Dynamic Design Part 3

RadarX: Twisted is good! On to the upcoming expansion. What type of challenges are you seeing with Echoes of Faydwer in creating level 1-70 content in a single expansion?

Jason Roberts - Lead Content Designer: With the amount of content that needs to be created for an expansion of this size it feels like we're launching an entirely new game. The challenge is to have everything ready in time for beta so we can have the time the expansion needs in testing to have it be polished and something we're happy with. Working on something of this size also means some difficult choices need to be made as to what is absolutely vital and what can wait until either the next expansion or sometime after the launch of Echoes of Faydwer. We'd of course like to put everything and the kitchen sink into this expansion but the reality of releasing something in a timely manner means that control of the project scope needs to always be kept in mind.

RadarX: Sounds like you have your work cut out for you. Will we see any overland dungeons in the future, something with an exterior environment, similar to Deathfist Citadel?

Jason Roberts - Lead Content Designer:That depends on how you define an overland dungeon. Blackburrow, Nektropos Castle , Clefts of Rujark, and even Maj'Dul could all be called overland dungeons. We'll always be trying to find new ways in which to build zones and keep them unique and interesting. The concept of Deathfist Citadel is a good one and we'll continue to do those styles of zones when the area calls for it and when time allows. Zones like Deathfist require that both the exterior and the interior of the dungeon get built this of course takes more time and effort to complete. Though, with that said, it is nice to be able to see the imposing structure of something like Deathfist and then have the opportunity to go inside and wreak havoc.

RadarX: Deathfist was a well built zone, so I do hope there is time to build something similar. With Deserts of Flame, EverQuest 2 started using climbable environments and much larger zones, giving it a much more open feeling. What was the reasoning for this direction?

Jason Roberts - Lead Content Designer:There were a couple reasons for this. Primarily, it plays to the strengths of our game engine and gives a more realistic feel to the environments. Being able to see an area high above or below and being able to find a route to get there is a unique feeling that is hard to capture any other way. Also, as you stated it gives the zones a much more open feeling and it allows us to 'layer' population and content in a single area. Everything feels more organic when built like this. The zones in Echoes of Faydwer illustrate this concept and technique very well, we hope you enjoy them.

RadarX: I'm sure we will. What about the future? Where do you see EverQuest 2 a year from now?

Jason Roberts - Lead Content Designer:A year from now we'll have an extremely large game with at least one new starting place and one new race. We will have concluded one of the larger story arcs with the return of beliefs to Norrath. Instead of changing existing gameplay we will be able to revisit zones, push their stories along a timeline and improve upon the existing content within them. Overall, I think we'll have something for every style of play our game supports at all levels.

RadarX:Sounds very promising. As a designer, is there anything you personally use for design inspiration?

Jason Roberts - Lead Content Designer:There is of course the wonderful legacy of the original EverQuest that so much can be drawn from. I'm also an avid pen and paper role-player and draw a lot of inspiration from various games of that genre. Movies like The Labyrinth, Dark Crystal, .hack, Lord of the Rings, and Stargate. And music has also be a great source of inspiration; it's always been a personal ultimate cure for creative blocks.

RadarX:Stargate? One of our writers, Coyote, is a huge fan of SG-1. Is there anything besides EverQuest 2 you are playing right now? If so, what?

Jason Roberts - Lead Content Designer:Sitting on the desk or in the console at home are Jade Empire, Oblivion, Sin Episodes: Emergence, Battle for Middle Earth II, Fable, World of Warcraft, and Auto Assault. And I'm always looking for the latest MMO or single player role-playing game to add to the growing collection.

RadarX:Thats quite a selection of games and good ones! It appears you're hard at work over there, and have a lot of exciting things in store for us with Echoes of Faydwer. Thanks again for taking the time for this interview!

As you can see, designing a game isn't as easy as many "arm chair developers" would appear to make it. The complexities involved seem to make it clear to me, they don't make decisions over Krispy Kreme one day, and it's live the next. I hope this insight has given you a little more appreciation for what the Developers do, I know it has for me.