Stargate Worlds : interview

Stargate Worlds Exclusive Interview

Zyuu — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 02:04:55 GMT

2008 promises to be a big year for the MMO space with Warhammer Online and Age of Conan storming the fantasy genre, but at the center of the science fiction arm of MMO gaming right now is a franchise that has sat with such science fiction classics as Doctor Who, Star Wars, Star Trek and Battlestar Galactica.

In 2006, Cheyenne Mountain Entertainment announced that they were working on an MMORPG to be based on the massively popular Stargate franchise. Stargate started many years ago with the original Stargate movie. This took Kurt Russel on an adventure to an alien planet where he decided that the best thing to do was escape. After this, a TV series was created and it promptly took the sci-fi world by storm. Stargate SG1 pitted humanity -- with its machine guns and green camo -- against the might of a highly sophisticated, laser wielding bunch of aliens who got their kicks from pretending to be Gods. SG1 ran for ten seasons, spawned an offshoot series called Stargate Atlantis -- now in its fourth season -- as well as two straight-to-DvD movies and 2008 will see the franchise enter into the MMO world with the aptly titled Stargate Worlds.

Stargate Worlds, which is being developed by industry new comers Cheyenne Mountain Entertainment, will allow players to take control of a character in the Stargate universe. Players will be able to explore an ever-expanding galaxy of planets, spaceships and aliens all the while waging war as part of one of two player factions – the light side or the dark side.

We decided to go to Kevin Balentine -- PR Manager for Stargate Worlds -- with your questions, and he happily agreed to sit down and answer them. He also provided us with two exclusive screenshots for you to feast your eyes on!

Head over and read our interview right now!

Studio Head talks with CVG

Indelible — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 01:39:47 GMT

The studio head for Stargate Worlds, Dan Elggren, has sat down with CVG to talk about the upcoming MMORPG. In the interview, he reveals a lot about the on-launch content for Stargate Worlds.

How would you say you are pushing the MMO envelope with the game?

Elggren: I think what gamers will appreciate the most is our advanced AI. In most games, once you see how an enemy reacts once, you know how they will react every time.

In Stargate Worlds, when you enter a room filled with enemy Jaffa, you will get a different reaction each time based on where you enter the room, how the cover is set up, are they outnumbered and what kind of enemy they are facing.

So, even though we are using the traditional MMO combat interface with hotkeys and tabbed targeting, combat is a new experience that will require tactical use of cover, suppressing fire and manoeuvre for victory. In other words, characters better fight smart, because their enemies will.

To read the full interview click here.

WarCray talks with Lead Content Designer

Indelible — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 15:58:08 GMT

WarCry got the chance to sit down with Lead Content Designer for Stargate Worlds, Sean Dugan and talked about tackling the large, ever-growing mass of Stargate and fitting it into a massively multiplayer online game.

Sean highlights some of the questions he needs to ask when tackling the look and feel of content for the new MMO, such as the qualities of the different races and also what he thinks people want from a Stargate MMO.

When I say 'Stargate,' what do you think of? Probably one of the first images you'll conjure up is some olive drab military types facing some bad guys who look like they raided the wardrobe department from Ben Hur.

But this military man you're picturing - does he have more of a Kurt Russell or Richard Dean Anderson look about him? Is he toting around an MP5 or a P90? Is this RDA with a buzz cut or longer hair? How much salt and pepper do you see? Or are you picturing somebody else altogether - maybe Ben Browder?

Along with the interview, some brand new concept art is featured! Head over to WarCray to read the interview now!

Don't forget that The Daily Quest will have their very own interview with the guys behind Stargate Worlds which will be going up very soon! Keep your eyes open for that one!

Interview with IGN

Indelible — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 03:30:57 GMT

The Stargate Worlds team has sat down with the guys at IGN to discuss the upcoming MMO from Cheyenne Mountain Entertainment. The interview reveals lots about the game that we didn't know, such as gate mechanics and PvP information.

It is well worth a read!

IGN: When sitting back and brainstorming how this game was going to move forward, what were some of the main things you wanted to accomplish?

Dan Elggren: The first is the combat. Making something that's unique in the MMO universe that also fits within the Stargate universe, and that's also compelling and allows you to grow. One of the things we're looking at for combat is we're not just a typical we each have a sword and hit each other over the head until one of us dies or throw spells at each other. It's got to be a little bit more dynamic. We have P90s and machine guns and staff weapons and laser beams, so we've got to make it a little more fast and loose.

We've integrated something with the AI that if I shoot Chris and all his buddies are around him, all his buddies are going to engage and get into a combat scenario and look for cover and flanking positions. There's a little bit more dynamic movement in the AI and how they react to each other so it puts a little more emphasis on the player and their strategy. You've got to worry more about control and watch not only the guy you're attacking but the three other guys that are taking up the best position on you. Some of your abilities are going to help you with this kind of crowd control.

It definitely feels different. And also you can go into the same scenario multiple times and the AI is going to react differently just by how you approach it, different abilities, and also how they take cover and how they move and the type of spells they're going to put on you. Spells is probably not the best word, but...

You can read the full interview here.

Stargate Worlds Interview - Your Questions Wanted

Indelible — Mon, 07 Jan 2008 14:39:45 GMT

The Daily Quest will be interviewing the guys at Cheyenne Mountain Entertainment about their upcoming MMORPG based on the Stargate franchise, Stargate Worlds.

If you have any questions you'd like to ask the development team at Stargate Worlds, email your questions to tdqinfo@googlemail.com .

Originally, we were going to close this on 1st Jan 2008, but we're now giving you another few days to get your questions in. You've got until Friday 11th Jan 2008! Hurry!

Diary #3: Mission Decisions; Stargate Worlds Interview

Indelible — Fri, 14 Dec 2007 00:23:07 GMT

The Stargate Worlds Creative Director has another installment for interested fans to look over. In it he once again looks at the finer art of story telling in Stargate Worlds.

We left off talking about the juxtaposition of the 'beats' in evoking emotion in the player. A beat can be a mission, a series of them, a task in one, or any combination thereof. This work starts on the micro level, when each act in the game is broken down into missions, or 'broken,' as we call it.

It starts with various questions... What is the point of this part of story? Are we trying to set the player up for a surprise? What side is the character playing on? How would a Goa'uld look at this issue? What methods would a Goa'uld use to get this job done? An Asgard? A Jaffa? How do we use this part of the story to build tension in the act, to lead to a climactic instance battle or a plot reversal that puts the player in the situation where they must make some kind of choice that matters.

You can view the entry here.

The diary entry also features an exclusive concept image from the new MMO from CME.

The Daily Quest needs your help. After our successful interview with World of Warcraft themed dating site, Datecraft, we decided to head to Cheynne Mountain Entertainment - the guys behind Stargate Worlds - to ask them if they would mind answering our questions about the upcomming MMO.

They agreed and now we turn to you, the Curse Community.

If you have a questiion you would like these guys to answer then simply send then here. We don't mind what they are about or who they are from.

You have until January 1st 2008 at which point we will be sending the questions to the guys at CME.

4 New Wallpapers

Indelible — Sun, 09 Dec 2007 01:40:09 GMT

The Stargate Worlds website has featured 4 new wallpapers for you to look at from the lead art director at CME.

Head to the wallpaper gallery to check out these 4 wallpapers and more.

Don't forget that The Daily Quest is going to be interviewing the guys at CME about the upcoming MMO and you can ask your questions. Simply click here and send them to the guys at The Daily Quest!

The Daily Quest: Stargate Worlds Interview

Indelible — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 23:21:54 GMT

Some of you may have read the interview we featured with the newly-created WoW-themed dating website, Datecraft. If not, head over to The Daily Quest and check it out - it is well worth the read.

We promised you that we would be doing everything we can to get you exciting interviews with developers, community sites and a host of other people involved in the MMO industry and we intend to keep that promise...

Have you heard of Cheynne Mountain Entertainment? Well, they are developing one of the most highly anticipated MMOGs of 2008, Stargate Worlds. Set in the lore-rich universe of Stargate, the game promises to be an exciting title and is shaping up to sound like a game worth playing. We decided to get in contact with the guys at CME to ask them if we could ask some questions of our own and they thankfully said yes! It doesn't stop there...

We want you guys to get the answers you want to hear and as such, we are opening the floor for questions! If you have a question for the guys at CME working on Stargate Worlds, then simply send them to us and we will pass them along!

So get thinking! This chance to ask them your questions closes on JANUARY 1st 2008!

Interviews, Concept Art and Much More!

Indelible — Thu, 22 Nov 2007 15:49:59 GMT

It’s been a busy few days for the guys over at CME with a brand new interview and several other goodies being put up on the website.

Interview with Josh Kurtz

The lead World Builder for the upcoming MMO took time out of his busy schedule to sit down and talk to Stargate-Fusion, a predominantly French Stargate fan site, about why he feels Stargate Worlds has a good chance of becoming a legendary title.

The MMO market is a dangerous place because to be honest the exploration of how to build one and what will make a good one has only just begun. Think of it as kind of like when the British first started really exploring India. In fact in many ways building an MMO could be related to travelling through the Stargate, you are taking the knowledge you have into a place few people have been with no idea of the pitfalls that await you or the monsters waiting in the shadows to kill you in messy ways.

That being said I think that the team we have assembled here really knows what they are doing and the project is headed in some very positive directions. So yes, I do think this game has a shot at being one of the main titles in the genre.

You can read the interview with Stargate-Fusion and Josh Kurtz in both English and French.

New Concept Art and Screenshots

Along with the interview, the SGW website has news of a brand new picture gallery with 9 new images from the upcoming title. You have to register on the forum to view these though but it is well worth it!

There are also 11 new screenshots and concept artwork over at the Stargate Worlds Gallery so if you haven’t seen those, get going! You don’t have to register for these ones either!

Ballentine discusses combat

Indelible — Fri, 16 Nov 2007 16:31:02 GMT

CME honcho Kevin Ballentine, a face everyone keeping an eye on SGW will be familiar with, sat down with stratics and discussed combat in SGW.

Ballentine told Stratics that combat in SGW is going to be about a lot more than who has the fastest trigger finger and players will have to use environments and objects to ensure their survival as much as guns.

Combat in Stargate Worlds is tactical, not twitch. The key to success lies in understanding terrain and tactics, not having the fastest trigger finger. The nuts and bolts of combat are similar to other MMORPGs. The difference lies in the execution. Instead of standing in place while waiting to trigger abilities, characters must seek to improve their position by moving into cover, using suppressing fire to pin their foes and, when operating in groups, using a maneuver element to flank their enemies.

Ballentine also discussed the development process, the type of missions and instances players can expect and a host of other topics on the minds of people watching Stargate Worlds.

You can read the full article here.

As well as that, Ballentine spoke to MMOsite about the combat system in SGW with a lot more detail, outlining what players would have to do in order to master the mechanics behind the combat system, among other things.

Our combat system is very ambitious in that it combines traditional MMORPG combat with the concepts of modern ranged combat. Players must use terrain and their tools properly to be victorious. Using cover is vital in modern combat, and that will be reflected in game where standing in the open during a firefight is a sure path to defeat.

"Another aspect of combat that will set Stargate Worlds apart from the competition is our AI. Players will need to use solid tactics on their AI enemies because those enemies will be using solid tactics against the players.

You can read the full article here.