GamersInfo.net: Meridian 59 Evolution has been more than a year in the making. How does it feel to have the upgrade/expansion completed and available for players?

Meridian 59E: Being such a small company, the workload on everyone has been pretty high. Even with outside help, such as MisterY who made the new client, and some of our contract artists, it was still a slightly bumpy road. It's a great relief to finally have everything done and working and in the hands of the players who have waited so patiently.

We're extremely proud of the work we've managed to put into the game and have been constantly working to improve it and make it user-friendlier. Players that have any experience with other online RPGs or first person shooters should feel right at home with these features.

GamersInfo.net: The most obviously noticeable change in M59E is the graphics. However you've added new functionality to the user interface and bug fixes. What inspired the changes and how do you feel it makes the game better than before?

Meridian 59E: The main thing that influenced a lot of our decisions was the players. The game is made for them, and they know what they want. Along with the new graphics and the dynamic lighting we added the functionality for key binding, and per-character hotkeys. We constantly peruse the message boards and have heard countless times, "Wouldn't it be nice if we could configure the keys?"

Since Meridian is so fast paced when it comes to PvP we also wanted to add things such as Mouselook, and so far the response has been great. It allows players to look around faster, and adds a whole new level of strategy to the game. Even the most seasoned players of other online games should feel at home, and enjoy our newer changes.

GamersInfo.net: One of the most touted advantages to Meridian is "balanced Player vs. Player". To many, this term is an oxymoron. Can you explain, in detail, how you determine when balance is achieved and what exactly that means?

Meridian 59E: No game is 100% balanced. The great thing about the game, though, is that we're constantly tweaking and engineering more balance into the game based on observation and player feedback.

The main reason we can say that we have balanced Player vs. Player is that for every attack, or spell, there is a defense, or a spell that can defend you. Let's take for example two player's fighting. Player A decides to cast blind on Player B, making them unable to see. Player B, thinking ahead, cast the spell Eagle Eyes. This can cut down the time they are blind, or even completely negate the spell. Player A, seeing that they have Eagle Eyes up, then brings in their friend, Player C, who tries to purge the Eagle Eyes from Player B. Player B, planning for this has thrown up an anti-magic aura, to weaken any spell in the room cast, but Player A casts discordance to try to remove this, etc, etc. You will rarely feel helpless unless you are completely unprepared.

GamersInfo.net: Meridian 59 is a game of skill, not equipment. Beyond pushing the right button at the right time, what does this mean? What skills must you develop to beat an elder character?

Meridian 59E: There's a lot of knowledge that goes into playing the game. The depth to PvP combat is extremely well tested and there's no overpowering character class. This allows people to constantly devise new strategies to try out against their enemies, who then devise strategies to stop them.

Meridian 59 involves a lot of movement, strafing around your enemy, choosing the correct spells to attack them with, and the right weapon to use against their armor. Certain spells can be amplified by choosing the wrong type of shield; certain spells can deflect your attack back at you.

Of course, building your character is also important. You can build any almost any type of character you want with a skill-based system, instead of being restricted to levels and classes. They are, however, organized into seven specific schools that will be familiar to anyone familiar with RPGs. There's the school of Faren, filled with elemental attacks, such as fireball and lightning wall. Want healing powers, and to slay the undead with ease, protecting yourself from negative spells? Shal'ille would be the way to go. You can learn between two and four of these schools, but once you learn the skills of one you're usually able to hold your own against others in guild vs. guild combat.

GamersInfo.net: Something I've seen little mention of regarding the game is how the environment reacts to the players. In the Fey area, the type of Fey killed changes the environment; the number of players determines the rate of monster spawn. Can you speak to this and give us more examples?

Meridian 59E: Using the Fey, as an example, the node that the players venture after in this area requires all the areas in the Vale to be either completely dark (by killing all the good fey) or completely light (by killing all the evil fey). After they are all killed a mystical mana node will come up and only those who follow the karmic path of the vale at that time can meld with it. [Ed.- Mana nodes power the magic of Meridian 59]

Another example would be the lair of the Orc Pit Boss, deep within the caves under Meridian. Several players must work together to operate the puzzle required of them to lower down into the chamber. Once there, players can work together slaughtering the orcs in the area to collect some of the harder to get resources and sell them to others in the game.

The Smuggler's Crossing requires players to travel from opposite ends of Meridian through the pitch-black sewers before they reach the gates. A lever on each side will open a gate at the opposite side letting your fellow adventurers into the area. Not to mention it requires a bit of teamwork to bring down the gargantuan Lupogg King.

GamersInfo.net: "Murderer" status is something that is showing up in new generation games. How does this relate to Meridian 59 and what is the difference between PK and PvP? Why would anyone WANT to go "PK" and be a murderer?

Meridian 59E: The great thing about Meridian 59 is that is has a smaller community compared to most other online RPGs. This means that within the world you can make a name for yourself. Being branded a murderer has more meaning for others since they'll most likely know someone that has been unfortunate enough to fall by your hand. Living the life of a murderer being hunted by innocent players can be a lot of intense fun.

GamersInfo.net: If a player wanted to learn about the game world, what would you tell them about the back-story? How have events over the years changed the tenor of the game? And what are some of your favorite events?

Meridian 59E: Meridian has the benefit of being around a long time. There's a lot of very rich back-story involved, from the aforementioned vale, the Orc invasion on the city of Tos, all the way to the infamous assassination of the Duke of Tos. Throughout the land, hidden away or in the libraries, you can find books outlining all of this, and shining insight onto the lore of the land.

One of the events that changed the tenor of the land was the murder of Duke Kalior. This reshaped the factions that were already in place at the time. The new duke had a completely different outlook on the world, so the bonuses received from him needed to reflect his attitude. The other factions began suspecting the new duke of assassinating Kalior, and soon began looking unfavorably toward him, in some cases shunning his followers.

Some of my favorite events are the ones where players get involved and help to shape the plot themselves. Very often, we won't script the end of an event since we assume that the players will have some unique changes to make on their own. Evil players can come in and kill the protagonist in an event, or mistrustful players will slaughter a mysterious traveler even before hearing their story! It's our challenge to change the plot to fit their actions. =)

GamersInfo.net: Meridian is a PvP-centric game however no one enjoys doing nothing but killing other people 24/7 (well, no one playing the game we hope). What other activities are there for players in the game? Is it quest-oriented? Or, is it hunting oriented with variable environments?

Meridian 59E: Meridian 59 encourages player vs. player encounters beyond just simple killing. For example, there are several mini-games that have been incorporated into the game. This, coupled with the highly social atmosphere, provides a fun playing environment event if that doesn't mean killing anyone you see. =)

There's the Assassin's Game, which relies on stealth and cunning, not strength or true aim; the arena and occasional Royal Tournaments, where you can test your virtue against others for a chance at a coveted prize. The Soldier Game can let you kill other soldiers without worry of becoming a murderer or outlaw, and getting bonuses to your stats. Your guild can plan a war against an enemy guild, allowing you to plan attacks, raid guildhalls, and even have a full-scale war in the streets of a city!

GamersInfo.net: Now that Meridian 59 Evolution is launched and live, what are your plans for the future? And if you could put in one impossible feature, what would it be?

Meridian 59E: We love the game and really enjoy it. We've all been known to make characters of our own and play amongst the other players. We've put a lot of effort into the game and hope to continue supporting it for many, many years.

Now that we finally have the new update done and the game is stable we're looking to continue expanding the game. We'd love to add more content, new monsters, new abilities and such. We're hoping to add in a bit more high-end scenarios for the players, engaging them against each other in fun and original ways. At the moment we're working on expanding some of our spells, adding new uses beyond just Player vs. Player combat.

What impossible feature would we add? There's far too many things that we'd love to add to the game, but currently don't have the resources for. Re-doing all of the artwork would be great, but far too much for our budget at the moment. Maybe we can save up and start work on a sequel? Anything's possible. =)

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