The Daily Quest : cme

An Interview With: A'a Netjer - SGW Guild

Indelible — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 19:12:32 GMT

Earlier this year, we interviewed Kevin Balentine – PR Manager at CME – about the upcoming MMO, Stargate Worlds. He told us a lot about the title, including bits about combat and crafting in the game and also shared with us some exclusive screen shots. What he didn't tell us is that behind the development team at Cheyenne Mountain Entertainment is a bustling community of people waiting and watch for Stargate Worlds to be released.

Not only is there a large crowd of people from all sorts of backgrounds contributing ideas and duking it out about the upcoming MMO, there is also a large group of guilds and clans – commands as they will be called in SGW – forming in preparation for the expected release of the MMO later this year.

One such group is the guys at the newly formed multi-gaming guild A'a Netjer. A'a Netjer is currently looking for people wanting to enter three upcoming MMOs – Age of Conan, Stargate Worlds and Earthrise – in order to form a multi-gaming family that has a wide spread over multiple titles. The leaders of A'a Netjer are veteran MMOers having played such titles as Star Wars Galaxies and they have decided to set up shop with this years generation of titles.

Currently, their largest section is their interests in Stargate Worlds and this is reflected by not only the posts on their own forums but also the amount of active members they have on the official SGW forums.

I decided to sit down with the leaders of A'a Netjer and ask them what they were expecting form the upcoming MMO as well as a little about themselves. After all, it's not often that the community get their pre-launch say.

The Daily Quest Interviews A'a Netjer

TDQ: Firstly, could you tell us a little about yourselves as individuals?

Neith - My name is Devon and I live in Coeur D'Alene, Idaho as of now. I was born and raised in Seattle, WA and lived there until I went into the military where I spent 7 years all over the World. Things I do outside of gaming; teach MMA, wake board, snowboard, cliff diving, riding motorcycles and anything that involves adrenaline really. ;)

Desy - My real name is Alex I live in Northern California and I am one of the three leaders of A'a Netjer. I have been playing MMOs hardcore for a while now last one was WoW. In real life I am a soon to be college student starting up at Academy of Art San Fransisco. I like to sail and go to LAN parties.

Shamash - My name is Chris I am also one of the three leaders of A'a Netjer. I am a Game Art and Design Student at the Art Institute or Portland. Been a gamer since Doom!

TDQ: When did the guild form? Where did its roots come from?

A'a Netjer was formed on 14 Jan 2008 for the upcoming MMORPG; Stargate Worlds. We worked on creating a name that would fit not only SGW, but any game we may play in the future together. We started to do some research on the Internet and came to an Egyptian language website. We carefully chose the name of our Guild to have an actual meaning; A'a Netjer means True Gods in the 'old language'.

To gather more attention to the Guild we worked on creating a website, which is currently being improved and overhauled to fit the future expansion of the Guild. We will publish the site in the near future.

We also wanted to make sure our Guild was open to all styles of play. We separated the leadership into the two main functions of any MMORPG; PvP and PvE. We believe that RP is a persons choice and we support RPrs, but because most games do not have any RP functions or support, we decided to leave that off our or Hierarchy. We will perhaps add a RP Council if this style of play gains more interest.

TDQ: Your aim is to be a multi-gaming guild, supporting upcoming MMORPGs. What made you decide to aim for several titles and not just an individual title?

At first, we wanted to create just a Premiere Guild for SGW, but as more members came to the Guild the more we discussed other games. In this discussion we started to talk about playing them together. One of the things we have seen in the past is that people form bonds and friendships, only to leave one another to play other games. We decided to open this up for other games so we could not only get to know one another, but become a gaming family or Syndicate as others call it.

We decided to open up more opportunities to our members and leaders to actually lead in other games as they choose. We put a few requirements out there if they want to gain our support. 1) If a member wants to start a Guild with our support, they just need 5 other people that have an interest in that game. 2) Bring their proposal to the leadership 3) Follow our goals and our Code of Conduct.

We believe by opening this up to our members, there will be no reason for them to leave us if they want to lead their own Guild. They will be the Officer/Mod to their specific game and we will add their game to our list for all A'a Netjer members as well as add it to our website and create a place on our forums for them.

TDQ: What made you chose Stargate Worlds as one of the titles you wanted in on?

Stargate Worlds is one of the best title/story ideas that we have seen in the MMORPG genre. It will bring not only the fans of Stargate, but the ex-fans of Star Wars Galaxies, Sci-Fi fans, and Gaming fans together. We can't think of a better storyline to follow. Using the Stargate in an actual virtual environment leaves us with so many opportunities in-game and we look forward to using those Stargates to stop the oppression of the SGC and take back the power that is rightfully ours.

TDQ: What are your aims, as a group of people, for SGW? Do you have a specific goal or are you playing it by ear until you get into the game?

We wanted to bring together all of the dark aligned species together; Human (Op-Core), Loyal Jaffa, and Goa'uld. To do this, we wanted to make sure we included a reason for them to gather together. We are currently working on a storyline for the Guild but here is what we have so far:

Goa'uld Back-story:

The Gathering

Jacob and Samantha were wrong in their assumptions. They believed they had destroyed the Nameless Queen with C-4, however, Neith knew that if he were able to get the Nameless Queen to safe grounds, that he would be able to use her to create his own army. He gathered forces together and was able to create a 'look-a-like' clone before her destruction. They made the switch and brought her to an unknown place, a place of solitude and safety.

Because of his actions, she now works in collusion with Neith to spawn more symbiots.

In the past, the nameless Queen spawned symbiots for Anubis and she did not pass on genetic memories to its spawn. She felt that leaving them as non-intelligent slaves open for mind-imprinting for Anubis would help him in his battle for power. She assisted Anubis into creating the Kull Warriors which were grown originally from an unknown kind of aqueous material. She believed that they possessed comparatively more powerful musculature. (taken from SGW-Wiki) .

Her downfall was spawning them with no genetic memories. She is now acting in collusion with Neith to spawn more symbiots to create more powerful warriors with their genetic memories attached. They will be even more powerful than before. Although they are not open to mind imprinting, they feel that the destruction of most of the System Lords is enough to attract the Army needed for vengeance.

OP-Core back story:

OP-CORE

Many SGC members used the gates for personal gain. These ex-members of the SGC were tracked down and policed by the SGC for posing as Gods much like the Goa'uld. The abuse of the gates by these members was an illegal offense and as such, these members that were caught, were taken the SGC prison; The Castle. Many of these members believed that they were in the right. They were at times acting as saviors of small villages and their intentions were to help these villages by bringing medicine and cures for common illness. Others did in fact break the law, by using their education to read prophecies given to them by the Goa'uld in the past in order to capitalize on their ignorance and make a profit or gain prestige in these communities. Other Op-Core members were known for pillaging communities and taking over areas by force and enslaving the communities at hand to gain power and control.

Neith knew that if he were able to gain an alliance with the OP-Core that they would be a great addition to his current power. He was able to gather System Lords, the Loyal Jaffa, and now he would work on getting the OP-Core to work with him, This would be a force unheard of by any of the SGC and it would help to have the OP-Core by his side, as they are all ex-SGC members and could reveal their technology and tactics to A'a Netjer.

Neith started sending messages to Desy from inside the prison walls. They planned a break out and Desy gathered all the OP-Core that would remain loyal as favor for their freedom.

Neith sent the Ash'rak to create anarchy around The Castle and freed the OP-Core. Now, willing to serve the Goa'uld in their struggle for power, the OP-Core work together with A'a Netjer.

Loyal Jaffa back story:

Loyal Jaffa

The Jaffa Resistance and the destruction of the System Lords gave birth to the Free Jaffa Nation, with the planet Dakara as its new capital. The new nation immediately became a major power, inheriting part of the fleets of the System Lords, partially filling the power vacuum left by their defeat. In an elaborate ceremony marking the official founding of the Jaffa Nation, Teal'c and Bra'tac were knighted Blood kin to all Jaffa, the highest honor that can be bestowed on any Jaffa.

The nation was initially ruled by the Jaffa High Council, on which votes were appropriated based on unconfirmed military assets, the nation is divided between at least two major political factions: the opposition progressives who support Teal'c and Master Bra'tac's vision of a representative democracy and the ruling traditionalists who support the military oligarchy with Gerak at the head of the High Council.

With the arrival of the Ori, things began to become difficult for the Jaffa Nation. The nation was initially committed to resisting the spread of Origin and its attendant Priors; most Jaffa were horrified at the idea of worshiping false gods once more, as the resistance of the Jaffa of Kallana showed ("Beachhead"). However, Gerak was converted to Origin and as a result the Ori gained a powerful ally in the form of the Jaffa loyal to them.

Other Jaffa however, did not follow Gerak. They felt his conversion to the Ori were signs of weakness and that things were better serving with the Goa'uld. These Goa'uld believed that there should be no power struggle and the Jaffa should remain symbiotic with the Goa'uld. Changing their symbiotic relationship would affect not only the Goa'uld, but the Jaffa that served them. These jaffa were know as Loyal Jaffa. The Loyal Jaffa were lead by ______ and they serve the Goa'uld of the A'a Netjer. To get things back in balance, these Loyal Jaffa are willing servants to A'a Netjer.

To read the full story you will have to visit our forums.

TDQ: What elements of SGW are you most looking forward to? What specific elements that have been announced so far can't you wait to see?

We are looking forward to so many aspects that SGW has to offer so far. One of the key elements that particularly strikes us as original at this point in the creation of SGW is combat and how the classes are not your typical Trinity (Healer, Tank, DPS). They have a different approach and most combat will be ranged combat. According to the SGW Wiki site (http://www.stargateworldswiki.com/wiki/Combat) "Choosing a weapon will no longer be about which has the most DPS (Damage per Second) but will depend more on what you want to do with it." This is a very nice refreshing outlook on Combat.

As any fan of SG-1 or Atlantis (Further expansion) we can't wait to see the storyline and participate in the quests that drive that storyline in SGW. As Stargate Wiki explains "Cheyenne Mountain Entertainment are constructing an elaborate and complex questing environment. Quests will be an essential facet of Stargate Worlds in that they will be the primary vehicle that drives the game's story line. These quests will take place within the storyline that the developers have created around the Stargate SG-1 story and will take characters all over the universe and answer some questions that the show never did."

TDQ: I personally am a little worried about how CME are going to handle personal time lines and maintain an expansive feel to the story as well as continuity. What elements are you dreading or, at least, a little worried about and why?

One of the things we fear is failure to create a game that meets our expectations. We all want a perfect game, but what is perfect for them or you, may not be perfect for us.

One of the discussions we have had lately is about instances. A game that is full of instances is not an immersive game to us. We do not mind instances for certain quests that may take place, but if the World is instanced in areas of the open World then it takes away the meaning of MMO and it becomes a RPG. We want a large land mass and areas to explore and fight in. We do not want to sit in a portion of the land with 12 other people, but we want massive warfare. In order to do this, the land or planets can not be instanced, but more seamless.

We have played games where the land mass in the open world is instanced. We do not want this to take place in SGW. We want planet PX148 to be planet PX148, not Planet PX148 instance A and planet PX148 instance B, etc. We are hoping that planet PX148 will be open for all and that they do not place people in instances of that same planet. (made up planet name)

TDQ: What would you like to see added to the game before it hits release later this year?

I would honestly like to see Command/Guild Structures created before release.

TDQ: Lastly, if you could say one thing to CME right now, what would it be?

A'a Netjer members all want Beta! :D

On a serious note, I would like to thank them for their hard work and staying involved with the community. One of the things this Guild has been working on together is creating official polls (5 so far) for the community of SGW on the official forums. We received a PM from the developer Aruspex asking us to send him the results of the polls.

We actually gave Aruspex the username and password to get the actual results of our polls. So with each new poll, we know that the developers are actually looking at the hard work we are doing in trying to gather information of what the community wants.

It was a serious surprise to receive a PM from a developer asking us to send them the results. It may or may not change the shaping of this game, but we feel we are adding our input and helping the community add their input even if it is just to see what we feel as a whole.

A'a Netjer look like they are resolved to see Stargate Worlds right through to release and beyond and hopefully, in a years time, we will see them going from strength to strength as one of the first guilds to enter the universe of Stargate Worlds.

You can visit A'a Netjer here where you can stake a look at the games they are entering as well as join up to their forums or to one of their sections.

Thanks A'a Netjer and hopefully you'll be back when SGW is out to tell us all what it is like!

An Interview With: Stargate Worlds Exclusive

Indelible — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 04:20:02 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!

Firstly, could you tell us a little basic information about Cheyenne Mountain Entertainment and how the project came about?

KB: The secret history of Stargate Worlds goes all the way back to 2002 when three game designers and fans of Stargate first approached MGM about creating an MMORPG based on the franchise. Three years later, the license was secured and Cheyenne Mountain Entertainment (CME) was formed.
Mesa, AZ businessman Gary Whiting jump started the company and began raising the capital necessary to get the company started and the game in development. Senior Vice President of Strategic Operations Joe Ybarra, a 25-year veteran of the video game industry, was the next member to join CME and he immediately set about building a world-class development team.

How much of the Big World suite of development tools have you employed in the process of designing Stargate Worlds?

KB: We’re using Big World as our back end and Unreal 3 as our front end. On the back end, we’re using the navigation path and the server monitoring tools from Big World, but none of their client side tools.

What kind of new possibilities does the Big World server infrastructure create for an MMO like Stargate Worlds?

KB: The main thing we get out of Big World, and Unreal 3, is time. By using established technology, we cut a lot of time off of the front end of game development that we can reinvest on the back end. The time we saved is being invested into tools for our content guys.
We’ve got a new tool that one guy jokingly calls the “Make Mission” button. Obviously it’s more complicated than that, but essentially it’s a tool that allows content to plug in mission elements. Tools like that allow writers to focus on the story and increase productivity. That’s just one of the ways that we are improving the way MMORPGs are built and reducing the time it takes to put the game on shelves.

Are you going to be releasing new content via periodic content patches that are free, such as new planets and environments?

KB: Absolutely. The Stargate franchise is so large and varied that we can keep building content for years and never reach the edge. We have an aggressive live team plan that will deliver regular updates including plenty of new content. Because of the way our game “map” is set up we can drop new content anywhere in the story.

How big will the Stargate universe be on release of Stargate Worlds? For example, will we be seeing hundreds of planets and environments or will the number of planets start smaller and be increased over time?</p>

KB: At launch, Stargate Worlds will have dozens of planets to visit with more added post-launch.

Stargate is based on the concept of exploration. That is, humanity exploring new planets and discovering new races. Will we see this kind of reactive content in Stargate Worlds? Will players directly affect the way the lore plays out or will it be more of a "follow the story" experience? For example, will player action be able to influence things like faction wars?

KB: Stargate Worlds is a story-based game. If you take a look at the 13-plus years of the two series, it’s been at its heart a search for technology that will save the Earth, or Atlantis, or wherever, from the threat of enslavement or destruction. That is the dynamic we want to capture through our storytelling.

There is currently a new Stargate TV series in production that will no doubt introduce new concepts and new races into the Stargate Universe. Can we expect to see any of the new ideas being introduced in the new series, in the game?

KB: Obviously this is something I can’t go into great detail about, but, we are in near constant communication with the guys at Bridge Studios and MGM about ways we can work together. We’ve had many discussions about items and events that appear on the show also appearing in game and vice versa. Robert Cooper, one of the show’s creators, has already pitched a movie to MGM that will feature an Op-Core character.

Will Stargate Worlds feature profession systems such as the ability to create weapons and armor for your character? If so, how will players attain high level items and gear from such a system?

KB: The details of the crafting system are in development even as I write this answer. I can tell you that our vision is for a system that’s easily accessible, effective and an integral part of the game’s economy.

Starships are another very big part of the Stargate series. Everything from the Replicator ships to Goa'uld motherships. Will players be able to travel around in ships and fly vehicles like Gliders or will travel be limited to the Stargate system?

KB: At launch, we are focusing on the core elements that give Stargate its unique Stargateyness. In our eyes, those elements are modern combat vs. science fiction weapons, exploring alien landscapes, encountering ancient cultures and saving the galaxy ... again! We’re not ruling out player-controlled vehicles for an expansion, but it won’t be part of the game at launch.

How is the Stargate Worlds team taking into account the failures and successes of previous Science Fiction MMO's? Are there any former or current titles you have looked at for inspiration?

KB: We all play video games at Cheyenne Mountain Entertainment. Even our CEO Tim Jenson has a max-level character in World of Warcraft, so I think we’re well grounded in what’s been done in the genre before us. Obviously, we all see the success that Blizzard has achieved and we believe there are lessons to be learned there, but the lesson isn’t “make WoW with a Stargate skin.”
Now, when it comes specifically to science fiction MMOs, that’s a more interesting question. We’re following our competitors closely and frankly, we want them to succeed. It doesn’t do any good for the industry when high-profile titles fail to meet expectations. There have been too many games over the course of the last two years that have completely failed for us to ignore. We’ve got a group of smart, dedicated guys in our marketing department that analyze these launches in great detail to see what went right and what went wrong. We know what we have to do to succeed. We’re not depending on our license to carry our product. We are building a polished, fun game. We believe that’s the real key to success.

On release, what races will we be able to play as? Are there plans to make any other factions (i.e. Wraith, Ori, Replicator, etc.) available at release or via future patch content?

KB: Players will be able to choose from seven archetypes at launch: Archeologist, Scientist, Soldier, Commando, Jaffa, Asgard and Goa’uld. Five of the archetypes, Archeologist, Scientist, Soldier, Commando and Jaffa, are available on both the light side and the dark side. The Asgard are available on the light side and the Goa’uld on the dark side.
We will add other factions over time, some of them in content updates and some in expansions, but for now we’re focusing on our launch material.

In regard to the character classes, is there any possibility of the attainment of certain "prestige" or "hero" classes such as SGC General or Goa'uld System Lord proper?

KB: No. I see the archetypes we have in place as the hero classes.

With major franchise titles such as Star Trek Online and the speculation that Blizzard Entertainment may be working on a StarCraft MMO and BioWare may be working on a new Star Wars MMO, do you think that Stargate Worlds will be able to hold its own in the coming year? How will Stargate Worlds define itself from its main competitors?

KB: There’s one obvious answer that sets us apart from other genre games, and that’s the license. The fact is there aren’t many games, and no other MMOs that I’m aware of, that feature the same mix of modern combat vs. science fiction weapons and humor. If you’ve watched Stargate, you’ll recognize the elements that we have incorporated into the game and immediately feel like you’ve become the star of the show. If you haven’t watched Stargate, you’re going to experience an accessible MMORPG with a deep, tactical combat system and innovative non-combat game play featuring a variety of minigames and puzzles.

Will we be seeing a closed beta and if so, when can we expect to see it?

KB: Yes, we will have a closed beta, probably coming this summer followed by an open beta in the fall.</p>

Lastly, the question that is on everyone watching Stargate Worlds' mind is: Do you have a solid release date for Stargate Worlds?

KB: MMORPG development is a long series of deadlines and milestones that all have to be hit in order to hit your targets. The deadlines interact and intertwine with one another so extensively that missing one seemingly insignificant deadline can cause unforeseen problems far down the road. We believe we’re on track to hit a fourth quarter release this year. That’s what is on our calendar.
We don’t want to play the game of announcing a date, pushing it back with another date announcement and doing this over and over. When we feel that we have a solid date that won’t get pushed, we’ll announce it.

An Interview With: SG: Worlds - Questions Needed

Indelible — Fri, 14 Dec 2007 05:32:15 GMT

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

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

If you have a question 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.