Auto Assault: Auto Assault IRC Chat Log is UP

[Zeus[GG]> I'd like to welcome everyone to tonights IRC Dev Chat
[Zeus[GG]> We are getting underway now
[Creek[GG]> GamerGod would like to welcome the Development team from the game Auto Assault, as well as
[Creek[GG]> part of the production team from NCSoft!
[Zeus[GG]> you will be able to send all questions to myself or creek
[Zeus[GG]> Creek is now gonna go through how everything is gonna run tonight
[Creek[GG]> The way the chat will be ran tonight is all questions need to be sent to Zeus or Creek, we
[Creek[GG]> will then pass along all questions to the Dev team and they will in turn answer all that
[Creek[GG]> they can.
[Creek[GG]> Please do not send messages to the dev or pr team directly as they will be ignored.
[Creek[GG]> The chat will last around an hour and we hope to get all of your questions answered tonight.
[Creek[GG]> With all that said I will now turn the floor over to the dev teams for their intros!
[[ND]Scorch> Hi, I'm Scott Brown, project lead for Auto Assault. Thank you for coming to the chat!
[ND_Sampenguin> Hi everyone and thanks for coming, I'm Ryan Seabury, Design Director for Auto Assault. Thanks to the GG crew for hosting tonight!
[Pann> Hi! I'm Pann, the community coordinator! Glad you could join us!
[piza> Hey Peter Grundy Art Director thanks for coming
[Steven_Snow> My name is Steve Snow, I'm the producer for Auto Assault. Thanks for dropping by tonight!
[Pann> As you may have read, we'll be giving away some t-shirts tonight.
[Pann> We'll start that in about 15 minutes, but let's get to the questions! We know you have a lot of them. =)

[Pann> Mixing vehicle combat and RPG elements seems like a pretty innovative concept. Could you please elaborate on the RPG aspects of Auto Assault? Is there more RPG to the game than just the customization of vehicles?

[[ND]Scorch> When I think of RPG elements we mean statistical based combat and loot. Your character has 4 attributes that affect your combat abilities. You also have skills that you learn to help as well. When you fire all of this and your current vehicles equipment as well as any modifiers of your target determine if you hit and for how much damage.

[Pann> NetDevil is saying that Auto Assaults allows the players to "level up while playing, rather than playing to level up", which fundamental change have been made to the classical leveling system ?

[ND_Sampenguin> The idea behind the statement "level up while playing" is that the content and gameplay is engaging enough that you will be so wrapped up in just playing that you don't notice the levels go by. Characters still have a traditional level you might expect from a traditional RPG, it's just that the focus of the game is on exploring the details behind the intricately crafted stories for each of the three player races, and all the surviving factions rem>>
[ND_Sampenguin> The focus is more on the core campaigns, exploring the world, and things like Arena combat, so when you level up it's a pleasant surprise most of the time.

[Pann> Can you give us an idea of the possible size (in term of participant of the confrontations ? Will the destructible world and the realistic physics limit them ?

[Steven_Snow> Auto Assault has a core focus of one vs. many. We have gone out of our way to make sure that we allow you to roll into a town with many enemies, but how many depends on the types of enemies. In some places you might end up fighting 30 on foot soldiers and you can end up fighting many cars at the same time. The destructible environments don't really have an impact on how many bad guys we pack into the area.

[Pann> [Typwn> Since AutoAssault is a vehical based MMO, how far does modifying rides go? Can we mix and match weapons and parts? How much creative freedom do we have in making our rides stand out from the rest, without having to worry about ruining the performance for originality?

[[ND]Scorch> You can equip multiple weapons in addition to armor, wheels, power plants. You will have to balance both damage types (flame vs physical for example) and damage resistance but also you will have to balance heat and weight as well.
[[ND]Scorch> We also have tricks and trims that allow you to change both your paint job as well as other visual accessories to really make your ride look the way you want it to that have no effect on your statistics .

[Pann> [Hector> How many slots will vehicles have for weapons?

[ND_Sampenguin> Current chassis designs can have a variety of a number of equipment hardpoints, some of which are standard on every chassis. As far as weapons go, there are three possible major weapon hardpoints: Front mount, turret mount, and rear. There are also some capabilities for melee kits and special ornaments that can allow for some cool special effects.

[Pann> [Mordaris> How important will your actual character be, or will your character simply be a fixture inside your vehicle that doesn't affect gameplay?

[ND_Sampenguin> Your character is very important to gameplay. It is your identity that persists through all the countless rides you will collect, and has a set of skills and attributes that you improve over time...
[ND_Sampenguin> We felt it was very important to not just "be a vehicle" and have a persona you could identify with, as well as making it easier to remember who you played with.

[Pann> [ratinox> Will we be able to have multi-crewed vehicles, for example, additional player-manned turrets on heavier vehicles?

[Steven_Snow> This is something that can be very fun, but for our launch we are focused on creating vehicles that seat a single player. That doesn't mean you'll never see it in Auto Assault, but we want to make sure that our key features, like Arenas and Rankings are top notch before we get into other types of gameplay.

[Pann> It's trivia time! Be the first to submit the correct answer via e-mail and you will win
[Pann> an Auto Assault t-shirt! Before I ask the question, I'll explain how this works.
[Pann> Please note that the contest is only available to US residents 13 years of age or older.
[Pann> Complete rules are available at: http://www.autoassault.com/contest_01.html
[Pann> To enter, send an e-mail to pann@ncsoft.com with the subject line "Auto Assault Get
[Pann> T-shirt Contest."
[Pann> The body of the e-mail must contain your real name, your IRC handle,
[Pann> your age, your full mailing address, a valid e-mail address and your telephone number in
[Pann> addition to the trivia question and your response.
[Pann> There will be three rounds of trivia questions with one winner each. You may only win
[Pann> one t-shirt in this contest. The winner will be announced in about 15 minutes, before we
[Pann> begin the next round.
[Pann> Now that the legal stuff is out of the way, here's the first question:
[Pann> What are the names of the three player races in Auto Assault?
[Pann> Good luck, everyone! And now, back to the chat!

[Pann> [exMCOjunkie> In many MMORPG's I've played, the balance between new players and the veterans is astonishing, thereby making it very hard for new players to get started in the game and effectively restricting population to seasoned players after 1 year....how will auto assault deal with this?

[[ND]Scorch> Balance should not be a problem in this way. PvP is consensual so you do not have to be attacked by higher level players until you are ready. Also, there are several arena and tournament types limited to low level players so you will always have lots to do even at low levels. We are creating a really fun story for players that 1 year from now will only have more to be revealed for the new player.

[Pann> [Itachi> Will AutoAssault focus more on instancing (special 1 man or group areas) or will it focus more on highways (where everyone can hunt) or will it try to provide much content of both types?

[ND_Sampenguin> Both.:) Honestly, Highways and the missions that take place on them make up about 70-80% of the game terrain and content from a volume perspective. On the other hand, instances are involved, very exciting private adventures. Instances also have our "layering" technology, which means you can revisit them multiple times with new missions that build upon the previous state you left the instance in. So in summary we are trying to balance for both playstyles.

[Pann> [Itachi> In highway areas will you be able to blow up everything and make holes in buildings and such like in instances?

[Steven_Snow> I'm really glad I got this question, my favorite. You can flatten everything. Literally. You can roll into a Pike base off the road and destroy every building, watch as they parts fly off into the air from explosions and impacts and once everything gone say to yourself "I did that!" and head on to the next one. There are some buildings that we flag as no-destroy like repair station signs and such, but short of those infrequent gameplay critical signs you can destroy it all.

[Pann> [Hector> Any plans for flying or water vehicles, or will they all be on land?

[piza> We currently have AI helicopters and hover alien craft already cruising around and more planned
[[ND]Scorch> Players will only have vehicles though, from big rigs to motor cyles and even tanks

[Pann> [grendel> Since players will be able to have more than one vehicle, where will they store them? In a public common garage, or will players have private instanced garages?

[ND_Sampenguin> This was an interesting problem to solve. We wanted you to find vehicles as random dynamic loot, but how do you pick up an entire car on your car and take it back to town?
[ND_Sampenguin> What we came up with is that vehicles are represented as keys in your inventory. So you can store your collection of keys in your cargo or locker space in towns, and just put your key in the ignition hardpoint in town to swap out your current ride. The key displays all the vital stats for the chassis, so you can easily browse through your collection and pick the ride most appropriate for what you feel like doing on a given day.

[Pann> [_hoc_> Q: How will AutoAssault keep someone playing for more than a couple of months? What systems are being implemted to keep a player interested?

[[ND]Scorch> Since we understand that no amount of content can be enough, especially for hard core players we are working on many ways to keep players interested after playing through our story arcs. First Auto Assault will have an ongoing story line for players to explore as we do content released past launch. Additionally since all loot is randomly generated each time players will continue to search for new, different equipment far beyond playing through all the release content. PvP also provides options for players long after they have played through the content.

[Pann> [TellarHK> Question: What options will there be in-game for players to create communities or alliances with other players? Will there be player bases, in-game forums or team formation? Also - to get it out of the way - Is there an estimate on any kind of beta time frame?

[Steven_Snow> Auto Assault has a really cool clan system, similar to guilds. This is our single focus for launch. The reason for sticking on this and making sure it's polished and very user friendly is that it plugs into our Arena system as well. In terms of the future we want to make sure we have more features than just the clan system, but again we feel it's very important that if you say you're going to do something you do it the best you can before you start another new feature. As far as beta, well...stay tuned. :)

[Pann> It's trivia time again, but before we start Round Two, we'd like to announce the winner
[Pann> from Round One.
[Pann> The question was, "What are the names of the three player races in Auto
[Pann> Assault?" The correct answer was, "Biomek, Human and Mutant,"
[Pann> and the first person to
[Pann> send in the response was... Typwn!
[Pann> Congratulations!
[ND_Sampenguin> huzzah!
[Creek[GG]> Grats!
[Pann> Now, on to Round Two! Be the first to submit the correct answer via e-mail and you will
[Pann> win an Auto Assault t-shirt! Before I ask the second question, I'll explain again how
[Pann> this works.
[Pann> Please note that the contest is only available to US residents 13 years of age or older.
[Pann> Complete rules are available at: http://www.autoassault.com/contest_01.html
[Pann> To enter, send an e-mail to pann@ncsoft.com with the subject line "Auto Assault Get
[Pann> T-shirt Contest."
[Pann> The body of the e-mail must contain your real name, your IRC handle,
[Pann> your age, your full mailing address, a valid e-mail address and your telephone number in
[Pann> addition to the trivia question and your response.
[Pann> This is Round Two of three rounds of trivia questions with one winner each. You may only
[Pann> win one t-shirt in this contest. The winner will be announced in about 15 minutes,
[Pann> before we begin the last round.
[Pann> Without further ado, here's the next question:
[Pann> What is the difference between Tricks and Trims?
[Pann> Good luck! And now we return you to our regularly scheduled program!

[Pann> [schild> What's the respawn time on buildings, etc? Deurbanization and structural holocaust will happen overnight on launch day if everything can be destroyed. But a fast respawn time makes camping buildings and spawn points a viable option. Also, it lets an uberguild completely dominate a zone.
[Pann> What measures are being taken to deal with these issues which will undoubtedly arise in beta and possibly continue through launch?

[[ND]Scorch> The respawn time is fairly quick. We are currently not responding things to close to players however. This will certainly be one of the big things we balance once Beta gets going.

[Pann> [cybertoaster> How will patching of Auto Assault be handled?

[ND_Sampenguin> Patching is handled automatically every time you run the game. The client will connect to a central patch server and download any updates to make sure you are up to date. It is very painless. :)

[Pann> [Itachi> I've read on several interviews the special abilities of each race, such as humans having a shield that destroys everything in it and biomeks changing into a destructive machine and wrecking havok on anything it sees. But I haven't heard of the mutant's ability, can you tell us what it is?

[ND_Sampenguin> Yes these abilities are collectively called "Hazard Modes". The Humans use a shield inversion technique combined with a satellite blast, the Biomek vehicles transform into a hulking Mek, and the Mutants do something they refer to as "Wraithphase", it has do with focusing the ever present Contamination in a dangerous way. I can't reveal too much on it just yet, but rest assured... it's bad ass and very mutanty. :)

[Pann> [Typwn> How manuverable are the vehicals? Could I jump a ramp and do a barrel roll? Or are filps and tumbles not possible?

[[ND]Scorch> The player can control speed, brakes and the handbrake for controlled skids. There are several jumps in many maps and you will find yourself upside down more than once. :)

[Pann> [tick> how many different transport models do you have and how are they split up?

[Steven_Snow> Obviously we have driving, which is really fun. Driving can be augmented with some items, like turbo boost. We also have a travel map, provided you've been there once you can go back there very easily. Most importantly we want it to be easy for you to get around in Auto Assault. Keep an eye out because Auto Assault has great backstory supporting the map, travel and death that we will reveal later.

[Pann> [exMCOjunkie> Will any non-fictional vehicles be implemented at a future time? I'd sure like to blow stuff up in a Volkswagen :)

[piza> Currently there are lots of AI vehicles that resemble current day vehicles, you certainly be able to blow them up, but no plans to let players drive those at this time

[Pann> [Zekazu> Will we be able to see stats and kills and what stuff we have for our characters on the website when the game launches?

[[ND]Scorch> The game will feature a web site with lots of statistics about your character and clan. We will go into great detail on this in the future.

[Pann> [From the Forums> Will you be able to zoom out fairly far to get a perspective of the battle? Will you be able to look behind you when in 1st person?

[ND_Sampenguin> Yes, there is an awesome amount of camera control. We've taken great pains to refine it so that it is useful and doesn't get in the way while fighting. You can always check your six, you can play with the camera down low behind the car, or you can play from a topdown perspective if you want... it's really whatever is most comfortable for you.

[Pann> [From the Forums> Will there be any big trucks, like the big 4X4 monster trucks, for players?

[piza> Lots of big rigs and monster trucks, 4x4's, bikes, tanks and some you could only dream to drive on the open road

[Pann> [exMCOjunkie> Will vehicles only be spawned as loot? Will there be a public auction type sales? Will players be able to trade with each other?

[[ND]Scorch> Yes, as Sampenguin was talking about earlier we represent vehicles as keys in your inventory. Each time a vehicle is dropped as loot it will be statistically unique (or close enough). Trade is currently implemented now.

[Pann> Time for the third and final round in our "Get T-shirt" contest, but let's find out who
[Pann> the winner was for Round Two first. The question was, "What is the difference between
[Pann> Tricks and Trims?"
[Pann> The answer is that Tricks are accessories you add to make the car
[Pann> look cool - like horns or cattle guards. Trims are paint jobs, which also make your car
[Pann> look cool. Neither Tricks nor Trims affect performance.
[Pann> Congratulations to Erythorbic who was the first to send in the correct answer!
[Pann> For those who are just tuning in, this is the third and final round in the "Get T-shirt"
[Pann> contest.
[Pann> We'll ask a trivia question and if you're the first to answer correctly, you'll
[Pann> win an Auto Assault t-shirt! Before we ask the final question, let's go over the rules
[Pann> one more time.
[Pann> Please note that the contest is only available to US residents 13 years of age or older.
[Pann> Complete rules are available at: http://www.autoassault.com/contest_01.html
[Pann> To enter, send an e-mail to pann@ncsoft.com with the subject line "Auto Assault Get
[Pann> T-shirt Contest."
[Pann> The body of the e-mail must contain your real name, your IRC handle,
[Pann> your age, your full mailing address, a valid e-mail address and your telephone number in
[Pann> addition to the trivia question and your response.
[Pann> We'll announce the winner at the end of the chat. Got your fingers warmed up and ready?
[Pann> Let's roll! Here's the final question...
[Pann> Which faction uses the Hitman combat cycle for quick strikes and harassment techniques?
[Pann> Good luck! Back to you, GamerGods. =)

[Pann> [IRCMonkey> Will the game be available for download at release, or will we need to purchase the box? Also, will there be an open beta?

[[ND]Scorch> The game will be available in stores. Details of the Beta when be released on the website at www.autoassault.com.

[Pann> [Padre_Adamo> How large of a world can we expect? (Can you give expamples according to other online worlds).

[ND_Sampenguin> I can't comment on the total size or number of zones we will have at launch, but I can tell you that a single highway zone can be over 10km square. Trust me... it's a lot to explore and see. And every single zone is intricately handcrafted, we have some truly amazing scenery and terrain to experience.
[ND_Sampenguin> The best part of our world map design is that we have limitless room to add additional highways and instances after release, both for PvP and PvE.

[Pann> [Mchart> Will players be able to use nukes/major weapons in AA?

[[ND]Scorch> Absolutely!! There are all kinds of really fun weapons in the game. Some you mount and some that are 1 use items.

[Pann> [TellarHK> Non-Serious Question: Will there be Landmasters (Damnation Alley Style) 'cause dammit, I want a Landmaster... Mostly kidding. ;)

[ND_Sampenguin> All I'm going to say to that is there is an old road somewhere in Auto Assault called Damnation Avenue... ;)

[Pann> [gamergod>How much will AA evolve around grouping and what size have you specified groups will be? Also how integral will "The right class" be as to how well the group does together?

[[ND]Scorch> We are creating Auto Assault to play either solo or in a group. We are also going to great pains to make sure that no class is limited from soloing in the game. This will be a large portion of our balancing work once the Beta gets going full scale.

[Pann> [teefahlav> how interactive will the scenery be? It has been said that we can blow everything up but what else can we do? Get out of our cars and go looking for loot inside buildings?

[ND_Sampenguin> I know it's been said that you can blow up everything... but seriously. You can blow up everything! ;) It has already changed the way I play every other game. I expect to be able to bust down everything I see all the time no matter what I play now. Our mission systems can have you interacting in some very interesting ways with the world as well, which we will reveal more on over time.
[ND_Sampenguin> You can get out of your cars only in towns, and in a few mini-scenarios that are mission related. Otherwise you'd be road kill in seconds flat.

[Pann> [sandex> Will there be "girl" vehicles? If so what makes a "female" style vehicle stand out?

[piza> Vehicles are non gender specific, sorry but I want to drive a sexy lambo just as much as the girls do!
[ND_Sampenguin> lol
[Pann> hah!

[Pann> I'm sure everyone's itching to know who won that last round in the "Get T-shirt"
[Pann> contest, so let's get to it before we wrap up for tonight.
[Pann> The final question was, "Which faction uses the Hitman combat cycle for quick strikes
[Pann> and harassment techniques?"
[Pann> The answer was: The Pikes.
[ND_Sampenguin> but what about the last round? ;)
[Pann> And the winner is: Suvenn!!!
[Zeus[GG]> Grats Suvenn!
[Pann> *cough*kickthepenguin*cough*
[Pann> Congratulations to all our winners tonight. Watch the Auto Assault site and your favorite Auto Assault fansite for chances to win more t-shirts and good stuff. =)