Dofus 2.0 Interview

MMORPG.com:

What is the single biggest change for players with DOFUS 2.0?

Mathieu Bourgain:

The game is supported by a new graphic engine based on Action Script 3 and the latest Adobe Air technology, and the server and client code have been completely rewritten to offer a wealth of detail and an unparalleled gaming experience. DOFUS 2.0 features a free to play section, along with a varied subscription model which allows gamers the flexibility to play as they like.

DOFUS 2.0 is a rewrite of the original server code, client code, and graphic engine from the original DOFUS. After 5 years of existence, we felt like it was time to give the game a fresh look. The interface system and tutorial has also been completely redesigned.

MMORPG.com:

How has the fan reaction been to the game's upgrade?

Mathieu Bourgain:

Like for every major engine update in every game, you cannot always make every single player happy, there are always players that prefer the old look to the new one. But most players have received the changes with a warm welcome, and we allowed a long transition period for them to get used to the new environment. For now both DOFUS and DOFUS 2.0 are available for them to play. We plan to make the full move to 2.0 for every server when the community is ready.

MMORPG.com:

Give us some insight into changes for player classes?

Mathieu Bourgain:

We're waiting for Frigost to be released in order to work further on class balancing. Some of the classes are a bit unbalanced during lower levels, and we want to make the game balanced and interesting at all levels.

We will make changes to the Cra (Archer) class, which is too powerful at lower levels, and Fire Iops (Warriors) which are also too powerful.

We would like to review the Feca (Protector) class which is not doing too well during PVP phases at the moment.

Later on, we want to work on the summoning problems from the Osamoda (Summoner) class, they actually make turn based fighting a bit too slow. We want to make this class more tactical and raise their value when grouping.

MMORPG.com:

How has the game balance changed with 2.0?

Mathieu Bourgain:

DOFUS 2.0 is mainly a graphical revamp, the balance of the game itself has not really been affected. We're working on new patches and future expansions that will improve the game balance. While rewriting the code of DOFUS 2.0, we've tried to improve the general ergonomics of the game and correct a some imperfections in the gameplay. We've raised the amount of monster groups on each map to make sure that players would not have to wait too long for a respawn. Combat phases, movements and attacks should now be more intuitive, generating faster and more enjoyable fights, which will accelerate character progression.

We have also worked on better randomizing the position of monsters at the beginning of a fight in order to make those fights less predictable.

MMORPG.com:

What new monsters and quests can players expect to find in the DOFUS world?

Mathieu Bourgain:

Players will have to wait for the next expansion (Frigost, the ice continent) in order to discover the news monsters and quests. We are now working on the Frigost monsters. Frigost will be a new island for characters from level 100 to 200. A new quest system will reward the character according to his level and the difficulty of the quest.

MMORPG.com:

Are there any new Patches planned for post 2.0?

Mathieu Bourgain:

The massive new extension planned for release in a few months is Frigost, the ice continent. There may be another expansion in 2010, but the focus in on Frigost for now. We release patches every couple of weeks in order to improve the quality and balance of the game.

MMORPG.com:

What are your plans for DOFUS in 2010?

Mathieu Bourgain:

We plan to put a lot of energy into perfecting Frigost, and we're also working on a few secret projects based on the universe of DOFUS and Wakfu... you'll have to wait for the Ankama Convention in April to learn all about them!