Interview with Haden Blackman Part II

[Balandar]

Tonight we bring you the second part of an interview (read part one) we conducted with Galaxies producer Haden Blackman. In this second installment Blackman entertains questions on servers, creature mounts, player cities, the space expansion, and more. Keep in mind that we began this interview a couple of months ago, so some of the questions may seem dated, yet none of the responses have been omitted. Read on:

JN: With over 275,000 individuals registered it seems that Sony might have issues with server populations during peak hours of the day. Are there massive server issues that have to constantly be addressed, or are the servers under control and readily accessible at all times?

HB: The servers have been stable, even at peak play hours, for many weeks. The number of players isn't really an issue because we have many servers open.class="quote">

JN: Are there any galaxies that are constantly disgruntled and refuse to cooperate with the player base and the developers? If so, do you have any idea as to why they are constantly problematic?

HB: Not really. I wouldn't say that any one server is more problematic than another because they all share the same code. If we do have an issue crop up, it's likely to appear on multiple servers connected to a shared database.class="quote">

JN: What is the current time table for the several up-and-and coming changes you have planned for the game (vehicles, player cities, space expansion, etc...)?

HB: Both player cities and mounts have hit test center and it could be anywhere from two weeks to a month for them to move to live. Player vehicles will quickly follow. The Space Expansion doesn't have a release date yet, but it should be available before this time next year.class="quote">

JN: As far as the space expansion goes, what kind of vehicles will be available in the game? How will they be purchased and/or made?

HB: The Space Expansion design is still being finalized, so the complete list of vehicles isn't ready for release.class="quote">

JN: How goes the progress on player mounts for Creature Trainers?

HB: Creature mounts are in the live testing stage. Incidentally, anyone can have a mount, not just creature handlers.class="quote">

JN: In the upcoming space expansion, will you be able to fly missions for the Empire or Alliance and take part in large space campaigns/battles?

HB: Both are planned, yes.class="quote">

JN: In regards to player built cities, can you elaborate how control of cities will be controlled and how cities will be created?

HB: Cities are created when someone puts down a city hall and enough houses are built around that structure (the houses can be in existence already, but the owners need to decide to join the city). City leadership is the responsibility of a Mayor, who is elected by all the city's inhabitants. Mayors need to be part of the Politician profession, a new profession we're adding to the game with player cities. There's an entire dissertation on cities and how they function at www.starwarsgalaxies.com. class="quote">

JN: Do you in the future have any plans to implement new professions or species? What about planets?

HB: We're already adding a new profession - the Politician - with the city update. We would like to add new planets in the future, but only after we feel that the current worlds are fleshed out enough. class="quote">

JN: Are there any plans to implement an actual story that would follow the game, and be affected by certain missions and such? (An example of this is what Funcom did in Anarchy Online)? Or is this already being handled by the Cries of Alderaan story that is found on encoded discs?

HB: We hope to accomplish some of this through both the monthly story arcs and the in-game quests. Cries of Alderaan is already telling a story, and future story arcs will expand in scope. class="quote">

JN: It appears that Galaxies was created with the future in mind, as there are very few machines that currently have the power to run the title on full throttle. Do you feel that Galaxies will continue to survive several years from now?

HB: Yes. The engine is very scaleable, and we intentionally allow you to crank up some of the options really high for current machines. This allows us to take advantage of new technology as it emerges. At the same time, the engine does scale down quite nicely as well. There are numerous settings that you can tweak to find the right balance between performance and visual quality.class="quote">

JN: Are there plans to continue development on the console versions of Galaxies (PS2 and Xbox)?

HB: We haven't ruled anything out, but no concrete plans at the moment.class="quote">

JN: The next comes from a number of individuals who are experiencing monotonous gameplay. Several people are wondering when the game will become more exciting. Our original thoughts on the issue is that the game is boring due to the lack of effective play by gamers who are confused as to what exactly to do. Any comments?

HB: This is a tough question to answer without knowing specifics. As mentioned before, we have a great deal to do in the game. What one player finds "boring" is actually very exciting to another type of player. We encourage exploration, not only of the worlds but of the different professions, and that type of gameplay brings a lot of excitement to the game. We're also going to be concentrating more on core features, that aren't being used right now: battlefields are a prime example of this. Finally, we are continually improving the new player experience. . We feel that our tutorial is really strong, but we'd like to do more once the player enters the game to keep them from feeling totally overwhelmed.class="quote">

JN: Finally, what is your favorite aspect of Galaxies?

HB: For me, it's the fact that I'm always discovering something new. Even though I've been working on the game for over three years, nearly every time I play, I see a location that I haven't seen before, or meet a player using the game system's in new ways, or discover a new tactic, or stumble across a new random encounter. The game is really huge, and that continually impresses me. Also, the team is doing such a great job adding new stuff that it always feels fresh to me.