Goblin Squad Member
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So, back on subject: the practical effects of alignment. We don't need to discuss metaphysics, but exactly what will a lawful good character be able to do that a chaotic evil one will have a hard time doing, and vice versa?
1. Train as a paladin.
2. Deal with obstacles by any means, without external concerns.
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Goblin Squad Member
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How buildings in settlements will actually work. Will they at first just be facades that allow certain crafting stations or skill training, or will they (at some point) develop into interiors that can be manipulated, with furniture, decorations, different colors, etc.? Will you get to rearrange where these buildings are in your settlement, or will it be preplanned - if you want a smithy, it's always in the SE corner of the settlement. Will you get to choose the style of your buildings (wood, log, stone, etc.) or will it be tied to upgrades, with each upgrade being represented by a more sturdy material?
In the very few past games that have had true player housing, much of this could be customized. I would like to know what the plan is for PFO.
How buildings in settlements will actually work. Will they at first just be facades that allow certain crafting stations or skill training, or will they (at some point) develop into interiors that can be manipulated, with furniture, decorations, different colors, etc.? Will you get to rearrange where these buildings are in your settlement, or will it be preplanned - if you want a smithy, it's always in the SE corner of the settlement. Will you get to choose the style of your buildings (wood, log, stone, etc.) or will it be tied to upgrades, with each upgrade being represented by a more sturdy material?
In the very few past games that have had true player housing, much of this could be customized. I would like to know what the plan is for PFO.
I'd like to second Hobs post as a topic for a future blog. This subject interests me as well. Looking at the images, it would be nice if you could arrange the buildings prior to hitting an "accept" button when first laying out a settlement. (Similar to how you place shops in "The Guild 2", if your familiar with that game). I would also like to hear your thoughts on the ability to tear down and move a structure and change a structures facing.
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Anything on the AI of the monstrous creatures in the wild, in particular if alignment will mollify such creatures and how the AI will be conducive to interesting PvE combat?
I second this. I'm really curious about how the escalation cycles will work--and how I'll be able to ally with a goblin tribe and use it against the subhex's wannabe controllers.
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Goblin Squad Member
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I would really like to see the magic system and large scale combat.Make that two of us!
We did get a peek into large scale combat, but it was just a little peeky-boo. Need a bigger look with numbers, types of formations, some idea what early, mid-game, and late game full scale army battles are expected to look like.
And the magic system, including clerical, druidic, magical and other miscellaneous spell types, along with how migic will with relatives to a combat scenario. (The last blog was, A hits B, B hits A. Need some interworkings of the magic woven into melee and ranged. (Maybe with large scale seige battles too. And yes, it is early. Supposition is okay.)
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Goblin Squad Member
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I would like to know more about what you need to do to a hex to begin making it suitable for a settlement. Do people with lumberjacking skills need to clear trees if it's in a forest? Do people with knowledge:engineering need to level the land? Are raw materials needed to initiate building by carpenters/masons or are they simply going to be needed for upkeep and upgrade, if that? I hope there is more skill involvement than UO's click the deed, target the space with an accommodating footprint size, and *poof* house.
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Goblin Squad Member
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Salvaged goods. If it can be looted, I should, with the proper skills or salvage kit, be able to break it down into it's component parts or use it as a component part. Enough with the grey labeled loot that has no other purpose but as vendor trash.
If we're going to have a game where nearly everything is craftable, let's have nearly everything usable in crafting. Instead of requiring a specific animal's pointy tooth in a recipe (if pointy is all that really matters), why not any animal/creature's pointy tooth? Open up the possibilities for improvisation - it's what really creative crafters learn to do all the time.
I know the blog "If I Had A Hammer" already mentioned salvaging as one means for acquiring crafting materials, but so do many other games. However, they still have what I consider an inordinate amount of trash loot. I'd like to see that greatly reduced in PFO's version of salvaging.
I'd also like to know how religion will work. If I want to worship a minor god, or something otherwise not anticipated, will I be able to? Or will I be forced to choose from a select list? Also, can I build an altar/church to, say, Groetus? Or, again, will there be a particular list?
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Goblin Squad Member
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wishlist for blog: "Brave new World"
A: going into unexplored territory: (how) do escalation cycles work without player interaction? Will 'unexplored' give larger chances of finding valuable resources, rare monsters and exciting dungeons? Will survival skill be linked to be ability to heal/rest/function in the wildest areas? Could druids have 'faction standing' to let them run unmolested into the wild while pursuers are molested by wildlife?
B: starting on an empty map: what are the current thought/goals/mechanisms on the EE transition from empty/npc-owned map to player kingdoms? Is the goal small feuding settlements, or would a huge blob ("the LN empire of max/min efficiency") dominating the map without meaningful opposition also be 'working as intended'? What mechanisms do you have to promote conflict between LG (or LN or any alignment) settlments, and would those also promote civil war?
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Goblin Squad Member
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Randomwalker,
I have a feeling that for a good while, we may not have much "war" occurring. For quite a while, people will be training enough skills to risk leaving starter towns, then exploring, then trying to accumulate the resources/coin/people to set up shop. Unless you're two settlements land next door to one another and are of opposing alignment, I doubt any early settlement will be able to spread its influence much past a few hexes in any direction. It's when most of the good spots are gobbled up and resources start to get a bit more scarce, that people will have a reason to risk what they own in any major scale offensive.
This is all my speculation, of course, and why I posted in this thread my desire to know what it takes to make a hex settlement ready. As far as mechanisms to promote conflict or a game plan/goal for "working as intended", I hope it will all work fairly organically.
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Goblin Squad Member
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Hobs,
we are interested in the same topic here.
The assumption is that 1st year will evolve like a 4X game: explore - expand - exploit - exterminate. The question is whether EE will be months of exploration before settlement system is in, followed by months of levelling up and expanding settlements before they start to step on each others toes.
If meaningful conflict is supposed to drive the game, I expect there to be some mechanisms and incentives already in the first 3 months (not just banditry). Ex. escalation cycles where you can convince (by force or bribe) the goblin tribe to go pick on your neighbours instead. Designs that promote groups to either ally or compete, not just politely ignore each other.
The first weeks everyone will be ecstatic just running around the world, crafting items and trying out skills. But around the 3rd month there has to be some 'story', and even if we are eager to start making it ourselves, GW have to give us the tools and framework for it. That's really what I want: a blog on the tools and framework for building the world and our stories within it.
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I would like to see the physics system discussed a bit, like what's planned for PFO. I got to thinking about it after watching how objects and characters move and react to combat and other forces in the videos for the game Sui Generis. The videos can be seen Here . Personally I like how their combat will not have target lock, nor auto attack, although I know we can't have that in PFO. But I'm wondering if there are any plans for a different type of physics system then is typical in MMOs being put out today?
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Goblin Squad Member
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I would like to see the physics system discussed a bit, like what's planned for PFO. I got to thinking about it after watching how objects and characters move and react to combat and other forces in the videos for the game Sui Generis. The videos can be seen Here . Personally I like how their combat will not have target lock, nor auto attack, although I know we can't have that in PFO. But I'm wondering if there are any plans for a different type of physics system then is typical in MMOs being put out today?
Excellent questions! That company appears to have some very novel approaches and ideas, while keeping the software, at least the building/design software, simple and easy to use for the Devs. I like the use of real world physics, especially the collision physics, as this adds realistic depth to the combat and to the interactive items. I hope GW will take a look and try and emulate as much as possible. Given most video cards today can handle such physics (my two GTS 450 cards in SLI support PhysX very nicely), it would be very cool to see similar physics in PfO. Frankly, I am a bit tired of the "rag-doll" physics many games use, as they are rather unrealistic, at least to me. This system looks so much more real, and real is good for an immersive game experience.
Heck, guitarist Andy McKee's song, Art of Motion even supplies a Blog name for this ;)
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I would like to see the physics system discussed a bit, like what's planned for PFO. I got to thinking about it after watching how objects and characters move and react to combat and other forces in the videos for the game Sui Generis. The videos can be seen Here . Personally I like how their combat will not have target lock, nor auto attack, although I know we can't have that in PFO. But I'm wondering if there are any plans for a different type of physics system then is typical in MMOs being put out today?Excellent questions! That company appears to have some very novel approaches and ideas, while keeping the software, at least the building/design software, simple and easy to use for the Devs. I like the use of real world physics, especially the collision physics, as this adds realistic depth to the combat and to the interactive items. I hope GW will take a look and try and emulate as much as possible. Given most video cards today can handle such physics (my two GTS 450 cards in SLI support PhysX very nicely), it would be very cool to see similar physics in PfO. Frankly, I am a bit tired of the "rag-doll" physics many games use, as they are rather unrealistic, at least to me. This system looks so much more real, and real is good for an immersive game experience.
Heck, guitarist Andy McKee's song, Art of Motion even supplies a Blog name for this ;)
I've got no idea of the mechanics involved, or how difficult it might be. But if you were facing off with an enemy and you managed to get say a table and chairs between you, if you could cast some sort of spell, or even strike the table just right so that it sails across and slams into your opponent, that would just rock! I know Mortal Online had players load Geforce PhysiX (I think that was the name), so even cards that didn't directly have physics could utilize their technology. This might be a direction that GW doesn't want to go, but I would love to hear their plans.
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Goblin Squad Member
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Back in the days of the original Ultima Online you could move crates, boxes, chairs and tables around and could trap monsters in corners. It was sort of an exploit, and sort of not, as other players could set traps for you as well. Characters had mass and there was collision and your would have to work hard to move the furniture (you could drop anything into the open world and it stayed there for quite some time until "auto clean up" ran or until someone else moved it.)
I don't think you could ever blast a chair or rock into someone, but it makes sense in the PFO world, just maybe not in the programming world.
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Goblin Squad Member
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I would like to see the physics system discussed a bit, like what's planned for PFO. I got to thinking about it after watching how objects and characters move and react to combat and other forces in the videos for the game Sui Generis. The videos can be seen Here . Personally I like how their combat will not have target lock, nor auto attack, although I know we can't have that in PFO. But I'm wondering if there are any plans for a different type of physics system then is typical in MMOs being put out today?Excellent questions! That company appears to have some very novel approaches and ideas, while keeping the software, at least the building/design software, simple and easy to use for the Devs. I like the use of real world physics, especially the collision physics, as this adds realistic depth to the combat and to the interactive items. I hope GW will take a look and try and emulate as much as possible. Given most video cards today can handle such physics (my two GTS 450 cards in SLI support PhysX very nicely), it would be very cool to see similar physics in PfO. Frankly, I am a bit tired of the "rag-doll" physics many games use, as they are rather unrealistic, at least to me. This system looks so much more real, and real is good for an immersive game experience.
Heck, guitarist Andy McKee's song, Art of Motion even supplies a Blog name for this ;)
It's the sense of feedback of actual "hitting" animation + skill sychronised, it seems that players really appreciate? Eg laboured avatar when either low hp or high injuries?
=
Another vote for anything with maps and features of the map in game. TBH, what immediately drew my eyes in the last blog was not the avatars, or the "class appearance" or even as some have commentated, the hips, but the hills/mountains in the background. Looking at a map thinking a-b is easy then actually traversing a-b when the contours are deceptively close together is always good.
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Goblin Squad Member
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I'd like to second Hobs post as a topic for a future blog. This subject interests me as well. Looking at the images, it would be nice if you could arrange the buildings prior to hitting an "accept" button when first laying out a settlement. (Similar to how you place shops in "The Guild 2", if your familiar with that game). I would also like to hear your thoughts on the ability to tear down and move a structure and change a structures facing.How buildings in settlements will actually work. Will they at first just be facades that allow certain crafting stations or skill training, or will they (at some point) develop into interiors that can be manipulated, with furniture, decorations, different colors, etc.? Will you get to rearrange where these buildings are in your settlement, or will it be preplanned - if you want a smithy, it's always in the SE corner of the settlement. Will you get to choose the style of your buildings (wood, log, stone, etc.) or will it be tied to upgrades, with each upgrade being represented by a more sturdy material?
In the very few past games that have had true player housing, much of this could be customized. I would like to know what the plan is for PFO.
I concur on this one. I'd like to know how settlement generation will work, Structure placement in construction, the variety of structures and their purposes. Will NPCs be included in the structures or a variety of 'Sims' like behavior of build it and they will come to work the less meaningful jobs.
Will players be able to act like business owners? Crafters can take up housing in workshops for their particular craft have NPCs to sell their wares and then make stuff to store it in the stores inventory vault to be sold? Is there going to be a meta-system in place to advise the pricing on said materials?
Will there be the ability to construct the one-off sorts of structures in unusual hex locations like the lone inn in the woods for travelers who didn't stop to stay safely in the city? Watchtowers near forts, or road toll positions?
Lots of interesting subject matter to explore here.
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RPG Superstar 2012 Top 16
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I'd love to hear more about the magic system - how will magic user weapon sets (spellbooks, holy symbols) work? Will there be distinct tiers for offensive spells in parallel with weapon tiers? How do saving throws and armor elemental resistances interact? What thought has gone into peaceful uses of magic so far - for example settlement buffs or alarm spells for harvesting?
I'd like to thank the GW blog pixie for delivering my wish.
Next up: in depth settlement construction rules please!
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Goblin Squad Member
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Okay. We are getting blogs on specific classes. LAtely mage and assassin. (No more complaining about "Evil is inherently handicapped, as the assassin blog gives baddies some goodies!)
I would like to see how the crafting skills are going to stack up over a long crafting career. Early crafting career specialization, masters of a craft, and finally a masterwork and the potential bonuses in "Best in Class" items. Crafting of artifacts, of top end goal setting.
Also, the different gathering professions, the refining professions, skills used to identify raw materials (botany, zoology, mineralogy, entemology, biology, etc...) and a decent list of some of the different things that can be grown, bred, tamed, found in the wild....all the things that would make a crafting based character drool while training to max skill level.
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Goblin Squad Member
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For the next Blog I'm hoping they explain in some detail how wars will be conducted.
Who can start them? (ie minimum requirements)
Why they need to be consensual? (I would prefer they not be)
How they plan on preventing one Kingdom, ruling the world? (My suggestion is by allowing CCs to use a lesser war mechanic).
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Goblin Squad Member
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/BUMP!
Keep the blog suggestions flowing...
Will we hear more about Sorcs tomorrow? Given the recent "group content" thread, that stumbled into the territory of:-
Dungeons: Would be an interesting subject to elaborate on.
/BUMP!
Again, I was reading about a Dungeoneering and Caving type of dungeon-crawler called Torchbearers in production (TT). I'm soon to be playing a Warhammer Quest (and possibly beta-testing the app version), but the previously mentioned Torchbearers includes something that the old game Dungeon Master was good at:
- Require torches or darkness or perhaps worse effects could happen in dungeons (if darkness is off the cards) eg attracts more mobs etc or makes the dungeon procedural generate more mazy sections?
- Require food/water etc
- Encumbrance limit and what you pack to equip being very essential for Combat, Navigation, Survival and Returning successfully.
Most mmorpgs seem to only have the run set routine and combat set mobs. The above additions make the dungeoneering an experience itself let alone the rewards and combat.