by Karen Hertzberg on May 20, 2008
O'Hara...
style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">Kevin
style="font-weight: bold;"> O'Hara
Part First Person Shooter and part MMO game, it seems Sony Online
Entertainment's The Agency is attempting to build something ground
breaking. Set in a world of espionage with all the random gun violence
and sleek locations you would expect in a spy novel, this hybrid
promises appeal to just about anyone who has ever watched a James Bond
film. Ten Ton Hammer caught up with Senior World Designer Kevin O'Hara
at SOE Seattle and asked him to talk about what type of gameplay we can
expect.
Ten Ton
Hammer: What do you feel The Agency is doing differently
from
every other MMO game in regards to world building?
Kevin O'Hara:
As far as world building well I think we've said this
many times that first and foremost we are a shooter game. So the level
design really comes to the moment to moment gameplay. A lot of typical
MMO's could rightfully lay down a train field, plop a bunch of spawners
down, and that's their quests. You just go through the dangerous areas,
you see your enemies, and you pick out which ones you want to approach
and get in combat with them. Our levels, as soon as you can see
somebody they are essentially in range. If not to shoot at for them to
react to you.