Hollowed Oath, an upcoming MMORPG whose website promises “every journey matters, every scar tells a story, and every Oath carries the weight of survival,” will host a panel during Dragon Con’s 40th anniversary on Sunday at 4PM in Westin Augusta E-H! In preparation for the exciting panel, I spoke with the following contributors to the project:

• Kris “Aporia” Takahashi (KT): CEO, Executive Producer, Creative Direction, Lorekeeper
• Rachael “Nap” Conniff (RC): Lorekeeper Extraordinaire, Quest Writing, Story Building
• Austin “Darksinga” Chong Tim (AT): Programmer, Skills and Abilities, Liaison to Collective Imagination
• Brandon “Ruly” Wilcox (BW): World Inspiration, Interface Systems

Daily Dragon (DD): You have a panel Sunday at 4PM. What are you most excited to share with the other participants of Dragon Con?

KT: The incredible amount of progress the team has made.

DD: Orrathis has a rich backstory involving vanished gods and the mysterious Hollow. What came first—the lore or the gameplay?

KT: The lore by a long shot, and you can feel it in the game play.

RC: With this team, these truly came about equally. The group felt confident about multi–classing and knew they wanted a world where players were heroes that were capable of something special. Immediately, they also agreed the world had gods that disappeared. Everything else grew in detail and function. It’s still growing.

DD: What themes are you exploring through the world and its history?

KT: My favorite thing to do is pick one specific thing in the world and chase it like a thread to all the many things it connects with—like the ogres’ love for stones and cultural significance of aquaculture for both sustenance and pleasure.

RC: It’s truly an expanse of things that both the community and the team have expressed enjoying. If I have to centralize it, I would say it’s about consequences, survival, and the promises people make when the world has given them every reason to stop believing in tomorrow. The weight of an oath could be a burden or a reason to keep hope alive.

DD: One of your standout features is allowing players to combine three classes. What design challenges came with creating hundreds of viable combinations?

KT: At first it felt like balance would be the greatest challenge, but to me it was making each unique class combo feel just different enough from the others to make people want to try it.

DD: Many MMOs expect players to group constantly. Why was it important that Hollowed Oath be enjoyable for solo players as well?

KT: We are all adults now. We don’t have time to sit around waiting for people that might never come. It’s a shame to have a beautiful world but be unable to experience it when you want to.

DD: The “Journey” system lets players help one another organically. How did that idea evolve?

KT: It evolved directly from the above. We didn’t want players to have to wait for others to enjoy what we’ve created, but we didn’t want to take the joy out of grouping with your friends and making new ones. The journey system is the answer to that.

RC: It’s an MMO, meant to be a world where players can connect, enjoy the game, and build or find a community. The Journey system is an accessible way to connect with others in a massive gaming environment. Why not connect with someone else who also wants to enjoy the world? The reason the team is fond of MMOs is for the memories they made, not a game feature or storyline. They reminisce about that one time their friends and they took a detour and had a good time.

DD: What kind of community culture are you hoping to foster?

KT: A community of people that want to be there. People that want the game to succeed and know that their feedback matters. A community of positivity and inclusion.

BW: Players helping players. Our community feels especially supportive of each other compared to others that I’ve been part of. Old hats welcome greenhorns and pass on knowledge alongside well-mannered ribbing and happily help other people within the Discord. I’m hoping to see that extend into the game space post-launch, as well.

DD: Every MMO eventually develops unexpected player traditions. Is there anything you’re hoping players invent on their own?

KT: No, but I can’t wait to see what they come up with.

DD: What’s something about game development that fans rarely appreciate until they’ve seen it firsthand?

KT: How the most seemingly unrelated of ideas can affect just about everything.

DD: Was there a feature you loved that ultimately had to be cut or redesigned?

KT: The greatest pastime Orrathis has ever known, the great board game known as “Echoes and Oaths.” It will come back one day.

BW: There was an early preview of a mini-game that made an appearance on the website prior to everything opening up for public view that I really enjoyed. I’m quietly hoping that it makes a return appearance in some manner in-game. DD note: Ruly is referencing “Echoes and Oaths” in this answer.

DD: Which character class would survive Dragon Con weekend the best?

KT: With that many people in such close quarters? Reaver and Gravebinder for AoE pet goodness, and maybe Justicar or Warden to keep the con-crud at bay.

AT: I am going to put Gravebinder into the hat for no reason other than “OP.”

DD: If Hollowed Oath were adapted into another medium such as a novel, tabletop RPG, or TV series, what would you most want to explore?

KT: See: “Echoes and Oaths.”

DD: What’s the next major milestone you’re most excited for players to experience?

KT: Fishing v2.

AT: Some sort of Player vs Player. I have been working hard at trying to finish the class abilities so I can dip my toes into some PvP!

BW: Testing! We’ve been doing internal testing for months. I’m pumped to get the community in and seeing all the hard work the team has been putting in as well.

DD: Biggest “we accidentally made this too fun” moment during development?

KT: While trying to shoot footage for Kickstarter, I caught myself running around farming mobs—completely forgetting what I was supposed to be doing.

DD: What’s one Easter egg fans should keep an eye out for?

KT: Telling does not an Easter egg make.

BW: The team loves the community, and I’m sure there’s more than a few references to the interactions/fun inside jokes that have/will make appearances for players to discover.

DD: What do you hope players will remember about Hollowed Oath a decade after they first log in?

KT: How beautiful it is and how much fun it was to just run around.

DD: Who traveled the farthest from the team to be a part of Dragon Con? How long is/was the trip?

AT: I think I win this one. Oahu, Hawaii to Atlanta. Flying overnight Thursday to Nashville 10ish hours, then road tripping to Atlanta another 4–5 hours with three other contributors of the team!

DD: What crafting and/or gathering components are you most excited to dig into?

KT: Making the mini-games short and fun and the rewards meaningful.

DD: Your Kickstarter campaign was a rousing success. Are there plans for another campaign or other methods for fans looking to support the project?

KT: We’re working on ways for fans to continue to support us. We’ve just been so busy making this wonderful game.

DD: What is your single most memorable moment as a member of Hollowed Oath’s contribution team?

KT: No way to pick just one. Every person I interact with has left impressions that will stay with me for a lifetime.

The panel, “Hollowed Oath,” is scheduled to take place in the Westin Augusta E–H from 4–5PM. I would like to extend a heartfelt thanks to Nap for helping compile a comprehensive list of questions and to the wonderful members of the team who took time to answer them. Here’s to a wonderful and exciting 40th anniversary at Dragon Con, and the successful launch of Hollowed Oath! More information about the upcoming game is available on their website.