DP does Interview on MMOSITE.COM

Just did an interview with MMOSITE.COM check out the link HERE.
The upcoming massively multiplayer game, 2Moons, is going to be totally free and will be purely ad supported. The M-rated role playing game with the tagline, “No mercy for the weak, no pity for the dying, no tears for the slain”, has got the 15-to-30 demographic right in its cross hair, and could attract some serious advertising dollars.
The lead designer of 2moons, David Perry, who is one of the legends of the gaming industry, came to tell us more about this game.
MMOsite.com: For people who are not familiar with 2Moons, can you give us a brief view of this game?
David Perry: The game is about a mystical lady called Trieste that appears when the two moons cross. She arrives in a land conquered by evil, and manages to seal the door with her own blood, locking out hordes of beasts, and impending doom. Meanwhile a King called Tirus has a battle with another King Rictus in this land, Tirus defeats Rictus and banishes him, in his stupidity Rictus opens the door once more, hoping to harness the strength of the beasts. He is killed, the land is invaded again, worse than ever before. King Tirus commits suicide upon seeing the carnage and only two cities remain. At the start of this game, you pick one and from there, you are surrounded by evil. What you do is up to you, but you hear that if you can survive until the two moons cross again, then the prophecy says that Trieste will return once more…
MMOsite.com: Bearing the tagline: No mercy for the weak, no pity for the dying, no tears for the slain. 2Moons could probably be the most violent MMO on the market. Can you tell us how do you embody violence in the game?
David Perry: Violence has an unfair stigma in games thanks to Take 2 with their dishonesty when questioned “is there adult content in your game?”. They are the Janet Jackson (of Superbowls) to the video game business. Our industry demands you are honest up front, or the whole system fails. In this game, there is a lot of blood, a lot of profanity and a lot of violence. I enjoy this kind of game, and I don?t feel it should be any problem as we are VERY clear on this. It is not a game for Children.
MMOsite.com: Most of 2Moons? funding will come from in-game advertising, and players can turn off in-game ads at no cost to them, or get bonus if they keep the ads on. How did the idea come out? And what bonus will players get?
David Perry: I am always trying to think of ways we can approach problems from new angles. Advertising can be a nightmare, or if it benefits you, it can be a friend. I ask you, would you like adverts on the Google homepage? I don?t. What if it was a choice? Your choice? No adverts if you want, or if you turn them on, the benefit is unlimited free MP3 music from a library of 800,000 songs? Suddenly advertising isn?t such a pain, if it is not at your expense. That is my idea for games. Can we come up with a business model were we can give the consumer the control? A model where nothing needs to be forced on them. We think we have found the way. So this is not the Guild Wars method, this is entirely new. Publishers probably think we are on glue, but I think (long term) and they need to judge us on that.
MMOsite.com: The game is based upon a successful MMO called Dekaron in Korea. How will 2Moons look different from Dekaron?
David Perry: I like Dekaron, it is one of the most arcade like MMORPG?s I have seen. Big giant bosses, big visuals, lots of blood etc. So to be clear, we are starting with something that is already successful in Korea. We will however change things like the Story, the Dialog and give hundreds of design changes, from cameras to interface to balancing to fighting etc. My partner Mr. Baek in Korea is the leader of the Dekaron team, so it will be interesting to see what he is able to pull off for the USA market.
MMOsite.com: When players talk about you, they naturally think about some classic action games you have produced, like Earthworm Jim and Enter The Matrix. Did you incorporate action element in 2Moons?
David Perry: I have proposed new action elements not seen in MMO games yet. The problem is, being new, they are also breaking convention. So they are pretty major programming challenges. We will see what the team can code and what they decide to pass on.
MMOsite.com: The development process involved both American and Korean designers. What do you think of this collaboration experience?
David Perry: I have made many many games over the years, being an ex-programmer I?ve personally done localization in the past on games like Aladdin. The twist is with an MMORPG that it is a MASSIVE amount of work. We have tons of characters, hundreds of quests, thousands of objects and items etc. So I have a team here in the USA working with me and, we have the team in Korea. The only issue generally is the language barrier, however (luckily) they have good translators, and I have no problem flying there for face to face meetings. (Nothing beats getting in a room.)
MMOsite.com: From the perspective of the team developing 2Moons, what do you think are the key characteristics that differentiate 2Moons from other online offerings with persistent characters?
David Perry: My goal has three elements. (1) To be easy to get into. (If you have never played a MMORPG before, this is the one for you.) (2) To be Violent. (If you are getting a bit tired of collecting supplies to make jewelry or medical supplies, and instead you prefer to go kick ass with friends, this is the onefor you.) (3) If you are sick of paying 50 for a game, then having to pay monthly even if you do not log in, then this is the game for you, it is truly FREE.
MMOsite.com: In overview, how would you describe the gameworld? Are there different types of areas? How much is instanced space?
David Perry: Instanced space has only been added this month in Dekaron, and there will be more and more in the coming months. We have six classes of characters and over 20 worlds to visit. The world gets more dangerous the farther you wander from your city. The worlds are connected by portals and so they vary dramatically, you can be in a hot desert, in freezing snow, in an evil land, in beautiful forests, or even under the sea. You never know where the next portal will lead.
MMOsite.com: How much leeway do players have in terms of customizing their starting characters? What steps are involved in the creation stage, and what key decisions have to be made at this time?
David Perry: Being a Korean game, they do not give you a lot of character tweaking up front, the goal is just to get you into the world and playing. So you pick your class of character, Knight, Summoner, Hunter, Healer, Magician, Warrior, then pick the city, then start. Once you are in the game, you find and buy lots of items that make your character really stand out. (And unique.)
MMOsite.com: Instead of heavy background story, what players have to do is getting from strength to strength through combat. What will you do to make gamers avoid feeling bored? What kinds of activities are there aside from fighting? Are there any non-combat skills or abilities? And what can players do in the sanctuaries?
David Perry: The main one is fishing. You can hang out with friends and fish. You can grow your fishing skills and sell what you catch. Some of the fish have magical properties, so you can actually use them in battle. You can also catch some surprise items as well. So it is a cool place to hang out.
MMOsite.com: How do weapons, armors and other items function within 2Moons? How can players obtain these items, and are there any rare or unique ones? Do they wear and break?
David Perry: Armor and weapons do wear, and you can go to the blacksmith to repair or strengthen them. You can also add magical abilities to weapons and armor by embedding valuable jewels into them. We have full skill trees and this allows you to really mix up your moves and keep the fighting interesting, you can also switch weapons on the fly.
MMOsite.com: Does magic exist in the gameworld? If yes, how does it function? How can players acquire spells? Does casting spells require mana, runes, reagents or anything similar?
David Perry: Yes we have a large amount of spells and potions that you can buy from NPC traders or be awarded for quests. These become more powerful as you level up, which means their impact on your mana supply is heightened. So mana gently becomes a resource that demands more of your attention as it becomes a more dramatic part of your arsenal. The game features some quite stunning effects when you see Magicians and Summoners in mid battle. For me personally however, I like to go toe to toe with Axes and Advanced Axe Mastery instead of the fancy magic stuff. That is the fun of these big MMO?s games, whatever you like, you are welcome to do it that way.