Goblin Squad Member
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MMOGAMES News
Pathfinder Online
Avid table-top RPG fans may have been the only ones to pick up on this project, which seemingly has been flying under the radar. Currently being developed by NeoWiz and Epic Games Korea, Pathfinder Online is set to be a hybrid of both Theme Park MMORPG and Sandbox MMORPG. Also, players will have the choice of either paying a subscription or playing for free with the option of cash shop purchases.
The sandbox side of this MMO will include a robust player-controlled trading system, player-crafted items, dynamic fortifications, and player-controlled settlements which can grow into massive kingdoms. The developer is claiming that as a players settlement grows, the environment around them will adapt and change with it. A release date is yet to be announced but this title is expected to release in 2013.
Chief Technical Officer
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Neowiz and Epic Games Korea are the ones working on BLESS.
I found sites that had both Goblinworks AND Neowiz/Epic Games Korea listed as the developers for Pathfinder Online in different articles.
Probably an investigative journalism faux pas.
Somebody has clearly misattributed things. We have no relationship whatsoever with NeoWiz or Epic Games Korea.
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Somebody has clearly misattributed things. We have no relationship whatsoever with NeoWiz or Epic Games Korea.
That's a relief, I hope all the companies involved are western. I don't want to play Anime Online.
Don't knock Korea; they're making better MMORPGs than we are.
South Korea kicks ass and takes names. I just want to be part of something American, personal preference. Anime has no appeal to me and I find that eastern animation styles have no place in a medieval Europe-esque setting.
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Goblin Squad Member
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Koreans make pretty games. And I'll give them that their recent action based combat approach is a winner. Beyond that, my opinion is that they excel at making games that are full of the same mindless grinds and mechanics that 95% of MMOs out there use:
-set a carrot
-mindless repetition to reach carrot
-when enough people have reached the carrot, put out a new shinier carrot
-more mindless repetition
My excitement for PFO is that players will be building things and creating a lot of the content. PvP and looting and losing items will keep the bar low for optimal gear. None of this 60000 points of damage because I'm lvl 100 vs your 2 points of damage cuz you're a n00b sillyness. A great lord can be slain by a child - all it takes is a dagger in the right place.
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Goblin Squad Member
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Actually, I loved the SOGA models for EQ2. I think those were perfect for the time. I'm sure they can do better now, as long as it doesn't cross over into Manga.
Having spent 2004-2007 in South Korea (Uijeongbu and Tongducheon), they take it to another level. The guy who was right off post that built custom rigs was constantly dual boxing Lineage II while playing Starcraft... and doing his job.
None of which can be confirmed, but there were lots of reports that involved Korean Mafia organizations vying for their interests in Lineage II. Another topic that was "reported" but not published was that the Korean government actually had to contact NCsoft to put more money in game because Koreans buying in-game cash to the point where it was actually impacting the Korean economy.
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Goblin Squad Member
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Looks like they corrected the article:
Avid table-top RPG fans may have been the only ones to pick up on this project, which seemingly has been flying under the radar. Currently being developed by Goblinworks and Paizo, Pathfinder Online is set to be a hybrid of both Theme Park MMORPG and Sandbox MMORPG. Also, players will have the choice of either paying a subscription or playing for free with the option of cash shop purchases.
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Goblin Squad Member
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Is it really "expected to release in 2013"? I wasn't expecting it so soon (I would have confidently predicted such a pace was impossible).
That pace is possible for a few reasons.
One, in buying their middleware, they don't have to code their own engine.
Two, a lot of the MMO groundwork as already been laid (log on systems, account management, etc), so they don't have to figure that out either.
Three, as a sandbox game, they don't have to create a whole lot of content, as we create our own (and they don't have to worry about grinders going through a year of play in 2-3 weeks).
Finally, with a set time limit to level, they don't have to have skills maxed out at launch. If it takes 2.5 years to get to lvl 20 in one class, they won't need those skills to be ready day 1.
TLDR: PFO isn't like most MMOs. It should have a shorter and cheaper development.
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Goblin Squad Member
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Is it really "expected to release in 2013"? I wasn't expecting it so soon (I would have confidently predicted such a pace was impossible).
They're going the way of the organic development of Eve Online; implement basic functional systems, staggered release, develop where development is needed in tune with player desires.
Given patience on behalf of the userbase, it's a good way to go.
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Goblin Squad Member
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Early 2013 is the realistic goal in which they hope to achieve a very early alpha test which is indeed impressive. Equally, an early alpha test can mean very little and it could be a year or so until the game is ready. The question here is whether there will indeed be a closed/open beta or if the staggered launch will comprise these stages.
Somebody has clearly misattributed things. We have no relationship whatsoever with NeoWiz or Epic Games Korea.That's a relief, I hope all the companies involved are western. I don't want to play Anime Online.
I wouldn't mind Anime Online, but not with the Pathfinder rules set.
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Goblin Squad Member
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PFO won't have the Pathfinder ruleset either, so...
Well, that debateable... I mean obviously you can't take absolutely everything from the Core Rulebook for the tabletop and expect all the mechanics to work on the computer the same way.. thats just sillyness. But in all actuality it sounds as though the game will mimic the kingmaker AP and have that same overall pathfinder feel to it. I'm sure the developers won't leave out memorable feats like power attack and cleave and skill enhancing feats (for those who wish to roleplay more than fight). In general I think we can expect something very similar to the TTOP version of the game.
Don't knock Korea; they're making better MMORPGs than we are.South Korea kicks ass and takes names. I just want to be part of something American, personal preference. Anime has no appeal to me and I find that eastern animation styles have no place in a medieval Europe-esque setting.
Good thing Pathfinder is far from Medieval Europe-esque, huh? :)
There was a european RPG. It's called 7th sea. Pathfinder is high fantasy.
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Goblin Squad Member
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I already have... as I said before there are quite a few things that will be different.. mechanics for a computer game are bound to be different in order to creae a fine tuned balance and a game that will continue to keep players interested. But MMO mechanics amd TTOP mechanics dont work together because they work off of two completely different systems.
for instance death. In TTOP pathfinder the general rule is, if you die .. you die, theres no coming back unless you have a resurection spell/raise dead/ETC... But for a MMO computer games its not really feasable. Thats why the system they have created reguarding death works well and still gives players hard incentive not to die with the threat of losing all thier gear.
At the same time however if you look at the leveling aspect of the game they are keeping the capstone at 20 and the level progression is going to be REALLY REALLY slow just as it is in the TTOP. Granted the way that skills and abililties will be allocated will be different but essentially character development will remain relatively the same.
perhaps you are interpretting things differently than I am, because you are focusing on the smaller details and mechanics.
All im saying is that I think we can expect them to do the TTOP version of the game justice with this MMO and even though the mechanics will be dramatically different, the embodiment of the Pathfinder world will still be evident.
By no means do I expect the MMO to replace the TTOPRPG because personally I would rather have that face-to-face gaming experience with my friends.. you cant really replicate that with a computer game.
Goblinworks Executive Founder
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Is it really "expected to release in 2013"? I wasn't expecting it so soon (I would have confidently predicted such a pace was impossible).I don't think we've said that anywhere...
It might be the "Estimated Delivery: Jan 2013" on the US$1000 pledge for the "small group of alpha playtesters"?
Which is primarily there because there has to be some date on every pledge level, I assume, and not quite as a hard promise to backers. (I even vaguely recall reading that ... somewhere ... in the huge mass of words.)
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Goblin Squad Member
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Is it really "expected to release in 2013"? I wasn't expecting it so soon (I would have confidently predicted such a pace was impossible).I don't think we've said that anywhere...It might be the "Estimated Delivery: Jan 2013" on the US$1000 pledge for the "small group of alpha playtesters"?
Which is primarily there because there has to be some date on every pledge level, I assume, and not quite as a hard promise to backers. (I even vaguely recall reading that ... somewhere ... in the huge mass of words.)
Yep. I tried to pin them down to an alpha test date based on the reward, but Ryan Dancey quickly pointed out that they simply had to pick a date for purposes of Kickstarter. ;)
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Goblin Squad Member
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We could learn allot from various game developers from around the world. But no anime in the graphics! Anime might have good stories but the artwork is garbage. I want my human to have a normal nose and normal sized eyes. Oh, and hair that looks like hair.
We could learn allot from various game developers from around the world. But no anime in the graphics! Anime might have good stories but the artwork is garbage. I want my human to have a normal nose and normal sized eyes. Oh, and hair that looks like hair.
Second.
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Goblin Squad Member
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Lemme just mention that "Korean Animation" can hardly be parried down to Anime; before digital technologies came along they were responsible for animating The Simpsons.
Plus I can think of one Anime that is very...Fantasy Roleplay :)
http://www.dvdtimes.co.uk/images/bex/lodoss1_group.jpg
Record of the Lodoss War foreverrr
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Goblin Squad Member
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Anime sells, so the look will depend on that. If they go in a different direction it will have to be extreme to the point of not looking like anything else on the market. As cool as a cell-shaded Borderlands style world would be, for example, I don't see that happening. Expect the game to resemble the current look of the rpg (which, incidentally, IS anime-esque). Otherwise it wouldn't be PF now would it?