Trove is an upcoming sandbox MMO where you can adventure and build in randomly generated voxel based worlds. It takes Minecraft and MMO and adventure and mixes them into a formula that provides persistent random worlds with objectives to conquer and loot to be had. We recently had a chance to sit down with Andrew Krausnick, Lead Creative Director on Trove and have a quick discussion about what’s going on with the world of Trove.

First things first, I’d like to start off on the happiest note: they’re working hard to send batches of alpha keys out to those who purchased one of their early access packs. So if you want to get your hands on the game and don’t want to wait, their early access packs are the way to go. I don’t really believe in alpha access, but with voxel based games there is tons to do. Cornerstones currently save between wipes, meaning that your work won’t go unhindered.

The rest of the interview focused on things the public mostly already knows, obtaining some minor clarifications here and there. One of the toughest parts about interviewing a developer for a game like Trove is that they’re already very open. There is no NDA and no restriction on information, so there isn’t any “hidden gems” that they’re not already trumpeting themselves. This in itself is a valuable point to make on Trove - it’s truly open development.

However, we do have some interesting information for everyone. Up first is that players will be able to add to the game, meaning that there will be tools available to allow players to implement their own builds into the game world. You’ll be able to use their tool set to build your own castles and structures and they, if accepted, could be thrown in as one of the randomly generated structures throughout the world.

For those wanting a head start, voxel editors like Qubicle should allow imports into the game. Previous interviews have said such, so if you want to get a head start that’s definitely something to look into.

There is a lot of feedback out there that Trove is similar in a lot of ways to Cube World and Trion has stepped up to the plate to outline that Trove is different in many ways, many of which you won’t see until further in development, but the idea to create semi-persistent (worlds will have an end goal) worlds full of adventure, quests, and more. So while there is a lot of questions and comments that Trove is nothing but CubeWorld, rest assured that this free-to-play will have many differences. It’s getting harder and harder in the voxel market to be different then other voxel based games, at least to some extent, so some leniency will have to be given.

Speaking of differences, character customization will be in the game and they are definitely looking at making the game pay for prestige, more so than pay to win. The in-game shop will provide items to show off with and pets, cosmetic items, etc. Prestige items will also be available, possibly, for world completion and other acts of heroism (such as maybe finding the Golden Beetle).

They are looking at “seeds” (links to a specific world build) and will be making sure players can’t farm specific seeds over and over (i.e. only one or two maps are conducive to farming).

PvP is something they will look into, but isn’t a focus development.

Holiday / seasonal events are definitely something they are looking into. In addition, as seen in recent builds, characters will have both a class and level. Cornerstones are persistent and you get one of each size (or can unlock them, I think), meaning you’ll have a home designed for lower level areas, higher level areas, etc.

If you’re interested in Trove, the alpha packs are pretty neat. They give in-game currency for now and when the game launches.