Interview CM Doyle
CM Doyle
- Community Manager for Medivianic
- Worked heavily on the Update
- Medivianic Character Page
The interview was also posted on the forums HERE.
The Interview
CM Doyle: Have a seat
CM Doyle: and do not go upstairs.
CM Doyle: cups are empty
CM Doyle: due to hard party
CM Doyle: last weeks
Xatron: "Working on update" huh
CM Doyle: I will be doing some stuff in rl too so I mightg answer slow
CM Doyle: But give it a go
Xatron: Alrite then,
Xatron: This new update will bring two new interactive factions that the players can chose to side with, one being the new Lightbringers and the other being the pre-existing Thaian army.
Xatron: Is there any suggestions you would give to a guild about how to approach these factions? Should some members factionate with one side and some with the other? Or is it better if everyone sticks withone side as a guild decision?
CM Doyle: Unless the guild does not plan to split itself within a while, they all should join one faction. The faction monsters are very brave warriors and will require all forces of a team to bring down. I belief in RPG and I belief, you should, if possible
Xatron: Alrite, next question
CM Doyle: join the faction which gives convinces you the most. No faction however is supposed to be good or bad.
CM Doyle: gives* away
CM Doyle: only convinces you the most =)
Xatron: Ah. Yes, I just merely wanted a hint on it. Whether it'd be a blue/green djinn like thing. Or if it's, like you said, better to join as a whole.
Xatron: Next question
Xatron: The advertising has said there's over 80 new quests, 23 new monsters and 15 new places.
Xatron: These Quests, will they have great depth and challenge, or will they be more of the "click and find" kind of quest, where you might have to find a mirror, tree or stone with a hidden piece of armor behindor in it?
CM Doyle: its a great mixture of these. I have spent alot time on thinking how to make the update a gift to rpg without canceling out 80% of the population who are more in favor of action and interactive fun.
CM Doyle: We will have the following...
CM Doyle: In the faction case, you will experience mainly rpg like killing tasks and such. Worth to mention here is that there are more than just two factions, however some might not be possible to join and somemight be, but without having impact on the war
CM Doyle: So we got these tasks missions but we have as well exploration missions
CM Doyle: A very big quest in the update is then again only pointing at your personal finger movement skill
CM Doyle: and your ability to actually react according to your enviroment
CM Doyle: a bit like prince of persia maybe, the old 1985 version.
Xatron: Sounds exciting
CM Doyle: So yes, I belief the update is a treasure for everyone who loves Medivianic game-play
Xatron: How about the monsters, will they all be stronger high-endgame monsters such as the "Overlord" seen in the Arena. Or will there also be low-mid tier monsters that could rival Dwarf Guards and Cyclops?
CM Doyle: and who is more interested in rpg then in lvls. Because eventually
CM Doyle: you will die on your journey.
CM Doyle: We have here behind me a small set of medium/low amount exp monsters
You see a mutated rat.
You see an elf guardian.
You see a dwarf slayer.
CM Doyle: We add 23 monsters but only about 10 of them are top end
CM Doyle: most monsters are a good option for lvl 80s-120s to hunt solo/in a team
CM Doyle: For ppls below lvl 80 we have as well monsters but
CM Doyle: We belief the content of tibianic is rich enough already for this segment of players
Xatron: Do you believe that the new monsters would be appropriate in teamhunts for players below level 80, if accompanied by higher levels?
Xatron: For example, I have a guild with a lot of 60-70s, would they be safe and able to participate fully in my company?
CM Doyle: We rather add content for lvl 80+ players and destress the need for low levels to get certain spawns. We will really be focusing on adding spawns which are profitable so more people can hunt in good spawns than today.
CM Doyle: Yes
CM Doyle: The new monsters will be available for all level groups as long as the team works as a team
CM Doyle: Therefore all vocations will be needed
Xatron: Will there be areas where you may quite literally need one player of every vocation to enter?
CM Doyle: The new monsters will require alot intelligence, especially the top end. So if you go with a team out of lvl 70-100 or even with lvl 30-70s, you can hunt new monsters, the top end but people will have to understand how these monsters work and predict.
CM Doyle: I belief, if you are smart, you can do it.
CM Doyle: And no, you will be able to enter areas, if you have access, no matter which vocation accompanies you
CM Doyle: but there will be monsters which will be very hard to hunt without a certain vocation.
Xatron: Okay, another question. You've been quite exact with the amount of new quests, areas and monsters. How about items? How many new items are there that will be implemented?
CM Doyle: I do not want too name a number. However it is more than 30. Mind that we added items to the game which are until today not found yet. Some months ago, in the small update when we added many newitems, only a small portion was looted yet.
CM Doyle: Exploring will not end.
Xatron: Judging from how Demons dropped the Blazing Crossbow and Dragon Lords the Fire Bow
Xatron: Is there any monster you would recommend players to try out, which might drop another one of these new items
CM Doyle: Hahaexternal image icon_razz.gif
Xatron: Perhaps just spoil one of the smaller monsters and itemsexternal image icon_razz.gif
Xatron: Not something equivalent to the blazing crossbow, which currently is valued at 500k+
CM Doyle: Let's answer your question in a different way
CM Doyle: We still have 20 monsters out there which drop items which have not been looted yet.
CM Doyle: Including boss monsters.
Xatron: That's interesting
Xatron: Another question about loot, in earlier days and versions of Medivianic
CM Doyle: There are
CM Doyle: many many
CM Doyle: monsters totally underhunted
CM Doyle: on our server.
CM Doyle: Sometimes a certain monster gets less than one time killed on our server in a month. Go for the uncovered paths and you find new stuff.
Xatron: there were accounts of some monsters dropping certain items, Dragons dropping Fire Swords, Titans dropping Bright Swords
Xatron: Is it still possible to loot these items from these monsters, or have the loot been altered since?
CM Doyle: A good question that I cannot answer myself. But I assume, if you have not looted a single BS from behes in 2013, it's the case that its gone.
Xatron: Alright, let's leave the subject of monsters and items for a bit
Xatron: In the past, there was much discussion around "Vocation Balancing" in terms of experience per hour gains, when Archers lost the ability to Stairhop.
Xatron: It was said that the new update would introduce teamhunting in a way that paladins would excel in, which would replace their old methods of leveling.
Xatron: Care to give any more hints at this? How have you managed to create an environment where Archers would excel and gain higher exp/h in the otherwise Warrior+Mage dominated playstyle ofteamhunting?
CM Doyle: When we talk about these things
CM Doyle: We mainly focus on the role of druids, you know. However paladins will have a crucial part as well
CM Doyle: Imagine how a team would probably kill a big monster
CM Doyle: Today the knight is infront
CM Doyle: and everyone is randomly arround
CM Doyle: After the update you can forget about that
CM Doyle: especially when we talk about faction and other new monsters
CM Doyle: I think it is valid to say
CM Doyle: No druid, no pain, no paladin, no game.
CM Doyle: Clerics are necessary for top end monsters and really important
CM Doyle: however they can be redundant if you have a mage who uhs the EK
CM Doyle: however now picture a team with one ek and three mages
CM Doyle: This team will fail.
CM Doyle: You need a paladin.
CM Doyle: Why?
Xatron: My guess would be
Xatron: That the new playstyle will be heavily dependent on sustained physical DPS
Xatron: But preferably at a lower cost, than SDs would be for mages
CM Doyle: Not necessarily
CM Doyle: Its more
CM Doyle: Well, to avoid big deaths, let me say this
CM Doyle: A knight is necessary to block
CM Doyle: a mage will still be the most important shoter
CM Doyle: but a paladin
CM Doyle: A paladin is the guy in between
CM Doyle: no knight and no mage
CM Doyle: but he got tons of hp too
Xatron: So basically, he acts as a second line of defense
CM Doyle: Our new monsters are somewhat 'intelligent'
CM Doyle: Yes
CM Doyle: He is required to shot ofc too
CM Doyle: but if you go with only one knight
CM Doyle: and three mages
CM Doyle: the monster will slaugther the shooters
Xatron: And the new monsters will have a completely different targetting algorithm I assume?
CM Doyle: Maybe we add this even to existing ones
Xatron: Well, it would be a lot more interesting
Xatron: If you were forced to bring a paladin to a regular demon hunt
Xatron: Too protect lower leveled mages
CM Doyle: We think about it right now to be honest, just sent Iryont a mail about it, maybe 30 minutes ago.
CM Doyle: Indeed
CM Doyle: You know
CM Doyle: Medivianic is a nice place but most ppls want to stay because of their friends
CM Doyle: so we look for ways to enable friends to play in a team
CM Doyle: without big disadvantage in exp/h
CM Doyle: You need to give vocations a reason
CM Doyle: A mage is a destroyer, A knight a tank, A druid a healer and a Archer the allrounder
Xatron: Yes, I suggested not long ago, that there should be a small experience bonus multiplier of some sorts when using the "Shared Experience" feature, which Iryont approved of. Has this been brought up anyin your meetings?
CM Doyle: We will implement an exp boost for team hunts.
CM Doyle: It was agreed on some days after we read about it.
Xatron: I see, that makes me happy too hear. I thoroughly enjoyed hunting with friends, despite reaching significantly lower exp/h
Xatron: Nevertheless, I have only few questions about the coming update.
Xatron: Primarily, the current "Task System" involving the NPC located in Thais
Xatron: Will there be more tasks introduced with the update?
CM Doyle: I added about 30 new tasks.
CM Doyle: Maybe more
CM Doyle: I dunno anymore
Xatron: Are Scarabs and Larvas part of those?
Xatron: Scarabs remained completely unhunted, despite being a very strong contender to Cyclops. And with the sortage of Scarab Coins, the continous hunt of those spawns would fix that problem.
CM Doyle: If you want to hunt scarabs after the update
CM Doyle: You should expect full spawnsexternal image icon_e_smile.gif
CM Doyle: All monsters have been added.
Xatron: That is nice to hear
CM Doyle: And they will be mission involved
CM Doyle: so not available at radek
CM Doyle: but you can only start them
CM Doyle: if you are doing the appropriate quest
CM Doyle: All races and monsters have enemies
CM Doyle: I guess for the sake of rpg the monster tasks will be given by npcs
Xatron: Sounds nice
- At this point CM Doyle broadcasted following message, and I asked a lot of questions from players -
CM Doyle: Player Xatron is doing an interview with me about the update. If you have a question, msg him about it and he will, if it was not questioned already, add it. The interview will later be published. <- This was a red broadcast message
- An unbelievable stream of questions completely filled my Default chat at this point -
Xatron: Holy hell, I'm getting spammed
CM Doyle: I know the feeling
Xatron: Dufus wonders if there will be any new ammunition for Archers and/or new distance weapons
CM Doyle: Yes, we added alot new ammunition. Only lootable by monsters. The idea is that low lvls loot it and sell it to high lvls.
Xatron: The Ownage asks if there will be any misleading information from previous updates, that will be updated as it has no relevant use for the epic quests here in Medivianic.
CM Doyle: Teh Ownage... troll. I answered this 100 times. No it wont.
Xatron: Sheep wonders if there'll be any changes to Jakundaf's desert with the coming update
CM Doyle: Jekundaf's desert will have same use as today.
Xatron: Vladimir Blodgjutaren wonders if there'll be any new items, primarily rings or amulets that provides light
CM Doyle: We add light effects to existing rings and amulets.
Xatron: Skurviel wonders if there will be any outfit related addons
CM Doyle: We will not add outfit addons. The main reason is that we do not have the sprites.
Xatron: Bounty Hunter wonders how the new places will compare too the old spawns in terms of experience gained per hour, will they be far superior or equally good to the existing spawns?
CM Doyle: That is hard to say. Finally it is nothing we can predict well. There might be players who are bride and able to find ways to boost exp places and some will just drop out because they think its not worththe exp/h
Xatron: Xukania Pain wonders if the new task "revision" will alter the reward of any existing and/or completed tasks
CM Doyle: existing tasks will remain at radek, only new ones will be at npcs which are different from him
Xatron: And as it seems I've gone through every serious question, the final question asked by A LOT of players
Xatron: Is the release date of the update
CM Doyle:external image icon_e_smile.gif
Interviews