MMOsite: How would you describe the game's art style and its overall look? And why do you design it in such a way?
Todd Coleman: We tried to walk a tight line, making the game have a whimsical and inviting feel without becoming too cartoony or realistic. We also went out of our way to make each world distinct, but still follow the same basic guidelines of color palette and character (our NPCs, for instance, tend to have larger eyes, hands and feet, and we carry that across all of the worlds.)
The first world, Wizard City, is decisively high-fantasy. We wanted to give it a look that was very colorful and inviting, make it more approachable to younger players and to girls. From there we tend to alternate; one world will tend towards bright and airy, the next will be dark and menacing. The latest world we've brought online, Moo Shu, is a barn-yard-animals-in-feudal-Japan setting (very Osagi Yojimbo) filled with Ninja Pigs and Samoorai Cows, it has a very bright orange blossom and bamboo feeling.
We also have a unique interface style that utilizes "doodle art". The idea was that we wanted to make it look like some kid, bored in class, had started drawing little doodles of his adventures in the W101 Universe. You'll see this style all over our interface: the maps, the training window, the Spellbook, the tutorials... it gives the interface a nice sense of consistency and personality.
MMOsite: What are some of the core gameplay elements of Wizard101?
Todd Coleman: Well, we build the game in layers. First off, we wanted a solid MMO questing and advancement system; just because the game is targeted at a more casual audience doesn't mean we can skimp on our advancement system.
Next, we wanted to come up with a unique "core game mechanic", something different that the standard hack & slash you see in WoW and all of the derivates. (To be fair, it's the same mechanic we used in Shadowbane, so I don't mean to suggest that everyone is simply copying WoW.) Instead, we decided to go with a turn-based combat system ala Final Fantasy, and build it around a collectible card game (CCG)... which is a very, very different experience than your standard MMO fare.
Then we decided to streamline the gameflow; make it less sandbox-y and more narrative. We created a detailed storyline that has a beginning, middle and an end, and then we used that narrative to weave the player through all of the environments in a (more or less) linear fashion. The result, we hope, is a game that is more approachable and compelling for even casual players.
One thing that we didn't expect: the combat system in Wizard101 is cinematic and turn-based, so it not only looks great but the play is slower and more strategic. Because the core mechanic is so different from what you see in other MMOs (like WOW, EQ or even Shadowbane) we've actually pulled a fair number of veteran MMO players from other games, because we're offering something different.
MMOsite: There are seven magic schools for the players to choose in Wizard101. Can you basically introduce them to our readers? Do they share something with races or classes commonly found in other MMOs?
Todd Coleman: Yeah, we came up with the idea of the "homeroom class" as a more approachable way of explaining the traditional RPG "class" concept to people who have never played a game like this. In fact, a fair portion of our community might not even know what an RPG is. But while the concept of a "class" might seem a bit odd, everyone understands the idea of a Homeroom Class.
To make class selection easier, we added a small, fun quiz during character creation that will help you choose. By answering questions like "What is more powerful, a Tornado or an Earthquake?" the player is prompted towards a particular class, like Fire Magic or Death Magic.
The seven Schools of Magic are Fire, Ice, Storm, Myth, Life, Death and Balance. A lot of our testers enjoy creating multiple characters because the game plays somewhat differently with each of the different Schools.
We call Fire, Ice and Storm the Outer Magics. They allow a Wizard to mold and shape external forces, controlling the elements.
Fire is the Magic of Pyromancy. Followers of the Fire Art are known as Pyromancers. They use incantations to dominate and command denizens of fire. They are often tempestuous, quick to anger, and deeply immersed in whatever drives them at the moment.
Ice is the Magic of Thaumaturgy. Those who embrace the power of Ice, known as Thaumaturges, use chants to beseech the Ancients for power, knowledge and aid. They exhibit great patience and strength, but as a result sometimes become rigid and inflexible.
Storm is the Magic of Divination. Known as Diviners, School of Storm Wizards use Verses to gain advantage over the creatures of Sea and Storm. They are driven by the thrill of investigation and discovery, the joys of invention and ingenuity and the power of creating and building.
The Inner Magics of Myth, Death and Life are driven by the Wizard's inner power through adjusting and controlling the raw components of his or her being: Mind (Myth), Body (Death), and Spirit (Life).
Myth is the Magic of Conjuration. Wizards of the Myth School, known as Conjurers, use Naming to summon living illusions of the beasts of legend by memorizing and calling out their True Name.
Life is the Magic of Theurgy. Practitioners of the Life Arts, known as Theurgists, use Songs to breath spirit and life into a vessel. They are positive, enthusiastic people who seek to heal and improve the Spiral through the power of Creation.
Death is the Magic of Necromancy. Death Wizards are known as Necromancers. They use Whispers to hone their will, drawing on the power of courage to channel their own fears out of themselves and at their adversaries.
Balance, which is also called Sorcery, is in its own category of Unknown Magic. It is a more mysterious form of magic that was only recently discovered by the practitioners at Ravenwood and it seems to draw on elements of the other six schools. Wizards who focus on Balance Magic are known as Sorcerers and are broad-minded and even-keeled. In their minds, all aspects of a problem deserve consideration, and there may be many answers to a challenge.
MMOsite: Wizard101 allows players to duel against each other in the arena. How does the duel system work in Wizard101? Can we duel while grouped?
Todd Coleman: Dueling other players is restricted to the Arena in Wizard City-right now, it allows for matches of individuals or teams of 1-to-4 against 1-to-4. That said, it's a fairly simple system: players just jump in and fight, there is no ladder system, no reward mechanism, and no matchmaking service.
Our first major update after launch is going to include an Advanced Tournament system for player-vs-player dueling. (It's also going to include another world to explore, but that's a tangent...) Players will be able to test their spell-casting ability against their fellow students individually or in teams, there will be a ladder system and a system for official (and unofficial) bouts, rewards and prizes, you name it. Expect to see that relatively soon after launch.
One thing to keep in mind, by the way: since our combat system is turn-based, it really levels the playing field when it comes to player competition. Wizard is not a game of "who has the better reflexes" or worse, "who has the better internet connection." Even very casual players jump into the Arena and enjoy it, but at the end of the day, the player with the better strategic mind, game knowledge, and stronger Deck is likely to end up victorious.
MMOsite: What else can the players do aside from monster killing and pvp? How important a role do crafting and player economy play?
Todd Coleman: Most of our focus so far has been on adventuring and advancement. We do intend to add a host of secondary activities post launch, like Off-Campus Housing, Crafting and Pet Olympics... but to get us started, we spent all of our development effort really polishing the core game: exploration, adventuring, questing and dueling.
MMOsite: What are monster cards used for? Does each card have its own unique effect? How many cards are available in the game and how can players get them?
Todd Coleman: Yes, each spell has a unique animation-in fact, a fair number of them have multiple ones. (Cards that have random damage ranges, like Firecat, will have a different Action that depends on the damage. So a critical strike from a Firecat might be a Inferno Claw Swipe, where a less powerful role might only kick off the Fire Roar.)
Our original plan was to create 101 Spells for launch. The name of the game, Wizard101, was supposed to have a double meaning: 101 because it is a school, of course, but also 101 because the ultimate goal is to collect all 101 spells.
That lasted about mid-way through development. What happened was, the more we would play the game, the more we found ourselves bumping up against that artificial limitation and having to make choices ("is a Frostbeetle cooler than a Centaur?") Finally we just dropped the limitation and made as many cool Spells as we could come up with.
We've now got over three hundred spell cards in Wizard101, which is as respectable as the initial print run of most collectible card games. There are multiple spell types: damage spells, defenses, health drains, accuracy charms, multi-round traps, elemental prisms, mutations (turn your lightning bats into ice bats!), enchantments...it's a pretty deep game system, once you count all of the permutations and combinations.
Getting spells is pretty straightforward: you learn them as you advance through the game. Spells that belong to your class are free (so a Pyromancer will learn Sunbird automatically) and Spells that belong to other classes can be trained up using training points. Effectively, players choose a "major" in their homeroom class, and use training points to "minor" in other disciplines.
Additionally, many of the items in the game will grant you bonus spells. An "Amulet of Swarms" might shuffle 2 "Locust Swarm" Spells into your Deck, and your wand might give you 9 copies of "Major Fire Bolt." Player can also find Treasure Cards, which are sort of like the old-school D&D idea of a scroll; I don't know this spell, but I can cast it one time if I burn this Treasure Card that I found. This gives players a chance to harness power far greater than their current level of advancement.
