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Interview with Todd Keister

Richard Cox Posted:
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Interviews 0

Richard Duffek asks Todd Keister (a.k.a. "Guinn"), Assistant Producer a few questions about their upcoming vehicular combat MMORPG Auto Assault.

MMORPG.com: I have heard information about being able to craft custom items as you increase in level. Could you please tell me more about this daring feature of the game?
Guinn:

Players in Auto Assault will be able to hone the art of customization by increasing attributes required to enhance an item. Through training and practice, players can increase the number of enhancements on an object or increase the opportunity to create a completely unique item when experimenting.

MMORPG.com: Is the game more mission or free-roam oriented (i.e. GTA 4), and what sort of tasks will players be able to undertake?
Guinn:

There's a substantial story arc in Auto Assault that sends players all over the game world as they progress through many varied and exciting tasks. However, at any point on that journey, players may 'roam' to investigate new areas, annihilate enemy groups, or level everything in their paths. That's actually a very cool aspect of the game. Because of the way everything is modeled in the Havoc physics engine, you can just go driving and have some fun. So rather than just running to the next quest or mission, perhaps avoiding aggroing mobs on the way, you can now blast across the land, mowing down NPC enemies and see them rag-doll into the air; you can leap a giant chasm (and get a medal for it!), blow up an enemy outpost (smash it to the ground with your weapons or by using your vehicle as a bettering ram) and so on. Missions will vary widely from recon maneuvers to kill-tasks to sequentially triggered events and on and on.

MMORPG.com: How is the vehicle customization compared to that of another game such as SWG: Jump to Lightspeed or City of Heroes?
Guinn:

Players can swap tires, engines, weapons, and other equipment based on the target's attributes or the terrain encountered or just simply for the aesthetic. The options for aesthetic and functional customization are unprecedented in an MMO.

MMORPG.com: Will you be able to have more than one character class? (Any idea on the number of character slots allowed per account yet?)
Guinn:

Each player account will allow for independent characters of any faction or class. Currently each account supports up to four different characters, but this of course can still change by launch. :)

MMORPG.com: Has there been a limit set as to how many vehicles you can own at a time? Will it be a static amount, say you can only ever own 5, or will it be variable based on level or some other factor?
Guinn:

Vehicle chassis are maintained as a key to the particular vehicle kept in the player's inventory. So, as long as you have space, you can continue to collect from the massive array of vehicle chassis types that exist in the game.

MMORPG.com: Will there be any point to PvP other than the Outposts and territory and such? Maybe a Ladder system in place to rank players? Or possibly the chance to loot an item from your victim?
Guinn:

Auto Assault maximizes the PvP effort by utilizing a shardless Arena system which will allow players to compete from different servers for total domination! Being 'the best' will be a truly global experience. Then, a quick glance at the web will show a players' statistics and conquests in a ladder system for intense matching and competition. Rewards for combat prowess will not be unknown...

MMORPG.com: Several members have asked about whether or not there would be trivial side things to do such as racing or jumping contests and such; any chance we might see a racetrack or 2 in the game so those of us who played it can relive those fond MCO memories?
Guinn:

There will certainly be some very cool 'distractions' in the game, but I wouldn't describe them as 'trivial'. More on that soon...

MMORPG.com: And just because I'm sure I'll be lynched if I don't ask, has a more definite date for the start of beta been decided on yet?
Guinn:

The first small wave of beta invitations will start going out very soon, though we can't give an exact date at this point. We're still accepting registrations, too, so visit http://www.plaync.com/aa_beta.html to sign up. Keep watching the official Auto Assault site for an announcement about it – and other Auto Assault news, too.