Saturday March the second at 5 pm pst Grummz, AKA the fabulous Mark Kern will be holding on AMA on the subreddit Gaming. Grummz will be answering all your deepest question for at minimum one hour. A link will be provided to the subreddit at the end of the post! When the AMA goes live a new link will be posted and this thread will be updated. This is the best the prefect time to ask Grummz anything! You could him his thoughts on current events such as Steam's new competition, Epic Store and discord. Ask him what size his pants are. Maybe you ask him which side the side of the plate he keeps his drinking glass on. More importantly you could all be asking about Em8er and the addition of assless chaps.
And it is complete!
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Here's the questions asked, and the replies from Grummz, during the AmA on Reddit as compiled by our very own @Maven .
All questions related directly to Em-8ER have been tagged with 'Em8ERthegame', so you can simply search for the term to skip to the question.
Fair warning: There are a few non-Em8ER questions, even some political ones. I initially thought of adding the more contentious of these into spoilers (which sounds backward, yes I know. Also, 'contentious', according to me. Your opinion may vary), so that you can avoid reading those or skip as necessary. This was mostly cuz we are on the General Discussion sub-forum for Em-8ER.
However, after a run through, it seems there are very few particularly unrelated questions. So I'm leaving them open for now.
Additionally, only those questions that were answered by Grummz have been listed here. Yes, I am Captain Obvious.
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Grummz:
Hi everyone. Tks for the mods of /r/gaming of letting me host this AMA here. I was at Blizzard for nearly 8 years working as team lead and producer on titles such as World of Warcraft, Diablo 2, Starcraft and even Warcraft Adventures. I created one of the first open world looter shooters, Firefall and am making a new game, Em-8ER, a mech vs kaiju world terraforming/invasion game.
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Em8ERthegame
Sirspen:
Hi Mark, I'm really happy you're in a way carrying on the legacy of Firefall. I miss it more than any other game. What do you think went wrong with it, and what do you plan to do to avoid EM-8ER suffering the same fate? What lessons have you learned from your time with Firefall?
Grummz:
No single cause. We had some bad mgt for sure, and part of that was my fault for sure. We also had investors that wanted to change it into "wow with guns" and they made this change after I left. Nothing remained of the original open design and it's what doomed the game. Nobody wants just another wow clone.
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Em8ERthegame
Goomi:
Do you honestly expect Em8er to make it to release in a state (or any) that is 85% close to the vision that was initially pitched, (and the more awkward part) do you expect it to scratch the same itch that Firefall did for the old players or end up as its own thing that is vaguely simlair?
Grummz:
We drafted a vision doc for the game and kept the scope very narrow for this reason. If the KS supports us, we can do it.
The movement will feel like Firefall, so will the "go anywhere" feel of the open world and the invasions.
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Em8ERthegame
Dojel:
Time for a wagonload of weird and stupid questions
A: What's your favorite memory of Firefall?
B: What question do you dread getting?
C: How many unnecesary restrictions is my EM-8ER account password gonna have beyond length?
D: What roles are there in EM-8ER for solo players?
E: How likely are we to get comms characters as interesting as Aero and Oilspill. I miss those guys...
Grummz:
My fav memory is when we first got THUMPING working. People told us it was impossible to do a dynamic encounter that could spawn anywhere in the world. When we got it working, we knew we could do it.
I hate questions about the BUS
You can already create your em8er account for free via our website. it has reasonable and sane password restrictions.
Solo players can do alot! You have a master dashboard of everytyhing you've contributed to any effort or base in the world. these feed up into your research times and build times and resource scanning abilities.
Well Laura Post, voice of Aero will be coming back to do VO work for us. She will be the voice of the Omniframe AI assist (but you can get other AI voicepacks).
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joshdfw:
Will you play Classic? What race/class?
Grummz:
I will play. Night Elf hunter or Pally.
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VidyaDude:
Thoughts on the press going apeshit over the THQNordic AMA?
Grummz:
Completely blown out of proportion. The reaction is disproportionate to the actual issue.
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Em8ERthegame
HappyWulf:
I have a short list for you on a variety of topics.
1. I like playing as 'casters' with a more creative or utility role, but not quite 'support'. Warlocks, Mesmers. Explosives users in FPSs, Engineers with Turrets. Gallente Drone masters in Eve... Will you have a variety of weapons and niche rolls where I can fill kaiju with toxins at the start of a fight so they're easier to handle late in the fight as they succumb to the venom, lay down poisonous clouds, DoTs, set traps, turrets, walls, mines, stasis fields, More DoTs, drones that do a task for me automatically but as not as great as I could have done it myself so that I can focus on other tasks at the same time.... Will any crazy stuff like this make it into the game?
2. You mention in the FAQ that bases get destroyed when attacked by super kaiju. Will your player mechs also be destroyed if a player is killed in one? This could be a good resource sink and make it so that once players have good stuff, they don't ALWAYS have good stuff with nothing else left to strive for. Just like Eve, players could be crafting various quality levels of mechs, better at one thing, worse at others. More slots, less boost. Faster, but weaker... All perishable.
3. Cosmetics - I'm sure skins are the popular thing for cosmetic supplemental income. But I've been playing Trials recently and have seen a lot of creativity come out of players using stickers to make their own designs on their gear. Stickers/Decals could be cheap, like dimes and quarters cheap, but made in the thousands. In Trials, EACH piece of costume can have 200 stickers placed on it, resized, rotated, stretched...
What do you think? =3 I wanna see a lot of creative takes on Thumpers. I care less about personal customization, I wanna see big dumb Thumpers.
4. Will there ever be any cataclysmic events to really push back player's teraforming progress? We all know players are great at abusing systems and a total planet lockdown might occur. Do you have any plans for events that'll let the monsters retake large chunks of their planet back all at once?
Grummz:
1. Yes, we let you choose to loadout your abilities and your weapons, and you can slot out to be a DoTs or trap style frame if you wish.
2. Mechs will get damaged if "destroyed" and you can put in common resources to do it, which you can convert from exotics if you like or any kind of resource. That way you don't have to hunt for rares to fix your rare frame.
3. I'm worried about the draw cost of 200 stickers per location But there are emblems you can affix. Not sure how flexible that will be. Skins are mix and match. You can mix the arms of one skin you have with the legs of another, etc.
4. Yes, the game AI will direct heavy invasions with massive Kaiju from time to time to push back heavily on player progress. This affects the entire world state and top level of tech availalbe to players, so everyone has an interest in fighting back.
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aurisor:
We've seen MMORPGs, MOBAs, FPS/RPGs and Battle Royale games all rise to the top over the years. Do you see iterations of those genres repeating over the next, say, 10 years? Or do you see some new genres on the horizon?
Grummz:
Every game genre has about a 10 year lifespan. Adventure games used to be leaders, not anymore. RTS too, not anymore. Same with flight sims...all the top game companies had to have one (prior to bliz era)
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SheldonWeeCooperLpTp:
Oh, hi Mark! Would you ever listen to music while coding/programming/just in general working your magic?If so, what kind? Any songs in particular?
Grummz:
I keep a Van Halen or AC/DC playlist going normally. Also Baby Metal and Wakage band.
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joshdfw:
Is the navel the path to enlightenment?
Grummz:
Navel gazing is an important part of a complete and healthy lifestyle.
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Laq:
Can another MMORPG like WOW ever succeed again?
Grummz:
Yes! But it won't look like WoW or the WoW model. I have some ideas I'm keeping to myself for now.
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Shasfowd:
Do you feel designing for longevity or temporary status is more important when considering a game's scope like an MMO?
Grummz:
If that initial 20 minutes doesn't hook you, there is no point is designing for longevity.
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Em8ERthegame
TheHeliosNebula:
How do you envision the economy of ember? Will being a "trader" or "crafter" be viable?
Grummz:
The crafting system is dual tier. For those that want to just make stuff its very straightforward. A second "tuning" system that lets you tune your perks (think making your own "god roll" Destiny 2 weapon), is for advanced crafters. They can take your weapon and tune it for you, using exotic resources, and there will be trade for that.
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Em8ERthegame
Negat1ve:
When firefall was around there wasn’t really anything similar so it was a niche appeal in my opinion. Now days there is direct competition with similar style games out there. How is Em-8ER going to set itself a part? Are you going to go for a mainstream appeal or try to keep it niche?
Grummz:
We're not trying to beat Anthem. We're different in genre and scale. While Anthem took inspiration from Firefall jetpacks and gliding, and Em8ER does too, that's where the similarity ends.
Our game is much more about unlocking the planet, building player made bases, deploying terraformers to change the landscape and crafting all your gear (no direct drops).
We want to cater to gamers who want a good amount of challenge and skill again.
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BCTalos:
So Mark, if Starcraft were to transition to an FPS format for an installment, how would you see it happening in your opinion? Would it be like Command & Conquer Renegade?
Grummz:
We used to talk about that a lot. If they ever did it, I doubt it would be Command and Conquer Renegade style as we always thought that had issues. Won't be ghost style either. Something new I hope.
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Em8ERthegame
RX-78-1:
How will you keep this from experiencing the same fate as Firefall? I was a founder supporter of that game. LOVED that game and use to spen hours just sitting on that island out in the ocean looking at the Arclight partially submerge out in the distance. Another game I backed Heavy Gear Assault by Stpmpy Bot is no more. It held such promise then overnight it fell apart. Same thing with Perihelion's MANDATE. I haven't backed Em8er yet because I don't want to experience another Firefall debacle where management or some outsode company takes over all creative decisions and leaves the actual creators out in the cold. Rip Firefall and Red 5 Studios.
Grummz:
We're not bringing on investors who don't understand that WoW with guns is a bad idea or who want a huge WoW style sized success. We're also keeping a very tight reign over our feature set and minimal changes. We take what work from FF and apply it, leave out what didn't.
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Em8ERthegame
AnrothanAhmir:
Hey Big Bud,
1: How often will we (Em-8er Player Community) have planned downtime for updates? Will it be like a Wednesday evening, Sunday morning, ect... or am I thinking too far ahead at this point?
2: Is there a planned set date for the Kick-starter? Also, when can will the last day be to upgrade my current perks on the Em-8er website?
3. How much aware are you that the community as a whole loves, respects, and appreciates what you are doing with this project of yours? As a FF Refugee, I can only say thank you, but can not properly show you how grateful I am for this. Even reimbursing funds players spent in FF... this act in itself made me have hope in the gaming industry. Thank you Big Bud!
Grummz:
Its way too early to know our maintenance window. If we do it like Firefall we can avoid downtime, but we are a smaller team.
KS is stated elsewhere.
I'm very glad to hear the FF community appreciates what we are doing. I'm aware of a fraction of fans who are very active on our Discord, but there were well over a million FF players and we haven't heard from them yet. Spread the word!
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Lithious:
Hi Mark, long time fan of your game design. I've only found out about ember within the last month as life has gotten in the way of a lot of my gaming and most specifically MMOs.
That and interest in the last few years do to a bunch of MMOs that have fallen flat (the 2010s have been flat compared to the 2000s)
Do you currently have a favorite MMO to play when your not busy at work?
Grummz:
I don't. I really can't stand the quest, dailies, dungeon, raid trope anymore. I'm looking at multiple ways to break out of it.
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Em8ERthegame
Enthrawling:
For the people here, having not read about it anywhere else: when will the Kickstarter happen?
Grummz:
A few months but we do accept pre backers now. Growing a community prior to the KS is vital. We can't link it here but poke around our discord server (in my twitter profile @Grummz)
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Gameshareer:
Just how true is the statement "there are many conservative devs within the industry that stay quiet as to remain employed" in your experience?
Grummz:
Right now it's very true in any field of entertainment.
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Em8ERthegame
VirtualKoba:
When will em8er get released?
Grummz:
We'll announce a release date after our Kickstarter. That will tell us how much support and budget for scope we have.
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Em8ERthegame
bandos1234:
All my questions will be about Em8er ^^
1. When will the game be playabel for others and how much will it cost?
2. Will there be story missions and quests?
3. How limited is the map? (size of the playabel area)
4.If the games map is going to progressivly be larger, then how will it progress? Do players have to collect resources to build somekind of a tower or a beacon that will make land area safe for players to woder around in the unknown? (thinking if the games map is going to be similar to FF's world, where most of the planet was covered in stuff that killes ppl)
5. How customisabel will your character and Omniframes be visually?
6. What kind of apilitys will there be and can you modify them in any way?
7. What kind of resource will the apilitys need to be used or is it all just going to be cooldown based?
8. Are there going to be some bosses or events that will need a big platoon of people with high tier gear for some unique rewards?
9. How will the inventory and crafting work in the game? is it going to be similar or the same like it worked in FF?
10. What was your reaction when you saw that they ruined FF?
Grummz:
The game will be in playable mockup state, with a single THMPR mining encounter (waves of enemies type deal with a roving, fighitng THMR mech), in a few months before our KS goes live. This will be streamed by backers during the KS.
At launch there will not be any story missions or quests. This is more of game where you are out building up bases around the planet, deploying terraformers to transform Biomes, and fighting invasions that go on all the time.
We will ship the game with a handful of zone maps around 4-8 sq km in size. We roll out more zones over time.
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Em8ERthegame
acp_rdit:
Firefall jump jets were amazing and made even fetch quests fun, will Em8er have similar mechanics?
Grummz:
Em8ER is going to have a lot of focus on mobility, so FF style jump jets and gliding are in. However, unlike FF you can deploy gliding without a launch pad.
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Em8ERthegame
TurtlesgonnaTurtle:
Is there going to be a cosmetic shop? I'd love a heavy turtle omniframe
Also are you looking forward to the Classic WoW Summer?
Grummz:
Since you pay one (higher end Indie price) time for the game, we pay for servers by selling skins. We don't believe in predatory lootboxes so you just pay for them outright. You can mix and match skins to create unique combos. Skin your Omniframe THMPR and weapons. etc.
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Em8ERthegame
Mildra:
Any chance we'll see a preview pdf of Crixia in 2019?
Grummz:
Yes! We are launching our own patreon style system on our website in the next week or two. You will get a drip feed of Crixa tabletop rules (the universe of Em8ER) each month. Other things you get are draft chapter of the Em8ER novel, game design doc updates, a private forum section, and a skin of the month club features a weapon skin this month.
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Em8ERthegame
myxaplix:
Any projected date for the game to go alpha and beta
Will the game be story/mission driven or more event driven like Firefall
Grummz:
We will add dynamic events after launch. I like those much better than static story missions and its better for a small team to pull off.
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Em8ERthegame
Drakin5:
Will there be community driven cosmetic shops in the store later on?
Grummz:
I dont know yet but we get asked this a lot. Sounds like something we should consider.
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blain20:
1. Will an Em-8ER account have multiple characters, will it have one character that can change classes by changing out equipment, or both?
2. Would playing Em-8ER with a gaming controller be limiting compared to a keyboard? In other words, will there be a lot of abilities that won't fit on the controller?
3. What other media do you want to use to tell the story of Em-8ER?: novels, graphic novels, cartoon, etc.
4. I make MUDs (text RPG), if you might be interested in fooling around with making one for fun sometime.
5. Will Em-8ER be released for consoles and/or mobile?
6. Will there be navel in Em-8ER?
Grummz:
An Em8ER account has one character name but a large number of Omniframes you can build.
We will be supporting gaming controllers, and this will put an upper limit on the amount of active firing abilties. We want this anyways as we want you to choose your loadout meaningfully with tradeoffs.
We have a novel in the works for Em-8ER that will be part of our patreon style monthly program coming in 2 weeks. This will help develop the lore for the game for FUTURE story based mission (not at launch).
I love MUDS, so yes.
Do you not have phones? We only have plans for PC right now.
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Em8ERthegame
joshdfw:
Kevin Jordan has been streaming recently. It's really entertaining to watch an original wow dev play other games and talk about his experiences and his take on current games. Have you ever thought of streaming? IRL stream a day at the Em-8ER office perhaps.
Grummz:
I'm already struggling to get a small update video out per week and do all the other Em8ER stuff that needs to happen. So unfortunately I don't think so.
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S3trak:
When will the Kickstarter be released?
Grummz:
In a few months, no other details at this time.
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Aquila_Osmund:
Will Em-8er have fishing? Also will we see many side-activities and cool areas to explore in the game's down time when you're away from the action?
Grummz:
My wife would kill me if I didn't do fishing, at some point, in Em8ER. It's her fav thing and the reason why I asked for it to be put into WoW.
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Kaelath_The_Red:
Neko mecha when
Grummz:
I'm not opposed. We even did some Halloween concept art for this. It will be a skin for sure.
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Em8ERthegame
Pandagnome:
1. How long could someone stand or ride a kaiju before it throws them or blasts them away?
2. Will there be kaiju's hidden in the clouds?
3. If so could they possess the power of lightening?
4. How far away from the sun is em8er planet and is there more than 1 sun?
5. When could we see a nice time line image?
6. If hot pants are available could it be hot enough so that it melts the snow with steam effect?
7. Can we expect to see some racing in the game with our vehicles/mechs?
8. How far away are we to the demo release?
9. Do kaiju's make poops if so are they acidic or explosive?
10. Can we expect to see a symbol of em8er reaper on our pilot outfit like in star trek?
Grummz:
Your THMPR's drill will pierce the heavens, drop the cloud Kaiju on the round and then you can ride it to victory while wearing hotpants. ...just kidding.
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Em8ERthegame
SHROOOOOOM_S:
Would you consider expanding the Kickstarter Exclusive rewards to some custom bikes, in similar vein to the FireFall founders packs? (Dropships don't really interest me but a custom bike might earn a pledge!)
Grummz:
Unfortunately the bikes were promised as an early backer exclusive.
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Em8ERthegame
Jesus_Faction:
In your opinion, what was the main reason Firefall wasn't a big success? And how are you applying those lessons learned to Em-8ER?
Grummz:
The beta version I presided over was the most popular. The one they finally shipped changed the game completely after I left and it became wow with guns. Copying wow is the worst thing you can do.
Also, our feature set is much more focused on what was fun from Firefall (thumper, crafting and invasions) and leaves out the rest.
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Phyrak:
Do you have any favorite meme or meme format mark?
(PS. Give a call back to the choppers of firefall when em8er gets released, I miss that motor bike)
Grummz:
My fav current meme format is the one from the dad and son arguing on that bike show.
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joshdfw:
If you weren't doing Em-8ER....If Blizzard came to you after BFA launched and wanted you to come back and run the show, what Ion does now, assuming they gave you enough zero's on the check, Would you?
Grummz:
No, I would not. Blizzard is just not the same anymore. Also, nobody will cut that check to me or anyone else on the vanilla team.
The team there has their own visions for WoW now.
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Em8ERthegame
Dinsdale_The_Piranha:
Is there really going to make a big announcement tonight, or are you going to leave us with blue balls?
Grummz:
After feedback I unfortunately had to retract this statement. The idea needs more refining.
I'll offer another new tidbit in it's place. We're going to make the playable mockup multiplayer for the KS. That's a big change for us but we want to do this. It's a multiplayer game after all, so the tiny mockup should reflect this.
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Em8ERthegame
Rosemourne:
I played Firefall and I loved the complexity of the original crafting system. After seeing change after change after change I eventually became bitter towards losing the Firefall I fell in love with.
Em-8ER seems like it's a chance for me to get the game I fell in love with, and I jumped in on the indiegogo campaigns. However, I'm a bit concerned about producing as fine a product on crowdfunding, given it's history.
Are you aiming to completely crowdfund Em-8ER, or will the crowdfunding be used to build a model you can take to other investors?
Grummz:
I'm doing everything I can to avoid investors this time around. Crowdfunding will be key, but we hope to approach partners for, say, region publishing or even consoles as a way to bolster development.
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FrankAndMilly:
How often do you play games for fun?
What is top of your bucket list?
Grummz:
Right now? I just bought Atlas and will be playing that. I also have been playing Anthem and Destiny 2.
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joshdfw:
If Classic WoW ends up doing explosively well and retail stays in it's current decline. Do you think that could possibly change how they do things? aka classic being an eye opener
Grummz:
I think it will do well and boost subs overall but I don't think it will be so big as to divert their current MMO dev path.
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Sprickels:
How do you feel about the current state of Blizzard and World of Warcraft?
Grummz:
I don't play modern WoW. I AM concerned about Blizzard's current health and strategy.
They are developing a TON of games now and spreading themselves far too thin. Quality before quantity and sequels pls.
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Mildra:
The most important question to ask:
........Who's the tank?
Grummz:
Love that video!
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Apptendo:
Who is your waifu ?
Grummz:
The russian pilot from Muv-Luv.
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MarkyX:
What exactly made Blizzard cancel Warcraft Adventures? The leaked version seemed it was mostly complete
Grummz:
Warcraft adventures was made by a 3rd party. I've been an adventure game fanatic for years so I was tasked with turning it around. I brought in Steve Meretzky from Infocom fame and we, together with others, sealed ourselves in a conference room and completely redesigned the game.
Unfortunately the 3rd party team could not make the changes without too much time and effort. The code I looked at was a huge mess of copy paste and duplication. So we had to make the tough decision to cancel it. I was the one that said we should cancel it and Bill Roper agreed and lead the charge to shut it down rather than tarnish the brand.
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mookler:
What was your favorite part about working at Blizzard?
Grummz:
I loved the smartness of everyone working together. The passion and the arguments but the focus on what was best for the gamer and the game.
I miss that. I don't think Blizzard has that anymore. It's full of politics and layers now.
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MrBibim:
Why are you doing this on reddit and not on 8chan?
Grummz:
I did one on 8Chan 3 years ago. I'll prob do an Em8ER specific one there soon.
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Nrdrsr:
Are you harassed often because of your political views?
From your contacts in the industry how prevalent is the toxic SJW culture at the moment, amongst regular employees and management at various large publishers?
Where do you think the industry is headed in this regard?
Do you think diablo mobile was a good idea? There seems to be a disconnect between what consumers seem to want, and what the teams think the market wants. How does this kind of a bubble even happen?
Grummz:
Yes, some days I get over 10,000 messages on Twitter if I say something like #GamersAreGood and post positive messages of gaming. People really got triggered over that, insisting gamers are toxic. Go figure.
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Youngphycouant:
Hi Mark
I have this massive concept for game one day that I want to make. Yet I’m not really sure how to pitch my ideas or even getting a foot in the gaming industry. There’s also a lot of uncertain feeling I have towards the industry at the moment. Like gaming becoming more about making money instead of amazing adventures from start to finish. The chasing of trends like Battle Royale and the mass lay offs I hear about. I’m just asking would the gaming industry be a good career to chase? I would like to help make a game one day.
Also I love Diablo 1 and 2 and haven’t played the 3rd one yet.
Grummz:
Ideas and pitches are not valuable. Sorry... It's all about who can execute on a concept and make the idea fun.
Game careers are difficult. You move a lot and it can be rough. But the rewards are great if you find the right team
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pmmeyourspaceshark:
Do you think the heavy reliance on influencer marketing, both free and booked, negatively affects the diversity of the market in favor of hype and fads?
Grummz:
Not in this case, because of streaming you can SEE the game itself. So even if the influencer is hyped you can tell if the game sucks or not by watching them play it. That balances the hype, I feel.
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hermano_desperto:
Do you even lift?
Grummz:
I do! But I'm no power lifter. Just regular strength training 3 times a week.
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joshdfw:
What was the attitude around the Blizzard office when Activision came in? Was there anyone against it? What were your personal feelings?
Grummz:
While I was gone by the time Activision came in, we had several other buyouts while I was there. Each time we retained complete control and independence due to our strength of sales and market leadership and ironclad leaders who would quit before they submitted to overlords.
This has obviously changed since Blizzard no longer has the genre busting sales clout it used to.
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Em8ERthegame
pinkbits:
How many party buses will this game have?
Grummz:
ALL the busses.
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Em8ERthegame
Drakin5:
Will there be tsi-hu waifus?
Grummz:
No, but there might be waifu skins for player's pilots We're not an anime styled game though.
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SeanFromPA:
Do you honestly think its still possible to make a fair, competitive, merit based video game such as Starcraft in 2019?
The only honest titles that remain are Starcraft and Counter-Strike that got their start before social justice took over the publicly traded game developers.
Grummz:
I dont' think anything is stopping you from creating a game free of politics. Just do it. Em-8ER is not going to be pushing any agendas here.
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VirtualKoba:
whats your fav anime
Grummz:
Tri-gun!
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Em8ERthegame
ZoroastrianChemist:
Are you thinking of changing the name? EM-8ER is just so hard to remember. At least just to EMBER: blah blah blah. Or maybe do some SEO work around to get your game to show up on EMBER search.
Grummz:
There is already a game on Steam called Ember, so we went with Em-8ER. No name change is planned.
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Grummz:
Okay, that wraps our our hour here. Tks again for having me. I thought I was going to get a lot of Blizzard questions but I was happy to discuss Em-8ER too. I normally don't talk enough about what I'm currently doing.
Be sure to drop by our Discord! I can't link it here but you can find it on my Twitter profile.
And it is complete!
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Here's the questions asked, and the replies from Grummz, during the AmA on Reddit as compiled by our very own @Maven .
All questions related directly to Em-8ER have been tagged with 'Em8ERthegame', so you can simply search for the term to skip to the question.
Fair warning: There are a few non-Em8ER questions, even some political ones. I initially thought of adding the more contentious of these into spoilers (which sounds backward, yes I know. Also, 'contentious', according to me. Your opinion may vary), so that you can avoid reading those or skip as necessary. This was mostly cuz we are on the General Discussion sub-forum for Em-8ER.
However, after a run through, it seems there are very few particularly unrelated questions. So I'm leaving them open for now.
Additionally, only those questions that were answered by Grummz have been listed here. Yes, I am Captain Obvious.
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Grummz:
Hi everyone. Tks for the mods of /r/gaming of letting me host this AMA here. I was at Blizzard for nearly 8 years working as team lead and producer on titles such as World of Warcraft, Diablo 2, Starcraft and even Warcraft Adventures. I created one of the first open world looter shooters, Firefall and am making a new game, Em-8ER, a mech vs kaiju world terraforming/invasion game.
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Em8ERthegame
Sirspen:
Hi Mark, I'm really happy you're in a way carrying on the legacy of Firefall. I miss it more than any other game. What do you think went wrong with it, and what do you plan to do to avoid EM-8ER suffering the same fate? What lessons have you learned from your time with Firefall?
Grummz:
No single cause. We had some bad mgt for sure, and part of that was my fault for sure. We also had investors that wanted to change it into "wow with guns" and they made this change after I left. Nothing remained of the original open design and it's what doomed the game. Nobody wants just another wow clone.
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Em8ERthegame
Goomi:
Do you honestly expect Em8er to make it to release in a state (or any) that is 85% close to the vision that was initially pitched, (and the more awkward part) do you expect it to scratch the same itch that Firefall did for the old players or end up as its own thing that is vaguely simlair?
Grummz:
We drafted a vision doc for the game and kept the scope very narrow for this reason. If the KS supports us, we can do it.
The movement will feel like Firefall, so will the "go anywhere" feel of the open world and the invasions.
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Em8ERthegame
Dojel:
Time for a wagonload of weird and stupid questions
A: What's your favorite memory of Firefall?
B: What question do you dread getting?
C: How many unnecesary restrictions is my EM-8ER account password gonna have beyond length?
D: What roles are there in EM-8ER for solo players?
E: How likely are we to get comms characters as interesting as Aero and Oilspill. I miss those guys...
Grummz:
My fav memory is when we first got THUMPING working. People told us it was impossible to do a dynamic encounter that could spawn anywhere in the world. When we got it working, we knew we could do it.
I hate questions about the BUS
You can already create your em8er account for free via our website. it has reasonable and sane password restrictions.
Solo players can do alot! You have a master dashboard of everytyhing you've contributed to any effort or base in the world. these feed up into your research times and build times and resource scanning abilities.
Well Laura Post, voice of Aero will be coming back to do VO work for us. She will be the voice of the Omniframe AI assist (but you can get other AI voicepacks).
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joshdfw:
Will you play Classic? What race/class?
Grummz:
I will play. Night Elf hunter or Pally.
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VidyaDude:
Thoughts on the press going apeshit over the THQNordic AMA?
Grummz:
Completely blown out of proportion. The reaction is disproportionate to the actual issue.
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Em8ERthegame
HappyWulf:
I have a short list for you on a variety of topics.
1. I like playing as 'casters' with a more creative or utility role, but not quite 'support'. Warlocks, Mesmers. Explosives users in FPSs, Engineers with Turrets. Gallente Drone masters in Eve... Will you have a variety of weapons and niche rolls where I can fill kaiju with toxins at the start of a fight so they're easier to handle late in the fight as they succumb to the venom, lay down poisonous clouds, DoTs, set traps, turrets, walls, mines, stasis fields, More DoTs, drones that do a task for me automatically but as not as great as I could have done it myself so that I can focus on other tasks at the same time.... Will any crazy stuff like this make it into the game?
2. You mention in the FAQ that bases get destroyed when attacked by super kaiju. Will your player mechs also be destroyed if a player is killed in one? This could be a good resource sink and make it so that once players have good stuff, they don't ALWAYS have good stuff with nothing else left to strive for. Just like Eve, players could be crafting various quality levels of mechs, better at one thing, worse at others. More slots, less boost. Faster, but weaker... All perishable.
3. Cosmetics - I'm sure skins are the popular thing for cosmetic supplemental income. But I've been playing Trials recently and have seen a lot of creativity come out of players using stickers to make their own designs on their gear. Stickers/Decals could be cheap, like dimes and quarters cheap, but made in the thousands. In Trials, EACH piece of costume can have 200 stickers placed on it, resized, rotated, stretched...
What do you think? =3 I wanna see a lot of creative takes on Thumpers. I care less about personal customization, I wanna see big dumb Thumpers.
4. Will there ever be any cataclysmic events to really push back player's teraforming progress? We all know players are great at abusing systems and a total planet lockdown might occur. Do you have any plans for events that'll let the monsters retake large chunks of their planet back all at once?
Grummz:
1. Yes, we let you choose to loadout your abilities and your weapons, and you can slot out to be a DoTs or trap style frame if you wish.
2. Mechs will get damaged if "destroyed" and you can put in common resources to do it, which you can convert from exotics if you like or any kind of resource. That way you don't have to hunt for rares to fix your rare frame.
3. I'm worried about the draw cost of 200 stickers per location
But there are emblems you can affix. Not sure how flexible that will be. Skins are mix and match. You can mix the arms of one skin you have with the legs of another, etc.4. Yes, the game AI will direct heavy invasions with massive Kaiju from time to time to push back heavily on player progress. This affects the entire world state and top level of tech availalbe to players, so everyone has an interest in fighting back.
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aurisor:
We've seen MMORPGs, MOBAs, FPS/RPGs and Battle Royale games all rise to the top over the years. Do you see iterations of those genres repeating over the next, say, 10 years? Or do you see some new genres on the horizon?
Grummz:
Every game genre has about a 10 year lifespan. Adventure games used to be leaders, not anymore. RTS too, not anymore. Same with flight sims...all the top game companies had to have one (prior to bliz era)
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SheldonWeeCooperLpTp:
Oh, hi Mark! Would you ever listen to music while coding/programming/just in general working your magic?If so, what kind? Any songs in particular?
Grummz:
I keep a Van Halen or AC/DC playlist going normally. Also Baby Metal and Wakage band.
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joshdfw:
Is the navel the path to enlightenment?
Grummz:
Navel gazing is an important part of a complete and healthy lifestyle.
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Laq:
Can another MMORPG like WOW ever succeed again?
Grummz:
Yes! But it won't look like WoW or the WoW model. I have some ideas I'm keeping to myself for now.
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Shasfowd:
Do you feel designing for longevity or temporary status is more important when considering a game's scope like an MMO?
Grummz:
If that initial 20 minutes doesn't hook you, there is no point is designing for longevity.
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Em8ERthegame
TheHeliosNebula:
How do you envision the economy of ember? Will being a "trader" or "crafter" be viable?
Grummz:
The crafting system is dual tier. For those that want to just make stuff its very straightforward. A second "tuning" system that lets you tune your perks (think making your own "god roll" Destiny 2 weapon), is for advanced crafters. They can take your weapon and tune it for you, using exotic resources, and there will be trade for that.
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Em8ERthegame
Negat1ve:
When firefall was around there wasn’t really anything similar so it was a niche appeal in my opinion. Now days there is direct competition with similar style games out there. How is Em-8ER going to set itself a part? Are you going to go for a mainstream appeal or try to keep it niche?
Grummz:
We're not trying to beat Anthem. We're different in genre and scale. While Anthem took inspiration from Firefall jetpacks and gliding, and Em8ER does too, that's where the similarity ends.
Our game is much more about unlocking the planet, building player made bases, deploying terraformers to change the landscape and crafting all your gear (no direct drops).
We want to cater to gamers who want a good amount of challenge and skill again.
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BCTalos:
So Mark, if Starcraft were to transition to an FPS format for an installment, how would you see it happening in your opinion? Would it be like Command & Conquer Renegade?
Grummz:
We used to talk about that a lot. If they ever did it, I doubt it would be Command and Conquer Renegade style as we always thought that had issues. Won't be ghost style either. Something new I hope.
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Em8ERthegame
RX-78-1:
How will you keep this from experiencing the same fate as Firefall? I was a founder supporter of that game. LOVED that game and use to spen hours just sitting on that island out in the ocean looking at the Arclight partially submerge out in the distance. Another game I backed Heavy Gear Assault by Stpmpy Bot is no more. It held such promise then overnight it fell apart. Same thing with Perihelion's MANDATE. I haven't backed Em8er yet because I don't want to experience another Firefall debacle where management or some outsode company takes over all creative decisions and leaves the actual creators out in the cold. Rip Firefall and Red 5 Studios.
Grummz:
We're not bringing on investors who don't understand that WoW with guns is a bad idea or who want a huge WoW style sized success. We're also keeping a very tight reign over our feature set and minimal changes. We take what work from FF and apply it, leave out what didn't.
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Em8ERthegame
AnrothanAhmir:
Hey Big Bud,
1: How often will we (Em-8er Player Community) have planned downtime for updates? Will it be like a Wednesday evening, Sunday morning, ect... or am I thinking too far ahead at this point?
2: Is there a planned set date for the Kick-starter? Also, when can will the last day be to upgrade my current perks on the Em-8er website?
3. How much aware are you that the community as a whole loves, respects, and appreciates what you are doing with this project of yours? As a FF Refugee, I can only say thank you, but can not properly show you how grateful I am for this. Even reimbursing funds players spent in FF... this act in itself made me have hope in the gaming industry. Thank you Big Bud!
Grummz:
Its way too early to know our maintenance window. If we do it like Firefall we can avoid downtime, but we are a smaller team.
KS is stated elsewhere.
I'm very glad to hear the FF community appreciates what we are doing. I'm aware of a fraction of fans who are very active on our Discord, but there were well over a million FF players and we haven't heard from them yet. Spread the word!
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Lithious:
Hi Mark, long time fan of your game design. I've only found out about ember within the last month as life has gotten in the way of a lot of my gaming and most specifically MMOs.
That and interest in the last few years do to a bunch of MMOs that have fallen flat (the 2010s have been flat compared to the 2000s)
Do you currently have a favorite MMO to play when your not busy at work?
Grummz:
I don't. I really can't stand the quest, dailies, dungeon, raid trope anymore. I'm looking at multiple ways to break out of it.
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Em8ERthegame
Enthrawling:
For the people here, having not read about it anywhere else: when will the Kickstarter happen?
Grummz:
A few months but we do accept pre backers now. Growing a community prior to the KS is vital. We can't link it here but poke around our discord server (in my twitter profile @Grummz)
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Gameshareer:
Just how true is the statement "there are many conservative devs within the industry that stay quiet as to remain employed" in your experience?
Grummz:
Right now it's very true in any field of entertainment.
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Em8ERthegame
VirtualKoba:
When will em8er get released?
Grummz:
We'll announce a release date after our Kickstarter. That will tell us how much support and budget for scope we have.
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Em8ERthegame
bandos1234:
All my questions will be about Em8er ^^
1. When will the game be playabel for others and how much will it cost?
2. Will there be story missions and quests?
3. How limited is the map? (size of the playabel area)
4.If the games map is going to progressivly be larger, then how will it progress? Do players have to collect resources to build somekind of a tower or a beacon that will make land area safe for players to woder around in the unknown? (thinking if the games map is going to be similar to FF's world, where most of the planet was covered in stuff that killes ppl)
5. How customisabel will your character and Omniframes be visually?
6. What kind of apilitys will there be and can you modify them in any way?
7. What kind of resource will the apilitys need to be used or is it all just going to be cooldown based?
8. Are there going to be some bosses or events that will need a big platoon of people with high tier gear for some unique rewards?
9. How will the inventory and crafting work in the game? is it going to be similar or the same like it worked in FF?
10. What was your reaction when you saw that they ruined FF?
Grummz:
The game will be in playable mockup state, with a single THMPR mining encounter (waves of enemies type deal with a roving, fighitng THMR mech), in a few months before our KS goes live. This will be streamed by backers during the KS.
At launch there will not be any story missions or quests. This is more of game where you are out building up bases around the planet, deploying terraformers to transform Biomes, and fighting invasions that go on all the time.
We will ship the game with a handful of zone maps around 4-8 sq km in size. We roll out more zones over time.
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Em8ERthegame
acp_rdit:
Firefall jump jets were amazing and made even fetch quests fun, will Em8er have similar mechanics?
Grummz:
Em8ER is going to have a lot of focus on mobility, so FF style jump jets and gliding are in. However, unlike FF you can deploy gliding without a launch pad.
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Em8ERthegame
TurtlesgonnaTurtle:
Is there going to be a cosmetic shop? I'd love a heavy turtle omniframe
Also are you looking forward to the Classic WoW Summer?
Grummz:
Since you pay one (higher end Indie price) time for the game, we pay for servers by selling skins. We don't believe in predatory lootboxes so you just pay for them outright. You can mix and match skins to create unique combos. Skin your Omniframe THMPR and weapons. etc.
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Em8ERthegame
Mildra:
Any chance we'll see a preview pdf of Crixia in 2019?
Grummz:
Yes! We are launching our own patreon style system on our website in the next week or two. You will get a drip feed of Crixa tabletop rules (the universe of Em8ER) each month. Other things you get are draft chapter of the Em8ER novel, game design doc updates, a private forum section, and a skin of the month club features a weapon skin this month.
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Em8ERthegame
myxaplix:
Any projected date for the game to go alpha and beta
Will the game be story/mission driven or more event driven like Firefall
Grummz:
We will add dynamic events after launch. I like those much better than static story missions and its better for a small team to pull off.
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Em8ERthegame
Drakin5:
Will there be community driven cosmetic shops in the store later on?
Grummz:
I dont know yet but we get asked this a lot. Sounds like something we should consider.
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Em8ERthegame
blain20:
1. Will an Em-8ER account have multiple characters, will it have one character that can change classes by changing out equipment, or both?
2. Would playing Em-8ER with a gaming controller be limiting compared to a keyboard? In other words, will there be a lot of abilities that won't fit on the controller?
3. What other media do you want to use to tell the story of Em-8ER?: novels, graphic novels, cartoon, etc.
4. I make MUDs (text RPG), if you might be interested in fooling around with making one for fun sometime.
5. Will Em-8ER be released for consoles and/or mobile?
6. Will there be navel in Em-8ER?
Grummz:
An Em8ER account has one character name but a large number of Omniframes you can build.
We will be supporting gaming controllers, and this will put an upper limit on the amount of active firing abilties. We want this anyways as we want you to choose your loadout meaningfully with tradeoffs.
We have a novel in the works for Em-8ER that will be part of our patreon style monthly program coming in 2 weeks. This will help develop the lore for the game for FUTURE story based mission (not at launch).
I love MUDS, so yes.
Do you not have phones? We only have plans for PC right now.
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Em8ERthegame
joshdfw:
Kevin Jordan has been streaming recently. It's really entertaining to watch an original wow dev play other games and talk about his experiences and his take on current games. Have you ever thought of streaming? IRL stream a day at the Em-8ER office perhaps.
Grummz:
I'm already struggling to get a small update video out per week and do all the other Em8ER stuff that needs to happen. So unfortunately I don't think so.
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S3trak:
When will the Kickstarter be released?
Grummz:
In a few months, no other details at this time.
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Aquila_Osmund:
Will Em-8er have fishing? Also will we see many side-activities and cool areas to explore in the game's down time when you're away from the action?
Grummz:
My wife would kill me if I didn't do fishing, at some point, in Em8ER. It's her fav thing and the reason why I asked for it to be put into WoW.
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Em8ERthegame
Kaelath_The_Red:
Neko mecha when
Grummz:
I'm not opposed. We even did some Halloween concept art for this. It will be a skin for sure.
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Em8ERthegame
Pandagnome:
1. How long could someone stand or ride a kaiju before it throws them or blasts them away?
2. Will there be kaiju's hidden in the clouds?
3. If so could they possess the power of lightening?
4. How far away from the sun is em8er planet and is there more than 1 sun?
5. When could we see a nice time line image?
6. If hot pants are available could it be hot enough so that it melts the snow with steam effect?
7. Can we expect to see some racing in the game with our vehicles/mechs?
8. How far away are we to the demo release?
9. Do kaiju's make poops if so are they acidic or explosive?
10. Can we expect to see a symbol of em8er reaper on our pilot outfit like in star trek?
Grummz:
Your THMPR's drill will pierce the heavens, drop the cloud Kaiju on the round and then you can ride it to victory while wearing hotpants. ...just kidding.
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Em8ERthegame
SHROOOOOOM_S:
Would you consider expanding the Kickstarter Exclusive rewards to some custom bikes, in similar vein to the FireFall founders packs? (Dropships don't really interest me but a custom bike might earn a pledge!)
Grummz:
Unfortunately the bikes were promised as an early backer exclusive.
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Em8ERthegame
Jesus_Faction:
In your opinion, what was the main reason Firefall wasn't a big success? And how are you applying those lessons learned to Em-8ER?
Grummz:
The beta version I presided over was the most popular. The one they finally shipped changed the game completely after I left and it became wow with guns. Copying wow is the worst thing you can do.
Also, our feature set is much more focused on what was fun from Firefall (thumper, crafting and invasions) and leaves out the rest.
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Phyrak:
Do you have any favorite meme or meme format mark?
(PS. Give a call back to the choppers of firefall when em8er gets released, I miss that motor bike)
Grummz:
My fav current meme format is the one from the dad and son arguing on that bike show.
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joshdfw:
If you weren't doing Em-8ER....If Blizzard came to you after BFA launched and wanted you to come back and run the show, what Ion does now, assuming they gave you enough zero's on the check, Would you?
Grummz:
No, I would not. Blizzard is just not the same anymore. Also, nobody will cut that check to me or anyone else on the vanilla team.
The team there has their own visions for WoW now.
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Em8ERthegame
Dinsdale_The_Piranha:
Is there really going to make a big announcement tonight, or are you going to leave us with blue balls?
Grummz:
After feedback I unfortunately had to retract this statement. The idea needs more refining.
I'll offer another new tidbit in it's place. We're going to make the playable mockup multiplayer for the KS. That's a big change for us but we want to do this. It's a multiplayer game after all, so the tiny mockup should reflect this.
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Em8ERthegame
Rosemourne:
I played Firefall and I loved the complexity of the original crafting system. After seeing change after change after change I eventually became bitter towards losing the Firefall I fell in love with.
Em-8ER seems like it's a chance for me to get the game I fell in love with, and I jumped in on the indiegogo campaigns. However, I'm a bit concerned about producing as fine a product on crowdfunding, given it's history.
Are you aiming to completely crowdfund Em-8ER, or will the crowdfunding be used to build a model you can take to other investors?
Grummz:
I'm doing everything I can to avoid investors this time around. Crowdfunding will be key, but we hope to approach partners for, say, region publishing or even consoles as a way to bolster development.
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FrankAndMilly:
How often do you play games for fun?
What is top of your bucket list?
Grummz:
Right now? I just bought Atlas and will be playing that. I also have been playing Anthem and Destiny 2.
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joshdfw:
If Classic WoW ends up doing explosively well and retail stays in it's current decline. Do you think that could possibly change how they do things? aka classic being an eye opener
Grummz:
I think it will do well and boost subs overall but I don't think it will be so big as to divert their current MMO dev path.
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Sprickels:
How do you feel about the current state of Blizzard and World of Warcraft?
Grummz:
I don't play modern WoW. I AM concerned about Blizzard's current health and strategy.
They are developing a TON of games now and spreading themselves far too thin. Quality before quantity and sequels pls.
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Mildra:
The most important question to ask:
........Who's the tank?
Grummz:
Love that video!
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Apptendo:
Who is your waifu ?
Grummz:
The russian pilot from Muv-Luv.
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MarkyX:
What exactly made Blizzard cancel Warcraft Adventures? The leaked version seemed it was mostly complete
Grummz:
Warcraft adventures was made by a 3rd party. I've been an adventure game fanatic for years so I was tasked with turning it around. I brought in Steve Meretzky from Infocom fame and we, together with others, sealed ourselves in a conference room and completely redesigned the game.
Unfortunately the 3rd party team could not make the changes without too much time and effort. The code I looked at was a huge mess of copy paste and duplication. So we had to make the tough decision to cancel it. I was the one that said we should cancel it and Bill Roper agreed and lead the charge to shut it down rather than tarnish the brand.
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mookler:
What was your favorite part about working at Blizzard?
Grummz:
I loved the smartness of everyone working together. The passion and the arguments but the focus on what was best for the gamer and the game.
I miss that. I don't think Blizzard has that anymore. It's full of politics and layers now.
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MrBibim:
Why are you doing this on reddit and not on 8chan?
Grummz:
I did one on 8Chan 3 years ago. I'll prob do an Em8ER specific one there soon.
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Nrdrsr:
Are you harassed often because of your political views?
From your contacts in the industry how prevalent is the toxic SJW culture at the moment, amongst regular employees and management at various large publishers?
Where do you think the industry is headed in this regard?
Do you think diablo mobile was a good idea? There seems to be a disconnect between what consumers seem to want, and what the teams think the market wants. How does this kind of a bubble even happen?
Grummz:
Yes, some days I get over 10,000 messages on Twitter if I say something like #GamersAreGood and post positive messages of gaming. People really got triggered over that, insisting gamers are toxic. Go figure.
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Youngphycouant:
Hi Mark
I have this massive concept for game one day that I want to make. Yet I’m not really sure how to pitch my ideas or even getting a foot in the gaming industry. There’s also a lot of uncertain feeling I have towards the industry at the moment. Like gaming becoming more about making money instead of amazing adventures from start to finish. The chasing of trends like Battle Royale and the mass lay offs I hear about. I’m just asking would the gaming industry be a good career to chase? I would like to help make a game one day.
Also I love Diablo 1 and 2 and haven’t played the 3rd one yet.
Grummz:
Ideas and pitches are not valuable. Sorry...
It's all about who can execute on a concept and make the idea fun.Game careers are difficult. You move a lot and it can be rough. But the rewards are great if you find the right team
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pmmeyourspaceshark:
Do you think the heavy reliance on influencer marketing, both free and booked, negatively affects the diversity of the market in favor of hype and fads?
Grummz:
Not in this case, because of streaming you can SEE the game itself. So even if the influencer is hyped you can tell if the game sucks or not by watching them play it. That balances the hype, I feel.
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hermano_desperto:
Do you even lift?
Grummz:
I do! But I'm no power lifter. Just regular strength training 3 times a week.
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joshdfw:
What was the attitude around the Blizzard office when Activision came in? Was there anyone against it? What were your personal feelings?
Grummz:
While I was gone by the time Activision came in, we had several other buyouts while I was there. Each time we retained complete control and independence due to our strength of sales and market leadership and ironclad leaders who would quit before they submitted to overlords.
This has obviously changed since Blizzard no longer has the genre busting sales clout it used to.
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Em8ERthegame
pinkbits:
How many party buses will this game have?
Grummz:
ALL the busses.
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Em8ERthegame
Drakin5:
Will there be tsi-hu waifus?
Grummz:
No, but there might be waifu skins for player's pilots
We're not an anime styled game though.-------------------------------------------------------------------
SeanFromPA:
Do you honestly think its still possible to make a fair, competitive, merit based video game such as Starcraft in 2019?
The only honest titles that remain are Starcraft and Counter-Strike that got their start before social justice took over the publicly traded game developers.
Grummz:
I dont' think anything is stopping you from creating a game free of politics. Just do it. Em-8ER is not going to be pushing any agendas here.
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VirtualKoba:
whats your fav anime
Grummz:
Tri-gun!
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Em8ERthegame
ZoroastrianChemist:
Are you thinking of changing the name? EM-8ER is just so hard to remember. At least just to EMBER: blah blah blah. Or maybe do some SEO work around to get your game to show up on EMBER search.
Grummz:
There is already a game on Steam called Ember, so we went with Em-8ER. No name change is planned.
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Grummz:
Okay, that wraps our our hour here. Tks again for having me. I thought I was going to get a lot of Blizzard questions but I was happy to discuss Em-8ER too. I normally don't talk enough about what I'm currently doing.
Be sure to drop by our Discord! I can't link it here but you can find it on my Twitter profile.
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