Interview with Wojciech Ozimek, president of one2tribe studio

Czwartek, 18.09.2008, godzina 12:45, autor: Mejste

ŁB: Can you tell us something about the characters we can choose in Versus? WO: At present there are three character classes: sorceress, witcher and frightener. The latter is probably most interesting, because seldom can you choose to be a monster in such games. These three classes seemed to provide the most diverse array of choices. The witcher, of course, fights with a sword, though he can also use amulets, alchemy and his magic Signs, that is, all the things we know from the PC version. The sorceress uses different spells, which she can also apply temporarily to improve her skills. The last character is the frightener, which we can be mutate in many different ways, improving its armor or fighting skills - that's what monsters like best. Each character is designed for a different kind of combat, but we can still develop them in any direction we want: our sorceress might specialize in strong blows, our witcher might excel at magic. It's up to the player.

ŁB: How do players profit when they defeat an opponent and what happens if they lose? WO: Players gain experience points with every fight and they can exchange these for skills as they progress. Duel winners also receive orens, the currency from the world of The Witcher, and can use these to buy items. Defeated players might lose orens, but not necessarily. They might receive some orens after a fight even if they lose if the duel was really good. Players do not lose experience points if they're defeated, because we don't want to discourage them from trying new sequences of moves, character set-ups and so on.

ŁB: Our character develops continuously. Is there a maximum level to which we can advance? And is our current level the only criterion for determining our position in the ranking? WO: Our rank depends on our ranking points, which are calculated according to quite complex rules. We calculate the character's level and experience points, but also the number of battles won and lost, honor points, etc. At present players focus on achieving a high ranking position and keeping it. However, we are introducing more functions that cater to users oriented to things other than statistics. This is evident in the game's full version. We've also remembered those players who want to socialize, form groups and communicate with each other. There's the shoutbox, but we're also going to introduce guilds or clans in which players will gather and unite. Some users have already started establishing clans, so it's more about making a formal change now.