Members of Turbine and Microsoft met this past Thursday, March 7, to discuss Asheron's Call 2. Our thanks to all those who participated in the chat; for those who couldn't attend, a complete transcript follows:

mrquazarr_MS says: Hello, and welcome to the first official dev chat for Asheron's Call 2. I will be your moderator, Ken Karl. I am the Program Manger for Asheron's Call 1. With us today is Jeff Anderson, Matthew Ford, Nik Davidson and Jason Booth.

Jeff Anderson is Turbine's President and CEO. Prior to joining Turbine, Jeff was a senior executive at Origin Systems where he managed the UO franchise and was directly responsible for expanding their online business.

Matthew is the Lead Program Manager for the Asheron's Call franchise at Microsoft. He also advises the Microsoft Games Studio group about online game design and development. He is working with Turbine on a daily basis to help keep AC2 focused, on schedule, well-known, and high-quality.

Nik "Azeraphel" Davidson, AC2's Lead Designer, former ACLive Producer, and Production Director for AC*. Responsible for focusing and maintaining the creative vision of the game.

And Jason Booth who is the Creative Director for Asheron's Call 2.

Without any further delay, I turn the chat over to you, the fans, for your questions. Please remember, only Asheron's Call 2 questions will be answered tonight. There will be an Asheron's Call 1 developer's chat on Monday, March 11 at 5 pm pst. It will be held in the same chat room.

Jeff Anderson is Zeus_Turbine.

A7895321 in AsheronsCall asks: How will AC2 beta testers be selected???

Stucco_MS says: The Beta will start when we have our nearly-full set of features done and stable. . . For now, those of us working on AC2, or who are working at Microsoft and Turbine, are playing now in the "Preview" which has runnin' around and killin' things... ;)

The public will start being invited to the Beta in the early summer. We will start by drawing from those who are actively playing AC1 since they have great perspective for us. . .

After AC1 players we will rapidly let in the general pubic, including those who have not played AC1.

LordPetkov in AsheronsCall asks: Will dungeons still be accessible by portals? Can we expect some variation to this, and if so how?

JasonB_Turbine says: Dungeons can connect seamlessly to the landscape without any loading times, etc. . . although we may still have some dungeons which you portal into.

DummyHouseWife in AsheronsCall asks: Do you know how much will AC2 cost per month?

Stucco_MS says: We have not set a price yet, but AC's cost will be competitive with other games of its type. . .

No, it will not be $40 or some silly price as rumor has it!

Chain_LC in AsheronsCall asks: Can you tell us a little more about the Shadow, Order and Dominion factions?

Azeraphel_Turbine says: Sure. Think of these Kingdoms as ideologies and ways of life--beliefs worth fighting for. These groups evolve from existing AC1 lore, the followers of Asheron, those pledged to Shadow, and those who have taken up the shroud of the Virindi, as the pitiless Dominion.

These groups will color many of players' interactions with the world--choosing a side has implications with skills, equipment, and PK.

allycat415 in AsheronsCall asks: What's the name of AC2 going to be?

Zeus_Turbine says: That's a great question. . . We've given it a lot of thought over the last year. In the end, it was a hard choice but we decide to pick the name that best represented the product:

Asheron's Call 2.

;)

Ashen4 in AsheronsCall asks: Will AC2 have the options for pets? Or to create golems?

Azeraphel_Turbine says: Monster summoning is a viable strategy in combat, but it's not as simple as having "pet classes.” AC2's AI has come a long, long way--monster loyalty can come and go, based on a number of factors.

tieros2 in AsheronsCall asks: Will there be racial restrictions on forming allegiances? In other words, can Lugians swear allegiances to clans headed by a Tumerok?

Stucco_MS says: The races (Human, Tumerok, and Lugian) have declared a truce. They can intermingle any way they like, including joining up in Allegiances any way they like.

DummyHouseWife in AsheronsCall asks: Will the gameplay be based on AC1? E.g., Vulns and War spells. Or will it be basically a whole new game?

JasonB_Turbine says: We took a hard look at everything in AC1, retained the best parts of the game that fit with what we wanted to do, while removing much of the tedium. And we of course added a lot as well. A major focus on combat is providing a compelling and interesting gameplay, where you do more than just vuln and follow up with a war spell.

CypherIsGod in AsheronsCall asks: Will the AC2 skill tree be similar to the Diablo II one, where you buy a skill, which unlocks later ones, and will you be able to view these later skills, before you purchase the perquisites? Lastly, can you 'sell back' a perquisite, and buy a later skill?

Zeus_Turbine says: Similar in many ways. You will be able to buy new skills with skill credits and then increase their effectiveness. And yes, they are built into a tree so that you will need to complete the base skill before you can unlock the next one. You can see the ones that you can get in the future, but they would be grayed out. We will have a way for people to un-train some as well.

Kaadin in AsheronsCall asks: Player vs Player combat was made player choice for AC, with AC2's new focus on a player run economy will AC2 be more focused on PvP or will it be a similar system to the original?

Azeraphel_Turbine says: The AC2 economy, like everything else about AC2, revolves very tightly around the players. Crafting requires material; that material comes from both monster loot and "harvesting.” Often, these locations will be heavily fought over, though materials can also be gathered from peace-designated areas. It's the age-old quandary of risk versus reward, however--higher risk. . . tastier treats.

But to head off the inevitable question. . . this does not mean that the only way to get the best stuff is to PK. It might just be quicker.

Baron_Gonzo in AsheronsCall asks: Will there be multiple servers or will you there be only one world? And if there is more then one server how will the storyline work? Will it diverge with totally different directions being possible on the different servers?

Stucco_MS says: There will be multiple worlds, much like you see in other games of this kind. It just works well. . .

The worlds will be parallel copies, except one may be all-PvP like Darktide is now, and maybe another variation or two. . . However the worlds can get to feel a lot different from each other, since different "forges" in different towns can get fired up by active players, per world. . . And on different worlds, different factions may end up controlling different small but interesting parts of the world.

So overall you'll see quite a bit more divergence than AC1, and that's just at ship. We are finding other clever ways to diverge the world as monthly updates go along.

DummyHouseWife in AsheronsCall asks: Will the experience->skills/stats be like in AC1 where you earn XP and put it into skills or stats, increasing the amount to raise each time?

Azeraphel_Turbine says: Similar, yes. AC1 provided players a high degree of customizability, and AC2 takes that system to the next level. Players choose from skill trees and specialties--with hundreds of total skills, the possibilities are pretty staggering.

Players have significantly fewer choices to make at character creation, however--the idea is to allow people to choose a style as they play, and skills to match. It also greatly minimizes the chances of anyone feeling like they "gimped" their character. Besides, there's a system of skill sellback in place--with appropriate cost, of course.

Brutix in AsheronsCall asks: I have seen screenshots from AC2 and it looks like they are improved from AC1. Will there be even more problems with lagging out or is it too early to say?

JasonB_Turbine says: The quality of the graphics is not dependant on your network speed, they're entirely different problems.

Caeryn_Dryad in AsheronsCall asks: Will there be Gromnatrosses or Dragons in AC2?

JasonB_Turbine says: When you mention "fantasy role-playing" to someone, the first thing they think of is a guy with a sword killing a dragon. So yes, we're going to have dragons.

stm4261 in AsheronsCall asks: Will there ever be NPCs as part of the economy or will it totally forever be player run?

Zeus_Turbine says: When AC2 begins there won't be any NPCs as part of the economy. This is not a surprise since the world is being rebuilt by the players. Instead, we are focusing on placing the players at the center of the world and economy. They will serve as the master harvesters and crafters in the land instead

Still, trading is not really required since we allow players to melt down their loot in to gold and create their own items. We are leaving it open for the future (as perhaps player NPC vendors).

Marack007 in AsheronsCall asks: Will all 3 races have access to these 3 Kingdoms?

Azeraphel_Turbine says: These Kingdoms are eagerly seeking recruits to rebuild their power base--they don't discriminate, nor do the player races have a particular "favored Kingdom.”

Dragon2082 in AsheronsCall asks: Who is going to feed player lore and quest hooks?

Azeraphel_Turbine says: AC2's quest system focuses heavily on interactive environments for "gathering clues", as well as the Vault Campaign. . . Without going into too much detail, the Vault Campaign is really a change in the way we present stories in MMPs--it's a very visual method of storytelling.

eelektrik1138 in AsheronsCall asks: Are the factions simply a PvP tool similar to DAoC's Realm vs. Realm system, or is there other reasons for joining a faction?

Zeus_Turbine says: We don't really like the word factions because it suggests only PvP (instead we call them Kingdoms). The Kingdoms are, as Nik said, really more about ideology than PvP. Perhaps most notably, the Kingdoms are critical to the Vaults, the story and the Vault Campaign.

Frustrated_User in AsheronsCall asks: Will we still be open to use any type of weapon or will be restricted in our choices, i.e., Humans can't use axes or maces? AC1 is great because there is hardly a "can't" in creating your character.

Azeraphel_Turbine says: AC2 is a skill-based game, not a class-based game. Still, having skill trees and specializations give players more of a "class" feel while personalizing their skills.

_Tragic__ in AsheronsCall asks: I read that Characters can rebuild ruins of towns. Will that include the building of personal housing?

Zeus_Turbine says: At first, players will be focused on rebuilding the essentials like forges and refineries. As the world progresses, players will have the opportunity to evolve the world in different ways.

As for player housing. . . It won't be available at launch--again it doesn't make sense since the world is in ruins and housing is not something that players are worried about. But, we've shown that the AC franchise is a big fan of 3D housing. Being the first ones to have it, I think it has become a big part of the community and will continue to be there in the future at some point. . .

_BRITON_PRO_ in AsheronsCall asks: Will AC2 be based on player customized templates, or will there be classes, as in AO and DAoC?

Azeraphel_Turbine says: It's skill-based, but specialties "feel" like classes in a lot of ways. If you spend all your skills on Lugian boulder-throwing skills, you've essentially chosen a "class.” But again, the advantage of a skill system is the flexibility the players get.

TestSubject_US in AsheronsCall asks: How will death be handled? Will it be something of a perma-death or will it be similar to AC?

JasonB_Turbine says: No perma death. Just vitae and relocation to the Lifestone. No item loss either.

BigFatHairyGuy in AsheronsCall asks: Why did you guys release teasers so early? It hurts to wait now.

Stucco_MS says: We released teasers so early in fact just to hurt you. ;) Seriously, it won't be too much longer to wait, and it will certainly be worth it. At least we did not do it a year or further out!

BonkerMonkey in AsheronsCall asks: Will we be able to dual-wield weapons?

Azeraphel_Turbine says: Yes. Dual-wield, two-handed weapons, you got it. Unf.

z2m2x2n2c2b in AsheronsCall asks: Will the combat system depended heavily on risk/reward? And will battles generally be different from each other (non-repetitive)?

Azeraphel_Turbine says: Tactics! Combat in AC2 is very tactical--the AI is formidable, and group tactics and solo tactics are quite varied. Naturally, there's a different sort of plan required for a 50-ft monouga than a horde of drudges.

FyreC in AsheronsCall asks: Will the game be playable on slightly lower-end cards such as the GeForce, and GeForce2, or will we need a GeForce3/4?

JasonB_Turbine says: The game will be quite playable on cards like the GeForce1.

FragileHawk in AsheronsCall asks: ARE MY QUESTIONS BEING SUBMITED?

Stucco_MS says: What questions?

Zeus_Turbine says: Was someone asking questions, oh geez. . .

JasonB_Turbine says: yes

JasonB_Turbine says: maybe

JasonB_Turbine says: no

mrquazarr_MS says: perhaps

Azeraphel_Turbine says: Nothing is sub-mited. Mites have been exterminated. All dead. All of them. Every last one. Dead. Dead. No more. Dead. Gone.

Zeus_Turbine says: Isn't this all just a dream?

Stucco_MS says: Isn't this Camero Chat Live?

mrquazarr_MS says: This concludes our Developer's Chat. We would like to thank everyone for coming out this evening.

JasonB_Turbine says: It's ok Nik. . . aaaayyyyyiiiiiieieeeeee

Zeus_Turbine says: Thank you for coming! See you next time!

mrquazarr_MS says: Look for another more developer

Stucco_MS says: Thanks a lot everyone! Come on back, ya hear?

Azeraphel_Turbine says: Thanks, everyone. Yikes. Drink now.

mrquazarr_MS says: Look for more developer's chats in the future.

mrquazarr_MS says: A reminder, there will be an Asheron's Call 1 Dev Chat on Monday, March 11 at 5 pm PST.