The Secret World – In its final stages of development

In an interview with GameSpot, the creative director, Ragnar Tornquist, talks about how the game, The Secret World, is progressing in its last bits of development and that things are moving along smoothly and also talks about how the experience was creating the game itself.

?The mood is very, very positive! I think everyone feels that we’ve made the best game we could possibly make and that our testers are really enjoying it,? Tornquist said.

?That’s what matters–that players are responding to it and that the team is proud of their work. In fact, everyone I talk to in our development studios in Oslo and Montreal are just anxiously awaiting launch day so that they can start playing for real–not just to test stuff, but to start a proper character that they’ll have for years to come?.

When asked about looking back on what could have been done differently, Tornquist mentioned that there are always thoughts of wanting to have more time to do things but you can always do it later such as a patch after the game has been released.

The inspiration of the game came from a different number of things whether it was classical literature, or mythology, pop culture or urban legends, conspiracy theories and cryptozoology. It not only came from that but the inspiration came from movies, comics, TV Shows as well, according to Tornquist.

?It’s hard to pinpoint just one source of inspiration, because there isn’t, but for me, writers like Neil Gaiman, Joss Whedon, Warren Ellis, China Mieville–they all contributed to the mood and themes for our game,? he said.

Ragnar goes on to talk about how particular elements of the game will be successful or not and there is no way to actually tell right off the bat whether or not it would be successful.

?That’s really the only way to make an MMO–to have it out there, see how players play, collect the feedback, look at it, and make the right calls. We don’t change something just because one or two players complain, but if it’s something a lot of people comment on, we’ll definitely discuss it and find a solution?.

The game is a bit tougher and a bit more challenging in terms of being an MMO for newcomers. He goes onto say that players like challenges, and that they try to make the game accessible and that anyone who has ever played an MMO before should get the hang of it quickly.

?The game is no walkover, and players will need to use their heads a bit more,? he alleged.

?Also, without a class or level system, there’s a huge amount of freedom in how you develop your character, and that’s a bit of an adjustment–but it also means you’re not stuck with the choices you made when you started out?.

There had been concerns about the launch because of Funcom?s reputation for stable games, but Tornquist reassures fans that there would be no troubles.

?I’m absolutely sure that launch will go smoothly?.

The interview goes on to talk about how games need to stand out against other games within the genre that it?s in and Tornquist is fairly confident that this game does just that.

?I believe The Secret World is a very, very different game from the ones you mention here, and I think players are going to feel it’s a refreshing change from the class-and-level-based MMOs they’re used to. We’ve really strived to give our game a completely different vibe, and I believe The Secret World has soul–it stands out, players respond to it emotionally, and it grabs you in a way that few games do. I don’t think it’s comparable to anything else out there, in a good way?.

The Secret World is set to launch the early access on June 29th for those who have pre-ordered the game. Get thinking on which angle you want to take whether it be the Templars, Illuminati or Dragons. The release for everyone to play is on July 3rd.

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