Jumpgate Evolution is the definitive elite space combat MMO published by Codemasters Online and developed by the US-based NetDevil. Not long ago Codemasters Online & NetDevil announced that BETA signups for this highly anticipated elite space combat MMO have now exceeded 150,000 with numbers climbing rapidly! Obviously, folks have been waiting for this event for a long time. "Since the commencement of the BETA signup program three months ago, we have seen overwhelming support for the game and look forward to inviting players into the BETA in the coming months. We encourage everyone looking to get into BETA to sign up as soon as possible to avoid disappointment", Codemasters Online's Marketing Director told us. MMOsite recently had the opportunity to interview Scott Brown, President NetDevil,LTD. Let him give us more details about Jumpgate Evolution.
MMOsite: It seems like most players are talking about Age of Conan, Warhammer Online and WotLK. Compared with these fantasy MMOs, how will JGE attract players? In your opinion, what are the advantages of space-themed MMOs?
Scott Brown: Jumpgate Evolution is a totally different kind of game experience. While those are all solid MMO fantasy games, we are building a game to appeal to the action gamer who loved other space games like Wing Commander, Elite, X-Wing or Freelancer. While there is a variety of standard MMO features like an auction house, crafting, and missions, there are no dice rolls, and no character attributes in Jumpgate. It's all about your skills and the ship and equipment you bring into battle.
We have also done a ton of work to make Jumpgate Evolution accessible. A very low min spec, a small game footprint and no tutorial allow you to get in and start playing. These elements should all help make the game playable for wherever the online space fans live.
One advantage of being a space-themed MMO is that we have fewer rules we have to follow. For example, everyone knows what an Orc, Dwarf, and Elf are; and knows the difference between leather and plate armor. Being Sci-Fi we can really do anything from a fictional standpoint.
MMOsite: At the mention of space combat game, people will always think of some classical single-player space games such as Freelancer. So, do you think there are some excellent features of these single-player space games that are worthy of learning for JGE? And how will you blend these features into JGE perfectly?
Scott Brown: Much of what we have built into the game comes from previous experience of what was fun in those previous space titles. We have also pulled a bunch from movie and TV sci-fi moments and tried to capture those as well. Some things like AI can be very similar to how things functioned when comparing to a single player game, but other features, like economy, function wildly differently when thousands of other players involved.
MMOsite: It seems that PvP system has more and more becoming a highlight of MMOs such as Warhammer Online and Age of Conan, even WoW. What kind of PvP system will be available in JGE and how important will it be?
Scott Brown: PVP will be a huge part of the play experience of Jumpgate Evolution. While we have a strong PVE game available, there are a number of features built specifically to support PVP. Players can expect two very different forms of PVP in the game. The first is open PVP where players battle for control of various maps throughout space. The more maps a nation controls, the more additional bonuses the entire nation receives. The second form of PVP is the more instanced game play where a battle is filled and then started with teams until the victory condition is met. For example, each nation must destroy the other capitol ships while defending their own.
MMOsite: What type of gamers are you targeting? Would you say JGE is more oriented toward hardcore players?
Scott Brown: While we think Jumpgate Evolution will be a great experience for hardcore players, we have built this game to be playable by anyone interested in waging war in space. We support ultra-joystick 3 monitor configurations for the hardcore player, and at the same time the game plays perfectly with just a keyboard and mouse. You can even fly using the touchpad on your laptop.
