| MMORPG.com: | Can you tell us a little bit about what Disciple is all about? |
| Tobias Batton: | Disciple is based in a world called "Aphelion". Aphelion is a real word that literally means: "The point on its orbit when the Earth is farthest from the sun" So, this world is extremely dark, brutal and violent. If you read into the lore there are heavy God themes that deal with abandonment of the creator and a fall from grace. As a result you have a land of people that are recklessly searching for meaning in their lives and others that have lost hope and seek only power. The game itself is really focused on status and skill. As you fight other real people online, you can dismember them, remove their heads, gain rank, level and skill. As you mature in the game you can create and manage a clan. Clans themselves are ranked so there is a lot of cooperation involved for serious players. |
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| MMORPG.com: | What are the advantages of a browser based MMO over a standard client based game? |
| Tobias Batton: | Accessibility. With a browser game that requires no client to play, its as easy as logging in to facebook. You don't need to worry about waiting for a large download and it's also much more difficult for an IT admin at the workplace to see what you're doing ;). In addition, browser based MMORPGs typically cost much much less than a triple A client based MMORPG. Quick play is a huge advantage to our game. It was designed for people to play 10-60 minutes at a time, so no need to clear the entire day for an 8 hour raid session, which goes hand in hand with playing the game in A-typical environments. Finally, Its much easier to connect with your friends, at-least in our game. Its all one giant world (no server options) so finding someone is as easy as typing their character name into a search bar. |
| MMORPG.com: | What are the disadvantages of a browser based MMO? |
| Tobias Batton: | Since there is no client, the visual (graphics) aspect of the game is never going to compare to a client game. Aside from that I think its based on the users taste in play style. If you are really determined to have a game to play for 8-10 hours at a time, it will be difficult to find that depth in a browser game. |
| MMORPG.com: | Is there a PvE element to the game, or is it strictly PvP? |
| Tobias Batton: | The game is heavily PvP focused. It's almost like an MMORPG that is heavily influenced by social networking mechanisms. We do have, however, NPCs and Quests with a rather dark, and sometimes humorous story line. |
| MMORPG.com: | Can you explain how progression works in Disciple? |
| Tobias Batton: | There are 3 types of progression in Disciple. The first you are probably familiar with: Kill people, complete quests, get XP and level up. As you level up of course you will unlock new actions and attacks, as well as find more powerful weapons and armor. Outside of that, its really all about your players rank. If you are the highest rated player in our game, you will be on our website. If you are the lowest rated player in our game, you will also show up on the bottom of the list. Its all public. You increase your rank by Battling other Disciples (Spars don't effect rank). We are using the Elo rating system for this. Finally, your clan has a rank as well. The Clan's rank is determined by the Elo rating of all the members of a specific clan. This is partly how politics get involved. If you are in a serious clan, you may find that you are expelled if your performance is consistently low. Clan rankings are public as well. |
| MMORPG.com: | How much customization is available to players? |
| Tobias Batton: | When a player first enters the game they get to make a lot of choices. First of all you can choose Race and Sex. This will determine what options you have available for skin color, hair styles and facial hair. Next, you choose your class, and this determines primarily your fighting style, but also the general build and stance appearance of your character. As you progress through the game, especially after level 6, there are dozens of armor and weapon styles to choose from. We have well over 1200 unique items in the game, and are already working on more. |
| MMORPG.com: | Can you tell us a little bit about the classes in the game, and how they differ from one another? |
| Tobias Batton: | There are 3 classes in the game that determine your fighting style. The first is the Warlord, which is really our tank class. The Warlord's style is to absorb damage with armor and high health points, while dealing moderate damage over a long period of time. The Bloodletter is the closest class you will find to a typical rogue. The Bloodletter has a moderate defense, but really focuses on dealing high damage and a few small de-buffs. The hardest class to play, but potentially the most powerful if mastered correctly is the Shaman. The Shaman has low health, and low armor, and does not do a lot of damage. The appeal of the Shaman is learning how to use your heals, debuffs and damage over time effects to maximize your strategy. This class is really for the advanced players. |
| MMORPG.com: | Can you tell us about the races in the game and how they differ from one another? |
| Tobias Batton: | Each race is different in terms of appearance, but they also have an effect on your play style and over all build. You will get stat bonuses for your race choice, as well as two actions that will unlock as you progress through the game. Race choice really mixes with class choice in interesting ways, it makes it easy to diversify your fighting style, or stack it completely towards your strengths. |
| MMORPG.com: | What is the business model for Disciple? |
| Tobias Batton: | Disciple is free for anyone to play. Players also have the option to pay for a premium subscription for a small monthly fee that unlock several benefits including access to more powerful gear, an in game currency allowance, and the ability to create and lead a clan, among other things. In addition, Players can purchase in game currency in our gold store called "Geldors" if they are looking to get ahead of the curve with more powerful weapons and armor. |
In addition, Players can purchase in game currency in our gold store called "Geldors" if they are looking to get ahead of the curve with more powerful weapons and armor.
I'd rather them just have a set monthly cost to begin with with no FTP accounts or these geldors....because what this means, is that even if the game were to be a p2p game only...then the players who had the most money would always come out on top....aka not an even playing field ever.
You can't have a pvp f2p game that allows players to purchase increased skills. It basically means that if you don't spend cash you are non competitive. They either to need to make this a subscription game or just forget it. The current design just won't fly.
If you purchase the monthly recurring subscription, you get an in game currency allowance, so it's highly unlikely that you will need to make separate currency purchases in addition to your monthly subscription. The allowance should give you enough to purchase the most powerful items in the game.
If you purchase the monthly recurring subscription, you get an in game currency allowance, so it's highly unlikely that you will need to make separate currency purchases in addition to your monthly subscription. The allowance should give you enough to purchase the most powerful items in the game.
so whats the f2p part for then? lol
i get more dmg in pve , better drops more xp etc as part of a micro transaction game but this?;/
If you purchase the monthly recurring subscription, you get an in game currency allowance, so it's highly unlikely that you will need to make separate currency purchases in addition to your monthly subscription. The allowance should give you enough to purchase the most powerful items in the game.
With all due respect, you just shot yourself in the foot with that comment. I was going to try the game, but now that it's in plain words: "The allowance should give you enough to purchase the most powerful items in the game," turns me off like a light switch. So in other words, subscribe, wait until enough money piles up, then get the best stuff in the game. El oh el.
Although what you say may be factually true, I don't think your boss would like that kind of stuff written on the forums in such blatancy, especially by an employee.
Hey is that Beyonce on the left side of the screen on MMORPG?
Maybe she can sell this pile of turd.
I was actually looking forward to trying this game, now that I read the interview I removed the site from favorites and I will probably forget it even existed in the next two days.
Either you make it free to play where even the free to play users are competitive or you make it strictly pay to play, there is no attractive middle way to go here. You will end up with only some pay to play players instead of alot of free to play, some that subscribe sometimes and the ones that got a running subscription.
This game is just like any other free to play game that has a cash shop. Whoever dishes out the cash to get premium items is gonna progress faster and have more in game money than those who dont. I have spent my share of money in ftp games and now i realize that it was never really worth it, i might as well have played a sub game.This game is based for people who have a lilttle extra time on thier hands and have access to a computer ahywhere. Its not to in depth, the graphics arent great, but its alittle fun to mess around on just to pass the time and i think that was what they were aiming for. I dont see my self playing it for as long as i would war or wow, but every now and again sure.
I've looked at all the top tier weapons and armor and the premium stuff is NOT overpowered. Other than slightly better gear and a npc zone for battles the free players can very much compete in this game. The game Duels has been very successful with almost the exact same set-up and it is 100x the money pit this game will ever be because it's part collectable. So far, the game has been fun and I will continue to play regardless of the harsh criticism mmorpg.com patrons will give it.