The Indie Game Magazine February 2015 | Issue 46 | Page 14

FEATURE INTERVIEW

I

ndie MMOs are not unheard of. In fact, many studios try
their hand at breaking into the market. Whether they be
set in the far future, or medieval times, even the smallest of studios aspire the create the biggest of adventures. A
perfectly named studio to tackle such an endeavor, Above
and Beyond Technologies is currently in production on The
Repopulation, an MMORPG that fits comfortably into the
scifi sandbox genre.

Looking for the hard facts about what sets this game apart
from others in the similarly-themed MMO play-space, I spoke
with Lead Programmer and Designer J.C. Smith, along with
Lore Team Leader Amanda Romig, to get all the details. They
filled me in on what to expect from every aspect of The Repopulation’s development, including story, game mechanics,
and, my favorite, non-combat options for those days when
you just want to de-stress and enjoy the (virtual) outdoors.

Interview with Above & Beyond Technologies
IGM: It’s always a struggle for indie teams to
work on massive-scale projects like MMOs.
How does Above and Beyond Technologies
budget resources while maintaining high
production values?
J.C. Smith: Budget is always a challenge.
Things never move as quickly as you want
them to because you could always use a few
more hands. But I think we’ve done a good
job here. We’ve been able to continue raising
money through the Early Adopter and Early
Access programs, which have allowed us to
steadily increase our budget over time. I think
an indie studio can create high quality, but
the problem is that it takes longer to do so
because you simply have less people.
IGM: How did humans end up on Rhyldan?
What happened to our species to bring us

14

to the brink of extinction?

by Vinny Parisi

in the future, though the likelihood of this
was so minute the crew of the Northern Star
Amanda Romig: Earth experienced increased
was advised to think of Terra as a tomb. It
earthquakes and volcanic activity. Driven by
was better to grieve than hope for something
the need to understand this phenomena,
so unlikely.
scientists drilled into some of the world’s
most dangerous fault lines. The researchers IGM: Choice plays a big role in the game.
inadvertently unleashed high magnitude Can you talk about the non-combat options
earthquakes and a series of volcanic events. players have available to them, for those who
wish to enjoy a more peaceful experience?
Not all believed Earth would wither and die,
but the Corporation was certain that life J.C. Smith: Combat is obviously important
would not be sustainable within the next in games in general. That’s what a lot of
60 years. This prompted the Corporation people love doing; just going out and killing
group to create the Starlis Fleet. The fifty- things or completing activities that make
year endeavor was completed on the heels them feel heroic.
of climate change, thus acknowledging the
In earlier MMOs though, non-combat activineed to seek refuge in the stars.
ties were also very important. Over the years,
It was possible the Earth would undergo a Diku-muds and Theme Park MMOs evolved to
series of climate shifts making it inhabitable dominate the genre, and in most cases used

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