mmolecule Talks Stargate Worlds With Chris Bernert

Recently, mmolecule had the chance to talk about Stargate Worlds with Lead Systems Designer Chris Bernert

We got the skinny on a lot of questions that have been the subject of much speculation since the game was announced.

Thanks for taking the time to speak with us. Before we get going, can you introduce yourself to our readers and give a brief overview of your job function?
Sure thing; my name is Chris Bernert and I’m the Lead Systems Designer for Stargate Worlds. It’s my job to make sure that the major game systems such as combat, archetypes, progression, items and such are designed and implemented into the game.

As I’m sure you already know everyone has a ton of questions regarding the user-interface. Will the UI be modular and fully customizable? Will third-party add-ons be allowed?
The UI design is based upon ease of use for the new player and customization for the more experienced player. We’re not ready to unveil the UI just yet but we are coming up with a design that is both easy to use as well as deep enough to maximize the play experience.

What options (or types of options) will players have for character creation? In other words, how detailed is the character creation process?
Players choose their archetype and faction. We have eliminated the need to assign statistics to the character as that form of customization is designed around training and item choices.

Once a character is created, will there be options to change the aesthetics on that character -things like hair, skin color, height, weight, etc.?
Our character creation process allows the player to get the overall look of his or her character where they want it without too much minutia. We are using a more modular approach as opposed to a taking one face type and sliding bars in order to tweak cheekbones and such.

Players will control what faces, hairstyles, tattoos, scars, facial hair and other details their character will have.

The big difference between us and other MMOs though is that for us players get to play around with standard creation paradigms but they get to use objects created with the Stargate Worlds ‘look’ assigned to them.

There have been a lot of rumors and speculation about what happens when you die. Can you elaborate on this process?
Well, there is a great white light and you then begin to see many loved ones around you as you begin to float upwards and… Oh, you mean within the game.

All kidding aside, no one truly ‘dies’ in Stargate Worlds. They are just defeated. When a player is defeated they have three options; one is to revive in the nearest hospital. Two is to get revived by another player or three which is to revive where they were defeated. The penalties associated with these three choices are not finalized at this time but needless to say we want to make sure we find the balance between making defeat meaningful verses making it annoying.

In regards to death, let’s discuss PvP. We understand there will be PvE, PvP, and FFA servers. Can you elaborate on the scope of PvP within the game? Will there be PvP quests? Will PvP play some sort of role on PvE servers?
PVP design is still being finalized but I can assure you that we have some exciting plans for our PVP system.

Along the lines of PvP, let’s talk faction for a minute. As the game evolves, will there be faction betrayal? For example, will Goa’uld be able to team up with Asgard, or will Asgard be able to go bad and join Goa’uld? Can people from opposite factions be in the same guild?
The details of all the intricate nuances regarding factions, archetypes and story arc are all coming together and when we reveal what we have in store we think you will be pleasantly surprised.

How about cross faction communication - for example, in WoW the Horde and Alliance have no way of communicating to each other (except through alts), while in SWG the Rebels and the Imperials could still communicate. What is the plan for cross faction communication in Stargate Worlds?
Players should expect to speak to one another regardless of faction. Some of the show’s best moments center around dialogue between the opposing factions and we want to make sure we keep that dynamic in the game.

What can you tell us about itemization within Stargate Worlds? Will items be bound to a specific character or will you be able to pass an item on to another player after you are done with it?
We have different binding properties attached to items based upon their power. There will be some items that can be used as hand me downs and others that are customized to your character alone.