In another attempt to get more information about the unannounced title in development, we had a talk with Eric DeMilt, the Producer of the project. Check out what Eric had to say in our exclusive interview.

If you've been following the Carbine Studios team like we have, it's easy to see that there's something big going on over there. In another attempt to get more information about the unannounced title in development, we had a talk with Eric DeMilt, the Producer of the project. Check out what Eric had to say in our exclusive interview.

ZAM: Hey Eric. Thanks for joining us to chat about Carbine Studios. Any chance you'll be announcing your first project with us today!?!

Eric DeMilt: Thanks for having me.  Unfortunately today won't be the day we announce the project.

ZAM: Over the course of your career you've worked on such games as Stonekeep, Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance and Fallout II to name a few. What kind of challenges have you come across leading a team developing a big budget MMO?

Eric: The biggest difference and challenge has been the sheer scope and magnitude of a project like this.  At launch this game will have more hours of gameplay in the box than all of the games I've worked on combined.  Take that huge scope and add the variations of gameplay; solo, grouped, tradeskillers, casual players, hardcore raiders, guilds, PvP, etc. all in a massively multiplayer environment, the challenges are incredible.  It's a lot of fun though.

At the same time, many of the design and development challenges are surprisingly similar.  Just like older RPGs, we still need to create a compelling world and fill it with interesting content.  We still need to create compelling player characters that people can identify with and that people want to be.  This is especially true in an MMO where players form such a long lasting bond with their characters. 

Even then, some of development methods are similar.  While a lot of content is created using standard tools and following similar templates,  there is a an incredible amount of hand-made content in games like ours that just can't be done with standardized tools.  Some of the most unique moments in these games come from designers getting their hands dirty, and doing amazing things with the scripts they write.  Surprisingly, although MMOs have many unique considerations, this isn't all that different from how content development went on Stonekeep, BGDA, or Fallout 2.

ZAM: Out of all the past games you've worked on, are there any that hold a special place in your heart? Also, do you see elements of your previous games bleeding into your current project?

Eric: This will sound cheesy, but they all do.  Each one was a really cool, unique experience that I was privileged to be a part of.  Here is an obvious (easy...) one.  When Tim Cain made the decision to leave Interplay he asked me to take over as Producer on Fallout 2.  Tim and I were (still are) friends, but it was great honour. I was a huge fan of Fallout it was great to be asked to be involved in Fallout 2.  I learned a ton, and got to be involved in an excellent project. 

So, what bled over?  Well, when I came on board as Producer at Carbine, we needed a Programming Director.  Tim was my first thought as the ideal candidate Programming Director on a project like this, and luckily he was available.  He joined the company as Programming Director and is now our Design Director.  And while that might not be exactly what you had in mind, it's the first thing that came to mine.

In terms of game ideas that have bled over, Fallout 2 was a great lesson in working on a game where players could play it the way they wanted to rather than how designers anticipated or expected them to.  It didn't matter if power armor had better stats, tons of people wandered the wasteland in Mad Max leathers because they looked cool.  Other times we had to make changes to quests because people like me would play through game, shooting everything in sight, when it was expected that I would use diplomacy or sneak around. Similarly in Fallout's SPECIAL system you could max things like your shooting skills, up your luck, take the sniper perk then shoot most monsters in the eyes.  They were left blind, nearly defenceless, and had little chance of harming you.  If they managed to recover, shoot them in the eyes again.  You could pretty much do whatever you wanted from that point on.  It was our goal to take all those player possibilities into account. The same concerns are even greater in an MMO, and we've brought the same commitment to this project.  There are so many players, with so many play styles, creating so many variables to accommodate. Players can and will play the game in very unexpected ways, and our team is ensuring that there is a breadth and depth to the content they are experiencing.    It's good to have some practical experience seeing a high level monster knocked senseless by a player with brass knuckles, simply because we never thought anyone would be playing with melee weapons that late in the game.  It's hubris to think we can tell people how they should play our game.  People can and will play our game how they want.  It's our job to make a game where people can play with that freedom and have a great time.

ZAM: In the same vein, which MMOs are you personally passionate about? Do you have any favorites?

Eric:  I'm a causal MMO player.  I was really intimidated by the learning curves, secret handshakes and time commitments of the early UO and EQ generation of MMOs.  Personally I love low barrier to entry play experiences like City of Heroes and WoW.

ZAM: Let's talk about the team that has been put together to work on the first game. We know the studio has over 60 people currently, many of which come from working on games like World of Warcraft. Can you tell us about some that stand out in your eyes?

Eric: This one is hard, because we really have a stellar team.  Like you, said we're over 60 people now.  Even if I gave you the short list, it would just look like a game credit reel.  The team is amazing across the board. Top to bottom, everyone on this team stands out in one way or another.   We've got guys who have worked on WoW, EQ, Fallout, Mass Effect, and they work side by side with guys who've worked on titles that you would have never heard of (Ever heard of Zoboomafoo?  One of mine.) and the quality is consistent across the board.

ZAM: When do you anticipate that you'll announce the game or be able to talk about it in more detail? Can you give us any teasers other than the "This game will rock!" comment?

Eric:  I wish I could.  All I can tell you right now is that we'll announce when we're ready and this game will rock!

ZAM: Hey thanks for spending some of your afternoon with us. Keep us in mind when decide to announce the game!

Eric: You bet. Thanks!

Andrew "Tamat" Beegle
Editor-in-Chief
ZAM.com