GameSpot: There have been some rumblings about you pushing Westwood into the persistent-world realm with a massively multiplayer game. Is that a design challenge you're looking to conquer?
Brett: Yes. What appeals to me about that challenge? We've seen two or three other people do it, and I think we can do better - that's number one. So yes, we are going to build persistent worlds here. They are just really compelling. I love EverQuest. The challenge for us is to build a world where the hardcore can have fun but also make it comfortable for new players.
GameSpot: What do you see as the barriers to entry for new players in the persistent-world realm?
Brett: Fear. Fear is the number one. Lots of people are afraid to play games online because they don't want to lose for fear of embarrassment. Or outright, you know, fear of the unknown: "Well, I don't know - is this guy going to somehow figure out my credit card number?" or "I hear about all these child pornographers and racists and hate." That's fear, right? So fear is the number one barrier to entry.
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Brett Sperry is leading the design on Westwood's first persistent-state world game. |
GameSpot: Are you looking to create a whole new universe for the persistent world, or do you hope to leverage an existing brand such as C&C or Lands of Lore?
Brett: Our first persistent world will be something completely different. This is something I've personally wanted to do for a long, long time and never have. We will see. But I'm very humble about it. We are on the cusp of a whole new dimension of Westwood products. The games we are creating are going to change in a very powerful way.
GameSpot: OK, but to most gamers this might sound like a lot of marketing hype. When are you going to take the wraps off the first world?
Brett: Don't believe what I'm saying until you see. We're going to start a live beta test of the persistent world in early 2001. The fans will be able to help us shape the game.
GameSpot: Isn't that risky to show the game before it's fully complete? Don't you worry that first impressions will be everything?
Brett: We are very humble. Will it be as good as it should be? Will it be popular? That remains to be seen. If it's not, I'll be disappointed. But on the flip side, we will have learned so much by doing a beta test.
GameSpot: One of the biggest issues these persistent worlds have to grapple with is how to wrestle a compelling narrative into a completely nonlinear world. Players do still want to have some type of overarching story as opposed to completely making the story themselves. Do you agree?
Brett: That's true. The persistent worlds thus far have not encouraged people to have new, unique adventures every time they play. They have not given the people enough of the fundamentals to have more elaborate adventures in the stories that are different from one to the next. That's the hardest part of all. So you're right.
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Sperry says that one of his favorite persistent world games is EverQuest. |
That's why I want to do a game like this. It's the hardest design challenge I can ever imagine: How do you deal with, you know, random-access gameplay toward your content? You can't control it. There is no linearity.
So, everything - absolutely everything - must be designed from the perspective of each moment. It's kind of like a pearl that's completely individual, but if you get another one and the next one, you can see the connection, yet they do not rely upon one another. And they can be done out of order. It's a really exciting intellectual challenge.
