The MassiveOnlineGaming Squad

 Here is a great article that, I was turn on to about Allods Online.

The interview was conducted by the site  Rerollz.
Linkage: http://www.rerollz.com

If you haven’t noticed we’ve been giving out beta keys for Gala-Net’s upcoming title “Allods Online”, a Russian based Free-to-Play MMOG that mixes science fiction and fantasy. I got a chance to ask Katelyn Olmstead a few question about their game and here they are for your viewing pleasure.

Rerollz: Before we start can you please introduce yourself and tell our readers what you do for Gala-Net and Allods Online?

Katelyn: Howdy! I am Katelyn Olmstead, InaraKatt on the forums, and I am the Community Manager for Allods Online. What does the CM do, you ask? As the CM I get to make sure the community runs smoothly, as well as reach out to the various gaming communities out there, like Rerollz!


Rerollz: Before you can appreciate Allods Online you have to know where it comes from. Can you tell our readers about the PC title, “Rage of Mages” otherwise known to your Russian players as “Allods: Sealed Mystery”?

Katelyn: Rage of Mages is a PC game that was developed by Nival Interactive (now part of Astrum Online Entertainment) and published by Buka Entertainment in Europe in April of 1998. What made Rage of Mages unique was its ability to successfully combine of elements of your typical RPG with an RTS. It went on to become one of the highest grossing PC games in Europe and even had a sequel released in 1999, titled Rage of Mages 2: Necromancer.

Rerollz: Can you tell us where the art direction and setting are inspired from? You don’t often find flying ships, elves and orcs, and a quasi industrialized society all mixed together.

Katelyn: While I can’t say exactly what was going through the mind of the developers, and more specifically the artists, as they were designing the game, I can say that the game is meant to combine but the modern and the ancient. It is a world that differs greatly from ours, as well as from other games. Yes, it is home to what we consider to be ancient races such as elves and orcs, but it also contains technology even more advanced than what we see in the modern day. Many people have said that it has a very steampunk-like feel. While I can definitely see this, it is important to remember that the world of Allods Online is that of its own.

Rerollz: After overwhelming feedback from your closed beta one players, you lowered mob hitpoints and increased experience in order to increase pacing in the early game. Are you concerned about a western audience’s low tolerance for a slow leveling pace? What other measures have you taken to make sure players don’t get bored with a long and tedious leveling curve?

Katelyn: It is no secret that the western audience has a significantly lower tolerance for the grind than those in Asia, and even Europe. Because of this we have had to work with the developer to make a number of adjustments to make the game more “western friendly”. As you mentioned, one of these things was the mob HP, as well as experience gained. These two simple changes were enough to make the game feel significantly less like a grind and more about experiencing the content. The player response has been overwhelmingly positive. As the feedback continues to come in we will continue to make changes and adjustments as needed.

Rerollz: One big difference that I noticed while playing in closed beta one was that there was no auto-attack feature. Can you explain why the design decision was made to not have an auto-attack feature and instead have the player do it manually?

Katelyn: When Allods Online was developed the designers considered this particular point extensively. Ultimately they made the design decision to not include auto-attack. Instead, the combat and game mechanics were designed very carefully, where having an auto-attack would put the players at an extreme disadvantage. Each class (and character) has so many useful skills that players should be cycling through them regularly to ensure the best rotation and maximum damage (and healing) done.

Rerollz: Can you go over how you plan on integrating the cash shop into your game? What kind of items will be available in your shop and what kind of benefits will they give players?

Katelyn: We are still ironing out exactly what we would like to do with the Allods Online cash shop but we can assure you that any decisions we make will be with the players ideas and concerns in mind. We understand that the cash shop can make it or break it for many people, and we want to make sure that it is a completely positive experience. While I can’t say for sure what will exactly be available, I can say that no player will ever be forced to spend money to enjoy the game.

Rerollz: What is the development cycle between Astrum Nival’s studios and its western publishers? With many games there is a localization process; can you describe Allods?

Katelyn: Allods Online has been in development for the better part of the last four years. Astrum Nival spent a great deal of time working to perfect every little detail about the game, and continue to do so today. Currently the game is in open beta in Russia, with the majority of content available for players to experience.
As for localization, it is a long and arduous process. So many times you see free to play games published with poor or unfinished localization. We believe that his can severely hinder the user’s experience, so we are taking extra time and effort to ensure that the Allods Online localization is top notch. The Allods Online team has a couple people on it who are completely dedicated to localization. They eat, sleep and even dream quest text. Each week we receive a new portion of the game that needs to be localized. It is then sent to these hardworking individuals who do whatever it takes to ensure that everything is completed before that portion of the game goes live!

The release of Allods Online to the western market has been a long time coming and we can’t wait for everyone to experience it!


*My comments*

I think this article is more of a puff piece then actually answering the hard question that, I and other blogger's want to know the answers to. I mean where is the good question's like for example "How is your pvp set apart from other MMO's on the market currently ?"

For me this was more of a poor (PR) stunt just to say there involved with the community. Or maybe they only want to cater to those other media outlets that other MMO's have gone to. I myself feel as if they should be interviewed by more of the fanbased site before doing puff pieces for media they can influence.

Also a big thank you to Rerollz for the interview, and Novograd Times for bring this article to light.