Alganon has been featured in many news reports across the web in recent months and not always without controversy. However, Derek Smart, president of Quest Online, says that the game will speak for itself. With personnel changes and controversy, where does Alganon stand now? Find out what Smart says about Alganon’s forthcoming RE-launch below:
1. Please introduce yourself and describe your position at Quest Online.
I am Derek Smart, the current President of Quest Online tasked with taking Alganon to completion and ultimate success. I am also the President (yeah, we’ve all had more than one job at some point in our lives) of my own company, 3000AD Inc which I have owned for almost twenty years and through which I have developed and shipped fourteen games.
2. Please tell us about Alganon. How long has it been in development? Where are you in the development stage?
Alganon is a unique and interesting MMO game that has been in development for a little under four years. It features a rich history, interesting lore, epic quests, a massive world as well as a lot of interesting and unique features.
We are currently focused on getting the game finished and out of the “soft launch” phase that was the Dec 1st 2009 release.
3. Have any major changes been made to the development team?
While the company is currently going through some challenging times, my focus has been to keep the core team together and at the company. There have been some shakeups which resulted in several people “departing” the company, but the game development remained largely unaffected. In fact, as far as development goes, we’re on track for our upcoming official launch and the departures were of little or no consequence to the game’s development.
4. Has Alganon been released previously or is it a ‘new to the market’ game?
The game was unfortunately released on Dec 1st 2009 in an unfinished form. That was a decision by my predecessor which has cost the company and the game dearly in terms of reputation and finances as well as gamer and investor confidence.
Apart from that, the game is fairly new and we are looking to the official release later this month.
5. Would you consider Alganon a traditional MMORPG or more of an MMO action RPG hybrid kind of game?
Well that depends on who you ask or who is playing it. From my point of view, I would classify it as a hybrid MMORPG that caters to the player’s style and choice of play. The game is what you make it.
6. Where did the idea for the game come from and what is the back story for Alganon?
The game idea was conceived by my predecessor. The back story and lore are credited to the original designer and the team currently developing the game. The back story itself is quite an interesting one. It goes like this:
The world of Alganon brings the player into a world dominated by Deities that are representative of two warring organizations known as the Asharr and Kujix, otherwise referred to as Order and Chaos. Unique in their culture, skills, and physical abilities, these two organizations are battling for dominance of the two largest continents in the world, Ardonya and Harraja. Recruiting only the most skilled followers, both the Asharr and Kujix have spread throughout the world and infiltrated the culture of nearly every major race.
All those who enter the world are born into special families that instantly bond them with others who have chosen the path of either the Asharr or Kujix. As a player grows in the world, their conquests and honor reflects on their family’s reputation and standing.
The Deities that control regions of the world are often seen by those fortunate enough to follow them, and unfortunate enough to follow their nemesis. The gods of Alganon are not just history, legend, or lore – they are real and living in the world, and are a part of the players experience.
Both the Asharr and Kujix control great libraries of information and news. Discoveries and accomplishments of players spread throughout the lands and are available for all to learn about.
7. What “mainstream” MMO characteristics does Alganon employ?
The original design called for a game that would be immediately familiar to those playing it. So the decision was made to develop a game that would employ most – if not all – of the popular MMO concepts, but also add its own unique attributes to it. Those mainstream characteristics include a massive world to enjoy and explore, a rich and interesting back story, epic and challenging quests etc.
8. There are a lot of new MMOs on the market and coming up soon. What sets Alganon apart from the pack?
The game is quite unique in its own right. For one thing, it is really very impressive to look at and play.
Some of the most interesting features are (1) the innovative library system which can be accessed from within the game. It contains a wealth of information about the game, the world as well as the lore and back story (2) The studies system allows a player to grow their characters over time through a progressive time based advancement method. Whether the player is online or offline, the selected studies will advance. This feature provides a balance that ensures reward for players who do not have the time to invest in the game while not giving an unfair advantage to those that do (3) the final game release introduces the Tribute market system that powers the game’s micro-transaction system. Through this system gamers can purchase items, potions etc. To see more of the upcoming Alganon features, please refer to the full feature list that we have now made available: http://www.alganon.com/index/new-features
9. Walk us through character creation. How customized can players make their ‘toons?
Creating a character is really easy, once you select a Race, you’ll then select your family each race has five each with a different play style (Achiever, Competitor, Crafter, Explorer, and Socializer). Then you move onto picking your class and customizing the Face, Features, Hair and Skin. In this final stage you’ll name your character and if it’s your first time playing the race, choose your families last name. Once you click create you’ll be transported into the world of Alganon to start your adventure.
10. What classes and races are included in Alganon?
We are launching with two races one on each side. The Asharr have the Humans, and the Kujix have the Talrok and they are sworn enemies of each other. The Humans are the protectors of the lands while the Talrok are a dark and powerful race that hold themselves to be the chosen of the gods and work to spread the ways of their culture throughout the world. Each race can select one of four classes. Soldiers are the prize warriors of Alganon, Rangers are masters of ranged combat, Healers are masters of life and Magus who are trained to wield the power of Essence which flows through all the magical creatures of Alganon.
11. How does the level up system work?
Level ups happen based on a variety of actions taking place, from completing quests, to completing studies and through killing those that stand in your way of the path to glory.
12. Will Alganon be free to play?
Technically yes. You only buy the client and can play the game for free on our servers. No monthly subscriptions whatsoever.
13. Will there be an item mall? If so, what types of items will be included?
Our item mall is the new Tribute Market System which will be in the form of either a Boon, or a physical item that goes into the player’s inventory. A boon is an enhancement that is not tied to an item. You purchase it from the store like an item, but it’s immediately applied to a specific character or account. Many new items are being introduced into the game, which will be available for purchase using Tribute. These items fall into several categories; vanity pets, mounts, potions and elixirs, boxed item-sets, and individual items.
14. Which purchasable item is your favorite and why?
There are a great many of things in the Tribute Market to purchase, I’d have to say some of my favorite ones are the different Combo Packs because they have a random factor that makes it fun to see what you get. Like those vending machines you see as you come and go from stores.
15. What is your favorite area of the game and why? May we have a screenshot?
There are so many cool areas of the game that it’s hard to pick a favorite, but I can tell you that I really enjoy the new Dungeon instances that are going to be in the Official Release.
16. What about PvP? Please explain the PvP system.
The game currently does not have a PvP system, though we are seriously considering it for a post-launch release because it is currently one of the most requested features.
17. Is there a guild system in place?
Yes, there is.
18. Where can players go to get signed up?
Players can sign up for the trial and later upgrade at any time they decide. You can of course buy the game right away as well. Both options are available: http://www.alganon.com/trial
19. What are the system specifications to play the game?
Windows XP, Vista or Windows 7
3GHz (Dual or Quad core CPU)
4GB RAM
6GB HDD
DirectX 9.0c runtime
nVidia 9 series or higher – or- ATI 3000HD series or higher video card
Internet: DSL, Cable, or other broadband connection
20. Please add anything else you wish!
Quest Online is a great team of people that are all working very hard to bring Alganon to market, and because of this hard work it makes running QOL easy. At the end of the day we’re all here to focus on one goal. That is getting Alganon completed and shipped so people can really start enjoying the game.
WarCry thanks Derek for his input about the game. We’ll have lots more about Alganon in the coming weeks so stay tuned!
