Interview With Producers Adam Gershowitz and Jeff Skalski on 1.3.2

[PhoenixRed]

Just before the 1.3.2 patch, we dropped in on Mythic Entertainment Producers Adam Gershowitz and Jeff Skalski to answer some questions about the latest update to WAR, what's changed, what can players expect, and other queries. Thanks to Adam and Jeff for taking the time out to talk with us!

Given the context of the overall strategy you've been taking with your patch cycles, how would you describe 1.3.2 in general?

Adam: Game update 1.3.2 is a really solid example of how we’re working to address our top three player concerns in each patch.

• Career balance saw some significant adjustments in the form of a hard look at crowd control abilities. Many abilities were significantly adjusted or even outright removed in order to ensure that crowd control remains a viable but not overwhelming tool on the battlefield.

• For RvR, we’ve worked to make the campaign more accessible and less frustrating by eliminating the Fortresses as a requirement to reach the capital cities. In addition, we’ve improved the accessibility of some of the best RvR gear in the game, and improved many of the rewards for both attackers and defenders in difficult Keep sieges.

• On the performance front, we’ve seen some significant gains in both client and server performance with the introduction of a better texture manager and multiple improvements to how our server communicates with the client.

Up and beyond this, we continue to work on bugs and issues as well as improve the overall quality of Warhammer as a whole. For example, in 1.3.2 we returned to our new user experience in order to streamline it, re-invigorate low-level RvR, and allow friends to play together via our Apprentice system. We’ve also made numerous improvements to our Daemon Moon Rising event from last year (The Witching Night), and we’re really looking forward to seeing the player reaction to that as well.


There are some surgical changes happening to careers here in this patch cycle. In the context of the RvR experience, how do these reflect a concerted effort between the RvR and C&C teams to create a better WAR experience on the battlefield?

Adam: As we’ve said before, the entire team is focusing on both of these areas in a continued effort to really address the overall top player concerns. The biggest piece of RvR and career synergy in 1.3.2 comes in the form of crowd-control improvements. Many of these changes will impact the way that players have to approach an RvR battle, especially around Keeps and Battle Objectives. We expect both Keeps and Battle Objectives to see renewed activity thanks to the new scaling reward system; it really improves the quality and quantity of rewards you can get from participating in a hard-fought siege as an attacker or defender.


Purchasable high-end RvR gear (Sovereign and Warlord) via Royal Quartermasters, the automatic inclusion of all new players in a single guild, and other such changes seem to reflect a continuation of a process to take the best of Dark Age of Camelot and fit it into WAR. Is this an accurate assessment, and if so, is this more of a response to player feedback or a shift in strategy on your part?

Adam: You could say that the addition of Warlord and Sovereign gear to the RvR merchant was a foregone conclusion. Developers and players both wanted to see this happen, and it aligned well with our goals to open up the cities and give players more of an opportunity to obtain these items. In the future, we’re looking forward to adding even more to these merchants to ensure that players never lack for something to strive for.

Building community is important in a game that focuses on RvR, because without a strong community, players will never really be able to experience all the game has to offer. The new-user guilds in Camelot were an excellent tool for introducing players to the game community, and we expect we’ll see equally positive effects in Warhammer.

It’s important to remember, though, that Warhammer and Camelot are different products. We’re really not looking to convert Warhammer into Camelot (or vice versa) but there are many places where the games (and development teams) can benefit from the lessons learned on each product.


There has apparently been a noticeable performance improvement that is being rolled into this patch. Assuming this is not the end of such performance tweaks, which aspects of RvR are going to be your focus for further stability improvements, and what are some tentative thoughts from your perspective on how to make things not lag, hitch, or crash?

“Noticeable” is an understatement. It is safe to say that game update 1.3.2 represents some of our most significant performance improvements to date! Players will see improvements in almost every area of the game, and especially during encounters with a larger number of players. As always, we’re not planning to rest on our laurels and we’re pushing forward with ongoing improvements focused primarily around large-scale RvR crowds, which continue to be our biggest area of focus.


Arguably, the changes in 1.3.2, while needed, nice, and necessary, are not quite "sexy" in the sense that they aren't things that might make an apparent splash. How would you respond to players who are clamoring for game-changing announcements in addition to the maintenance included in this patch?

Adam: That’s really a perception issue, what is considered “sexy” or “game-changing” really depends on the player. Game update 1.3.2 has a number of game-changing improvements, ranging from the crowd-control adjustments to the removal of Fortresses, all of which will significantly impact the way players experience WAR.

In general, we’re not looking to make a big splash in terms of headlines; instead, we’re focused on measured, controlled changes being rolled out in the major areas of player concern over the course of a few patches. If I had to put something up as a “Headline” I would draw attention to our “Underdog” improvements, which Jeff talked about in his latest producer letter, and are slated for game update 1.3.3. This adjustment will be the first of many improvements focused around balancing the Tier 4 campaign and assisting Realms with lower population, in both defense and offense situations.


Given the last couple patches and what might be on the horizon that you can mention, what can we expect the next time you write a Producer's Letter, and do you have an idea of when that might be?

Jeff: Well, if I get too specific here, then you’ll have a good idea when 1.3.3 will launch. ^.^ Normally I plan to have the letter out sometime between the when the patch notes go up for the upcoming version, and the launch day of the patch. This way, I can go into a little more detail behind some of the key highlights and give the community a sense of what’s to come next. When will that be? Well, let’s say sometime between Thanksgiving and Christmas. We’re right off the heels of releasing 1.3.2, and we want to make sure 1.3.3 is just as solid of a patch before it goes live. Make sure to keep an eye out for PTS info to get an early sneak peek! In the meantime, the community will be hearing more details from the devs as things get closer to completion.


Tell us about some of the unsung heroes that helped deliver the major changes coming to this patch? Who on the Mythic team has been particularly on the ball and working hard on the various things coming for 1.3.2?

Adam: It’s hard to give a shout out to one individual or even a single team. Every patch really is a team effort, and pretty much everyone pitches in to ensure we get everything out the door. That being said, when I put on my player “hat” I’d definitely have to say I’ve been most impressed by the performance improvements delivered by our programming team; in addition, the New User Experience is also looking very promising, so kudos to that team as well!


Fortresses are being removed as a campaign requirement for city siege. If you could tease several possibilities or concepts you are currently tossing around for the role of forts, what might they be?

Adam: We’re still not 100% sure where we will take the Fortresses in the future (we have several ideas we’re fleshing out). This is primarily because we are currently focusing on making further adjustments to the campaign and the capitals in order to further improve Tier 4, now that the Fortresses have been removed. The Fortresses, however, represent a fairly exciting opportunity for us to introduce some fresh new game-play to WAR’s endgame. One such idea that many players have been clamoring for is for us to introduce something similar to DAoC’s Relic Raid experience. This concept is fairly appealing to us as well, but it’s definitely not the only idea on the table at this time.


Some players might make a notion that focusing even in part on new user experiences and apprenticeship systems might be better spent fixing fundamental problems with end-game, where most of the remaining population of WAR is located. What was the motivation behind the new user journey items and how would you convince players that this is a worthwhile effort for the game at large?

Adam: MMO’s need to not only engage their existing player-base, but constantly refresh themselves with an influx of new players. This is especially true for an RvR-oriented game like Warhammer, where we want to ensure there are always opponents available to battle.

While a good majority of our players reside in Tier 4, we need to also look out for our players in the lower Tiers as well. Why? Because these players are the new allies (or opponents) you’ve yet to meet, and a critical part of ensuring that Warhammer RvR stays lively and active.

As a side note, our Mac BETA is going really well and many of these new-user improvements will continue to ensure those players get a really top-notch experience. This is great because that means very soon the rest of us will have more allies to bolster our troops, or enemies to kill!


How's the mood at Mythic these days after a patch like this? What's important for you folks these days to keep you going?

Adam: Other then the relief that comes with a successful patch launch, the mood around the office is positive, especially when a patch has as many tangible in-game improvements as 1.3.2 has. We all realize we have a ton we can still do to Warhammer to make it the best game possible. Sometimes that task can be daunting, but in the end we’re a stubborn, passionate bunch with the drive to make the best RvR experience out there.

[Siberwulf]

"This concept is fairly appealing to us as well, but it’s definitely the only idea on the table at this time."

Did he leave out a "not" in there? I like the relic raid experience, but I've heard some other pretty interesting ideas, such as multi-faceted siege experiences.

[GoldenTiger]

Originally Posted by Siberwulf

"This concept is fairly appealing to us as well, but it’s definitely the only idea on the table at this time."

Did he leave out a "not" in there? I like the relic raid experience, but I've heard some other pretty interesting ideas, such as multi-faceted siege experiences.

Good catch, I actually read it with a "not" included instinctively. My guess is he probably left it out but it would be great to get a clarification.

Thanks for the article, and thanks to the devs for taking the time to do the interview!

[PhoenixRed]

Some slight revisions are inbound. Sorry about that guys.

[Daraen]

What I'm hoping for is that you can unlock a tier before it's timer runs out with the fortresses.

So tier (say elven) gets locked by Destros.
They go somewhere else.
Order forces storm Shining way and start a seige.
Destro gets informed that Order is trying to take it.
Order wins and takes the fortress >> Tier resets to Dragonwake
Order can't take it >> Timer keeps going and fortress lock for an hour or so.

Or something similar beneficial or nice that would make the tier 4 campaign more dynamic.

[Werit]

Relics don't make much sense to me in WAR. They will just make the stronger realm stronger.

[PhoenixRed]

I've dropped in the quick grammatical edits. Sorry for the confusion!

[radishlaw]

Originally Posted by Werit

Relics don't make much sense to me in WAR. They will just make the stronger realm stronger.

It depends on what the relics are FOR right?
I haven't played DAoC before so I may have the wrong notion, but isn't the idea of relic just "there is a big thing that we can steal from the other realms"? It doesn't necessarily have to be some global buffs. The realm who lost a relic may even have some bonus for getting it back to compensate.

[Yerk]

One improvement I would like to see is to the T4 BO's. Too many of the BO's are out in the open and very difficult to defend but tonight in Eataine we had 2 hugely enjoyable fights at AG.

The first time we were inside the tower and managed to hold off a sizeable force of enemy - tank wall, DPS behind and healers out of sight at the sides.

The second time there was a large force of Order inside the tower and the fight lasted 20-30 minutes before we were able to take them down.

On both occasions a BO fight was almost like a full scale keep fight with both sides going at it flat out.

It would be nice to see other BO designs such as platforms that can only be reached by 3 or 4 ramps, underground tunnels with NPC's down side passages, BO's surrounded by rocks and trees, BO's with doors that can only be opened from one side allowing attackers to sneak in or defenders to sneak out etc etc Basically more designs that force zergs to split up and that reward tactics, strategy and coordination.

[Cleavetoof]

What's a "relic raid"? I hope it's not more PvE stuff.

[Yerk]

Originally Posted by Cleavetoof

What's a "relic raid"? I hope it's not more PvE stuff.

In DAOC there were 'relics' which you had to capture from your enemies and take to your forts. As long as you had these relics your entire realm gained a buff/bonus.

http://support.darkageofcamelot.com/...cle.php?id=283

[Meztli]

Originally Posted by Yerk

One improvement I would like to see is to the T4 BO's. Too many of the BO's are out in the open and very difficult to defend but tonight in Eataine we had 2 hugely enjoyable fights at AG.

The first time we were inside the tower and managed to hold off a sizeable force of enemy - tank wall, DPS behind and healers out of sight at the sides.

The second time there was a large force of Order inside the tower and the fight lasted 20-30 minutes before we were able to take them down.

On both occasions a BO fight was almost like a full scale keep fight with both sides going at it flat out.

It would be nice to see other BO designs such as platforms that can only be reached by 3 or 4 ramps, underground tunnels with NPC's down side passages, BO's surrounded by rocks and trees, BO's with doors that can only be opened from one side allowing attackers to sneak in or defenders to sneak out etc etc Basically more designs that force zergs to split up and that reward tactics, strategy and coordination.

Yes it was a very enjoyable battle in Eataine yesterday evening. But you forgot to mention that Order made a 3rd successful attempt as well and actuallt managed to gather an impressive amount of people. To bad the keep lord was bugged for quite a while, but in the end Order got what they deserved.

So yes, more BO´s that make this type of battles a possibility would be great.

Thanks to all Order for a enjoyable fight.

[Yerk]

Originally Posted by Meztli

Yes it was a very enjoyable battle in Eataine yesterday evening. But you forgot to mention that Order made a 3rd successful attempt as well and actuallt managed to gather an impressive amount of people. To bad the keep lord was bugged for quite a while, but in the end Order got what they deserved.

So yes, more BO´s that make this type of battles a possibility would be great.

Thanks to all Order for a enjoyable fight.

I wasn't trying to say we whupped Order all night, we didn't, but I was only involved in the 2 fights I mentioned at that BO.

[Siberwulf]

Originally Posted by radishlaw

It depends on what the relics are FOR right?
I haven't played DAoC before so I may have the wrong notion, but isn't the idea of relic just "there is a big thing that we can steal from the other realms"? It doesn't necessarily have to be some global buffs. The realm who lost a relic may even have some bonus for getting it back to compensate.

In DAoC, the relics helped you with melee/magic damage. There were two types.

With your own relics, you gained nothing. If you took one enemy strength relic, you gained 10% damage in melee (everywhere). If you took two, you gained 20%. The same went for magic relics.

This worked in DAoC due to the fact that even with a 20% damage boost, the two realms that got whipped could tag-team the winning realm. Bodies really outweigh stats and flat bonuses like that. It probably wouldn't work like that (as Werit noted)

There'd have to be some other tangible bonus though, maybe PvE damage boosts, or something like that. I'm not really sure.

And as far as giving a bonus to the realm that lost them....what's the point of taking it then, if it just strengthens the losers?

[Tokfan]

*Very long rant was typed here (10 min of typing), then my computer crashed*

That really happens, and when I come to think of it, it really suits this thread since after spending hours on KA fighting to stop a lock of the rvr lakes, server usally crashes and rr roll back happens and all that hard work has been for nothing.

I really think that describes the latest patch pretty much. It's . Plain and simple.

Death by lag due to invisible enemies when 3-400 users are in the same rvr lake.
I meen, just throw in the towel if you cant fix lag issues, you brag about having fix rvr, but if fixing rvr and enhancing the end game by adding server crashes and lag you really are waaaay wrong.