Izvor: Playsomnia.com, 11.Apr.2011, 21:11 (ažurirano 02.Apr.2020.)
Grinding Gear Games interview
Fans of the Diablo series may or may not be aware that there's a new game coming this year that they should certainly be on the lookout for. Path of Exile is due later this year, and the team behind the game was kind enough to answers a few questions about what we can expect from it.
Why don't we start with introductions. How many members are there in your team? Any prior experience?
There are currently 14 fulltime developers working on Path of Exile, as well as several external contractors. All of our key team members are based in New Zealand – our office is in a lush suburb called Titirangi in West Auckland.
The games industry in New Zealand is still growing, so we often have to hire talented hobbyist game developers rather than seasoned veterans. However, some members of our team have worked on past shipped titles at various other studios.
Path of Exile is your first game. How come you're making a game very similar to a classic like Diablo?
We’re huge fans of the Action RPG genre. We loved games like Diablo, Titan Quest, Dungeon Siege and (more recently) Torchlight. We formed Grinding Gear Games to create Path of Exile because we feel that we can contribute to this genre and bring players a visceral gameplay experience with persistent online servers.
So, what's the game about? Can you tell us a bit about the story?
In Path of Exile, the player has been exiled from their homeland to the post-apocalyptic fantasy world of Wraeclast. Starting with nothing, they must fight to survive and grow more powerful in a very hostile environment. As they explore further into the continent, they discover why things went horribly wrong.
Where possible, we try to tell our story through environmental hints rather than forcing the player to read a wall of text. We’ve taken care to craft a world that tells its own story.
What are some key facts we should know about Path of Exile? How is it different from Diablo?
Our active skills are itemized on Skill Gems that players can find throughout the wilderness (or receive for completing quests). These gems level up as players kill monsters and can be traded with other players. A gem’s skill is granted to the player while the gem is socketed into an item he has equipped. These effects can be augmented by linking it to a Support Gem in an adjacent socket. Support Gems can modify many properties of skills, potentially changing their behavior entirely. For example, if a Multiple Projectiles gem is socketed next to Fireball then the player can cast several fireballs at once.
Our passive skills are laid out on a large skill tree containing 1000 nodes. Players receive one passive skill point per level, and are able to allocate points into any skills (there are no class restrictions on these). They gain the most benefit from allocating points into passive skills that are aligned with their class’s attributes, but are able to splash into different attributes if they feel it will benefit their build.
Path of Exile doesn’t use disposable potions for recovering health and mana. We have a system of refillable flasks that can get magic properties like any other piece of equipment. For example, you could find a flask that dispels chill effects when consumed or heals you instantly rather than over time.
Does the game use an in-house engine or are you collaborating with another team?
We wrote the engine entirely in-house. It’s designed from the ground up to facilitate easy (and responsive) online play and to run on a wide range of hardware.
Diablo has a specific graphical setting, and it tends to have a colorful and lush world. Screenshots from Path of Exile depict a more darker and realistic look, can you tell us something about this?
The continent of Wraeclast is a dark and hostile place. Not only is the player competing against monsters and other players, but also the environment itself. Where possible, we’re trying to communicate the bleak desolation of Wraeclast through the ruins of civilization that the players encounter. We feel that a dark foreboding atmosphere fits the cutthroat nature of the game.
How many classes will players be able to use?
There are six playable character classes at launch. Each are based around one or two of the three core attributes – Strength, Dexterity or Intelligence. We’ve announced three of the classes so far: the Marauder (Strength), Ranger (Dexterity) and the Witch (Intelligence).
The remaining three are hybrid classes: Strength/Dexterity, Strength/Intelligence and Dexterity /Intelligence. They’ll be announced over the coming months.
The game is advertised as an online action RPG, but you have mentioned the option for players to play by themselves. Can you elaborate?
Path of Exile is played entirely online on our servers. This means that the items and rewards that players find are persisted securely and can’t be cheated. Although we encourage players to play in groups and meet new people, all of Path of Exile can be played alone if the player wishes. Our game servers are all instanced, so it’s very easy for players to have a single player experience online, if they want.
They are of course still able to go to town to trade with other players, show off their items, or ask for help with difficult quests.
What are your thoughts on the free to play business model? How will it be implemented in the game?
We’ve intended Path of Exile to be free to play ever since we started development in late 2006. In that time, the free to play business model has exploded in popularity, vindicating our choice. We believe that players can only afford to pay for one game subscription (generally World of Warcraft), so games have to be free to coexist.
Path of Exile does have microtransaction purchases, but these are entirely “ethical” microtransactions. We sell alternate animations, skill effects, armor dyes, equipment skins and other cosmetic perks that don’t convey a gameplay advantage to the players. This helps keep the playing field fair for PvP.
Is beta testing currently in progress? Are you planning on opening up the beta version to the public? Is the release date still set to mid-2011?
We’re currently running a small-scale internal alpha test (mostly consisting of friends and family members). We have announced that we’ll be entering closed beta in early August 2011. We’ll probably add several thousand people to this beta before opening it to the public late this year.
To get access to the beta, please sign up at www.pathofexile.com so that you are eligible for participation.
Any closing comments?
We’re trying to build a community of players on our forum. If you’re interested to find out more information about the game, please stop by and introduce yourself.
Thank you Chris and the rest of the team for taking the time for answering our questions. Look for Path of Exile in mid-2011, and be sure to sign up over at the official site for a chance to get into the beta testing phase.
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