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Hello, Gamers
We recently had the pleasure of interviewing the developers of the MMO-online shooter
Survarium. We spoke with
Andriyash Kozlovsky, PR manager for Vostok Games. We talked about various stuff, including the game’s development, their future plans about the game, as well as other topics concerning the game and the gaming industry in general.
So, to start off, how would you describe Survarium to someone who never heard of it?Andriyash K : Survarium is an online shooter set in the near future after the ecological catastrophe on Earth. The game is available to download free of charge. All you need is to install the game client, create a game account and start playing.
If you need more information, you should watch this video tutorial (in English) about first steps in the world of Survarium. This
video guide introduces the basic mechanics and gameplay elements of our game.
The game's been in development for several years and now which phase the game is in, early, middle, or nearly complete?Andriyash K : It’s hard to give a simple answer to that. As you know currently we’re finalizing our PvP mode. This said, we also announced Survarium will feature several play modes. And there we are only at the beginning of our path. So, I’d say we are about half-way so far.
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What was the most challenging aspect in developing Survarium so far?Andriyash K : We started creating Survarium from scratch, including the game engine. Much has been accomplished already, but of course that’s not all. As for the challenging tasks, we’ve had plenty of those – designing the very up-to-date network technology to back the game has been THE challenge for a small team like ours! :)
What lessons have you learnt from those difficulties?Andriyash K : The challenges are fine, we know how to take the risk and are always ready to meet the challenges. Moving forward is key!
How does Survarium differentiate from the other F2P online shooters?Andriyash K : If comparing Survarium with other online games, firstly I’ll mention the player can die not only from an enemy bullet, but also when damaged by the deadly anomalies. Yet, the anomalous zones should not be avoided completely as it is there where you can obtain artifacts powering-up your character. A timely used artifact can shake the balance of battle in your favour.
The possibility to modify the characteristics of weapons and gear is another important feature of Survarium. For instance, the player can increase the rate of fire on his gun, install a modifier boosting his running speed on the boots, and health regeneration on the suit. The modification is available owing to spare parts the player can find by searching for loot after the match end.
And with the
Survarium 0.40 update the system of weapon modules was introduced. Modules impact both the looks and characteristics of your guns. For example, a laser sight installed will decrease scatter of fire when firing from the hip, while vertical grip will lower the recoil.
Variety of the play modes already at the stage of PvP is yet another peculiarity of the game. By the way, some of those modes are unique and unseen in other games.
Stepping back from the discussion, let me mention we don’t favour the Pay2Win approach in games. We rather prefer to give players a fair choice. I believe this makes our game also stand out.
For example, you can buy a premium weapon or gear in Survarium shop, but these items will not give you extra power in battle. Yet, they will help to speed up the progress of your character, faster obtain access to more advanced equipment and armament, so as stand out from the rest of players due to unique looks. It’s also worth mentioning you can get weapons and gear as a dropping loot after the battle.
I could continue explaining the distinctive features of Survarium, but I’d rather have the players judge the game for themselves.
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How was your budget for the game?Andriyash K: I’d say, the budget can never be big enoughJ. Seriously though, the budget is sufficient for us to deliver the PvP mode and keep going to integrate PvE elements into the game step by step.
Have you considered taking the route of crowdfunding? What is your reasoning behind your answer? Andriyash K : Initially this was one of the options we considered. Though it was left behind. Mainly for the reason, to go out crowdfunding you are expected to demonstrate the elements of the future game in action, which at that time was impossible since Survarium was started from scratch including the engine. Therefore we decided to go out and look for an investor.
As we know Survarium is made by the same studio which released the popular STALKER series. What aspects of those series have you implemented into the game?Andriyash K : S.T.A.L.K.E.R. and Survarium have been developed by different studios afterall, though same team. It turned out this way as S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 got frozen, so we had to look out for some new opportunities for the team.
Although sharing the same idea of postapocalypse, the two games differ a lot. Speaking of the postapocalypse, with Survarium we can show a broader scope as this time we are not limited by the borders of the Chernobyl exclusion zone. As the concept goes, in Survarium the catastrophe had a global scale. Therefore in the game you can see locations both from ex-USSR and the Western Europe, and most of the maps have their real-world prototypes, such as the
Cologne bridge.
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You have stated in the past that you will be adding a PVE map where players would be able to complete faction quests and fight one another. Can you give us a brief overview of what to expect?Andriyash K : Freeplay is a separate game mode that combines elements of the story, the conflict between players and survival in a hostile world. Players will be able to perform tasks for factions, participate in random events and explore the map in search of valuable items. In Freeplay, players only have one-life and death can come at every turn. One careless step and your character will return to the game lobby and all you’ve found will remain near your dead body.
There will be no time limit for gameplay in an area but there will be a limit on the number of players that can be in the location. We want to maintain an atmosphere of exploration and this is only possible when meeting with another player will be a rare event, not an ordinary situation. If one of the players dies or leaves the location, his or her place will be taken by a beginner. To leave the location the player must travel to one of the special locations which are located on the edge of the map where he will be asked if he wishes leave the map.
Freeplay mode, among other modes, gives the player the opportunity to develop his or her character, gaining experience, reputation and money for completing tasks and performing other actions.
In Freeplay mode, there are neither allies nor enemies. The relationship between players solely depends on the players themselves. Often players will get a competing task. For example: one player will have the quest to protect a camp and the other to destroy the camp.
Will there also be a main storyline quest?Andriyash K : The storyline missions in Survarium are one of the future features of the game. We plan to start integrating those with the introduction of the next play mode.
Should we expect to see mutants from STALKER games as mobs which players can kill for experience?Andriyash K : We would like to add them to the next game mode, but most likely not with the first iteration of it. We’d like to please the fans with some new monsters. So don’t expect those to be the same as in our previous games.
Do you have an estimated date about the PVE’s release?Andriyash K : I don’t have a specific ETA as yet. We are targeting to demonstrate something by the end of this year.
Will Survarium support mods when it officially releases? If so, what kind of mods will you allow?Andriyash K : We plan the game to support mods, but without affecting the balance of the game. For example, changes to the game's interface.
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Do you plan any new PvP mode, like consider a human versus mutants mode? Besides, canweexpectlargerscalePvPbattle?Andriyash K : The PvP standard was defined by us from the very beginning and has hardly changed much since then. As for the mutants, let’s leave the team fights to the real players.
There have been threads in Reddit and in Steam’s forum that are questioning whether the game’s business model is hurting the growth of the game itself?What is your view on that subject?Andriyash K : We disagree in this case. We guess this is a modern format of games with a number of advantages: adding content and the development process are easier, protection against piracy and developers directly communicate with the audience, which positively affects the development of the game.
What is your view on the current state of the video games’ industry?Andriyash K : It’s amazing how fast the games industry has been developing for the last 10-12 years. Earlier none of us imagined we could play our old favorite PC hits on slim notepads, while mobs of people would start hunting pokemons in real life. I’m so curious to see what more could await us in future!
What games do you personally enjoy playing?Andriyash K : My work requires me to play Survarium. I cannot say I do it without pleasureJ. As for other games, I’m a big fan of the Batman trilogy by the Rocksteady Studios.
Anything else that you would like to add?Andriyash K : I’d like to thank the editorial office of 2p.com for the interest in Survarium and this possibility to chat during this interview. I hope we can keep up this communication in future. Thanks again!
We would also like to thank you for indulging us with our questions and we wish you best of luck in your current endeavors.
We are looking forward to seeing your game when it fully releases!
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