CCP首席程序设计师：将发布免费拓展包

（Interview with Matthías Guemundsson，lead programmer in CCP）

Q1. 目前《星战前夜.EVE Online》已在中国公测。玩家都知道这是一款与众不同的游戏，那么游戏的元老们究竟是如何构思出这款游戏的呢？
　　(The OBT of EVE Online has been launched in China. All players have the idea that EVE boasts a revolutionary design concept, but how CCP guys initially conceive the game?

A1.  EVE的创意诞生于1997年，它原本是CCP的两位创始人S. Reynir Hardarson(现任CCP创意总监)和Thorolfur Beck的一个很简陋的构思。EVE的正式开发始于1999年，那时我们已经拥有了一个庞大的游戏设计文档和一些设计原画。然而随着开发的不断推进，更多的设计元素被加入，使得最终现在大家看到的EVE和当初的设计已经有了很大不同。其中有些设计元素是许多网络游戏都曾使用过的，但也有些元素是全新的，比如离线技能训练系统和单一世界设定。
　　(The idea of EVE first came to light in 1997. It was originally dubbed Cosmos and was the brainchild of the two founders of CCP, S. Reynir Hardarson and Thorolfur Beck. The actual development started late 1999 and at that point we had a big design document and a few concept drawings. The original design compared to EVE today is a bit different as the design evolved over the development period. Many of the design elements were true and tried MMO concept but a few were quite radical, like the offline skill training and single shard world.)

Q2.  作为《星战前夜.EVE Online》的首席程序设计师，您和您的小组在游戏的开发过程中有没有预留一些未公布的内容等玩家发现呢？并且我们很想了解《星战前夜.EVE Online》的后续开发情况。
　　(As lead programmer of EVE Online, could you tell if there’s some unknown in the game that leaves for players to explore? And we’d like to know the subsequent development of the game, please bring us some news.)

A2.  EVE是一个极为庞大的游戏系统，拥有如此多特性，我想没有一个人可能了解它的所有方面。只要玩家去寻找，他们总能找到新的东西。目前，我们开发的主要精力专注于EVE在中国的启动(EVE中文版启动后程序方面的一系列开发、调整工作)。几个月后，我们将发布一个新的免费拓展包，它将包含一系列新的游戏特性，其中最主要的是派系战争。这将带来一个没有任何其他游戏能比拟的全新层次的游戏方式。在此之后，我们会升级游戏的图形引擎以及绝大部分游戏画面效果(所有的飞船、空间站以及场景等等)。届时，EVE将拥有比目前大家能在任何电影中看到的更炫目的视觉效果。
　　(EVE is a huge game with so many features that I think there’s no single person who knows them all by heart. There will always be new things for players to discover, if they seek them out. Currently our development effort has been focused on publishing EVE in China. In the coming months we will release a new expansion, free of charge. It will include loads of new features, most prominent being factional warfare. This is a whole new level of gameplay that simply cannot be compared to any other game. Shortly thereafter, we will upgrade the graphics engine as well as most the graphics in the game. It will look better than anything seen currently in movies.)

Q3. 《星战前夜.EVE Online》在E3上展示了游戏中的语音聊天系统，这在业界内是一个开山之举，而且《星战前夜 ? EVE Online》和CCP公司凭借这项创举荣获了“金齿轮奖——最佳创新奖”。国服玩家何时可以体验这项新功能？使用该系统对游戏本身的流畅会不会有影响？
　　(EVE Online and CCP Games is granted ‘The Golden Cogs - Most Innovative’ award by Stratics as in-game voice chat is developed by CCP programmers. When do you estimate players on China server would have a chance to experience the advanced function? If in-game voice chat system is deployed to current server or client, will it result in lag or stuck to some extent?)

A3.  EVE语音通讯的整合是CCP和一家专注基于互联网的语音通讯的公司Vivox合作完成的。该语音通讯系统的音效比我知道的任何移动电话的效果要好得多，而且它对带宽的要求并不高。该系统计划于2006年9月或者11月在Tranquility(EVE全球英文版)服务器上推出，中国玩家有望在那之后几个月享受到这项新功能。
　　(The voice integration is made in partnership with Vivox, a company specializing in voice communications over the Internet. The quality of the voice is better than I’ve ever heard over a mobile phone, and it’s not that bandwidth intensive either. This feature is scheduled to launch on Tranquility in September or November. The Chinese players may get it maybe couple of months later.)

Q4.  中国有众多网游玩家对《星战前夜.EVE Online》的上手难度抱有一定恐惧心理，在这种情况下，您认为这款游戏可以有什么是特别吸引他们的呢？
　　(Currently there are a few players in China who think EVE Online is a game somewhat beyond what they can handle. What do you think would be the most attractive feature to those players?)

A4.  新玩家应该尽量完成教程以熟悉游戏的基本规则。另外，尽快加入一个玩家组成的军团也将大大降低新玩家上手难度，让最初的游戏体验更有趣。EVE的老玩家通常都非常友好，乐于帮助新玩家游戏熟悉基本理念。我想说，EVE对一个玩家最具有吸引力的莫过于他们在这个世界里的朋友们。
　　(New players should go through the tutorial to get familiar with the basics of the game. Joining a corporation early on will make things easier and much more fun, as experienced players are very helpful in teaching new members the more advanced game mechanics. I would say the most attractive feature to those players is their fellow citizens of EVE.)

Q5.  非常感谢您接受访问，最后想请问您对CCP合作伙伴光通通信发展有限公司印象最深刻的一点是什么？
　　(Thanks for your time. At the end of our interview, could you give some comment on CCP’s licensing partner Optic Communications? And personally, what’s the most impressive of that company?)

A5.  光通是一个优秀的合作伙伴。光通的所有团队成员对EVE拥有和我们一样的热情。这一点极为重要。我们CCP对EVE的成功有着极强的激情，对我们来说，只有和有着同样激情的公司合作，才能以最专业的态度创造奇迹。

光通所有的EVE项目成员让我在这里度过了一段美妙的时光。我在此向所有人表示感谢，特别值得感谢的是Hog(屈江涛, 光通的技术总监)先生，他在问题解决之前，从来不会放弃努力。
　　(Optic is a great partner. They are as enthusiastic about EVE as we are. It really matters to work with a company that shares the same passion of making EVE a success as well as doing it in a very professional manner.

　　The people here at Optic have made my stay a really enjoyable one. I would like to thank you guys for all the good time, and especially Hog, a true rocker who doesn’t give in until everything is running smoothly.)