Issue 13: Architect had been re-named Issue 13: Power and Responsibility due to the fact that the much anticipated Mission Architect system had to be pushed back to Issue 14 and has been replaced by a number of new features. MMORPG interviews Brian Clayton (Executive Producer) and Matt Miller (Lead Designer)to learn the details and what players can expect from the newly Issue 13.
Q1: Are you at all concerned that making an announcement of this magnitude this late in the game is going to turn off some players in this time when developer transparency is so important to players?
Brian Clayton: I expect that adding more features to Issue 13 and releasing it earlier than anticipated will be well received by our player base. With Issue 14#DY#s focus now on our Mission Architect system, we#DY#re able to introduce a more full-featured experience and better accommodate player feedback for this ground-breaking mechanic.
Q2: Were you concerned that releasing the Mission Architect feature without the ability to create custom baddies would put people off of the system?
Brian Clayton: No. However, unparalleled character customization is a hallmark of the City of Heroes franchise and after the great response we got from our community, we decided that it was worth the extra time to allow our players this level of character customization within the Mission Architect system. Really, it will only make this feature more compelling.
Q3: Are you concerned that even with the added functionality that the Architect system won#DY#t live up to some players#DY# expectations?
Brian Clayton: I believe the majority of our players will be thrilled with Mission Architect v1.0. I think it#DY#s OK for "some players" to want more, as our team definitely has a long-term plan to grow this system and exceed expectations.
Q4: You mention the PvE and PvP Power Rebalancing. I#DY#m curious as to whether this means that players will have to get used to different rules for specific powers depending on whether I#DY#m in PvE or PvP?
Matt Miller: Our powers team is only rebalancing the most "over-powered" powers and these balance changes only take effect in PvP enabled zones. These changes will not affect the PvE gameplay experience in any way.
