News from the Underground

Submitted by Mr. Rasputin on Wed, 06/21/2006 - 8:42am.

As many people may know, our man Pika is something of an online ninja with a myriad of skills that common, more mortal men don't have.

In his infinite wisdom, he got his filthy claws into a hot commodity: a new MMOG called AllWorlds. He got an exclusive interview with both the CFO and the Lead Designer of the game, so without further ado, we bring you Pika's venture into investigative reporting.

I recently had the opportunity to meet with Vinnie ‘The Frankfurter’ Scapizi, CFO of AllWorlds™ Inc., and
Steven Tong, the Lead Designer/Programmer of their upcoming game named, surprisingly enough, AllWorlds™.

Corpnews: First of all gentlemen, thanks for meeting with me. When I got word of your new game, AllWorlds™, it sounded like something that would be of great excitement to the online community.

Frankfurter: No problem.
Tong: Quite welcome.

Corpnews: So let’s get right to it. AllWorlds™ is going to be an MMORPG?

Frankfurter: I’ll let Steve handle this one.
Tong: AllWorlds™ is not just an MMORPG, (massively multi-player online role playing game) it represents breakthrough technology that is going to change the way these games are played.

Corpnews: How so?

Tong: There are many problems with the current paradigm of the Diku-based inheritance which permeates the market today. No one has thought outside the box because they don’t even see the box. There are certain concepts that, while just being concepts, have actually become laws in the online gaming design community.

Corpnews: For example?

Tong: Take genre for instance. The conventional wisdom is that a game has to be one particular type: fantasy, sci-fi, super hero, etc. AllWorlds™ doesn’t limit you to just one setting. We in fact will have over 20 settings at launch and already have a dedicated team working on more.

Corpnews: So you’re offering a sort of gaming pass to different games?

Tong: No, it’s all one game.

Corpnews: I’m confused.

Tong: That’s because you’re inside the box. (makes a square motion with index fingers). Let me help you out of it. Let’s take, for example, your typical dungeon in a fantasy MMORPG. You have your lush valley leading up to a rusty door, behind which lay all sorts of rooms filled with orcs and goblins who, in turn, drop gold and magic swords. Right?

Corpnews: Sure.

Tong: Right there you have a specific design: Valley-Door-Room-Orcs-Gold. But why does that design have to just be fantasy? By changing some graphics it can just as easily be a space setting: Moon Valley-Door-Lab-Aliens-Credits.

Frankfurter: Or Alley-Door-Crackhouse-Gangbangers-Dollars if you were playing a more realistic setting.

Tong: Exactly. But it’s all the same world. Just viewed through a different lens.

Corpnews: What about specific treasure, say a magic sword?

Tong: A magic sword in a fantasy setting could be an AK-47 in a realistic world or maybe a lightsaber in a space setting. Same stats, different appearance.

Corpnews: It sounds very versatile.

Frankfurter: That’s an understatement.

Tong: You can see why the game is called ‘AllWorlds™’. Not only do we have incredibly rich, varied settings, but you can change your genre on the fly. Started playing in a space opera but getting bored? Switch over to the wild west mid mission.

Corpnews: What about your friends who are playing with you?

Tong: Again, they play in the world they want to experience, but right alongside you. One of you may be on an abandoned, alien-infested moon station, the other killing Nazis in World War 2 Germany, while yet another is killing Indians in 1886 Montana. This is possible because there are really only 4 base classes: Fighter, Priest, Thief, and Wizard. In our space setting they would translate into Space Marine, Orange Catholic Vicar, Space Scout, and Nano Technician.

Frankfurter: Gangbanger, Social Worker, Fence, or Drug Dealer to use the modern day equivalent.

Corpnews: You keep talking about settings. What genres do you have right now?

Frankfurter: I’ll field this one. While we don’t want to give away all the surprises, I’ll give you a sneak peek. For fantasy buffs we have ‘Continents of Conquest’, a dangerous, magic filled world inhabited by orcs and moon elves. Sci-fi fans can immerse themselves in ‘Nebula Conflict’, a solar system in the throes of a civil war between the evil Dominion and brave Renegades. History buffs can find plenty to do in ancient Italy’s ‘Etruscan Empire’.

Tong: The list goes on and on. Plus, for every world, there is also a version that has Nazis and Zombies.

Frankfurter: Our research studies showed that Nazis and Zombies were big draws for the gaming demographic. You can toggle Nazis and Zombies on in any of our settings. Want some extra spice in Etruscan Empire? BAM! Now you’re fighting Nazis and Zombies along the Adriatic.

Corpnews: Some might say that hurts realism.

Frankfurter: People don’t want realism. They want fun. Realism is a nagging wife and checkbook in the red.

Tong: For the purists, you don’t have to turn on the Nazis and Zombies switch. You could just stick to fighting The Sea People if you were playing the Etruscan setting. But it’s there if you want it.

Corpnews: Switching gears here, how do you feel about gold farming by companies like IGE?

Frankfurter: Not going to happen in AllWorlds™.

Tong: We had to give the economy serious thought in light of modern day developments like IGE. Our solution is rather simple: everything is no drop. Gold, treasure, trade skill components, whatever. All no drop. You can only sell to vendors. The best loot will be dropped, but all players can master every trade skill. There will be no player interdependence, economically speaking.

Frankfurter: Haha suck on that IGE!

Corpnews: One problem that continues to manifest in computer games of all kinds is the AI of the mobs. What does AllWorlds™ offer in that department?

Tong: For the AI we hired Tim Klipper, cum laude from MIT and lead programmer of numerous MMORPGs. He’s done some amazing work. The mobs in AllWorlds™ actually learn from experience and have their own routines. There are no set paths they travel or spawn points. For a new mob to be introduced into the world, two other mobs have to procreate. But before that they have to meet, fall in love, what have you. And just like human beings, mobs will be very protective of their children.

Frankfurter: I was in the fantasy setting the other day, trying to finish a quest involving killing Gnolls. I slew one, and suddenly it’s parents came running up crying and moaning that I had just murdered their child. It made it real easy to take them out as well. In their lair I found the originator of that Gnoll clan. He’d been around so long that he had learned to write poetry that questioned his own existence. It was some touching stuff. We had a discussion about the beauty of a sunset and the futility of life before I killed him to finish the quest.

Corpnews: What kind of hardware will be needed to run AllWorlds™?

Tong: That’s another example of how our game is breaking the mold. AllWorlds™ can be played on everything from a 286 to a Quad-SLI state of the art machine. As all the character and environmental graphics reside client-side, the program scales itself to your computer’s ability.

Corpnews: A 286? You can’t be serious.

Tong: I am. You can even play the game as a pure text adventure on your cellphone.

Frankfurter: Of course, for the best gameplay experience you want the best graphics possible. But just because you’re poor white trash with a moldy computer salvaged from the dumpster of Catholic Charities doesn’t mean you’re not entitled to play online games with your friends. SOE and Blizzard say you’re not good enough to play their games? Screw them, we’ll take you’re money! (laughs)

Tong: The graphics engine is so scaleable that no current computer can play it at full settings. We’re working on a deal with Alienware to create a system designed specifically for AllWorlds™. It’s two cases: one a normal high end computer connected to a second computer filled with nothing but graphic cards.

AllWorlds™ on a 286,a P4 gaming Dell, and a special Alienware AllWorlds™ Computer

Corpnews: Ever since the Hot Coffee scandal, adult content is something most game designers stray away from. How will AllWorlds™ approach this?

Tong: That’s a good question. We do plan on having player-created content, mini-dungeons similar to what you would find in Neverwinter Nights. And with that player ability you run the risk of content that is not acceptable for children. To cover ourselves we have designated AllWorlds™ as a ‘Mature’ title, and you have to be at least 21 to play it.

Corpnews: How do you plan on enforcing the age requirement?

Tong: When you register the game you have to fax us a copy of your driver’s liscence, and the information on it has to be the same as what’s on the credit card. And every time before you enter the game you have to call our toll-free number and give your PIN to a real, live Game Master.

Corpnews: That sounds expensive.

Frankfurter: Nah, it’s all run out of India. I can have 100 Hindus sitting by the phones 24/7 for less than the cost of a meal at Olive Garden.

Corpnews: Last question. Character Customization is a big demand of modern gamers. How much customization does AllWorlds™ allow?

Tong: More than any other game on the market or the horizon. The game beginning is actually a mini-game where you race a sperm to a fertile egg. From there you manipulate DNA for sex, height, hair color, etc.

Frankfurter: But you have to be careful. One mistake and your character may end up with a hair lip, down’s, all sorts of impairments. It’ll probably take the average player a few trys to get it right the first time. If they mess up there’s an in-game ‘Abortion’ button.

Corpnews: Don’t you think that’ll be controversial?

Frankfurter: Not at all. Abortion is legal. We’re espousing the law. Why would anyone have problems with laws being enforced? Its what makes our country run.

Corpnews: Well I want to thank you both for the opportunity to meet you and learn more about AllWorlds™. Any final comments?

Tong: AllWorlds™ is currently in Delta testing, but we want everyone to know that it will be compatible with any version of Windows, Mac, or Linux. It’ll also be localized for nearly every major language, including Klingon and Esperanto.

Frankfurter: Pleased to meet you. Buy AllWorlds™!

Vinni Scapizi is also known as 'The Hotdog King of Jersey'. He is a long time gamer and Cheif Financial Officer of AllWorlds™, Inc.