DarkFall - Officially Launched

[InkofDeath]

I might have to be disagreeing with that sentence about your teammates coming there immediately.

 

 

 

The world is large for the first thing. There's probably going to be some form of teleports, but really, unless 100 of those 500 spells are teleport specific spells, people are going to be relying on mounts to get around. And even then a developer estimated 8 hours to cross the map. Sure mounts could drastically increase this for sure, but really, if you're in a remote area, you're screwed.

 

 

 

Perhaps the good pkers will stray from such areas, or when they need to go to such areas, they'll form a party with whoever. But even then that just opens the opportunity for guild/team hunting and spying for locations.

 

 

 

I know PvP skill is going to have a lot to do with the outcome of battles, as several CBT's have hinted towards that one person will be able to take out 2 or 3 other people. And Nadril we saw this was possible in AoC, with the Assassin class, virtually one of the most underpowered classes due to knockbacks & cooldowns at the time, was able to take on 3-4 other classes at the same time, because of the RTC & skill. But still it's an extreme example, and in AoC you had a full 360 degree view, in DF, it's FPS style, so you won't be able to see people who you aren't quite paying attention to who go into a blind spot, and sweep around behind you, or follow your move pattern to get behind you and by then you have someone else doing the same thing to get around you and pwn your back, with arrows, spells, or they manage to get up close. Lol, I get excited about thinking of the possibilities.

[aquariusman]

This game looks to have so much potential. The way I see it is tribal warfare, but from a commoner's perspective. Alliances and alingment will be an important part of the game. The world will revolve around combat and war, but will still require trade skills and the like to keep combat possible. What I want to know is how injuries are healed, and whether battle wounds will handicap a player by say, slowing reaction time, or making it impossible to move a certain way.

 

 

 

In a way, I more or less agree with RTC. It makes it skill dependant, but there are still a lot of aspects to combat that are improved with practice and dedication. There's the strategy and reaction part of it, but then there's also stuff like dexterity and strength that have nothing to do with knowledge, but can only be gained by constant practice. In a way, I think that there should still be some sort of level system, but one that would just tip the odds in a match between two players who are equally skilled, but one has had the oppurtunity to invest more time.

 

 

 

If you're confused about what I'm trying to say, here's another go.

 

 

 

Everything in combat comes from experience and practice. There is the mental strategy of it, when to parry, dodge or strike, and then there is the more physical component - how fast you can move, the strength of your blows, and your endurance. The mental/skill part of combat doesn't neccesarily require investment of time in the game to improve. If you already think like a fighter, and understand the game mechanics well enough, then you won't need much practice. Yet if I was to fight an opponent who was equally skilled and mentally prepared as I, yet stronger, faster and more precise, I would surely lose. So I think that there should be at least a minor skill system built into the game, one that maybe resets with each character, but is easy to re-train. This would still encourage the ability to join late in the game's progression. You may be outclassed by the veterans around you in skill, but atleast you are equally prepared are they are in physical capabilities.

 

 

 

I don't really know, I have to admit I just felt like writing and persuing a thought. Still, the consequences of injury are still a topic I want to learn more about, because I generally dislike how in most MMORPG's, you can be nearly dead yet still able to run halfway across the map.

 

 

 

I am really looking forward to this game.

[InkofDeath]

You may be outclassed by the veterans around you in skill, but atleast you are equally prepared are they are in physical capabilities.

 

If you're outclassed in skill with RTC, you're in for a world of hurt unless you're like 10-15+ levels than the other guy is at.

 

 

 

I know skills in general will be have an influence in combat, but compared to skill & experience they'll have little or nothing to do, except for fine tuning DPS and such.

 

--

 

 

 

 

 

Also, I'm gonna ask the question:

 

 

 

What race are you guys going to be playing as?

 

 

 

Inspired by this topic on the forums:

 

http://forums.darkfallonline.com/showthread.php?t=9266

 

 

 

 

 

I'll be playing as a human though, since it only makes sense that we are good at literally everything besides magic. But even then...=P

 

 

 

Though hybriding in PvP will be the bomb. Sure, others might be awesome at Bows & Arrows, but we'll be able to use them with enough damage, and then use melee attire as well in close quarters. Just my philosophy.

[RichieMcD]

TBH I don't actually like the sounds of it. I think there will be an undendless amount of ally PKing just for "lolz" and I don't really like the idea of it being FP let alone controlling the fight myself. Sounds almost like Oblivion turned into a MMO.

 

 

 

Yes it sounds amazing, but IMO it sounds to good to be true. It seems to make all these promises but I don't think they'll be fully pulled off.

[InkofDeath]

Yes it sounds amazing, but IMO it sounds to good to be true. It seems to make all these promises but I don't think they'll be fully pulled off.

 

There's just some things that make me believe it more than not:

 

 

 

- Independant, group of 30 or so developers/team

 

- That same group, was in development for 7-10 years (it's estimated/sketchy)

 

- They've refused North American publishers because of their marketing plans for the game (hence why our release is later than Europeans)

 

- The Noob Preview - It's a nicely described visual of how the gameplay will be

 

- The 1005 17 minute long in-game only video footage

 

 

 

Unlike games that have given us a CGI movie, or have had the backings of these multi-billion dollar companies pouring money into the marketing, this game hasn't been corrupted by sleezy Americans/Canadians (lol).

 

 

 

Not saying that the Italians aren't any better or anything, but the Americans are known for bullcrap marketing (AoC yet again, who dragged us on, believing in features that still aren't in the game).

 

 

 

Sure the game could be completely awful, and Adventurine is giving us in-game footage that isn't true. But in reality this looks like actual game content and not edited gameplay by developers to make a movie. It's just where you stand on how much you'll take from the developers and the communities general feel towards the company.

 

 

 

Still, same things were being said for AoC, and that failed miserably, lol.

[pryomancer]

What I'm interested in is all the idiosyncrasies that will develop in the game.

 

 

 

 

 

I'll use RuneScape as an example here.

 

 

 

Why is it that Falador Park in world 2 became the place to sell everything?

 

Why are worlds 1 and 2 the most popular, why not other worlds?

 

Why was world 66 (I think) the world for law running?

 

 

 

Things like this, things that no-one can really predict, they just happen due to players and groups evolving over time.

 

I think it's quite interesting, and with an mmo so different from the rest of the market, we'll see some really unique behaviour.

[InkofDeath]

Things like this, things that no-one can really predict, they just happen due to players and groups evolving over time.

 

I think it's quite interesting, and with an mmo so different from the rest of the market, we'll see some really unique behaviour.

 

Emergent gameplay.

 

 

 

Probably one of the best features to have ever have been created alongside games in general, naturally, and not forced upon by developers/the game.

[ThurinEthir]

Things like this, things that no-one can really predict, they just happen due to players and groups evolving over time.

 

I think it's quite interesting, and with an mmo so different from the rest of the market, we'll see some really unique behaviour.

 

Emergent gameplay.

 

 

 

Probably one of the best features to have ever have been created alongside games in general, naturally, and not forced upon by developers/the game.

 

In a game with so much freedom, there should be a ton of that in DarkFall. Which would be awesome.

 

And I tried Runes of Magic by the way, it's basically a buffed up version of RuneScape. And I mean that pretty literally...Similar leveling system (You level up things like carpentry by doing it over and over), similar name, but with better graphics and I suppose better gameplay. Still a huge grind though, which is why I'll probably stop playing within a week.

[InkofDeath]

I played RoM but seriously I don't know how Nadril plays WAR with the non-RTC system. Every game I play that is turn-based just becomes such a boring thing to do...It's a curse. No skill involved at aiming the spells, arrows, or your melee weapons...it's just boring after you've experienced the awesomeness of RTC in any MMO, or FPS (ok more for range and not melee).

 

 

 

Anyways the three gathering & the multiple producing skills do share a strong resemblance to Runescape's crafting system.

 

 

 

The grind in RoM is much larger than in Rs, due to the fact that resource gathering takes longer than in Rs.

 

 

 

I'd be playing it more if it had RTC, like I enjoy the stories from the quests and the theme of it, but I can't bare to play it more than 30 minutes.

[Nadril]

I played RoM but seriously I don't know how Nadril plays WAR with the non-RTC system. Every game I play that is turn-based just becomes such a boring thing to do...It's a curse. No skill involved at aiming the spells, arrows, or your melee weapons...it's just boring after you've experienced the awesomeness of RTC in any MMO, or FPS (ok more for range and not melee).

 

 

 

Anyways the three gathering & the multiple producing skills do share a strong resemblance to Runescape's crafting system.

 

 

 

The grind in RoM is much larger than in Rs, due to the fact that resource gathering takes longer than in Rs.

 

 

 

I'd be playing it more if it had RTC, like I enjoy the stories from the quests and the theme of it, but I can't bare to play it more than 30 minutes.

 

 

 

What's an RTC :lol: .

 

 

 

Oh and I don't play WAR anymore, at least not for now.

[nine naked men]

I played RoM but seriously I don't know how Nadril plays WAR with the non-RTC system. Every game I play that is turn-based just becomes such a boring thing to do...It's a curse. No skill involved at aiming the spells, arrows, or your melee weapons...it's just boring after you've experienced the awesomeness of RTC in any MMO, or FPS (ok more for range and not melee).

 

 

 

Anyways the three gathering & the multiple producing skills do share a strong resemblance to Runescape's crafting system.

 

 

 

The grind in RoM is much larger than in Rs, due to the fact that resource gathering takes longer than in Rs.

 

 

 

I'd be playing it more if it had RTC, like I enjoy the stories from the quests and the theme of it, but I can't bare to play it more than 30 minutes.

 

 

 

What's an RTC :lol: .

 

 

 

Oh and I don't play WAR anymore, at least not for now.

 

 

 

Real-time combat, I presume.

[Nadril]

Ah no [cabbage], of course.

 

 

 

I don't see how WAR (or WoW for that matter) aren't RTC though. You don't take turns hitting each other, you just don't do the aiming yourself. And in reality how much did you really have to aim in, say, oblivion anyways. I just ran up and smacked them with my sword.

[Skull]

Looks pretty cool, I might have to try it when it comes out.

[aquariusman]

You may be outclassed by the veterans around you in skill, but atleast you are equally prepared are they are in physical capabilities.

 

If you're outclassed in skill with RTC, you're in for a world of hurt unless you're like 10-15+ levels than the other guy is at.

 

 

 

I know skills in general will be have an influence in combat, but compared to skill & experience they'll have little or nothing to do, except for fine tuning DPS and such.

 

--

 

[hide=]Also, I'm gonna ask the question:

 

 

 

What race are you guys going to be playing as?

 

 

 

Inspired by this topic on the forums:

 

http://forums.darkfallonline.com/showthread.php?t=9266

 

 

 

 

 

I'll be playing as a human though, since it only makes sense that we are good at literally everything besides magic. But even then...=P

 

 

 

Though hybriding in PvP will be the bomb. Sure, others might be awesome at Bows & Arrows, but we'll be able to use them with enough damage, and then use melee attire as well in close quarters. Just my philosophy.[/hide]

 

You seem to have missed my point. Imagine if Runescape somehow managed to be a RTC. If you had to aim everything, like magic ranged and melee, where your opponent can run around and shoot spells and arrows at you the whole time, then a veteran would severely outclass someone new to the game. Not just because of skill, but because their levels would be much greater. Resetting levels on death would mean that the advantage of a veteran over a new player wouldn't be so severe, and the new player wouldn't be killed so horribly. It just makes things more enjoyable for a new player - would you want to come into this universally PvP game, only to be completely annihilated by another player just because he put more time into his levels? I wouldn't, I'd rather the RTC game be based more on a player's levels, rather than, like almost every other MMORPG, based on numbers.

 

 

 

I'm still not saying that having some minor form of leveling system would be bad though, if it didn't greatly affect the gameplay. I just mean in a minor way, such as being a deciding factor between two evenly skilled opponents. Instead of basing it upon luck, let the player who put more effort into his account have a better chance. A minor leveling system would also be an added incentive to staying a live.

 

 

 

Whether there is a combat-level system or not, the RTC is what really matters, and wouldn't be greatly affected by it.

[InkofDeath]

I don't see how WAR (or WoW for that matter) aren't RTC though. You don't take turns hitting each other, you just don't do the aiming yourself. And in reality how much did you really have to aim in, say, oblivion anyways. I just ran up and smacked them with my sword.

 

It just feels like it's turn based. It takes X amount of time to swing your axe, x amount of time to cast, x amount of time to load and shoot the arrow, and it will always hit (well..99% of the time...yes there are exceptions but LoS is laughable imo). Thus because of these variables, it's not real time, it's pre-determined. The part about missing your opponent isn't based on skill, it's based on armour or a hidden skill or something like 'Evade'.

 

 

 

I just don't like sitting around knowing my spell, arrow or sword will hit, so there's no point in trying to do anything tactical. This is why those that could use spells in AoC were called 'overpowered'. Everyone else had to aim, while they only needed LoS, which isn't hard in the immense open land there is in AoC. It's also why there's so many limited tactics in PvP, like attacking only one person or the highest priority target first like a healer.

 

 

 

With aiming or RTC there's still the 'kill the high priority target' or the attacking only one person, but these aren't the limits of tactics that are able to be used.

 

 

 

I don't know, I think I just contradicted myself a couple of times in there, but perhaps it's even the realism isn't there.

 

 

 

Then again another way to explain it is that you aren't in control of your swings, spells or arrows.

 

 

 

They'll go here on target, no matter what. Thus you aren't controlling the combat, just selecting the best combos or skills to use in a fight. It makes it easier as well. Not that it will be superbly easy, but it's easier than in RTC.

 

 

 

Or because RTC, like being in control of the right swing, left swing, upper swing...etc is just 10x more fun than watching the same animation over and over again, without any brain power being used as you've memorized what to do in any situation anyways. Same for spells & arrows.

 

 

 

I think that's it, being in control. In turn based combat, you have limited control. In RTC you have full control. Though I don't know if time to cast, or time to shoot, or the variety of weapon speeds can come into account for that either.

 

 

 

would you want to come into this universally PvP game, only to be completely annihilated by another player just because he put more time into his levels? I wouldn't, I'd rather the RTC game be based more on a player's levels, rather than, like almost every other MMORPG, based on numbers.

 

You just said you don't want to be annihilated by levels in PvP, because they spent more time on them, yet you want it to be based on levels anyways? That's contradicting?

 

 

 

Whether there is a combat-level system or not, the RTC is what really matters, and wouldn't be greatly affected by it.

 

 

 

RTC doesn't mean there won't be a level based system in the game. Cause that would just get boring far to quick with limited variety of hits and everyone having the same hp...strength...accuracy...it would be too much skill-based with no progression in the game.

 

 

 

Even though the ratios of hits per hp 'should' stay somewhat the same from level 1 to level 120 (because of max hits and hp increasing), you are progressing up, and in MMO's progression is a needed attritube for some reason. Sure it'll probably be the same amount of hits in percentage wise to kill the person, but it'll appear different to us, and look much better, and we'll have longer fights as well, which can allow for the other person to screw up and we take the advantage, or vise-versa, and this is how Yomi layers come into play as well...and many other mental battles.

 

 

 

---

 

 

 

Just one thing though, why should someone who spends 10 hours a day on their account out-do someone who only spends 2 hours on the game, but the 2 hour person has much more skill than the 10 hour a day person has. Why should the person who is naturally gifted be punished for not working as hard as others? You can't punish people for being good and not having time to play to those that are horrible and have tons of time to play. I'll say it now, but skill > levels anyday. If you were to be recruited to a guild, your skill would be more important than levels.

 

 

 

If you're totally downing people in PvP because you're higher level than everyone else, you're not on a fair playing field at all. Sure PvP there is no fairness at all, but there are lines where you can say 'Ok, that guy is +10 levels higher than everyone else, so he really isn't that good, just owns us because of his stats'.

 

 

 

Sure that's a big gap, 10 levels. Even if it was attribute points being distributed through-out a skill tree, every class/player would have an equal number of points if they were the same level. Thus whoever picked the better path in the skill tree would have a slight advantage.

 

 

 

This is my point though, as soon as you put levels into the game, you're taking out a chunk of skill that the players have, and reducing it to levels, and items. I agree you should have 'some' kind of experience system so that you aren't weilding the best weapon in the game in your first 3 months of playing, but not so much it'll affect the outcome of a PvP fight. As if it does, the game is simply unbalanced, with or without classes, or free weapon choice, or whatever.

 

 

 

I think we're both discussing the same issue/point just wording it differently than each other that we're confusing each other with it.

[InkofDeath]

You guys can ignore the above post, I was just rambling about nothing, lol.

 

 

 

----

 

 

 

Part 6 of 'The Noob' review by Gianna is up:

 

 

 

Source: http://beta.thenoobcomic.com/df_preview/part6.html

 

 

 

[hide=The Article - Part 6]6 - Impressions about combat

 

 

 

 

Sorry for almost a week of silence, but I had a friend visiting. Ive been playing daily since the weekend, however, trying different races (mahirims are awesome), exploring, and helping a clan of alfars with town construction.

 

Id like to make it clear that writing these updates isnt a ten minute job where I talk breezily about whatever crosses my mind at that moment. Actually it takes a while as I check them again and again for accuracy, feeling just about as relaxed as if a cop had just read me my rights. Usually I finish at 3 am.

 

 

 

I could recite all the things that you would like me to confirm, describe, etc., and if I dont talk about them the reason is not that I dont care about what youd like to know, but that I didnt get clearance to do so - I am not free to disclose all kinds of information about the game.

 

 

 

On top of this, I have been very concerned every time that my comments were misunderstood, twisted, taken out of context and seen as a sign of the apocalypse. Please dont draw general conclusions from specific snippets of information that may be out of date by the time you get the game - e.g., if I say that it requires gold to craft arrows, I have no idea if thatll be the case in release, if it will be more or less expensive, if its the same for other crafted weapons, etc.

 

 

 

Ive seen several requests to talk about PVP. I am not sure in which sense the basic mechanics of magic and combat are those that Ive already described in previous updates (how you are required to aim when you strike, load up a spell before you cast it, etc.), so that leaves my impressions, which are purely subjective. Ill mention them here in no particular order but please take them with the benefit of doubt they are purely personal impressions.

 

Speed of combat and twitch factor are more Oblivion than FPS:

 

 

 

* Attacks have either animations or a short load time (or both) which bring combat speed down to a relatively slow pace, certainly slower than an FPS.

 

* The one direct damage spell that Ive seen, mana missile, takes a second or so to cast (even if you can then hold its release indefinitely by keeping the left mouse button pressed same with arrows and keep moving both while loading it/holding it and while firing it) and travels to its destination i.e. the point in your crosshairs at the moment in which you release it - slowly enough to be dodged with ease. At a distance you stand more chance to anticipate someone whos aware of you by shooting a bit wide and hoping that hell dodge in that direction and run into it (almost like trying to predict where the goalie will jump during a penalty kick) than by aiming at him or at where hes running, because thatd give him time to move out of the way.

 

* Whether its because our newbie melee weapons are weak, or our newbie skill levels and lack of special attacks (which must be unlocked and bought) are weak, or both, but right now we arent hurting each other dramatically when we land a hit.

 

* There isnt a way to strafe quickly while still facing your target or maybe there is and I havent found it. You can strafe while facing ahead (and aiming, and shooting) but you do it slowly.

 

* The hit area for successful ranged attacks is rather generous at medium distance, certainly more than in FPS games.

 

 

 

Things where personal skill, or at least using your brain, come into play are using cover and terrain to your advantage, hitting your target while trying not to decimate any friends with splash damage, managing your stamina

 

 

 

So, is it fun? I enjoy it, especially because the ability to fully loot each other makes it much more personal.

 

When Id just started playing I fought a guy in a field of tall wheat, where Id noticed how hed just crouched to ambush me (it was tall enough to cover him when he crouched). At one point he ran off to recover, so I went looking for him in and out of some huts expecting him to jump me at any time I couldnt hit tab to see if I could acquire his target because theres no such thing, I couldnt mouselook to see if he was sneaking behind me while I looked into the houses, so it felt like a game of cat and mouse - where you dont know whos the mouse until the end, I guess and I realised that for the first time in many years my heart was actually beating faster while pvping in an MMO. I wanted to kill that guy dead! I wanted his stuff! I was inordinately pleased when he died, even if a river in which he fell gave me a helping hand (my PVP stories are a bit lame, sorry).

 

 

 

Finally, some more game info. It currently takes two same (and friend?) race kills to be flagged red (i.e. a murderer). Once you are red you cannot bind in a starter town or capital any longer or use their services because youre KOS to them. You must bind at either your clanstone if you have a clan who owns one, a neutral or chaos city (where you can use their services), or at a bindstone in the wilderness.

 

 

 

Whether youre red or not you can use small trader camps that can be found here and there outside cities and that usually have a couple of vendors, a bank, and in some cases a crafting table of some sort.

 

Thats it for now. I plan to write about player cities in the next update.

 

 

 

---

 

 

 

Additional: They're patching the beta server right now so while I wait I'll answer a few things that I've read on the general forum.

 

 

 

"Does going red last ten minutes?" - No. It's actually an alignment hit, you can see your alignment as a bar under your stats. It's permanent until you raise your alignment again, for example by killing racial enemies. There is a temporary change when you HIT someone of your race (as opposed to kill him), i.e. you go rogue (grey) and you are KOS to the towns etc like a red, and if anyone kills you and they are the same race they get no alignment hit, but it's a brief, temporary status.

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

"I wonder what happens right after you become red and are no longer bound in your starter town... Are you bound nowhere?" - I don't know where you get re-bound. Until very recently you stayed bound at your starter town and had to get the hell out of there as fast as you could upon respawning. Now it's been changed but I don't know how, sorry.

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

"I'm hoping they have abilities that you can trigger that perform special melee attacks." - There are lots of power attacks and abilities that have to be unlocked and bought. I haven't tried any personally but I saw someone rave in chat of how much he loved knockback, which he had just bought.

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

"If this is the first time he heart was racing while PvPing in an MMO for years, I must ask what kids of MMOs she's used to PvPing in." - Games where my heart was racing were mostly UO and AC1, for two reasons - because of guild and personal rivalries and because you dropped everything when you died. At the other end of the spectrum, I have almost fallen asleep a few times in instanced pvp areas in a very popular MMO. I actually decided to quit that game for good when I fell asleep in 1v1 against a guy and killed him, because my pet owned him while I zzz'd.

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

Finally, I have been told by a friend who's in beta as well and who just read the update that he's seen a better direct damage spell than Mana Missile in action, and that it travelled much faster, almost as fast as arrows. WOOT!

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

"This obviously was made by the reds of old days to fill the niche void that Trammel left them with. [...] Good luck in getting regular players that want to stay because I don't see that happening." - I am not sure if this was posted as a joke (it's a bit like going crazy at Blizzard about too much endgame PVE in WOW or at Turbine about the prevalence of lore in LOTRO, when those are the things that define the games). Hasn't there been a lot of information about the game's vision posted over the years by the Dread Lord Clau... ahem... by the devs! I mean by the devs! Anyway, if it's anything like past games, there'll be some clans that only kill their enemies, so if they are strong enough to protect their areas there will be places where new players are relatively safe. I don't like to look into an imaginary crystal ball and make predictions, but I'd imagine that it's how it would work out in practice, at least after the dust has settled.

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

< Home

 

 

 

< Darkfall website[/hide]

 

 

 

*Just to note, Gianna may add more to this part, because of the patch to the beta servers, so may want to re-check every so often...etc.

 

 

 

---

 

 

 

I personally am happy to hear that it is possible to 'hide' or 'take cover' in or behind objects strategically to gain an advantage over others, or to ambush. There was doubt through-out the forums about such tactics being viable, but with this, it gives it more viable light. Also glad to hear that her heart was pumping in such a scenario. Also says that it'll be fun even if the rest of the game sucks. =P

[InkofDeath]

I found leaks of the CBT:

 

 

 

Source: http://darkfall-mmorpg.blogspot.com/200 ... leaks.html

 

 

 

[hide=Pics]

 

 

 

[/hide]

 

 

 

This suggest you'll be fighting enemies in the air, while they fly and such...Pretty interesting as well to see the interface & shops.

[InkofDeath]

New interview article @ curse.com with Tasos & Claus (game producers):

 

 

 

Source: http://www.curse.com/articles/darkfall- ... 72269.aspx

 

 

 

[hide=Article]

Most of the questions in this interview are directly answered by Darkfalls Associate Producer, Tasos Flambouras, though there is also a bit of feedback given by Claus Groval as well, who fills the role of Producer of the game. Darkfall is currently in beta, with a European release slated for January 22nd, 2009.

 

 

 

1.

 

One of the most enjoyable aspects of Ultima Online was the freedom a player had to roleplay a thief. Will there be game mechanics to support similar actions in Darkfall?

 

 

 

What players in UO enjoyed about thieving was based on a modified die roll. We prefer that the player has more active participation in what's happening in the game, based on conscious design decisions rather than a random artificial chance. Darkfall is a game featuring full loot. After PvP is concluded, one can fully loot his fallen opponent. You can take all the loot, mounts, boats, warhulks, cannons, equipment, even towns away from their owners. This doesn't happen by chance, it requires active participation and risk by the players. It gives everyone a fighting chance to counter and turn the tables on their opponent. It doesn't have to be straight up. You can stalk a player, looking for the right opportunity, and if you do it right he'll never see or hear you coming. This again doesn't happen in a magical way. You do not go invisible. You have to hide in shadows, blend in with the terrain, crouch in the tall grass, take advantage of elevation; you have to make sure you don't make a sound to alert your prey. During testing I watched a large group of players stalking one character. They did it for several minutes before they were detected. It's infinitely more interesting and fun than just clicking a key and waiting for an outcome.

 

2. Aside from entertainment value, what role will dungeons play in Darkfall? Will there be any rare bosses and/or drops? Rare metals and minerals to harvest?

 

 

 

Yes we have all of that, everything you can expect from a dungeon and more. What's turning out to be a unique feature as far as dungeons in MMOGs are concerned is that we don't have instancing. You go into a dungeon, and so do your enemies. You don't just have to contend with the inhabitants of a dungeon but with the other players. As with everything else in Darkfall, there will be a lot of competition in controlling dungeons. Hidden bindstones can be found inside some dungeons where your group can operate out of, giving you a location advantage. You can also find rare treasure chests in some of Darkfall's dungeons, chests that you need special keys to open.

 

 

 

3. Recent games have utilized a predictable itemization system, with ultra-frequent, nearly meaingless upgrades. Are Darkfall's items going to be more substantial, less frequent, and more memorable? Will players ever feel an attachment to their items?

 

 

 

In Darkfall crafting is very important, challenging and rewarding. Every item in Darkfall can be created by the players themselves. There are several powerful and rare items, such as the Sithras which are a cross between a whip and a light saber. There are also the racial special weapons which are powerful and unique to each race. Darkfall is of course full loot. If you're running around and flaunting a powerful item, armor etc. you might as well paint a bull's-eye on your forehead. Everyone is going to want it. You can't get too attached to your items in Darkfall unless you want it to sting when you lose them. Aside from full loot, there is also item decay to keep in mind, another way that items get recycled. You need to make careful use of your items if you want to keep them safe.

 

 

 

4. Is there a deity system in place, in terms of character development (choosing a deity to worship for example)?

 

 

 

Every race has its own religion. There are also three factions within each race giving out quests based on their agenda. One faction is more spiritual, the other more militaristic, and the last one more intelligence oriented. There are quests having to do with religious matters.

 

 

 

This is all lore and quest related, there is no requirement of a certain level of piety in order to cast certain spells etc. So I would say no, there's no deity system in place in Darkfall.

 

 

 

5. What measures, if any, have you taken to balance out certain skill sets so that there isn't only one that dominates all others?

 

 

 

There are several hundred spells and skills in Darkfall. All players have access to most of these, so this does a lot of balancing out of the box where player balance is concerned. Skills and spells in Darkfall are situational. A powerful fireball for example can do a lot of damage to a lot of people, but you have to take into account the problems with friendly fire, and self damage if you launch it to a target too close to yourself.

 

 

 

The skills you use are also going to fit your playstyle. Skills and spells advance by usage and there are so many that it's going to be very difficult for a player to master everything. Furthermore in groups it's more effective to use complimentary skills and spells.

 

 

 

6. From all accounts Darkfall's world is quite large. What have you done to assure that the population of each server isn't too spread out?

 

 

 

The world can hold over 10 thousand concurrent users. Even so, the world is very large and won't be overcrowded. Clans can build in designated spots and the distribution of these spots is part of the design. Then we have the distribution of clanstones and bindstones, dungeons, resources, and points of interest. People will need to converge, but also to spread out depending on what they're doing.

 

 

 

It's going to be easy to go off the grid in Darkfall. Solo players or small groups can easily find a location with little traffic to live in.

 

 

 

7. What design philosphy have used when designing the world as a whole? With such a large area to explore, fight, and live in, what have you done to ensure the world does not appear to be empty?

 

 

 

Same answer as in #6

 

 

 

8. What tools have you created for your game to bring people together? Guild systems, LFG systems, and communication channels?

 

 

 

There are a lot of communication systems in place. We have in-game message boards, clan boards, party chat and clan chat. Darkfall is a competitive game, communication is paramount, from players coordinating to the heavy recruiting by the clans so we've done everything we could to facilitate communication.

 

 

 

The clan management tools are extensive and have also received a lot of praise by our beta testers.

 

 

 

9. What systems are in place to facilitate the economy? Auction house, trade centers, etc?

 

 

 

The nature of the game puts items in high demand. Full loot, PvP, and battles, make it necessary for players and clans to have a steady supply of items, money, weapons, ingredients, mounts, ships, warhulks, food, potions, armor etc.

 

 

 

Vendors buy and sell. Crafting drives the economy with a constant circulation of resources and finished goods. Secure trading systems are in place. Players can advertise through in-game trade boards.

 

 

 

We will monitor the economy very closely throughout the lifecycle of the game since it's very important that it's balanced.

 

 

 

10. Will players be able to steal mounts, boats and other "property"?

 

 

 

Of course you can. If a mount is left unattended for whatever reason, or you kill its owner you can take it and ride off with it. You can also take over boats, cannons, warhulks, etc.

 

 

 

Through full looting you can take everything off your defeated opponent. Nothing is safe except your starting items and the contents of you bank.

 

 

 

11. How well does the game adapt to solo/casual players?

 

 

 

It adapts very well. Solo players need to find out what works best for them and their playstyle. There will be many players choosing solo gameplay, therefore we've designed for it. It's not easy, but the character will be very viable. You will have to coexist or will be pitted against other solo players. You could band together in temporary arrangements while still maintaining your independence. Solo players can be associated with clans so they can also experience clan structure and activities and they won't miss out on a large part of Darkfall.

 

 

 

12. Can you elaborate on how the "skill based system" works?

 

 

 

I wrote a feature about the skill system a while back, I'd like to refer to this again in answering this question:

 

 

 

As a skill-based game, Darkfall stands apart from most MMOs that use a class / level system. In this article we talk about why we didn't take the beaten path, and a little bit about how the skill system in Darkfall works.

 

 

 

As players, we enjoyed playing skill-based games like Ultima Online and The Elder Scrolls series, and we couldn't help feeling restricted by class / level-based ones. When faced with the decision of allowing players the freedom to take the skills they want and need as their character grows and the game evolves - or not - it was a no-brainer.

 

 

 

In Darkfall, players can develop the exact characters that they want to play, without the limitations a class-based system imposes on creation and advancement. During character creation in Darkfall, you start out with a set of basic starting skills in addition to some special race-specific skills - like Anger for example, which is an orkish skill. You get a pool of points to allocate. This process as well as selecting starting skills is pretty straightforward.

 

 

 

You can't make a mistake in Darkfall's character creation or development that will gimp your character. If you don't like the combination of skills you've chosen, you can pick and train new ones. You never have to re-roll a character; you just adapt your existing one to fit your needs and adapt to the evolution of the game over time. In class systems, your original and often uninformed decisions could haunt your character forever. Furthermore, you're often penalized by updates and other events beyond your control.

 

 

 

In Darkfall, you have the freedom and the pleasure of developing your character exactly the way you want. Ultima Online had about a hundred skills and spells. Darkfall has at least 10 times that, and there will be more added throughout the life cycle of the game with every update. The number of skills in Darkfall ensures that each character will be truly unique.

 

 

 

You train the skills that interest you by using them. We think that this is a lot more fun, challenging, diverse and relevant to the players' wants and needs than having to level-grind the old fashioned way. You'll have fun with your new character in Darkfall from day one, without having to suffer through endless repetition for months before you're able to start enjoying yourself. You also don't have the huge imbalances of power between characters of slightly different levels, seen in class- / level-based games. Even starting out, your Darkfall character is very viable.

 

 

 

Skills in Darkfall are a lot more than just numbers. Many are features in themselves. For example, climbing, riding and sailing are skills, but they're also associated with major features in the game. Darkfall's skills are associated with the many things that you can DO in Darkfall that are parts of the gameplay and the game mechanics. Skills are also associated with attributes like strength, constitution and intelligence, and they affect each other.

 

 

 

You pick up the more common skills at NPC trainers. Skill progression occurs through use of any particular skill or series of skills, and ranges from 1 to 100. In common activities like swimming, progress is faster than in the more complex skills to train such as 'mana efficiency'. In-game messages will inform you when you've advanced. Spells progress the same way as skills, through use, so taking the Tornado spell as an example, the more you use, it the more powerful a tornado you'll be able to unleash on your enemies.

 

 

 

Skill decay will set in at a slow rate for unused skills at an expert level. There are also skill trees that open up new skill categories that lead to further specialization.

 

 

 

Darkfall's skill system is all about player freedom, endless customization, adaptation and control. It adds great depth to the player characters, and to the process of developing them. Darkfall players will enjoy their unique characters, and will always be able to get the best out of them throughout the life cycle of the game.

 

 

 

http://media.ign.com/images/ign/pixy.gif

 

 

 

13. Does Darkfall have "buff" spells?

 

 

 

Buffs have always annoyed us as players. Buffs tend to be very time consuming, repetitive, restrictive, and pointless because they negate themselves, they can make characters virtually unkillable, they're sources of constant visual and verbal spam, and distractions to say the least. In games with a lot of buffs, you spend an awful lot of time preparing to play. We prefer that you can just log in and start playing instead.

 

 

 

Darkfall has few buffs and they're mostly tactical and situational. They don't last very long and most are buff other spells. This way they become part of the action and not part of the preparations.

 

 

 

In Darkfall "my buffs went out" definitely won't be an excuse.

 

 

 

14. Will Prestige classes (or at least some of them) be hidden around the world and/or unlocked by quests, or will they be relatively easy to find/join? Will they have minimum skill requirements to become initiated (i.e. a minimum stealth skill before you can become an Assassin)?

 

 

 

We've already announced that Prestige classes won't be in during the launch. We may introduce them later. Prestige classes are contradictory to the skill system, we feel that their introduction isn't consistent with the overall design. Their introduction wouldn't add significantly to the gameplay at this time.

 

 

 

15. Are there hidden skills that you can find/train that you won't see on every other player? Skills with trainers in difficult to reach places or unlocked by difficult or unlikely quests/actions?

 

 

 

This is one of these things we'd like the players to discover on their own.

 

 

 

16. Does Darkfall offer mounts in addition to the racial mounts? Possibly rare, expensive, or quested mounts?

 

 

 

This is another question we'd like to go unanswered for the players to discover on their own.

 

 

 

17. How customizable will ships be?

 

 

 

We have a large number of ships and boats of all sizes and shapes ranging from rafts to massive 50 cannon warships.

 

 

 

18. How long will it take to make a ship considering time to gather materials and craft it?

 

 

 

Depending on the size and type of the ship, the availability of resources, and the team working on it, it could take several days to weeks. There are just too many variables to consider for an accurate answer to this question.

 

 

 

19. You have announced that Darkfall will be launching January 22nd in the European market. Will North American players be able to purchase and download the game as well?

 

 

 

Yes North American players will be able to purchase and download the game and play on the European server. We've had people playing the game from the West Coast, Western Canada, and for that matter Japan, Korea and Australia without problems.

 

 

 

20. What are your plans for North American servers?

 

 

 

They're right after the European servers, but not soon enough for a lot of players to wait. We don't have a solid date to announce on a N. American server and that's why we're allowing N. American players the option to play on the European server. Ideally we would have loved to be able to launch world-wide but we just don't have the resources to do it right.

[/hide]

 

 

 

That clarifies a lot of the confusion that has been circulating around lately. I don't think there's much left to discuss about the game or speculate about except for the release date of OBT, or the final release. Everything else has been answered, or cannot be answered. Well in my opinion.

[ember3579]

Holy sh**. I have been dreaming about something like this for YEARS. The moment I get a good system and internet, this is going on it. I only have a few questions.

 

 

 

 

 

How will proficiency in an elemental magic type affect your ability to withstand things which negatively affect people based on that element? I'd figure that higher level people might even get a mana/health regen boost when nearby (or in) something with a lot of that element tied into it, maybe even healing from attacks of that element.

 

 

 

How will proficiency in an elemental magic type affect your weakness to certain attack types? If someone is very proficient in fire magic, for example, it would make sense that ice magic would (initially) have a more pronounced effect on them.

 

 

 

Would there be Byakugan-type spells and abilities available? For those of us who have no clue what I just said, think more like a "minimap ability". Meaning, they'll be aware of things outside of their normal visible range which aren't protected strongly enough &/or in the right way. Obviously, something like this would be difficult to learn and have to be made equally difficult to train, but it would add an interesting element to an already awesome game.

 

 

 

Is there some way for players to be able to make new spells? Not like in Oblivion, but more like changing a basic fireball spell into a Hammer of Dawn-esque attack, or anything else fire projectile-related which is not covered in the game already.

 

 

 

How customizable is the item crafting? Will we be just swapping parts on basic designs or will we be able to make entirely different equipment from the norm?

 

 

 

Will we be able to change the landscape in any way? For example, be able to dig a tunnel that goes 50m deep, then craft an entire city from there?

 

 

 

Because of the level of coverage that this topic has, I can't think of any other questions that I can ask. Thank you for bringing this to my attention. This is epic win.

[jackal_55]

hm... i've just realized that this game is going to be unplayable (competitively) with high ping...

 

damn, here's hoping for a diverse range of server locations i guess *cough*WoW*cough*.

[InkofDeath]

hm... i've just realized that this game is going to be unplayable (competitively) with high ping...

 

damn, here's hoping for a diverse range of server locations i guess *cough*WoW*cough*.

 

The servers are high grade, with high grade connection speeds to all of the world. It's been stated by Tasos that ping in B.C. Canada is on average 80-90 ms, and UK gets 70-85 ms to European servers. So I wouldn't sweat it.

 

 

 

 

 

I'll answer the best I can, but the game isn't out so who knows:

 

How will proficiency in an elemental magic type affect your ability to withstand things which negatively affect people based on that element? I'd figure that higher level people might even get a mana/health regen boost when nearby (or in) something with a lot of that element tied into it, maybe even healing from attacks of that element.

 

There's no elements per say, but there are magic related skills, which may or may not increase/decrease or buff other players depending on their attacks. I have no idea.

 

 

 

How will proficiency in an elemental magic type affect your weakness to certain attack types? If someone is very proficient in fire magic, for example, it would make sense that ice magic would (initially) have a more pronounced effect on them.

 

In my general opinion this won't be an issue, or happen. You don't become adhered to an element and become weak to it as you increase a certain skill (skills are everything, running, swimming, swinging, archery, spells, everything).

 

 

 

Would there be Byakugan-type spells and abilities available? For those of us who have no clue what I just said, think more like a "minimap ability". Meaning, they'll be aware of things outside of their normal visible range which aren't protected strongly enough &/or in the right way.

 

Nothing can hide or go invisible in the game, so no. Unless they added an item or specific skill for a quest or item in a dungeon than perhaps, but even then I doubt it, unless it's for a puzzle in a dungeon.

 

 

 

Is there some way for players to be able to make new spells?

 

there's over 500 spells or something? Each one can be increased for more power through use. I don't think you can make new spells, but the possibility of combining spells to advance in a skill or magic tree perhaps.

 

 

 

How customizable is the item crafting? Will we be just swapping parts on basic designs or will we be able to make entirely different equipment from the norm?

 

Everything can be player made from a large range of crafting skills. So really anything in the game, you can make. I don't think you can make your own designs & styles.

 

 

 

Will we be able to change the landscape in any way? For example, be able to dig a tunnel that goes 50m deep, then craft an entire city from there?

 

I really don't think you'll be able to manipulate landscape at will, but certain areas may provide the opportunity to alter it in some fashion for some purpose like sieges, or trenches...etc.

 

 

 

Thanks for the post and questions, made me think too.

[ember3579]

You're welcome, it's rare that people like my involvement in a discussion, or at least voice that. I feel special. :twss:

 

 

 

I'll answer the best I can, but the game isn't out so who knows:

 

How will proficiency in an elemental magic type affect your ability to withstand things which negatively affect people based on that element? I'd figure that higher level people might even get a mana/health regen boost when nearby (or in) something with a lot of that element tied into it, maybe even healing from attacks of that element.

 

There's no elements per say, but there are magic related skills, which may or may not increase/decrease or buff other players depending on their attacks. I have no idea.

 

 

 

It looks like the 4 elements described magically are Fire, Earth, Water, and Air. Somewhat limited, but I digress. From a realistic viewpoint, someone whose extremely adept at one elemental magic type would have a large amount of that energy present in their body, correct? It would also make sense that the presence of a significantly weaker amount of that energy nearby would replenish their own supplies of it rather than damage it. And even if the source is too strong to allow the target to convert it into a benefit, it would have a vastly lessened effect on the target. It's like trying to dehydrate a desert animal to death: while not impossible, it's a lot harder than on something from, say, the ocean.

 

 

 

How will proficiency in an elemental magic type affect your weakness to certain attack types? If someone is very proficient in fire magic, for example, it would make sense that ice magic would (initially) have a more pronounced effect on them.

 

In my general opinion this won't be an issue, or happen. You don't become adhered to an element and become weak to it as you increase a certain skill (skills are everything, running, swimming, swinging, archery, spells, everything).

 

 

 

To continue the arguments above, it would also make sense that the polar opposite of an element (fire-water, earth-wind in this case) would have a more extreme effect when used aggressively, at least to a point (if it's too strong, it might dissipate the attack before it even reaches the target).

 

 

 

Would there be Byakugan-type spells and abilities available? For those of us who have no clue what I just said, think more like a "minimap ability". Meaning, they'll be aware of things outside of their normal visible range which aren't protected strongly enough &/or in the right way.

 

Nothing can hide or go invisible in the game, so no. Unless they added an item or specific skill for a quest or item in a dungeon than perhaps, but even then I doubt it, unless it's for a puzzle in a dungeon.

 

 

 

I don't think you're quite getting what I'm saying. Imagine this scenario. You're going along, doing whatever the Hell it is that you like to do, and for some reason you start getting the feeling that you're being watched. Not liking the idea of you being turned into a pincushion, you decide to activate a certain spell. It functions similarly to a magical radar, alerting you to any concentrations of any magical energy or life, out to a certain distance. It shows up on your screen most noticeably as a sort of minimap, with some various colors and whatnot that you'd expect if you could see magical energy. It shows up an abnormal "blip" about 15m behind you, so you turn around. You see a pronounced silhouette in the shape of a standard human hiding behind a tree, holding something long and with a hilt guard. You launch a fireball at it, destroying the tree and the highwayman hiding behind it, with him having a "WTF WAS THAT???" look on his face.

 

 

 

This is the basic premise of what I'm thinking. Unless if the person in question has some sort of protection (which could do anything from hazing out the outline they see to making it invisible), they will be noticed as easily as if they were in an open field. Obviously, terrain would make this somewhat difficult in most cases, but you see what would happen. If anything, this would most likely fall under Arcane Magic, and be very difficult to find and train. Of course, there would be a constant drain on mana as long as the effect's in place, probably enough that an absolute newbie would only be able to hold it for 15 seconds at most. Increased level would be able to widen the range, improve protection penetration, and increase efficiency.

 

 

 

Of course, there's two obvious counters to this ability. One's the ability to mask your aura print, the other's to make you completely invisible. Both of these would also be under Arcane Magic, and be equally difficult to get and train. However, the utility is undeniable. The first would only make the "Aura Sight" ability useless, but the second would give you camouflage as well, with a lessened ability to hide your aura. You'd still make sounds, and you'd still be touchable, so it's not complete invisibility. Also, they'd both be extremely draining on your mana reserves. A newbie wouldn't even be able to hold it for 5 seconds if they managed to get either of these right off the bat.

 

 

 

Sound about right?

 

 

 

Is there some way for players to be able to make new spells?

 

there's over 500 spells or something? Each one can be increased for more power through use. I don't think you can make new spells, but the possibility of combining spells to advance in a skill or magic tree perhaps.

 

 

 

So there's little hope for extreme creativity with the actual spell invention, but there's a good chance that people can mix & match different effects for new spells. Alright, I can live with that. Anybody else liking the idea of a chain freezing effect? :twisted:

 

 

 

How customizable is the item crafting? Will we be just swapping parts on basic designs or will we be able to make entirely different equipment from the norm?

 

Everything can be player made from a large range of crafting skills. So really anything in the game, you can make. I don't think you can make your own designs & styles.

 

 

 

That's acceptable. I'd love it if I could come up with new weaponry, but you can't win all the time.

 

 

 

Will we be able to change the landscape in any way? For example, be able to dig a tunnel that goes 50m deep, then craft an entire city from there?

 

I really don't think you'll be able to manipulate landscape at will, but certain areas may provide the opportunity to alter it in some fashion for some purpose like sieges, or trenches...etc.

 

 

 

Thanks for the post and questions, made me think too.

 

 

 

That would be livable, if not for the fact that there's only 85 or so spots specifically designated for city building and whatnot. That's NOT going to be easy to maintain for a prolonged period with ~10k people all clamoring for their own real estate. I can tell that this one's going to go to the 500+ clans. Darn.

[InkofDeath]

You're welcome, it's rare that people like my involvement in a discussion, or at least voice that. I feel special. :twss:

 

Unless it was totally redundant and off-topic like some people can get, I really don't mind, but really don't post for others, post for your opinion more so than anything else.

 

 

 

It looks like the 4 elements described magically are Fire, Earth, Water, and Air. Somewhat limited, but I digress. From a realistic viewpoint, someone whose extremely adept at one elemental magic type would have a large amount of that energy present in their body, correct? It would also make sense that the presence of a significantly weaker amount of that energy nearby would replenish their own supplies of it rather than damage it. And even if the source is too strong to allow the target to convert it into a benefit, it would have a vastly lessened effect on the target.

 

I think I'm beginning to get what you're saying, but in a game like Darkfall the emphasis wasn't on the elements or certain elements and how they'd interact with you. Stuff like this feels like it's made for the main 'plot' of the game. Which would be the elements and a large storyline or main storyline revolving around such effects from elements. I'm saying putting something like this in DF isn't an option because it's not what the developers think or want us to think of DF as. They want us to think of the game as skill based. Meaning pvp is won by skill, not weapons, or field bonuses., but by how you attack and how well you can attack the opponents. I love the idea, but it's not something Darkfall was made around, so really it would be a hinderance to the game in my mind, and cause arguments in pvp about 'you had homefield advantage, so it was unfair'.

 

 

 

To continue the arguments above, it would also make sense that the polar opposite of an element (fire-water, earth-wind in this case) would have a more extreme effect when used aggressively, at least to a point (if it's too strong, it might dissipate the attack before it even reaches the target).

 

There are probably going to be debuffs/buffs in the game, but we've already been told there will be few 'buffs', but I don't think they'll leave out debuffs. Anyways these could weaker your defense to the 10+ types of magic skills (or trees) in the game. This game is based on skills. Skills which you train by using. There's 10x more skills than there was in UO. Meaning your character will be shaped by what you do. So forfeit the elements with skills, and you probably are on the right track, jsut elements isn't the right word for it, in my opinion.

 

 

 

Would there be Byakugan-type spells and abilities available? For those of us who have no clue what I just said, think more like a "minimap ability". Meaning, they'll be aware of things outside of their normal visible range which aren't protected strongly enough &/or in the right way.

 

Nothing can hide or go invisible in the game, so no. Unless they added an item or specific skill for a quest or item in a dungeon than perhaps, but even then I doubt it, unless it's for a puzzle in a dungeon.

 

 

 

You launch a fireball at it, destroying the tree and the highwayman hiding behind it, with him having a "WTF WAS THAT???" look on his face.

 

I see. I would imagine there could be spells that temporarily increase your sense of sound, smell, or perhaps let you see a bit further, or even items with such capabilities to make sure no one is following. In DF when you walk around, you have to turn around manually, there's no camera for you. Thus you have to rely on sound pretty much to hear someone coming. As mentioned by the developers there won't be a skill that lasts more than 30 seconds as a buff to you. Thus meaning you'd have to hear the person coming, then activite the spell to see for their attacks/movement, and for only 30 seconds. Then again if I heard something moving behind me, I wouldn't waste the time getting a spell ready, when they can see me getting ready they could flee, or attack me too. Anyways if I did do the spell, and I did it somehow right before they casted theirs, then sure it would be nice to dodge out of the way of the spell to. But the chances of this is so slim, and there won't be a spell that shows you someone casting, or that enhances your senses for more than 30 seconds, so it'll prove more useless than anything, unless you're expecting an ambush. The developers have said there won't be buffs and nothing lasts longer than 30 seconds except certain potions for heal over time and such.

 

 

 

Hopefully that shows why it's not practical in DF, it's real time combat based on skill, not having buffs to protect you or make you able to win a fight based on the first few steps of battle.

 

 

 

 

 

That would be livable, if not for the fact that there's only 85 or so spots specifically designated for city building and whatnot. That's NOT going to be easy to maintain for a prolonged period with ~10k people all clamoring for their own real estate. I can tell that this one's going to go to the 500+ clans. Darn.

 

 

 

Nope. The map takes 8-12 hours to cross by walking/running. 3-5 hours for mounts. This excludes dungeons, floor levels and is only going in one direction. This means the surface area is incredibly large. 10k players are barely going to crowd such a huge world. I'd expect the servers to increase to 50k at some point, regardless of expenses. There's clan battle grounds, with city hotspots close together, which of course will encourage people to fight. There'll be spots close to resources, causing fights, and other encouraging things. Then there's places where there's only 2-3 spots and some resources, but only enough that 10 or so players could 'live' in the area, and any more would be hectic and not worth the time.

 

 

 

This is all speculation supported by development journals and posts, actually 290 pages of development journals.

[ember3579]

You're welcome, it's rare that people like my involvement in a discussion, or at least voice that. I feel special. :twss:

 

Unless it was totally redundant and off-topic like some people can get, I really don't mind, but really don't post for others, post for your opinion more so than anything else.

 

 

 

I don't play at being a spokesperson for anybody, really. I also have the tendency to post my direct opinion a lot, most of the time to the point of being painfully blunt. People tend to ignore my posts regardless anyway.

 

 

 

It looks like the 4 elements described magically are Fire, Earth, Water, and Air. Somewhat limited, but I digress. From a realistic viewpoint, someone whose extremely adept at one elemental magic type would have a large amount of that energy present in their body, correct? It would also make sense that the presence of a significantly weaker amount of that energy nearby would replenish their own supplies of it rather than damage it. And even if the source is too strong to allow the target to convert it into a benefit, it would have a vastly lessened effect on the target.

 

I think I'm beginning to get what you're saying, but in a game like Darkfall the emphasis wasn't on the elements or certain elements and how they'd interact with you. Stuff like this feels like it's made for the main 'plot' of the game. Which would be the elements and a large storyline or main storyline revolving around such effects from elements. I'm saying putting something like this in DF isn't an option because it's not what the developers think or want us to think of DF as. They want us to think of the game as skill based. Meaning pvp is won by skill, not weapons, or field bonuses., but by how you attack and how well you can attack the opponents. I love the idea, but it's not something Darkfall was made around, so really it would be a hinderance to the game in my mind, and cause arguments in pvp about 'you had homefield advantage, so it was unfair'.

 

 

 

I don't really view it as much of a "main plot" thing, more like just some extra intricacy with how certain things coexist. In effect, this would probably magnify the skill emphasis, really. Also, I don't think the benefits of having a large skill base in one of the elements would be too much of an advantage. All the opponent would have to do is not use that element in order to be able to damage you like normal, or use the opposite element to beat the stuffing out of you. I'm trying to get it to be like a double-edged sword. True, someone could just spend time working on two opposing elements, but I'd think that it would be a very long wait to be truly effective like that. I view this sort of thing not too differently from the way that melee armor works (plate's good against slash/stab attacks, bad against crush), but in magic terms instead.

 

 

 

Also, the environmental benefits would not be extremely substantial. For an example, say that a fire specialist is going through the desert. His natural health regen rate would improve by 10%, his mana regen rate by 15%, his base stats by 5%, and the effects of his fire magic by 20%. If that same mage were to go through tundra conditions, the bonuses would go in the opposite direction, with the added thing of becoming hungry faster. If someone takes advantage of this, then it wouldn't be too different from using the terrain in any other type of attack (forests to sneak up on people, cliffs for higher ground attacks, etc.).

 

 

 

To continue the arguments above, it would also make sense that the polar opposite of an element (fire-water, earth-wind in this case) would have a more extreme effect when used aggressively, at least to a point (if it's too strong, it might dissipate the attack before it even reaches the target).

 

There are probably going to be debuffs/buffs in the game, but we've already been told there will be few 'buffs', but I don't think they'll leave out debuffs. Anyways these could weaker your defense to the 10+ types of magic skills (or trees) in the game. This game is based on skills. Skills which you train by using. There's 10x more skills than there was in UO. Meaning your character will be shaped by what you do. So forfeit the elements with skills, and you probably are on the right track, jsut elements isn't the right word for it, in my opinion.

 

 

 

I'm viewing the elements in general as less of a skill themselves and more of a classification. Understand what I'm meaning?

 

 

 

Would there be Byakugan-type spells and abilities available? For those of us who have no clue what I just said, think more like a "minimap ability". Meaning, they'll be aware of things outside of their normal visible range which aren't protected strongly enough &/or in the right way.

 

Nothing can hide or go invisible in the game, so no. Unless they added an item or specific skill for a quest or item in a dungeon than perhaps, but even then I doubt it, unless it's for a puzzle in a dungeon.

 

 

 

You launch a fireball at it, destroying the tree and the highwayman hiding behind it, with him having a "WTF WAS THAT???" look on his face.

 

I see. I would imagine there could be spells that temporarily increase your sense of sound, smell, or perhaps let you see a bit further, or even items with such capabilities to make sure no one is following. In DF when you walk around, you have to turn around manually, there's no camera for you. Thus you have to rely on sound pretty much to hear someone coming. As mentioned by the developers there won't be a skill that lasts more than 30 seconds as a buff to you. Thus meaning you'd have to hear the person coming, then activite the spell to see for their attacks/movement, and for only 30 seconds. Then again if I heard something moving behind me, I wouldn't waste the time getting a spell ready, when they can see me getting ready they could flee, or attack me too. Anyways if I did do the spell, and I did it somehow right before they casted theirs, then sure it would be nice to dodge out of the way of the spell to. But the chances of this is so slim, and there won't be a spell that shows you someone casting, or that enhances your senses for more than 30 seconds, so it'll prove more useless than anything, unless you're expecting an ambush. The developers have said there won't be buffs and nothing lasts longer than 30 seconds except certain potions for heal over time and such.

 

 

 

Hopefully that shows why it's not practical in DF, it's real time combat based on skill, not having buffs to protect you or make you able to win a fight based on the first few steps of battle.

 

 

 

I'm not thinking of this being a "cast once and let it go" spell, like most buffs and debuffs are. I'm thinking more of a constant drain spell. See what I mean? It would still be a large chunk of your mana after 30s, but you could turn it on and off at will. I'm not wanting this to be an ability that people could keep on for hours at a time, even at max levels all across the board. The longest that anybody should be able to have this active in my opinion is 5 minutes, and this is at maximum everything with all possible means of reducing mana cost and improving total mana/mana regen. A mid-level person who only trains this and whatever scattered spells they like with no attention to mana conservation is likely to be only keep this on for a minute or 2 at a time, discounting other spells. Sound fair?

 

 

 

 

 

That would be livable, if not for the fact that there's only 85 or so spots specifically designated for city building and whatnot. That's NOT going to be easy to maintain for a prolonged period with ~10k people all clamoring for their own real estate. I can tell that this one's going to go to the 500+ clans. Darn.

 

 

 

Nope. The map takes 8-12 hours to cross by walking/running. 3-5 hours for mounts. This excludes dungeons, floor levels and is only going in one direction. This means the surface area is incredibly large. 10k players are barely going to crowd such a huge world. I'd expect the servers to increase to 50k at some point, regardless of expenses. There's clan battle grounds, with city hotspots close together, which of course will encourage people to fight. There'll be spots close to resources, causing fights, and other encouraging things. Then there's places where there's only 2-3 spots and some resources, but only enough that 10 or so players could 'live' in the area, and any more would be hectic and not worth the time.

 

 

 

This is all speculation supported by development journals and posts, actually 290 pages of development journals.

 

 

 

Thing is, unless if these areas in total cover the vast majority of the continent AND can support more than one clan each, they'll be swarmed by every clan in the entire game like locusts. Any group that's under 200 or so will have to be on almost all around the clock to be able to defend their area from capture in those conditions. I imagine that it will prove difficult beyond all imagination. If it's NOT how I described, then the longest that any small-medium clan will be able to hold an area is likely to be 2-3 weeks, if that. See the problem? This is excluding the areas that are so remote that only people who are combing the entire map with a toothpick will be able to find.

[Peronix]

This sounds almost exactly like what my idea of an ideal MMO would be. The only thing that would make it better is completely customizable armor/weapons/ect. I'm defiantly going to give this one a try.