Beckett Massive Online Gamer

We had the change to interview Hue Henry, the lead designer of Alganon and ask him a few questions to share with our Beckett MOG readers! Enjoy! First of all thank you so much for taking the time to answer my questions. I’m looking forward to sharing them with the readers of Beckett MOG!

Beckett: Congratulations on a fantastic release! What was one of the most difficult aspects to this release for you personally that you had to overcome?
Hue: Thank you. The most difficult aspect of this release had to have been the sheer size of the game. It's hard to grasp just how large an MMOG can be until you sit down and actually put one together from scratch. In comparison to the games that we are often compared to, our budget was very, very small, and yet we still managed to

Beckett: Is the game going to see much in the way of expansion now that it’s gone live? Are there any events that you may be able to hint at for readers today?
Hue: Yes! Alganon was built to grow. We are calling our current status a "soft launch" because there is a great deal of content that we will be adding over the next few months. As the game expands, and our players unlock more and more of what Alganon has to offer, we'll continue to expand our marketing presence and invite more and more players into the game.

As far as events, we're already in the middle of our first world evolution event! One of Alganon's goals is to make sure our players, and not fictional NPCs, are the heroes that are recorded in the lore and history of the world. To do this, every major addition to the game will be accompanied by a game-wide event in which players will need to team up with hundreds of other players and work together to unlock and release the new content for other players to enjoy. For example, as I write this, our players are actively taking part in an event we call The Dawning, in which they are attempting to uncover why the Four Storms are forming and prepare a method for using the power of these storms to open and unlock our instanced dungeons. In return, their deeds will be recorded in books that can be read by players who visit the capital cities, and the first player to complete the Dawning's most difficult quest, will be able to meet with the developers as we decide the final names for the loot from these instances.

Beckett: What is your favorite game feature in Alganon?
Hue: It's difficult to pick just one. I think it really depends on your gameplay style. The Study system is an amazing feature. If you are the kind of person who has real-life responsibilities to deal with, you can plan out your studies in order to provide an alternate way to get some of the powerful items that other games reserve only for those players who can afford to spend several hours a day in game. The library is great for players who love to plan their progression, make sure they've done it all, or find the best solution possible. MyAlganon.com and the Family system are perfect for social players who enjoy making friends as much as they enjoy making levels. Separately, these features may not seem like "the next big thing in gaming," but together, they create a community where the casual and the hardcore, the social and the competitive, the young and the old, can all come together to form a real community - and that is Alganon's greatest feature; it is a place where MMO fans can enjoy the game, together.

Beckett: Can you explain a bit about the game perhaps for those who haven’t heard of this game before?
Hue: Alganon is a MMORPG set in a fantasy world ruled by powerful deities. These deities have recently split off into two opposing groups, and have called their followers into a crusade against the opposing side. This War of Conversion, fought between the Asharr and the Kujix is the backdrop on which the game plays out. In the current iteration, players can choose from four different classes, and can play as either a human of the Asharr Empire, or a Talrok of the Kujix. If you've played an MMORPG before, you will be familiar with the core gameplay style, and will find it easy to pick up the game and start enjoying the world, and you'll soon begin to find that Alganon is full of interesting changes to the genre. For example, the dual-role system allows players to define and customize a second gameplay role, without having to give up their primary role. This makes it easy to find a group and still have a play style all your own. The Study system provides alternate methods of achieving your goals, and allows your character to progress even while you are offline, taking care of real-life responsibilities. The family system provides a system for identifying and meeting players who have a similar play style to your own, and the in-game library puts all of the game's information at your fingertips, without having to leave the game.

Our goal with Alganon was not to reinvent the wheel, but instead, we decided to create new and exciting ways to use the wheel you already know and love, smooth-out a couple of the bumpy areas, and create a place where a community of fans can come together and have a lot of fun.

Beckett: What is your favourite class in the game and why?
Hue: As we continue to add new classes to the game, I am certain this will change, but for now, my favorite class has to be the Soldier. I've always enjoyed taking a leadership position in raids - whether that be defending the rest of the group as a tank, or acting as the raid-leader, barking out strategy and helping the group to achieve the goal at hand. In Alganon, a Soldier's primary role is that of a single-target tank. Every soldier, no matter what they specialize in, is able to stand up against a powerful boss. However, unlike other games, the dual-role system allows that same soldier to pick up a very-different secondary role, without losing their ability to tank a powerful boss. Some Soldiers will choose to specialize in weaponry and do large amounts of damage - without giving up their tanking ability. Others will choose to specialize in protection, and be able to pick up and defend against multiple targets, still without losing their primary role.

As for me, I love playing a tactics Soldier, a support class that helps to buff and control the threat levels of the back-row Healers, Magi, and Rangers. When it is my turn to tank, I use my primary role and stand toe-to-toe with the boss, but when there is another tank - like a Frost Magus, for example - I love to put my tactics role to use, rushing around the field, sopping threat off the DPS, buffing the healers, and keeping an eye on the entire battlefield so I can lead the party to victory. It's a lot of fun.

Beckett: Where can people pick up Alganon at if they’re interested in purchasing the game? How does billing work?
Players can purchase the game from our website at www.alganon.com, as well as from many online distributors such as Direct2Drive and Impulse. Alganon is a subscription game, priced similarly to other games in the market. Currently, we are offering a soft-launch discount, but this discount is for a limited time only.

Beckett: Is there going to be a free trial for this game offered at some point in time for those who are maybe undecided about whether or not they want to purchase it? (or is there already a free trial offered)
Hue: We are currently in the process of creating a trial system. More information will be available very soon as we open up opportunities for players to try the game before they decide to purchase it. In the meantime, we are currently releasing the game as a "soft launch" at a reduced price for a limited time. See our website for more information: http://www.alganon.com

Beckett: Any other comments you’d like to make about this fantastic game for our readers?
Hue: We'd just like to invite readers to come give Alganon a try, and decide for yourself if Alganon is the right game for you. Alganon was designed to be familiar to MMO fans. We didn't want to hide the fun behind a hard-to-learn interface or require players to study a history of the game world before they could jump in and enjoy the game, but don't let this fool you into thinking the game is a copy. It's got a great style all its own. Come give Alganon a try and you'll see how the multitude of small changes can make a huge difference in how fun an MMO can be. Also, the MyAlganon.com community and the Alganon.com forums are vibrant and active. Even if you're not yet ready to purchase the game, you're welcome to come join the community! We'd love to have you along for the fun!