Posted 1/30/2008 at 10:14 AM By GamingShogun

We were able to conduct an email interview with Atanas Atanasov, CEO of Masthead Studios about their upcoming Sci-Fi MMO, Earthrise. Set a few hundred years after the third world war, Earthrise chronicles mankind's re-emergence from clone storage into a world much changed from the one it knew. Thanks for taking the time to answer our questions, Mr Atanasov.

GS: What inspired Masthead to begin working in the sci-fi genre as opposed to the more familiar territory of the 'fantasy' MMO?

AA: When designing Earthrise, we wanted to make a game, which the MMO community wants to play, but can’t find among all those titles. After doing some initial research, we came to the conclusion that a skill based Sci-fi MMO with a well developed economy and crafting is needed.

GS: While reading up on Earthrise, we encountered a rich back story to the game. Who was your writer on the project?

AA: We have a team of professional writers in the studio, who have produced hundreds of pages of rich detailed sci-fi setting material, a massive backstory that we will be releasing piece by piece in the future. A lot of events did happen after humanity emerged back on the surface and those events led to the time when Earthrise players will join the world and decide the faith of mankind.

GS: Earthrise has a 'skill-based' advancement system, but how does combat play out? Is it similar to a skill-influenced shooter ala Tabula Rasa? Or is it similar to the more traditional 'server-calculated' outcome combat seen in titles like World of Warcraft?

AA: The outcome of battle in Earthrise will rely more on the traditional RPG system, where avatar skills and equipment are important. However the combat will be more dynamic, resembling a third person, first person shooter.

GS: Earthrise is said to feature a way to continue advancing your character even while the player is not in-game. I can only think of EVE Online that offers a similar feature. How will this offline progression work in Earthrise?

AA: The offline progression is different than the one in EVE online. All combat and crafting skills will advance online. While offline, the players will have the opportunity to gather income and advance in a more social aspect of the game.

GS: The game is said to be friendly to 'solo' as well as 'group' players, however, something we find with many other MMOs out there is that when it comes to high-level content, they usually are fairly oriented towards guild/team play. Will Earthrise give 'solo' players content at high-levels as well?

AA: It is natural that MMORPGs offer player experience from solo gameplay towards guild and team high level play, be it PvE raids of mass PvP, and in that aspect Earthrise will still provide the same smooth experience. But make no mistake: high level solo players will have many opportunities to make a name of themselves that overshadows that of even the most powerful guilds. Thanks to the extensive crafting system and the way it influences item distribution in the whole game, a high level crafter might become powerful and renowned enough that even guilds would bow before his technological genius.

GS: What kind of subscription system will Earthrise use, if it has even been decided yet, a pay-per-month type or a pay-per-expansion type?

AA: Earthrise will use subscription based model. The game is designed in a way that it will offer a “complete” MMO experience, giving equal opportunity to everyone.

GS: Are there plans for a public beta of Earthrise before it launches?

AA: Yes we have plans for public beta, but I cannot give any estimates when it will happen.

GS: Currently, Earthrise is listed as the only game in the Masthead Studios' stable. Do you have anything else 'officially' planned yet for the future aside from probable expansions to Earthrise?

AA: The engine that powers Earthrise is our product and we plan to make new games with it. We already have some unofficial plans for a next product, but will make it more specific later this year.

GS: And finally, is there anything you would like to let our readers know about Earthrise before we adjourn?

AA: Earthrise is designed ground-up with the idea to provide a complete virtual world sandbox experience with emphasis on the player’s freedom to choose his own career, and these choices will have real impact on the world. Military careers will extend in faction wars and true territorial conquest that will manipulate the global market of Enterra, while crafting and manufacturing will be the staple for military developments throughout the contested territories.

Thank you so much for the interview, Mr Atanasov, it is greatly appreciated and we look forward to seeing more from Earthrise and Masthead Studios in the future.

You can find more info about Earthrise here.