Massively interviews PoxNora: Major updates and a website revamp page 2

With PoxNora being made more approachable for new players, what kind of tutorial additions or changes can we expect to see?

The tutorial is going to be completely reworked from the aspect of the revamped gameplay. The idea behind it is that this is our first point of contact for new players. PoxNora is a complex game — it's fun and has a very strategic element — but we kinda want to flatten that learning curve and get people into that fun strategic play as soon as possible.

It's gonna be a little more interactive and more flexible than our current tutorial, giving new players a streamlined experience.

Will each Champion still have a maximum of 200 experience in the restructured rune leveling system?

The system is gonna work a little differently. Basically, your Champion will have three levels total. Once a rune reaches level two, you'll have a choice between two different abilities. Like, for instance, with an Abomination you'd have to pick either Defense or Regeneration at level two — at level three you get two more choices.

What we think this is going to do is still provide customization on a level players will enjoy. It doesn't lock them into a certain structure and allows them to make a unique Champion. At the same time, the new system won't overwhelm players with eight to ten different abilities. Our goal is to have people spend less time in the Rune Manager and more time playing on the battlefield.

How does the new Defense and Attack stat system work in-game?

The existing system was a little complex. There were these mental calculation you had to do to figure out exactly how much damage a Champion dealt. You had an Attack, Defense and Damage stat and they all influenced how much damage you did to a Champion. What we're doing is removing the Attack stat and have Damange and Defense directly correlate to one another.

So if you have nine attack against someone's ten defense, you're not going to damage them. Our Speed stat will directly correlate to how many Action Points you get each turn. Everything will be a lot more clear cut to all players.

Are the user interface changes set in stone at this point or are there any more tweaks still yet to be made?

We've added a few more bells and whistles. I think players are going to be very happy with the changes. We've taken quite a bit of their feedback from the forums; things they'd like to see, things they weren't quite as happy with and it feels a lot smoother. The project — from the UI perspective — is, I would say, probably about 90% done. I would hate to call it absolutely complete because with any project you're working 'til the last minute trying to make things as polished as possible.

How is the new iconic system found in the UI update going to differ from the old system?

Currently with a Champion you have a small window on the UI that holds text-filled buttons corresponding to things like "attack" or a special ability. The iconic system is basically going to replace that with an icon set to a specific ability so you won't have to read the text. You'll start recognizing icons and know, "Hey, that little sword icon for attacking." It'll reduce your chance to mis-click or anything like that. The buttons are also larger, which is nice. Personally, I've found the new UI to be really great.

What kinds of updates are coming with the PoxNora website redesign?

An entirely new Rune Manger is coming with the new website, which is another feature we've definitely wanted to improve and we've been able to have time to do it. We'll have some Rune stacking and it'll be much easier to build a Battlegroup — all to reduce the management time and make it easier to get your Battlegroup out on the battlefield.

The new site will also completely integrate into Station, so players will have the benefit of the SOE Station system. As far as payment systems and security there's a lot of it our community doesn't see because it's back-end, but moving to Station is going to be a major benefit and will directly affect our website.

Given this update's focus on user friendliness and playability, what are your thoughts on PoxNora potentially existing on platforms like the iPhone, Playstation Network or Facebook?

Well, we think PoxNora is a great product and we're always looking to branch out to further its existence in the gaming world. It has mass appeal, we think, to strategy fans. It's definitely not something that we would say no to. We can't share many details of things in developerment but there are always discussions going on about how we can bring PoxNora to more players.

Thanks for your time!
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