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Ten Ton Hammer:  Now that Spellborn has a fairly solid release date in mind, can you describe what the most difficult part of the entire MMOG development process has been for your team?

The release date for Spellborn is set for sometime in the autumn of 2008.

Deslandes: To be honest, I’d say that sticking exactly to the project planning was the hardest for us. TCoS has been delayed quite some times already, so I guess it’s no real surprise for you to read that. We really want Spellborn to be fun and all our efforts are put into making sure everything plays as smooth and best as possible and also, as we intended. Nothing which we’re not 100% happy with will be in-game. So, yes, our pace might not be the one of the cheetah, but at least we make sure the game is fun. We wouldn’t expect players to have fun if we don’t have fun ourselves first.

Strangely enough, another most difficult part of the development process has been channelling all the ideas we came up with and trying to fit them in the planning. When we develop Spellborn, there is always a great and brilliant idea which spawns in someone’s mind, but sometimes, no matter how awesome this idea is, it would cost too much time. It can be frustrating to put some concepts in this “ideas for later” box, but it’s never forgotten.

Ten Ton Hammer: Conversely, what was the most enjoyable aspect of the whole journey? What was really fun and entertaining?

Deslandes: These moments of fun and entertainment are numerous, but for sure, seeing a feature play fine, seeing a new building in the game, even a critter performing some scripted action; all these things that you take for granted when playing, have all been created from scratch, and every single time it was an awesome moment to share. It’s really like seeing something coming to life. The hard work, countless hours of work, suddenly transform into a game, into a smile on everyone’s face and this is by far the most enjoyable and rewarding moments of the development process.

Playing the Beta with the current testers and grouping with them for some quests is also a great moment of enjoyment.

Ten Ton Hammer: The development of Spellborn has been a long, long road, and it’s safe to say that everyone will be happy when the game is released. What sort of impact do you believe Spellborn will have on the MMOG marketplace? How do you think players will respond to this unique game?

Deslandes: I believe Spellborn will bring lots of innovation to the current MMOG market. There are no other MMOGs with 100% real-time manual targeting combat system, and even though it is quite different from what you are used to the very first time you play it, it eventually becomes so natural and intuitive, that it’ll be hard to go back to the standard auto-attack pattern. The idea we had behind this combat system is “easy to learn, hard to master”. I think players will feel challenged by the innovative features we implemented and will feel really rewarded when they master them. I mean, it feels so good to defeat an opponent in PvP because you know it’s because of your skills (both classes and player skills) that you won, and not because of random critical hits, or other dodged or resisted attacks. The players are truly in full control and I really believe it’s a feature they will be delighted to experience in an MMORPG as innovative as Spellborn.

Ten Ton Hammer: Speaking of the rest of the MMOG market, what sort of unique features set Spellborn apart from the rest of the crowd? What should players expect when they finally enter your world?

Deslandes: As I already hinted in the previous answers, the real time manual-targeting combat system with reticule and the dress to impress features are really unique and set Spellborn apart from the crowded MMO market. We also have a deep and unique Lore which players will experience during their quests to level up. Some quest chains will even take them to the discovery of hidden foes and intrigues that could very well jeopardize the stability of the world. In terms of graphics, The Chronicles of Spellborn offers a fresh take on the world and level design. Everything looks organic as it has been shaped by nature for hundreds of years. The universe showcases grandiose sceneries and sounds with lots of life. The AI of Spellborn is advanced and features a predator-prey system. That means that critters and fauna will “interact” with eachother, even though interact could also include “eat”. Hostile NPCs can adapt their combat patterns and skills to these of the players, creating even more challenge during these encounters.

The AI in Spellborn runs on a predator - prey system.

I could go on for hours about all the different things players can expect upon setting foot in The Chronicles of Spellborn world, but there’s one thing for sure Spellborn is about, and it’s the fun. We are developing Spellborn because, as gamers ourselves, we want to play something different, something that we wouldn’t see in any other games, and something that is free from the restrictions and limitations present in other titles. All the design and concepts are based on this goal and to check how we made it, then you’ll have to see it for yourselves!

Ten Ton Hammer: Finally, is there anything else you’d like to tell the Ten Ton Hammer readers and Spellborn community members?    

Deslandes: I think most of the people in our Community and the Ten Ton Hammer readers are anticipating the announcement of the US Publisher. Securing such a partner is a great and reliable sign of potential and success for a MMOG. So far, talks are going really fine, and it shouldn’t be too long before the news is broken. It will be a great surprise, for this partner is definitely a major actor of the games industry. So stay tuned on www.tcos.com for it may happen quite soon. I won’t lose a second announcing it to you guys!

To conclude, thanks to the Ten Ton Hammer crew for their continuous support and for this Q&A! We’ll meet again!