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A couple of weeks ago I had a unique opportunity to sit down with Quest Online’s President and Co-Founder David Allen and Alganon Lead Designer, Hue Henry and ask them some questions about Alganon. Topics covered in the interview include the community and studies systems, group play mechanics and PvP amongst others.  Please see the full interview below:
Thank you so much for taking the time to talk with us about the upcoming release of Alganon.
Q: The first thing I would like to talk about is the community system behind Alganon, it seems to me you guys have gone above and beyond in this area.  Tell me about the drive to bring players together and how you accomplished that goal.
A: The MyAlganon (http://www.myalganon.com) community system was designed to address the importance of community systems in MMOGs. We wanted a place where players could congregate, share media, communicate, and show their accomplishments outside of the game. MyAlganon is the entry point for Alganon, every player has a MyAlganon account. This means anyone in game will have a MyAlganon page they can share with others. So if two people meet in game and want to stay in touch, they can share their MyAlganon details, allowing for messages, “stream updates”, media and other materials to be shared.

It also allows our players to form groups that they may not normally form in game. They can form groups on MyAlganon.com to help with in-game activities like crafting, or our large event quests, or they may form groups of people who enjoy similar “out-of-game” activities, like sports or a favorite television show. This way, a player does not have to leave their “gameplay-style” guild (“raiding guild” or “casual guild”) to meet other players with similar interests and form a community.

We have also integrated the Family system into our games. While mechanically, the system is fairly simple – an special chat channel, and access to some family-specific content – socially it is very powerful. Players who join one of our explorer families (Kusaruis or Ardanis) know that every other member of their family is interested in exploring the world and finding those secret areas that other players overlook. They know when they discover a beautiful vista or spectacular view, that they can share this information with other members of their family, who will find this just as exciting as they do. They don’t have to worry about Competitive players (Hokott and Xajikk families) complaining about how beautiful views don’t help on the DPS meters, or Socializers (Gran’tokk and DeVoss families) filling their chat windows with idle small talk. It gives them a small subset of the game that is just for them, and players who like the same style of play.

That’s what Alganon’s community systems are about – giving all players a place they can call their own and meet people with similar interests. We invite everyone, even players who do not plan to play Alganon, to stop by MyAlganon.com and join, or form, a group based on their own interests! It’s very cool, and the future of online gaming.

Q: Another thing that greatly interested us is the studies system.  Can you tell us how this system will work to balance the progression of all types of gamers?  Also what type of studies will be available to players at launch?
A: The Studies system is a support system that rewards players for more than just playing. A player who has been managing their studies for a year will have access to support systems that a new hardcore player who achieves max level in under a month does not. This gives the casual player options that allow them to stay competitive, even though they cannot dedicate the long hours to gameplay.

The system is very flexible and allows for the player to plan out unique abilities based on study achievement. For example a blacksmith can queue up the studies necessary for making a very unique item, but it could take them six months. When they get there, they will be one of the few who has the ability to make that item. Meanwhile, other players will plan their own path through the studies, allowing them to customize their own characters with different studies. Since there is simply not enough time to take every study, every character will be different, based on which studies they’ve chosen.
Q: In group play will certain character classes have defined roles?
A: There is a huge game play advantage to having classes with defined roles. If every soldier is a tank, then it is easy to find a tank when you need one – just ask the nearest soldier. You don’t have to ask around. You don’t have to be barraged by people asking if you are the role they are looking for.

However, many players find being restricted to a single role to be boring – they don’t like having to play the same role every time they form a group. Some players want variety. So, for Alganon, we created a Dual Role system that gives us the best of both worlds.

All classes have a primary role that every member of that class is capable of performing. For example, every Soldier is capable of being a single-target tank. No matter how they customize their character, they are capable of standing toe-to-toe with the big, bad bosses of Alganon and keep their party safe – but they are never limited to just that one role. Every player can also choose a second role that their character can play, without having to give up the first!

Most players who are familiar with RPGs will recognize the point-tree interface we use to allow players to customize their second role, but in Alganon, we use this interface in a unique way. By putting points into these trees, an Alganon player builds a secondary role, without losing their primary role. For example, if a Soldier chooses to put all of their points in to the Tactics tree, they can customize their character to also be a support class, changing his actions and adding new tools that allow him to control the battlefield and buff their party. However, they never stop being a single-target tank. If a Soldier chooses to spend their ability points in the Weaponry tree, they can increase their DPS damage to become the equal of any DPS class in the game, without losing the ability to stand toe-to-toe with a boss. If they spend their ability points in the Protection tree, they can become a multi-target tank, capable of defending against large packs of enemies at once. Again, they don’t have to give up their primary role to do so.

Since every class always keeps its primary role, it is easy to find the role you need. Just look for the class that has that role as their primary. However, since a player can also choose a second role, you can customize your second role to your own liking. Maybe you want to be a Magus that can tank, or a Ranger that can heal, or a Soldier that is a support class. With the Dual Role system, you have these options.

Q: At launch PvP will not be an included element of gameplay, are there plans to implement a PvP system in the future?
A: Yes, PvP will be implemented upon our first major expansion after The Dawning. I don’t want to assign a date to this expansion, but we are looking at roughly six months after launch. The great thing about the core Action system of Alganon is all abilities have functionality based on PvE and PvP. This means we can adjust PvP for classes without affecting PvE. This allows us to balance, and rebalance PvP as needed without damaging the balance of PvE.
Q: Now, as a PvE centric game, are there plenty of quests to keep players on an enjoyable leveling path without the need for grinding?
A: Yes. Our quest system is designed to be a guided tour that takes players from level 1 to level 50. Along the way, they will be introduced to the major characters and themes that operate in the Alganon universe, and we will be using their reaction to this content to guide future development.

A large part of the development process for Alganon was the creation of powerful tools that allow us to add content quickly and easily. As players reveal areas that are of interest to them, we can add quest chains, instances, and even world events that detail these player-favorite aspects of the game. If we find players are interested in the Peacemantle, we can very quickly add more Peacemantle-themed content to the game. If we find players are looking for something new, we can quickly create and add content completely unrelated to the current themes and story. Alganon was designed to grow along with our player base.

Q: Lastly, I would like to talk about Alganon’s release and the plans for the game in the future. Do you have expansions and additions already in development and if so what are the plans for release?
A: Alganon was built for infinite growth. Unlike many games, where the content at launch remains stagnant until an expansion, we play to grow and adapt our content based on how our players approach the game.

While we have more than two years worth of expansions planned out, our players will be the framework around which these expansions are molded. Our designers will be keeping an eye on our community, learning their likes and dislikes, their chosen gameplay styles, and what elements in the game they are most drawn to. We will use that information to add additional features into the game. We want to make a game our players love, not make players love our game.

Best of all, all of our expansions will be free. We hope to release major content expansions every six months, with smaller releases in between. Players who get in on the ground floor by joining Alganon at launch will have the chance to not only watch as the game grows, but be a part of the framework that determines how the game will expand. We hope you will come be a part of the experience!

Athena: Again, thank you so much for your time; I know our readers will appreciate the information!
David: You’re welcome! Thank you for helping us get the word out about the features that make Alganon different. It is easy to see the things that make Alganon similar to the games that MMO players have come to love, but focusing on what makes two options similar doesn’t help people decide which one is right for them. If you want to make an intelligent and informed decision, you have to look at where your options differ, and interviews like this one give us the chance to show players where Alganon is different, so they can decide if it is the right game for them. If Alganon isn’t right for you yet, keep an eye on how we grow and change over the next few months and join us when you are ready. If you are one of the many players who already know that Alganon is the right game for them, you can join us right now! Preorders are already available, check our website for details.

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