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Former Secret World lead dev: Successful games need to be 'a bit more commercial'
Penny Arcade has published a lengthy interview with former Funcom designer Martin Bruusgaard. Bruusgaard was a casualty of The Secret World's post-launch layoffs despite being credited as the game's lead designer. He speaks to the challenges inherent in TSW's release window as well as his belief that Funcom's desire to make a unique game kept it from being an instant commercial success. "It's a shame to say, but I think [there are] very, very few cases where you can sit down and make the game that you really want to do, and it turns out to be a success," Bruusgaard says. "Unfortunately I think that in order to be a success in today's market, you need to make the game a bit more commercial." The interview also touches on Funcom's position at the forefront of gaming technology. Despite its recent troubles, the company is "really, really pushing the limits and pushing the boundaries on how to make software," Bruusgaard says.
The Secret World gets a new game director, title and date of Issue #3 announced [Updated]
Funcom's finally named a replacement for The Secret World's game director spot: Joel Bylos. Bylos is moving up from his previous position as lead content designer, and Ragnar Tørnquist is pulling back from his role as senior producer to pour his energies into being creative director. Bylos is psyched at the move: "Being given the opportunity to lead the game into a bold, new future is definitely a dream come true for me. I am very proud of what we as a team have created with The Secret World, and it is truly a brilliant canvas that will allow us to create more groundbreaking MMO experiences for many years to come. The Secret World is only really getting started, and with a game world that draws upon our own, real world, there is no limit to what sort of amazing stories we can tell and fantastic locations we can visit in the upcoming content updates." Bylos and Tørnquist are hard at work leading the team through the next two patches. Funcom announced that this month's Issue #3 is titled The Cat God and Issue #4 will feature the New York City monster raid. [Update: We've now learned that Issue #3 releases tomorrow. Thanks to Dalazar and Elania for the tip!]
Secret World's lead designer 'not with Funcom anymore'
Funcom's recent reorganization reached higher up the developer food chain than we initially expected. Earlier today former Secret World lead designer Martin Bruusgaard informed Twitter followers that he was let go from the company last week. The good news is that Bruusgaard has already found work, although he called it "a grown-up job, for now... still in IT, with a good solid company based in Oslo." Bruusgaard also speculated about the severity of Funcom's job cuts, saying that "I think that 50 percent was an overall Funcom percentage. The Oslo office got hit much much harder." [Thanks to E. for the tip.]
Chaos Theory: The Secret World's single-server tech
Something went missing during this month's launch of The Secret World. Do you know what it was? No, snarkonauts, it wasn't "fun." The game is certainly an acquired taste, but it's nonetheless doing pretty well for itself in terms of word-of-mouth and happy early adopters. No, what was missing was a parade of lengthy launch-week queues (and QQs for that matter). I've been present for every AAA MMO kickoff since Star Wars Galaxies in 2003, and The Secret World marks the first time I've been able to log in when (and where) I wanted to log in on day one. RIFT, Star Wars: The Old Republic, Aion, Lord of the Rings Online -- all of these were "polished" launches by most accounts, and yet all of them featured horrendous launch queues that often stretched from minutes to hours. Why was The Secret World so different?
The Secret World dev blog details three-faction PvP
Curious about The Secret World's PvP implementation? Funcom lead designer Martin Bruusgaard has penned a new dev blog that you'll want to read. It's a pretty lengthy post once you consider that TSW features three distinct PvP flavors in the form of its fight clubs, battlefields, and warzones. Each of the game's hub cities features a fight club, which is basically an anything-goes arena. Bruusgaard says it's ideal for build-testing, dueling, and anything else that players dream up. You can also travel to rival faction fight clubs when you tire of laying the smack down on your allies. Battlefields are all about fighting over legendary relics in hidden locations across The Secret World. Places like Stonehenge and Eldorado serve as the game's answer to instanced small-group PvP, and Funcom has added a few mechanical twists in an attempt to freshen things up. The warzone is a 24/7 persistent PvP area where the game's three factions duke it out over various controllable facilities. The game will launch with one warzone (Fusang Project), which features perimeter defenses and an Anima Guardian that players must subdue before securing the zone. Fusang Project supports 200 players simultaneously, so look for large-scale PvP battles that reward combatants with tokens and "substantial buffs" for the victorious faction.
The Secret World's lead designer explains abilities, skills, gear, and more
Funcom's been pretty quiet since its GDC reveal of The Secret World. Today, though, lead designer Martin Bruusgaard has dropped the smack down on the information void via a lengthy blog post on the game's official site. You'll probably want a couple of caffeinated beverages for this one because Bruusgaard has a lot to say about The Secret World's abilities, skills, gear, progression, and crafting systems. We would try to summarize it for you, but we'd still be typing this time tomorrow, so suffice it to say that basically every mechanical question you have about the game is at least touched on in this post. There are plenty of interesting tidbits too, like the fact that TSW is shaping up to be one of the more non-linear experiences to be found among the latest crop of AAA MMORPGs. "The players are free to go wherever they want from the beginning, but they will most likely get their ass handed to them in the more difficult zones," Bruusgaard explains.
GDC 2012: Watch Funcom's full The Secret World presentation
If you found your appetite whetted for The Secret World after reading Jef's writeup from GDC, then make room in your life for 35 minutes of Funcom's full presentation from the conference! Senior Producer Ragnar Tørnquist, Lead Designer Martin Bruusgaard, and Lead Content Designer Joel Bylos take turns showing off in-game footage and discussing the game mechanics at play. Topics covered in the presentation include character creation, the creepy/sexy Dragon starter experience, how achievements work, story, crafting, and the lands of Transylvania. While the video isn't 100% pristine -- Funcom apologized for the less-than-perfect lighting during the presentation -- it's so chock-full of information and footage that you won't even notice. Give it a whirl after the jump!
Some Assembly Required: Is The Secret World a sandbox?
I'm more excited than I thought I would be for The Secret World. After playing it at last week's Game Developer's Conference and getting a preview of the game's crafting system, I think it's safe to say my anticipation went up a few notches. The real-world setting and horror-fantasy elements have always been appealing, but a general lack of info throughout 2011 -- coupled with Funcom's decision to add a cash shop to a subscription game -- conspired to knock The Secret World down a few pegs. Now I'm almost willing to forgive the business model faux pas because it seems like the game will feature significant sandbox elements. Is it a sandbox, though?
A second look at The Secret World
Funcom recently held another special hands-on event for The Secret World at its Montreal, Canada offices, where we sent freelancer François Blondin to cover all the exciting details. Enjoy his latest preview of the game! Last weekend, I nabbed a second look at Funcom's upcoming MMO The Secret World, now scheduled for a June 19th release. I was going in with high expectations, having been blown away by my first playtest of this modern-world-based MMO, and I'll say that this second visit managed to convince me that this game is on the right track to impress gamers with fresh gameplay, vicious puzzles, an ability wheel full of synergies, and new elite abilities at the top tiers of weapon specializations. I spent wasted a lot of time during my first visit testing out different builds, but I missed out on some content while doing that, and I realized that abilities and builds are something you'll come to naturally as you progress through the game as you earn ability points, choose where you want to go, and decide how you want to specialize. This time around, I got to spend more time exploring the game world, trying out missions, and blowing things up.%Gallery-72395%
The Secret World's Bruusgard talks skill decks, customization
The Secret World launch is fast approaching (though it may not be exactly when we some are reporting), and plenty of things of things about the game remain, well, secret. GamesRadar recently cornered lead designer Martin Bruusgaard and sussed out a few details regarding the game's skill deck mechanics. Bruusgaard says the system was designed to offer players a way to get their heads around the game's 500-plus abilities. While there are some recommended decks and combos for newer players, Bruusgaard says the intent behind the The Secret World's classless progression system lies is adaptability and plenty of customization options. "Some of the beauty of the system is allowing the players to come up with cool stuff themselves. We want to reward the players who dive into this and take their time to tinker with this, and there are lots of cool combinations we will save for these players," he explains.
The Secret World designer talks template deck outfits, customization, and more
A few Funcom elves were actually working on The Secret World over Christmas it seems, and designer Martin Bruusgaard has some interesting things to say about that -- as well as a couple of gameplay tidbits -- in a new interview at CryGaia.net. One of the aspects of The Secret World that sets it apart from your typical MMORPG is the huge amount of character customization available through the game's clothing items. Bruusgaard says that some of these items are purchased from in-game vendors, some from the cash shop, and some of them are reward-based. "One thing I'm particularly excited about is the template deck outfits. Template decks are a set of powers that enable the player to fulfill a certain role, and this is comparable to Magic the Gathering starter decks. On completion of any of these templates the player is given an outfit that reflects what that deck is. So for instance if a player completes the ninja deck, he or she is given a ninja costume," Bruusgaard explains. He goes on to talk about cross-faction PvP team-ups (currently slated for post-launch) and The Secret World's sound and music suite. Read all about it at CryGaia.net.
The Secret World designers talk progression, hand-holding, and more
The Secret World is up for discussion at Rock, Paper Shotgun this morning, and Funcom designers Joel Bylos and Martin Bruusgaard spend quite a bit of time going over various details of the upcoming horror-conspiracy MMORPG. Those of you wondering how the game's classless skill-based advancement system is going to work will definitely want to read through the piece, as there is a lot of information in terms of both how the The Secret World feels and how it directs players in comparison to more traditional themepark titles. "I believe World of Warcraft uses a very heavy hand to guide players. It says, 'pick up this stuff here, go and do these missions in this place here, do all the quests then go to this place here and do the quests there,'" Bylos explains. "In our game, we try not to be as heavy handed. It's much more of a light touch and comes through in the places you visit and the people you meet."
Hands-on impressions of The Secret World
Last month, Funcom held a special hands-on event for The Secret World at its Montreal, Canada offices, where we sent freelancer François Blondin to cover all the exciting details. François also got to play the game for several hours, giving us a fresh perspective on what TSW has to offer MMO gamers. In Funcom's upcoming The Secret World, the game's three factions -- Templars, Illuminati and Dragons -- face off, compete, and collaborate (all at the same time!) amidst the nightmarish creatures being revealed throughout the world. But choose your allegiance carefully: Your faction determines your path and special bonuses for the whole game, and faction-switching won't be an option. Join me for a hands-on look at the game's current incarnation!%Gallery-72395%
The Secret World designers talk optimal builds, travel, and more
Funcom devs have been hitting the publicity circuit lately in support of The Secret World, and GamePro has a new video interview featuring lead designer Martin Bruusgaard and lead content designer Joel Bylos. The pair spend a good nine minutes talking about various aspects of their upcoming fantasy-horror MMO, with particular attention given to the game's skill system and the builds it makes possible. "In certain areas, people will need to have the correct effects to be optimal," Bylos explains. "In solo play especially, you will want to have a certain build." You can still progress any way you see fit, though, and Bylos was quick to point out that Funcom's intent is to provide a flexible character building system. That said, it's clear that build flexibility can come at the expense of perfect optimization, and ultimately Funcom is striving for a balance between playing how you want to play and tweaking your build as you go in order to progress through content. The interview also touches on travel in The Secret World, and Bylos drops a few interesting hints about the use of hollow-earth myths to facilitate the globe-jumping that players will experience when traveling between far-flung locales like New York, Seoul, or London. Check out all the details after the cut.
New Secret World dev walkthrough delves into the Savage Coast
All right now, all you occultists, paranormal investigators, and conspiracy theorists, it's your turn to squeal with delight. Funcom has treated the world to a spankin'-new dev walkthrough of The Secret World's Savage Coast instance. You may remember we got our first look at the Savage Coast at the beginning of the month. Now, we get to go in for a first-hand look at just what makes this coast so savage. The walkthrough -- which is so expansive it has to be presented in three parts -- begins with our dev tour-guides Martin Bruusgaard (Lead Designer) and Joel Bylos (Lead Content Designer) jumping into the dungeon linked to the Solomon Island zone, which they note is the first that players will encounter as they play through The Secret World. After a short preview of the quest-receiving experience (which includes voice acting that's rather good, especially for a game still in development), it descends into a rollercoaster ride into the mouth of madness. The developers take on the Draugh (undead Norse warriors out for vengeance) and their masters throughout the course of the dungeon, which culminates in a scene straight out of Lovecraft's best. We'd hate to spoil the whole thing for you (and it's so long we really don't have the space!), but believe us, it's well worth the watch for any TSW fan. So head on past the cut for the full walkthrough videos!
Funcom hints at Secret World death penalty, sabotage missions
All is very hush hush around Funcom's The Secret World. While a good bit of new info surfaced at last month's GDC, there are still more questions than answers regarding the firm's followup to Age of Conan. That said, occasionally the devs will dangle a tasty morsel, and in a new interview at Game Snafu, Funcom designer Martin Bruusgaard does just that with regard to TSW's death penalty mechanics. "We will not implement a death system that can be exploited as a fast travel system, because dying in The Secret World should be a sign of failure, and not optimization in any way. We don't want to punish the players in a form where they can lose stuff, neither items nor experience, but rather penalize on time," he explains. Designer Joel Bylos also chimes in with some interesting bits about the game's questing mechanics, chief among them a hint about new sabotage missions. "These missions share a similar gameplay style to the original Deus Ex game -- avoiding security cameras, disabling traps and hacking computers, etc. Generally the traps are dynamic only in the sense that players can disable/enable them in the world. This becomes interesting when other players can accidentally trigger an alarm in the camp you are sneaking through," Bylos says. Check out the full interview at Game Snafu.
GDC 2011: Funcom talks The Secret World's PvE, PvP, and ARG
Many of you are no doubt as anxious as we are to get your hands on Funcom's new The Secret World MMORPG (with a new website!). The skill-based end-of-the-world riff has been shrouded in a good bit of mystery for a good long while, but we've finally managed to snag a few minutes of face time with the title. This year's GDC marked the first opportunity for anyone outside of Funcom's alpha team to lay eyes on the game, and we've got some pretty juicy details to pass on. Join us after the cut for the new trailer as well as a recap of Funcom's presentation, which was spearheaded by Ragnar Tornquist and featured designers Martin Bruusgaard and Joel Bylos. Discussion topics include PvP, PvE missions, and character progression.%Gallery-118804%
Interview with The Secret World's Martin Bruusgaard
Looking forward to The Secret World? Funcom has been great lately about giving us bits of information to tide us over, and the latest news is no exception. TSWOnline.de recently chatted with Martin Bruusgaard, Lead Designer for The Secret World. Bruusgaard delved further into the game, expanding on small details we already know, such as the Lovecraftian influence of the game, and the (slowly) marauding zombies. While Lovecraft, zombies, and Kingsmouth are known elements, things don't stop there. Kingsmouth is just a tiny sample of game regions all around the world that are available to play, and zombies are just the tip of the iceberg: "We've based the population in every region on myths and urban legends in that particular country, which gives us a huge spectrum of scary monstrosities to play with." Bruusgaard has plenty more to say, both about in-game events and some promotional things we might be able to look forward to. The full interview is well worth a read. For more news on The Secret World, keep an eye out for our interview with Ragnar Tornquist at GDC this week as well!
