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Ten Ton Hammer: Will there be something like levels that the super group could gain as a whole to mark progression?

Bill Roper: There will probably be some type of notoriety system, or some way to factor in a recognition system that fits in with the theme of the game. But I definitely love that idea that you’re basically leveling as a group, though it may not be levels so much as a series of achievements or milestones that you can hit with the super group. I think it’s really important to have almost a checklist of things that you can focus on to have additional motivating factors to get your group together to do stuff.

Ten Ton Hammer: Going back to the shared banking for super groups then, is the system set up to allow players to pool their resources as well as acting as a shared storage space, and if so, are there any super group-specific rewards that players will be able to purchase?

Bill Roper: We’ll definitely have things that can be purchased for super groups; if not for launch then as we move forward and do things like implementing bases and headquarters. So there will be some big goals that whole super groups can aim for and pool their resources together to achieve. There will be a mechanic, most likely through the shared bank where members of the super group can add money, and then that’s where any super group-sized purchases could be drawn from.   

Ten Ton Hammer: Awesome. One issue that occasionally pops up with free-for-all PvP maps like B.A.S.H. is that groups of players from the same guild will essentially ‘team up’ against everyone else on the map. Will there be any mechanics in place to discourage players from doing so, or on the flip side, encourage super group teams to focus more on the group-based PvP arenas?

Bill Roper: There are going to be different rankings for all the different PvP types, so I think players are going to be more encouraged with teams and super groups to go into the arena combat, like the UTC which is 5v5, and really build up their rankings there because you can group queue to go in if you want. In B.A.S.H., because it’s so big and open, I’m not really sure how much benefit you’d gain from that since it’s an individual event. I guess that players could all be working together to try and get one guy to get the credit, but I think where we’re going to see guilds really shining in that regard by going into UTC as a 5 on 5, or going into the Apocalypse maps which are also team-based. So I think for players that like to be organized and put teams together to PvP in groups, they’ll really enjoy the Tournament of Champions stuff and also the Apocalypse maps.

Ten Ton Hammer: Recently we discussed the high-end UNITY missions in the Omega System. Will there also be group-based instanced content available at lower levels as well?

Bill Roper: There is a lot that is spread throughout the game. There are lairs that are recommended for 5 players, and if you’re over the level for those or are really powerful you might be able to solo in some of those.  There are some recommended for 3 players as well where we think players will really want to go out and find a couple of other players to go through and do them with.

Also, a lot of instances do scale, so even if you’re going through an instance which is the end of a storyline mission arc you’ll want to grab some people before going in because you do get bonuses for going in as groups. So there’s a lot of instance content that’s designed specifically for groups and then some that’s designed to be soloed that will scale up to meet the fact that you’re grouped, so it’s pretty friendly for getting a team together and running around.