long and frustrating experience in game creation to release the MMORPG Atu'los Online.
Is this your first game to be publicly introduced?
Technically no, I released a qbasic game in the early 90's called the Wizard's Curse. Atu'los Online is a remake of this old game, using the same dungeon designs.
How long has Atu'los Online been available to the public? (As of April 06)
It has been available publiclly for 9 weeks.
What made you decide to create and publish Atu'los Online? Was there a catalyst or an "aha" moment?
I've been a huge RPG/ Adventure gamer since the first graphical adventure game The Hobbit! After years of RPG gameing, I was part of the way through the remake of Final Fantasy 2 for the Wonderswan console, when an old man in the game, told me that his nephew was lost in the woods to the east. I thought ... I don't want to look for his nephew in the east, I've done this so many times before in so many games, that I'd had enough. I gave up gameing. Then a friend told me about Ultima Online ... an RPG where everyone that is playing is in the same world together. Real people! Without the money to play Ultima Online I searched the net for a free MMORPG that was similar and found Astonia3. The graphics were old style isometric, I really liked the feel of this style of game. Then it happened ... I thought to myself ... 'Aha", I could make this type of game, as it doesn't require massive amounts of 3d programming.With a little research I learned that Astonia3 was created by 2 people, a programmer and an artist ... The quest for Atu'los had begun.
What was the original concept behind the game?
The game was to be an isometric style RPG, with a top down perspective capable of viewing large numbers of players at the same time, in an online environment. Isometric games are like 70's music ... it was good so humanity held on to it.
Did you consult game theory and design sources when considering the "flow" of the game, or did you go with a creative process more on instinct?
I spent countless hours consulting tutorials and forums on how to construct the game. However the 18 years of game creation and game playing, influenced the construction of the game more.
How long did you work on Atu'los Online before making it publicly available?
It took almost 4 years!
Tell us a bit about the game: by your definition what is Atu'los Online?
Atu'los Online is an action based game with role play style statistics, that is played online so that all players are in an interactive RPG environment at the same time.
What do you think sets Atu'los Online apart from other MMORPGs out there?
It uses Isometric style graphics, but from a rare perspective. The game almost looks like it is powered by a 3d engine in the outside areas. The lake and mountain backdrops are unique in Isometric games as they are objects set in the distance. The game also combines action combat with RPG stats.
What is your main target audience for Atu'los Online?
Many players, particularly in the RPG gaming community, do not like modern style 3d games. The isometric style RPG has a massive following and will stand the test of time. I seek to target people from this audience who want to play RPG style games online.
Being an independent designer, basically a one-man show, did you ever have technical or other problems that made you think Atu'los Online would never see the light of day?
I gave up the project on 3 occasions. On one occasion I uninstalled windows from my computer, and decided never to use a computer again. The most diffucult challenge was creating the online engine, bending your mind around makeing what was happening the players computer being visible on all computers, regardless of lag, pushed my brain to almost complete meltdown.
I lived at the back of a burnt out house in a caravan for 6 months, constructing the engine. Time disappeared and multiple 24+ hour days saw the online engine emerge. Tested on my 566mz computer using a mini 320x240 version of the game, playing 4 games in seperate windows at the same time, as I could not afford the internet to test with.
Do you think Atu'los Online will always look the way it does now, or will it change over the development cycle?
I will keep the same feel of the game, however a modern 3d client is a possibility, but the classic client will always be available. Each client will be compatibale with the other. Ultima Online has both classic client and a modern client, that both display the same information from the server.
Most of us know that Atu'los Online is an MMF (Multi-Media Fusion) click-it style game. What was the inspiration for using this type of program?
This type of program enables a small team or individual to achieve more output. The MMF online object MooGame comes up in google repeatedly when searching for methods to create MMORPG's, as I had used MMF extensively in the past, it was the logical choice to actually achieve a functioning MMORPG.
Does MMF have any specific features that you just could not live without? What makes MMF a good tool for you to use over say C++ or another language?
MMF is very graphical and visual when representing logical progressions, this allows the mind to visualize a complex logical procedure to a higher level. With C++ it is easier to lose track of the logical progression.
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