Dungeon Bandits is poised to become a PvP player’s delight with teams battling over dungeon treasures and prizes. PvP? Check. Awesome loot? Check. Frenzied action? Check. Free to play? Check. There’s lots more to learn so keep reading our interview with producer Eric Long!
Please introduce yourself and describe your position at PlayEnvy.
Hello there. My name is Eric Long, along with my role at Nvinium (which operates PlayEnvy) I am the Producer for our upcoming title Dungeon Bandits.
PlayEnvy has just introduced Dungeon Bandits. Please tell us about the game.
Sure, Dungeon Bandits is a tournament-based MMO that allows players to form groups of up to 5 members and battle against other teams to fight for the rights of a dungeon treasure. The game features “unique” playable characters in a dungeon crawler setting packed with aggressive monsters and challenging bosses. One of the standout aspects of the game is its humor, we will just say that the designers really used their imagination with the storylines and overall game play.
Has Dungeon Bandits been released elsewhere or is it a ‘new to the market’ game?
Dungeon Bandits has been released in France as Dungeon Party, and as Dungeon Raiders on the Nintedo DS game system. However, there are some major distinguishing aspects of our version.
First, we cater specifically to North American and Australian users so our servers are optimized for those regions. Second, our team has done a great job of working with the developer, Cyanide Studios, to transform the game into a much different experience than it had been previously. One of the first things we did was change the character controls and camera movements which had a significant positive impact on playability.
While we love both versions, we are proud of the upcoming features that PlayEnvy has put together for the game. Lastly, we have put heavy focus on player tournaments and support, which is very important with this kind of game.
Would you consider Dungeon Bandits an MMORPG or more of an MMO action RPG?
That is a great question. If I had my choice to reinvent game categories then I would say it was an MOIDG – That stands for Multi-Player Online Instanced Dungeon Game. Other than that, I would say it was closer to an Action game than a standard RPG.
What is the background of the name, Dungeon Bandits?
When we were coming up with the name, we wanted to make sure we kept it close its roots. I voted to name it Eric’s Dungeon but they said no (Kidding). Since the point of the game is to steal treasure from dungeons and all of our game characters are “in it for the money” then they are certainly up-to-no-good bandits: The name just fit.
What “mainstream” MMO characteristics does Dungeon Bandits employ?
I don’t know if you could say that any of the characteristics in Dungeon Bandits are “mainstream” lol. Players will see familiar things, one of them being skill purpose, but with a serious twist.
The main area of the game which allows you to form groups also lets you communicate with all players on the server in real time. Anyone that is familiar with instances in MMOs will find similar characteristics.
Please give a thumbnail sketch of the game play.
You bet. As soon as the match starts, players need to make their way to find the treasure by fighting through lots of traps, monsters and an opposing team that must be dealt with. Character movement can be controlled by using the mouse or keys. Spells are cast by either keymapping or point and click.
Once you find the treasure you must carry it to the exit. Character movement is slowed while holding the treasure so it can be a bit of a challenge while an opposing team is trying to kill you. Of course it would not be much fun if you carried it all the way through the dungeon and were killed by an opposing character that picked it up and only brought it the remaining few feet. This is why you can’t just pick up the treasure and walk it to the exit. Players must earn the treasure’s trust through time of possession and combat.
Can player characters ‘level up’, gain or find new items? Please explain.
Players earn ranking through tournaments. Progressive leveling is something that we will be releasing in a future update.
Are there different types of player classes? What are they?
There are 7 playable characters in the game. I’ll highlight a few for you:
- The Wizard, which learns 3 different schools of magic; Wizard (damage), contribution (heals and buffs), and control school (area of effect buffs). He specializes in immobilization spells and ranged magic combat.
- The Bard, like in many games, uses music as a form of destruction. But, our Bard hasn’t quite learned any graceful melodies. His guitar is so annoying to enemies that they just give up so they don’t have to take any more of his horrid sounding guitar.
- The other characters in Dungeon Bandits fit other important roles such as Executioner (Tank), Horsewoman (Fighter), Thief (Damage Dealer), Amazon Woman (Archer), Engineer (Mechanical Combat).
Will Dungeon Bandits be free to play?
Yes, Absolutely.
Will there be an item mall? If so, what types of items will be included?
Yes, we will launch the item mall after all closed beta stages conclude. Some items players can expect will be costumes, traps, and potions.
Which purchasable item is your favorite and why?
🙂 It has not been released yet, so I can’t say.
What is your favorite part of the game and why? May we have a screenshot?
My favorite part of the game is PVP, so beware! Here is a screenshot for you!
Do you have a website and forums for your community?
Yes, it is http://dungeonbandits.playenvy.com . Forums are not active because site registration requires beta codes which have not been released just yet, but they will be open shortly.
When do you expect Dungeon Bandits to go into beta? How can players get involved?
Beta 1 Begins January 22nd and will be held for 3 days, then the servers will be brought down until the launch of stage 2. Players can get involved in the testing by completing the application form on our official site in order to get a key. We will give out very limited amounts of keys so players should apply soon.
When do you expect to release Dungeon Bandits?
March 19th, 2010
Please add anything else you wish!
Thank you. We are really looking forward to seeing player reaction to the tournaments and events we have put together for our community. We have a very talented team of GMs and they are committed to providing great support and player interaction. While a lot of game publishers avoid direct player interaction with GM-played characters, we think it is important and will regularly participate in-game with players. So keep a look out for us in the dungeons.
