Dark World Online Interview - News and Siteseeing

While there have been elements of horror in other MMORPGs, no game in the genre has yet to focus on horror as an overall theme. Horizons developer Tugla Games recently announced plans to do just that with Dark World Online and FiringSquad got a chance to ask some questions about the game to Tugla Games CEO David Bowman:

FiringSquad: First, how did the idea for Dark World Online come about?
David Bowman: I was on a work/vacation trip with my family to British Columbia. It was the first time I had taken some personal time and gotten away from the daily running of Horizons. This allowed me to think freely about all of the genres and experiences that aren't currently available in persistent world spaces. It also allowed me to have some time to read, one of my greatest pleasures that I no longer get much time to do.
I knew that we didn't want to do another family fantasy game like Horizons at this time since we like what is happening with the game and the audience. Eve and Anarchy Online are currently doing a good job of entertaining people in the science fiction space. That eliminated my two favorite genres. So I went to my third and started reading the horror section of a great book store in Victoria. It quickly becomes aparent when reading horror that no single author dominates this space. I think that is partially due to the very long history of horror lore and the resulting depth and complexity of material. I looked at the material and the common themes that separated themselves from any single author were the sensuality, danger and mystery of the Vampires, the tragedy and ferocity of the Werewolves and the bravery and cleverness of the humans who have protected humanity from the monsters that prey upon us. I called several people at Tulga and bounced the idea around with them and they all responded with "I'd play that."
FiringSquad: What can you tell us at this time about the back story for the game?
David Bowman: It is set in the very near future at a time when the Slayers (the chosen, trained protectors of humanity) are battling to preserve their fellow humans from the Weres (werewolves and changelings that devour humans and desire the destruction of human social structure). The Vampire culture prefers the preservation of humans as a foodsource and human social structure as a way of controlling humanity. We'll be releasing the individual stories of each culture in detail as part of the buildup toward completion, but we are too far from that time to discuss more.
FiringSquad: Some people might say that this game will be like every other fantasy MMORPG except that it has its basis in horror. Besides its theme, what other things will make Dark World Online different than other MMORPGs?
David Bowman: That would be like some people saying that Star Wars is like every other drama except that it has its basis in science fiction. It might be true, but who cares? As far as the specific gameplay being the same as every other MMO that would be a huge mistake. A huge marketing company like Vivendi might be able to do something like that, but we need to be the risk taker in order to stand out. This is going to be a PvP centered world. We know the audience, we know that grinding for levels is not their desire (been there, done that, they don't want to do that again.), and we know that many of them don't have 8 uninterrupted hours a night to devote and we'll be addressing that. This early in development, we aren't going to do a laundry list of features that separate us. This is going to be a fast-paced, gritty, grown-up approach to a horror genre persistent world.
FiringSquad: What lessons will the development team be taking from Horizons to create this new game?
David Bowman: The greatest lesson is to take the time necessary to build it correctly. We have an advantage in that our server technology and simulation layer is now thoroughly known. This gives us the luxury of being able to concentrate on the client representation, the balancing of the content, the database structure, and the service side of the experience.
FiringSquad: Horror themed games tend to be more adult in themes than, say,fantasy titles. Will there be more adult content in this game than there will be in other typical MMO titles?
David Bowman: We are going to be very true to the genre. Weres are violent, so there will be violence. Vampires are sensual, so there will be extremely attractive characters with appropriate attire for their culture. Slayers are protecting humanity, they will do so with magic, swords and big guns. I'm an ex-teacher and current parent: this game is not for children.
FiringSquad: What sort of playable characters will players get to use in Dark World Online?
David Bowman: Vampires, Weres and Slayers. There are variations in appearance and roles within each culture, but there will be no elves.
FiringSquad: What can you tell us about the graphical features of the game?
David Bowman: We've been architecting and building an entirely new client for the future of Tulga Games. It will be used on this project. We are in the process of balancing the need for fast, sexy graphics and support for legacy PCs. We have the solution for the fast and sexy and are now working on our answers for legacy support. It's too early to discuss a list of features and cards supported, because we are still following the evolution of the next generation of drivers and system software.
FiringSquad: How far along is the development of Dark World Online and when do you expect both beta testing and the final product to be released?
David Bowman: We've been developing the server and simulation layer for five years, the client has been in development for over a year and the design has been being worked on since last summer. We are not announcing any timetables for beta or launch.
FiringSquad: Will team members from Horizons be used to create the game or will there be a new development team created for the game?
David Bowman: The technology team is a resource for all projects. They will continue to support Horizons and all future projects. We will be definitely hiring new talent to build up for new projects.
FiringSquad: Finally is there anything else you wish to say about Dark World Online at this time?
David Bowman: Our new project lets us demonstrate our abilities to a new audience while benefitting our existing audience by strengthening the technology and the company. We'll be listening closely to this new audience to let this world become a great fit for them.