Back in February, you may remember Identity, from Asylum Entertainment, an MMO project that successfully exceeded it’s Kickstarter goal by 25%. When I was keeping an eye on this game it really caught my attention with how open the world was and unique to the MMO space. Identity has more of a cops and robbers-style based in a “real world” setting. There are no powers or spells that you can cast, but more along the lines of if you want to be a good guy or bad guy. You get to pick the path of how you want your character to progress in the game.

Six months on, I was curious as to how the game was progressing so I got in touch with Asylum CEO John VanderZwet to check in on the game’s progress.

When we started building Identity, we knew we had the opportunity to make something great. It’s the game we’ve always wanted ourselves. Now that we’re some months into development we’re realizing how amazing this is really going to be, and I think our team is even more hyped than the community. We truly can’t wait for everyone to get in-game and to see where the players take it.

VanderZwet was also kind enough to allow me a little time for an interview to catch the gaming community up on that progress.

MMO Central: Back during your your Kickstarter campaign in February, you stated that what you are building at this stage is a proof-of-concept for several investors. Have you secured the investment needed to go into full production?

John VanderZwet: We do have private investors and a publisher in waiting; however, in order to maintain absolute control over the project we’re initially self-funding, including a considerable investment from my own pocket in addition to the Kickstarter funds. Our fundraising model has not yet been fully revealed, but it’s only a couple weeks away from an announcement. We’ll go with third party investors when needed, but right now everything’s quite comfortable financially. Further funding would for the most part mean an expansion of the team and faster development.

MMOC: How is development of the game progressing? What is the current timeline for closed beta access that backers have qualified for?

John: Development has been going very well. Our lead systems programmer, Marc, has accomplished some really cool things when it comes to our main systems that the gameplay runs on. We’ve also been very fortunate to snag some incredible art talent. The backers have access to the very first public testing phase which is still on schedule for late 2016 but may end up in early 2017, assuming there’ll be some minor complications we haven’t expected. That said, there will be ways to get into Identity sooner than that and these other methods, which we’ll be announcing on our new website when it goes online soon, will also be available to anyone who pledged for access to the beta testing either on Kickstarter or on our current website.

MMOC: How big is the development team right now and what is their main focus currently?

John: There are several of us here in the office although there are a dozen or so who work off-site. Most of our art assets are created remotely as much of the best talent in the industry is spread around the world and our producers keep everything organized.

MMOC: Are the environments of the island designed to be destructible? Will gunfire, explosions and poor driving be visible to other players (if only for a time)?

John: They are, to an extent. Some damage is persistent but the majority is only client-side (seen by those present when it happens) as we’re doing this on a very large MMORPG scale. To give a better idea, when a player drives into a stop sign they’ll damage their car and the stop sign will be knocked over, but it’ll only be knocked over to those who were present when it happened. The client side damage will be for cosmetic things that don’t affect gameplay. There are some circumstances where environment damage can go much further, too. For example, in a large robbery SWAT members can even blow large holes in interior walls to pass through, or knock a door right off its hinges. Everywhere in the world, bullets penetrate objects depending on their caliber as well as the material and size of the object.

MMOC: What is the duration of the day and night cycles currently (or planned)?

John: In our testing environment it’s currently two hours of daylight and 45 minutes of night, but this is very likely to change before players make their way in!

MMOC: Are there plans for an achievement system? Will this be tied into any other systems (e.g. perks/buffs/gear)

John: Yes, there is an achievement system. We’ll release more on this later but it will most definitely have rewards. Rewards currently include recipes as well as vanity items. One of the issues some people face when playing open-world sandbox games like Identity is that there can be a perceived lack of direction. People don’t know what they should, or even can, do. We have another system, similar to achievements, which is used to direct new players and show them paths available for their gameplay and progression. You should never be bored in Identity as there are dozens of different things to do in-case you get bored of one thing. It’s almost like having several games in one.

MMOC: What is the current plan for how crafting will be handled?

John: Recipes are at the heart of crafting, and you’ll have very many available to you even when you’re just starting. Some simple items can be crafted anywhere, while others require a workstation. If you have an apartment or house you can place a workstation in there and do much of your crafting at home; however, some of the higher-end crafted items must be produced in a factory. When crafting an item you’ll have all sorts of options to make it truly unique. You can choose colours, patterns, brands, materials, features, and so on. You can then keep or sell it yourself, or even sell it in a store on consignment. If you’re making your living as a crafter you can brand your items so that everyone can see who it came from.

MMOC: Aside from PC and Mac, are there any other platform(s) that Identity may launch on?

John: We’re very interested in releasing for PlayStation 4 and XBOX One although the initial launch will be for PC and Mac. While we’d love to release Identity to consoles too, there are a lot of considerations and it could also be a matter of funding. It’s on our radar, but it’s too early to know for sure.

MMOC: Will a pet system be included? If so, cosmetic only or will there be some tangible player benefits?

John: You will have access to house pets on launch. These are “vanity pets” which are simply companions to roam around your house. We do have plans for pets you can take into the outside world, too, but they’ll come in an update post-release.

MMOC: Aside from vehicles, are there any plans for alternate transport such as horses? Mounted Police?

John: Much like the pets, horses won’t be seen initially by release but they are something we’d love to add later. Horses take a whole lot of work to implement without looking hilariously bad. Personal vehicles will include cars, trucks, bicycles, motorcycles/dirtbikes and boats. In addition, trains travel around the land by schedule for those who can’t quite afford their own vehicle.

MMOC: What form of structured social groupings (e.g. Guilds in other games) are planned for release?

John: Groups are your typical MMORPG party; a collection of friends who are playing together with added bonuses for communication. Groups are temporary, while other structures such as gangs and corporations are permanent. Gangs are the primary group structure for friends who wish to work together in the world to accomplish goals and make a name for themselves. Their actions aren’t necessarily illegal, but they sure can be. Corporations are business entities designed to make big bucks. Corporations can even own property and other assets. For example, a player might form a trucking corporation which has employees who use the corporation assets (trucks). When that employee makes money transporting goods, the corporation does as well. Large trucks are expensive, and working for a corporation is one way that player can access tasks they couldn’t yet on their own.

VanderZwet also shared that a new website for Identity will be launched soon and teased at a chance to “get a taste of Identity sooner than expected” once it does.