make a game like Mass effect run good on console and pc its possible to make any console game mmo or not run good on pc .
Yes, but name me one console player that actually has bought a keyboard/mouse for his/her console and actually uses it.
Me. PS3 uses USB. Nothing special needed.