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Enter the World of Ashen Empires With TKO’s Technical Designer and Development Director
“We realize that content has to evolve as the player base matures.”
Plunged into a world of fantasy, you have a simple choice – learn to fight or be ready to die … again, and again, and again.
TKO Software is gearing up for the release of Ashen Empires, a massively multiplayer online role-playing game that hopes to cover a lot of ground in the genre of MMPs. The game purports to stress content over eye candy, and will allow players the opportunity to treasure hunt, build clans, or even indulge in some player-versus-player gaming.
Armies of Rune Warriors have invaded the once peaceful lands of the Ashen Empires and those called forth to defend it will have to learn to build up their skills and make your mark on the lands.
The backstory, as described on the Ashen Empires Web site (http://www.ashenempires.com/index.html), says it best:
“Your skills and courage are enough to make you the master of any little village, the champion of any petty nobleman... but that is not enough. The challenge this new era poses calls to you. You can tip the balance of power — toward Lotor, toward Talazar, toward some fate no one can predict.
“This chance waits before you, but you must act soon.
“For such opportunities do not last forever...”
But what exactly is Ashen Empires, and what will this entry into the world of MMPs offer gamers?
Bill Money, Technical Designer, and Jeff Dee, Development Director on Ashen Empires, talked with GameZone about the title.
Question: So many games seem to get to the point where they are sacrificing content for graphical quality. Yes, it looks great, but the content is a little lacking. What are your feelings about content as it pertains to the evolving nature of an MMP? .
Jeff: Well, MMPs don’t evolve by themselves. At least, not yet. So to keep players interested requires continual content updates by the developers. This is going to be true of every MMP, regardless of graphics, until somebody comes out with a game that generates its own new content dynamically – and of a quality comparable to what a live support team can create.
Bill: To me, MMPOG's are about three things: gameplay, content and community. A MMPOG with only one or two of these bases covered won't be successful. However, if a game nails the first two the third will usually follow. The Ashen Empires team is dedicated to providing steady content updates and increasing the quality of gameplay. We realize that content has to evolve as the player base matures. We are also heavily involved with the community. Our community is very vocal in what they want out of a MMPOG and we are always willing to listen and respond.
Q: Does this game have an underlying story, and - if so - what effect will players have on the course of the game through their actions? Will the game have a regular content update schedule?
Jeff: Yes, we’ll update Ashen Empires regularly. There is a backstory, which sets the stage for the players. The gods made the world, got in a fight, and as a result the world - which was once a paradise - has become fragmented and chaotic. The players take it from there. Of course I can’t say exactly what effect they’ll have until it happens, but I can say that we’re moving toward placing in-game government in the hands of player run organizations.
Bill: Ashen Empires has a long and rich history. The story centers around Gods who created the world and then almost destroyed it in the devastating Rune War. As the world has slowly recovered from the Rune War, a new age of darkness has begun to spread. As reports of monsters roaming the countryside are circulating through the towns and villages, rumors that the Gods will once again do battle are beginning to spread.
One great thing about Ashen Empires is players can create their own history. There is no right or wrong way to accomplish a goal. We give the players an outline and then they fill in the details. Each player can then have a unique experience within the same world. When groups of players or guilds are involved in accomplishing a goal, a lore is created that we as game designers could never hope to duplicate. It's great as a developer to see players write their own history through their actions in ways that we never imagined.
New content and world expansions are continually being worked on. Last week we updated the starting areas of the game, providing content for lower-level players. Our next update will include more content for mid-level players. We will also drastically upgrade the look of the game for the next update. Even members of the development team were surprised by some of the changes the art team has been able to make.
Q: Does this title have a crafting system? Can you tell us a bit about the in-game economic model?
Jeff: Ashen Empires offers a wide range of crafting skills. Some skills are used to gather natural resources such as iron ore from mining and wood from lumberjacking. Some craft skills process natural resources into workable materials, such as weaving (thread into cloth) or tanning (raw skins into tanned leather). Some skills turn materials into finished goods, such as tailoring (cloth into garments) or iron forging (iron ingots into iron weapons, tools, or armor). And finally, there are repair skills for maintaining finished goods.
Players can make money at any stage of a crafting track, by participating in dynamic missions or quests, or (of course) by killing monsters and taking their stuff. Armor, weapons, and craft tools all wear out with use. Repairs will extend the life of an item, but not indefinitely. There are also incidental expenses such as food and potions. But the biggest money sink will be our upcoming land ownership and building construction system.
Bill: Ashen Empires has a very extensive and diverse crafting system. Players can create, farm, forage and fish for, a wide variety of normal and magical items. Players may choose to progress in crafting professions, such as being a farmer, fisherman, blacksmith, lumberjack or carpenter. Some professions, like alchemist have a symbiotic relationship with other professions like farmers and foragers to help create their final product.
Q: What type of combat system does the game use? Is this random attack damage or can a player actually control the damage output as well as affect the amount of damage he or she takes?
Jeff: Each weapon has a different damage range and rate of attack, so a light, fast weapon that deals less damage per hit can be as good as a slow, heavy weapon that hits harder but swings less often. Players can wear armor for protection, but heavy armor costs you more endurance when you move, so that’s another trade-off. It’s really a matter of deciding what sort of character you’d like to play, and using the equipment that makes sense with that concept.
Bill: Ashen Empires uses a classic role-playing system of weapon-type, speed and damage vs. armor type and class to resolve melee combat. Spells casters can do added damage or have their spells resisted based on the type of spell and the resistance level of the target.
Q: How many races and skills/classes are there? Will players be able to specialize in more than one area?
Jeff: There are three player races so far. The Astari, or Night Elves, are slight of build but good at dodging. The Astari love nothing better than to walk among the graves and ruins of their lost utopia, remembering past glories. Orcs are big, sturdy, and disreputable. They came into the world with the invading army of the evil gods, but since their defeat they’ve settled down to make this land their home. And then of course we have the baseline humans. The humans control most of the known world from the kingdom of King Lotor II on the island of Krythan. It was Lotor’s ancestor, King Lotor I, whose armies defeated the invaders and drove them back into their subterranean pits.
There are no character classes in Ashen Empires. Each character begins with a distinct profession, but that’s really nothing more than a set of pre-selected skills and the appropriate starting equipment. Any player can try out, and begin to learn, any skill in the game at any time.
However, Ashen Empires players naturally tend to specialize in just a few skills because the experience rewards from a skill go up as your level in that skill rises.
Bill: Ashen Empires uses a skill-based system for character advancement. When the player starts their character they are given a choice of 18 'professions'. Choosing a profession gives the player a head start in advancing with a chosen skill. However, at any time the player may choose to pursue any of the other numerous crafting, combat or magic professions. There is no penalty for changing a profession and all skills gained in previous professions are retained.
There are currently 3 races to choose from (Night Elf, Human and Orc). A 4th race is being planned for the next major update of the game.
Q: Tell us a bit about the social structure of the game? What criteria are in place for joining or forming a guild? What are the benefits for joining a guild? What type of chat servers are in place? Can players own land or buildings in this game?
Jeff: Guilds are founded through an elaborate and dangerous quest. Once a guild is founded, its leader can invite any player they wish to join. Guilds have their own private chat channel, and enjoy a few other benefits. Right now normal chat is limited to other characters onscreen, but we’re scheduled to add several new chat channels as well as a more informal party system and buddy lists in our next update.
I mentioned land ownership and building construction before. I can’t give exact details, because it’s still in the works. But basically, players will be able to buy land and construct their own buildings on it. Guilds will also be able to own land. Land ownership will be taxed.
Bill: Guilds in Ashen Empires are much like guilds in other MMPOGs. They are usually a collection of people who share the same goals, objectives and play styles. Creating a guild involves undertaking an "epic" quest to prove the guild's worth. Since Ashen Empires has a strong Player vs. Player (PvP) component, guilds are often formed to protect players from other player-killer (Pk'ers) characters. Some guilds are solely dedicated to hunting and killing the 'criminal' element within the game.
Owning land and player made building and housing is something that is currently being worked on and is planned for a future update
Q: Will there be quests that will fit all players of different skill levels?
Jeff: Yes, absolutely. There will also be quests for players of different professions – quests for miners, quests for tailors, that sort of thing.
Bill: There are 2 types of quests the player can undertake: static quests and dynamic quests. A static quest is one that has been created by the design team and doesn't change from player to player. A dynamic quests is an event that is randomly generated by the game and is unique to the player who undertakes it. Both of these types of quests are available to players of all level ranges.
Q: What do you think are the most important elements for a MMP to have and how does Ashen Empires fit that criteria? What elements of this title do you think will set it apart from the numerous MMPs slated for release this year?
Jeff: I think that to be successful, a MMP needs to appeal to the widest range of different play styles possible.
Ashen Empires uses an innovative reputation system that allows player killing, while creating a soft buffer between players who enjoy that and players who don’t. We have a vast world for players who like to explore, and peaceful towns for those who just want to socialize. And if that wasn’t enough, each Ashen Empires server also has settings that allow it to be tailored to further accommodate different styles of play.
Bill: As I mentioned before, gameplay, content and community are the three elements I look for in a MMPOG. Gameplay is one area where I think Ashen Empires really shines. There are diverse enough activities to give players of all skill level and interests something fun to do. The game systems are balanced well enough so there are no shortcuts to success. Every profession is just as viable as any other. This allows players to do what they want without the fear of having chosen the 'wrong' path.
Q: How long will this title remain in beta?
Jeff: Ashen Empires is scheduled for a summer release.
Q: What is your favorite aspect or element of this game? What is your favorite mob and why?
Jeff: I love Ashen Empires’ straightforward ease of play, and its astonishing depth. But I can’t say which monster is my favorite, because then the Rock Trolls with get me.
Bill: The open-endedness of Ashen Empires is really interesting. The game has a continuing story and history that is added to by each player who enters the world. The PvP aspect of Ashen Empires is also very appealing. If a player or a group of players are causing trouble, there is recourse that can be taken.
My favorite monster is probably the Ettin. They have a very cool and unique look and also drop some pretty nice loot!
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