Madrek l'Insoumis
Guest de L'Ordre de la Destruction
Age : 26
Inscrit le : 07 Avr 2007
Messages : 1705
Localisation : Longjumeau (91)
 |  Sujet: [25.04.07]Interview de Mythic à GameSpy (Vo)  Jeu 26 Avr 2007 - 12:26 | |
| Tout se passe ici l'interview est d'aujourd'hui et ils y expliquent leurs choix (source : onlywar.com) :
http://only-war.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=11413
| Citation: | Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning slips to 2008 (PC)
We talk to Mark Jacobs about the difficult decision to delay the release of the highly anticipated MMO.
By GameSpy Staff | April 25, 2007
It's never an easy decision to delay a game in development. Regardless of the reasons, doing so means incurring costs in manpower, salaries and possible write-offs in marketing and publicity programs. When a game is as high-profile as EA Mythic's Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning, the problems multiply exponentially. MMOs are always a capital-intensive proposition and a delay of even a few months can add a lot to a company's initial cash outlay. More important than mere dollars, though, is the potential loss of "buzz" as speculation about the reasons for the delay fills Internet message boards and other company's offerings step in to fill the breach. When EA Mythic announced that the game would be delayed in this month's fan newsletter, we spoke with General Manager Mark Jacobs about the decision.
GameSpy: Let's start with the obvious question. Why was Warhammer Online pushed back to the first quarter of 2008?
Mark Jacobs: The simple answer is that we have decided to invest more time in development to create the best game possible. In the past we've talked about launching in the fall of 2007 -- now we're targeting early 2008. We have decided to take a few additional months to make sure the game is polished, unforgettable and glorious. That was my promise to Games Workshop when I signed the deal and I intend to keep it.
GameSpy: What specific elements of the game weren't where they were supposed to be? Artwork? Balancing? Network code? Bugs?
Jacobs: Actually, all of those things were in order. What it boiled down to was the fact that our earlier work on the Dwarf and Greenskin pairing was not as evocative as we believed it could be. We have always said that Warhammer Online was going to be great and we will not settle for anything less.
The original Dwarf and Greenskin areas played well, but the team has learned a lot since starting work on the game. We all believed that those areas could be made even better so they went back to this pairing, conducted an intense review of their work, and implemented new ideas and content. What has emerged from this is nothing short of spectacular.
GameSpy: Does the release slipping back mean that the complexity of the Warhammer world is going to be trimmed back?
Jacobs: Not at all. In fact, this extra time allows us to add more Warhammer goodness to the game than originally planned.
GameSpy: What about the available player races and the level of content that was promised. Do you still intend to deliver on your complete design?
Jacobs: Absolutely. Again, we are not cutting content or systems. In fact, we are doing just the opposite. The team is focused on making the game better by adding additional layers of polish and new content.
GameSpy: As development of the game has progressed, what have been the elements that have been the most difficult to implement and why? How are you working to solve those problems?
Jacobs: The most challenging aspect of development has been the delivery of exciting quests that immerse you in the ongoing war efforts as well as designing, testing and balancing our "Careers." Over the years we have proven that we can create great and lasting Realm vs. Realm systems -- now we have to take both our RvR and PvE systems to the next level. That takes a lot of time, energy and focus to pull off.
GameSpy: Was the decision to delay the game made by the development team alone or was it made in conjunction with other departments? When did you come to the obviously difficult decision to delay the game and what kind of procedure do you have to go through in order to get everybody's sign off.
Jacobs: This was a decision made by EA Mythic. However, EA is a big company and very little is done in a vacuum. Once the reasons behind the decisions were communicated, everyone was very supportive of the move. We all want this game to be a phenomenal success and if it takes a couple extra months to complete, then that is what we will do.
GameSpy: Were there any external considerations regarding either the decision to delay or the choice for a new release date such as the market conditions or competitive products you're looking to avoid or possibly go head-to-head with?
Jacobs: Our new launch window is based on our development needs and what we believe it will take to deliver a great game in a very competitive market. We are aware of what the competition is doing, but we don't rely on that when making our plans. We need to do whatever is necessary to make Warhammer Online the best of the next-generation MMORPGs.
GameSpy: What's been the reaction of the fan community to the delay? Do you plan on doing any sort of outreach with them to let them understand the reasons why?
Jacobs: We initially communicated the change in the ship date to our fans in this month's Warhammer Online newsletter. It was important that they hear it from us first and learn the reasons behind our decision. Given that they'll be getting a better game experience in the end, we know they will be supportive of the move. Nobody likes to hear about a delay, but when the community sees the results of our work and learns what is coming down the pipeline, I have no doubt that they will put away their flaming torches and boiling oil for at least a little while longer. |
En gros Mythic va mettre son temps plus qu'à profit pour revoir les zones de départ des peaux-vertes et des nains (eeerk) on voit déjà une partie dans la newsletter. Des nouvelles idées qui devraient apporter un réel plus (à mon avis pousser la guerre jusqu'aux portes de chaque camp qui était relativement paisible).
Ils ne veulent pas sortir un jeu avec des bugs ou à la va vite (non seulement parce que Gamesworkshop va les tuer là ils nous disent : on a un engagement avec games eux ^^) mais surtout parce qu'ils veulent devenir le MMO référence (''succès phénoménale'' pour le citer) de dernière génération.
Graphiquement ils font pouvoir affiner tout ça (comme ils l'avaient commencé). Ils continuent de tester le RvR, PvE déjà en place (la V1 qui passe V2 pour moi) et l'équilibre entre les classes. Ils veulent que tout ça soit éxitant et nous tienne en halène.
Après Gamespy leur lance si de la stratégie marketing ou pour passer WAR sur vista. Jacob annonce qu'ils veulent que ça soit un bon produit qui tienne sur la plus large game possible (plus grosse config ?) et donc la nouvelle génération de MMO.
Dernier point réaction des fans/position vis à vis d'eux : en gros Mythic joue la transparence c'est dans la newsletter comme on le sait. Personne n'aime apprendre ça mais c'est pour notre bien il pense que nous comprendrons.
En gros ils vont pas chômer ! |
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Chane
Officier
Age : 21
Inscrit le : 10 Avr 2007
Messages : 994
Localisation : Avec un Loup :)
| | Sujet: Re: [25.04.07]Interview de Mythic à GameSpy (Vo) Ven 27 Avr 2007 - 16:27 | |
| Intéressant tout ça 
Wow avait essayé de réunir le plus grand nombre possible de joueurs, tant par la configuration nécessaire que par la prise en main . Mais finalement, je ne suis pas certaine de vouloir me retrouver avec des gosses de 14 ans, même si certains ont assez de maturité. Je préférerais que le jeu soit adressé aux connaisseurs de l'univers de warhammer. Tout ça pour dire que dans ta dernière phrase "chaumer" s'écrit "chômer". Et toc. Hinhinhin quelle perversité. Je m'étonne moi même. Vengeance 
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Nuzu
Seigneur du désordre
Inscrit le : 10 Avr 2007
Messages : 1748
Localisation : Grenoble
| | Sujet: Re: [25.04.07]Interview de Mythic à GameSpy (Vo) Ven 27 Avr 2007 - 17:01 | |
| | Mmmh... j'ai un peu peur que si on souhaite faire tourner vista et WAR en optimal on doive avoir une plus grosse config que le top de 2006... |
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