An Interview with Rusel DeMaria

MMORPG.com:

How do you feel free online MMOs stack up against the pay per month MMOs?

Rusel DeMaria:

That's an interesting question, since there is quite a range of free online MMOs. Honestly, if a free MMO is popular and finds an audience, it's good. Whether I personally like it is irrelevant. There are lots of "low tech" MMOs that have dedicated followings, and I think that's just great.

If you are asking about 2Moons, I think it compares pretty well with the pay-per-month games. Not only is it already a fun, well-designed Diablo-esque MMORPG, with great graphics and action, a stable engine and a deep storyline, but it's constantly improving and adding new areas and features.

MMORPG.com:

Will Acclaim coins give players an unfair advantage over those who decide not purchase them?

Rusel DeMaria:

We are aware of the possibility of players buying their success, and that's not in the spirit of 2Moons. Our cash shop will allow people to get some useful items, to be sure, as well as some purely cosmetic items. However, we do not intend on selling any items that would give players any unfair advantage based on how much money they spend. We sell special guild symbols, auto-potions, some special items that increase the odds for doing risky item modifications and some costume options. We will add new items as we go forward, but I don't anticipate anything that would suddenly change the balance of the game.

MMORPG.com:

What made you decide on the 17 and Over format?

Rusel DeMaria:

2Moons is a game that has a violent and wild flavor to it, and we wanted to offer something that had a different identity - that played by its own rules. We're still working with our players to determine just how rough and tumble the game should be. We initially set out to create the most gritty MMO in history, but we soon found out that there was a line that even our players didn't want us to cross. But we're listening to their feedback and will continue to respond to our players. 2Moons will remain edgy and adult. There are plenty of friendly, well-behaved games out there. 2Moons just isn't going to be one of them.

MMORPG.com:

Will it be possible to Player Kill characters greatly beneath your level, and if so will there be penalties?

Rusel DeMaria:

It will be possible to PK lower-level characters, but there's no real reward for it, and there are definite penalties. Our PvP system has several aspects to it. First, you can duel anyone, any time. There are no adverse consequences to dueling. And for very legitimate PvP options, we will have siege battles for guilds as well as our upcoming Dead Front event, which promises to be a lot of kick ass fun involving up to four full parties in a cooperative and competitive timed event, which culminates in a full-scale PvP war to the death.

However, in ordinary game play, players can attack other players - at least in some areas of the game. A player who is already a player killer (called Niete, in 2Moons) suffers several consequences, including that anyone can attack them. They become a Niete character simply by attacking any non-Niete character. In addition, Niete characters can be sent to jail if caught by the castle guards, and ordinary shopkeepers won't sell to them. The Niete effect will gradually wear off, however, and it does not increase if you only fight other Niete. To be honest, we're still waiting to see the whole system in action, and to learn how players will respond to it.

MMORPG.com:

Rusel DeMaria:

At present, we don't have any system that would support faction grinding.

MMORPG.com:

Rusel DeMaria:

2Moons is a hardcore RPG; however, casual players should be able to have a lot of fun. There's plenty to do, with monster killing, exploration and quests that players can enjoy casually, while they can also immerse themselves deeply into the experience, form guilds, battle each other and explore every corner of the game. And our upcoming Dead Front event is open to different levels of players, so even relatively low-level players can have the satisfaction of competing in a last-man standing event that will give them great experience and the pride of winning, while not requiring hours to complete.

Also, there is plenty of good gear to find from monster drops, and unique areas to visit and many quests and NPCs to interact with. I've personally enjoyed playing the game in a more casual way at times, just going in for a half an hour at a time and working a few quests, for instance. I think there's room for many kinds of players.

MMORPG.com:

Rusel DeMaria:

Interestingly, there is no experience gain from Player Killing, so players will gain from killing monsters and from completing the quests. In 2Moons, PvP is something that is present and possible at all times, but meant for fun and within the larger contexts, such as the siege battles, Dead Front and other upcoming events. We're not interested in killing festivals for the sake of PvP, but for meaningful PvP experiences, and as always, we'll listen to our players and do our best to offer new PvP events and opportunities.

MMORPG.com:

Rusel DeMaria:

Our philosophy is to bring quality games to the market. Some of them will come from other companies. For instance, 2Moons is based on the Korean game, Dekaron. But when we bring a game from another country, we recognize that it's also from another market with its own needs. In fact, David Perry is flying to China to be one of the keynote speakers at the Shanghai version of GDC this month. His speech is all about the differences between Asian markets and US and European markets. So, while we expect comparisons with Dekaron, we are not just bringing Dekaron to the U.S., but creating a game that is tailored for our markets, with American design teams and experience. What we hope is that 2Moons represents a new chapter in the concept of taking games from around the world and making them popular and successful in our markets. We're not just porting Dekaron; we're creating 2Moons. The game will continue to evolve, based on our design suggestions and our players' feedback, and we anticipate a productive relationship to continue between Acclaim and Dekaron's developers, GameHi.

MMORPG.com:

Rusel DeMaria:

2Moons is completely different from any other Acclaim product. David Perry, in his role as Acclaim's Chief Creative Officer, sees Acclaim's game lineup as the equivalent of a TV network, where each game is like a separate channel. His stated goal is that, whoever you are, there's a game that's perfect for you. In fact, if anyone knows of a type of game we aren't offering yet, let us know. Logging on to www.acclaim.com should be like, in DP's words, "turning a big giant dial" to find the game perfect for you. So, where we wanted a high-action MMORPG, we added 2Moons to the virtual game network.

MMORPG.com:

Rusel DeMaria:

We will be getting more feedback from gamers and make changes for our commercial launch. We're amazed how many people are in the game and seem to be having a great time, even when we're just testing before the official Open Beta and nothing has been formally announced. Three days into our stress testing, we are already adding new servers. But we want to hear from our players. Acclaim's philosophy of MMOs is to involve the community as much as possible, so we will be aiming toward a commercial launch at just the right time. The improvements happening to 2Moons are relentless, and so we expect to continue to improve and expand 2Moons, based on player feedback. Look for new features, new areas, new competitions and... who knows?

MMORPG.com:

Rusel DeMaria:

I have a fondness for the big lizard.