Akin

Akin to the mighty laser in your closet. Akin to the incredible e-mail like that of a home, a PlayStation (or both), a copy of Memento (from those days), and that XMB disc of Aliens (from the great sci-fi movies of the past) and you've got a store that wants you to buy it all (for free). Oh, and because we want to play it over a gaming console.

In order to do this, the game needs to be built from the ground up, with advanced technologies to get it running well and its 4D graphics the best possible on the hardware. The most important element is to get it running all the time. The tech needs to be flawless and fast enough to get a game running in the current consoles. The needs of the gamer on the PC have to be subject to the technological limits of the platform. Akin to the system needs to be accurate and reliable, meaning that we don't have to try it on some very expensive systems. Also, we also want a game where a gamer can play with his or her friends and a friend over the Internet. In any case, it's a good thing to come in with a game that is quite similar to the real thing, but with innovative game mechanics and graphics the best way to enjoy it.

GS: What were the greatest challenges you faced when developing an online game? How was it done?

WW: I've been a big proponent of having an open-world structure in online games. I was really surprised when we were looking for something very different to what most people thought of online. At the beginning, it was just using the camera to direct you. I think we got rid of this control system in an attempt to create a bigger game. When you start an online game you have to adapt to the type of game. You can have a smaller game that doesn't focus on you; you have to switch from a whole bunch of people to the one playing the game. It's like a "land" of an MMO where you're constantly changing the world; you can't jump on people anymore.

GS: With a massively multiplayer game, you have a lot of the freedom of any game type. Will there be any disadvantage to playing only with your friends?

WW: Yeah, so the limit on the multiplayer element is something we think we can address. So we've started with a sort of grouping system. It's very simple. You start off with five characters and you can either join a group or you can join a world. You have a couple of players and a friend. They can wander around and find treasure, and you can play with people. And then you can go into your world and play with friends.

GS: So there's a player-versus-player element in the game? What kind of RPG is it?

WW: It's sort of a fantasy-type game. In a fantasy-type game, there's an element of competing with other players. You play with people, and then you go on to encounter other people and do more. But in a fantasy-type game, there are a lot of classes. So players will start off with a warrior, a mage, and an assassin. Then you can join up to four other classes.

GS: Can you walk us through the game's robust crafting system?

WW: Well, there are a lot of things to learn and gather. So you know, there are items that you can make and things that you can craft in the game. But there's also something called and collectible parts that you can obtain, which in turn will upgrade the skills you have, which can allow you to learn more skills and items, so you can improve your weapons and armor. But to collect parts, you have to collect a lot of them, and the difficulty level is more of a challenge to get all the parts you need. So in the end, you can do a lot of things like fire magic, fire magic, stuff like that. But on the flip side, you can unlock items by finding them all, and it's just one of those ways to get new items.

And then you can go into the world and talk to some people, and they can find things and everything they want to collect. There's lots of secrets, because the game isn't going to tell you what those secrets are. That's really what we've tried to do, with the non-racing elements, because we're aiming to make the game feel and feel like a true adventure, but also a very casual experience.

You've talked about that exploration, and you've talked about it becoming a more real RPG experience, and the various ways you can interact with these elements.

You said you're going to do it for the team. What are the nuances you want to focus on?