Interview 26 – Mark Kalmes, part 1

You can find a transcript of this show here!

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* (0:43) The postcards contest is ready for your vote to pick the grand prize winner! Get your votes in here!

* (1:08) Some breaking news on the Pathfinder MMO: Mark tells us about the upcoming “Guild Land Rush”.

* (5:26) Introducing Mark Kalmes. City of Heroes (and Villains), the Mastermind, and the game’s shutdown. Asheron’s Call and Meridian.

* (11:49) Mark’s work in robotics.

* (14:12) The relationship between Goblinworks and Paizo.

* (15:58) How close will the MMO stick to the Pathfinder tabletop rules? The nature of a class-less, skill-based system. How characters advance, how they’re capped, and how new players can enter a world alongside well-established ones.

* (32:51) Player-versus-player combat in Pathfinder Online. The reasoning behind the lack of PVE (or purely consensual PVP) options. The role of NPC hirelings. A player-based economy and the importance of inter-player relationships.

* (46:37) Breaking into an established world. Finding a role for your character and a piece of land for your house.

* (51:09) The consequences of character death.

* (53:36) The relationship between the in-game and real-world economies. We also talk about active subscriptions versus playing on a lapsed subscription. The story of Second Life and the IRS.

* (58:41) The number and structure of servers, and the number of accounts per server. Hurdles put in place to keep one guild from dominating the game world.

* (1:02:17) How the casual and solo players fit into the order of things.

Hosts: Dan, Johann, John, Pat

Guests: Mark Kalmes