Now on to EverQuest II...

 

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Savanja: You've obviously spent a lot of time in game, have you developed a love for a specific class and race?

Blackguard: Humans, as always. I'm pretty boring in that I try to play a bald human male in every game I possibly can. I also tend to play rogue type classes all the time, which narrows it down to Brigand and Swashbuckler. Many of you know that I love pirates, which makes me lean toward Swashy, but I also rarely play the goody-two-shoes characters so I've always lived in Freeport. So my ultimate character: Human Brigand from the evil town of Freeport.

 

Savanja: If you had the chance, are there any of the classes that you would make some tweaks to? Perhaps give back those Rangers some of their dps? ;)

Blackguard: I'm opinionated, so I'd probably make some sort of tweaks to every class in the game. But, overall, I think most of them are pretty well balanced, and you can't convince me that Rangers need more DPS because I have friends that own as Rangers and don't even use poisons. :P

 

Savanja: Ouch! Poor rangers, they get no love! Are you all about the PvE or PvP?

Blackguard: PvP. It's part of why I started playing MMOs, and it's something I'll always enjoy. That said, for any PvP game to be truly fun (for me) and successful, the PvE game has to be equally compelling.

 

Savanja: Do you feel there are classes in PvP that have a distinct advantage over others?

Blackguard: There always will be as long as classes are different from one another. It's more fun that way, unless there are specific classes that have an advantage over most or all other classes.

 

Savanja: I've always thought you to be a little bit of an altaholic, is this true? Approximately how many characters have you had over the last 2 years that you've seriously played?

Blackguard: Yes, my name is Ryan and I am an altaholic. How many have I played for more than a few hours? Umm... Man, I don't know. 20 maybe? Far far too many.

 

Savanja: It's okay, there is no shame in admitting your addiction, and there are many of us that are afflicted.

There has been so many forum discussions regarding who truly deserves developer attention, the casual players vs. the hardcore raiders What are your thoughts on this?

Blackguard: Both. Unless you've created a niche game that caters to one or the other, you need to focus on both groups (and others not listed here). It's tough to do, because each side complains when the other gets attention, but you have to focus on making the game as much fun as possible for your entire audience, not just a small part of it. 

 

Savanja: No easy task indeed. And neither player type ever thinks they are getting enough attention.

If you could be any EQ2 race, IRL, what would you choose and why?

Blackguard: Human, because they are versatile and sexy.

Savanja: Amen!

 

Nerfbat!

Savanja: You have a blog called Nerfbat.com, which I find to be a good read. What prompted you to start it, and what made you decide to uncover your true identity after being under cover for so long?

Blackguard: I started Nerfbat back when I was still running EQII.com to rant about MMOs. That was pretty much its purpose originally. After I started working in the industry, I also decided to use it to help others learn about game development, as well as help myself. It's interesting the kinds of things you learn by writing an article on any subject--many of my opinions have changed based on my own investigations into the world of game development, as well as from comments I've received from players and other developers.

 

Savanja: What do you hope for the future of Nerfbat.com?

Blackguard: Just that it keeps being fun to write for and grows even more in popularity. Maybe it will even help people learn about game development or get into the industry. Who knows? I don't make any money on it, so I really just hope I continue to have the drive and passion (and time) to write articles on the site.

 

Savanja: Speaking of Nerfbat, what prompted the gathering of minds at MMORoundtable.com (also a very good read!)?

Blackguard: Good question... I think its origin was mostly that I wanted to have a centralized place to discuss MMO development, which spawned what was originally the Nerfbat Tavern and later the MMO Round Table Forums. I talked to Moorgard to see if he wanted in on the forums, then approached Aggro Me, and both wanted to be involved. Since Nerfbat was my site, I wanted to have it on its own unique domain. Danuser and I started joking about how we could have a MMOnopoly on game design blogs if we had one location that people could go to read our thoughts, and we came up with the MMO Round Table domain. It's a great place to talk about game development, and someday I may even see if other people who talk MMO design want to get involved.

 

In the end

Savanja: Now that you have left SOE, can you tell us all how we can help along the developers, to help make a better game for us all?

Blackguard: Keep giving clear and well-researched feedback. It's the best way to know what you want, and the more information you include with your opinions the better.

 

Thank you so much Ryan for taking the time to answer my questions. On behalf of myself, and those of us at Ten Ton Hammer, we wish you the very best in Colorado. We all hope that we still see you in game and around the forums from time to time!

Until then, please visit Ryan at his blog, Nerfbat or at the MMO Roundtable.