7Million is that rare beast, an MMO that doesn’t feature a fantasy setting nor violence. Instead it focus on the appeal of heists and luxury in an Ocean’s Eleven way. We interviewed the producer to know more about this game.

FreeMMOGamer: Could you introduce yourself and your role in 7Million?
My name is Jan Wagner and I am the producer of 7Million

FreeMMOGamer: Could you describe the world of 7Million?
It is a world of elegant mobsters and spectacular heists – all is done in a fun way with no real violence displayed. 7Million involves the players directly rather than abstract character statistics.

FreeMMOGamer: Why the choice for this particular setting? Are you tired of Orcs and Elves? Do you think players will find it immediately appealing?
I think there are millions of fantasy settings out there and I love fantasy RPGS – but the differences are getting really hard to notice from the outside. The setting we wanted was something that anyone feels immediately familiar with. If you ever watched a crime movie, TV show or read a crime book, you will know the setting. And as it is based on the modern world, players will immediately know what they are confronted with and have a frame of reference they are familiar with. The difference between Morgs Dungeon and the Caves of Gargluz are kind of hard to discern from the get go. But the difference between Cam’s Cornershop and the Casino Royale should be obvious to everybody. We also wanted a fun setting, with a light hearted approach to the genre, which is much easier to do in a modern setting.

FreeMMOGamer: What types of missions are there?
Many different types – from plain break ins to get your hands on the cash box to espionage, sabotage, freeing a kindapped person, manipulating an Opera performance or finding parts of a dispersed treasure map leading to an underground labyrinth. We are also proud to introduce social quests which will directly support the in game interaction between players and which will contribute to the vivid gaming experience.

FreeMMOGamer: Can you tell us something about the different mini-games?
At the moment we have five varied games, all based on popular mini games many people will recognize - but with a twist. Most of them have extra components like blockers, alarms etc. These added to the time pressure under which they need to be solved will make it a challenge for players. But of course we also help players by providing “tools” which basically allow them to cheat a bit in many different ways or add some extra time to the clock.

FreeMMOGamer: How will a normal mission unfold? Let’s say a casino heist...
To start with you will always need a blueprint of the building – this is kind of your entry ticket to a target. For the casino, since you need to go in and manipulate the roulette table there, you also need a proper dress in oder to blend in with the guests. Once you have gotten in through say the service entrance, you will want to turn off any cameras and alarms that may hinder your mission. You will then need to hack into the surveillance computer controlling the roulette tables and make sure you have a fake video planted there, so the guards do not notice the cameras have stopped. Of course to get to the computer, you need to distract the guard by, say, raising a fire alarm in the kitchen area.

Once you have prepared your “route” this way, you place a controlling device below the table which can be remotely activated to influence the roulette. But while your are in the casino you may decide you also want to take a look at their vault or just collect the smaller amounts of cash and loot you can find in the various rooms. Of course you will have to do all this before the time runs out ...

FreeMMOGamer: What about community tools? Can we join a gang and plan heists?
Currently the planning takes place inside the building – we wanted to concentrate on the action and the “exploration” part of the game, so you need to discover the building from the inside. Of course you can have your “crew” to do break ins together and a gang feature is in development.

FreeMMOGamer: With the money from the heists, can you buy things like clothes, cars and houses?
Yes, several items like clothes and tools – some of the clothes also have a bonus for certain activities. We are planning on adding houses and vehicles, but we want the copmmunity to tell us what they want to buy – maybe it is pets, maybe other stuff. We are growing the game together with our players.

FreeMMOGamer: Duelling other players is also important. Could you tell us what sets it apart from other MMOs?
Well, first of all it is voluntary – you cannot be attacked by player killers, you always have to agree to a Duel. Secondly the duel is fought with your skills, not the avatar’s, so you play a game of “Codecracker” against the other player, decide whether you want to “wager” some of your money or items on the outcome and then jointly decide which game to play and at what level. Thus any duel is fought between two consenting players knowing full well what they get into and battle of sheer wits and skill – you cannot tank your way in by being all boosted up with items or just being three levels above the other guy.

FreeMMOGamer: How will your character evolve? What skills does he have?
Our skills lie with the player, not the character. The character evolves in form of world-related stuff: reputation with the various factions, coolness or popularity (in term being acquired from other player’s votes or actions). Of course having more money, better items and a higher level allows you to do stuff and get missions a newbie would not be able to. But the basic skills are how well the player can do the mini games, how good their tactics are for the break in and how well they coordinate their actions.

FreeMMOGamer: What is the release date?
We are already in the Beta 1.0. stadium and are aiming for an official release in fall 2009.

FreeMMOGamer: Thank you for your time!