[Exclusive]Interview for Realms Online

1. Would you be kind enough to introduce yourself for our audience, and tell us your position?

My name is Brendon Lindsey, and I'm a Senior Producer at GameSamba, in charge of Realms Online.

2. Very little information has been published about Realms Online, aside from your introduction on the game's site. Can you go into some detail about the world players will be entering, such as which player classes belong to which kingdoms, affiliations, backgrounds, etc.?

Sure! Realms is actually a new North American version of a popular Latin American MMORPG, Regnum Online. What we've done is changed things around, added some new features, and localized it for North American players.

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It's a free-to-play MMORPG with an emphasis on Realm vs. Realm combat. There are three realms players can choose from: Ignis, which is sort of like the chaotic realm located in the wastelands; Alsius, which is like the imperial realm located in the frozen north; and Syrtis, which is the realm most similar to the typical fantasy setting, with elves and such in forests.

Each realm has three unique races, but they all pick from the same three core classes. There are warrior, archer, and mage base classes, and at level 10 players can specialize into one of six subclasses. (Two per archetype.) The cool thing, though, is that while classes determine the kinds of things players can do, they ultimately build their own class. Each base class has 4 different “disciplines” they can use, and each advanced class adds two unique ones. Players get a number of points they can add to their disciplines, and then a number of points they can use to increase the skill level within them.

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So there's definitely a lot of builds players are going to come up with over time, and I'm really interested to see what happens.

3. In addition to a startling lack of information around the net, the site looks very new. How long has Realms Online been in operation as it is now?

Realms has been in operation as of May 3rd. Regnum Online was originally launched in 2007, but this past winter NGD Studios started a massive overhaul of the game's engine. So there are new features, much improved graphics, and a lot of other great changes still to come in the next few months.

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In addition the latest expansion Warmasters added a brand new set of Warmaster discipline which greatly enhances the strategic possibilities available to players. To open up the Warmaster tree, players must first prove their loyalty to their realm by performing daily PvP quests for some time. Realms Online launched with the Warmasters expansion already enabled.

4. On the game's site, Realms Online is described as "a FREE TO PLAY (F2P) MMORPG...with no level or time restrictions". What does "no level or time restrictions" mean, exactly?

It means that there's no time limit imposed on players, and there's no level where the free content ends. Players can play the game as long as they want, all the way to the max level and beyond and never spend a dime.

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5. Tell us a little more about the actual gameplay. Players will be rewarded with "strategic thinking, cunning, and courage". In what way, and in what way(s) is Realms Online like traditional RPGs?

The main RvR component takes place in the warzone, which is the center of the map. Each realm has two forts and a castle they control. If you attack your enemies and capture those, and can hold on to them for a set amount of time, that realm's walls will become vulnerable. Then you can invade their inner realm, slaughtering people at will, or just generally causing havoc.