Exploring a World of Virtual Mythology - Gods and Heroes
by Matt Eberle

Stieg Hedlund, Lead Designer for the upcoming MMO was kind enough to answer a few questions we had about the world, mythology, and character development available in Gods and Heroes.

When I first saw Gods and Heroes at E3 this past Spring I was very impressed. The graphics were excellent, the soundtrack was glorious, and the developers had a host of new ideas to bring to the MMO genre. With its release date getting closer we’ve gotten the chance to ask the people behind this upcoming title a few questions about the game. After all, what gamer could possibly resist hearing about one of the next big MMO’s?

Question: How much Greek and Roman mythology will players need to know in order to enjoy the game?

Stieg: None—the experience does not require any knowledge like this, although those who do know it might appreciate the references…

One of the big points in the E3 demo was the various ways in which a character can be “leveled up.” One of the most interesting was earning favor with the gods. How can players earn the favor of the gods? And what can cause them to lose that favor?

Stieg: The gods are notoriously capricious and demand things of the player fairly regularly—if the player calls upon the gods too often those gods will become irritated with him; to please the gods the player must perform quests or render tribute at temples.

Will a player be able to earn the favor of multiple gods, or be restricted to working for a single deity?

Stieg: The player must select one god to remain loyal to, though he can perform some services for others, he must be careful not to displease his own.

One of the persistent banes of the MMO world is dealing with “pet classes.” Gods and Heroes avoids that trap by giving all players the ability to recruit followers. Could you tell us a little about how the system will work?

Stieg: There are people in the world you can attempt to hire. If you are successful they will join you and become available in your camp. As you increase in level your ability to command these minions increases, so that you can have larger and larger squads. Minions have different types, like heavy infantry, ranged fighters and casters. You can organize them into units and formations to carry out different strategies in battle. At very high levels you can gain the ability to command mythological creatures as minions.

Question: The world of Gods and Heroes is taken from historical fact with a few mythological additions. What is the setting like for the players? What role do the players have in the city of Rome?

Stieg: The setting is a very rich one, there is quite a lot going on from ordinary troubles like Phorcides (a mythological sea-creature) snatching cattle from ranchers to high-level political intrigues in the emerging City-State of Rome. As players are heroes of Rome, they are called upon to protect her citizens and aid in her plans for expansion.

In addition to human opponents from different civilizations the players will be facing creatures from the legends of Rome and Greece. What kinds of creatures will players run into?

Stieg: There are quite a lot of them; Cyclopes, Minotaurs, Fauns, Centaurs, snake-headed Gorgons, Cerberus – the 3 headed dog of Hades, Gigantes – awesome tree wielding giants, and Nymphs to name just a few.

How much of an effect will the players have on the ongoing plot of Gods and Heroes? Will the players’ successes or failures change “history” as we know it?

Stieg: There will be many opportunities to perform unique deeds and alter the course of events in the world.

Will players be able to encounter the famous heroes of the past, like Hercules, Odysseus, or Achilles?

Stieg: The heroic age has passed, but people still tell of the deeds and sing the songs of these great heroes…

There have been several methods for travel around the worlds of online games. As games expand and get larger, these travel arrangements become very important. How large is the world of Gods and Heroes, and what means are there for players to travel?

Stieg: It is a pretty large world, and in order to get around we have several systems: Chariots which can carry you along the roads, ships for sea travel, flying creatures that can carry you over high mountains, and god portals which instantly send you to distant realms, as well as personal mounts.

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