Dragon Empires to be developed by American and English teams by
VGLN Staff
Sunday, February 3, 2002
Another online RPG will attempt to claim it's stake as the best, this time from Codemaster's.
Dragon Empires, the new online RPG from Codemaster's (Operation Flashpoint) will now be cross-developed by both American and English teams. This collaboration will bring together U.S. and European players in the game’s online forum and forthcoming Beta Test program.
U.S. and UK talent is involved in Dragon Empires’ creation, constructing a game that combines the best of European and American game design techniques to satisfy players on both sides of the pond. The game’s design is the product of the two teams’ collaboration. Headed by producer Ted Carron, the game’s development is split between Codemasters’ UK development studios in Warwickshire and its Oakhurst studio in California. The US team has over 10 years experience in MMORPG’s, with Mark Zechiel as US Studio Head and Designer. Server Programming and the game’s visuals are led from the US. The majority of Client Programming and World Building comes from the UK.
“Dragon Empires is an intense and competitive game that drives people into groups. We’ve been aware from the game’s inception that its design must accommodate and appeal to U.S. and European players alike, whether we see the formation of transatlantic clans or not,” says Dragon Empires’ Producer Ted Carron. “The location and experience of the teams ensures we produce a play environment that works across international boundaries.”
Similarly, Dragon Empires’ forthcoming Beta Test program seeks a good spread of players from the U.S. and Europe. With tens of thousands of prospective players already registered to participate. Codemasters is eager to hear from more Beta Testers who want to help shape Dragon Empires in this massive ‘hands across the ocean’ project. The sign up page for the Beta Test is located at: http://www.codemasters.com/dragonempires/beta_form.php
Before the Beta Testing begins, the Dragon Empires community is already building with much activity on the game’s forum. The forum sees both gamers suggesting ideas and the teams using it as a sounding board for their concepts and research. Gamers can make their opinions heard and make them count by being an active participant in the forum, which can be easily accessed from the game’s web site at: http://www.codemasters.com/dragonempires
The English language version of Dragon Empires is scheduled to be available in Q3 2002 for PC gamers. The game will be launched as a boxed product with players subscribing on a monthly basis to play.
