Ragnar-Tornquist
Latest
Funcom unveils armory-like Chronicle for The Secret World
Imagine that -- keeping an upcoming feature of The Secret World a secret! Yet Funcom pulled it off, announcing today via a letter from creative director and senior producer Ragnar Tornquist the aptly named new player record that will actually chronicle a player's journey through TSW. Starting now, players active within the last four days can log into Chronicle and check out their stats on their profile page and compare themselves with players across the world using the PvP and PvE leaderboards. But that's only the beginning. Tornquist goes on to say, "We have a lot of great features planned, and we will be integrating the service more with the game and also, hopefully, with mobile devices and social networks in the future. We are going to add more stats, more features, more leaderboards, and more user control. We might also look at giving rewards tied to your status and standing on Chronicle." The beta is public so the team can gather as much community feedback as possible, so jump in, check it out, and give your feedback to help shape Chronicle's future. [Source: Funcom press release]
Funcom shares fall, Tornquist defends The Secret World's sub fee
It's not all roses for Funcom following the launch of The Secret World earlier this week. Gamespot is reporting that company shares on the Norwegian Stock Exchange fell by almost 40 percent in recent days. Earlier this week Funcom CEO Trond Arne Aas stepped down, citing internal restructuring as the cause. The company has thus far not responded to media requests for comment on its financial fortunes. The Secret World opened to positive reviews in both the gaming press and MMO fan circles, despite having a subscription fee in an era when gamers are increasingly clamoring for free content. Creative director Ragnar Tornquist recently chatted about the game's business model with Rock, Paper Shotgun. "The subscription fee and our business model supports a big, ongoing team. We have content plans for a very long time. We have content that's going to be coming on a regular, ongoing basis," he explained.
Tornquist: The Secret World's combat 'radically different' [Updated]
The Secret World creative director Ragnar Tornquist recently checked in with Rock, Paper Shotgun for a post-launch interview. The first half of the piece offers up some interesting commentary on the state of MMOs, non-combat gameplay, and inevitable comparisons to the genre standard. "Have we been traditional in some ways? Sure," Tornquist says. "But I think those who say that our combat is like WoW's combat, they really haven't gotten beyond the surface. At the beginning maybe it feels like that. But if you play for 12, 15, 20 hours, it's quite clear that it's radically different." Tornquist also muses on non-combat gameplay, of which TSW has a fair amount. In a nutshell, though, conflict is what drives games, and so combat will always be a primary focus. "I think solving puzzles all the time, it's not going to last hundreds of hours. I think people would get bored a lot quicker," he says. [Update]: RPS has finally posted the second portion of the interview which talks about quest design and TSW's business model.
The Secret World lowers UK sub fee, details pre-order access times [Updated]
It's two days and counting until The Secret World's early access period. As such, Funcom is ramping up the publicity in a number of spots around the web. First up is a new interview with creative director Ragnar Tornquist at Gamespot. He talks about the title's contemporary setting as well as the crunch of last-minute adjustments before the user floodgates open on Friday. Gamespot is also showing a six-minute preview video of the Savage Coast, Transylvania, and Egypt, which we've embedded for you below after the break. There have also been a couple of noteworthy updates on the official Secret World forums regarding the early release period. Firstly, Funcom notes that everyone who pre-ordered will get access on June 29th at noon EDT. However, early pre-orders and those who have purchased the Grand Master Pack will be able to log in "even earlier." Finally, Funcom has dropped the monthly subscription fee "to make it more in line with pricing in Europe." The new number is £11.49 including VAT. [Update: Funcom has also posted server names and designations for Friday's early access launch as well as an explanation for how the game's single-server technology will impact players. Thanks to Varrakys and Acidbaron for the tip!]
Ask Ragnar Tornquist about The Secret World via Reddit
If you're interested in The Secret World, and you're not busily playing the public beta tomorrow at noon EDT, you might want to head over to Reddit for an AMA with Funcom's Ragnar Tornquist. What's an AMA? It stands for "ask me anything," and it's basically an exchange of questions and answers between fans and content producers. In this case, the producer is the man behind not only The Secret World but also well-regarded adventure titles like Dreamfall and The Longest Journey. Further info is available via Reddit and Tornquist's Twitter feed.
Hands-on with The Secret World's mission system
So The Secret World's mission system treads well off the beaten MMO path. It's pretty cool, actually, though portions of it may irritate quest-grinders who just want to blow through zones on their way to the game's equivalent of a max-level toon. For the rest of us, there's a nifty interface, some challenging puzzles, and plenty of well-written quest text and dialogue to keep us entertained for weeks at a time.
The Secret World launching June 19th
Funcom has decided to push back The Secret World's launch by a couple of months. The Norwegian development firm originally intended its horror-conspiracy MMO to ship in April, but a new press release has targeted June 19th instead. Creative director Ragnar Tørnquist says the new launch window will allow Funcom to make the title that much more compelling. "Allowing for even more time to polish the game really shows just how much faith Funcom as a company has in The Secret World, and how committed we are to making it the best it can be," he explains. Tørnquist also hints at further beta opportunities for both fans and curiosity seekers. "The additional time will also allow us to carry out even more quality beta testing, and soon we will also be announcing several public beta events where hundreds of thousands of gamers will get to test the game prior to launch," he says. The Secret World is a skill-based MMO set in the modern age. It mixes traditional MMO progression with a unique skill deck system and story-driven questing. [Source: Funcom press release]
The Perfect Ten: The upcoming contenders
While I'm on board the Star Wars: The Old Republic train (at least until SOE's Star Wars: The New Republic comes out in 2014 and forces SWTOR to shut down), I can certainly sympathize with the frustration that non-fans are feeling right about now. There are few things more annoying than not being into the latest craze -- or hating it outright -- and yet being unable to escape it. So I'm here to say to you today that, like World of Warcraft, SWTOR isn't the be-all, end-all of the MMO field. It's a part of it, but just one part, and there are many, many others in the works as we speak. Mama always told me never to put all your eggs in one basket anyway, so I'm spreading my eggcitement across many cyber-nests. This is the bone I'm throwing to all of you this week: a list of 10 Midichlorian-free MMOs that have me -- and should have you -- extremely buzzed about their development. In putting together this list, I realized that there are so many promising prospects that I divided them into two groups. This week I'm presenting the strongest contenders that should make it to launch with a solid product, while next time I'll list promising prospects that may be more of a long shot. I'm 47% confident that I will not forget your most-anticipated title.
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%
Ragnar Tørnquist divulges the secrets of the Templars in new interview
The Secret World's week of the Templars continues today with a new interview over at IGN. The game's head-honcho, Ragnar Tørnquist, gives fans the skinny on what drives the ancient order of the Templars. The organization's goal is simple: Eradicate evil at all costs. Of course, the Templars are rather scrupulous in regard to what qualifies as evil. For instance, they firmly believe that the use of blood magic is unclean, but that doesn't stop them from using it for themselves. Fight fire with fire and all that. For the full 411 on what the Templars are all about, head on over to the full interview.
Week of the Templars storms The Secret World
Moving away from the Far East machinations of the Dragon faction, The Secret World is instead heading to the refined, cultured setting of the UK as it shines a spotlight on the Templar faction for an entire week. The Templars are perhaps the most famous of The Secret World's three factions, with historical roots in the Crusades starting in the 12th century. While they may not maintain a low profile, the Templars do keep a tight lid on the inner workings of this secret society. Senior Producer Ragnar Tørnquist describes the organization succinctly: "Uncompromising and fiercely brutal, the Templars is an organization with a single goal: to eradicate evil no matter how long it takes them. This is a great opportunity to shed some light on this secret society." The Week of the Templars will cover the range of artwork, videos, and interviews. To kick it off, Funcom has released six new screenshots of the Templars, including the group's base of operations and agents in action. You can take a look at them all in the gallery below. %Gallery-72395%
Over 500K have registered for Secret World's beta
As professional, respected, tweed-wearing writers, we here at Joystiq consider it part of our job to protect the sanctity of the written word. It's in that capacity we're staging this intervention with Funcom. Funcom, we're sure your team was excited when you announced today that over 500,000 people have registered for The Secret World beta. But while that's a catchy name, we're just not sure you can continue to call it that with a straight face. Observe: "I have a secret little out-of-the-way spot I like to go for lunch, it's called Hardee's." "My secret spice? Shh, come close ... it's called salt." "I've got a secret method for keeping my car running well: Gas." Might we suggest "Popular World" (which unfortunately sounds a little like a Facebook game for tweens) or perhaps "Cool World" (which not unfortunately sounds exactly like Cool World)?
The Secret World's Dragon Week continues with new video, interview
Dragon Week is in full swing over at The Secret World, and today players get a double dose of Dragon with a new video and an interview with Ragnar Tørnquist. The video highlights a previous trailer's character -- referred to hereafter as Milkshake Girl -- and her initiation into the Dragon. Poor Milkshake Girl's idea of chaos prior to the Dragon was "a messy apartment," but disorderly living spaces have nothing on the Dragon concept of chaos, as the video points out. The interview focuses entirely on, surprise, the Dragon faction and the lore behind it. Tørnquist is reluctant to give away any juicy gameplay details, however, and refuses to reveal what faction-specific abilities the Dragon will have access to. But if you're a lore junkie, read on: Tørnquist discusses the hierarchy of the Dragon, the organization's modus operandi, the central characters of the faction, and the group's relation to the Templar, Illuminati, and the Council of Venice. So head on over to IGN for the full interview, jump past the cut for the video, and remember, Dragon Week isn't over yet. Check back tomorrow to see what else Funcom has in store.
The Secret World kicks off Week of the Dragon
Take a seat, Templars and Illuminati -- it's the Dragons' time to shine. Over at The Secret World's official site, Funcom has announced this week as Dragon week, meaning that as the week goes by, we'll be granted new information and assets focused on the Seoul-based secret society. The game's director, Ragnar Tørnquist, says, "Revealing new things about the Dragon is exciting for us, as the very nature of the Dragon is to stay hidden and create chaos behind the scenes to reach their ultimate goal." So it should be interesting to see what kind of tricks the organization has up its sleeves. Whether you're a Dragon initiate looking to find out more about your chosen secret society or you're a member of the Templars or Illuminati ready to build a dossier on your opposition, keep your eyes open in the coming week as the shady secrets of the Dragon are brought to light. In the meantime, though, check out the gallery below for six new Dragon-centric screenshots. %Gallery-72395%
Funcom talks The Secret World at NYCC
MMORPG.com's got the details on Funcom's appearance at last weekend's New York City Comic Con. Ragnar Tornquist and Dag Scheve were on hand to hype The Secret World, and the duo was the main attraction on a panel that fielded fan questions and showed off some new gameplay footage. Several of the questions from the audience related to The Secret World's progression mechanics, and Tornquist stated that despite the fact that the game has no levels, there will be plenty of activities for grind aficionados. The term horizontal progression was mentioned, as were various skills and gear (the latter of which serves as a gate between different bits of the game's content). Check out the rest of the recap, along with a video embed, at MMORPG.com.
The Secret World dev diary video delves into The Secret War
Time to don your tin-foil hats, conspiracy theorists. It's time once again to delve into the mysteries of The Secret World. Funcom has released a new developer diary video outlining The Secret War, which is the PvP component of the upcoming horror title. We got our first look at the PvP aspect of the game back in August at PAX Prime. This is the first time, however, that we have video to show players just what they can expect from the three-faction paranormal brawls. The video highlights both small-scale PvP, such as the game's Stonehenge and El Dorado battlefields, and the game's large-scale, persistent PvP. For the full video, click on past the cut. %Gallery-72395%
The panel is true: The Secret World preps a NYCC appearance
MMO fans traveling out to the Big Apple for the New York Comic Con next weekend have another potential "must see" on their event list: an exclusive panel of The Secret World with the devs. The panel will take place on Friday, October 14th at 4:00 p.m. EDT in room 1A24. It's here that Funcom devs Ragnar Tørnquist and Dag Scheve will not only present an all-new live demo of the upcoming conspiracy MMO but field questions from the audience in as candid a manner as possible. Of course, considering the game in question, we note that this could be a trap by the Old Gods to swallow the souls of all those attending and turn them into husks to do the Old Gods' bidding, but that's just the chance you'll have to take.
The Secret World shares details on sharing stories
While it's not the poster child for story in MMOs, The Secret World is putting a big emphasis on giving players an engaging and in-depth story to enjoy as they unravel conspiracies and search for the truth. A new developer diary by Ragnar Tornquist explains how the story is woven into every element of the game, from the simple introduction of quests right down to the mechanics of fighting enemies. Tornquist emphasizes that the entire setting of the game is in many ways based solely upon storytelling, on myths and urban legends and half-remembered stories of youth. One of the development goals for the game is to keep players digging, investigating the story and piecing it together. According to the diary, every mission opens with a fully voiced and motion-captured cinematic, and aside from the main story missions, players can tackle these challenges in any order, allowing for players to have unique stories as they make their way through the labyrinth of half-truths. It's an interesting look behind the curtain, and it should give players looking forward to The Secret World a few more ideas to be excited about.
Ragnar Tørnquist discusses TSW's skill system, investigations, and more
Dark days are coming, my friends. All the myths are true, and evil lurks around every corner. Thankfully, we've gotten our hands on a new PC Gamer interview with The Secret World's creative director Ragnar Tørnquist, which should help to cast some light on these grim prophecies. It's already well-known that The Secret World won't hinge on classes and levels but instead will allow players to craft their own skill sets from a number of set categories. Ragnar expounds on this system, explaining that players will have access to something called a Base Gear Manager, which essentially provides a way for players to quickly swap between preset groups of abilities and equipment in order to adapt to the situation at hand. While players will likely find themselves falling into the traditional MMO archetypes of tanks, healers, DPS, and so forth, Tørnquist points out that The Secret World won't be as instance-heavy as other games and will provide a plethora of open-world events that will allow players to come together as an ad hoc group to, say, keep a police station from being overrun by the forces of evil. Perhaps most interesting, though, are the bits of information revealed about the game's unique Investigation Missions. Tørnquist provides two examples of what players can expect from the ARG-inspired missions. One involves hunting down an in-game location based on a fortune teller's visions, while the other is a bit more in-depth, requiring players to look up information on a famous painter in order to progress. He also hints that the team may put up websites regarding in-game information that players will have to hack into in order to progress the investigation. For the full interview, which is full of interesting nuggets and anecdotes from Tørnquist himself, just click on the link below.
'Blow your minds': The Secret World dreams of large-scale PvP
While the big news from The Secret World out of Gamescom was its April 2012 launch window, that's not all the developers had to say about this creeptastic title. Ragnar Tornquist opened up to Ten Ton Hammer about the game's epic large-scale PvP fights between the three factions of the Dragons, the Illuminati, and the Templars. Unlike The Secret World's smaller PvP battlefields, the warzones are persistent with a much larger population. So instead of waiting for a match, experienced players can hop right into a warzone for the glory and honor of their faction. In the warzones, players can capture respawn points to help out their faction and work on their secret society ranking while doing it. Tornquist said that the first warzone is in a Chinese city, although it doesn't have a name yet. Tornquist stated that the game should provide players with "several hundred hours" of PvE experience, not to mention the title's PvP and optional internet quests that will have the dedicated hunting through websites for arcane clues. Funcom's project lead thinks the total sum of The Secret World will be unlike anything we've ever seen before: "When the story and the respective events are ready to show off, we are going to blow your minds."
