The German sandbox MMO “Das Tal” has already been featured on several English gaming sites and has not only gained some fans in Poland and Russia but also in the USA. In Germany, the game has so far been rather quiet, although it is being developed by a young team in Munich from “Fairtytale Destillery”. Mein MMO spoke with the developer Alexander Zacherl.
The sandbox MMO already boasts some innovative ideas. It will bring PvP-oriented gameplay with some new features: The worlds are to be reset regularly; the tedious “grinding” will only be possible to a limited extent. Recently, “Das Tal” made headlines when it secured funding for the first production phase thanks to government support of over 80,000 euros.
We got in touch with one of the minds behind the game, Alexander Zacherl. We asked him how one actually comes up with the idea of starting their own development studio; what lies behind some of the design decisions of “Das Tal”; whether he dreams of working for a big game giant someday and how he got the Free State of Bavaria to support his game.
“PvP-focused sandbox MMO without grind is our niche”
Hehe. We hear that question often. Partially we are driven by nostalgia (we spent a lot of time in UO & Shadowbane), and partially by the conviction that our niche (PvP-focused sandbox MMO without grind) is simply not adequately served by anyone else. What is currently on the market does not make us happy – and we want to solve that problem now.
How does one actually become a game developer? By developing games
The best preparation is probably to first develop and publish other games. We did that from 2009 to 2012. 2013 was then focused on pre-production. We conducted interviews, developed prototypes, evaluated technologies, and crafted project plans. Because there were still many questions unanswered: “What are we doing? For whom are we doing it? Why is it fun? Who builds it all? How long will it take? What will it cost us?”.
“Game funding has matured”
For me, that was in 2009 after university. My family and acquaintances already knew for years that I would start my own company after graduating. That it ended up being a game studio and not, for example, an agency, was not really surprising to them. More so for myself. Before that, I wasn’t really aware that something like this was even possible.
Yes, there are. But for me, not because of supposedly “lost” income. Because a start-up is simply a different calculation. Instead of “3 years at 60,000 EUR”, one calculates something like “1% chance of 50 million, if it works” (all numbers are purely fictitious). The phases of doubt come more often when things don’t really progress for a longer time or when you spend weeks doing work that is less fun than the actual development.
Educationally valuable thanks to the sandbox
The Free State has become significantly more mature in game funding. While I used to feel that only projects that were “colorful and for children” were funded, today you can certainly submit projects for a more sophisticated audience. For example, we have exciting themes such as “Cooperation vs. Conflict” and “Dealing with scarce resources” in the game through its sandbox character, which meet the demands of a “culturally and pedagogically valuable game”. As for the translation: We will start purely in English, as this saves us a lot of time at the beginning and our core target group has no problem with it. The German translation will then come along with many other languages (Polish & Russian I consider very likely) later.
Stagnation is the end of every MMO
Exactly. Stagnation is the end of every MMO, and, unfortunately, it often comes too early for our taste. We want to give players a goal to work towards – a story arc, so to speak. And because our game worlds end, new ones always have to start as well. This is the opportunity for the players and us to build new worlds with new features, new balance, and completely different gaming experiences. Something new every day.
We are back to the fixed runtime of the servers. Our entire game consists of this early period. Before the social structure has a chance to solidify too much, the game ends with a bang and we start anew. And here again, every player and every clan has the same chance to be successful in this new world.
Cooperation as the key to success, but also not a bed of roses
Relatively simple: We do not want our players to have to grind for 12 hours every day to be competitive – or resort to macros and bots. Because unfortunately, that is exactly what happens when unlimited grinding is possible. We want our players to focus instead on the fun aspect of PvP (in all shapes, sizes, and colors) – even if they only have a few hours a week.
Hehe. Yes, a bit of my conviction is already in there that one is only really strong in a group and must tackle really big problems together. This can be an economic crisis, climate change, or even breaking out of a fantasy prison. However, that does not mean that there must always be only a bed of roses and all players are in a big alliance. Because if we are honest: Not everyone has to get along with everyone, and in a game like ours, the competition makes a lot of fun.
We really don’t care where our players are located. Sure, it’s easier to communicate with other Germans – there’s no language barrier. But in the end, we will distribute our servers worldwide and set them up where our players are. Because in a fast-paced PvP game, they also need a decent ping.
Alpha test starts in July
We are currently preparing for the first alpha test in July. Anyone who wants to participate should register quickly. Until then, we will post important information on our blog (http://das-tal-game.com/tagged/blog) and discuss some design decisions with our community in the forum (http://forum.das-tal-game.com/). We are also available on Twitter, Facebook, and Google+.
I dream of the budget, but not of a foreign studio. Because even if they have made great games: With big studios come rigid structures, motivational problems, and bad design decisions. We will build our own small studio based on our game and try to avoid the mistakes of the existing system. Economic sustainability, creative freedom, enjoyment of work. Although of course, we must first prove that we can do it better – that’s clear. =D
Imagine you no longer have to grind. Imagine you can log into the game and have fun with PvP right away. Build a settlement. Conquer an area. No matter how much time you invest. Whether with 5 or 50 people. Imagine you can determine the rules for how your game world operates. Imagine that you can always try something new. That is “Das Tal”. And here you can sign up for it.
