CEO, Goblinworks
|
This blog will be live after noon (Pacific) on Wednesday August 27th.
Get Ready for the Cold Start!
|
Goblin Squad Member
|
| 2 people marked this as a favorite. |
F5 F5 F5
Eight minutes past, still no blog.
Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow,
Creeps in this petty pace from day to day
To the last syllable of recorded time,
And all our yesterdays have lighted fools
The way to dusty death. Out, out, brief candle!
Life’s but a walking shadow, a poor player
That struts and frets his hour upon the stage
And then is heard no more. It is a tale
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,
Signifying nothing.
|
Goblin Squad Member
|
Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow,
Creeps in this petty pace from day to day
To the last syllable of recorded time,
And all our yesterdays have lighted fools
The way to dusty death. Out, out, brief candle!
Life’s but a walking shadow, a poor player
That struts and frets his hour upon the stage
And then is heard no more. It is a tale
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,
Signifying nothing.
How does one favourite more than once? :-)
|
Goblin Squad Member
|
When I hit the big blue "Get Installer" button on the GW homepage, it now has instruction to update Windows Drives, Video Card Anti-Virus, and you have to accept TOS and EULA. Has that always been there, or is that new?
(I got the installer last time direct from a link in an email...)
|
Goblin Squad Member
|
When I hit the big blue "Get Installer" button on the GW homepage, it now has instruction to update Windows Drives, Video Card Anti-Virus, and you have to accept TOS and EULA. Has that always been there, or is that new?
(I got the installer last time direct from a link in an email...)
You'll need a new installer tomorrow. I wouldn't bother downloading anything today.
|
Goblin Squad Member
|
Sounds like fun and I am looking forward to trying out the "cold start" in alpha.
However, I would prefer that EE give new players at least the beginner gear that drops from low-level mobs.
The cold start doesn't seem to fit with the lore around Pharasma's mark, it doesn't match the starting experience for table top characters, and it will disadvantage anyone that doesn't start immediately in EE.
Our PFO characters have some history and background of their lives before they got Pharasma's mark. We should start off as functional wizards, fighters, etc.. not as peasants with clubs.
When we all have clubs, it'll be fun to work together and build up. But when you are the newbie with a club, and everyone else is in tier 2, and you can barely even kill the mobs that would drop the beginner equipment or give you the cash to buy crafted gear, I foresee it creating a very frustrating new player experience.
Tabletop characters start at level 1, with a hundred gold or so in starting gear, not as pennyless level 0 peasants.
I hope that this is a good test and experiment for the alpha, but that it isn't the model for early enrollment.
|
Goblin Squad Member
|
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
The cold start doesn't seem to fit with the lore around Pharasma's mark, it doesn't match the starting experience for table top characters, and it will disadvantage anyone that doesn't start immediately in EE.
Our PFO characters have some history and background of their lives before they got Pharasma's mark. We should start off as functional wizards, fighters, etc.. not as peasants with clubs.
Maybe not. Pharasma is giving you new life. Nothing says she has to let you keep your old one. Perhaps the first rebirth into a marked body has a cost in skill and memory and worldly goods that we can no longer remember agreeing to pay.
When we all have clubs, it'll be fun to work together and build up. But when you are the newbie with a club, and everyone else is in tier 2, and you can barely even kill the mobs that would drop the beginner equipment or give you the cash to buy crafted gear, I foresee it creating a very frustrating new player experience.
Tabletop characters start at level 1, with a hundred gold or so in starting gear, not as pennyless level 0 peasants.
I hope that this is a good test and experiment for the alpha, but that it isn't the model for early enrollment.
If a newborn with a club can't effectively bootstrap himself, that's good feedback we'll be able to provide after this weekend.
Even if he can, I suspect that by the time there are T2 characters in game, the starting safeholds will be full of recruiters who are falling over themselves to give away starting gear.
|
Goblin Squad Member
|
...it will disadvantage anyone that doesn't start immediately in EE.
It's hard to imagine people not queuing up to provide newcomers with better gear once we have it ourselves. It's good public relations aimed at both characters and their players; it's easy, for both parties, to see it as a recruiting ploy.
Hmm... Installer .exe still says it is version 6_0
New installer will not be up until tomorrow, no later than server up time at 3:00pm(PST), unless we inform you otherwise.
EDIT: Reading through again I was beaten to the punch by Valkenr and Caldeathe
Cheatle, I do believe you've been called out :)
|
Goblinworks Game Designer
|
| 6 people marked this as a favorite. |
Our PFO characters have some history and background of their lives before they got Pharasma's mark. We should start off as functional wizards, fighters, etc.. not as peasants with clubs.
Don't want to expound on this too much, since whenever we get story elements into the tutorial it will cover this but:
- You start the game having just had your first resurrection (nobody knows they'll have the mark until they die and rez with it).
- Your stuff was not threaded prior to this death. If you had a bunch of gear, presumably it's wherever you died the first time (somewhere not appearing in your new available stomping grounds, or somewhere you'll find has already been looted by the time you get back to your first corpse... just saying, story-wise, it's gone).
- We're hoping to be intentionally vague about the memory-affecting elements of the first death. Were you basically a callow youth fresh off the farm heading up to fight at the Worldwound, with no loss in skills because you never really had any? Were you a powerful hero who has lost most of your practical knowledge and now has to build it back up? Do you have total amnesia, or do you remember your life just not your skills? It's up to how you want to roleplay it.
- Subsequent deaths are easier than the bumpy ride of the first one, so you retain your full memories and have the benefit of threads.
|
Goblin Squad Member
|
It's hard to imagine people not queuing up to provide newcomers with better gear once we have it ourselves. It's good public relations aimed at both characters and their players; it's easy, for both parties, to see it as a recruiting ploy.
I suppose its another way to reinforce the idea that "this is not a solo game". Feels a bit humiliating for the new player though, if their first action is to go begging for starting equipment.
|
Goblin Squad Member
|
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
We're hoping to be intentionally vague about the memory-affecting elements of the first death. Were you basically a callow youth fresh off the farm heading up to fight at the Worldwound, with no loss in skills because you never really had any? Were you a powerful hero who has lost most of your practical knowledge and now has to build it back up? Do you have total amnesia, or do you remember your life just not your skills? It's up to how you want to roleplay it.
Thanks Stephen, that is very helpful when it comes to designing a character background.
|
Goblin Squad Member
|
| 2 people marked this as a favorite. |
Yes, it seems I have been called out!
Apparently I am the Scourge of Thornkeep! lol
In all seriousness though, the Blog was awesome, I can't wait for expendables! Also we should be getting 406,000 experience to work with over the course of the weekend, that is enough to make it to level 11-12 in role (level 16 if you are attempting 1 skill lol).
I too want to know if companies are in, because that has been the number 1 thing I have been looking forward to.
I could see my self making a bowyer just to equip new archers when they "walk through the door." At no cost to them, of course.
|
Goblin Squad Member
|
Thanks Stephen, that is very helpful when it comes to designing a character background.
We're hoping to be intentionally vague about the memory-affecting elements of the first death. Were you basically a callow youth fresh off the farm heading up to fight at the Worldwound, with no loss in skills because you never really had any? Were you a powerful hero who has lost most of your practical knowledge and now has to build it back up? Do you have total amnesia, or do you remember your life just not your skills? It's up to how you want to roleplay it.
Yeah, this seems more like a form of reincarnation than straight up resurrection and I'm cool with that. It would certainly explain some reasons for my character being where he is. Other backstory stuff will have to be worked around but it won't be that hard.
|
Goblin Squad Member
|
New players have value to settlements. They may find themselves being offered inducements including starting gear, to join various groups.
I picture the scene of immigrants stepping off a boat in Boston or New York in the 1800s and being confronted with recruiters offering a meal and a job in exchange for their vote.
That didn't always work out to the advantage of the new arrival.
Edit: it makes for a variety of interesting stories though.
|
Goblin Squad Member
|
You start the game having just had your first resurrection (nobody knows they'll have the mark until they die and rez with it).
Your stuff was not threaded prior to this death. If you had a bunch of gear, presumably it's wherever you died the first time (somewhere not appearing in your new available stomping grounds, or somewhere you'll find has already been looted by the time you get back to your first corpse... just saying, story-wise, it's gone).
We're hoping to be intentionally vague about the memory-affecting elements of the first death. Were you basically a callow youth fresh off the farm heading up to fight at the Worldwound, with no loss in skills because you never really had any? Were you a powerful hero who has lost most of your practical knowledge and now has to build it back up? Do you have total amnesia, or do you remember your life just not your skills? It's up to how you want to roleplay it.
Subsequent deaths are easier than the bumpy ride of the first one, so you retain your full memories and have the benefit of threads.[/list]
awesome sauce.
|
Goblin Squad Member
|
When monsters (human or otherwise) are defeated in combat they usually drop some loot. They may produce coin, salvage, beginner gear and recipes.
Since coin is dropping from mobs and not something players will purchase from the GW shop, then it invites swarms of gold farmers. I predict much spam.
|
Goblin Squad Member
|
Really enjoyed this blog, very informative.
Oh, and Ryan slapped a gauntlet across Cheatles face! You sir, have been challenged! :)
That so made me laugh when I read it! Not a good thing to do at work because they then ask you what you are laughing at and why you are not working on the computer. :-)
|
Goblin Squad Member
|
Thanks Stephen, that is very helpful when it comes to designing a character background.
We're hoping to be intentionally vague about the memory-affecting elements of the first death. Were you basically a callow youth fresh off the farm heading up to fight at the Worldwound, with no loss in skills because you never really had any? Were you a powerful hero who has lost most of your practical knowledge and now has to build it back up? Do you have total amnesia, or do you remember your life just not your skills? It's up to how you want to roleplay it.
You were actually a Venture Captain who was killed by persons or monsters unknown!
|
Goblin Squad Member
|
Sounds like fun and I am looking forward to trying out the "cold start" in alpha.
However, I would prefer that EE give new players at least the beginner gear that drops from low-level mobs.
The cold start doesn't seem to fit with the lore around Pharasma's mark, it doesn't match the starting experience for table top characters, and it will disadvantage anyone that doesn't start immediately in EE.
Our PFO characters have some history and background of their lives before they got Pharasma's mark. We should start off as functional wizards, fighters, etc.. not as peasants with clubs.
When we all have clubs, it'll be fun to work together and build up. But when you are the newbie with a club, and everyone else is in tier 2, and you can barely even kill the mobs that would drop the beginner equipment or give you the cash to buy crafted gear, I foresee it creating a very frustrating new player experience.
Tabletop characters start at level 1, with a hundred gold or so in starting gear, not as pennyless level 0 peasants.
I hope that this is a good test and experiment for the alpha, but that it isn't the model for early enrollment.
To be honest, my experience is once you join a settlement the opposite will be a problem. Guilds in most MMOs tend to build up very quickly stores of equipment and weapons they hand out to new members and it can be sort of sad to miss all those early challenges of building a character from scratch as you are already geared up by your guild the minute you login.
I have had the same problem in TT games were the DM gives out to much quality gear too early and you just smack everything down from level 1 up.
|
Goblin Squad Member
|
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Thornguards in all settlements now have one minute respawn timers. (Try your takeover NOW Cheatle!)Thornkeep's Most Wanted!!! XXXX Goblinsballs!!!
lol .. and if you can supress them with one minute timers you will suddenly find two spawning when you kill one :D No point arguing with the referee :D