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A few days ago, KK announced a chat with the Devs. I was fortunate to be one of the lucky people to be taking part. For those who didn't get an invite, here is a copy of the chat with all the spam removed. The chat was more aimed at new players, but there are a few bits for the vet players out there. [20:01] <This room has been flagged "persistent" and may be accessed through your "Servers" tab>
[20:01] <Your current permission level for this room is "Peon (Mute)">
[20:01] <The room title is now "Central Command">
[20:02] [Xfire] Chatteox: Hey everyone! The chat is going to begin in just a couple of minutes. So get your questions ready!
[20:05] [Xfire] Chatteox: Hello! We are very pleased to welcome everyone to the Neocron Evolution 2.2 Live Chat! Please welcome our special guests from Reakktor, the developers of Neocron, who will now introduce themselves and start taking your questions!
[20:06] [KK] John Doe: Good evening to everybody from the XFire-Community and from the XFire-Team! My name is Dirk Wilhelmy, I’m a programmer at Reakktor Media and I’m proud to be here!
[20:06] [KK] SnowCrash: Hi Folks, thanks for joining us with the Neocron Xfire Dev Chat. My name is Christian "Snowcrash" Schuett, I am 31 years old and I am the Community Manager and Lead Gamemaster for Neocron. Besides my main task I am also doing content design for Neocron in terms of creating missions and scenarios.
[20:07] [KK] John Doe: .·´¯) =ĦĴ=Ðäеdε (¯`·.: How long did Neocron 2.2 take to develope? We've worked on Neocron 2.2 nearly one year.
[20:07] [KK] Nidhogg: Hi, everyone. I'm Nick "Nidhogg" Milner and I my role is primarily forum admin as well as general community work, reporting to Snowcrash. Glad to see you all here today!
[20:09] [KK] SnowCrash: Outlaw Immortal: What other games inspired you in your creation of Neocron 2.2?
as Neocron is a cyberpunk sci fi games our inspirations have always been cyberpunk and sci fi related movies and books for instance Neuromancer by William Gibson but also movies like Blade Runner and Jduge Dredd
[20:10] [KK] John Doe: Fenix: What are your plans on bringing back the players to neocron?
We've allready added the free game time for inactive accounts for 30 days - things like this should also help. And we hope that you guys tell your friends about the new freatures or the freedom inside NC 2.2
[20:11] [KK] SnowCrash: darklotr: How does your gameplay compare to other games of the genre?
The who main aspects that distinguish Neocron from other MMOGs is definately the action paced first person real-time combat and the dense cyberpunk sci fi atmosphere.
[20:12] [KK] John Doe: unreal: What are your upcoming objectives/priorities once the 2.2 balancing has reached a satisfactory level and becomes somewhat over and done with?
I think wo go on with bugfixes and small arrangements - the next big steps are not finalized so far. We will discuss topics like this in the near future. We have some plans for Neocron Evo 2.3 ...
[20:13] [KK] SnowCrash: AzuraRutlan: Any plans for a Neocron 3.0 yet?
Not as a complete new game, no. Neocron will rather be further developed by evolving the game as we did with Neocron Evolution 2.1 and 2.2
[20:14] [KK] John Doe: [US] Havocide: Being someone who has left neocron 2 a few months ago before 2.2 was released, what NEW features could i expect to see if i returned from inactive duty so to speak?
We've worked on the userestrictions for vehicles, we have added the nanite technology for spies, private eyes and gentanks, we've added some brand new woc weapons ....
[20:15] [KK] John Doe: Fenix: Are there any plans on expanding the gaming world with additional zones?
No - currently not. We've tried to get the best out of our existing ones
[20:16] [KK] SnowCrash: twemdaskar: Some games based overseas do not allow US players, does Neocron also follow this logic and disallow american players?
I am not sure to which games you refer to but we are allowing everyone to play Neocron. MMOGs are always a greate opportunity to meet people from all over the world and it is definately our intention to bring people to together with our game.
[20:16] [KK] John Doe: Sjoerd: How did you came up with the name Neocron?
Neo = New
Cron = Chronos
[20:18] [KK] SnowCrash: AzuraRutlan: Why the decision now to change back to Paypal for payments from your other method you had?
We just want to offer our customers a wide range of possible payment options that fits everybodies needs.
[20:20] [KK] SnowCrash: MEST ROCKER \m/: Would You consider ever putting Neocron on a console?
We have indeed thought about that in the past. But the effort to port Neocron to console would simply be high.
[20:20] [KK] John Doe: z5o3: I am a old NC1 player that came back 1 month before 2.2, Sence 2.2 i have stopped playing completly cause of PvE, What is being done about the PvE?
We've recalculated the whole npcs inside neocron - key factors are their group, their skillrank and so on. We currently do finetunings to this part of neocron..
[20:22] [KK] John Doe: *VaMpIrE*: what are the system requirements for the game?
Please check out our webpage "www.neocron.com" - but in fact neocron isn't that new it will run even on "older" systems.
[20:24] [KK] SnowCrash: =[$C]=Shaun: how do u keep the story line going in a game like this, is it hard to think of new missions, or do they just pop into your head?
Besides the content that we are designing internly we have a very committed Gamemaster team who is doing an awesome job with creating new dynamic content for the game in terms of in-game events, dynamic NPCs and missions. Our players also have the opportunity to get involved into the storyline by submitting articles to our webzines Neocronicle (www.neocronicle.com) and Voice of the Resistance (www.votr-mag.com) and of course to host own events that are, depending on the size of the event, have the chance to get supported by the Gamemaster Team.
[20:25] [KK] John Doe: sk8rtlz: Is it possible to play alone succesfully?
Yes it is possible - we've putted a hidden barrier to our npcs. Skillranks of 64 and above should be content for groups. If you try to play alone you should try a spy and use his higher range weapons
[20:26] [KK] SnowCrash: Michaelv15: What part of the ppl the game is made for?
any age spesific? any gender?
Well, from our experiences we have lots of different people playing our game, be it young or old or male of female. We are not focussing on supporting a special age or gender. Neocron is free to be played of everyone.
[20:29] [KK] John Doe: oXB|hallowed: When did you get into developing/designing games on an individual level? How old were you, how long have you been doing it?
I've started here for Neocron (first release) 2002. I'am very old for this company - ok - I'm 35. And I'm working on games in different positions for over 9 years.
[20:31] [KK] SnowCrash: Bubb Rubb: Have you guys enjoyed working on Neocron?
Definately! It is a great pleasure to provide other people with a good time and fun with your own creativity. I just remember the team happily jumping around to see people play what they have created with lots of passion in the previous years.
[20:31] [KK] John Doe: Bubb Rubb: Have you guys enjoyed working on Neocron?
Yes - very much!
[20:34] [KK] John Doe: Ice_: How many servers are there and what regions are they placed in? US, EU, AU, etc.? How many users can a server hold?
Our servers are located in germany. Their names are mars, terra and mercury. Their capacity can handle up to 1000 clients at the same time.
[20:35] [KK] SnowCrash: inv!Ncible: Have you got any advice for people looking to get a job as a deveoper in this highly competitive market
The most important thing in the game industry is working experience. So taking part in any Modding project for games or by working as voluntary helpers for example as a forum moderator or gamemaster is definately a good way to get yourself involved.
[20:37] [KK] SnowCrash: flib: Was Neocron inspired at all by Deus Ex?
Yes, Deus Ex was definaely a great inspiration. Especially regarding the true cyberpunk atmosphere.
[20:37] [KK] John Doe: huskyberry: Why would you try to make a futuristic MMORPG? The best MMORPG's are based on swordfights and magic. Wouldnt it be hard to try and get people to actively play it? I mean, if most MMORPG players already are addicted to other concepts like WoW and Warhammer?
There are enough places to beat elves and stuff like that - there might be people which searches for something different, we've thought.
[20:39] [KK] SnowCrash: MEST ROCKER \m/: What types of vehicles are in Neocron?
We have different types of vehicles. You can select between air and ground vehicles and then have the possibility to choose several different types e.g. tanks, trikes and bikes. In terms of air vehicles you can choose between single seated gliders up to big more seated group tansports.
[20:39] [KK] John Doe: MEST ROCKER \m/: What types of vehicles are in Neocron?
In short: We have vehicle for ground and air - with weaponry and without. We've putted some new stuff into it for NC 2.2 - i.e. a non-combat glider with lower userestrictions.
[20:41] [KK] SnowCrash: Sjoerd: Why should we play this game, and not some other MMORPG? There are loads of them, what makes this game the best?
If you like action paced first person real-time combat and a true cyberpunk sci-fi atmosphere then you definately should give it a try. Neocron also does not play like other standard MMOs. In the beginning of the development the team tried to design the game more from the point of the player instead of just adapting what other games already offer.
[20:42] [KK] John Doe: *VaMpIrE*: how does the lvling system work, does it infect the lvling when you are in a group?
You learn if you do things in neocron (i.e. combat) - if you are a member of a group the xp will be splitted up. Are you interested in a specific topic?
[20:43] [KK] SnowCrash: AzuraRutlan: What is your choice of caffeine when working during "crunch time"
I am not sure if you know that german coffee brand but I prefer to drink Melitta Auslese.
[20:44] [KK] John Doe: darklotr: How was Neocron originally coded, and does that differ from 2.2?
Yes - hell yes. The code differs a lot in so many cases. We've tried to find a way that our players will not hurt by this to hard. But things are easier now ...
[20:47] [KK] SnowCrash: dreamwarrior5: Are there plans to include more content in the future ?
We definatley have plans to add more content in the future. The next possible evolutionary stage would be another content update in terms of new dungones, missions, npcs and graphical updates.
[20:48] [KK] John Doe: Slooog: What is the Max Level and When does the game really start to kick in and get exciting?
Currently there will comes the most out of it if you reach your max-class-level which is different for every class - but we've tried to let newbies level faster to reach as soon as possible the medium npcs (PvE). But for PvP you have to level up to max I think or you will loose to often.
[20:48] [KK] SnowCrash: oXB|hallowed: Are there any secrets you can let us in on?
Oh yes! If you getting into the game you should ask our veteran players for the "Big Yellow Ball"! It's one of Neocron big mysteries and definately worth a visit.
[20:51] [KK] John Doe: Ice_: How is the PvE in the game, are there dungeons or "instances"; Are there any rare dungeons? How many players can a team hold?
We have dungeons - no instances. Try the regants laborator, the area mc5. 7 runners can build a team I think ...
[20:53] [KK] John Doe: oXB|hallowed: Is there anything that you would have liked to see implimented in 2.2 that you didn't have time to do? or did you push back the release date to get everything in place?
We have a combination of both things. There features we've made concepts for but there wasn't time to get them into it. But we've tooked a lot of extra time to test and make things right.
[20:54] [KK] SnowCrash: LebenOjanen: Will you ever lift the LE removal requirement from private clans? Ex to form a non-pvp Roleplaying group.
We had this topic on the desk already to evaluate the consequences of removing this rule. Though there would have to be additional rules to avoid abuse in terms of PvP. We will definately bring up this topic for a further game update.
[20:57] [KK] John Doe: *VaMpIrE*: do you get any new things when lvling up? and how does the weapon system work? do you get more powerfull weapons when levling up?
Yes - sure. We've putted things into our rare-pool, we've added brand new woc weapons (I like the warhammer (rocket-launcher)) and our loot-system is reworked to get more from highlevel-npcs. If you level-up you can put these experience inside your skills - you get more out of it and you can use weapons with more damage, frequency, range, etc.
[20:57] [KK] SnowCrash: (369) Stfw.Bošnjak: What are some of the next special occasions or events to expect on Neocron?
The latest event was just held last weekend, the Neocron Mall where players were able to reserve an own selling booth to offer their self crafted items or loot to other players. The feedback from the community was very good and we will definately continue this event series. Besides that the next incoming event will be the "The Pit", a specially designed duelling zone where players can fight each other within tournament style rulesets.
[21:00] [KK] John Doe: Stirling: What do you do to make sure that people who don't have time to play all day, because they have jobs and lives, can still enjoy playing Neocron?
We've just had the discussion about the woc (wisdom of ceres) content and this should have an effect on i.e. pvp. This stuff is really high level content and used by players with more time to play. They should use it and should have a benefit out of it - but not so much that players with usual weapons have no chance to fight against them.
[21:01] [KK] SnowCrash: oXB|hallowed: What are your "suggested reading/viewing/listening" lists for cyberpunk? Ie snowcrash, blade runner etc
First of all the Sprawl Series by William Gibson is definately a must for every true cyberpunk fan. Also the books by Neal Stephenson are really good stuff. In terms of movies I can warmly recommend Johnny Mnemonic with Keanu Reeves.
[21:05] [KK] John Doe: zheodaine: Are we ever likely to see the addition of new classes/jobs or skills?
I think new classes - NO! New jobs or skills - maybe. We've just arranged things to go right or changed their usage (i.e. Hightech Combat)
[21:05] [KK] SnowCrash: zheodaine: What is the possiblity of GM help for player events?
The Gamemaster team can assist you in the way by supervising your events to avoid any undesired disturbances and to help you advertise the event accordingly. The best way for your proposals is to contact our responsible Event Senior Gamemaster Chenoa via the official forum.
[21:07] [Xfire] Chatteox: Ok, that concludes the chat with the Reakktor team! Thank You to our special guests and thanks everyone for participiating. Now onto the prizes! If you are one of the winners PM me for instructions on how to claim your prize!
[21:08] [Xfire] Chatteox: First, 6 Winners of 1 month free Neocron Play time
[21:08] [Xfire] Chatteox: 1. Ice_
[21:08] [Xfire] Chatteox: 2. Fenix
[21:08] [Xfire] Chatteox: 3. AzuraRutlan
[21:08] [Xfire] Chatteox: 4. Psieonic
[21:08] [Xfire] Chatteox: 5. Havocide
[21:08] [Xfire] Chatteox: 6. Flib
[21:08] [Xfire] Chatteox: next, 3 Winners of 3 months free Neocron Play time
[21:09] [Xfire] Chatteox: 1. Lebenojanen
[21:09] [Xfire] Chatteox: 2. huskyberry
[21:09] [Xfire] Chatteox: 3. darklotr
[21:09] [Xfire] Chatteox: and lastly, 2 Winners of 6 months Free Neocron Play time
[21:09] [Xfire] Chatteox: 1. Zheodaine
[21:09] [Xfire] Chatteox: 2. Unreal
[21:09] [Xfire] Chatteox: Thanks everyone for participating! Don't forget to PM Me if you've won!
[21:09] [KK] SnowCrash: So, thanks for joining us today. You had a lots of interesting questions and we hope that we have covered most of them properly.
[21:10] [KK] John Doe: Thanks for joining this chat - this was a lot of post but also a lot of fun. |
