14 DAY TRIAL // Marvel Heroes is getting ready to launch its biggest update yet and Jeff Donais, the creative director at developer Gazillion, has answered a number of questions about the game and its future exclusively for Softpedia.
Softpedia: Could you first give us an overview of the 2.0 update for Marvel Heroes and how it will change the core gameplay experience?
Jeff Donais: Game Update 2.0: Asgard will be one of the biggest patches to date for Marvel Heroes and will be the first patch that expands on the Story content in the game complete with new motion comics. Additional new content includes: New zones and a server wide mission to unlock the Bifrost Bridge, our first playable villain: Loki, a new hero starting lineup, and legendary items.
Softpedia: Is the focus on simply delivering more content for players to explore or on making sure that mechanics offer more depth?
Jeff Donais: Both! Content and game systems/mechanics are both paramount to the longevity of a game. Some Game Updates might focus on polishing and enhancing existing or new game mechanics and other Game Updates might focus on content delivery.
Softpedia: How much has community feedback mattered in the creation process of the 2.0 update?
Jeff Donais: We take player feedback very seriously. We communicate and solicit feedback from our community regularly and we view our forums as a vehicle to interact and work together with our players.
Softpedia: Are there any plans to deliver special offers or other incentives to attract gamers who might have abandoned Marvel Heroes soon after launch?Jeff Donais: Yes, this is something we consider all the time and we do have plans for this. We have worked tirelessly to make the game awesome and feel that the scope of improvements is so significant that launch players will be very impressed with everything that we have done!
Softpedia: Do you have any plans to expand the range of initial heroes that a player can choose from?
Jeff Donais: Absolutely! Starting with Game Update 2.0 – Asgard new players will be able to choose from a lineup of nine heroes, up from the original five when Marvel Heroes was launched.
Softpedia: Are there any plans to make changes to the pricing structure for new heroes and customization options?
Jeff Donais: We are always looking at how we can improve both our customization and pricing options.
Softpedia: Some players have criticized the game for lacking any tactical aspect regarding the combat, how do you plan to alleviate that issue?
Jeff Donais: Overall, this is something we are always iterating on. We recently did a complete rework of Iron Man, Spider-Man and Colossus and review every hero on the list until they are complete. The goal is to make every Hero as rewarding and fun as possible. New enemies and (maybe even existing enemies) will have new mechanics to keep combat challenging.
Softpedia: Is there any area of the Marvel universe or any hero that you absolutely want to include in the game, but have been unable to do so until now?Jeff Donais: We have a very long list of Heroes that we plan to add to the game and the challenge is with managing the huge amount of content that we would like to add. There is 10 years of content that we plan to add and we have to use great patience to pace everything. In the near future we plan to add Gambit, Nightcrawler, and Ghostrider!
Softpedia: What’s your favorite hero to play as and you favorite power?
Jeff Donais: I like two types of heroes the most. The first are heroes that have a strategic element, such as Rocket Raccoon. I also enjoy playing heroes that have the feeling of shooting everything in sight, like Hawkeye, Punisher, etc.
