Further investigation of DigiPark's online world including PvP, enemies, items, magic, quests, community and more
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--Joshua Bakken: North American publisher Aeria Games' Producer
--Jonric: Writer

Jonric: Does Stone Age 2 include any forms of PvP? If so, how do they function? Is it ever mandatory to participate?

Joshua Bakken: Stone Age 2 doesn't have PvP, at least not in the traditional sense. It's more Pet vs. Pet, and there are actually two systems in place. One is simple dueling where you can challenge other players' pets. The other is a sophisticated tournament structure where you can enter your pet in a tournament and see how it does. It's entirely feasible to advance a character without taking part in either.

Jonric: How about computer-controlled opponents? Does the game include a large, diverse range, and what are they like?

Joshua Bakken: Yes, Stone Age 2 has a large, diverse range of computer-controlled opponents. Playing against other players is limited to the duels and tournaments.

I think the main consideration that went into designing the NPC opponents was to make them interesting. The HUGE dinosaurs have great personalities, and the enemy AI seems pretty darn tough to me.



Jonric: What did DigiPark implement in the way of options and penalties that arise when player characters die?

Joshua Bakken: In Stone Age 2, you never die. You might get knocked out by NPCs (but never by other players); if that happens, you choose between two options, transportation back to your den for free, and spending XP to awaken where you are with just a sliver of health.

I'm not exactly sure what led DigiPark to design things this way, but I think it's cool to have an option of how you want to handle getting knocked out. I actually might ask for a few tweaks here and there regarding this, but for starters, we'll be keeping this as is and seeing it how it goes.

Jonric: Can we expect to see many friendly and neutral NPCs? What kinds of roles do they play, and how important are they?

Joshua Bakken: Yes, there will be lots of friendly and neutral NPCs in Stone Age 2. They basically serve as both tour guides and as providers of reasons to start quests. Some will actually give you jobs right on the spot that play out like mini-games. Those are pretty fun. Overall, the NPCs are really important, and the game is more interesting with the added personalities.



Jonric: Are pets different from those in other games? Are there many types? How are they acquired? How many can a character have? How many can be active at once? Do they level up?

Joshua Bakken: Oh my goodness, yes! The game could just as easily be called Pet Age 2 since are so many. I'm not even really sure how to answer all those questions without writing a small book on the subject.

Let me say that, yes, pets are definitely important. There are about 188. Some can be used as mounts. You can capture some in the wilderness, buy them from other players, or purchase them in the item mall. All characters can have them. You can have up to five, and they can all be used or traveled with at once. They do level up with experience, and they have a VERY sophisticated AI - each with different personalities, likes, dislikes, etc.

Sometimes, two compatible pets can get together and have babies. Pets can also send you messages on your cell phone and tell you various things like they miss or love you.

Jonric: What's the game's range of non-combat activities? Is there a crafting system? How feasible is it to play and advance a character with minimal fighting?

Joshua Bakken: We have a light crafting and cooking system in place. It is perfect for those who like the sense of achievement that making things provides, but also prefer the process to be a fairly easy one.

I can already imagine a few of our forum regulars crafting all kinds of rare items for no other reason than to give them away in order to make people happy. We have a really interesting community like that.

As far as the possibility of advancing a low-combat character, it's actually not that feasible. This is the Stone Age we're talking about. It's rough out there. :)
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Jonric: To what extent are weapons and other items significant in Stone Age 2? What are some cool or interesting examples?

Joshua Bakken: In Stone Age 2, your pets are really your weapons. Some cool examples of items that I really like are all the different claws your character can wear as armaments. I personally enjoy the look of the Jaguar Claw, and I'm going to be sporting one of those around for sure.

Jonric: Since you're using the cash shop revenue model, how will the for-sale items differ from those available through playing? Will it be possible to buy pets?

Joshua Bakken: Yes, Stone Age 2 uses a cash shop model, and every item in the game may be available through it... and would be no different than those acquired during play. However, we won't have all items for sale at all times. To the best of our ability, we will operate our mall as closely as we can to an actual store; this means we'll have sales, closeouts... all that typical retail stuff.

Pets will be available for purchase. However, if you decide to buy one instead of earning it, then it's gonna be pricey.



Jonric: How does magic function in the gameworld? In particular, does it differ in notable ways from what readers might expect?

Joshua Bakken: While there is plenty of magic in the Stone Age 2 world, players don't really control any. They may use a magical key to unlock some special areas, but they won't be tossing fireballs around at each other. Magic is very low key, and the players aren't really empowered with it, so to speak. Pets, however, do have some pretty cool powers, so I guess that might be considered pretty magical.

Jonric: How significant are quests or missions? Are you planning to have GM-drives or event-related ones to help keep things feeling fresh?

Joshua Bakken: Quests and missions are very significant... even super significant. They are one of the major things that make Stone Age 2 so much fun. They are acquired by traveling around and talking with people. While I don't want to talk specifics about them, what I can tell you is that they are pretty funny and kind of mimic real-life situations.

As for keeping things fresh, I think one of the things Aeria prides itself on is the amount of GM-driven events we offer in our games. I personally want to run events all the time, and am really anxious to see how they turn out.



Jonric: How do short-term groups function? Is anything unusual about this element? What are the main benefits? How is loot split up?

Joshua Bakken: Grouping is another really big aspect of Stone Age 2, and works pretty much the same as in any other game; you basically have someone doing the inviting and others doing the accepting. One of the main benefits is instantly and quite significantly increasing the number on your side in battles. For instance, since every player can travel with five pets, when you group with just one other person, your team immediately becomes 10.

It's a little tricky because the more you group with, the fewer pets you can travel with, so in the case of a two-member party, each of you would have only four pets at your disposal. The number then goes down even more as you enlarge the group. For example, three players can all use three pets, four get two creatures apiece, and five means only one each.

As far as loot sharing goes, the group members take turns collecting it.

Jonric: Does Stone Age 2 support in-game guilds? How important are they? What kinds of benefits do they offer players who join?

Joshua Bakken: Guilds are another really big aspect of Stone Age 2, and I think they will play an absolutely HUGE roll. DigiPark has packed in A LOT of things for them to do, and I'm quite excited to see how it all comes together. Each one can have its own den where only members can go, store things, and hang out. Guilds can also create custom dungeons and tournaments where they give away prizes to players who do really well.

I have personally played a fair number of MMORPGs over the years, and have never heard of ANY that allow guilds to do nearly as much as they can in Stone Age 2.
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Jonric: What's notable about the game engine? Did the team opt to use any third-party technologies? What points of view are supported? What are the system requirements for good performance?

Joshua Bakken: The main talking point for the game engine is the fact that DigiPark actually holds the patent for the Virtual Space Information Processor (Patent No. 6,404,430 B1 in case anyone is interested) and uses this technology in Stone Age 2. Basically, what this does is allow for many people on very low-spec machines to play without any lag or other server hiccup issues. As far as third-party technology goes, I am unaware of anything specific.

The point of view is top down / isometric, and the player actually has no control over the camera. The recommended system requirements for good game performance are simply Windows 2000 or a later, Pentium 4 1.4 Ghz, 512 MB RAM, 64MB video card, Direct X 9 or later, and at least a 64 Kbps Internet connection.

Jonric: How about on the server side? What are the important features? What's the capacity for simultaneous players per cluster?

Joshua Bakken: This is what our CTO said when I asked for his input here: "The limit depends on the game itself. We use a higher spec than what is required by the game. We don't give out the capacity number. We should focus on the game features as there are no visible features for the server. We can tell them that our infrastructure is scalable, and that as the number of simultaneous players increase, we can throw more hardware at it." Haha.



Jonric: Earlier on, you mentioned community, which is obviously a critical element. What are your goals on in this area? What kinds of support are you planning to provide?

Joshua Bakken: Hands down, community is what makes or breaks any MMO. I was at DundraCon this year, and I was listening to various people talk about why they continue to play or quit certain ones. Every single time, the reason centered around community. Either the game had a great one or it didn't. It didn't even particularly matter about graphics or content or even genre... it all came down to community.

Now, as far as my take and what I'm going to do, I hope to do make our community the best of any MMO... and I really mean that. When people think about this game, I want them to think of high-quality fun where people go to experience great 2D art, laugh at the funny dialogue, and just relax with a great community. Stone Age 2 will also be a no-drama zone. I know that's a tall order for an MMO, but that's what I'm shooting for.

Lastly, as far as specifics go, I plan on doing things like giving out my Aeria cell phone number so that anyone who wants to leave me a message about the game directly can do so. I also just posted some non-colored character studies of the Stone Age 2 characters for people to be able to print out and customize if they want. And I'm working on a place where people can start sending in any Fan Art that they might create. During the year, I want to hit up lots and LOTS of conventions, so I can give out lots and LOTS of Stone Age 2 goodies... ya know, stuff like that.

Jonric: Is it possible to discuss or even hint at the key directions Stone Age 2 might take as it evolves after launch?

Joshua Bakken: I think it's too soon to be pointing out any key directions of where we're headed right after launch. I have my own ideas where I'd like to take the game, but we'll just have to see if DigiPark shares my vision. Right now, it's just too early to tell.



Jonric: Do you see this casual title as one that can interest hardcore massively multiplayer gamers? How suitable is it for players who prefer to solo?

Joshua Bakken: Well, for serious MMO players, I think Stone Age 2 would only be an addition to what they are already playing. I'm not going to try pulling anyone away from their current favorite "hardcore" MMOs. But what I think you'll find is that even they need a break from their games from time to time.

I don't know if any of your readers remember the game Subspace, now called Continuum. When EverQuest was out, it was the one I went to when I wanted a change of pace. And today, I can totally see Stone Age 2 being that game for others. It's certainly viable for those who only want to play it for a couple of hours a week, so everyone will be accommodated. And as far as the solo folks go, well I'm one of them, and I've been having a blast tackling it on my own whenever I want.

Jonric: Is there anything else that you'd like to tell our readers (e.g. have any important features or elements not been addressed?), something you'd like to ask them, or any other closing thoughts?

Joshua Bakken: Sure. Maybe if you need a break from any drama that's going on in your current game, Stone Age 2 might be the place to go. The play is really simple, so you hardly even have to think about it. Everything is done by clicking your mouse. Just click to do this, and click to do that. So please, if you have some time, come on over, get a free pet dinosaur thingy, and chill out for a while.

However, for those of you who really want to get crazy with Stone Age 2; we've got plenty for you to sink your teeth into as well. We have duels with other players, 16-pet tournaments with the ability to place bets on the winner, guilds, quests, big boss battles... there's plenty of fun stuff to do.

So in the end, I absolutely invite everyone to come on over and check it out. I think you'll find it's well worth your time.

Oh yeah, and Stone Age 2 is going to be better than Age of Conan and Starcraft 2 combined. Haha.

We've always believed its better to set high targets, so even taking an element of jest into account, we're glad to see the highly enthusiastic attitude Joshua Bakken has displayed throughout this interview. In addition, we're thankful for the amount of information he has provided to help us understand what Stone Age 2 will offer. We'll definitely keep an eye on the title from DigiPark and regional publisher Aeria Games as it approaches and enters live service.

Originally come from IGN

i've been laughing all day!!