1) Who are you?
I'm a product manager and designer at a software company. I started playing PnP RPG's in 1983 and got heavy into scenario building and dungeon making... I also got into text based RPG's (Adventure!) at the same time and began writing some very simple ones in basic. A year later I began playing PnP and model based strategy games as well computer based ones and got heavily into designing grand model based battles and designing Load Runner levels as well as creating entire worlds with the Adventure Construction Set. A year or so after that I was playing and designing levels for every computer game with a scenario builder I could get my hands on as well as getting into creating my own PnP and turn based strategy games form scratch. Around 1990 I fell in love with FPS games (though you certainly couldn't call me monogamous) and began creating Doom levels. From that point on I added FPS levels to my standard repertoire of creations. Beyond that I have a B.S. in Criminal Justice a wife and lots of pets.
2) How long have you followed the development of Atriarch?
May of 2000
3) What game(s) did you play before finding out about Atriarch?
If you mean MMORPG's - Many MUD's I can't recall the names of, Asheron's Call and EverQuest. If you mean games in general - well you probably don't want me to list every Atriarch relevant game I've played since '83.
Gaming Aspects
1) What gaming design aspect are you glad is included in the game?
I'm happy to finally see a game where characters stay active even when the player is off-line, I'm also eager to see how well the RTS and perma-death portions of the game function.
2) What would you like included in/removed from the game?
I think allowing Tyrusin to "direct electrostatic energy" and to "direct lightning " is a bit out of character and probably unbalancing.. is it not enough that they're the best warriors? I'm not sure about how well the "player children" will work and they need to work out their naming policy very carefully - but I'll hold my opinion on them until I see them in action.
3) How much/what innovation do you think Atriarch brings to the industry?
I think the RTS aspect as well as the world actually being round and being several hundred thousand square miles will really make the game stand out.
Atriarch Community
1) What factors build/destroy the Atriarch community?
The biggest factor the community (as well as the game) will have to overcome is the difference between player types. Any dev board I read is full of arguments between the many different types of gamers fighting over every aspect of the game. For a quiet community, any game in development should make it clear which market segment they'll appeal to before opening their dev board to the rantings of the player base.
2) How can the schism between longtime and new followers of the game be breached?
Three Steps (though they'll greatly reduce the number of posters) -
a. Keep the FAQ as up to date as possible and include all developer comments.
b. Require a user be registered before posting OR replying
c. Require each user to pass a quiz based on info from the FAQ and web-site before registering
3) Should visibility in the community curry special favour in the (pre-)game?
Not really... though it always does. It's human nature. In beta it's very important to find a wide cross-section of the players you're trying to attract along with a selection of players who know how to find AND properly report bugs and imbalances.... A long standing in the community doesn't guarantee these qualifications.
Discussions
1) Where can people find your threads (site/url)?
I post on the QoTW (though they're not quite weekly anymore) as well as the Dev board... I'm also active on the EQ, and Horizons boards.
2) What thread was your favourite to start or see thrive (site/url)?
I have no one favorite thread - I am particularly partial to the QoTW threads and think that is a great innovation for getting the players views on specific topics. While I have started some major topic wars on other dev boards (EQ, AC, Horizons) I haven't really started a good Atriarch topic yet. All in good time :)
3) What do you think should be discussed more amongst the communities?
Across ALL the communities? Wow... maybe a good earnest discussion about what market segment they are trying to reach which would help avoid some of the dev board conflicts. Also if they could pick a single target audience they would not only create a better game which would likely pull in players NOT in that segment anyway - especially with the increasing number of MMORPG's coming on the market.
Other aspects you think would interest folks?
I still play EQ and have several characters on Fennin Ro. It's sad really... there's a LOT I hate about EQ yet I'm an MMORPG junkie and it's still the best game on the market for my player type.
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