Asheron's Call 2: Fallen Kings Q&A

Turbine Entertainment's upcoming Asheron's Call 2 will be a colorful and graphically advanced online role-playing game. Like other such games before it, the game will let you create an in-game character, then go off on adventures in a vast online world with thousands of other players, seeking the thrill of battle against vicious monsters and the wealth of ancient treasure hoards. But Asheron's Call 2 will distinguish itself in a number of ways, including its intriguing story, which will continue to evolve over the course of the game's life span and, according to the game's developers, will actually let you influence the world of Dereth and change it for better or for worse.

In addition to fighting, looting, and questing, you will also be able to band together in Asheron's Call 2's unusual player-versus-player (PVP) system, which will let you choose to side not only with an allegiance--an association of allied players--but also with one of Asheron's Call 2's kingdoms, and you can choose your alignment starting at character level 10. Once you've done so, you can choose to do battle with other players of opposing alignments in faction-specific areas. Faction champions who defeat many enemy players will actually distinguish themselves by gaining unique skills, such as a specific type of mastery over portals--the mysterious and powerful magical gates of Dereth--which lets them banish their enemies to their last resurrection point, lets them summon an ally of the same kingdom, or even lets them imprison an enemy player in a pocket dimension. Player-versus-player champions may also be able to call forth ancient and powerful monsters to serve them, such as a squad of formidable shadow minions or the fearsome, faceless virindi, which terrorized Dereth in the original Asheron's Call.

Then again, PVP will be only one facet of what appears to be an impressive variety of things to do in Asheron's Call 2: fighting monsters or other players, crafting weapons and armor, joining an allegiance, going on quests, clearing out ancient dungeons, and more. For the final word on the game before its impending release, we spoke with Turbine president and CEO Jeff Anderson.

GameSpot: Thanks for taking the time for this interview. Now that the game is feature complete, could you discuss what you and the team are currently working on?

Jeff Anderson: It's my pleasure. I'm glad to have the opportunity to talk about Turbine. I've always been a big fan of GameSpot. At this time, I can't say too much about our next titles, unfortunately. We should be announcing more sometime soon, but I can say that Turbine continues to be a premier provider of massively multiplayer role-playing games. We are going to take all of our learning and knowledge from Asheron's Call, Dark Majesty [the Asheron's Call expansion], and Asheron's Call 2 and put that experience into the next generation of online gaming.

GS: Jeff, we know that you yourself are an Origin Systems alumnus and that you have highly experienced game designers and producers on staff, including former Interplay CEO Brian Fargo, who is on your board. Could you discuss how your own experience, and that of the Turbine staff, has helped Asheron's Call 2's development? Are there specific errors or pitfalls you feel you were able to avoid?

JA: That's a great question. Turbine has been around since 1994 and has always been 100 percent focused on massively multiplayer online gaming. Having that wealth of industry experience is invaluable when you design a cutting-edge game like Asheron's Call 2. Specifically, we used that deep foundation to help us with nearly every design. For example, our character-generation system (with its [minimal] stats, fast entry, large-scale morphology options, randomize button) is an excellent example of just how much we learned from the original Asheron's Call. Likewise, we made the vault campaign a priority since massively multiplayer games have historically had such a poor approach to linear narratives.

For Adventurers of All Levels

GS: What do you hope will be the single most attractive feature about Asheron's Call 2 for new and returning players? The new skill tree? The player-versus-player battle system? The ability for players to interact with the game's overarching story?

JA: Hmm, it's hard to choose. Asheron's Call 2 really is adding so many new things that it's tough to pick just one. For new players, I'd guess that they would actually appreciate the skill tree system. It's so much cleaner and easier than other systems, and it really makes player choices much more obvious. We went to great lengths to control the number of choices at the start--focusing on a few big ones like magic, missile, or melee. Then we made those paths simple, directing the flow in a clear manner. After the players get used to the system, the skill tree really takes off with many endless options, divergent branches, and unique specializations. That depth without complexity really makes Asheron's Call 2 a great game for new players. For returning players, I would guess that [the most attractive feature] would be the evolving world. The fact that one player can have such a dramatic impact on the world around them--and on so many different levels--from the music systems, to the workshops, and even the macro-world evolutions. The way that we weave these changes into the fiction and world is incredibly compelling for returning fans.

GS: As we've seen, Asheron's Call 2 will offer an impressive variety of different things to do: hunt monsters, craft items, perform quests, capture resource mines, and more. Are you at all concerned that new players might be overwhelmed with all this variety? What measures are you taking to make sure that new players can quickly and easily grasp what they need to and get an immediate start in Asheron's Call 2? We've seen the training areas that show players how to fight and perform rudimentary quests, but what about after they've left?

JA: We spent a lot of time at Turbine discussing that very thing. All of us wanted to make Asheron's Call 2 deep, with literally thousands of hours of engaging gameplay. But the challenge is to achieve that goal while balancing the needs of new players. You don't want them to feel too overwhelmed by the breadth of content that we offer. That's why we decided to implement the training halls. The halls are really a simple way for players to ramp up [their knowledge] on the technical basics of the game. After that, we created the boot camps. We use those to add more technical skills, but also to ramp up a player's social abilities. Essentially, we are training new players on two modes. Once they enter the actual game, we have created a carefully crafted content flow to minimize their choices and help them learn systems when they are prepared to take them on. In addition, the allegiance system from Asheron's Call will be the social, in-game, self-help support system that will be guiding new players as well.

GS: On the same note, it's probably safe to assume that many Asheron's Call 2 players will have experience with previous online RPGs. What do you think Asheron's Call 2 offers advanced players? What do you see experienced players doing at launch or a month from then or a year afterward?

JA: Wow, that's hard to know. There is just so much there for the experienced player. The first thing that comes to mind is the world's evolving story. Asheron's Call 2 builds on the innovative tradition of robust monthly episodic narratives in the first Asheron's Call--where experienced players took center stage in the ongoing episodic story that shaped and reshaped the world around them--and takes it to the next level. Turbine's epic monthly events are like nothing else out there. Every month after release, exciting new features and story elements will carry the game forward, presenting new opportunities and experiences even for the savviest players who think they've "done it all." We also expect experienced players to take a leadership role in the player communities, directing economic and crafting efforts and helping shape the resurrection of Dereth. Similarly, Asheron's Call 2's massive PVP battles and kingdom skills (based on a kind of chess-style ranking system) create powerful incentives for advancement and role-playing.

Friend or Foe

GS: One thing we haven't heard much about is Asheron's Call 2's music. Could you explain what role music will play in the game?

JA: The music system in Asheron's Call 2 is like nothing that's even been done before. Turbine made sound a tactical tool rather than environmental filler. We design Asheron's Call 2's music to solve several problems that most traditional games have with music, while adding a form of purely social gameplay that can only happen in a multiuser environment. At its basic level, a background score is derived from the location of the user. As various monsters enter the area, the player is clued to their presence by melodies associated with those creatures. These melodies adapt to the background score, fitting the current mood and tonality. The idea is to foreshadow what is about to happen while building a sense of situational awareness. As the monsters begin to outnumber the users in an area, the music changes tonality and follows darker chord progressions. Eventually, additional parts are added to increase the intensity of the music. This basic level of music is what we call "adaptive music"--essentially, it's adapting to the current situation, much like the score in a movie.

GS: One of the most notable things about modern online RPGs is how they've tended to emphasize player communities over lone-wolf players. What kind of community features can players look forward to in Asheron's Call 2?

JA: Community has always been at the heart of every successful massively multiplayer role-playing game, and Asheron's Call 2 will be no exception. Turbine made community a priority with a plethora of features. First, we really improved our chat, making it a lot easier to work with the system. Second, we have done a ton of work on the allegiance system and fellowships. Both of these are great systems for social collaboration. In particular, the revamped allegiance system solved the possible exploits it had in the original Asheron's Call, while expanding its incredibly helpful mentoring mechanic. Third, we've added in several social advancement systems like workshops and kingdoms.

Moreover, we've pushed social experiences beyond these more traditional areas into many unusual systems. Even the music system is fundamentally a community feature. For example, players can create their own music with various instruments. At launch, there will be over two dozen instruments in the world. Each instrument has 10 melodies or "rhythmic figures" that can be played. All of these parts adapt to the currently playing background score and each other--even to different locations. During the beta test, players could often be found spending several hours just playing music with each other. In fact, one fellowship spent their last four hours of beta just sitting together, playing music together on top of the giant deru tree.

GS: Could you discuss Asheron's Call 2's player-versus-player combat system? Do you feel that it's best suited for experienced players, or will newer players with low-level characters be able to join in player battles and actually enjoy themselves, rather than come away frustrated that higher-level characters dispatched them too easily?

JA: Levels do make a big difference in Asheron's Call 2's PVP combat system, but they aren't the only factor. In a one-on-one situation, if the level difference is large, the lower-level player will almost certainly lose. That might not be a lot of fun, but lower-level players can enjoy the experience in a different way. We saw during beta that low-level players definitely contribute to larger battles in a variety of ways, both offensively and in a support capacity. They can fight in groups or take on specific objectives. It's amazing how important every player is when you consider the larger strategic perspective of a PVP conflict. Well-organized groups using superior tactics will carry the day, even if there's a modest difference in levels.

GS: We've seen that a good deal of player-versus-player combat is focused on capturing and holding important locations, like resource mines. Any plans to expand upon these capture-and-hold conflicts, maybe even for large-scale sieges?

JA: At this time we do not have plans to expand upon the capture-and-hold conflicts, but we are always watching player behavior. If a certain dynamic really resonates with the players, we like to use those strengths to improve other elements of the game.

GS: Is there anything else you'd like to add about Asheron's Call 2?

JA: I just wanted to thank everyone who helped make it a success. First, the Turbine team just did a terrific job on the title. Everything from its design and its art to its technology really shows just how far our company has come. Likewise, I can't say enough good things about Microsoft. They have been a strong partner and I give them a lot of credit for their support and encouragement. Most importantly, I want to thank our many fans. Asheron's Call 2 never would have been possible without them.

GS: Thanks, Jeff.