Dynamic World MMO ShenXianZhuan Interview: You Rule the World!

Traditional MMORPGs have a constant virtual world and static NPCs. Players cannot feel the changes of environment. From this year, MMORPGs have a breakthrough with a dynamic and growing virtual world. It is known that ArenaNet's Guild Wars 2, and Troin Games' Rift: Planes of Telara which costs US$ 100 million, have already created a dynamic virtual world. Now, Chinese online game developer Firerain Studio has also provided such a dynamic world in Shen Xian Zhuan. Today, I am honored to interview the producer of Shen Xian Zhuan, Jack from Hangzhou-based FireRain studio. According to Jack, this game is always developing and changing. Characters will get older with the increase of age. In-game NPCs will also grow up, get married and have children as time goes on. In terms of game environment, players are allowed to fully interact with surroundings, even a stalk of grass will have an impact on players. Moreover, the game has a Sandbox feature like EVE. Designers can only create a whole world and offer necessary tools and resources for survival. It depends on players how to develop themselves.

Full Size

"Instead of being lifeless bound by program codes, all NPCs, creatures and other things are free to evolve and will assume different forms. Even developers don't know what will happen along with the development of those game elements. Everything is determined by players' actions", Jack said.

It sounds cool, but how di they realize it? Here is the entire interview.

MMOsite: "Four-dimensional" system is very new and original, how did you think of designing such a system?

Jack: Developers of Shen Xian Zhuan are all crazy game fans. Our principle is that we are more than game developers, we are players who want a good game. Thus, we strive to make a great breakthrough in Shen Xian Zhuan and overturn traditional MMO modes. In this way, players are no longer puppets who can only enjoy passive entertainment. We hope players can be the true masters of the game and are able to create their own gaming fun. Namely, we build a house for players, but it is players who need to paint the walls and buy furniture. We don't have any restrictions, players have full rights, so they may experience unconstrained pleasure and the fun of exploring an unknown world. That is just what the "Four-dimensional" system emphasizes: "Instead of being lifeless bound by program codes, all NPCs, creatures and other things are free to evolve and will assume different forms. Even developers don't know what will happen along with the development of those game elements. Everything is determined by players' actions."

Full Size

MMOsite: Players and NPCs are growing up and the environment is changing. Does it mean this system aims to create a dynamic virtual world?

Jack: Yes. From the current situation, we have almost achieved this goal. We are very excited that we can provide global players with an unpredictable world full of events like the real world in our game. With the help of "Four-dimensional" system, not only NPCs, players and environments will have changes in appearance, consciousness will also be activated. For example, when a NPC is a little girl, she will give you quests with rich rewards if you give her some candies. When she grows to a young girl, she will give you quests with more Exp if you praise her for her beauty. Those settings are very interesting.

MMOsite: What difficulties have you met in the course of development? How did you resolve them?

Jack: The biggest difficulty was not about program development but our concern whether the "Four-dimensional" system would be accepted by the market. After all, MMOs have developed for more than 10 years and Chinese players have already been used to traditional game modes, like the quest flow system. They may not quickly accept our high AI game mode-"Four-dimensional" system. However, after careful consideration, we decided to have a try. Although there would be risks, we were willing to be pioneers. Even if we failed, we had made efforts for players' happiness. That's enough. Now, in the light of players' feedbacks on the released "Four-dimensional" system, I think we are successful.

Full Size

MMOsite: As it was introduced before, roadway grass may make characters become stronger. Is there grass weakening characters? This setting tells me an interactive relationship between characters and surroundings, can you talk about it in detail?

Jack: It is just a natural characteristic of plants in our virtual ecological environment. In real life, thousands of plants with various characteristics can help prolong life, strengthen physique or poison people. In Shen Xian Zhuan, we also want to offer players a chance to have fun in exploring and embracing the nature. To fulfill it, we use plants to decorate unnoticed scenes and endow them with different attributes, so that they can give expression to their significance of existence. Nothing in the game is simply a decoration. All game elements have special meaning of existence.

Full Size