Worlds/Necromania/News

This article is related to the Graal Online news. The latest news can be found on the News page, the login server of the graal client or on the Graal Online website and is managed and controlled by the Global News Team. If you need help with the news please visit the Graal News and the News Guidelines pages.

News

To read the official Necromania news articles click on the links below:

• Necromania News 13 December 2010

13 December 2010

Naithaniel of the Global News Team met up with Lead Developer, Sage from the Post-Apocalyptic themed server Necromania for an interview about his current project.

Interview

Naithaniel: Lets start with the concept

Sage: Well I mean "obviously" if you can't tell by the look of the server, we are themed in a Post-Apocolyptic world. Basically everything has been over-run by zombies, "zombie alterations", and bandits. While humans are fighting as small civilizations for their survival.

Naithaniel: So "and bandits"? The players will have to face off against zombies and other humans to survive?

Sage: Exactly. There will be zombies they will have to fight off in hordes, but along side those zombies, there will also be bandits whom are trying to fend for themselves rather than the community and trying to take what you've got.

Naithaniel: That certainly adds more excitment too it.

Sage: Agreed. :)

Naithaniel: Will the server be what we would typically expect from a game like this or is there a few extra twists invloved? other than fighting against another human faction.

Sage: Well, I guess there will have to be consideration taken in with what most typically expect. Will there be Zombies? Yes. Will you be fighting Zombies? Yes. But there will be many other things to keep players intrigued. Will the main factor of the server only be to fight off zombies/bandits? Yes, BUT there will be many ways to do this.

Sage: For instance: There will be a story to follow. Quests and unique bosses for each chapter of that story. Sub missions to earn extra loot and rank. Fun minigames of survival to be involved with.

Naithaniel: Hearing all this is making me an instant fan.

Sage: Well thanks! It's nice to have fans. Haha

Sage: So for the most part.. it's not just going to be "Let's go through this city and kill zombies", but more of "Let's go through this city, to get to *this*" Creating a goal and a survival aspect to the game.

Naithaniel: I hear you. Not so much a zombie kill-fest. But something with a goal to fight for with the added fun of zombie slaughter inbetween.

Sage: Exactly. :)

Naithaniel: You mentioned obtaining loot and ranks for completing missions and quests. Can you tell me more?

Sage: Oh jeez, haha.. Okay well, Loot is obviously a major aspect of ANY server. But I would say that this server loot is going to be the main pivot point for the world. Loot will be unique in the sense that every item will serve it's own function, as ALL items on the server will be a product of Alchemy.

Sage: So it won't just be a matter of "Hey, I want to get *this* item, so i'm just going to save up my money for a few hours". There will be more thinking involved, as first.. If you want something, you'll have to figure out the Formula for that item, and secondly.. it will be a matter of obtaining those items to create this item that you want.

Sage: Which I think is something that will create a totally unique economy.

Naithaniel: Wow, that wasn't really what I was thinking when you first mentioned loot. This is taken to a whole other level. I was thinking on the most basic point that loot = money, sell it to by more guns.

Sage: Nope, not at all. While there will be money involved, it will be more about getting pieces of items to create that bigger item.

Naithaniel: I suppose that is logical thinking based on the concpet of this game. People will be trying to salvage and improve whatever they can with whatever they can.

Sage: Right. :)

Naithaniel: With so many unique selling points this server is sure to be hit.

Sage: Now, as for ranks.. they will more or less serve as a title for recognition. The more things you do, the more experience you'll gain, which in turn will result in ranking up. I suppose you could say it's just another leveling system.. But there is no stats involved like any other server that uses levels. But simply will determine what items can/can't be used. Along with this, it will also become helpful with the local NPC characters. It will make bartering with merchant NPC's easier, along with making the local NPC's come to you with missions more of the time.

Sage: More or less making it, the more good deeds you do for the established community, the more help you recieve and are looked upon as a "hero".

Naithaniel: I originally had a vision of this being what I'd normally expect, but due to what I've heard so far I should've expected you'd knock this one out of the park too with some more fascinating ideas.

Sage: ^_^

Sage: I have a very large ammount of unique ideas, it's all a matter of just taking them from a vision, and putting them into actuality. :-P

Naithaniel: Cleary when God was handing out the creativity some people got a bit more than they're share ;)

Sage: Haha, apparently so.

Naithaniel: So keeping a postive relationship with the NPC's and merchants will have a good effect on you. Is there an opposite to this? Like people may be intimidated enough by you to give you a discount?

Sage: Well actually i'm sure this is something people would want to see, but the answer is no. I'm looking toward having the players work together in a positive way, everything will be based around cooperation and completing goals to help this "post-apocolyptic" world survive.

Naithaniel: A good decision to make. It would clearly add to that "community spirit" feel you're trying to develop.

Sage: Right. :P

Naithaniel: Alright :) I think that will do unless there is anything more you would like to add?

Sage: Hmm..

Sage: I could also give you a little information on how the cooperation aspects will work?

Naithaniel: Sounds great :D

Sage: Alright, so you know that everything will have a "community spirit" feel, as explained before. But to add to this there will be major roles in cooperation of players/friends. So to begin with this, there will be places stationed around the world where players can go to meet up/chat/trade/get missions, etc. These places being called "Safe Havens"(SH). Now when in the SH's you'll be able to see all the players that are in your current SH, and while there you can create "Squads" of 3 or 4 players, which is more or less a Party with a new name. Once you've established said Squad, if you choose to leave the SH, and enter a certain city area, that area will become instanced and it will solely be you and your squad members exploring/scavenging that area (no one less will be seen) so it will give that feeling that you and your partners are alone.

Sage: While the you are exploring said areas, you will occassionally find loot that has use for creating barracades, these will be useful since SH's aren't completely "Safe", since zombies will constantly be trying to break into them, you're job is to try and help maintain the barracades at these SH's so the zombies don't over-run them. So it kinda of gives you and your partners a job, while it still gives everyone as a player a job as a whole, to help maintain these places so you don't, in lack of better words "get screwed over".

Naithaniel: I like it, it really gives things a sense of comradery and that you've all to got to work together to protect what little you have left to hold onto.

Sage: Exactly, my main goal with this server is to give people the feel that everyone is working together. Rather than what Graal is so used to and having everyone fending for themselves and trying to be better than the next person.

Sage: I personally feel it is what Graal is currently lacking. A place to come together as a community.

Naithaniel: Again I completely agree with you, and again this is exactly what you'd find happening amidst a post-apocolyptic world.

Sage: Also, I might add that this place in the future may become somewhat of a more "mature" server, as I do plan on adding lots of blood and guts. lol

Sage: For instance, you will be able to blow limbs off the zombies, melt flesh from their bones, implode/explode them with guts splattering onto your screen. You know, that type of fun stuff! :D

Naithaniel: Blood and guts, two more brilliant reasons why this game is going to be amazing.

Sage: :D!

Naithaniel: Can I just briefly bring you back to the SH (Safe Havens) for a second? As you've really fascinated with the maintaince work involved.

Sage: Ah haha, sure thing.

Sage: I actually kind of figured there would be atleast one question in relevance to those. ;)

Naithaniel: Failing to keep it well maintained could result in the zombies "taking over" so to speak. I assume there would be some way to reclaim the land?

Sage: Oh of course, once zombies have taken over, the SH will be marked in a "State of Chaos", which than will begin a game where waves of zombies begin to come. If you are in the SH and are killed, you will pay consequence by losing "something". (What that "something" is, I am not completely sure of yet?) But alas, while in a State of Chaos, weapons that would normally be disabled, will be enabled for use again and you will be able to take out the zombies. Once all the zombie waves have been cleared, the SH's gates will pick back up again before zombie begin to come again. :)

Sage: Also, any players that participate in the State of Chaos and survive, will be given awards. Again, what the rewards will be, I am not sure of just yet.

Naithaniel: Sounds brilliant, I can't wait for when it all becomes a reality.

Sage: Hopefully soon enough if everything stays on track! :P

Naithaniel: Good to hear :)

Naithaniel: One more quick question about the SH then we can wrap things up.

Sage: Sure.

Naithaniel: I imagine the various merchants and NPCs will be posted in the safe havens.

Sage: Right

Naithaniel: Much like when the prosperity of the land is high or low it will effect the prices of trade in that area. So for instance, if the state of the SH's defences were good/bad would that reflect the price of goods?

Sage: Yes. It will all depend on the status of the SH's gates and how much of them is broken down. Also like I said, you will be able to barter with the merchants. Trying to lower the prices of already priced items. Like if a merchant was selling a 9mm for 10,000 bottle caps,and you only had 9,500, you could try and get him to lower the price. But if you had 12,000 bottle caps, the merchant would normally see that and decline the offer because he knows you have more than enough.

Sage: Along with the NPC's in general, you will see less NPC's walking around, and less NPC's giving out missions because of the status (Implying that they don't want to be there because they don't want to chance dying.)

Naithaniel: I'm really liking the ideas. You've really taking the concept and bled it dry of everything you could possibly get out of it. It's good to see some really thorough work.

Sage: Thank you, nice to see that someone appreciates my work. :)

Naithaniel: And it's also good to see more a methodical approach to trading as opposed to just buying something for a fixed rate.

Sage: Yeah i'm more or less trying to take what people normally do on servers, and twist it up a bit. :)

Sage: Oh, one more thing.

Naithaniel: Alright.

Sage: You've obviously noticed the bodies, yeah?

Naithaniel: Oh yes.

Sage: Well, from what i've seen on Graal, i'm pretty sure that these are the most customizable bodies on Graal just yet.

Sage: I mean, they don't have many customizations done for them just yet, but potentially when I create more customizations for them, they will be.

Sage: I can currently change roughly 16? different individual parts of the body.

Naithaniel: Wow. Must be a lot of work but surely worth it.

Sage: There's: Hair, Hat, Mask, Eyes, Skin Color, Armor, Shirt, Gloves, Pants, Shoes, and Backpack

Sage: And that's not including that weapons themselves are player attributes also, since I plan to give players the ability to mix and match any single handed weapon.

Sage: Like 9mm in one hand, machete in the other.. or Uzi in one hand, Sawed off shotgun in the other, etc.

Naithaniel: aside from hair, eyes and skin color that gives us a good idea of some of the items we could collect to customize our character in the game.

Sage: Yeah hopefully. :) I plan to do alot of stuff for characters, so when you build your character you can really call it your own.

Naithaniel: Now thats a good point, character customization can be too limited at times and that really forces you to become "one of many" as apposed to a unique individual.

Sage: Right, something I really don't want to see.

Naithaniel: Well if that is everything, I would like to thank you for everything you have told me today and I can tell you right now that I am looking foward to seeing these plans put into action.

Sage: Well yeah, that's it for the most part. You're welcome, and I also thank you.