Our very own Mathew "Berek" Anderson here at Allakhazam had an opportunity to interview Josh Drescher, Associate Producer for Warhammer: Age of Reckoning , and we are pleasantly surprised by the information he shared with us! Be sure to read this fantastic interview and then check out WAR for yourself!

So we'll obviously continue to reach out and listen to our fans for the entire life-cycle of WAR. In addition, we have the ability to shamelessly steal things from Games Workshop and put them in the game as we see fit. We've really only scratched the surface of what the Warhammer IP has to offer and I know I speak for a lot of people when I say that there's a HUGE amount of excitement about getting to implement even more of the IP into WAR in the future.

Allakhazam: What are some of the unique gameplay mechanics and content that will be introduced to the MMORPG community that has not appeared in a game before? For example, Ultima Online has its unique housing system, EverQuest has its vast array of highly artistic armor sets, and Dark Age of Camelot opened up RvR combat.

Josh: First and foremost, we're taking RvR to the next level. DAoC introduced the concept of large-scale, competitive gameplay to the MMO world, and WAR really takes that legacy and amplifies it in every way. We've moved the RvR conflict out of an isolated frontier and placed it right in the midst of the main game world. We've dramatically expanded the types of RvR (scenarios, keeps, battlefield objectives, skirmishes, capital city sieges, etc.) and the importance that the RvR campaign will have in the world.

Obviously, capital city siege is the most dramatic addition to the RvR system. The cities aren’t static, lifeless collections of vendors and trainers - they're living, adaptive structures that players can influence (positively and negatively) in real and recognizable ways.

On top of that, we've got the Tome of Knowledge, our Living Guilds system, our Public Quests and a number of other truly unique and engaging systems that players really haven't seen anywhere else. There's really too much to cover here on all of them, but check out our website (warhammeronline.com) for podcasts and other details on all of these systems.

Allakhazam: Customizing your character has always been important when seeking recognition that you've achieved countless hours of gameplay experience. Give us an update as to what players will expect when customizing their characters and setting a permanent mark upon the world.

Josh: I'll start small and work up from there.

1. First you pick a faction - Order or Destruction. That's 2 options.
2. Then you pick a race - there are three per side. That's 6 options.
3. Then you pick a career - four per race, each unique. That's 24 options.
4. Within each career, there are three Mastery Paths. That's 72 Mastery Paths (exponentially more if you account for hybrid speccing).
5. Within each career, there are literally THOUSANDS of combinations of tactics available, so players will be able to deeply fine tune how they play the game.

So just from a mechanical standpoint, there is a massive number of options available to players.

Now, there are also over twenty armor sets per career - all of them customizable with dyes and guild heraldry. There are also hundreds of trophies available that players can use to decorate their armor with emblems and symbols of glory and achievement.

Of course you can customize your own physical appearance as you see fit - scars, warts, grimaces, long beards, crazy mustaches. And if you order the Collector's Edition, there are special unique heads and items that will ONLY be available to CE players.

Our goal is have every character look unique and BE unique.

Allakhazam: How important is gaining additional ranks versus the support of those ranks through abilities, exploration, and overall knowledge of your character's current assets and potential?

Josh: Our vision for the careers has always been:

• Simple to understand.
• Easy to get proficient.
• Difficult to become brilliant.

We want players to reach level 40 with relative ease because the fourth tier of content in WAR really IS where the game takes on new purpose and energy and morphs into being a long-term, highly entertaining hobby experience.

So, while there will always be a significant amount of power drawn from player levels, player skill and the strategic use of the various systems in the game will be decisive factors in many cases.

Allakhazam: In tying with the transportation system, what are the ways you are filling the world with interesting and rewarding exploratory content, while ensuring ways to bypass this content when a player needs to move from point A to point B a little faster, without making that content "unimportant"?

Josh: I'll give three examples:

First of all, the entire landscape is filled with Public Quests. While we sometimes drive you through areas with PQs inside as part of a standard quest progression, there are others you'll never find if you never "leave the rails", so to speak and explore the world.

Second, the Tome of Knowledge is FILLED with weird and wonderful nuggets that can only be unlocked by players who've truly wandered off the beaten path and gone exploring. The sort of players who relentlessly try to open every door, peek inside every box and talk to every NPC will be rewarded with unique and various experiences and unlocks.

Third, we've peppered the landscape with Lairs - unique "mini-dungeons" that aren't listed on maps and that aren't situated in areas where any quests will direct you. You will only come across them if you set out into the world and really explore every corner of the map.

Allakhazam: With a background in Philosophy, what are some of the challenges and rewarding experiences you came across when designing the content for WAR on a philosophical level?

Josh: In terms of challenges, it's always important to look critically at every choice you make when it comes to putting systems and content into the game. Are you implementing a given feature because it actually belongs in the game or simply because it appeared in some other title and you're just "keeping up with the neighbors"? Everything you put in the game needs to ACTUALLY belong in the game or it will stick out awkwardly and feel wrong. The players are extremely smart in this regard and they can smell something that's been stuffed into a game for no good reason from a mile away.

Additionally, there needs to be a core belief about what it means to have fun and how your product is going to be uniquely qualified to deliver on that belief. For us, we're fundamentally committed to the idea that the best games - the most lasting games - are cooperative and competitive. You play them WITH other players, AGAINST other players. PC games have traditionally lacked one (or both) of these components. You usually play them alone, against the game system itself.

But if you back away from video games and really look, in the vast majority of games people played WITH other players, AGAINST other players. Sports, board games, children's playground games, etc. - all social, all competitive. WAR provides a deeply satisfying return to that sense of "natural play" by giving you real reasons to make social and cooperative connections by offering large-scale, competitive goals that are clear and shared across your realm.

Allakhazam: As a final question, name the one thing you wished you could have designed and implemented in WAR but were not able to, and what are the chances it may appear in future expansions?

Josh: Edible Halflings. We were concerned it would hurt our rating in Europe.

In all seriousness, there are TONS of things from the Warhammer IP that we had to leave out of the initial implementation of WAR. I think I speak for the whole team when I say that we're all looking forward to expanding on the WAR world with more and more Warhammery goodness in the future.

Allakhazam: Thank you so much for your time, Josh! We are also looking forward to seeing what you guys bring to the player community in the future!