Post by Morreion on Feb 7, 2010 8:06:43 GMT -5
In Development: Copernicus MMOG (38 Studios)
Exclusive Interview with 38 Studios' R.A. Salvatore (Ten Ton Hammer)
About 38 Studios
Copernicus is the codename for an unparalleled MMOG entertainment experience set in a truly evolving fantasy world that is both warmly familiar and intriguingly unique. Creative giants R. A. Salvatore and Todd McFarlane, together with the design teams in Maynard and Baltimore, are crafting a story of epic conflict and heroic individual journeys in which the players’ actions will impact the fate of the world. This storyline rests upon a solid design core that incorporates the best play and social experiences available to players at launch. Driven by the creative talents of Salvatore and McFarlane and enriched through an array of products that will allow broad and deep exploration of the vast universe of Copernicus, 38 Studios is combining the ages-old art of the story with 21st century interactive entertainment.
Exclusive Interview with 38 Studios' R.A. Salvatore (Ten Ton Hammer)
Talking games and game development with fantasy writing legend, R.A. Salvatore.
The act of creation is thrilling. Whether you're a painter, musician, actor, or writer, making a world come to life in a particular medium is an amazing experience. So imagine that you're creating an entire world - top to bottom - that will be filled with thousands (if not millions) of people that are creating their own individual stories. Intimidating? You bet.
But if there's anyone that can do it, 38 Studios' R.A. Salvatore certainly has the credentials to make it happen. Every so often, we sit down with R.A. to see how the story and history of Copernicus is progressing. While the studio still can't state specifics, there certainly are some hints in Salvatore's discussion. Check it out!
The act of creation is thrilling. Whether you're a painter, musician, actor, or writer, making a world come to life in a particular medium is an amazing experience. So imagine that you're creating an entire world - top to bottom - that will be filled with thousands (if not millions) of people that are creating their own individual stories. Intimidating? You bet.
But if there's anyone that can do it, 38 Studios' R.A. Salvatore certainly has the credentials to make it happen. Every so often, we sit down with R.A. to see how the story and history of Copernicus is progressing. While the studio still can't state specifics, there certainly are some hints in Salvatore's discussion. Check it out!
Ten Ton Hammer:
Moving on to your current project and projects you've done before, how different is it for you to create a world where people can actually visually make your characters, like when you worked on Forgotten Realms: Demon Stone for Stormfront? How different was that for you, writing for that game compared to any of your books where *you* have a visualization of your characters compared to Stormfront or 38 Studios making that visualization for you? Does it make it easier or harder for you?
Salvatore:
I think both, in different ways. Stormfront was really more of a learning experience for me. I mean, I was connected to the game and I wrote the story, but it had to fit into their size requirements and all the rest of it. Really, my involvement was minimal. I mean, I helped them create the characters, the history of the characters, and the story, but as a console game, what controlled that was the A.I. that they used. You had the ability to switch on the fly between any of the three characters, get new skill sets, and the AI of the other two would keep them moving along. It was really quite brilliant.
With 38 Studios, it's a very different experience because I'm creating the world, the races, and the history. I have a team working with me, and for me, so to speak. This is a ground up project. Every bit of it has my stamp on it. The art team, when they come up with a new concept, they come up to me asking, "What do you think? Does this fit?" So it's a very, very different experience.
Now it's harder because when I'm writing, even though I write so many books in a shared world, I don't like to be bound by other people. I like to be able to do what I want to do; what the story tells me to do. On the other hand, it's easier because I don't have to imagine every building, every dragon, and every monster.
When you're standing on the shoulders of giants, whether it's Ed Greenwood in the Forgotten Realms, or the artists like [Keith] Parkinson, [Larry] Elmore, [Clyde] Caldwell, and [Todd] Lockwood or the artists we have here at 38 Studios, they're giving *you* things that inspire you.
The hardest thing for me in developing a new world is that because it's an MMO, and I'm an MMO player, I understand something. I'm also a pretty good dungeon master by the way.
Ten Ton Hammer:
*laughs*
Salvatore:
The first thing you avoid is holding people by the hand and dragging them where you want them to go. When I'm writing a book, the characters that I write are the ones that you will live through for the story. In a game, an MMO, the character that matters is the one you create. If I did a Forgotten Realms MMO, you may like being able to interact with Elminster or Drizzt, but the bottom line is it's not their story, it's yours. And if it's not your story, then why are you playing? That's a hard adjustment.
Moving on to your current project and projects you've done before, how different is it for you to create a world where people can actually visually make your characters, like when you worked on Forgotten Realms: Demon Stone for Stormfront? How different was that for you, writing for that game compared to any of your books where *you* have a visualization of your characters compared to Stormfront or 38 Studios making that visualization for you? Does it make it easier or harder for you?
Salvatore:
I think both, in different ways. Stormfront was really more of a learning experience for me. I mean, I was connected to the game and I wrote the story, but it had to fit into their size requirements and all the rest of it. Really, my involvement was minimal. I mean, I helped them create the characters, the history of the characters, and the story, but as a console game, what controlled that was the A.I. that they used. You had the ability to switch on the fly between any of the three characters, get new skill sets, and the AI of the other two would keep them moving along. It was really quite brilliant.
With 38 Studios, it's a very different experience because I'm creating the world, the races, and the history. I have a team working with me, and for me, so to speak. This is a ground up project. Every bit of it has my stamp on it. The art team, when they come up with a new concept, they come up to me asking, "What do you think? Does this fit?" So it's a very, very different experience.
Now it's harder because when I'm writing, even though I write so many books in a shared world, I don't like to be bound by other people. I like to be able to do what I want to do; what the story tells me to do. On the other hand, it's easier because I don't have to imagine every building, every dragon, and every monster.
When you're standing on the shoulders of giants, whether it's Ed Greenwood in the Forgotten Realms, or the artists like [Keith] Parkinson, [Larry] Elmore, [Clyde] Caldwell, and [Todd] Lockwood or the artists we have here at 38 Studios, they're giving *you* things that inspire you.
The hardest thing for me in developing a new world is that because it's an MMO, and I'm an MMO player, I understand something. I'm also a pretty good dungeon master by the way.
Ten Ton Hammer:
*laughs*
Salvatore:
The first thing you avoid is holding people by the hand and dragging them where you want them to go. When I'm writing a book, the characters that I write are the ones that you will live through for the story. In a game, an MMO, the character that matters is the one you create. If I did a Forgotten Realms MMO, you may like being able to interact with Elminster or Drizzt, but the bottom line is it's not their story, it's yours. And if it's not your story, then why are you playing? That's a hard adjustment.
About 38 Studios
38 Studios is an entertainment and IP creation company in development on a broad range of products, including online and console video games, toys, novels, comics, film, TV, and other forms of digital media.
Founded by Boston Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling in late 2006, 38 Studios has assembled a team of world-class creative talent to bring to life an epic new intellectual property to redefine conventional multi-player gaming as it exists today, and nothing less. Furthering that goal in May 2009, 38 Studios acquired Big Huge Games and its body of extremely talented people and award-winning products and IP, ensuring the growth, market position, financial stability, and long-term success of 38 Studios.
38 Studios' first original products will feature the artistic vision of world-renowned comic book and toy creator Todd McFarlane (www.spawn.com) and best-selling fantasy author R. A. Salvatore (www.rasalvatore.com). To bring this epic world to life, 38 Studios employs skilled and dedicated artists, programmers, designers, writers, and others drawn from the world's most successful companies, all of whom join 38 Studios with the common goal of creating a most unique company by combining the ages-old art of the story with 21st century interactive entertainment.
Founded by Boston Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling in late 2006, 38 Studios has assembled a team of world-class creative talent to bring to life an epic new intellectual property to redefine conventional multi-player gaming as it exists today, and nothing less. Furthering that goal in May 2009, 38 Studios acquired Big Huge Games and its body of extremely talented people and award-winning products and IP, ensuring the growth, market position, financial stability, and long-term success of 38 Studios.
38 Studios' first original products will feature the artistic vision of world-renowned comic book and toy creator Todd McFarlane (www.spawn.com) and best-selling fantasy author R. A. Salvatore (www.rasalvatore.com). To bring this epic world to life, 38 Studios employs skilled and dedicated artists, programmers, designers, writers, and others drawn from the world's most successful companies, all of whom join 38 Studios with the common goal of creating a most unique company by combining the ages-old art of the story with 21st century interactive entertainment.
Copernicus Release date Sept 2012??? (38 Watch Forums)