Atriarch Interview
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Q: This game has been in development for six years. What have been some of the pitfalls of development during that time?
A: The length of time we've been in development is a bit of a rocky subject. Development was stalled a couple years due to a legal battle. One of these days I'll get around to sending out a press release about it. That is past and all is well again on the world of Atriana :-)
I think this is an interesting question. If you had asked me this question six years ago, I would have predicted that if we took this long, then other companies would beat us to the punch. Other companies would implement our new designs and ideas before we do. Being asked that question now, it completely surprises me that Atriarch remains unique. It still stands out in the crowd for its unique blend of gameplay and the alien genre. The Atriarch Team continues to believe that players should have an impact in the world they play and we design accordingly.
Overall, I would have to say that the main pitfall has been the money pit. Since we funded this mostly ourselves, the development moved a bit slower than it would at a fully-funded company. Another downside is that graphics and art has to be updated which is no small task. However, the biggest downside would be the fact that people have to wait so long for the game. Personally, I've never been one for being patient, so I'm looking forward to being out there with everyone as soon as possible! I want to play now too!
On the other hand, there is a huge upside to to the dev time! Many MOG games have come and gone and gone and gone. Yes, there is more competition now, but that also means there is more experience to draw upon for success. We have the opportunity to avoid mistakes that we otherwise would have made. Watching other game companies try out some new designs and features has given us the time to see what works and what doesn't.
