Archive for the ‘ Interviews ’ Category

Interview with Game Master Ruatolov of Allods Online EU!


A bit ago I asked for an interview from Ruatolov, I’ve been saving the interview for the right date to release. I got a lot of questions asking about the game, but I pruned them, because it was meant to be a personal interview. He agreed to an interview and also gave me five hundred EU keys.

Now, without further ado, I present to you Ruatolov of the EU Gala-Net team!

What exactly is your job for gPotato?
My job is Community Manager for Allods Online Europe at the http://www.gPotato.eu portal.

What is the most enjoyable part of your job?
Seeing the same names everyday playing while watching the newcomers enjoying the game for the first time! There’s a great sense of community in Europe for Allods Online. I’m also a fan of listening to the fun conversations that take place in zone chat. They talk about some crazy things!

Are you liking the fan following behind Allods Online so far?
The response from Europe for Allods Online has been really enthusiastic. Our players stretch right across the continent from Ireland to the edges of Eastern Europe and from the tip of Scandinavia to the very south of the Mediterranean. It’s really inspiring to be a part of a game with such a great fan base. The artwork submitted on our Guild Portal (http://allodsonline-en.ning.com/) has been really creative too!

Why did you start working with this game?
I wanted to work on Allods Online because it offered me something I couldn’t find in other MMOs: A game where I can play whenever I want, and not worry about whether I’m getting my money’s worth. Being a member of the team that will spear-head a revolutionary change of the MMO genre is something not many experience. Pay to play is so last decade. 2010 and beyond belongs to the subscriptionless MMO, and Allods Online is leading the charge. Thank you http://www.gPotato.eu!

Do you have any pets?
Ruatolov doesn’t look after animals. Ruatolov eats animals…for dinner.

In game, what is your favorite class so far?
Oh I don’t have a favourite. I tend to create a few different classes and just go with what feels good at the time. There’s plenty of choice in Allods Online so it’s tough for me to pick just one favourite class.

Do you have a preference for PvE or PvP?
Depends on my mood, if I’m feeling some stress and want to “let it out”, I do PvP. When plan on playing for a few short hours, I’ll just relax with some PvE. Allods Online has plenty of options in terms of play style, so it’s easy to switch from feature to feature.

What feature of Allods Online do you enjoy the most?
Astral Ships! I was born to be a Helmsman. Going through the Astral is a mysterious and exciting adventure. I still have to learn a few better strategies to successfully to take down Astral demons though.

What is your all time favorite game that is not an mmorpg?
Not an MMO? Hmm. Probably Jet Set Radio on the Dreamcast. I also love some Street Fighter action. I’m so retro.

If you could go one place in the world for a week vacation, where would you go?
Well I’ve been to Japan before which was great, so maybe a different part of Japan this time.

If you could have a non combat pet in game, what would you like your pet to be?
I’d have an Astral-whale. Everyone would call him “Moby Dick of the Astral”.

What is the meaning behind your name?
If I told you, your mind may explode from sheer amazement.

Now, if I don’t ask this my readers will kill me. Any juicy gossip you’d like to share?
If your a fan of World Cup soccer, keep an eye out on our official site http://en.allods.gpotato.eu/ …
It’s going to be a fun summer!

2010
02/15
POSTED BY
CATEGORY
Interviews
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Machinima Winner – archonmerc!


Remember the machinima contest that Allods Online NA had? Well the winner was announced, and it was a damn good video. The winner was archonmerc. Check out the video:

We happened to get an interview. 😀

The winning video was the recruitment advertisement for Bloodpact. Can you tell us a little bit about Bloodpact?
Once I start, I could go on forever! I’ll just say that we are a mature bunch, we really don’t care for drama. Although we are a hardcore guild, my philosophy is that you don’t have to be a jerk to be a badass. (Can I say that?)

As for our history, we started in Corum Online (gPotato land!) over five years ago, and since then played 2moons before we came here. The core members and leaders are like a family, and instead of making cliques in such a huge group, we include everyone! We are lucky to have many members from the EU, Australia and Asia too, keeping it active 24/7!

As for me, Bloodpact is on my mind all day long, that might not be healthy, but it’s surely good for the guild.

Now how about a little bit about yourself?
My name is Thomas, I am a 23 year old journalist and photographer from Norway. I play on the North American servers (and have brought friends!) because of the language barrier and clique nation/region-centric guilds in the EU.

I just got out of the Royal Norwegian Air Force a little over a month ago where I completed my one year draft. I had actually signed up for news about Allods months in advance, and was bummed the closed beta testing started before I could complete my service. It hasn’t hurt me though, and I’m glad I could manage to ‘scramble’ Bloodpact on such short notice with a lot of help from my sidekicks Arteigon and Aewa.

What was the inspiration of the video?
Actually, Allods is inspiration enough! It was everything I hoped it to be and more. I always like to make videos for guilds, but now my interest was piqued with the fantastic foundation for getting majestic shots in Allods Online.

It was actually never my intention to enter the contest, just because it was a guild advertisement. A guildmate, Kemwer, pushed me into it though! Haha.

How long did it take you to make this video?
Not long enough… When I say that, I mean I love the process of making it as much as seeing the finished product. But I’m sure I lost a few potential levels on my characters to say the least due to being wrapped up in video making. Better time spent now than in open beta, am I right? Overall, I think I spent upwards of 10 hours and 200GB of hard drive space on recording it, and 40-50 hours on the editing.

It’s OK though, the sun never comes up in Northern Norway during the winter anyway, so I’m not missing anything!

I’m constantly adding new Allods videos to my YouTube profile, and have already made 3 of them since the contest entry, so I guess I’m an avid advertiser for the game and Bloodpact.

Did the video come out the way you invisioned it?
Truth be told, yes. Funny enough! Although I made the mistake of not uploading it in high definition, in this case for me it just adds some more character. And the movie itself, I am quite content with just because I found the right music, and patched the shots together just how I planned when recording them.

Who did the voice over?
Actually, I’m wondering that myself. I found the line on a CC sample sharing site, and when I asked for who to credit I just got back a generic answer. It does however fit quite well!

Did any others help you with the video?
Yes! First off, Kemwer, the Brazilian stallion, got the shots from the end of CBT#3 dance of the old square, and made our new logo as well. So much credit goes to him here. Also, the entire Bloodpact guild of course! At that time we only had around fifty members, but there were no problems getting suggestions and critiques, or people to come to the “set”. And of course, Astrum Nival who’s amazing art direction makes such beautiful scenery possible – and gPotato for giving this magnificent game to us through the intertubes.

Anything you’d like to say to The Novograd Times readers?
Support Allods, and respect your fellow players =)

It’s a monster high quality game made with love and care and detail. Might be sounding like a fanboy here, and maybe I am, but I just urge people to stay with it and keep it up! The community over all is pretty nice, and I don’t want that to change ever. You guys rock!

—

Once again congratulations to archonmerc. Enjoy your Razer Megalodon Headset!

2010
02/13
POSTED BY
CATEGORY
Gossip
Interviews
News: Allods
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Interview with Katelyn Olmstead coming up!


Katelyn Olmstead is the community manager for Allods Online. We all know her and love her as inarakatt!

Kate is truly an awesome person, and she has granted us an opportunity to interview her. I am coming up with a list of questions to give her, and we also have a treat. We want to know, what do you want to know about Katelyn Olmstead?

Think of some clever, witty or just awesome questions. What do you want to know about Katelyn Olmstead? Reply here or shoot me an email. :]. What do you think we should ask?

This article is closing at 5 PM PST tonight!

2010
02/12
POSTED BY
CATEGORY
Interviews
5 comments

Fan Art: Kanian Ranger + Interview with the Artist!


We sat down (not litterally) with killingspray a few days ago. This person has showed exceptional skill in fan art, and I have simply loved the drawing! Here is the Kanian Ranger drawing by killingspray:

Kanian Ranger fan art by Killingspray

We also got a quick interview in. :].

When did you start playing Allods?
I played Allods since the end of the Closed Beta 1. I also played a bit in the beginning of the Closed Beta 2, but I’m only LV 13 at the moment, unfortunately I have no time to play now : /, but I’ll try to be more active in the Open Beta^^.

What do you like about Allods Online so far?
– The enviroment, and the world it takes place. In my opinion it is really well designed. I never seen such a forest like forest in any Free to play MMO before.
– The graphics and the effects are nice and it runs well on my 6 year old PC, so they did a great job with the game engine.
– The storyline is quite good.
– I also like the beginning of the game that instanced part of the game was really well made. There were so many actions so the storyline was fast.
– I also love the astral and the astral ships. Exploring the astral and fight with other peoples will be nice.
– Archers don’t need ammunition^^.(I always found it annoying to go back to the towns and buy ammo in other MMOs).
– Reputation gears are nice and easy to acquire.

What is your current pet peeve with the game?
– The combat is a bit slow for me 😦 but I will get used to it.
– Being an archer sometimes is a pain… quest item triggered mobs appear in front of you, and you have no chance to use your bow normally.
– I hope they won’t mess up the cash shop, that thing can kill the game.

How do you feel about squirrels in game?
I fear them. Actually they are quite hilarious yet scary.(Maybe because of their buff that makes them bigger?)

Do you read The Novograd Times? If so, how long have you been reading our site?
Yes, I read it since the beginning. I find it useful and entertaining. The treasure chest guides are nice, and there are many new information posts about Allods.

Why did you make your fan art based on a Kanian Ranger?
Because my character is a Kanian Ranger, it’s easier to draw someting you saw earlier. I also like to play ranged/archer classes in other MMOs. I also have a bow in real life and I quite enjoy it.

Killingspray's real life bow!

Anything you’d like to say to the readers of The Novograd Times?
Have fun in CB4! See you in OB. And don’t forget to post any artworks about Allods on Allods fan art forums.

2010
01/24
POSTED BY
CATEGORY
Interviews
2 comments

Some Quick Questions with miss_sadie!


Shelby Goad took some time from her busy schedule to answer a few questions we had. :]. Thanks Shelby! Spoiler: New Momo picture!

What is your personal favorite feature in Allods Online so far?

My personal favorite feature is the Astral Ships. There’s just something about taking a ship out and blasting the heck out of demons.

If they ever made a movie based in the world of Sarnaut, what would you like to see it based upon in lore and or time?

Allods has such a rich story that’d it be a shame to not use the lore. But I’d be especially excited to see the costumes!

There are many amazing zones in the game. Which zone do you enjoy the most so far?

Asee-Teph. I really like the jungle terrain, Tensess Temple, and of course, watching the players beat the snot out of eachother.

Are there any plans for non combat pets to be at the side of the hero through their adventures?

Currently we have very little information to offer on this, but believe me, you’d be the first to know!

If there are non combat pets, which pet do you personally want for your GM character?

Momo!

A trusty little peach.

I had some trouble asking some of the Russian open beta folks this (then again there is a language barrier) and considering we’re only a day in the fourth closed beta, how big are the player astral ships compared to the npc travel ships (Like Nezebgrad to Holy Lands, or Novograd to Avilon)?

We get to captain the very same ships.

2010
01/23
POSTED BY
CATEGORY
Interviews
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Testimonials

We would like to thank The Novograd Times for a job well done! We can tell that you love the game almost as we do and it warms our hearts! - Allods Online Community Spotlight: The Novograd Times!

Wow :) really impressive. Its awesome !! ... it has alot of potential i wish you all the best with that project. :) - painjane

I like the idea of this blog. It seems interesting, I’ll make sure to keep reading on my boredom-hours. :D - Mastrgamr

Omg, I have been trying to get a EU Beta Key for about a month now... all I can say is THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU :) - Charlie M

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