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Star Wars: The Old Republic Interviews: GDC 2010 Jake Neri Interview
MMORPG.com's Garrett Fuller recently had time for a quick sit down with Star Wars: The Old Republic Producer Jake Neri to talk about the game and its development thus far.
By Garrett Fuller on March 17, 2010
| MMORPG.com: | How has development been going on Star Wars: The Old Republic? |
| Jake Neri: | It's been going great. The team is very inspired. They continue to ride the wave of last year where we had a tremendous amount of interest. We were very fortunate to be treated very well. We won many awards last year and those are things I don't think anyone on that team takes lightly. That is not something that the Bioware and LucasArts folks take lightly and it drives us. So I think development has been going well. We understand that there are a lot of big expectations for the game and we always have and we continue to push forward. Development is challenging, you guys know this. You cover tons of MMOs. They all have their ups and downs. We've got a pro team that really knows how to adjust and make the right moves and continue to drive forward on creating a really incredible experience. |
| MMORPG.com: | You have now officially announced all of your classes. How has class balance been going in development? It is a very hard thing to keep in check. |
| Jake Neri: | It's certainly challenging as it is in any MMO. It is one of those things where you'll probably see, you know we're talking about the Trooper today and showing the Trooper, I am guessing that by the time the Trooper comes out something there is going to be different and change. It's an ongoing balance for us. One of the things we find challenging is that we are trying to improve upon animation and cinematic quality of combat and that in itself brings a macro challenge to everything. It's not just about the individual classes it is also about how all these things harmonize and look really beautiful to give it that Star Wars and cinematic experience. The good news for us is that we have talented guys who are totally passionate about this. We have a great process for how we iterate on the classes and we believe we will be doing that for a long time so we don't have any issues. It's not like we have a hard and fast deadline and we did not hit it and oh crap. It's more like we know we are going to be working on classes for a long time. We are intent on making them balanced, making them fun, and making them interesting. We do have challenges because it is Star Wars. It is different than other games. We have a strategy for what we want to accomplish. We have a number of good people on it so it is going well. So I guess the question in there is how is it going? It is going well, and it will be on going as well. |
| MMORPG.com: | One of the biggest things with Star Wars is working with the lore. You guys have placed it in a time line that does not really conflict with other materials. What's it like to create a new chapter in Star Wars history? |
| Jake Neri: | There are definite benefits to having your own time line. It is one of those things where we at LucasFilm, if I can speak for the larger company, have always embraced people creating inside of the canon. Bioware has proved that they can do that successfully in the past as an organization. We felt that we could trust them to continue to do that. It does have its challenges but we get to work very closely with people who are continuity experts. Making sure that we are going in the right direction and we're not teetering on any strange ground. We're not breaking any canon that is pristeen and must be preserved. If you asked the writers, it is a dream. Who would not want to be super creative inside of something that George put together which became this massive thing. So I think for some I think it is a complete dream come true. Probably some of those guys would say, I never thought this would be possible and I dreamed about it forever. Then the practical side is that we have to work at it and make it happen, but it is good. |
| MMORPG.com: | As producer what has been your biggest challenge on the project? |
| Jake Neri: | My biggest challenge personally? Well, we have a huge game, a huge team so it is one of those things you really have to approach from the standpoint of TEAM. That is not necessarily a challenge, that is more of an acknowledgement that I am one of many people that are there. I am very fortunate to have a seat at that table and talk amongst guys, you know like our president Darrel was there and Ray was there. You look around and it is all of our big hitters and all of their big hitters. To find your voice in that can be a challenge because there are a lot of folks who care a lot about the game. So to try and find a role and know that you are adding value that is something we consistently talk about. Making sure that when we're having discussions to make sure we bring value to the table. Also, we keep the consumer in mind, the good of the game in mind. Those may not be challenges but more like tenants that we base our actions around every day. Challenge wise there is just a lot to do. How do you do all the work? How do you make sure you play the game as much as possible? It's funny. I got a chance to speak with my daughter's class recently. The teacher said, wow you must get to play games all day. Everybody imagines that is what video game people do. The more producer you are the more spread sheet jockey you are. You're the management guy, things like that. One of the challenges is making sure I stay in the game. It is moving so fast, there is so much exciting development going on that if you don't set up time to play the game every day, then you could miss it. One of the things that has been great this year is that my team here at LucasArts and the guys at Bioware are all really strong, really solid and we're doing a good job in distributing the work. Once you get a lot of people focused on this bigger picture which is "hey is the game good?" which is what we're all trying to do ultimately. You forge that trust with those guys and you don't have to feel bad about the fact that, like today for example, I will be with journalists all day, I won't play the game. I have other folks that will though, and they will pick up the slack. We have found a really sweet grove in terms of lots of people contributing, lots of mind power shared, lots of good conversations going on daily. We have to pick that up constantly because the game is so big and moving so fast. If you don't have good communication you are doomed. |
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| MMORPG.com: | What would you say to an MMO player in terms of how the game will impact them? |
| Jake Neri: | We always start with the element of story and intertwining that into every mechanic that you have an expectation for. There are certain things in the MMO space that are important to deliver on because if you don't you will alienate a player base. There are certain things that we won't try to revolutionize, we'll try to do to a AAA level, but we're not going to impress your readers with a new amazing auction mechanic. Laughs. Those things are already done well in MMOs. So we are making sure we focus our time on areas that are compelling to the player base and reader base. Things like, hardcore folks want to know how the combat is going to be? Is it going to be epic? Will it feel interesting? We are putting a lot of emphasis on making sure people have a compelling experience from beginning to end. Also, that they have reasons to continue playing at the end, because of the fact that the classes are balanced and interesting and that they are Star Wars. That is one of the things I cannot impress enough upon people. With our classes we are trying to deliver the Star Wars fantasy of those classes. We think that has been ultimately successful in the movies. People have fantasized and dreamed about and created their own fan fiction and fan lifestyles around those classic archetypes and we want to deliver that in the game. We think if we do, that is something that no other MMO can have. So right there we have a huge pillar to stand on. We understand that for some hardcore MMO fans they may or may not like the story, but we do feel like that is something that will be compelling and interesting that we will continue to work on to give players reasons to go through it and benefit from it with your character and your story. I think those are things that we are looking to do. We are looking to create the Star Wars fantasy at a high level in the end game for players. That is something we really want to do. We want to have activities that keep you interested, keep you coming back, keep you busy that feel like experiences in a Star Wars movie. That is a huge goal. It is set in a different era, you know we're not in the movie time line, but it is reminiscent in what you know and that is a huge benefit for us. We're going to try and do that and do it really well. |
| MMORPG.com: | In the scope of an MMO the end game is critical. What mechanics are you doing with your end game to really enhance the experience? |
| Jake Neri: | I think we cannot give a ton of information about our end game yet. I think the main thing is that we understand the importance of a great end game. We do understand that there is a need to have a really compelling end game. That is where we are at for now, in terms of what we can say. |
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Good read, Jake Neri sure does have a lot to say to your questions.
1st point of failure to note
END GAME content.
Well for me personally End Game Content shouldn't be about the actual Content.
In a game like this it really needs to have a certain DAOC type model of PvP. This doesn't mean kill everything everywhere (must protect carebears after all), but if you need a place to have continual conflict. Planets, cities, something worth fighting over and NOT, I REPEAT NOT capture the flag crap, the jedi that holds bauble the longest wins crap, no Actual PvP content in an epic land mass ala DAOC.
Wow, he said a lot of nothing. They are working very hard to balance classes and have endgame. Done.
I'm thankful that it seems like they are trying to get out there and give out as much information as possible but in reality I quote the above poster for a run down of this entire interview. All that to basically say nothing new or add to what's already been said? Here's basically all of the information we know:
1. Story driven
2. Focus on "iconic" classes/combat
3. Star Wars focus
Seriously, this didn't add anything to the conversation that hasn't already been said. As I have stated before, I really wish these folks would just quiet their mouth until they have something to say that actually adds to the conversation. All this redundancy is doing is making me less excited about the game.
Other then, "Bioware is awesome!", "Star Wars is awesome!", "The Story is awesome!", how is this interview any different then all the others?
It's gotta be frustrating for you writers to get interviews with these folks and they never give any meaningful information.
It would be an absolute shame if they gave ALL of the information about their game away... a full year before it launches, eh? lol
Patience.
ah i remember when you made your own stories for your character in MMOs not have it spoon fed to you. but i guess this is what you get when the masses want this genre to become Massive Single player Online games with chat boxes.
They announced this game a year too soon. There has been next to nothing new the past couple months and probably won't be for awhile.
They get tired of people calling it an instanced carebear playground, yet they don't release much information to contradict the statement.
Go write a book, you can make multiple stories for multiple characters.
Yeah, my thoughts exactly. Zzzzz.... wake me up when they have something new to say...
The character on the front page advertisement for this Interview looks like he's just about to shout out....... "CAAAAABLE... GUUUUY!"
At least to me anyway.
"I think we cannot give a ton of information about our end game yet. I think the main thing is that we understand the importance of a great end game. We do understand that there is a need to have a really compelling end game. That is where we are at for now, in terms of what we can say."
He should of just came out and said "No endgame as of yet".....lol
In all fairness, I think their main reason to be so tight lipped is twofold. One, and most important, to prevent the competition to copy it before they themselves bring it. Like Blizzard. Second, to prevent potential gamers from taking things for granted before they are finalized. So while its frustrating for us as gamers I understand the reasons for their lack of info. If you think of some really new systems you'd want to keep it silent until its ready and there.
very true..blizzard copies a lot of ideas and add them to their game lol.
I'm really looking forward to this game, but I have to wonder why these people give interviews when they aren't talking about anything.
I'm really looking forward to this game, but I have to wonder why these people give interviews when they aren't talking about anything.
So they aren't regarded as a crazy, tight-lipped, greedy/shady/scamming company that never talks with the community.
What, you really people people wouldn't call them that if they stopped giving these interviews/updates, even if they don't have much substance? Even a company like BioWare is not immune.
My guess is they arent talking about much yet due to how long of a span is between now and launch. How many other game companies have spilled news of features and ideas before they were finalized in the game, only to have them change/deleted/altered come launch and then suffer the wrath of a million foaming at the mouth players who wanted said features to be in because thats what the selling point was of the game (AoC im looking at you here)
It does suck for us players who are looking forward to the game and click on every link that may contain possibly some new information. However from their standpoint its a smart move so they dont get caught with their pants down later if certain talked about features dont make it into the game.
Go write a book, you can make multiple stories for multiple characters.
go play a single player game, then you can have no choice on what the storyline for the your character is.
No you don't remember anything of the kind.
You remember MMOs having 0 content so you HAD to "create your own story" cuz there was precious little else to do.
I'm glad those days are dead and gone.
1990s are ---> that way. Say hi to Vanilla Ice for me while you're there.
Judging from your avatar..."In Soviet Russia you don't create story, story creates you"
Actually, I think the answer I liked best was the producer's perspective. He is gabby for sure, but at least he answered the questions that were posed to him. I thought it was a good read. Just saying...
Your personal social history in an mmo =\= the games story.
Neither are both mutually exclusive
Damn Jake talks a lot.
The last time I checked the Star wars story was written in the 70's. No harm done then , huh?
What a silly response, really!? I think you huffed some Novacaine. Bioware got their shit together just like Blizzard did when they broke into the MMO market. Bioware believes in go big or go home, look at the majority of their games, all quality! End game is the carrot WoW used and look at all the junkies chasing the carrot. I for one, even being a casual gamer, love the fact there is long lasting entertainment replay value. I rest assured everyone is stoked and just wants to play all in due time.
Camping spawn points for hours if not days at a time is hardly making your own story. Chatting with your buds about sports and girls while waiting for respawns at said camps hardly qualifies either. Back in the day, anyone who ran around actually "Role Playing" were considered a nerd's nerd and were mocked by the general MMOer. UO, EQ and AC were all about camping mobs for phat lewts and juicy XP. Game lore was obscure, story practically non-existant and like today, hardly anyone role played or made up their own stories.
It's also got to be frustrating for the people being interviewed when they want to say a lot more than they can.
Awesome response.
I would add: single-player RPGs are years ahead of MMORPGs in terms of being role-playing games. If putting the RPG into MMORPG makes it a 'single-player online game', whatever the hell that means, then fine, that's what I want.
Of course, there are MMO players who don't want MMORPGs, and that's great. I don't think it's wrong for role-players to want a turn, though.
go play a single player game, then you can have no choice on what the storyline for the your character is.
In a single-player game, I can't group with others, talk to friends (unless I have some chat program running in the background, eating up computer resources for no reason), buy/sell through a player-driven economy, or indulge in the other benefits only an MMO could provide. Plus, MMOs provide months or years of entertainment, while single-player games last maybe a week or two.
But all you need to write a book (it doesn't even have to be a good book, mind you) is an imagination and a basic understanding of grammar. And you have total creative freedom with the words you write. Even in MMOs, your character's story was limited by the setting and the world you were in. If you want freedom, create it. I've read some great fan fiction over the years and even some great stories of "IPs" that people made from scratch (though they were clearly influenced by established IPs).
These are two different schools of thought, I understand. Luckily, I can accept and enjoy both (TOR will probably be my main themepark and EVE or Earthrise, if it delivers, will be my sandbox).
Like this guy is going to give you any new information on a game at least a year away from production. Nice he gave you that interview, but expecting anything else is pure fantasy.
I apriciate that you ahve given us a chance to sneak to what SWTOR will be but this interwiev is just "Iwanna answer to those and those questions" we didnt received any information about actual game state so far ....
1-this game will be very similar to an GWars and Dragon Age RPG but for those you need to buy game only once and not paying for a monthly fee how do they think to give us players at least some reason for ressubing after we finish campaign ?
2-But if this will be called MMO than all kind of games which have some sort of coop in them should be also but for those you dont need to pay monthly fee:)
3-they insist on story and epic fights blah blah but where can people meet there for good or for worse to group up for some pvp,questing etc. story isnt a single win factor for an MMO it`s having fun in that world which they have created for us with other players
4-we don`t know anything about how they have imagined end game or what will end game be (raiding isntances,pvp on larger scale....)I`m sure it will be a blast but we dont know nothing about it yet......
5-if i have understanded so far corectly game will have some sort of micro-transition shop or whatever they call item mall these days what will in those malls be (DAge-new sets,weps, or like in some other mmo`s greater xp tomes and so on) how will this be balanced with other ingame content ?
6- how can you make pvp fun classes which will be oneshoted by jedi kind adoubt that there will be some vast battlefields for snipers and troopers to gain advantage in urban enviroment but we will have to wait and see....
i couldnt care less about this game. it doesnt look star wars. it looks like sci fi WoW. but im sure for every person who doesnt give a hoot, there are a thousand rabid fans who do.
My reaction precisely. Why bother to give an interview if there's nothing more to be said that hasn't been said -- or that didn't need to be said.
--Is it hard to balance the various classes?
--Yup, it's hard. But we are working on it.
Sheesh.
"We are putting a lot of emphasis on making sure people have a compelling experience from beginning to end."
"...from beginning to end."
"...to end."
"END"
the fact this is a design concern this eary is hard warming.
We al know somone will hit end game in the first month, it's unavoidable
I think the real concern from these nay sayers is that end game won't be exclusively raid oriented. It's got them pissing their pants that they may not get to lord it over the rest of us peons.
What a silly response, really!? I think you huffed some Novacaine. Bioware got their shit together just like Blizzard did when they broke into the MMO market. Bioware believes in go big or go home, look at the majority of their games, all quality! End game is the carrot WoW used and look at all the junkies chasing the carrot. I for one, even being a casual gamer, love the fact there is long lasting entertainment replay value. I rest assured everyone is stoked and just wants to play all in due time.
What replay value?, they havent even told us anything besides STORY!! STORY !!! STORY!!!, and unnecssary multiple Jedi/Sith classes, where is the talk or a outline of some of the features they plan for the game? Other than just pure speculation , despite the fact they haven't even defended themselves to refute the statements that the game is nothing more than a single player game with co-op play? I'm sorry I'm not a Bioware fan, and I'm not really seeing what the hype is about since I can see thru the BS, and this will be no different than any other MMO wannabe out there.
The replayability is in the stated fact that every class has a completely individualized story. None are the same, so you can play all 8 classes from beginning to end and not repeat content as far as the story line goes. Of course, all of the typical MMO stuff that is in the game will likely fall under the same MMO paradigm, grind XP.....rinse......repeat, grind gear......rinse.....repeat, grind faction......rinse......repeat, grind crafting and gathering skills........rinse......repeat, etc etc etc.
Darth Hater have an interview with Daniel Erickson that is about 10000 times more interesting than this interview...
darthhater.com/2010/03/15/interview-story-time-with-daniel-erickson/
The only interesting thing about this interview is seeing the clamp down on the hype and refusal to talk about features a year before release. This is smart. The idiots complaining about the interview lacking information are not smart. The interview was dull because the wrong questions were asked and there was no real conversation.
Thanks, Strap. That was definitely a better, more informative interview.
In all fairness, I think their main reason to be so tight lipped is twofold. One, and most important, to prevent the competition to copy it before they themselves bring it. Like Blizzard. Second, to prevent potential gamers from taking things for granted before they are finalized. So while its frustrating for us as gamers I understand the reasons for their lack of info. If you think of some really new systems you'd want to keep it silent until its ready and there.
They are doing a good job, people wanting everything yesterday and endgame from Day Two after release is what is ruining the Genre.
I would rather have a game to play for 2-3 years and no end game.... That would be novel wouldn't it gameplay community and fun.
Hmm i know i didn't expect them to tell us anything concrete about the game,but still sounded a lot like a Tiger Woods interview i watched yesterday."How did your wife react?" kind of questions,answers were pretty obvious.
I think i would have liked to know if they are truly giving it a SW theme by making it about the group and not the individual.After all SW is not about some solo guy wandering in space or on planets,unless yo uare that Jedi Knight looking to infiltrate even then they have a fleet and troopers.
I also cringed big time when i heard Mr.Fuller ask about "END GAME",man that is so "WOWISH" ,i am dead tired of hearing about end game.Instead 90% of the focus should be on "THE GAME" so we can once and for all remove this constant push players have to reach end game and totally ignore the main theme of the game.This kind of mentality means 3 months in a game is dead,noobs won't join anymore because they will feel like the world is empty because everyone races off to some end game.I would also like to hear what exactly is the direction of the game,be it WOW like, all quest driven,pushing us from NPC to NPC linear type game?
I do NOT believe in balance,why does everyone think there has to be balance in classes?A game should not focus totally on end game PVP that is ridiculous and even if it did balance should not be the issue.When you focus on a "CLASS" system it should feel the part, a Sith Lord and a Jedi Knight should be the most powerful in the game.I do not think SW on a whole follows any real weapon pattern,it is not like saying a light saber is the most powerful weapon but in SW it is a weapon that tends to be able to block in coming attacks,shields should imo still be more defensive than the saber.I think SW would be the perfect game to use "proximity"attacks but keep it simple like upper/lower attacks giving players that constant attack/block challenge the same way you see a lengthy fight with two light saber combatants.
The PRODUCER question was the best lmao,it sounds more like he is a desk jockey,someone who feeds the information from the workers to his bosses,not much more.It sounds like he gathers all the productivity and meets in a board room with his bosses every week and just tells them what they want to hear.I would be interested in his job/abilities outside the board room meetings,does he have the power to decide on what gets changed or done different without consent from his boss?I would like to hear,IF he has actually had to make any changes so far?No game is perfect if they just roll with everything and accept it,why even have a producer?
He says they have no time line?Anyone actually believe that?The movies all have budget /time lines he is saying their gaming division has none?They could take 10 years if they wanted?Imo he was just saying what we want to hear,the same as i felt Tiger Woods was doing in his little interview yesterday.
Well , since TOR is a 4 against 4 class verses Class setup there best be some balance. And as for end game content, its best that BioWare just focus on the Start game content. Which they are.
What "interviews" aka PR blah blah REALLY means:
"The team is very inspired. They continue to ride the wave of last year where we had a tremendous amount of interest. We were very fortunate to be treated very well."
Translation: We have so much pressure from all side, TOR is totally overhyped, people expect way too much.
"You cover tons of MMOs. They all have their ups and downs."
T: MMORPG.com is a place full of TOR-haters and trolls!
"The good news for us is that we have talented guys who are totally passionate about this."
T: We all force our employees to work unpaid extra hours like 70 hours per week. See what magic that does to their family life...
"We do have challenges because it is Star Wars. It is different than other games. We have a strategy for what we want to accomplish. We have a number of good people on it so it is going well."
T: We don't care rats ass about what you want based on your MMO expectations. We know better than you what is cool. There is no swimming because in Star Wars movies no one ever swam! (Elikal interjects: but ... but in Episode 1... J.Neri *hold ears* LALALALAAAA I CAN'T HEAR YOU... JAR JAR... MEDICHLORIANS LAA LAAALAAA)
"I will be with journalists all day, I won't play the game. I have other folks that will though, and they will pick up the slack. We have found a really sweet grove in terms of lots of people contributing, lots of mind power shared, lots of good conversations going on daily. We have to pick that up constantly because the game is so big and moving so fast. If you don't have good communication you are doomed."
T: I have no clue about the game, I am just saying the same PR bla bla every RP dude says.
"There are certain things that we won't try to revolutionize, we'll try to do to a AAA level, but we're not going to impress your readers with a new amazing auction mechanic. Those things are already done well in MMOs."
T: Yes we are a WOW in space clone. Now STFU.
"We understand that for some hardcore MMO fans they may or may not like the story, but we do feel like that is something that will be compelling and interesting that we will continue to work on to give players reasons to go through it and benefit from it with your character and your story."
T: We don't care damn about you trollers and haters feedback. Cry me a river.
Thanks for nothing, Mr. Pulicrelations
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