http://wildstaronline.de/threads/exklusives-interview-mit-jen-gordy.4551/#post-16512
Exclusive Interview with Senior PvP Systems Designer Jen Gordy
by fullenchilada
Last time on our „DevSpotlight“ series, we had the chance to sit down with Tiffany Chu and the new Systems Design Lead Joe Piepiora to dig a little deeper into Housing, Guilds and Circles. This time we abducted PvP Lead Jen Gordy, flew her to the Maldives and checked her into a 5 Star tropical beach resort hotel in order for her to answer our questions. Let's hope that the beachy sand, the crystal clear water and the Tequila Sunrise will do the trick
.
1. Thanx for joining me in this interview Jen. Can you tell our Community a little bit about your background in the gaming industry and how did you end up working for Carbine?
Hi there! This year marks my 12th year working in the MMO gaming industry. I started out as an ardent PC game player, who got very interested in online games like The Realm, Everquest, and DAoC (when it was in beta). After I graduated college, I volunteered my time at a fansite for DAoC, got involved in their tester program, and eventually wormed my way onto their Customer Service staff shortly after game launch.
I worked at Mythic for almost six years, in a variety of roles: from CS to QA, Associate Producer to Systems Design. I got to learn a lot about the industry and really found a home working with game systems, PvP, and class design.
From Mythic, I went to Turbine and joined the Lord of the Rings Online crew and helped develop several expansions for the game. When I started at Turbine, I was the feature owner for the Monster Play system and then I eventually became the Lead Systems Designer for the systems team on LOTRO. We handled class design, itemization, monster AI, Monster Play, and social design for the game.
I got an amazing opportunity to join Carbine last year and when they showed me WildStar, I knew it was an offer I couldn’t refuse. At Carbine, every new employee’s first day is a play day. I started on the same day as two other designers. We couldn’t stop gushing during our playtest. We were having so much fun and couldn’t wait to a) get home to start game download to keep playing and b) start working on the game!
2. What's it like working with so many talented people?
I feel like this question isn’t very fair, since at every company I’ve been at so far I’ve had the pleasure to work with extremely talented people. Dedication to a product vision, staying true to your core audience, and loving what you’re working on can all factor in, and on many levels (personal, team, company).
With Carbine, everyone is helping drive the collective vision that is WildStar…be that lore, art, music, systems, quests, classes, encounters, cinematics, etc. The positive reinforcement we get from you, the fans and press, fuels us and encourages us to be the best WildStar we can be. We’re a bit crazy, passionate, sprinkled sarcastic, open to feedback and criticisms, and no BS. And that’s just the way I like it!
3. As the appointed „Queen of WildStar PvP“, what do you like most about PvP?
My favorite aspects of PvP:
4. For religious PvE players like me and so many others, what incentive would you give us to give PvP a try?
We’re doing a few things in Wildstar to help PvE players who may be curious about PvP and willing to dip their toe in:
5. Besides PvP, what other parts of WildStar interest you?
I’ve been really enjoying our dungeon and raid content thus far, as well as our housing feature. I had a lot of fun running through Stormtalon’s Lair with our beta testers in our first beta phase. Lately we’ve been internally testing some new raid bosses and they’ve been kicking our butts. It’s been a great challenge.
My beta houses are always full of plushies. Help me…I think I’m addicted.
6. If you had to pick 3 people for a 3vs3 arena team, who of the Carbine people would you pick and who not and why?
I would pick our:
These guys (and many others…I had a hard time picking!) have been dedicated to helping test PvP and usually play on all of the Arena playtests that we set up. They’re very good and I would place bets on them to beat our class designers into shame and humiliation
7. Where do you and your team get your creative ideas for the PvP maps?
Our PvP Systems Designer, Kevin Lee, is the feature owner for Battlegrounds. Prior to my arrival at Carbine, the PvP team was in the process of developing different game types for Battlegrounds and Arena maps. Kevin had about 40 or so different game types designed on paper, many “gray map” layouts (this is the first step for a game map, where terrain and placeholder props are placed down to create the intended playspace design), and a few working prototypes in iteration phase.
Kevin and I both spent some time selecting and refining the game types that we felt would make the best WildStar Battlegrounds for our launch. We wanted to showcase WildStar’s unique combat and mobility, provide a familiar (but slightly different) ground for current MMO players for some maps, and do unique concepts of objective play for others. I think we’ve got a good offering and we can’t wait to show you!
Our Arena game type (shared team respawn) was created during one of the early prototypes. We had set up the Arena to use the traditional elimination system and did a few playtests with it. Our class designers wanted more combat data per match, as they were finding the playtests extremely useful for class feedback. Kevin then set up the Arena to use a shared team respawn mechanic that served as the foundation for what we use today. The playtests with the shared respawn mechanic felt more engaging and tactically driven. After the tests we were begged constantly, by many developers, not to change it back. I think this was a good indication that we had found our Arena game type!
8. Are there any plans for cross-server tournaments (e.g. team „Moodie Booty“ from Server X vs team „BOOMbastic“ from Server Y)?
We would definitely like to do tournaments, if the arena community for WildStar really takes off. The design for them is still in an early state, since we hope to judge interest and potentially develop the feature post launch.
9. Will PvP gear have a distinguishable look to it so players can tell it apart from regular PvE gear (e.g. other colours, shiny armour)?
There are definitely some unique looks for PvP in the works!
10. Are there going to be any PvP maps where players will be able to maneuver around in vehicles or where they will need to do quests while fighting off the opposing faction?
Combat vehicles, if the gameplay type suits them, will likely come in post-launch maps. As far as questing: all of our PvP maps, including Warplots, use WildStar’s public event system to direct player activity. There may be more than one event active, depending upon what’s occurring in the map, and when players complete the event, they’ll get a reward for participation.
There are also Achievements to strive for, and you may have a PvP item with an Item Challenge chip on it…
11. Will players be required to do a little PvP in order to get certain resources needed for special epic gear that can be crafted (e.g. certain ore from a PvP zone)?
There are PvP specific crafting ingredients. Players will find these in loot bags (rewards for public events in the map), vendors, and through salvaging PvP gear.
12. Many MMO players dig achievements. Are there going to be any PvE achievements that need players to take part in PvP events (e.g. smack 10 players of the opposing faction with a bunch of bananas peels)?
As long as those types of achievements are not distracting (interrupting a Battleground or Warplot’s game flow, for example), then we like them (and will put them in)!
13. How long is a WildStar arena season going to last?
We will attempt to keep WildStar PvP seasons in step with major live releases that introduce new gear levels for PvE, so we can keep PvP gear up to date.
14. Will the „Holy Trinity“ play a crucial role in 3vs3 matches?
Through all of our arena playtesting, in beta and internally, I have seen many different variations of team makeup. Because you can choose your ability loadout before the match, a team that consisted of a Tank, Healer, and DPS in one match, may be a Healer and 2 DPS on the next. During testing, I’ve seen successful DPS trios, Tank trios, 2 Healer + DPS, 1 Healer +2 Tank.
As our beta continues and the classes (and their abilities) are further refined, we will probably see favorite team setups arise. Due to the flexibility of the action set system, I think what your team, as a whole, has decided to bring into the Arena match is more important than being a “Holy Trinity” or other specific class setup.
15. In your personal opinion, what would be the perfect setup to go on a 3vs3 rampage?
Related to my answer above! I usually play a class with DPS/Heal capabilities, so I would want to coordinate with my team to figure out what we should be rolling in with. I once did a triple Spellslinger team where the role makeup was: 2 DPS + Heal. It was a blast. We chose abilities to slow down the enemy team (protecting the healer), grant interrupt armor to provide some temporary relief from Crowd Control, and mobility (so we could try to keep clear of attacks).
So, I don’t profess to know a perfect setup – there are too many different and fun setups to try!
On behalf of WildStar Online DE I wanna thank Jen for taking the time to sit down with us in this tropical heat to answer our humble questions....by the way, that Tequila Sunrise is yummy ;-).
Thanks for inviting me to your gorgeous beach and letting me take part in your Series! I can’t wait to read the responses!
Exclusive Interview with Senior PvP Systems Designer Jen Gordy
by fullenchilada
Last time on our „DevSpotlight“ series, we had the chance to sit down with Tiffany Chu and the new Systems Design Lead Joe Piepiora to dig a little deeper into Housing, Guilds and Circles. This time we abducted PvP Lead Jen Gordy, flew her to the Maldives and checked her into a 5 Star tropical beach resort hotel in order for her to answer our questions. Let's hope that the beachy sand, the crystal clear water and the Tequila Sunrise will do the trick
.1. Thanx for joining me in this interview Jen. Can you tell our Community a little bit about your background in the gaming industry and how did you end up working for Carbine?
Hi there! This year marks my 12th year working in the MMO gaming industry. I started out as an ardent PC game player, who got very interested in online games like The Realm, Everquest, and DAoC (when it was in beta). After I graduated college, I volunteered my time at a fansite for DAoC, got involved in their tester program, and eventually wormed my way onto their Customer Service staff shortly after game launch.
I worked at Mythic for almost six years, in a variety of roles: from CS to QA, Associate Producer to Systems Design. I got to learn a lot about the industry and really found a home working with game systems, PvP, and class design.
From Mythic, I went to Turbine and joined the Lord of the Rings Online crew and helped develop several expansions for the game. When I started at Turbine, I was the feature owner for the Monster Play system and then I eventually became the Lead Systems Designer for the systems team on LOTRO. We handled class design, itemization, monster AI, Monster Play, and social design for the game.
I got an amazing opportunity to join Carbine last year and when they showed me WildStar, I knew it was an offer I couldn’t refuse. At Carbine, every new employee’s first day is a play day. I started on the same day as two other designers. We couldn’t stop gushing during our playtest. We were having so much fun and couldn’t wait to a) get home to start game download to keep playing and b) start working on the game!
2. What's it like working with so many talented people?
I feel like this question isn’t very fair, since at every company I’ve been at so far I’ve had the pleasure to work with extremely talented people. Dedication to a product vision, staying true to your core audience, and loving what you’re working on can all factor in, and on many levels (personal, team, company).
With Carbine, everyone is helping drive the collective vision that is WildStar…be that lore, art, music, systems, quests, classes, encounters, cinematics, etc. The positive reinforcement we get from you, the fans and press, fuels us and encourages us to be the best WildStar we can be. We’re a bit crazy, passionate, sprinkled sarcastic, open to feedback and criticisms, and no BS. And that’s just the way I like it!
3. As the appointed „Queen of WildStar PvP“, what do you like most about PvP?
My favorite aspects of PvP:
- Getting a friend or group of friends to strategize with you to take down the enemy or change the tide of a battleground.
- The adrenaline rushes as I’m playing in a shared zone on the PvP ruleset server: avoiding large crowds, getting jumped, or picking fights.
4. For religious PvE players like me and so many others, what incentive would you give us to give PvP a try?
We’re doing a few things in Wildstar to help PvE players who may be curious about PvP and willing to dip their toe in:
- You’ll be able earn experience from killing players in Battlegrounds and World PvP. What better way to supplement your questing than with a little skull bashing on the side?
- You’ll be able to play in Battlegrounds early in your character’s career. Queuing for a Battleground is easy and starts right away! You can learn to play with others and our Rallying system will help equalize your stats and gear.
- If you found Arenas to daunting in other games, you can try our Open Arena queue to find out what Arena maps are all about, practice, and get the hang of things before competing in the Rated Arena queue. You might find you’ll like the challenge!
5. Besides PvP, what other parts of WildStar interest you?
I’ve been really enjoying our dungeon and raid content thus far, as well as our housing feature. I had a lot of fun running through Stormtalon’s Lair with our beta testers in our first beta phase. Lately we’ve been internally testing some new raid bosses and they’ve been kicking our butts. It’s been a great challenge.
My beta houses are always full of plushies. Help me…I think I’m addicted.
6. If you had to pick 3 people for a 3vs3 arena team, who of the Carbine people would you pick and who not and why?
I would pick our:
- Content Systems Lead, Nick Roth
- Desktop Support Specialist, Tyler Giffin
- Associate Software Engineer, Jason Justice
These guys (and many others…I had a hard time picking!) have been dedicated to helping test PvP and usually play on all of the Arena playtests that we set up. They’re very good and I would place bets on them to beat our class designers into shame and humiliation
7. Where do you and your team get your creative ideas for the PvP maps?
Our PvP Systems Designer, Kevin Lee, is the feature owner for Battlegrounds. Prior to my arrival at Carbine, the PvP team was in the process of developing different game types for Battlegrounds and Arena maps. Kevin had about 40 or so different game types designed on paper, many “gray map” layouts (this is the first step for a game map, where terrain and placeholder props are placed down to create the intended playspace design), and a few working prototypes in iteration phase.
Kevin and I both spent some time selecting and refining the game types that we felt would make the best WildStar Battlegrounds for our launch. We wanted to showcase WildStar’s unique combat and mobility, provide a familiar (but slightly different) ground for current MMO players for some maps, and do unique concepts of objective play for others. I think we’ve got a good offering and we can’t wait to show you!
Our Arena game type (shared team respawn) was created during one of the early prototypes. We had set up the Arena to use the traditional elimination system and did a few playtests with it. Our class designers wanted more combat data per match, as they were finding the playtests extremely useful for class feedback. Kevin then set up the Arena to use a shared team respawn mechanic that served as the foundation for what we use today. The playtests with the shared respawn mechanic felt more engaging and tactically driven. After the tests we were begged constantly, by many developers, not to change it back. I think this was a good indication that we had found our Arena game type!
8. Are there any plans for cross-server tournaments (e.g. team „Moodie Booty“ from Server X vs team „BOOMbastic“ from Server Y)?
We would definitely like to do tournaments, if the arena community for WildStar really takes off. The design for them is still in an early state, since we hope to judge interest and potentially develop the feature post launch.
9. Will PvP gear have a distinguishable look to it so players can tell it apart from regular PvE gear (e.g. other colours, shiny armour)?
There are definitely some unique looks for PvP in the works!
10. Are there going to be any PvP maps where players will be able to maneuver around in vehicles or where they will need to do quests while fighting off the opposing faction?
Combat vehicles, if the gameplay type suits them, will likely come in post-launch maps. As far as questing: all of our PvP maps, including Warplots, use WildStar’s public event system to direct player activity. There may be more than one event active, depending upon what’s occurring in the map, and when players complete the event, they’ll get a reward for participation.
There are also Achievements to strive for, and you may have a PvP item with an Item Challenge chip on it…
11. Will players be required to do a little PvP in order to get certain resources needed for special epic gear that can be crafted (e.g. certain ore from a PvP zone)?
There are PvP specific crafting ingredients. Players will find these in loot bags (rewards for public events in the map), vendors, and through salvaging PvP gear.
12. Many MMO players dig achievements. Are there going to be any PvE achievements that need players to take part in PvP events (e.g. smack 10 players of the opposing faction with a bunch of bananas peels)?
As long as those types of achievements are not distracting (interrupting a Battleground or Warplot’s game flow, for example), then we like them (and will put them in)!
13. How long is a WildStar arena season going to last?
We will attempt to keep WildStar PvP seasons in step with major live releases that introduce new gear levels for PvE, so we can keep PvP gear up to date.
14. Will the „Holy Trinity“ play a crucial role in 3vs3 matches?
Through all of our arena playtesting, in beta and internally, I have seen many different variations of team makeup. Because you can choose your ability loadout before the match, a team that consisted of a Tank, Healer, and DPS in one match, may be a Healer and 2 DPS on the next. During testing, I’ve seen successful DPS trios, Tank trios, 2 Healer + DPS, 1 Healer +2 Tank.
As our beta continues and the classes (and their abilities) are further refined, we will probably see favorite team setups arise. Due to the flexibility of the action set system, I think what your team, as a whole, has decided to bring into the Arena match is more important than being a “Holy Trinity” or other specific class setup.
15. In your personal opinion, what would be the perfect setup to go on a 3vs3 rampage?
Related to my answer above! I usually play a class with DPS/Heal capabilities, so I would want to coordinate with my team to figure out what we should be rolling in with. I once did a triple Spellslinger team where the role makeup was: 2 DPS + Heal. It was a blast. We chose abilities to slow down the enemy team (protecting the healer), grant interrupt armor to provide some temporary relief from Crowd Control, and mobility (so we could try to keep clear of attacks).
So, I don’t profess to know a perfect setup – there are too many different and fun setups to try!
On behalf of WildStar Online DE I wanna thank Jen for taking the time to sit down with us in this tropical heat to answer our humble questions....by the way, that Tequila Sunrise is yummy ;-).
Thanks for inviting me to your gorgeous beach and letting me take part in your Series! I can’t wait to read the responses!