Nevrax’s David Cohen Guides of Tour of Atys, the homeworld of Saga of Ryzom

By Michael Lafferty

“I honestly can’t think of any product as ambitious as Ryzom”

Atys – a lush, and green planet that harbors incredible beauty and menacing danger. In the early days of the planet, the hominkind rose to power, but the thirst was not sated with merely conquering the world and establishing itself as the superior species. Soon the world was plunged into a war as clans fought for control.

The species fought itself to a point of weakness, and that was when the kitin swarmed over the planet. The greatest of the clans were decimated and the survivors of the onslaught fled into the wilderness.

“Three generations have since passed for healing wounds, rebuilding lives, for introspection and rekindling the spirit of hominkind. The time has now come for the wise and the brave to take up the reins of ambition, to blaze the trail to a new order, to span the rifts between continents and forge the destinies of their civilizations.” - Elias Tryton, Year 2525.

The Saga of Ryzom is the massively multiplayer online game from developer Nevrax and publisher Themis Group. It is slated for release later this year, and will challenge players with some unique gameplay aspects as well as provide an incredible treat for the eyes.

This coming year is going to see a host of MMPs hitting the market. So what will set Ryzom apart?

For that, GameZone went to the source and Nevrax CEO David Cohen was kind enough to take time to talk about this incredible-looking title.

Question: The Saga of Ryzom seems to be, as described on the Web site, an episodic MMP? Is this game going to contain episodes, or is it merely broken down into different worlds? Will the game have content updates?

David: The story will unfold with each update (patch) and expansion we release.  As such, expansions won’t dismiss what has happened, but will expand the world (such as new planets). We’ll have incredible things revealed in the story (truths discovered, new forces deploying, alliances revealed, conflicts declared, etc.), vast new lands opened, new creatures discovered, new game systems opened, new content added in the already released game systems, etc.

I honestly can’t think of any product as ambitious as Ryzom. The world, the game systems, the story, our production tools, and our open sourced tech were all designed in that respect -- all offering a robust, fertile, and flexible system with which we can evolve the story.

Q: How many character races are there, and are there quests tied to character levels? How do the quests link to character development?

David: There are currently four player races in the game, and more will be released as the game evolves:  The Fyros, the Matis, the Trykers, and the Zorai.  Each race is indigenous to different areas on Atys, bringing with them a unique culture and motivation.  They range from bold desert warriors, to monarchs from the woods, to denizens of idyllic lakelands, and even feared mystics from deep within the jungles.

Q: Tell us a little about the mob AI? Is there a pack mentality? Do mobs mirror characters in terms of level armor and damage output or do they sport increased armor and damage to counter player development? Do mobs have ranged attacks?

David: The monster AI in the Saga of Ryzom is something we’re waiting for players to experience and talk about on their own – it’s a wonderful thing to see MMOG players in a living world which for the first times inspires them.  Whether it’s seeing a small creature come and walk on the corpse of a an enemy after you’ve slain it, or angering a creature simply for being in a herd of its enemies, we think players are going to really enjoy being part of the world we’ve created for them.   And yes, creatures in Ryzom will have a pack mentality.  They will move and act as a social unit, protecting each other, and making sure none fall behind.

Q: While on the subject of combat, tell us a little about the player-based combat. Will players be able to defend, or are most of the skills tied to offensive capabilities? What skill classes will players have to choose from and are the plateaus in which players are afforded special skills?

David: There’s a lot to talk about when it comes to combat. We have a great system of customizable special moves (which we talk more about later) that ties into our skill system. As your character becomes more powerful, you’re able to make combinations that includee aimed shots,  bleeding wounds, and  circular attacks that affect all the targets around you. Damage is location-based, with different animations and different critical hits with different effects based on where you strike. And of course combat encounters can be massive, driven by our RAID Engine, with players fighting one hundred or more monsters at once.

Q: Please explain how the magic skill module system works? Is it possible for players to create unique spells?

David: This system is called the Modular Action System, and isn’t only responsible for custom spells.  It also allows players to create custom attacks, defenses, foraging action and more.  In Ryzom, each spell is an Action, and each action is made up of subcomponents called bricks. Players can obtain new bricks by learning new Actions from their trainers, completing missions, through guild actions, and other means. These bricks might effect the range of a spell, the damage type and amount, the casting time, the sap (mana) consumed, and other similar pieces of the whole.

At any time, a player can combine the bricks they have to form a new magic action. In the beginning only a small number of combinations will be available, but as the character advances there will be thousands of combinations available. Each player will be able to have their own spell list uniquely tuned to their playstyle.

Each brick also has a numeric value associated with it, which must equal out to 0 or less for the action to be created - this is how the spells are balanced. Bonuses to the spells, as well as damage and damage types have positive values, while penalties (like increased casting times, and sap costs) have negative values. This keeps the user-created spells in balance while still allowing wide varieties of combinations.

Q: Does the game have a crafting system? If so, to what extent does this game allow players to craft of create objects? Is the game economy player-driven or does it have an NPC system in place in which players can participate?

David: The crafting system in Saga of Ryzom is extensive, making it possible to create hundreds of items.  After going out into the wilds to hunt creatures for skins and bones, or forage raw materials, those components can then be combined using certain tools to create a wide variety of items that players can use or sell.  Players will be able to use guild NPCs to create shops in which to sell their goods.

Q: Will players be able to create towns, or otherwise take ownership of pieces of the game world? How will players be able to affect the game world?

David: Yes.  Players will be able to rent out apartments and guild halls in the major cities.  Players will also be able to conquer outposts and other small areas from the indigenous people of Atys.  Occupation of these areas will provide several bonuses for these players, and everyone in their guild.

Q: Are there guilds or clans in place? How do players create a guild or clan, and what are the advantages of belonging to one?

David: Yes, there is a guild system in place.  Players with enough fame (or infamy) can go to any of the four race’s cities and pay a fee to a Guild Clerk to start a guild.  Players can specify their guild’s name, their emblem, a description of their guild, and can even buy a guild hall.   Guilds are able to accept missions that are too large even for a group of individual players -- for example, one mission may require that a guild capture and hold an outpost against hordes of enemy attacks for a period of time.  Completing these missions rewards all the members of the guild, and can eventually grant the guild land in which to build their own headquarters… it will be interesting to see how guild dynamics evolve when the guild benefits depend on teamwork.

Q: What sort of chat system does this game have in place?

David: Ryzom sports a turbo-charged, fuel-injected, MMORPG chat system - complete with slash commands, and chat tabs. 

Q: How have you blended the elements of science fiction and fantasy to create a unique world?

David: It happens that the world of Atys is home to those who have managed to maintain a grasp on the technology they arrived on the planet with, and those who didn’t.  With this dichotomy, Ryzom managed to combine the feel of fantasy with the epic nature of science fiction, and deliver a world where fans of both genres can find a place.

Q: What elements of this game do you think will make it stand apart from the wealth of MMP titles being released this year?  

David: Ryzom represents a rebirth of the genre, I feel.  When we decided to make a massively multiplayer game, we took to heart all the promises made before us and the desires of the players, and sat down to make that game…

• A consistent story that players can impact (a true purposes to defend or fight)

• A dynamic world (an original and unpredictable planet which will never cease to surprise you)

• A truly use-based, skill-based advancement system

• The RAID (Real-Time Army Invasion Deployment) Engine (engage hordes of enemies in epic invasions)

• Create your own customized special attacks and spells using the Modular Action System (combine different “bricks” from within the game to create your own actions)

• The only MMOG with an open-sourced client

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