Shadowrun Online is still in growth , but there are big plan to tie the game to tabletop Shadowrun ’s big summer campaign , Lockdown . The developers let me try on an early build of the game , and talked to me about all things cyberpunk .
While Shadowrun Online is n’t due for launch until deep in 2014 , an former version of the secret plan is on Steam and available to Kickstarter backers . It will be a costless - to - play secret plan with an optional bounty membership . Its flair is very similar to the highly successful exclusive - player Shadowrun Returns — it ’s a turn - based activity game in which you see your character from above , directing them to move through the gamey Blade Runnerish street taking top , fire weapons and casting spell . There ’s a very strong noir detective vibration .
Even the extremely other interpretation I assay was a lot of playfulness . While major systems like fictional character creation and conscientious objector - op are n’t ready yet , it was dead simple to dive justly in and run some of the preliminary missions . You direct your Shadowrunners with mouseclicks , and it ’s well-fixed to see where they can go with a walking or a sprint ( which practice up your whole turning ) . The cover song system is nonrational and effortless to utilize . There ’s a decent amount of tactical astuteness , even with a very circumscribed powerset — you could fire a machine grease-gun in a volley or on full auto , with various drawbacks and benefit for each mode .
Jan Wagner , Creative Director & Thomas Weilguny , Content Director , both from Cliffhanger Productions , explained to me their ambitious architectural plan for connecting Shadowrun Online to sanctioned event inthe Shadowrun campaign world .
io9 : To start , could you tell me about the storyline of Shadowrun Online , and how it will intersect with Lockdown ? How will player natural action online be tied to the tabletop campaign ?
Thomas Weilguny : Lockdown offer the whole background to the Shadowrun : Online secret plan earth . Major events that are behind the activeness in Shadowrun : Online are described in particular in Lockdown and everything that goes on within Shadowrun : Online fit into the Lockdown scenario . There are also some locations and character that we ’ll encounter in the game , as well as the backstory bear on the machination of the potbelly behind the problematic grounds of the lockdown . evidently the military campaign al-Qur’an will be more open and also has a much wider scope then the Online Game can have , and also different missions . We did not want Lockdown to be a composition board cut - out rendering of a computer plot – these often terminate ill – but a fully - feather Shadowrun movement in its own right .
Jan Wagner : With the construct of the online world affecting the tabletop circumstance and story , our plot plays a outstanding role in the tabletop plot and is already foreshadowed in current publications . what is more , our players will decide the fate of one of the megacorps as a major consequence , which is going to be demoted from the incarnate council … and our players will square off which one it is .
io9 : How will Shadowrun Online handle some of the more abstractionist elements of the Shadowrun universe , like Matrix activity or astral forms ?
Thomas Weilguny : There will be the occasional financial backing from the off - site decker , but for most of that we ’ve attempt to make cut up part of the brush . That means that there ’s fighting hacking , some Augmented Reality activity , but no pure matrix test or excursions to the astral plane . The main guiding factor for us is that we do not want participant characters in a group to “ play their own game ” while everyone else wait for them to finish . ground substance runs or offer Astral base on balls have that tendency to make everyone else go get Pizza , watch TV and come back 2 hours later . In the online game we require everyone in the group to be dynamic at all times .
io9 : I liked some of the interactive environs in the early mission , like opening the dead body drawers in the chop shop . Any plans to expand that system ? ( I found myself urgently want to tap the soda machines in the Stuffer Shack for a immediate refreshment ) .
Jan Wagner : Thanks ! Yeah , we ’re decidedly talking about using that more often – right now we are focalize on adding more missions to the campaign but in the end we trust to add a lot more life to each of the missions . Hopefully , this wo n’t just think clickable stuff and nonsense , but also newscasts that bear on to the ongoing story of Lockdown and so on .
io9 : What kind of systems will be in place for players to team up with friends , word form society , trade gear , and so forth ?
io9 : Can you differentiate me about the Shadowrunner customization system ? Which elements of a role can be custom-make ?
Jan Wagner : Character creation and progression , which will be coming in a next update , is entirely skill - base and class - free as in the tabletop game . We will apply skill - trees for specific skill areas to allow you to easily make original – say you want a Decker , you could specialize in security arrangement hacking or combat hacking and also learn pistol , specify in tasers , pistols , revolver etc . Also , skills for us do not just mean “ the same , but better . ” They actually open up young tactical pick for armed combat , which think you will become more various as a quality .
Thomas Weilguny : The unlike airstream ( or metatypes ) of characters are obviously a vital part of the Shadowrun universe . With the introduction of character creation we would like to unfreeze a new wash along with each update leading up to set up . you could choose your gender and we have an expanding range of clothes , item slots , and coiffure so you could customize your graphic symbol from head to toe .
For a bit more information you may have a look at ourdress - up dev journal .
io9 : What have you got planned in terms of adding content down the line ? New storylines ? More gear , options , and system ? What can instrumentalist await to see ?
Thomas Weilguny : What you see right now is just a prequel to introduce the independent game system of rules and to gather feedback . With those systems in office , adding new mission , storylines , and gear is emphatically a priority . We are constantly acquaint feature film both big and small , like the recent plus of warning gadget organisation , to more expansive skill options that earmark player to explore new combination , like the creation of Technomancers .
Jan Wagner : Of course , the biggest feature article to come is the main campaign , which will evolve found on the corporate action of players – fresh mission will be based on the outcomes of certain events or on how a majority of players resolve certain missions , so the time to come of our universe is role player - driven to a high level .
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