Dungeons And Dragons Online: Impromptu Chat with Sporkfire

Sporkfire: Okay, guys. I'm back for a little bit if you want to start the firing of questions...

cwingnam: Spork, when will we get any update info for DDO?
Sporkfire: cwingam - there will probably not be a full list presented at once. We'll do things like an article on metamagic, combat, etc. grouping them so we can focus on specific areas.

DelmarWynn: So Spork can we ask when the next round of invites is?
Sporkfire: Delmar, not sure when the next round starts. That's the kind of thing you'll most likely know as it happens.

Gatzby: what's the goal of this phase of testing, Spork? Distribution? Stability? Specific features?
Sporkfire: Gatzy:[/b] A lot of the goal is to see how much we can fill the servers right now (which is why we start with a small pool).

Sporkfire: cwingam, second question - we're talking about different formats for letting you know game specific information. Just had a meeting on it today, in fact.
Sporkfire:[/b] Some will be standard bullet points, while others will have gameplay examples, fictionalized accounts, etc.

Hobble: Spork, are you actually going to be loosening the NDA for Beta? or staying pretty strict all the way through?
Sporkfire: Hobble, I can't talk about 'how loose' but there comes a time where there should be value in doing so.

KOE: Spork - Is there plans to release new screens or some nice movies aside from the other info?
Sporkfire: KOE - screenshots are our main currency for displaying the game. So, you can expect to see a lot more of them as we approach launch (and, of course, when Beta opens up, the net will be full of them taken by players)

Beregar: and movies? :[/b])
Sporkfire: Beregar, about movies...
Gatzby: I apologize for this in advance, but I have to get it out of the way... there are no plans for giant, flying robots, right? =P
Sporkfire: Did anyone here play PlanetSide?
KOE: I did
Arrakiv: I did.
Pyke|Out:
Sporkfire: Besides Gatzby :[/b]P
Arrakiv: On and off.
KOE: beta tested
Pyke|Out: all the fricken time.
Sporkfire: The BFR comment means 'no soup for you'
Sporkfire: Remember Malvision movies?
Sporkfire: He and I are talking :[/b])
Omegaspecter: http://www.malvision.com

KOE: Good to hear that you plan to allow beta players to rls pics
Sporkfire: Not right away, KOE, but it will happen...

Loki_d20: I have one question Sporkfire. Are we going to be seeing more community relations individuals on the site answering questions, moderating the boards, and maybe handling other board activiities as time goes along?
cwingnam: why cant they doit in this board?
Sporkfire: Yes, Loki. I do what I can in between other stuff, but you need a person who can dedicate more time. So, it will happen :[/b])

KOE: Not that we need it at this point but are there plans to produce a really nice fansite kit?
Sporkfire: Yes, KOE. I have Marketing working on the kit and a better supported fansite program.
Sporkfire: I worked heavily with the fansites in my last job and really find value in keeping them supported.

Pyke|Out: Sporkfire:[/b] In terms of innovation, DDO or PS?
Sporkfire: Pyke, that's a difficult question (though one I would love to talk about). DDO is cool because it goes back to the rules that started it all, instead of reinventing them like most MMORPG's (which, over time, I am coming to feel have weak systems compred to D&D Core)
Sporkfire: PlanetSide, is of course, my baby and so I feel like it tried to go in a whole new direction to some really cool results, even if they didn't serve the bottom line.
Sporkfire: Not my baby like it was my idea. But I was caretaker for a long time :[/b])

DelmarWynn: Also spork, can you comment on how the testers are doing? What are there intial impressions?
Sporkfire: Delmar, nobody from the public is actually _in_ yet. Just that invites have gone out saying to watch for the installer instructions and whatnot.

Pyke|Out: Sporkfire:[/b] do you know what smokejumper is up to by any chance?(hes not with PS anymore o.o)

DelmarWynn: So how do we get to be on Cal's friends list as he didn't invite any friends :[/b])
Sporkfire: I dunno. Go to lunch with him?

mattllow: Can you explain when Invites changed from hand picked to random? Was it discussed, or more just happened and not communicated well?
Sporkfire: matt, it was one of those decisions that was changed over time. Probably not communicated well (my fault) since it was made amid a lot of others.

Sporkfire: I had yesterday off, and so this all hit me like a hammer when I came in today.

Sporkfire: Sorry to break in and out. But as long as we do have a bunch of tabletop gamers here, someone want to help me out? Trying to remember the name of a game.
Sporkfire: I had this game in the late 80's. It was more like BattleTech than D&D. It was about giant mutated animals with cybernetic attachments. I'm _thinking_ it was by TSR, but can't find it in any of their product history lists.
Beregar: Gamma World?
Sporkfire: It wasn't Gamma World.
Marforce: In 1978 TSR released an exciting and original game concept called Gamma World™. It garnered an immediate and hardcore following. It was a small game, but exuberant, with weird mutants, killer robots
Pyke|Out: Gianted Mutated Animals with cybernetic attachments rofl:[/b]P
Sporkfire: It's obscure, I know. But it has been driving me crazy.
Arrakiv: Well, if you said Gamma World was similar... "Metamorphosis Alpha spawned the popular Gamma World series of role playing games."

Pyke|Out: Btw will you be at gencon?
Sporkfire: No, I played Gamma World. That was more about post-apocalyptic survival.
Sporkfire: I won't be at GenCon. Xundau will be. I will be at Penny Arcade Expo.
Sporkfire: Xundau is actually quite a bit more of the D&D geek than me. That's why he is going to GenCon. I am going to the more 'gamey' game con.
Sporkfire: By that I mean video and computer games.
Sporkfire: generalist here

mattllow: Xun will be at Gencon!! i am so going to be all over him!! like stink on Sh**... you better warn him Spork
Sporkfire: I warn everyone about you, matt.

Sporkfire: Okay, folks. Long day of work is over. Have a good night :)