MMORPG: We understand the push for group content but aren't you concerned that if people can't kill something as simple as a spider on their own they will quickly stray from the game?
TA: My wife isn’t a gamer. Most of the development team have children. We’re in the “casual” bracket of folks who play 15 – 20 hours a week. So we get it: people don’t necessarily have 40+ hours of time to dedicate to a game. We certainly don’t, despite coming from raiding backgrounds during our teens and early 20s when playing 60 hours a week was a given.
Thankfully, players can always head out into the immediate wilds with a small group of 3-4 players (or maybe even a duo in the case of those players who are well-geared and are working on even-con or slightly-lower-con content) and accomplish micro-goals within the game in small increments of time. Things like gathering mats for crafting, or working on the small-group components of questlines, which can be done in small spurts of time, such as 30 minutes here, an hour and a half there.
They just have to remember that this is a group-based game that centers around community. That means being an active part in said community.
There are multiple ways to find groups. There’s the forums, of course. And local chat. But also the in-game bulletin board system in the taverns within cities and outposts. Players can post job-wanted ads, or looking-for-more adds, as well as guild recruitment posters. The former won’t be server-wide, but local only, while the latter are planned to allow for server-wide placement.
We’re also looking at having some form of a Volunteer Mentor system in the game, with players who actively help others who are either new, or maybe just aren’t as outgoing as others. Think the Mentor system in FFXIV, but more like the old-school Guides in EverQuest.
Just remember: there’s no such thing as a simple spider in our game. Lions, tigers, and bears are actual, real, viable threats. Just go watch The Revenant and you’ll see how much damage a simple bear can do to a man without modern weaponry.
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Our game isn’t for the single-player market, and we’ve been very open and vocal about the fact that this is a group-based game for players who want to have fun together with others. It’s a niche game, and we’re proud of that. If someone comes into our game expecting solo gameplay, we’ve failed in our marketing somewhere.
MMORPG: What other types of events will you provide for players for them to undertake in their downtime when they can't participate in group content?
TA: There’s things such as crafting, lore (there will be tons of lore Easter eggs hidden in cities and outposts that players can explore, similar to the books and scrolls you can read in ESO), and good old-fashioned roleplaying. You know, the stuff players used to do before instant gratification and instant group finders and instant epic-level loot became the mainstay.
Remember, this is a game where one of the primary pillars of content is Community, alongside Immersion and Challenge. If you're willing to stick your neck out and be social, help people out, and ask for help, you'll never lack for something to do, since the whole purpose of this game is to enjoy the world alongside your fellow men and women, not in your single-player bubble of single-serving questlines.
Maybe you’ll be strategizing your six-week campaign out into the wilds heading north to the rumored Ranger trainer in the far reaches of the Mountains of Mist. That will entail ensuring you have a wagon crafted that is large enough to handle the goods of your party, as well as the various pack mules and horses necessary to haul said wagon. Which means ensuring said animals are trained. And that you have the packs and gear necessary for your animals.
You’ll also need supplies for the journey, such as leather to repair armor, metal to repair weapons, wood to repair the wagon, food, and backup gear. Remember, there’s no recall buttons back to town, so your only safe haven is your Camp & Caravan when out on the campaign trail, and the outposts you come across, so some part of gameplay will be preparing for those journeys, much of which can be done individually and with small parties during micro-sessions.
Or they can quickly get together with 2 – 3 other players for 30 – 45 minutes of adventuring just outside of the city walls. Kill a few bandits, slaughter a few wyverns, collect some hides, bring back some food and resources for crafters to use.
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Or you can roleplay in the tavern, regal your fellows with tales of your latest adventures (real or not), and talk about where to find the best hunting or fishing grounds for your skill range or in the near proximity to your outpost or city.
There’s an infinite amount of possibilities for the creative person, regardless if they have 30 minutes or six hours to dedicate to a single session, so long as they remember the cardinal rule of a community-based game: you are not the center of attention in this story. You are a cog in a wheel, one among many, and if you want to rise to the top and make a name for yourself as an adventurer, you’ve got to earn it.
Get out there and become a Hero of the Lance, or part of the Fellowship of the Ring, or part of the crew of the Battlestar Galactica, or a member of the Serenity crew. Join Jason’s Argonauts, or become Jason himself. A hero’s true strength is the combined might of the multi-talented group they are a part of.
