It's Alive!

[Atoyota]

Just making a joke about Darkfall (http://forums.darkfallonline.com/showpost.php?p=691938&postcount=1) :D

[Doddy]

No, that's just a reflex action. In no way is it indication of life (or death). This proves nothing.

:D

[Atoyota]

No, that's just a reflex action. In no way is it indication of life (or death). This proves nothing.

:D
yeah kinda depressing, but it's no skin for me to follow the board and keep an eye on it.

Like i've said... a years time is all I'l give it, after that I may just give up :(

[Atoyota]

Just a thread that came up on Darkfalls forums, here (http://forums.darkfallonline.com/showthread.php?t=30512) is the link if you re curious.

It's just a rant on how jaded we (many on those boards) have become towards all other current games. It's like we can't be satisfied or get any enjoyment out of what we see currently on the market because compared to what Darkfall offers, others seem so trivial.

On a side note, UO did that for me anyways. Nothing I've played since compares in terms of meaningful game play.

But skip that part. the last post I replied to has something to do with expectations players have "while a game is in development". How Darkfall itself could be as, if not more "trivial" than what we see currently. How it's best to expect nothing and just judge a game without any preassumption.

Well this got me to thinking, it's true we look at a game in development like a n unwrapped present, we get all these grand ideas about what it could be and how much fun we will have playing it. But my point is this...

The person offering this present or game advertises in hype all it's glorious innovations and just how excited you will be once you finally get to experience it. They wet your appetite IOW's and draw in as many as they can in order to make the product more appetising for investors or prospective partners in the endaevor.

So make no connections here, because I'm sure everyone does it, as it's part of selling the game or good business. It's natural for someone selling something to make it look as good as they can in order to get a better price and have more interested customers... makes no sence otherwise.

BUT... You read all the claims, then you play it and well... to you it's not what was advertised.

Now my reply said that in a way I'm glad there is not much news on this game, because the last one gave me too much and raised my expectations higher than the game merited. It was'nt as good as advertised or not what I expected. Not saying this game from this other forum will be either... but I know enough, not too much, but enough to see it's moving along.

So yeah DF is alive, don't know much about it, but what I do know I'm sure I'l see in game.

[Atoyota]

More news on Darkfall, weekly updates to Warcry network from Tasos will be posted.

Here (http://df.warcry.com/scripts/news/view_news.phtml?site=7&id=68059) is the first and i'l try to keep you updated each week if you are interested. :)

[Seasiu Laitya]

More news on Darkfall, weekly updates to Warcry network from Tasos will be posted.

Here (http://df.warcry.com/scripts/news/view_news.phtml?site=7&id=68059) is the first and i'l try to keep you updated each week if you are interested. :)
I absolutely refuse to start following another unfinished game :p After EQ2 and VG, I'm not hyping up another game, ever :)

Although I'm sure Darkfall will the the one! No, just kidding :p

[Atoyota]

Not hyping intentionally, but it's skill based not levels...

Gawd I'm so tired of level games, I want something more natural and I want "real freedom". So yeah i'm anxious about this one, but as realistic as is possible.

I learned a lot about hype and expectations from this recent experience. Still the crowd there seems down to earth and more serious about real gaming. At least what I feel is real.

[Atoyota]

Here (http://files.darkfallonline.com/darkfall_battle.zip) is the latest trailer for DF. Zip file, take a gander... it's pretty cool, shows ship to ship and mounted combat.

A bit clunky, but they are in development.

I really liked it.

[Seasiu Laitya]

Here (http://files.darkfallonline.com/darkfall_battle.zip) is the latest trailer for DF. Zip file, take a gander... it's pretty cool, shows ship to ship and mounted combat.

A bit clunky, but they are in development.

I really liked it.
Personally I find levels to be out of place in a game where you control your character at all times.

Levels work in a game such as D&D. Because in that game it is assumed that your character is working on his skills, learning new spells, etc, whilst resting. Resting time passes instantaneously, and you do not control your character during rest times.

Hence when you level up, you effectively choose what your character was working on when you weren't controlling him.

In MMOs, where you control your character at all times (and he ceases to exist when not being controlled), it doesn't make sense to "level up" and retroactively choose abilities, or gain stat points. Basically, your skills should improve as and when you use them.

Therefore, in an MMO I'd be tempted to simply go with a skill only system. It does, however, make the game a lot harder to design. Having spent some time thinking about it, I can say that levels have the effect of making /con systems and things like that much easier to implement and understand.

With a skill only system, I can see all sorts of grey areas. But with a bit of thought, it's definitely doable. I think a skills-based system requires a totally different way of thinking than making a levels-based system.

[Atoyota]

UO was purely skills based, DF will use the same type of system, but will also offer Prestigue classes, which effectively open up or make available seperate skill sets unvailabale if you go the standard route. In this way they can simulate "classes" which UO pretty much lacked.

Skills have been done before, there are issues associated with them, but I find the concept much more natural, and extremely immersive.

It's an alien concept to EQ style MMO's, but not entirely as you do have skills gains during your levels. It's just that you buy new abilities with each level. With skills, you may open up an ability once you achieve a certain skill, or by some other method. (if DF has skill trees with abilities as branches... not sure)

UO had no abilities, you just got better by doing, very simple, but all I needed for fun and immersion :)

There's a lot I don't know about the mechanics in this game. They need a FaQ as good as Silky's was for Vanguard :cool:

[Atoyota]

A little letdown in the continuing saga of miss que's by Darkfall developers and "PR"

There has been a mistake with the previous Dev Journal. Many of you expected a weekly journal and today is that day, this is however not the case. The journal was meant to say bi-weekly and not weekly. I am very sorry for this inconvenience but do expect a Dev Journal next Friday.

Again, sorry for the mistake.

-DarkFall Staff

[Atoyota]

Latest warcry Darkfall Dev Artical linked Here (http://df.warcry.com/scripts/news/view_news.phtml?site=7&id=68574)

This one explains the vidio I linked earlier on in this thread.
I'l have to go back and take another look as I read this artical again.

Anyways, seems like they are making progress, and giving feedback, Time will tell. Does'nt cost me anything and my support and activity can only help it along :)

[Atoyota]

Just a joke, but check out this possible Publisher (http://www.gamecockmedia.com/index.html) for Darkfall :twisted:

[Atoyota]

did a little more looking, and Gamecock looks real :)

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/12/technology/12videogame.html?ex=1328936400&en=355ec5b10933eab7&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss

[Mreynolds]

sigh when I saw the post topic I thought it would be something about a game that will actually one day be available. Darkfall promises more than it will deliver if it does ever actually happen. And in a FFA atmosphere. Will be the definition of niche thats for sure

[Atoyota]

sigh when I saw the post topic I thought it would be something about a game that will actually one day be available. Darkfall promises more than it will deliver if it does ever actually happen. And in a FFA atmosphere. Will be the definition of niche thats for sure

That's fine by me (has faith). Hopefully the niches will remain just that (niches) and not migrate once the eventual boredom of trivial play sets in.

[Seasiu Laitya]

That's fine by me (has faith). Hopefully the niches will remain just that (niches) and not migrate once the eventual boredom of trivial play sets in.
I'll take niche over mainstream these days. I believe it's our best hope for innovation, since mainstream generally sticks to tried and tested approved-by-the-masses gameplay.

[Atoyota]

I'll take niche over mainstream these days. I believe it's our best hope for innovation, since mainstream generally sticks to tried and tested approved-by-the-masses gameplay.

Exactly, I've been posting that sentiment at MMOrpg.

Still my feeling on the style of game I describe (what UO was), is one that many could enjoy if only they understod the game. It would take a hardcore niche to sustain it though, and slowly I feel many will migrate.

The tried and true you describe is a short term formula that has MMO's constantly adding develpoer content to feed and entertain their subscribers. No MMOg can avoid it, but what we see here is a race to keep up with hardcore players, with quest/level/raid content.

UO had none of that and sustained it's playerbase for several years with only one major expansion. (no quests. no levels, no raid content except some very hot dungeon areas). Most of what kept players playing was each other, and the competition of survival in an FFA PvP environment. Player generated...

Player towns and RP was all a part of it as well.

Darkfall can be a UO2, and if 6+ years makes it seem too long a time, just look at Vanguard now after 5+ having had both Microsoft and SOE as backers.

Nah I think something is starting to move ever so slowly now, but like all things... time will tell and no skin for me as I'm not doing much else.

[Mreynolds]

Niche is fine with me too. I just dont have alot of faith in the Darkfall product as a whole. Plus doesnt help I in no way a FFA person. innovation is how you take it I suppose. In theory the new SOE spy MMO could be innovative and Conan has some interesting thoughts. I used to be all for the guys in their garage making product and pushing the limits. However in the MMO world the garage developers have burned me a couple times. Dark and Light, ToC was one I was looking forward too. So I may be a bit jaded when it comes to these. I think the next game I am truely hoping isnt vaporware is Hero's Journey. It seems different than alot of what is being pumped out. But I think they are having funds issues also after several years in development.

[Atoyota]

Hero's Journey is probably a different title than Hero. Hero is one of the games being developed under the new Gamecock publisher that I linked in this thread earlier.

Yup money and technology are both moving targets as time elapses during a cycle. Money was Vanguards issue...
I'd love to make my own game and feel if I had know myself well enough in the 80's I could have. The thing about that is, I did'nt realise just what I wanted to do until I played UO. I was already deep into an unrelated carreer and what I had taught myself about coding was already fading from memory. Also languages continued to evolve and change. (retrospective)

Problem with large dev houses and established publishers like EA, SOE and Bliz, is they try to stay in safe waters in such a fikel (sp) market. (fikel or fical, another word for unpredictable). But the result is a generic game, bland in many respects, and for me... totally uninteresting.

UO under EA, went from intence to trivial. I guess that was their attempt to defend their market share from EQ, by making that game "easy" without risk or meaningful penalty. Removing challenge only makes it trivial and boring. EQ did much of the same under SOE, although thats a guess because I did'nt see that game change.

I made a general post over at MMOrpg about trends, and what's become of the MMOg market since UO and EQ. It's crammed with trivial games and WoW leads the pack. So niche games like Darkfall are the only answer for those that want more realism and challenge in a virtual world.

Another problem exists now, and that's the education of gamers and what they know now. They have been hand fed content, and only slapped on the wrists for foolish play. That's all they know, that's what they expect, and it may be all they want in the "short term". So the niche of hardcore players keeping a game alive will re-educate this "lunchable generation" of players.

That's my hope for Darkfall if and when it goes to beta... I'l give it another 6 months to a year. I don't feel that's unreasonable given the size of the team and the lack of funding they have. In some ways this slow cycle can help, in that they have more time to iron out issues they would have otherwise compromised on. To make the game more the way they see it, and not so much what they feel will sell to a general "generic" demographic.

Does'nt cost me a dime, and I have the time. It can only help them and in turn the industry, by my support.

[Atoyota]

Another Gamecock (http://www.redherring.com/Article.aspx?a=21231&hed=Gaming+Vets+Launch+Gamecock) news link

[Mreynolds]

Yeah Simultronics Hero's Journey is the one I was referring too. I know they are selling the engine to make up some money to continue development but think it may be a lost cause from some posts I have seen out of former employees of the company. It really seemed to be different. But we shall see.

[Atoyota]

Just another news bit on Gamecock (http://www.gamecareerguide.com/industry_news/12769/qa_gamecocks_unfinished_.php)

But enough already, they are real... Looking forward to seeing how they do.

[Atoyota]

New Dev Journal on Warcry.

Darkfall combat looks amazing!
Also thank god no idiotspeak Global or regional chats are planned... (at least so far). I took part in the chat threads on forumfall as you could expect :)

Here's the Artical (http://df.warcry.com/scripts/news/view_news.phtml?site=7&id=69008)

Read and enjoy :)

[Atoyota]

Here's a bit put together by Blue Monkey using the recent Darkfall game/trailer as well as some older stuff.

linky (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FT-nM-LWwsI)

They do some nice stuff and have several other darkfall vid's out there.
This is nice eye candy for those of us waiting for it :)

[Seasiu Laitya]

Here's a bit put together by Blue Monkey using the recent Darkfall game/trailer as well as some older stuff.

linky (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FT-nM-LWwsI)

They do some nice stuff and have several other darkfall vid's out there.
This is nice eye candy for those of us waiting for it :)
Any idea when this game will be released? I've stopped reading up on games that have yet to come out... been there, done that, got the scars to prove it :p

[Atoyota]

Any idea when this game will be released? I've stopped reading up on games that have yet to come out... been there, done that, got the scars to prove it :p

It's in semi "quiet" development...
Which IMO is a good thing if they are serious about the "no compromises motto"

Been in cycle for 6+ years, and considering what it took Vanguard with 2 major backers and a development team with their own pocket change... I don't see it as overlong considering what it takes to build the type of world they describe.

There is no official word, they did target a beta by the end of 2006 which never materialised... I figure within a year we will see a beta, if not... then maybe this is vaporware. Or a dead project...

If and when a beta occurs, I'd say a years time to full release... possibly less, but at least then we'd have a much better idea.

[Seasiu Laitya]

Well I've registered as Seasiu on the Darkfall forums now, tho I've been quarantined in the New User section for a few days :p They seem to have a lot of mods working there, and a large proportion of the new player posts are getting replies from the forum staff :) Seems like a nice place.

I personally think the trailer (the one I saw) promises too much. They are creating huge expectations by advertising a revolutionary game. Personally, I'd be happy with an evolutionary game - if the starting point was either EQ or UO. Now I never played UO, but I got the impression it was on a par with EQ 99-00.

[Atoyota]

Well I've registered as Seasiu on the Darkfall forums now, tho I've been quarantined in the New User section for a few days :p They seem to have a lot of mods working there, and a large proportion of the new player posts are getting replies from the forum staff :) Seems like a nice place.

I personally think the trailer (the one I saw) promises too much. They are creating huge expectations by advertising a revolutionary game. Personally, I'd be happy with an evolutionary game - if the starting point was either EQ or UO. Now I never played UO, but I got the impression it was on a par with EQ 99-00.

Well that most recent trailer... about 90% of it was screenies.

But you can ride and fight mounted, they do have ships and cannons, all that you saw (animated) was directly from the game. they were'nt promising anything, they were showing it to you.

Some things were beta related, like when he swung the sword while mounted, you saw him swing from a distance and also this trail effect from the sword. Turns out weapon striking and distance (not target impact or collision) was set so that they could hit from farther away (than normal). Stuff like that will be made more realistic.

The actual trailer that Adventurine released (the zip file link posted earlier in this thread), shows more than the flashy blue monkey one that was meant to hype the game.

Blue monkey does a great job BTW... they are just fans of Drkfall.

Anyways glad to see you there, I don't post much on forumfall (some not much). I'm waiting just like the rest, and as I've said.. I'l give it a year, or till the end of this year for a beta. By then we shall know if this game is gonna ever hit the shelves.

[Atoyota]

Well Darkfall Dev's did'nt give us an update friday, as they were due for the bi-weekly. Reason being the GDC...

Should get one this week (hopefully).

They really don't talk much to the forums, and that's good and bad. I think it has to do with how much attention they are trying to generate at this stage, and it's not a whole lot... some, but not a lot.

[Atoyota]

more about the missing Darkfall dev journal from warcray.



As many of you know, there was not a Developer Journal this Friday. I was shocked as much as you guys when I got back home Saturday to see nothing new posted. Many of you blamed the Devs for not keeping their word and "bailing" out on you. Well I am here to tell you the true story and what really happened.

Our editor, Lepidus, had planned to use this week as info for GDC only so he told the Devs to hold off on the Update. There was never communication between me and him that the update was canceled for this week which is why you, the fans, thought there was an update. Tasos and the gang was ready to make a journal but we told them to hold off. I am really sorry for the mistake and trust me, we have learned more to communicate to get the story right.

So a journal should be in plans later on, when, I’m not sure but once I know, you'll all know.

Thanks again,

Site Manager

[Doddy]

Questions and Answers: City Sieging (http://df-en.curse-gaming.com/general-news/1130/darkfall-curse-exclusive-qa-city-sieging/)

A bit disappointed with all the artificial limitations and things there, but not overly.

[Atoyota]

Questions and Answers: City Sieging (http://df-en.curse-gaming.com/general-news/1130/darkfall-curse-exclusive-qa-city-sieging/)

A bit disappointed with all the artificial limitations and things there, but not overly.

thanks doddy, was gonna link this but you beat me too it :)

It's ok, I don't mind the help :cool:

[Atoyota]

new developer journal post on warcry....

Next generation anyone?

http://df.warcry.com/scripts/news/view_news.phtml?site=7&id=69850

[Atoyota]

Well here is something to look at.
Artical entitled a "look under the hood"

The documentation for their demo from last year, intended to give clues on how Darkfall will play... take a look.


http://df.warcry.com/news/view/70315-Dev-Journal-5-A-Look-Under-The-Hood

[Atoyota]

A bit of cloak and dagger Internet style happenings recently with Darkfall

Read about it in this link if you are interested.

http://forums.darkfallonline.com/showpost.php?p=778293&postcount=1

[Atoyota]

latest dev journal and news on upcoming beta!

There is talk :)

http://df.warcry.com/news/view/70839-Dev-Journal-6-Hacker-Beta-and-Screenshots

[Atoyota]

Latest dev journal from Darkfall forums... about Elves :)

I just glanced at it, will read it later.

http://df.warcry.com/news/view/71431-Dev-Journal-7-The-Elves

[MooKitty]

If DF doesn't live up to being the perfect game, the pent up nerd rage that will swarm over the 'net will be like nothing seen before.

VG was just a warm up.

[Atoyota]

ya know it's hard to say what it will be.

I worry it will be another "game" but... it has a lot of the elements i look for in a game that will resemble a world. A virtual world with all the good bad and ugly things that can happen. In that... hard core, but for smart players that can take it when they get ganked or outsmarted, and usaully by their own greedy nature :)

I really really hope the dev's don't listen to the whiners, don't go for appeasment, just make it a world, keep it real, keep it simple, and let us play in a huge sandbox.
It could be epic, it could also be blah...

Vanguard was blah for me so I'l just wait and see what they come up with.

[Abbzug]

If DF doesn't live up to being the perfect game, the pent up nerd rage that will swarm over the 'net will be like nothing seen before.

VG was just a warm up.



Eh, I doubt it. The Darkfall devs have no real history to judge on. They don't have McQuaid, Romero, or Molynieux sized egos. Sure they've promised the moon, but most people who know anything about Darkfall are a bit more realistic and don't truly believe they'll deliver. I think Darkfall if it's ever released (and I doubt it), will benefit from lowered expectations. Far, far fewer people are following Darkfall than the amount of people that followed Vanguard, to most MMO gamers they're just an oddity, an entertaining dirty corner of the MMO world.

[Atoyota]

Eh, I doubt it. The Darkfall devs have no real history to judge on. They don't have McQuaid, Romero, or Molynieux sized egos. Sure they've promised the moon, but most people who know anything about Darkfall are a bit more realistic and don't truly believe they'll deliver. I think Darkfall if it's ever released (and I doubt it), will benefit from lowered expectations. Far, far fewer people are following Darkfall than the amount of people that followed Vanguard, to most MMO gamers they're just an oddity, an entertaining dirty corner of the MMO world.

Basically I think they (Darkfall) cater to a niche, of which your average gamer is not defined by.

I think it will come, and I think they are proceeding in a very intelligent manor, slowly and quietly. No hype...

It may launch without fanfare, and a year or so later could attract throngs of players as they discover what this game is all about. (my wishful thinking hype)

But we won't know for a while yet...

[QforQ]

The game looks awesome but it worries me that it will become vaporware...since it's been in development for so long and it's had its troubles.

[Atoyota]

The game looks awesome but it worries me that it will become vaporware...since it's been in development for so long and it's had its troubles.

That may also be a reason for it to succeed.
It looks so good I'm willing to wait for it. It's close to what I want and nothing else is in development that meets my requirements.

I'm looking to something similar to what UO "was" before it was dumbed down.

[Atoyota]

latest dev journal on warcry...

Darkfall : http://df.warcry.com/news/view/71873-Developer-Journal-8-The-Sands-of-Rubaiyat

[Atoyota]

A proper Journal From Darkfall dev's today :)
They mentioned a target for beta with no date, and the concerns of "rushing" things as has happened elsewhere.

It's alive :) have a read: http://df.warcry.com/forums/read/270.42541

[Atoyota]

Latest dev Journal from Darkfall devs.

Basically a progress report, but also a hint that beta won't be just around the corner. It's getting there... not yet though.


http://df.warcry.com/news/view/72954-Developer-Journal-10-State-of-Development

[Seasiu Laitya]

Latest dev Journal from Darkfall devs.

Basically a progress report, but also a hint that beta won't be just around the corner. It's getting there... not yet though.


http://df.warcry.com/news/view/72954-Developer-Journal-10-State-of-Development
In other news, Duke Nukem Forever is coming along nicely ;)

Sorry, couldn't resist :p

[Atoyota]

heh...
Like I've said a thousand times... I can wait, mainly because nothing else comes close.

Although some of the others in the pipes do look good enough to go with for a while, if and when this one ever goes beta, I'l be there :)

[Atoyota]

interesting thread
http://forums.darkfallonline.com/showthread.php?t=38924

[Atoyota]

Journal update + vidio :)
http://df.warcry.com/forums/read/270.44624

Short but sweet :)

[Atoyota]

For those who wait for Darkfall, an interesting article about the history of the games development, with some reasonable and interesting speculation.

Good read: http://df.warcry.com/news/view/75406-Surlys-Column-State-of-the-Game-Darkfall-Razorwax-and-Aventurine-Heres-the-Rub

[Atoyota]

a nice surprise journal
I have'nt read it yet, i will...

http://df.warcry.com/news/view/75587-Developer-Journal-from-Tasos

[Atoyota]

right on time... this topic drops a page and up pops a dev journal.

Read it up :)

http://df.warcry.com/forums/read/270.48208

[Atoyota]

Latest from you guessed it... Darkfall

http://df.warcry.com/news/view/76943-Developer-Journal-14-Progress-Report

[Atoyota]

settling in on a beta date, although not ready to announce it just yet.

Latest update to Darkfall: http://www.warcry.com/articles/view/devjournals/darkfalljournals/2289-Darkfall-Dev-Journal-15-A-Visit-From-a-Fan

[Atoyota]

one word people...

DARKFALL

Usually I link the articles, but I'll just link and quote this time, its special...
A well known guild leader and long time gamer nick named Asp, visited Darkfall developers in Greece....

This is his feedback (after editing), more should come from this.
The story of his visit was in my last link (previous post) in this thread.

Read up and start thinking seriously about this game. It's ALIVE!

http://www.lordsofdeath.com/www/?p=10
Here’s the story you’ve all been (not so patiently) waiting for.

First of all, we again want to thank the guys at Darkfall for taking the time to give Asp a special tour. We (all) are definitely looking forward to playing the hell out of your creation!

We still have not heard back from Asp since his initial visit. We at LoD all assume he’s already sufferfing from Darkfall withdrawls. So I went ahead and edited up his post, and Obi had it approved by the proper Darkfall PR. We hope you get as much excitement from Asp’s write-up as we did. When we hear back from him, we will definitely try to get more info, so stay tuned for a part II.

While you’re here, feel free to check out our history section. And, be sure to drop by our forums and tell us how much you all hate us. Here ya go…

-Bal.

Hey guys,

Don’t have much time to write right now because I am in some internet cafe in Athens. Here’s a few words though.

The Darkfall guys were very cool. They were not at all what I expected. Most of them were big tall guys from Norway, and a lot of them do different martial arts. The offices are nice, and they have about 20 to 30 people developing. I got a glimpse of different things people were doing while going around the desks: coding, landscape design of what seemed to be human style cities, and other stuff. The game is very real, and developers are lead by awesome people.

I wish I was a little better prepared, so some of my questions must have seemed a little stupid. First we spoke about the early days of UO and a lot of the inspiration comes from there. We spoke about all major games since then and what I liked and didn’t like about them. It was great to realize that these guys think exactly like me! Finally someone is making a game after my own heart! I am just going to mention some features everyone probably knows already, but they were kind of new to me. First of all, you can kill anyone you want (or can). Every kill gets recorded along with some details about it. You can loot everything, and you can loot any corpse. Unlimited people can be looting the same corpse simultaneously. I think its worth saying again: You can PK anyone!. You can kill their mount while they are on it. You have freedom to pretty much do anything you want and if you are skilled enough get away with it. The justice (or retribution) is in the hands of the players.

There is a lot we talked about. Like for example small guilds vs, a zerg. The way combat works in this game, I truely believe skill would be the key and 20 well coordinated capable people can take on a hundred noobs. Casual players won’t be at much of a disadvantage if they have better skills. By skills, I mean knowing how to use the terrain, your weapons, in-game objects, etc. to your advantage. With no skill, someone can have the best developed character in the game and someone with better knowledge and ability can smoke them. You won’t be able to build cities anywhere but just at key locations, which means more conflict for the limited number of city spots. This will also mean less clutter of cities like we’ve seen in other games. A band of lawless thugs and PKers can live outside with no problem. Its a completely viable way of playing. Trading will be simple. You carry your stuff on you, but if you don’t have any protection you may end up a dead trader with a lot of loot for someone. We talked about a lot more stuff too which I will write about later. (EDIT: WTF are you Asp! We want more!!!)

I played the game (a stable version they had from about a year ago). I played an Orc (of course); The best made Orc I have played… ever. The inventory screen is exactly like UO. It brought back fond memories. You know how back then you would kill someone you loot all kinds of bags? (i.e. Some neatly arranged ones or just messy thrown together ones). It certainly adds more pleasure to the kill when you get to see the time and care someone put in arranging their stuff while you’re looting it. It definitely makes the kill a more personal thing.

So first, I ran around a bit near a town on the shores to get a feel for the controls. It was pretty easy. Then I tried out equipped different armor and weapons. The Orc looked friggin’ bad ass and battle ready! The armor and weapons looked kick ass on him. I tried putting on a longer ranged weapon- I think it was a halberd. Length matters! (EDIT: “That’s what she said!”… I had to do it for ‘The Office’ fans). You could reach farther, BUT, when you swing around you can hit your own people if you’re not careful. There is friendly collision so sometimes long weapons are good, or in other situations you might want to go with shields and short sword. There will definitely be work for battle leaders; it will be crucial to organize into squads or units, choose the weapons, locations and what to do. It is very realistic. It’ll be possible to do battles like in the movie “300″, and have small number of organized people kick ass and slaughter a large number of swarming noobs. As I mentioned, the game has friendly fire, so if uncoordinated groups will end up hitting their own guildmates or possibly even healing you.

Next they showed me some sweet magic effects (from year ago mind you, which they claim is even several times better now). The effects alone make the friggin’ spell feel like a powerful thing. The eye candy was great… The ground shakes, you burn! It’s just really impressive the way they have done it. It’s very real feeling so you feel you really want to get out of the way of a fireball or the burning ground around you.

So next, we tried out the horses, and they were easy to handle. The difference from any other game I’ve played is though that you can actually fight from them! You can do some tricks specialized for just horse fighting when attacking or defending which I won’t go into details (EDIT: Damn you Asp, we want details!). But get this, you can kill the mount while the guy is on it!.!.! which I did, and it felt good, Muahaha.

Then we went to business: straight one on one fighting. An Orc with a mace and shield vs. another race spell caster. Starting close to him I had the advantage. He couldn’t get off his spells on time with me getting him from the back and the side. It was a lot of fun because it was real time collision fighting. I was very impressed, and the way the controls are, fighting felt easy and intuitive. After a few hits with my mace he was dead… And I had all his stuff! My first kill in DF.

Next we tried fighting from a ship. The ships are incredible, especially if you are into the whole pirate thing. We were on a smaller eight-gun ship, but they said the largest is huge with 50-guns! You can shoot from each canon. Here’s what’s great… The canon can be destroyed, the ship can be sunk, you can board the ship and kill, or you can just make your way to the captain who steers it and turn the guns away from your ship. You can bombard buildings or even people on the shore from the ship. It felt like I could do anything I wanted to do… in very nice looking graphics. Try to imagine large ship sinking, and everyone is scrambling from the lower levels trying to get up onto the upper decks through the small doorways or stairs to avoid drowning with the ship! This is going to be fun guys.

We talked about the economy. The best items will be crafted by people, and items can wear out or be looted. Player economy looks like is going to work pretty much like real economy with supply and demand but I won’t go into details (Edit: !!!).

I have to go, but just to finish up quickly… The game is awesome. I was pessimistic but to be honest no matter how much anyone complains about release date they will buy this game as soon as it comes out and will be the best game ever released. I do believe the release will be sometime next year. I spoke with them about beta phases and schedule, but I promised not to reveal information about dates, but I will say beta shouldn’t be too long. Anyways, thanks guys for helping set this up. I got a couple Darkfall t-shirts I will ship to you that helped. It’s a great game coming not too long from now, and now I know for sure that it is going to be completely awesome.

Asparouh

[Atoyota]

The next segment "Asp’s Darkfall full preview and Q&A!"


It's a good read, I'll quote what I felt was most important to me.

Here's the link: http://www.lordsofdeath.com/www/?p=12

And quote: Tasos and Kjetil (Darkfall’s lead programmer) sat down in their conference room and they said, “Let’s talk about Darkfall” We began with general Q&A. First we talked about previous games we have played. We talked about the early days of UO which is part of the inspiration for Darkfall, the violence and chaos and pkers vs antis etc. We talked about other games and how they fell short of expectations of players like myself. Then we went on to talk about Darkfall. The concept of Darkfall is to create a free world, where players are in control of their own destiny and the destiny of the game world. They don’t want to force players to be good or evil, guilds big or small, but instead, are very excited to see what direction, shape and form things are going to evolve from the player base. The Adventurine team is extremely motivated to create a realm where players decide their own fate. Simply, Adventurine has created the landscape, the players will create the world!


This really looks like the game I've been waiting for.
It may not be for you, but it's right for me.

[AsheMan]

This really looks like the game I've been waiting for.
It may not be for you, but it's right for me.

There can be no doubt from your 44 posts in this thread that this is the game you've been waiting for! :)

[Atoyota]

Yeah the news is looking better, and hopefully the wait is nearing an end.

[Atoyota]

The next in the series of journals from Darkfall dev's

Still nothing about beta, I only skimmed this.
http://www.warcry.com/articles/view/devjournals/darkfalljournals/2568-Darkfall-Dev-Journal-16-The-Details

Still waiting.

[Atoyota]

Latest from Darkfall....

Still pondering publishing: http://www.warcry.com/articles/view/devjournals/darkfalljournals/2616-Darkfall-Dev-Journal-17-Business-Models-Clan-Cities

[Atoyota]

latest from Forumfall : http://www.warcry.com/articles/view/devjournals/darkfalljournals/2661-Darkfall-Dev-Journal-18-Economy-Prestige-Classes-More

Prestige classes may not be in at start, but they will come eventually.

[xiudin]

latest from Forumfall : http://www.warcry.com/articles/view/devjournals/darkfalljournals/2661-Darkfall-Dev-Journal-18-Economy-Prestige-Classes-More

Prestige classes may not be in at start, but they will come eventually.

The interesting thing about that is that it hints at an actual release timetable.

[Kriptical]

while I'm usually pretty anti pvp this is dang interesting. I'd be willing to put aside my preconceptions to try something of this scope. Even though I don't really like a few of the aspects(gear decay) it seems that this game could provide the type of challenge, with a nice side order of shiny, some of us are missing. The idea of nautical warfare, traveling with your guild to a raid, and actually running support from the vessel = $$. It expounds on the old EQ Fear Raids in a way that does the old girl justice. At least conceptually...in my drooling gamer mind...Who know's. I do know one thing, this game is either going to be incredible or the source of unrivaled nerd rage.

p.s. as I read a few articles it's good to see that they value frame rate and diversity of looks over super high toon customization and poly counts. Hell, I'd take a cell shaded mmo if things could be destructable, diverse..and just look cool. Cool != Polycount! Heh, it would be awesome to play a game which looked like the old G.I. Joe//Batman//Superman cartoons which were on when I was a kid getting home from school. Even the older Transformers would be fine as long as it fit the above qualifications.

[Atoyota]

Well they plan on making it as real for the player as they can... at least the way I see it.

PvP yes and full loot seems like a nightmare to some, but when you consider that equipment is not as important as player skill and character development, it takes the edge off dieing.

They are concentrating more on mechanics than graphics, it may not be state of the art "Art", but game play will be awesome! Yes.... "Mounted Combat" very similar to Mount & Blade. A players sandbox where you really have freedom to do as you please, but there are always consequences, both from the server or the other players :)

It's been a long time coming, and it may be a while longer... I've had my eye on this nearly a year now, while others can count 5 years of waiting. Some have said 'vapor' and others that if it ever releases it will flop because it's already out dated. I think the gameplay and concept will make it work, that it's closer to what many (oldschool) gamers have really been waiting for, that button mashing has bored most of us to death in games. Time for a more realistic environment.

It's closer to what UO was than what UO is now, but without the bugs and exploits UO launched with. This game should rock when and if .... It's worth the wait.

[Atoyota]

latest (delayed) update of Darkfall
http://www.warcry.com/articles/view/devjournals/darkfalljournals/2707-Darkfall-Dev-Journal-19-A-Round-Up

Some interesting stuff on sailing and crafting here. No detail, but I like what I read.

[perfect]

latest (delayed) update of Darkfall
http://www.warcry.com/articles/view/devjournals/darkfalljournals/2707-Darkfall-Dev-Journal-19-A-Round-Up

Some interesting stuff on sailing and crafting here. No detail, but I like what I read.

<snicker> That's because if you read ANYTHING on Darkfall, it's a good sign.

I actually poked around this one because you said 'crafting' and I love a good crafting system.

I take back most of the mean things I have said about this game.

[ThreadKiller]

so perfect I take it Warhammer will be you next game?

[Atoyota]

<snicker> That's because if you read ANYTHING on Darkfall, it's a good sign.

I actually poked around this one because you said 'crafting' and I love a good crafting system.

I take back most of the mean things I have said about this game.

welp... I kind of like the fact that the dev's are pretty much doing their thing and let the forums think what they want (for the most part).

At some point they need to reach back to the forum and tell them how it is, but if I were a dev... I'd tell the forums to STFU and take it or leave it. (what ever the game was) I would'nt coddle or "try to sell" the game, let it sell itself.

I'd make it and get it working mechanically and conceptually as intended, then bug free (amap) I'd beta it and finalise testing for release. To hell with I want this or that.... this is it... take it or leave it.
and to hell with bean counters, it's a game!

[perfect]

so perfect I take it Warhammer will be you next game?

I dunno. Will wait until later Beta stages to determine that.

welp... I kind of like the fact that the dev's are pretty much doing their thing and let the forums think what they want (for the most part).

At some point they need to reach back to the forum and tell them how it is, but if I were a dev... I'd tell the forums to STFU and take it or leave it. (what ever the game was) I would'nt coddle or "try to sell" the game, let it sell itself.

I'd make it and get it working mechanically and conceptually as intended, then bug free (amap) I'd beta it and finalise testing for release. To hell with I want this or that.... this is it... take it or leave it.
and to hell with bean counters, it's a game!

I agree. Make your game they way you want to and give it to the public for consumption.

[ThreadKiller]

so I have a general question for the population. Would you prefer a game that is smaller and more polished upon release (and subsequently piss off the power levelers), or a larger game with less polish (and subsequently piss of the performance/casual players)?

[Atoyota]

so I have a general question for the population. Would you prefer a game that is smaller and more polished upon release (and subsequently piss off the power levelers), or a larger game with less polish (and subsequently piss of the performance/casual players)?

I'd lean on larger, but your querie is really too vague for me

[xiudin]

so I have a general question for the population. Would you prefer a game that is smaller and more polished upon release (and subsequently piss off the power levelers), or a larger game with less polish (and subsequently piss of the performance/casual players)?

As long as the mechanics make it a fun game for me, I'll take the smaller more polished game, and the devs can spend time on additional content instead of trying to fix things on the fly.

[perfect]

so I have a general question for the population. Would you prefer a game that is smaller and more polished upon release (and subsequently piss off the power levelers), or a larger game with less polish (and subsequently piss of the performance/casual players)?

I'd much better like a smaller, tight knit game with good gameplay.

[ThreadKiller]

I'd lean on larger, but your querie is really too vague for me

I'll try to sharpen it up.

Vanguard was a large world full of broken quests, bad performance, and other really nasty game killing things (we don't need to beat on why, it just was). There were some redeeming qualities in there (the crafting mechanics I thought were good, Diplomacy was a nice twist...pointless, but a nice twist). Bottom line, large world, but very broken.

Would it have been better to make the world smaller and polish it to a higher degree? The risk here is the power levelers trying the game and complaining about the lack of content.

For that matter, do you think that the current way games are beta'd kind of screwed up? Does a game suffer from word of mouth if people power level through the entire content during a beta phase?

Has anyone here been involved in a very early beta stage of a game? If so, how did they manage testing? Where you assigned things to do, or just make your own character and have at it?

It seems like all of the games to come out lately have had either the a) there's not enough content issue, or b) the performance and bugs suck issue.

[AsheMan]

I'll try to sharpen it up.

Vanguard was a large world full of broken quests, bad performance, and other really nasty game killing things (we don't need to beat on why, it just was). There were some redeeming qualities in there (the crafting mechanics I thought were good, Diplomacy was a nice twist...pointless, but a nice twist). Bottom line, large world, but very broken.

Would it have been better to make the world smaller and polish it to a higher degree? The risk here is the power levelers trying the game and complaining about the lack of content.

For that matter, do you think that the current way games are beta'd kind of screwed up? Does a game suffer from word of mouth if people power level through the entire content during a beta phase?

Has anyone here been involved in a very early beta stage of a game? If so, how did they manage testing? Where you assigned things to do, or just make your own character and have at it?

It seems like all of the games to come out lately have had either the a) there's not enough content issue, or b) the performance and bugs suck issue.

I see what you're getting at but Vanguard is a horrid example. It not only pissed off the performance/polish people with all the bugs but it also pissed off the power levelers with absolutely zero content post level 35 (at release).

I'd probably say in general I'd prefer a medium sized game with limited bugs and a promising future over small/polished or large/unpolished. (Which is probably why I still play LOTRO. It's a good sized game with limited bugs and issues and a bright future.)

[Atoyota]

I'll try to sharpen it up.

Vanguard was a large world full of broken quests, bad performance, and other really nasty game killing things (we don't need to beat on why, it just was). There were some redeeming qualities in there (the crafting mechanics I thought were good, Diplomacy was a nice twist...pointless, but a nice twist). Bottom line, large world, but very broken.



Ok...
Mechanics or gameplay is GOD. The bottom line which has nothing at all to do with the size of the world is gameplay mechanics. That has to be right or forget it.

Size of the world has to do with content. Npc's, grass tree's quests (if the game has them) and resources.

So i lean on larger with filling in later, but the gameplay has to be right, with very few exploits and bugs.

Mechanics are global where content is local.

[ThreadKiller]

I see what you're getting at but Vanguard is a horrid example. It not only pissed off the performance/polish people with all the bugs but it also pissed off the power levelers with absolutely zero content post level 35 (at release).

I'd probably say in general I'd prefer a medium sized game with limited bugs and a promising future over small/polished or large/unpolished. (Which is probably why I still play LOTRO. It's a good sized game with limited bugs and issues and a bright future.)

yeah, I know it wasn't the greatest example.

I guess I'm still disappointed. I was really hoping to find a new game this past year, and it isn't promising....and I have a strange feeling next year will be no different.

I would probably opt for a smaller world with the features more polished. I think you would have to build a big world, close off a large portion on it, and work on the game mechanics and software tools to add quests in a smaller world to achieve success. Really polish off the small word, and work the class types, crafting, and other things in really tight. Make sure your software tools to add quests and NPC is really solid, and slowly open up new portions of the world over time.

I have a dream to start an independent beta testers group someday. I think if you could get the population of people high enough you could tell a lot about the game's chances of success and failure well ahead of time by studying the smaller sample of people. But they would have to be willing to participate at fairly high level (in terms of classification of self, and review input).

[acrobat]

Smaller.

I just posted almost exactly that, in some other thread. Quantity vs Quality basically.

I don't want something that I complete in a week, like some shitty NWN persistant world. But I would much prefer something that entertains me really well for 6 months, than something that is a repetitive grind fest like EQ, for 6 years.

Obviously... I would prefer the best of both worlds :p But if getting really good gameplay out of an MMORPG, requires that I just play it for 6 months, and then wait a while for them to make an expansion that I have to pay for, then so be it. It's better than grinding through a billion "kill 20 bat" quests.. only to reach level 50 a year later and end up with "kill 5000 giant bat" quests. :P

[ThreadKiller]

hey acro.....so I have another question for you (and anyone else for that matter)..do you think the way games go about beta hurts or helps their cause. It seems to me that they don't have any organization at all...it's just a leveling fest that enables people to power level their character and then trash the game for lack of content as soon as the NDA lifts. Would it be better to actually put a specific character in every beta account (say a level 20 something or other...or one of each class type at level 20) and only open up level 20 areas for testing say Friday through Sunday night? Only have a truly open beta near the end with customize characters (which would enable a stress test to happen, with all the characters starting off in the newbie areas? Not that any of this matters, it's just a general observation I have, and was trolling for people who have experienced beta releases before, or have experience in alpha releases.

[perfect]

hey acro.....so I have another question for you (and anyone else for that matter)..do you think the way games go about beta hurts or helps their cause. It seems to me that they don't have any organization at all...it's just a leveling fest that enables people to power level their character and then trash the game for lack of content as soon as the NDA lifts. Would it be better to actually put a specific character in every beta account (say a level 20 something or other...or one of each class type at level 20) and only open up level 20 areas for testing say Friday through Sunday night? Only have a truly open beta near the end with customize characters (which would enable a stress test to happen, with all the characters starting off in the newbie areas? Not that any of this matters, it's just a general observation I have, and was trolling for people who have experienced beta releases before, or have experience in alpha releases.

Focused testing is the way to go. SOME betas are doing that.

[ThreadKiller]

Focused testing is the way to go. SOME betas are doing that.

nudge, nudge, wink, wink...

yeah, that just makes so much more sense to me....now all I need is a hundred friends, a web site, and a contact within the next big game, and I would start a independent beta testing guild. It would be really cool if game companies could have a place to go to have focus testing, and honest clear, and private I might add, feedback (with a few threads opened up for public access for publicity).

[Leto Eu`Acumen]

Keep in mind that Betas are used for lots of different reasons nowadays than just testing a game.

IMO bigger alpha teams along with more structured focus testing is the most productive way to address things.

That said, you have to keep some things in mind - gaming budgets don't include money to pay beta testers. Lets be frank here: The incentive to beta test a game without being paid for it is that you get to play it before it is released. If some people want to spend their time leveling up, then more power to 'em. People are going to complain no matter how they play. People will complain day 1 in the newbie ground every single time, guaranteed. You don't have to get to max-level to find a reason to complain :p

The 'open' betas just before the release are pretty much free trials anyway. In MMO's you need to stress test things, so there are legitimate reasons for trying to push the population before actually releasing the game.

I would point out that the default reaction once an NDA lifts isn't always to "trash the game". Sometimes a well-known guild will announce it is moving TO a game while it is still in the Beta and will be there after the release. That is advertising you can't buy.

People are not always wrong - if masses of people are complaining about a game when an NDA lifts, then maybe there is something wrong with the game, not necessarily the beta process.

[ThreadKiller]

oh, don't get me wrong, I'm not looking to get paid, just to find something to do when I retire here pretty soon.

I was just curious to know how Vanguard was tested...did it have a very structured, closed beta?

[Leto Eu`Acumen]

I was just curious to know how Vanguard was tested...did it have a very structured, closed beta?

The short answer is: No.

There was some structure *within* the beta. Different Devs from different departments would ask beta testers to volunteer to help for this-or-that. i.e., a specific zone or level range or skillset etc.

But compared to most betas, VG was extremely free and open most of the time. The servers were up 24 hours a day (mostly), and they intentionally recruited a tester pool to try to keep a population throughout the day.

There was, of course, some focus testing done, mostly under the radar. For most folks however, there wasn't much structure to be found.

Let me be clear however: I don't feel VG's problems had a lot to do with the Beta process. Could it have been better? Yea. But it was just a symptom, not the cause.

[ThreadKiller]

oh, again, I should have been clearer....the beta had nothing to do with Vanguard failing...not in any way, shape, or form.....it was mismanaged from the time it reared it's ugly head.

[Atoyota]

oh, again, I should have been clearer....the beta had nothing to do with Vanguard failing...not in any way, shape, or form.....it was mismanaged from the time it reared it's ugly head.

not from the start, but when they got business invested into the game, they created a time table they could not fulfill. Deadlines they could not meet. Then they tried a bailout that was really a buyout.

Maybe if they had taken more time, had more to show before they took investment, they would have had a chance.
They felt they could pull it off, and they almost (well maybe) did. Just that their target group (core gamer) were already experienced gamers, and pretty much jaded to the generic crap I saw in Vanguard.

A few things were nice and different, but the longer it went the more it looked like a copy, and the more it changed to be a copy.

Anyways, this Thread... the unofficial Darkfall thread, tracks the game and it's whining forum.

The Developers there are wating till A: the game is the way they want, and B: they get the type of publish agreement that they want.

I doubt we will see a repeat of Vanguard in bugs and performance, but what Letu said ....

People are not always wrong - if masses of people are complaining about a game when an NDA lifts, then maybe there is something wrong with the game, not necessarily the beta process.
pretty much is the question for Darkfall, and the answer for Vanguard.

If it's fun, they will play... if not they will be on the forums screaming.

[ThreadKiller]

yup, I hear ya'. I'm just going back to my time is software development. We would never have let the customer decide the beta terms....we made them think they did, but they didn't really. We were pretty successful at it, and mostly because we knew what we wanted to create, and we stuck to our guns and didn't let the customer make us sway too far off the path we were on. It was pretty high level stuff too (the kind that sells for $150K a pop for the lease, plus 15% a year to renew.

[Atoyota]

final dev journal of 07
I have'nt read it yet, so no comment...
http://www.warcry.com/articles/view/devjournals/darkfalljournals/2751-Darkfall-Dev-Journal-20-Fan-Answers-Three-Screenshots

[xiudin]

good update. part that really caught my attention

"On taking trophies from dead opponents: We planned to include head-taking to accessorize with but we don't have time to implement this by launch. It goes without saying that we'll patch it in when its priority ranking comes up. For the time being your trophies are your statistics of details on all your kills, and your looted items from your victims."

looks like they have at least an internal launch date. I hope it's soon. :)

[Atoyota]

/agreed

Archery has me drooling :)

[Cobalty2004]

The whole rule kingdoms and conquer others has me drooling.

I could care less about their combat system.

The no grinding pointless levels and the ability to plant your guild/clan flag all over the map has me turned on like a 13yr old boy getting his first handjob.

If their combat system though does live up to the hype and latency isn't apart in any of it, that will be a plus. But...

FINALLY A DEV REALIZES THAT CONTENT PRE MAX LEVEL IS WASTED, WHY THE **** DO YOU LEVEL UP IN A GAME TO MAKE 95% OF THE CONTENT IN THE GAME OBSOLETE AND POINTLESS.

This will also solve alot of problems with PvP, such as a level 50 ganking level 5s.

[Atoyota]

I can't see them getting around some latency issues, but they can minimize them.

Sure it's going to be 'PVP' and Clan/Guild heaven (when you consider map control the prime ingredient for meaningful group play + managing outposts towns and resources and all that goes with it)

I'm turned on by solo play styles, and mercenary roles. The freedom that offers, and as a way to form friendships with the "powers that be". Alignment makes that easier and more compelling for groups to accept.

Combat is more realistic, full loot makes it meaningful and not trivial (a real death penalty), basically the game has more of an emphasis on reality rather than convenience and trivial mechanisms. For me that adds up to complete immersion.

It's all in what you want... I want this.

[Cobalty2004]

It's all in what you want... I want this.

Amen.

Their graphics engine looks decent, decent to not destroy the highest rated PCs in massive battles.

I am SOOO curious to see how AoC will do their siege battles. Seeing how they have the most advanced MMO engine out there.

But I will take gameplay > graphics anyday for an MMO.

For an FPS... I say they are tied. Crysis definitely reinvented the word "eye-candy."

[Atoyota]

Amen.


But I will take gameplay > graphics anyday for an MMO.

For an FPS... I say they are tied. Crysis definitely reinvented the word "eye-candy."

And I say amen as well.

The graphics should never ever for one instant, sacrifice gameplay.
Graphics is the bun, gameplay is the burger... show me the MEAT!

[Seasiu Laitya]

FINALLY A DEV REALIZES THAT CONTENT PRE MAX LEVEL IS WASTED, WHY THE **** DO YOU LEVEL UP IN A GAME TO MAKE 95% OF THE CONTENT IN THE GAME OBSOLETE AND POINTLESS.

I don't think it's as simple as that. MMOs essentially boil down to one thing: incentive, and reward. You need an incentive to keep people playing. A long-term goal such as max level is a great incentive to play.

However, it does introduce a big problem. That of people playing only to level up. Of willfully missing otherwise interesting content because it doesn't aid them in that goal, or is not of optimal efficiency.

So yes, getting rid of levels could solve some issues. But it could also create a problem of reduced incentive to play at all.

[Atoyota]

So yes, getting rid of levels could solve some issues. But it could also create a problem of reduced incentive to play at all.

I can't speak for everyone, but in UO I had at least 7 maxed characters... maxed in the sense that they were pretty much the way I wanted them and no real development was needed. This before all the changes that made everything trivial... I also had all the housing and vendor setup I needed... too much in fact, because that alone could have kept me busy.

I had so many options and all were fun and exciting.

Also speaking about skills vs levels as a character development scheme...

I could have changed how my characters were defined by changing their behavior in game. In short, begin changing their skills by changing activity. As I had most areas I wanted covered with so many veteran characters I did not have a need to, but on one or two character per account servers that could be an excuse to play longer... effectively making it seem as though you were leveling up another guy while you were just readjusting his talents by changing using different skills.

With a skills cap (max points per character) some will decay and others rise, and you can do this without locks and arrows which was one of the UO bastardisations (trivial fixes).

Darkfall is a skills game, a major plus for me in an MMOg

[Atoyota]

1/11 journal #21 for your reading pleasure

http://www.warcry.com/articles/view/devjournals/darkfalljournals/2796-Darkfall-Dev-Journal-21-Summary-Status

[Seasiu Laitya]

1/11 journal #21 for your reading pleasure

http://www.warcry.com/articles/view/devjournals/darkfalljournals/2796-Darkfall-Dev-Journal-21-Summary-Status

DNF is also apparently in the final stages before release...

So which will we be able to play first, Darkfall or DNF... :D :D

[AsheMan]

DNF is also apparently in the final stages before release...

So which will we be able to play first, Darkfall or DNF... :D :D

Heh, probably Duke Nukem Forever.

[Atoyota]

DNF is also apparently in the final stages before release...

So which will we be able to play first, Darkfall or DNF... :D :D

heh... DNF is pure FPS
I played the arcade duke and the first fps duke that came out after DOOM... I have to say that was better than DOOM by a mile, and had more humor or shall I say Comic relief :D

But nah these are two entirely different types of games. I rthink you realise that much.

[Atoyota]

Journal 22 and Q&A
More on beta with indications this will be the year.

http://www.warcry.com/articles/view/devjournals/darkfalljournals/2813-Darkfall-Dev-Journal-21-Community-Q-A
Community: Beta ETA (we all understand possible setbacks that's nature of the industry but a 1 month 2 yrs or something would be great)

Tasos Flambouras: Previous estimates on beta were honest educated estimates based on facts at the time. Circumstances have a way of changing, so we don't want to try to estimate again when so many things are in flux. The only thing certain is that we expect everything to come together one way or another within a few months so that our launch can be within the year. When we decide whether to go with a publisher or to self publish we will announce a beta date.

[Kriptical]

I know nothing of how the process of working with a publisher works in this industry. However, given the protracted dev time on this it would seem a shame if they didn't self publish. It would be a shame if he likes of EA got a hold on this. Not like these guys seem the type which would go quietly. But when your baby is so close to birth, the tendency to compromise would be understandable. Also, a shame after such a long voyage. I hope they get a chance to do it exactly how they want to. Seems like they've earned it.

[Atoyota]

If you read the Q&A, they talk about their need for a publisher, and the bargaining position being that they don't really need one. They can self publish.

I expect the attraction for going with a publisher is to help sell the game more than anything else. Publishers have their networks in place and can get the game to more people much faster.

I'm very confident they can self publish and will if they feel the need.
Just my 6th sense...

[perfect]

If you read the Q&A, they talk about their need for a publisher, and the bargaining position being that they don't really need one. They can self publish.

I expect the attraction for going with a publisher is to help sell the game more than anything else. Publishers have their networks in place and can get the game to more people much faster.

I'm very confident they can self publish and will if they feel the need.
Just my 6th sense...

I don't see the need for Publishers in this day and age.

I know that *I* don't go into a Gamestop, see a game box for a MMO and go "Hey, I'll play this!".

I hope they do self publish. Might be refreshing.

[Atoyota]

I don't see the need for Publishers in this day and age.

I know that *I* don't go into a Gamestop, see a game box for a MMO and go "Hey, I'll play this!".

I hope they do self publish. Might be refreshing.

/agreed... but we (you and I and most that spend time on gaming forums) are still not the total demographic of the gaming world.
A substantial percentage still just read mags or cruise best buy for a new game without ever looking at an Internet site either about the game or one that discusses games.

Publishers get you better merchandising and advertising all around.

I think Darkfall will sell itself, at least amongst the educated demographic (enough to be a viable product), but a 'publisher' would add to sales tremendously.

[AsheMan]

I would think they need a publisher just to help them get the word out. I had never even heard of Darkfall until I read this post and I've never seen it mentioned elsewhere except by people referring to Atoyota or this thread.

[perfect]

I would think they need a publisher just to help them get the word out. I had never even heard of Darkfall until I read this post and I've never seen it mentioned elsewhere except by people referring to Atoyota or this thread.

Nor had I, but that's kinda the point, I think: Those that know, know and by word of mouth, they will tell others that they think will like the game.

Kind of like a secret society.

[AsheMan]

Nor had I, but that's kinda the point, I think: Those that know, know and by word of mouth, they will tell others that they think will like the game.

Kind of like a secret society.

Kind of like the "viral marketing campaign" that was Vanguard? Bleh.

[Atoyota]

Kind of like the "viral marketing campaign" that was Vanguard? Bleh.

kind of...

At least this may end up as a good game and not just talk.
I'll let you know when I know :)

I would'nt tout it though, if I felt it was just talk...

[perfect]

Kind of like the "viral marketing campaign" that was Vanguard? Bleh.

Or Cloverfield?

<smirk>

[Atoyota]

Or Cloverfield?

<smirk>

where exactly did that monster come from and why? :rolleyes:

[perfect]

where exactly did that monster come from and why? :rolleyes:

We have to wait for Cloverfield 2: The News Coverage for those answers.

[AsheMan]

Don't derail Atoyota's special little Darkfall thread! He's worked hard to make it 115 posts long (with more to come) with 90% being from himself. :)

[Atoyota]

Don't derail Atoyota's special little Darkfall thread! He's worked hard to make it 115 posts long (with more to come) with 90% being from himself. :)

oh it's ok, there will be more developer journals and in that way the thread stays on track :)

"It's Alive!"

[perfect]

oh it's ok, there will be more developer journals and in that way the thread stays on track :)

"It's Alive!"

Apparently, there was more than one monster (not counting the little ones).

[Atoyota]

Apparently, there was more than one monster (not counting the little ones).

well you can tell us more later, and I'll tell you more about Darkfall when the next developer journal hits warcry network :)

[Atoyota]

Here ya go!

A continued Q&A from the Darkfall developers (journal #23)

Read and enjoy :)

http://www.warcry.com/articles/view/devjournals/darkfalljournals/2868-Darkfall-Dev-Journal-23-Tasos-Answers-29-Fan-Questions

[Atoyota]

No journal this week, but I am (ATM) downloading a video provided by the developers of Darkfall (NEW)

http://forums.darkfallonline.com/showthread.php?p=1192761#post1192761

From the forum link you can get this if you like.


No news... but this may be fun to watch :)

[Atoyota]

http://forums.darkfallonline.com/showthread.php?p=1192761#post1192761



Took a while to download and for me it was worth it to get a good look at the Art in the game.

Darkfall not really hyped like other games are for it's art seems to be Good Enough. The mount pictured is unlike any I've seen in other rpg's and the cityscapes and imagery all fit very well for a stark (harsh) and real MMO.

Not much character animation, and that never has looked great (even in past video's), but it does look adequate and may improve.

A picture is worth a thousand words, but that may not be true with this clip.
I do feel its worth taking a look at...

Hopefully next week the journal :)

[Atoyota]

Not much... just some screens.
But a promise for something more in the way of news next Friday.
http://www.warcry.com/articles/view/screenshots/3045-Darkfall-Three-Exclusive-Screens-of-Severii

[gtlaxsk8er]

Apparently, there was more than one monster (not counting the little ones).

Well there was more than 1 monster in the movie not counting the little ones. One of the times you see the monsters face it looks like the head of a snake, another time you see it it's got those puffy sac things on the side of its head.

Anyways, pretty interesting video, the mounts look really cool.

[Atoyota]

I haven't read it yet, but it's big and full of goodies!
I'm excited....

Read it here http://www.warcry.com/articles/view/devjournals/darkfalljournals/3070-Darkfall-Dev-Journal-24-Full-Freedom-Gameplay-and-Substance
just breezed it and yeah it's a good one :)

[Renekal]

Just as you think you're safe, an arrow, fired by another player you haven't seen in all the commotion, finishes you off and you're summarily stripped of your belongings. The End.

Sounds fun and frustrating just like it should. I look forward to it.

[rhagz]

ZzzzzzZzzz someone wake me up when this game actually enters beta.

[Choctaw]

Not meaning to be overly negative here, but that really sounds like it was written by the ghost of McQuaid-past.

I mean it sounds great. Really. But so did Vanguard. Lots of *potential*. Lots of hype. Where's the beef?

[Atoyota]

Well they did say they planned on letting everyone "try before you buy". Least that's what I thought I saw in the article (without quoting from it).

And yeah rhagz... it's been a long time, and really nothing set in stone as to if and when it will ever release. I think it will soon, and more than that (much unlike Vanguard), in a polished playable state.
But waiting for a game costs you nothing, no dime and only what time you care to invest.

As for me there is nothing else out there worth waiting for. Just me though...

[xiudin]

New update. Nothing really new though. Believers will hail it as one step closer, and naysayers will decry it as more empty chatter.

http://www.warcry.com/articles/view/devjournals/darkfalljournals/3570-Darkfall-Dev-Journal-25-Philosophy.2

[Loampounder]

Darkfall not really hyped like other games are for it's art seems to be Good Enough. The mount pictured is unlike any I've seen in other rpg's and the cityscapes and imagery all fit very well for a stark (harsh) and real MMO.

Looks good enough, but going through their released screenshots, they seem to have something for brown and spikes.

[xiudin]

Another brief Q and A

http://www.warcry.com/articles/view/devjournals/darkfalljournals/4883-Darkfall-Dev-Journal-26-Questions-Answered

They say they have an official release date within 2008, but they are not yet ro release the specific date yet. I'm hoping for the game, but i'll believe it when I see it.

Also, appartently there was some confusion off of what Tasos said in the update so he released a clarification.

"As much as I enjoy seeing heated arguments on the community board, I think some of you are getting a bit ahead of yourselves:

When I mention one race per server I'm making an argument in the racial context. The reason you can choose to play only one race is because we allow one character per server, and this has been explained before over and over as the only way to ensure player accountability.

So let me confirm again that Darkfall has one character per server and that's not going to change. We wouldn't go changing a feature without announcing it and explaining why we did it. We're not in the habit of just 'slipping in' feature changes.

Sorry if this created any confusion, I'll try to be more careful next time."

[perfect]

I am a big fan of one character per server on games. This is a good move.

[Seasiu Laitya]

I am a big fan of one character per server on games. This is a good move.
You can't really stop people having more than one char per server tho.

Just means having more than 1 account. You only need 2 subscriptions active when you want to transfer items, otherwise you just keep the account you're playing active.

Of course you have to buy the software twice, but for people who really want more than 1 character, it's obviously still doable.

[acrobat]

My god I've been researching this game.. It sounds like my dream game. It does everything I always wanted and it just sounds so fantastic.

I bet it will suck or get cancelled. ;-)

Seriously though I really hope this game survives. It is so concerning that they are trying so much.. and it makes me super sceptical. But it's possible they could pull it off I suppose. If there is little (or no) PVE in the game, then perhaps they have a lot more time to make these great features, because they aren't having to make endless quests and mobs and raid content. If PVP is a large part of progressing your character, then you don't need to be constantly PVE'ing.

Also the graphics look quite humble. Some of the models are as good as I've ever seen. I saw an Orc in one shot that looks better than any Orc I've ever seen in a game. And the mount in the movie is amazing. But the landscapes look a bit sparse and lacking detail on the textures too. No doubt all that will improve, but either way it's win/win for me because scaling back on the graphics budget might let them focus more on the stuff that matters more.

I'm so excited about this game, but it's hard to find any info. I read the "features" on the main website, and I read the FAQ in the forum, but it does sound very Vanguardish like someone else said. So good, that it's almost too good to be true. I'm also missing out on some key info, like exactly how much PVE there will be, if any. And are there going to be big, detailed, complex dungeons?

[Amsra]

My god I've been researching this game.. It sounds like my dream game. It does everything I always wanted and it just sounds so fantastic.

I bet it will suck or get cancelled. ;-)

Seriously though I really hope this game survives. It is so concerning that they are trying so much.. and it makes me super sceptical. But it's possible they could pull it off I suppose. If there is little (or no) PVE in the game, then perhaps they have a lot more time to make these great features, because they aren't having to make endless quests and mobs and raid content. If PVP is a large part of progressing your character, then you don't need to be constantly PVE'ing.

Also the graphics look quite humble. Some of the models are as good as I've ever seen. I saw an Orc in one shot that looks better than any Orc I've ever seen in a game. And the mount in the movie is amazing. But the landscapes look a bit sparse and lacking detail on the textures too. No doubt all that will improve, but either way it's win/win for me because scaling back on the graphics budget might let them focus more on the stuff that matters more.

I'm so excited about this game, but it's hard to find any info. I read the "features" on the main website, and I read the FAQ in the forum, but it does sound very Vanguardish like someone else said. So good, that it's almost too good to be true. I'm also missing out on some key info, like exactly how much PVE there will be, if any. And are there going to be big, detailed, complex dungeons?

Pretty much feel as you do.....but I went thru Vanguard so I will wait and see for now. I am following the progress of this game tho for sure :)

[acrobat]

I just registered and asked them some questions on their forum. I'll let you know the answers if/when someone replies.

[acrobat]

The community staff member replied to my questions, and I also read a LOT of very detailed Q+A's on the forum.

It sounds really fantastic, but I do have a few hesitations. Mainly:


1) It's only an independent game made by about 30 people :( It's not fair to completely dismiss it because of that I know... and I have played some very good games made by extremely small teams, so I am perfectly fine with it - honestly. But you know that with that small a team, and with that small a budget, that it's not going to be a huge, stunningly beautiful game, packed with content. It just never happens... I once played a MMORPG made by 3 people, and it was fantastic.. Lot's of fun, very well balanced, pretty much bug free. But it had dated graphics and a real lack of content. It was excellent for about 2 months, and then it ran dry.

2) The skill system will limit what you can learn and use. It makes sense to put some limits on it, otherwise someone who plays a lot, could end up with enormous nukes, heals, lifetaps, root, snare, fear, mez, slows, etc :p Basically a mixture of all the classes we know mixed together, and that would just be overpowered. So instead they said that you can learn what you want, but your skills deteriorate in time, and the only strong ones will be the ones you use regularly and you have to maintain them when you play the game. So I wonder how limited that will make people.
It's one thing to have say 20 good spells that you use fairly often, similar to EQ - For example, snare, dot 1, dot 2, nuke 1, nuke2, mez, heal, and a bunch of nice buffs. That would be fine by me.
But it's another completely different thing if it ends up being like Oblivion, where you only really have 2 or 3 spells and you just charge around spamming fireballs at people.
The staff member mentioned Oblivion a couple of times, and he also mentions FPS's a lot. If he just purely means that it's all aimed, then that is great. But if it also means that there is little depth to the combat, then I'll be so disappointed.

3) There is PVE.... Raids, group content, solo content. The mobs also migrate... So if you kill a dragon in a cave a few times, it may decide to make a new home somewhere else. And then that empty cave will perhaps get taken over by a bunch of travelling goblins... Mobs will circle strafe people. And if you try to kite them, they might switch to a bow and frag you in the ass, or maybe they will just stop chasing you and run away.. or maybe they will call their friends. There are full on political systems and the players police their own world, and there is PVP and huge siege type PVP, and there is real directional aimed bow n arrows and magic is fired, in real time, in real directions, and the world is evidently enormous compared to WoW.
Etc..Etc..Etc..Etc..

It sounds great, but I have to question how good this can really be when they have attempted so much with so few people... I hate being negative and sceptical but damn.. if SOE/Sigil/Blizzard/Funcom/etc.. all failed to make an enormous MMORPG with tons of depth and that actually worked and was fun, then I just have to wonder how this team of 30 with a small budget can do it.

Is it going to be pure quantity of quality? They say on the forum that most of these features are already in the game so theres nothing to worry about. But do they work well? Or is the chat system like AOC where you can't change the font colour, and the UI is all stuck in place and can't be moved around or resized, and the quests dry up at a certain level, or like Vanguard were everyone crashes every 2 hours without fail, and every time we formed a group someone would be missing from it and would have to restart their client, or we would try to loot something and it couldn't be looted, etc..

This is just such complex stuff and it's hard to make. They have taken it all on in such a cocky way, I just have to wonder if something has to give.

I guess we'll see. :)



p.s. If you want me to cut and paste the answers he gave me and the other interesting answers I saw, just say and I can cut and paste it.

[Seasiu Laitya]

I'm sorry, but there is no farkin way they can deliver on all their promises.

At this point I think we're looking at the next Dark And Light.

[acrobat]

I'm not so sure about that. I was at first, but now.. Hmm..

They said on the forum that most of the features are already in the game. After all, it has been pushed back a long time already. There are posts where people were predicting when in 2007 it would release. Now we are half way though 2008 and it's not even in beta yet, so they have had a loooong time to add stuff.

So yeah, they say most of the features are already in the game, and now it's just a time to tweak and balance the skills and stuff. They also say that they will have a very short beta (just 2 months), because it won't be to change large parts of the game (which seems to have been happening in other betas recently). Instead, it will just be for fine tuning, so they are determined to get the game finished so that Beta is basically playing the finished product. Also, they say that we will all be able to get it for free and play it for free, so we don't even need to set up a subscription until we decided if we like it or not. That takes a lot of confidence.


I am kinda sceptical too, but it's just starting seem a lot like a mud to me. The graphics are ok but they are very independent small budget looking. I've seen what an indi style game can do with just 3 people and it's pretty amazing. This has ten times that. So I think they really could pull this off. Whether it will be good quality though.. we'll have to wait and see.

[xiudin]

Latest developer Q and A. Not really any new information, but further details on some gameplay stuff.

http://forums.darkfallonline.com/showthread.php?t=58769

[AsheMan]

I had heard some news that the Darkfall people have worked a deal with a European Publisher. I'll see if I can find any link.

*Edit* Found link. http://forums.darkfallonline.com/showthread.php?t=58541

[acrobat]

Sweet. Really got my fingers crossed for this game.

[Seasiu Laitya]

I'm a little bit disturbed by the DF forums. I know it's a PvP game, and all, but the recent threads all seem to be the forum equivalent of smack-talk.

The amount of intelligent discussion, or anything beyond patent stupidity, is actually critically low.

Guess I'm a johnny-come-lately tho, so most everything is going to have been said already, and the only ones left posting are the loud ones who have to post something.

[AsheMan]

I'm a little bit disturbed by the DF forums. I know it's a PvP game, and all, but the recent threads all seem to be the forum equivalent of smack-talk.

The amount of intelligent discussion, or anything beyond patent stupidity, is actually critically low.

Guess I'm a johnny-come-lately tho, so most everything is going to have been said already, and the only ones left posting are the loud ones who have to post something.

Try and find a gaming forum where that isn't the case. It's definitely a new age of the internet.

[acrobat]

I actually noticed that too recently. I was trying to ignore it.

I know it's bad everywhere, but that place does seem especially terrible. In fact, it's actually one of the worst forums I have ever seen on the internet. Places like the WoW forum are just really dumb little kids, but that Darkfall forum has an even darker undercurrent in my opinion. It's scary how dumb some people are, but even scarier how vicious and f'ed up others are. It's a shame because when you first join the forum, you are stuck in a little newbie forum for a while, and that place was GREAT. It was really friendly and had lots of input from the staff, and they were constantly answering questions and stuff.

But then I got moved to the general population and it's went down the steepest hill I've ever seen. Most gaming forums are bad, but that place is a step beyond... 99% of the posts are like this:

Question:
How much longor is this gaem going 2 take? It is vaporwhere and i want it but u suck and u no its nevor going 2 come out so i can plai it I am want to play it but i dont want 2 suck and what class will you 2 be?

Answer:
OH MY GOD I HATE PEOPLE. I WANT TO KILL EVERYBODY IN THE WORLD. I AM GOING TO FIND OUT WHERE YOU LIVE AND I AM GOING TO HUNT YOU DOWN AND SLIT YOUR THROAT FROM EAR TO EAR. THEN I'M GOING TO PEEL BACK THE SKIN SO I CAN LOOK DOWN INTO YOUR CHEST AND THEN I'M GOING TO PUT MY HAND IN SO I CAN PULL OUT YOUR HEART. I HAVE MENTAL ISSUES AND I SHOULD BE IN SOME KIND OF SECURE INSTITUTION, BUT THE SYSTEM FAILED ME AND SO INSTEAD I LIVE ON THIS FORUM AND WAIT FOR THIS GAME.



And what is even scarier, is that those types of people aren't exceptions and don't feel like outcasts. They are the majority. =O

[Seasiu Laitya]

I actually noticed that too recently. I was trying to ignore it.

I know it's bad everywhere, but that place does seem especially terrible. In fact, it's actually one of the worst forums I have ever seen on the internet. Places like the WoW forum are just really dumb little kids, but that Darkfall forum has an even darker undercurrent in my opinion. It's scary how dumb some people are, but even scarier how vicious and f'ed up others are. It's a shame because when you first join the forum, you are stuck in a little newbie forum for a while, and that place was GREAT. It was really friendly and had lots of input from the staff, and they were constantly answering questions and stuff.

But then I got moved to the general population and it's went down the steepest hill I've ever seen. Most gaming forums are bad, but that place is a step beyond... 99% of the posts are like this:

Question:
How much longor is this gaem going 2 take? It is vaporwhere and i want it but u suck and u no its nevor going 2 come out so i can plai it I am want to play it but i dont want 2 suck and what class will you 2 be?

Answer:
OH MY GOD I HATE PEOPLE. I WANT TO KILL EVERYBODY IN THE WORLD. I AM GOING TO FIND OUT WHERE YOU LIVE AND I AM GOING TO HUNT YOU DOWN AND SLIT YOUR THROAT FROM EAR TO EAR. THEN I'M GOING TO PEEL BACK THE SKIN SO I CAN LOOK DOWN INTO YOUR CHEST AND THEN I'M GOING TO PUT MY HAND IN SO I CAN PULL OUT YOUR HEART. I HAVE MENTAL ISSUES AND I SHOULD BE IN SOME KIND OF SECURE INSTITUTION, BUT THE SYSTEM FAILED ME AND SO INSTEAD I LIVE ON THIS FORUM AND WAIT FOR THIS GAME.



And what is even scarier, is that those types of people aren't exceptions and don't feel like outcasts. They are the majority. =O

Yeah. I've totally given up going there, after only 2 days :p

There are two types of poster there. Type A are arguing about game mechanics, but in an angry, hate-filled way. Oh, and they aren't afraid to call the developers faggots if they haven't put their pet mechanic in... that kind of thing.

Type B post saying how everyone on the forums is retarded scum, and write little hate-filled essays, that makes you realise they are probably even more messed up.

I think the sane people don't stick around long.

If a sizeable number of "forumfallers" end up playing the game... it's history. Niche, at best. Totally destroyed by its fanbase at worse.

[etwynn]

Try and find a gaming forum where that isn't the case. It's definitely a new age of the internet.

http://forums.station.sony.com/vg/forums/list.m

[acrobat]

Yeah. I've totally given up going there, after only 2 days :p

There are two types of poster there. Type A are arguing about game mechanics, but in an angry, hate-filled way. Oh, and they aren't afraid to call the developers faggots if they haven't put their pet mechanic in... that kind of thing.

Type B post saying how everyone on the forums is retarded scum, and write little hate-filled essays, that makes you realise they are probably even more messed up.

I think the sane people don't stick around long.

If a sizeable number of "forumfallers" end up playing the game... it's history. Niche, at best. Totally destroyed by its fanbase at worse.
Yeah I got out of there quick too. I didn't even make a single post except for the nice little newbie section.

I hope it doesn't affect the game. I know it will surely have some effect.. but I hope it's not a big deal. The WoW player base has a really bad rep and yet I enjoyed that game mostly.

I was a bit shocked tbh because although it's PVP.... the rest of the game sounds soooo old school. And I always had the impression that old school RPG players were nice people, maybe a bit nerdy, very interested in stats and roleplaying and making friendships and building in game towns and crafting weapons and stuff etc.. So it did surprise me to see that most people there are kind of on the verge of being in prison or something. :P

http://forums.station.sony.com/vg/forums/list.m

Yeah that place is like an afternoon tea party in comparison. :p

[xiudin]

some information on publishing.

http://forums.darkfallonline.com/showthread.php?t=61038

Looks like they have things on track for publishing in Europe, but publishing in North America may lag behind a little.

Speculation is that the current weakness of the dollar vs. the euro is causing issues with the North American publishing negotiations.

[xiudin]

beta video :D

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gi15c8VhW0o

Looks like it was uploaded in March, but it's the first time I've seen it.

[xiudin]

they are accepting official beta sign ups

http://forums.darkfallonline.com/announcement.php?f=29&a=26

an official? announcement regarding beta beginning in oct 2008 is referenced in this thread

http://forums.darkfallonline.com/showthread.php?t=64036

[xiudin]

New gameplay video.

http://forums.darkfallonline.com/showthread.php?t=64217

Also on YouTube

http://www.youtube.com/DarkfallOnline

[rhagz]

About the only nice thing I can say is that.. you can get blood splatter on you. Other than that this game should have come out 5 years ago.

[xiudin]

The blood effects looked to me like spell particles. I hope there will be a slider or some other way to modify both the blood and spell effects.

If by the "should have come out 5 years ago" you were referring to the graphics, I will agree with you that they are not all that great. But this game has been more about gameplay than about graphics since its inception.

I'm not a big PvPer, but I am still looking forward to seeing what will come from the rules system in this game. I've never played a full loot skill based MMO, but I have played a lot of crappy level based item centric ones, so I am excited just to try something different.

[acrobat]

Yeah ditto exactly. This game is all about the gameplay and I'm really keen to see what it's like.

I think I could put up with the graphics, and some elements looked quite good in fact. The thing that stuck out the most to me, were the animations. Some of them looked pretty bad, but I could still play it without that annoying me too much, and hopefully they will improve them with time. I just really hope the gameplay can be fun.

[xiudin]

latest update

http://forums.darkfallonline.com/showthread.php?t=77574

They are doing what they call the hardware configuration testing right now. They say that they will begin the general beta on Nov. 10. They still plan to realease in 2008, which I guess means in December.

[acrobat]

I saw some movies of it and it looks pretty cool now. The graphics are way off compared to big budget games but it improved a LOT since the last time I saw it a few months ago. It looks pretty good. It's all down to the gameplay though for me.

[xiudin]

Launch date announced.

http://forums.darkfallonline.com/showthread.php?t=87239

January 22, 2009 for Europe. North American servers still to be determined. Everyone can play on the Euro servers, but who knows how that will affect lag and population.

[AsheMan]

I thought they haven't even had a beta yet? But they plan to release in a month and half?

[xiudin]

They've been doing a private beta since summer. They started closed beta a couple weeks ago. They haven't announced if there will be an open beta or not.

[Seasiu Laitya]

I guess that means we have to go back to Duke Nukem Forever jokes...

[xiudin]

New update on the release schedule.

http://forums.darkfallonline.com/showthread.php?t=106082

The official European release has been pushed back to February 25, 2009 with a North American release a few months later. Anyone anyhwere in the world will be able to play on the European servers, and there will probably be some sort of character transfer once the other servers open.

There is also this - "Starting on January 22nd there will be a Darkfall trial with the distribution of the release candidate client allowing thousands of players to sample the game for free, help us stress test our servers and test the final features of the game."

I guess this is their version of an open/stress test. Since it's free, and I'm not doing anything else at the moment I will give it a try.

[acrobat]

New update on the release schedule.

http://forums.darkfallonline.com/showthread.php?t=106082

The official European release has been pushed back to February 25, 2009 with a North American release a few months later. Anyone anyhwere in the world will be able to play on the European servers, and there will probably be some sort of character transfer once the other servers open.

There is also this - "Starting on January 22nd there will be a Darkfall trial with the distribution of the release candidate client allowing thousands of players to sample the game for free, help us stress test our servers and test the final features of the game."

I guess this is their version of an open/stress test. Since it's free, and I'm not doing anything else at the moment I will give it a try.

WOOT! Thanks for the heads up. I'll definitely try that out. I haven't read about the game for about 5 months or something, and I can't be bothered doing it now, so hopefully the trial will tell me everything I need to know.

[xiudin]

Unfortunately it looks like their "trial" is still invite only. I guess it's just a stress test. So we'll still have to wait to find out if it's another Dark and Light.

[Suraknar]

Well...

DF forums are down since yesterday, they say there is a DDOS attack on their forums...

But, I am not really buying it.

I think there is two possibilities or a mix of the two.

1st - there is some Beta-leaks sites around, and as soon as they invited more people, these became more active. If i was in the place of Aventurine I may have also reacted like this, and shut down everything.

On a side note, I can't understand how many of these people are getting in to beta while many honest testers are left out, that would have never leaked info.

2nd - Aventurine did not budget for any elaborate marketing campaign, they made their game with a 10th of what it touk to make WAR, and they always said they were relying on word of mouth.

So, i think, this all, and including how they seem to change meanings of terminology, is all part of an elaborate strategy to give that word of mouth a nudge.

Because if you think about it, right when they announced trial and first wave on invites the forums went down and thousands of people are now in other forums (not unlike all of us here) talking about Darkfall. Free Marketing.

It is smart...but it may back fire too.

---

Ironically, if they are really experiencing DDOS attacks whomever is trying to do them harm, is doing them a very big service in reality.

Just a few thoughts.

[acrobat]

Could be. I hope these games companies realise though that for a lot of us, it's quite simple. If the game is great, I'll buy it. If it sucks, I wont. No amount of hype or spin will make any difference. AOC and Vanguard was hyped to heaven and back and yet I spent less than a month in AOC and not much longer in Vanguard.

Nowdays, the important thing to me, is to try to see these games for free if possible, because although I can just cancel my subscription if it sucks, I would much rather have not had to buy the game in the first place if possible. So I hope I can get to see Darkfall for free, one way or another.

[rhagz]

DDoS? Yeah right.. who the hell would launch an attack on them? I bet the resident wackos there blame Blizzard. Probably think Blizzard is scared of DF taking millions of their subs or something batcrap crazy.

They just don't have the funding or hardware to deal with even a minor influx. Early reports are that this game may give Dark and Light a run for its money from what I am 'seeing'.

[acrobat]

I was looking in to this again last night. I literally haven't even thought about this game for months and I don't know a whole lot, but in case this info is of any use to anyone... here is what I gathered last night.

1) I missed out on Beta for whatever reason, but so did many others who were waiting.

2) The game was actually released, or at least some early version of it was, but they had some kind of technical issue with people making accounts or something, so the game was basically recalled and they stopped anyone else getting it while they are dealing with this problem. Major failure there basically by the sounds of it. So there are a lot of people playing it currently, and yet a lot of people who want to play it but it's just not available anywhere.

3) Those that have actually played it, absolutely love it or hate it.

4) The lovers say the game is full of freedom and hardcore-ness that they have always been hoping for, and that it takes time to uncover all the game has to offer etc.

5) The haters say that the game is completely content-less. They say that freedom is only fun if you make your own goals, like "own a house with some nice furniture" or "become a trade skill master" etc.. and according to some people, it's just not possible to do any of this stuff in the game but they simply never added anything to do. They say it's just a big empty world and all you can really do is explore and occasionally get in to a lame PVP fight.

6) The PVP fights are apparently really lame, and everyone is naked (because due to being able to loot everything, everyone leaves ALL their gear in the bank or whatever). People also say that the combat sucks in the early stages and you basically just run around spamming your ONE and only blue spell. Some say this gets better later but some people have played for days and still never got more than that one spell so that was enough to scare them away. People say that everyone just huddles together in a town, and occasionally a bunch of people will strip completely naked and then head out for a bit of silly PVP one button spamming.

7) One person said they hated the game because they wandered for 45 minutes and saw absolutely no-one, but finally came across some PVE content, so they killed it a bunch of times and collected a nice bunch of swords to sell, but on their way back they got PVP ganked and lost everything they made. The fanboys then proceeded to LOL NUB! at this person and rip them apart, and maybe they have some kind of a point, but it's pretty clear that this is a game full of frustration and the only way to really play it is to team up with a big group or guild or you will just constantly be killed by outnumbering gankers. Some aspect of this I quite like the sound of but really... if I was putting a lot of effort in to something for a few days or more, and then all of a sudden, EVERYTHING is taken from me and I'm absolutely back to square one then... well.. f that. I'm too old now. Time is precious! If I'm going to spend a week doing stuff in a game, it better actually achieve something for me, or I'll just prefer to do something else.

8) There isn't much PVE content, and people who have played Shadowbane said they much preferred that. They said that the PVP was far more involved, there was far more PVE, and the sieges and stuff made endgame PVP far more exciting. So if people preferred Shadowbane so much, it doesn't really say much for this game.

9) The graphics / animations are really.... low tech. You can see that in the movies on youtube etc.

10) The community is still a bunch of rabid, psychotic, angry, nerd rage little ass hole jerks. I see a post about how the game is lacking x, and there is just page after page of replies telling the person to die in a fire, or GTFO NUB! or LOWL U ONLI DONT LIEK IT CUZ U SUX!!! etc..etc.. I mean, WoW forums are bad, but this is just ridiculous.

11) A lot of people were talking about how the forums are dead now. People suspect that a lot of people have played it, hated it, and moved on and that the game is pretty much a failure already.


So basically, I think I'll steer clear of it. For now at least.

[AsheMan]

So basically, I think I'll steer clear of it. For now at least.

That sounds like a good plan.

[xiudin]

They have definitely had a rocky start. I too have read many negative reviews of the game. Here is a more detailed positive review for any still interested. Personally, I still intend to give it a try, but not until they have sorted out their billing and login issues, and possibly until they open a North American server.

http://forums.darkfallonline.com/showthread.php?t=167736

"**DF Review** from a 6 year eq1/daoc vet"

"Ok so, I can tell you right now i have been dreaming about a game like this ever since i left the land of Norrath forever. Not since i was hunting orcs in crushbone or tracking bandits in greater faydark have i had such an enjoyable experience as i do in darkfall. (i just wish there was no map >.<) So i am going to pin point some things i believe are wonderful and somethings that aren't.

1. -Combat-
This brings me back to the EQ1 days. It's not as fast paced as it was on my druid with SoW buff (vastly increases movement speed) and clickies (instant clicked items that either put an illusion or buff on you) but it still gets my heart beating. Combat to me is fun and effective. It's not always about who has the better armor or who has more stamina. You can use a lot of things to your advantage. For instance, i was jumped by two Alfar while hunting orcs near this valley. They both jump on me, trying to hit me from behind with arrows and their polearms. I start zig zagging around trees hoping to dodge. I notice that 3 orc have spawned and i make a quick detour towards them. I weave through the orcs with the Alfar following me and sure enough, the orcs aggro the alfar, bringing them both, eventually, to low enough life for them to flee. I managed to escape and kept farming till full on loot. I play PST time and have an average latency of about 190 so i need to time some things here and there but i can say for a fact that timing it perfectly to hit someones back as they pass takes skill.

2. --Archery--
I read a lot of people complaining that it is overpowered or takes too long to make arrows etc etc. Archery is a full skill and pretty much spec for some characters so of course it should take a long time, everything in this game takes a long time and thats exactly how it should be. A tactic i use when coming up on archers is to weave a bit slowly making it appear i am still far away but then sprint to them to get 3-4 hits in while they have bow out. If someone is nailing you with a bow and your running, you're pretty much done but to me, its fair. Run and get pelted in back with 30 arrows, yea its gonna hurt.

3. --Magic--
So far i have 48 LM right now. I read/hear a lot from people that it is a pain in the ass. I think it should be. Magic is not something that should be taken from granted or earned even in a month. It should be powerful but only to those that take the time to learn it. The most viable path to follow atm is a melee weap and magic as a side. It should be like that until you are able to fully protect yourself via magic. I have not tried the elemental schools yet but as of right now i am perfectly fine spending time and resources to level magic. I find mana missle extremely effective when chasing someone who i cant hit with arrows directly. I just aim at where i think they will be and usually it hits for 11-15 damage.

4. --PvE--
This is one of my favorite aspects of the game. I abosutely love how mobs are not painted every 10 feet all across the world. I like that the game makes you explore to find mobs. Let me share with you a story. I was wandering along the west coast of Agon, attempting to head from Mir Bellith (elf lands) to the mahirim lands up north. Along the way i found a portal located in a mountain side. I go and use the portal and i am instantly teleported to an underground cave full of evil goblins and mobs. They try to gank me but i manage to evade them and head through another portal, taking me back to the real world. My heart was racing as i was almost slaughtered in a mysterious place. Looking for mobs also makes individuals move away from towns, adding to danger but rewarding you for your exploration.

5. --Economy--
To me the economy is pretty decent. I like face to face trading over a stupid auction house type. I have about 30 bowyer but i like to harvest a lot more and i make my living selling my materials. Because of this i have a good rep for buying and selling which has netted me discounts and even some free items because i am on time and usually have a good supply of mats for sale. This game lets you make your living exactly how you want to. If you cant go fight, harvest and sell. If you dont want to harvest fight. If you dont want to do either, craft and buy mats with the profit you make. The only thing i wouldnt mind would be a Bazaar similar to eq1s. For those of you that dont know the EQ1 trading system i will explain.
You collected a bunch of items and want to sell them when you're away or asleep. So you head to the bazaar, a giant market place with stalls everywhere and people always near. You would purchase vendor bags which you could then put all the items you wanted to sell. After they are in your bags, you move to a stall and type /trader. A window would pop up showing the items in your bags and how much you wanted to sell each for. You could then set the prices and hit begin trader. Anyone could then come up to you, right click, and view you exactly as a merchant. Even though you may not be there sometimes when you sell, it still helped build relationships and reputations. I always knew this little gnome dressed in green had legit items for cheap so before i went anywhere else, i checked his trader. You could also search for items but only when you were in the bazaar.

6. --Clans--
If you are not in a clan i HIGHLY suggest you join one, especially one with a hamlet or city (woot city!!). Joining a clan was one of the best decisions i made. Not only did it open up priviledges such as a HUGE clan city to explore and chill in, but it provides great roleplay and immersion opportunities. Let me share a small story with you. So i am outside my clan city trying to harvest some ore. I get 40-50 ore on me and realize i am outa stam and have a good amount of resources, it's time to head home. I begin walking back to the city entrance (about 300 yards away, i can see it in distance). Just then i hear a bowstring draw back and its very very loud. I think, oh crap someone is right behind me. Sure enough an alfar begins attempting to gank me from behind. I have a little stam left so i start sprinting for the gate, yelling in clan chat and vent i need help. I run outa stam and with about 40% hp left he catches up and i think, oh crap im finished. just then he stops attacking me and i turn around. 6 of my own clan members and 3 from our alliance are on mounts heading right for him. He sees this, attempts to run but is slaughtered by the calvalry. It was one of the coolest things i have experienced and another reason i am so glad joining a clan. Not to mention harvesting in cities and just being a part of something huge.

7. --Risk V Reward--
Another reason this game shines is because of its huge risk v reward system. I go out to hunt some goblins or skeletons but before i leave, i make sure i am equipped with food, arrows and some medium armor. nothing too fancy because i dont want to risk losing it all if ganked. I head to the spawn, kill for about 20 mins un touched then get jumped. I either manage to escape, die or kill my assailant but in the end, i risked everything but could also gain a lot more. I have been jumped by a full plate wearing guy before and had him chase me right off a ledge where i knew unless you sprinted and jumped you would hit the ground. He landed, lost like 45% of his hp which i then turned around and pelted him with arrows, he ran, i got him from behind and now have a full set of plate, chilling in my bank, waiting for a pvp raid. Everytime i am jumped or about to attack someone, my heart races because i know that i might lose everything yet this guy could have valuable stuff. I have been killed plenty of times, lost lots of stuff but in the end, i say damn that sucks but i lost fair and square.

8. --Community--
The community is one of the best i have seen from the mmorpgs i have played (eq1,eq2,daoc,swg,wow,vg,TR,ao,eve,lotro ). Some people are dicks, have stupid names and try to jump you all the time, but i notice a lot more nice mature players and i believe this could be due to the international aspect of it. A lot of reputations have already started being built, people classified as gankers, hackers or fair traders etc. All in all, DF has a decent community.

9. --Problems i see/hear with DF--

A. Polearm/long reach weapon argument.
I believe this is a valid argument. As it stands polearms hit a lot harder than other weaps and have good range/medium swing speed. To fix this all that is needed is to simply make them swing slower. I believe polearms should be more on the defensive rather than sprinting at max speed swinging wildly. Polearm users should have to time their attacks perfectly or wait for the opponent to come to them unless chasing from behind. Daggers should have increased range and increased damage. You should be able to swipe quickly and move in but if you stay too long, that polearm swing could be devastating.
B. Naked Ganking
Because this game is not based on *levels*, naked ganking is completely viable. It is easy to run around with noob weap, swinging wildly hoping either the other person is out of stam already, low hp or just not as good a fighter as you. You die, you lose nothing. They die, you get everything. I strongly believe that you should take literally double to triple damage from every weapon if you are not wearing any armor. Armor is easy enough to obtain (goblins/skellies/chests/ you can buy chain for 85g, which takes 15 mins to get from goblins)
C. Alightment system
Right now the alignment system needs a simple reworking. Not anything huge but a slight tweak here and there. It's too easy to be a evil murderer, kill till you have -100 then find someone of a diff race or evil too and just slaughter them for 10 mins at a bindstone. Back to good for you. I would propose something similar to an ingame timed thing. For every set of interval negative points you obtain from killing, you are required to stay red for a set period of time. So you get -100 alignment, kill someone evil or enemy race back to -2 and then you should be required to wait the amount of time you earned. Once that times is up you can kill another person and become neutral/good again.

D. No camera View
Im sorry but this has to stay. I have become a fan of first person view now because of this game. Previously, every game i played i NEVER EVER used first person view unless looking around. Because 1st person pov is locked unless melee equipped, it adds to the risk of running around. I keep looking over my shoulder/around for people i know are going to try and gank me. It is completely unrealistic to have eyes in the back of your head.


Closing comments

I still have not covered a lot of stuff but i am working right now so i can't spend as much time as i would have liked. To me, Darkfall is everything i wanted. Sure some stuff can be fixed but just enjoy the game for what it is. This is a small indie company that has given us something huge and worth sticking around for. Just imagine the possibilites once they start creating more servers (but just enough to fill each cap) to allow further revenue which will lead to further development. Darkfall owns, its scary, i fear going out but then again, coming upon a hidde cache of skeleton mobs or ogres is something i relish. Exploring and almost dying, running from gankers and being protected by my clan city is what i enjoy and i know a lot do too. If you don't like darkfall, we don't need to hear your reasons why. Aventurine is doing their best to fix it and i know they want more than anything to keep players here. This game is not for the weak minded or angry people. Its a harsh game but it's what i know a lot of looked for since uo and eq1. I've found my home. Thank you"

[acrobat]

That sounds really cool to me. The other person made it sound like the end of the world when you lose all your items in a fight, but this isn't EverQuest where your gear is the result of loooong camping or farming or raiding. If you can get some decent gear by just going out and killing some goblins one night, then losing it all isn't that big a deal. And if you do lose a bunch of good gear, the flip side is that you will undoubtedly at some point end up ganking some uber guy who got injured after falling off a cliff or whatever. So it sounds like it can be infuriating but if it's fair then that's fine by me.

Also the only problems that person mentioned, sound like things which are really easy to fix. The polearm thing is just an easy tweak. And so is the naked ganking. Like the person said, just have a high damage penalty from playing naked and people will soon get tired of dying over and over.

So it all sounds pretty cool to me. I still have hesitations though. I'm so spoiled from playing some really great games in the past, anything less than great just doesn't do it for me. I get the feeling I won't know with this game though until I try it some time.

[AsheMan]

It took how many years to get to where they are at now? As simple as those fixes sound, it could be a long time before there is a patch that addresses those "easy tweaks".

[rhagz]

My most objective advice is this: wait.

Wait for it to launch in North America. If the game is good enough to live long enough to make it here and get picked up by a publisher/distributor then it's worth a shot. By then they will have addressed many of the game-breaking issues (of which there are plenty), plus you will get a fresh start which is crucial in games like this.

[acrobat]

Sounds like a good plan

[xiudin]

They have announced the North American server will be available on July 7.

http://forums.darkfallonline.com/showthread.php?t=198228

I've lost a lot of interest in this game over the last couple months, but if I'm bored enough I still might give it a try.

[Romans DeMalum]

That is a giant sausage up the butt! Buy a U.S. client or wait 3 months to get x-ferred over with no money or items.

Tasos must be the demon spawn of Smedley.

[dabble]

They shouldn't have allowed any transfers. Just a free fresh start for all of the NA players on the new server. There are way too many toons that were levelled by exploiting.

It will be interesting to see the new improved game though. They have touted this new update as an expansion not just a patch. They just need to up the PVE mobs, raise the skilling on them and reduce the skilling on the PVP to curb those stupid blood walls and get people out into the world.

[Romans DeMalum]

I did some guild beta about a month before release. I was really looking forward to it, but the experience of playing DFO was the crap. Playing DFO was like listening to a male choir sing the music of hell.

[dabble]

I did some guild beta about a month before release. I was really looking forward to it, but the experience of playing DFO was the crap. Playing DFO was like listening to a male choir sing the music of hell.

Yeah I didn't have the problems that you had with graphics and sound. I actually really like the Darkfall graphics. The world is massive (several times the size of Telon) and feels handcrafted with lots of cool landmarks, ruins, forests etc. The animations could use some work, but hey have been updated at least once since launch.

The basic sounds are kept simple because they are directional and indicate the position of a friend or foe. Either attacking from a certain direction or calling for help. I've heard horsemen approaching before and hid in bushes like a small girl until they passed. The lack of name tag allows you to hide in the darkfall World.

The combat was ok and the large scale seiges are like nothing I've seen in a game before. The engine is very capable of 200 x 200 battles.

My problem was with the gameplay. There was virtually no PVE but you could level your skills by beating on a freindly target that you were guilded or allied with. This led to great lines of people taking it in turns to hit each other in the safety of thier cities (Bloodwalls) to skill up. If they reduced the skilling on PVP Targets (Even eliminated it for freindly targets), increased the PVE mobs and the skilling associated with them it would be a great game.

This update (They are actually calling it an expansion because of it's size) is well worth looking into. I know these producers have more spin than Mad Jack McSpinny but if the update tackles these problems it could be a truely great game.

Edit: Just to add, that Darkfall has had a large patch implemented every 2 weeks since launch. So things have improved a lot already. Not bad for a small team.

[Romans DeMalum]

I hated combat also.

I was expecting it to be like Mount and Blade or Dungeons and Dragons Online. Having it be the way it was, wasn't really fun for me at all. It made me sea sick and seemed to require less skill than VG pvp. Running in circles and doing bunny hops..that is what it felt like. The world graphics didn't seem bad, but the character graphics were what looked like ass to me.

[dabble]

I hated combat also.

I was expecting it to be like Mount and Blade or Dungeons and Dragons Online. Having it be the way it was, wasn't really fun for me at all. It made me sea sick and seemed to require less skill than VG pvp. Running in circles and doing bunny hops..that is what it felt like. The world graphics didn't seem bad, but the character graphics were what looked like ass to me.

Ah yes , the bunny hopping. They removed the need to do that, now you can't jump and fire a bow. But yes, I agree, Mount and Blade has a fantastic combat system.

[Romans DeMalum]

Did you try DDO also Dabble?

[dabble]

Did you try DDO also Dabble?

I did, but a long time ago. Was great fun for the first while and then got old fast. People wanting to rush though the same dungeons over and over to level up.

I liked the twitch combat, the dungeon puzzles and the group roles for disarming traps and healing. I may revisit now it's going to be free. I was always disturbed by the lack of overland areas and crafting but I hear they've added some now?

Have you played recently?

[AsheMan]

Have you played recently?

I've played semi-recently and they did add a whole lot of large overland type zones that you can explore, find named, and entrances to other dungeons. They've made a lot of good improvements since release, in my opinion.

[Romans DeMalum]

i tried to play with Letali, but her pc wouldnt run it. So it's been about a year. I had the same problem with people rushing through a dungeon. They are only fun and scary the first time, so doing it with anything other than a static group usually ends up sucking.

Agree on the not having an open world and no crafting. I also dislliked how often magic items dropped.

A dragonlance world would be cool. Open and free. Magic more rare than common and also not having various gods sitting at every street corner waiting to send you on quests.

I'd like to try an mmo where injury and death are a bit more than xp loss and time lost while you rest up. Crap like getting an arm injury on a boss and then the next 60 hours of game time are -2 to attack/damage rolls. Or death being a permantent loss of 1 STR point or whatever your main stat is.

In some ways it's what I was hoping for in dfo, but it just turned out to be a death match wrapped in a static world.

[dabble]

The Dragonlance world would be a very good setting for an MMO. Massive open world with no instant travel, player built cities and shops with regional resources and a regional market allowing for some legitimate trade routes. And the fun of guarding or attacking these player convoys as they traversed the land or sea.

Make the Inn the centre of any town, offering rest and recovery through lodgings, bard song, food and drink (A little like the old SWG cantina system) add a few gambling games and an unarmed fighting ring which you can also bet on. This would congregate the games population in downtime.

Definitely add serious repercussions for combat injury and death as you've suggested. NPC cites, KOS, waring factions, Dungeons, Team PVP and some cool mobs that hunt each other or roam the land in herds.

Just mix it all up with fifty million quid and Bob's your Dad's Brother.

[dabble]

Darkfall interview with Lead developer. Tidbits on the expansion. (http://www.afraidyet.net/)

[dabble]

http://www.darkfallonline.com/expansion/

Nice free expansion

[dabble]

Darkfall has some interesting news. They have a new patch this week and another expansion in October. The patch ups the value of PVE mobs and a few other bits.

The expansion brings Player Vendors, Local banking, a caravan system, new housing and house objects, specialisations and a whole host of other features.
The devs at Darkfall are really showing what can be done with a limited team and finances.

With it's massive seamless world, ships, housing, no instancing, complex weather systems etc, if this were a PVE game a lot of you guys would be all over it.

[Dragon-RD]

Damn it why have they thought about local banking. Honestly worst idea ever.

Guess the horde of fools on the official forums finally get to "pay for players to guard me while I run to where I need to be", which isnt going to happen. What is going to happen however is:

BobTheBest: "I need a guard"
Roflcopter: "Sure I'll help!"

Moments later.......

BobTheBest: "What the f**k?"
Roflcopter: "All ur loot r belong 2 us


Could not find any word on if they added a "Craft All" button or not. Because I was not big on having to click a billion times to make my loots :(