Earth and Beyond Q&A

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To say that Westwood Studios is taking a step in a different direction may be a slight understatement. The company that has been known for producing some of the most popular real-time strategy games--such as the Dune series and Command and Conquer series--is moving into new territory with its upcoming massively multiplayer RPG, Earth and Beyond. Part of what separates Earth and Beyond from other games in the genre is the setting of deep space, where traditional avatars are replaced with starships and peaceful towns turn into spectacular space stations. Earth and Beyond's gameplay has been designed to take advantage of this unique setting, allowing you to choose one of any three major class options, which include warrior, explorer, and trader. These classes have unique traits that encourage cooperation in certain situations and generally make it much easier to level up as you progress through the game. We caught up with Eric Wang, producer of Earth and Beyond, to find out why the company wanted to develop a massively multiplayer game, how missions and other aspects of gameplay function, and what the difficulties of developing a game are within the massively multiplayer RPG genre.

GameSpot: Westwood has always had a reputation for making it easy for players to jump into a game. Is Earth and Beyond being designed to cater exclusively toward players who spend large amounts of time playing massively multiplayer role-playing games, or will casual players be able to enjoy the game as well?

Eric Wang: All of the above. Everyone will be able to have an entertaining experience in Earth and Beyond. We're designing a game that makes it very easy for anyone, even beginners, to jump right in and have an exciting and rewarding time right off the bat. We didn't want to create a game that's immediately frustrating to players, so we empower them from the moment they step into the game, giving them their own spaceship and making it easy for them to accomplish their goals and "level up." On the other hand, Earth and Beyond has a tremendous amount of depth that will make it continuously challenging for hard-core gamers and persistent world fans.

GS: What other sources served as the biggest inspiration for the developers? Will players be able to see a direct influence from any specific games, movies, or other media?

EW: The development team has drawn inspiration from games like Elite, Privateer, Tradewars 2000, Starflight, and Starfleet Battles. Elements of all of these games have definitely shaped the development of Earth and Beyond. We are also avid readers and moviegoers and have pulled ideas and inspiration from many different sources.