YPSH : Jeff, welcome to YourPlaystationHome. Let's start off by having you introduce yourself to our readers by telling us who you are, and what you do at Hellfire Games. View attachment 3299 HG : I'm a long time gamer and programmer. I am the President of Hellfire Games, and I perform a lot of different roles, as we are a small independent studio. YPSH : When and how did you get into video gaming as a business? Was programming something you went to school for? HG : My parents got our first computer when I was 10 years old. I was drawn to it like a magnet, and I started programming simple games in Basic right away. I've done it ever since. View attachment 3300 YPSH : So you were one of the original Ultima Online programmers, a graphical massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG), released on September 24, 1997. How did that come about and how long did you do that for? HG : Our Chief Technology officer at Hellfire Games is Scott Phillips. Scott Phillips was hired onto the UO team and then I got an interview not long after that. I was on the UO team for a few years. YPSH : Was Hellfire's original goal to develop for PS Home or did that come later? HG : We were looking to release Novus Prime on the PlayStation 3. The game was intended to be an online social experience, so PlayStation Home ended up being a great choice. YPSH : How did your relationship get started with Home? HG : While engaging with Sony about bringing Novus Prime to the PS3, we were introduced to the producers at Home who were very excited about the project. View attachment 3301 YPSH : Novus Prime is your first effort for Home and it launched in Dec. 2010. How was it received? HG : We had some initial problems at launch, but quickly addressed them. The response from the players has been quite positive. Out of the best-selling ten items in PlayStation Home in December, three of them were Hellfire items. YPSH : Tell us what Novus Prime is all about. What kind of game it is. Is it multi-player? What is its' premise, etc.? HG : Novus Prime is a multiplayer space action shooter with RPG/MMO elements. You level up as you play, which allows you to buy new weapons and upgrades, unlock new missions, and earn PlayStation Home rewards. YPSH : What model does Novus Prime use? Do users have to pay-to-play? Purchase power-ups? HG : Novus Prime uses the freemium model. You are never required to pay, though you can optionally purchase ships, weapons, upgrades, and boosters that allow you to earn experience and Nebulon (our in-game currency) faster. YPSH : What was your biggest challenge in developing Novus Prme? Hardware limitiations? Software limitations? Deadlines? HG : We switched platforms to PlayStation Home in mid-development, so it was challenging to learn all the strengths and nuances of the new platform, as well as incorporating the platform’s constraints into the game design. But, we’re quite happy with where we are now! YPSH : Have you seen any stats on how many players have used Novus Prime? HG : Actually, yes. We just recently received our 1 millionth visitor! YPSH : What would you say is Novus Prime's most unique feature? HG : Although Novus Prime is currently the only cooperative action multiplayer game within PlayStation Home, I think what makes the game most unique is the combination of traditional role-playing elements with fast-paced sci-fi action. YPSH : How long did it take to develop Novus Prime from end-to-end? How many people worked on Novus Prime? HG : We completed the first version in about 6 months with a small team, and we’ve been developing consistent updates ever since, with Escalation being the biggest and best by far. View attachment 3302 YPSH : So here we are on the eve of a big expansion for Novus Prime. Tell us what's new and how the game will expand for its players. HG : We've doubled the amount of missions. There are new enemies and weapons, companions, and gear. There’s also the new Officer's Quarters personal space with zero-gravity and private hangar upgrade. YPSH : Will Novus Prime continue to grow beyond this latest expansion? Can we expect to see virtual items and personal spaces from Hellfire that will enhance the Novus Prime experience? HG : Our first personal space is coming with this expansion. You can definitely expect more updates and expansions in the future as we get even more feedback from our fans! YPSH : How often do you use Home? What are your favorite things about it? HG : We’re in PlayStation Home all the time. I think the greatest strength of the platform is that it provides a massive online infrastructure on a console. It’s a very unique platform. YPSH : If you could change or add a feature in Home, what would be at the top of your list? HG : We would love to see Home continue to evolve as a gaming platform. An upcoming update to PlayStation Home, version 1.50, makes great strides towards this end, and we hope future updates follow that trend. YPSH : Other than PS Home, will Hellfire produce products for other platforms? Mobile devices? HG : We currently have no plans to develop for any platform other than PS Home. YPSH : I know the YourPlaystationHome community is pleased that Hellfire is here and listening to their suggestions. We're looking forward to this new expansion and future efforts from Hellfire. Thanks for being with us today. Don't forget to visit the Hellfire Games message thread to share your thoughts and suggestions about Novus Prime!View attachment 3298 © www.yourplaystationhome.com - All rights reserved - Copying is prohibited without written consent of the author
I want to congratulate Karen and Hellfire games: Karen for the article and Hellfire Games for making Novus Prime a better improved place, mostlly for expanding the one place where we could play the game to a ring encircling the main hub of the space.
Great article, I really loved reading more in to Hellfire games, and I'm glad that they are growing and improving (^__^).
