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Fury: Developer Chat
On September 18th, MMORPG.com hosted a developer chat with the guys from Auran Games and their upcoming PvP MMORPG, Fury
MMORPG.com:
Greetings and welcome to MMORPG.com's Live Chat on irc.forthegamers.org! I'm your host, MMORPG.com's community manager Laura "Taera" Genender. Joining us today is the Fury team!
MMORPG.com:
Our guests will do their best to answer as many questions as possible, but due to limited time and a high volume of inquiries, they may not be able to answer every single one. Users are limited to one question at a time, and you will be notified if your question is rejected or discarded.
MMORPG.com:
Now it's time for introductions! Feel free to start sending your questions to DevBot while our guests introduce themselves!
Adam Carpenter:
Hey all
Adam Carpenter:
I'm Adam Carpenter, Lead Designer and Creative Director for Fury. To give you a bit of an idea what I do, I'm responsible for Fury's vision and direction as well as directing our short, medium and long term goals.
Cameron McNeil:
Hey I'm Cameron McNeil, I'm a game systems designer on the Fury team as well as the general scapegoat and blame guy.
Vortal:
Hi, my names Vortal and I am an alcoholic ... oops wrong chat. I am the online producer for Fury and been making MMO games for over 7 years across many different companies.
Alex Weekes:
Hi, I'm Alex Weekes, Fury's Community Manager. I'm the one you all get to shout at.
MMORPG.com:
To ask a question please /msg DevBot with your question at this time :)
Cameron McNeil:
but not blame :P
Alex Weekes:
Yeah, blame Cam
Adam Carpenter:
next
MMORPG.com:
And send questions! :)
MMORPG.com:
Keebs1984 :asks: I was wondering if there are already, currently planned, or future plans to create additional content or expansion pakcs and whether they will be pay2play or free?
Adam Carpenter:
There are definitely plans to add new expansion to the game. They will come in two forms. You'll see free content updates 3-4 times a year and also major boxed expansions every couple years.
MMORPG.com:
MysticRyu :asks: What kind of skills go into being part of the Fury team, and what should someone as an aspiring developer (mainly in the programming department) do to get a start to work for on a team like yours?
Vortal:
My best advice is to always have a camera ready, pictures for blackmail purposes are a sure fire way to advance your career! Basically the hardest part is always getting into the industry, from there work hard and you normally get noticed and can move to other things.
Cameron McNeil:
Personally I can't say enough about education, a good degree (Adam and I are both qualified engineers) is a great head start no matter what you're looking at. Otherwise just play as many games as you can and start working on your own portfolio even if it's just simple flash games :)
Adam Carpenter:
When trying to get into the games industry, it's critical that you can demonstrate that you really want to develop games for a living
Alex Weekes:
I got my start in the industry through running a fansite for a game that was in production. Key skills: enthusiasm and dedication, really.
Alex Weekes:
that and knowing the right people ;)
MMORPG.com:
Guest4224 :asks: What is being done to address the current issues reguarding Buffs and Bloodbath Respawning?
Cameron McNeil:
We had a lot of feedback about the old buff system, you didn't like it and we weren't happy with it. We have some long term goals, one of which is to limit stacking of the same buff but we wanted to address the issue of buff stacking in general first with the tools we have available.
MMORPG.com:
Khraiven :asks: What sort of "content" can we expect outside of just the current 3-game-type matches?
Adam Carpenter:
With bloodbath respawning, it is supposed to use the least spawn rule. This means that you are supposed to respawn in the most sparsely populated area of the map. Of course, this doesn't always work as well as we'd like.
Alex Weekes:
New content ... well we have lots of ideas, so I'll just mention the most important ones
Alex Weekes:
We're already working on a new game type that will be called Fortress. It's for larger teams than the current game types, on larger maps with more goals. We'll also be implementing a crafting system and we're aiming for 1v1 and 2v2 Elimination modes for release. Beyond release, it's really up to you guys to tell us what you want!
MMORPG.com:
Keebs1984 :asks: How do you plan to introduce a fresh face on pvp arena gameplay and keep it from becoming stale?
Adam Carpenter:
The biggest way is by getting lots and lots of feedback from players before we art the maps up.
Adam Carpenter:
we're currently designing a large number of maps so that we can put them on our text server shortly after release
Adam Carpenter:
in this way we only artify the best maps and we ensure that maps are constantly evolving based on what our players want
MMORPG.com:
guest123456 :asks: When or How will the game come out? Will there be different starting locations?
Vortal:
Fury releases in the US, Europe and Australia/NZ on October 16th. You can get it from your local game store or download it online - whichever floats ya boat.
Vortal:
The server system spawns new common instances once a player limit is reached so there should be no excessive lag on day one.
Vortal:
At the moment you can preorder for some cool bonus and you can compete in Fury Challenge for over $2million in prizes
MMORPG.com:
xkey :asks: My question is about how easy is it for the casual-lowcore gamer to get deeply into the game and make worthwhile progression on any ladder? I'm a single dad that just hasnt had more than 20 hours a week to dedicate to an mmorpg even though I used to plug 1800 hours a year into D2. I have not played a single min of WoW due to the grind & raiding factors - i get my grind programming lol
Adam Carpenter:
Xkey, the big thing is to seat meaningful objectives for yourself. If you want to get to the top of one of our Best 10 ladders, you can do it. We've split our ladders system into 2 main types, Skill and Performance ladders. The Skill Ladders show your Best 10 games in a time window, so if you're good, you really only need to play 10 or 15 games a week,
Vortal:
aaahhhh Diablo2, they were the days. Xkey, I hear what you are saying as I am in a similar situation and Fury is definately the way to go for both casual and hardcore players. The guys can explain this better than me ....
Alex Weekes:
I personally find that I really enjoy Fury in short bursts. I can jump in and play a few Elimination games in my lunch break and actually see that I've accomplished something.
MMORPG.com:
[Oo]Jackalope :asks: are there any plans to expand on the information that the personal stats page shows (it is very lacking for healers for example)? If so, what are the planned additions?
Alex Weekes:
Very good question, Jackalope. The player stats pages that have been revealed for Fury Challenge are just the start of what we plan. We'll have significantly more information for players once we've expanded the system to cover the full range of statistics we gather.
Alex Weekes:
it's just the first course ... the rest of the banquet is yet to come
Adam Carpenter:
To give you an idea what these will entail, here's a link to the first one: [url="http://blogs.ign.com/Fury_Team/2007/09/18/66573/"]http://blogs.ign.com/Fury_Team/2007/09/18/66573/[/url]
Vortal:
mmmmmm food :)
MMORPG.com:
Guest4224 :asks: Currently silencing casting stops defensive stance however melee players when subdued etc can go into dstance doesnt this seem a bit unbalanced?
Cameron McNeil:
Basically we want to provide a couple of viable (and reliable) counters to defensive stances and silence is one of these counters. It's something we will be playing close attention to but at the moment there are no immediate plans to change them.
Cameron McNeil:
As for it being overpowered? Is it more overpowered to force players to hold off using a silence now to "save" it for a d-stance? Either way all players have access to the skills to counter such moves.
Adam Carpenter:
I really like the new mechanic. It adds significantly to in combat risk vs. reward decision making. Effectively, what you need to do is consider if the enemy is bringing in a D Stance, then consider what you need to do to force them to burn it early since once they've their defensive stances, it, they can't get back into it for another 30 seconds.
MMORPG.com:
MysticRyu :asks: What do you feel is the biggest accomplishment of Fury thus far? How has it truly set itself apart from its competitors from a developer's perspective?
Adam Carpenter:
That we've managed to create a fun and meaningful game with significant depth to combat and core gameplay. Players now are really only beginning to scratch the surface in terms of effective strategies, counter builds and so on. I'm really looking forward to how gameplay and builds evolve post release.
Adam Carpenter:
Fury's combat is visceral, you don't find that in many (if any) other RPGs out there
Cameron McNeil:
What other games have /blamecam or /sexyback? Nuff said
MMORPG.com:
Khraiven :asks: Is this game intended for the casual player only? Or are there plans to add more content to the game? If so, what types of content?
Alex Weekes:
After playing witht he speed of Fury I find it really difficult going back to other games
Vortal:
we're casual for people who want to have fun, we're serious for people who want to compete. anyone should try the Fury Challenge event now (http://www.furychallenge.com) and see for themselves.
MMORPG.com:
guest123456 :asks: What is exactly the object of this game?
Adam Carpenter:
What's the objective in any game, especially an MMO? Most people would probably say "to win". My argument is that the objective in games is to have fun.
Adam Carpenter:
In Fury, fun and the objective comes from competing with and against your peers. This might be at the pickup group level or playing in a serious clan competition. Either way, it's up to you.
Alex Weekes:
In short: kill or be killed. That is the answer.
Vortal:
Is Alex the new Shakespear?
Chat Log Continued on Page Two...
Not a single question about charge manipulation guys? C'mon, if I wasn't working I would have been there, but seriously nobody asked any game breaking questions. Shame...oh and FIRST!!!
This part just cracks me up:
Guest4224 :asks: the question of overpowered was directed at the fact that if you silence a caster they cant do anything not even enter dstance, however if you subdue a melee they Can enter dstance and wait it out or clear it.
Vortal:
*pokes Cam to answer*
Cameron McNeil:
Ya I realise that but I disagree that "casters can't do anything". They can take any physical attack they want or break hold effects. Also if your enemy has to wait to use the silence or risk having you enter d-stance. Melee can be disarmed right away with no thought of the effects on d-stance. Like I said before we will be paying close attention to the how things play out but remember that you'll....
Cameron is Melee all the way. This mentality ^ is why I get the impression the game will never be balanced.
Thanks for the chat log!
Come on, it's pretty ludicrous to suggest that a designer would intentionally screw the balance of his own game by being biased to a certain play style.
He raises a good point that I honestly don't think players have got to grips with; there are no casters or melee 'classes'. Even if you take a focus over a melee weapon you can still use melee attacks. It's a tough adjustment to make from the usual rigid class structures of other MMOs, but an important one.
Actions speak louder than words. In this case, the user did bring up a problem with balance, and the response was "well i dissagree, its perfectly fine for any caster focused player to have no def stance".
Lets face it, have you looked at the skills? I tried the caster melee approach. Doesnt work very well in the game... wanna know why? because skills only work if you either have a weapon, focus, or type of weapon and focus. Meaning, as a player you really dont have all the options they want to make you believe you have.
Secondly, in Fury it is apparent you HAVE to be a specialized class in order to really have a chance. Lets face it, it is a pvp tournament style game, and there is no room for the jack of all trades approach. You have to specialize if you want a chance at competing. You either go full caster or full melee. Does this make sense? Again it comes back to the idea of balance. The game isnt pve, its pure pvp, and in order to win, you have to go with the winning combos. This causes users to flock to that type of specialization, i hope the devs see this early instead of when its too late.
Firstly, if you read the latest balance changes thread, you would know that Cam has in fact taken feedback on that decision, and hold effects such as silence will no longer effect using defensive stances.
Secondly, yes, some abilities have different weapon requirements, but anyone can take multiple weapon sets.
Thirdly, you make a pretty broad statement on 'what competitive players must do' for someone who really hasn't given the game much of a chance. I know a lot of the more experienced testers who would strongly disagree with you.
Dont get me wrong, i think you are assuming i have some bias against fury as a product. I dont, I hope it will succeed and I did enjoy playing some of it. In fact, I have played more of it than i think you give me credit for.
I am being cold and logical in this case. you are in defensive mode and all I am doing is addressing some of the major issues with this game. It is called feedback. As you can see in the chat log, it did not appear that Cam took that feed back at all, so if he has decided to finally take it in, then good. Developers are put in a tough position because they cant be expected to cater to the player bases wants and needs but at the same time they have to, especially in online games, also understand and accept that players often see the product a bit differently. Its a balance between "gripping" too hard and not hard enough.
I will say it right now, the game is not balanced, and YOU agreed. Balance in a pvp match game with ladders and tournaments is a huge huge problem. There is no PvE to distract players. Its all pvp, and when that happens, Balance is the most most most important thing to deal with. The nice thing is that players will never really be stuck with any one build, but at the moment, again a few select builds are what are used to compete at the highest level. Many skills become useless and specialization becomes a nessesity. That is why mixing melee and caster types is just not completely viable. Just because the options are there, does not make them worth using.
One problem i noticed in your defensiveness is that you assume i have not given this game a chance and already put it under the rug so to speak. You accuse me of broad statements, yet isnt that making a broad assumption as well... players... gamers sometimes hold grudges, which is illogical. I do not, I understand that the nature of online games is inconsistant at best. They WILL change, just as I expect Fury to change and grow... they have no choice because that is how you keep players interested.
You might have noticed our conversation is about the NOW, the present however, and though hearing statements about Cam disagreeing that there was a problem gives the impression for a bleak future. If he did indeed remedy that problem, then perhaps it is a good sign, perhaps him as a developer is also learning as he goes along. I was talking about the Now however, and if the game balances out... great, if not then thats a shame. Still, there is no point in the fury challenge if balance does not exist, thus I am out of it in the interim.
Feel free to agree or disagree with my points and statements, but please refrain from making generalization about myself as a gamer and the supposed "chances" i give a game.