Click to enlarge

Shadowbane Sage has posted a chat interview with Ubi Soft regarding development of their highly anticipated massively multiplayer online role-playing game Shadowbane. The game entered into closed beta testing last week, and Ubi Soft and Wolfpack Studios plan to include almost 1500 testers before completing this stage of development.

Part of the interview focuses on the development team's efforts to balance gameplay for both the role playing and player-vs-player crowds:

Vosx: Unfortunately, in other games there have been a mix of different playstyles and expectations for the game. In UO, players like crafts, hunting, and some liked PvP. Those groups rarely had common interests. In EQ, the same was also true—even on the PvP servers. Some thought it a Roleplay Server, some a PvP server. Many players enter those games with different expectations. In Shadowbane, there is PvP, and there is deep and complex roleplay. You cannot have true roleplay, and true epic storylines, and not have player vs player. So all Shadowbane players will begin on a similar footing—that conflict is a central part to how this game works.

Matteon: Agreed. On that note... What are your thoughts on the popular opinion that says SB is evolving into a less and less "dog eat dog" type of game to appease the majority who prefer a safe and secure playing environment?

* Vosx laughs*

Matteon: Hey, it's not MY theory.

Vosx: I think that derives from a shift in our marketing. Shadowbane's initial marketing was very 'in your face'.

Matteon: Yes, I remember.

Vosx: At a time when all other games were running their PvPers out of town, and treating them like 3rd class citizens, and criminals, Wolfpack, obviously, did not share that view. However, Shadowbane is not EverQuake.

Shadowbane

Shadowbane Sage: Shadowbane Interviews Vosx

Ubi Soft: Shadowbane Screenshots from the Arcane3D Engine

Search for other Mac games news stories or browse our Mac Games News Archive.