IGN Interview with Rick Simmons and Jason Murdick

[Menkure]

October 4th, 2007

IGN posted today on their RPG Vault site a new interview with Rick Simmons and Jason Murdick, talking about Virtrium's acquisition of Horizons, Empire of Istaria. Many things are discussed, including future direction for the game, focus on the community, and even a hint about a possible new fall festival!

Check it out!

http://rpgvault.ign.com/articles/824/824529p1.html


-Menkure

[Nayuaka]

Quoted from Interview

"Another notable element is the title's comprehensive crafting system. Skilled practitioners can fashion a broad range of weapons such as swords, axes, maces, daggers, bows and more by combining various components. For example, a knife is made by joining a blade plus a hilt, with greater proficiency affording more options. As well, a character who has mastered the appropriate techniques can add diverse runes, fire, visual effects and decorations like tassels."

It says that right in the interview.....Now I know I play a dragon but I think I would notice if that was in game.


Bah I noticed this too. Anyone see anything wrong with this quote?

"when it was announced that EI Interactive had acquired it from Tulga Games. Having followed Horizons since the day it was first announced, we were eager to know about the deal and what it would mean for the player community, so we President Rick Simmons and Lead Designer Jason Murdick"

[Velea]

Note that quote is NOT part of the interview, but part of the introduction to the interview written by the editor, Jonric. I think we all would have noticed if that was in.

[Nayuaka]

I know. I was basically saying that the introduction needed to get it's facts strait. I mean people will read that AND the interview yes?

[LaughingOtter]

Well, hopefully IGN will get a correction up quickly...

[Kitimandiri]

If I had a tassle on my tools I'd just get distracted and play with it all the time

Still its good to see press, hopefully they will go in and edit a few of the errors, overall it was a pretty normal pro-marketing interview

When it comes to MMOs actions always speak louder than words.

[Justa Mirage]

It is sad that all of IGN (the board I moderate) is blocked from work

I will have to read the interview when I get home. (blasted firewall)

Hope there is some good stuff in it

[Dhalin]

Good interview, but I'm kinda worried about Unity players... one of them said that they "currently have no immediate plans of adding any shards" ... I wonder if they mean *new* shards, or if they mean a 4th Shard Replacement for Unity....

I'm not a Unity player myself, but that doesn't that I don't feel for them... I know how long and hard I worked on my character, it would suck if I suddenly lose him...

[Arietna]

not a bad interview!
I'm slightly concerned by that last screenshot, though. Just WHAT is that biped looking for, and why is he sniffing the dragon's rear end??

[Velea]

Being the player of the aforementioned biped, I can tell you that you REALLY don't want to know what I'd just stepped in.

[Deth]

I am happy to see them saying the Fall festival is returning and that a new one is coming along with it. Why it had to be those stingy Dwarves I will never know.

[Vermithraxx]

LOL, I caught the same screwups...

As well, a character who has mastered the appropriate techniques can add diverse runes, fire, visual effects and decorations like tassels.

So if this guy is writing an intro for the game... shouldn't he at least be, oh I don't know, ACCURATE?! (Hey! I remember tassels! Vaporware from AE days!)

...when it was announced that EI Interactive had acquired it from Tulga Games.

Whoops. Virtrium Who?

Horizons is definitely focused on dragons and crafting. We should probably change the name to DragonCraft Online,

ROFL, the man's honest! All for the name change? Let's have a poll!!

...add keg-shaped cargo disks filled with beer.

Woot!! Yeah Rick!

Overall, agreed, good interview.

Offhand Unity thought: check me on this... if all Unity players weighed in on the couple of threads and polls a while back, there's a total of 30-40 out there? I wouldn't want my own unpopulated shard at those numbers, and Virtrium can't afford the hardware. (I mean, let's face it, Chaos shard barely runs on the stripped down hardware it's on. <Spawn system>)

[Steelclaw]

That last screenshot needs a new caption! What comes to your mind?

Saris: "Are you SURE this is how I can get my armor back? I always thought hoarded items were gone forever."

[Velea]

hahahahahha... YES!! That's the quote. I love it!

[Steelclaw]

And the dragon's smirky grin just adds to it!

[Jaraiden]

Nice interview.

While I like the first screen shot, "View from lair of Chiconis", it must be a bug, as my dragon can run through that "window" and appear on the other side of rock. I'd love for that feature to be added to PC lairs.

Oh, and the 2 dragon crafting screenshots are nice. Now to see my dragon stand on his hindlegs and craft like that, instead of digging at a machine. I'll need to check my override directory.

Some chambers provide storage while others contain machines used in crafting - and some are there just to impress with their lava flows and massive gleaming crystals.massive gleaming crystals.

I would like to see more of these massive crystals (aka as fluff).

create massive salt rock fields

Yes, Yes! . . . . Rock Salt Golems! (really, am serious as the "bonus" race of golems).

[brainbasher]

good interview,i thought VI came over well.....
Just hope that they sort Unity out sooner rather than later...the fact they can`easily expand existing server`s ` sort of implied we will end up on one of the US servers....also nothing about Vista that i noticed....that would go a large step to increase the flow of old players and new ones.

[Fridlekh]

Yes, Yes! . . . . Rock Salt Golems! (really, am serious as the "bonus" race of golems).

If they make Salt Rock Golems, then they have to make Banana Treants too!

[velveeta]

If they make Salt Rock Golems, then they have to make Banana Treants too!

split banana treants!!! that could be a conf resource.....

[Menkure]

If they make Salt Rock Golems, then they have to make Banana Treants too!

**takes Fridlekh's stash of catnip and hides it**

-Menkure