Bjorn-Johannessen
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Rise and Shiny: Salem
Before I get to the part where I rant about one of the strangest exchanges I have had with an independent developer -- and I mean that in a fun, gasp-y sort of way -- I will cover the basics to give you an idea of how Salem the MMO works. You know, just in case you have never been privileged enough to witness the glory that is hardcore PvP, full loot, and permadeath. Yes, I'll cover permadeath; don't worry. The game is set in that funny time period when people wore Pilgrim hats, ate turkey, and killed bears. I have to admit that I was never expecting a game set in this time period or one influenced by early America, but I asked Bjorn Johannessen, Creative Director for the game, about the design choice during the livestream that is always embedded in this column. If there is one livestream of mine you need to watch, it's this one, for many reasons. Warning: It might not be safe for work; cursewords appear on the screen. You know, because it's hardcore. %Gallery-171695%
Taking a deeper look at Salem (and living to talk about it)
We recently sent San Francisco freelancer Emil Vazquez to a demo of Salem, the upcoming colonial-styled, permadeath MMO from Paradox Interactive. This is Emil's impressions of the game; the opinions might not reflect those of Massively as a whole. I was mildly disappointed that I didn't get to personally play Salem at this demo session until I saw the complexity and depth that was par for the course in publisher Paradox Interactive's new crafting-based sandbox. Had I been put behind the wheel of my very own little gothic pilgrim, it would have looked a lot like a beginner's first few hours in EVE Online and been about as productive. Instead, game designer Bjorn Johannessen took me on a tour of Salem's Lovecraft-inspired re-imagining of 18th century America, complete with farms, smithies, and chthonic earthworms.
Some Assembly Required: I saw the wilds of Salem (and lived to tell about it)
I spent an hour romping through the woods of Salem last Friday with Seatribe head honcho Bjorn Johannessen. The tiny indie company (current dev population: two) is hard at work on its followup to Haven and Hearth, an acquired taste of a sandbox game notable for its no-holds barred approach that includes permadeath and the ability to summon (and kill) criminal characters -- even while their lulz-loving puppet-masters are offline. Publisher Paradox bills Salem as "the crafting MMO," and boy it's not kidding. Over the course of this particular dev tour, I saw crazy amounts of tradeskill functionality, all kinds of cool world-building stuff, and ultimately, more than enough reasons to spend time with the game when it launches later this year.
Salem sandbox MMO not for the faint of heart
Twenty minutes of gameplay doesn't seem like a lot when it comes to previewing an MMO, but PC Gamer is giving it the ol' college try with a look at Seatribe's new Salem sandbox. You know the Salem we mean. The one with... permadeath. Ooooh. Scary. Anyhow, the piece offers up a few interesting insights, like when creative lead Bjorn Johannessen admits that the devs "have almost nothing to do with what happens" outside the game's only safe area (a colonial-era Boston). Another noteworthy tidbit is the fact that Salem doesn't display avatar names. Instead, it prompts you to name other characters for yourself (or trust that someone is who he says he is). For more on Salem, check out the source below as well as our permadeath-flavored interview with Johannessen in Some Assembly Required.
Some Assembly Required: Salem dev talks permadeath, griefing, and skill-based gameplay
Hello, sandbox faithful, and welcome to a special interview edition of Some Assembly Required. We recently had a chance to pitch some questions to the team behind Seatribe's upcoming Salem title, and creative director Björn Johannessen was kind enough to answer them. Salem is being advertised by publisher Paradox as "the crafting MMO," but it's also rife with throw-back mechanics including a huge amount of player freedom and a permadeath/punishment system similar to the one in Johannessen's Haven & Hearth.
Paradox's Björn Johannessen hosts Salem Q&A
Paradox Interactive's upcoming MMO Salem has garnered a good bit of attention due to the game's unique frontier-fantasy setting and the fact that it will feature -- gasp! -- permadeath. Of course, as with any mold-breaking game that comes along, there are bound to be a lot of questions about how the game's mechanics will work. Salem's Creative Director, Björn Johannessen, realizes this, and decided to stop by Reddit for an AMA session. For the uninitiated, AMA stands for "Ask Me Anything," and that's exactly what the fine Redditors over at /r/IAmA did. A wealth of information can be found over at the thread, whether you're interested in the game's influences, the way permadeath will work, the reasoning behind permadeath's inclusion in the game, or more. So if you're interested in Salem to any degree, head on over to Reddit and give the thread a look.
'Hide-Behinds and Squonks and Gumberoos': Bjorn Johannessen talks Salem
Salem, the upcoming MMO from Paradox Interactive, has gained more and more attention in recent weeks. Perhaps because a fair amount of this attention has been of the "Wait, what is this game about?" variety, Creative Director Bjorn Johannessen sat down with Rock, Paper, Shotgun to talk Salem. Bjorn describes the game as "a similar premise" to Wurm Online, in that everything in the world is player-made with the exception of natural objects. It's not just a bland Wurm-clone, however. The world of Salem is a little darker, with a harsh justice system, witchcraft, and otherworldly creatures like Hide-Behinds -- creepy predators that hide behind things as they stalk you. Bjorn explains part of the justice system, discussing what happens when a player kills another (or commits any crime, for that matter): "He leaves a little scent behind, called the Stench of Crime, a kind of clue. Those clues can be used to track the crime; I get up this little window here, where I can choose to track the perpetrator, the claim of the perpetrator, or the item that was stolen. [...] And if the crime is serious enough [...] I can also use this clue to summon the character into the game, if he is offline." There's much more, so head to Rock, Paper, Shotgun for the full interview!
Get an eyeful of Salem with an hour-long tour
Ever since we heard about Salem, the crazy mash-up of sandbox tools, crafting, colonial setting, and permadeath, we've been understandably curious about just how the game will pan out. While it's still in the pre-alpha stage, Paradox Interactive hosted a Twitch.tv broadcast yesterday, during which a trio of devs showed off the game while talking about its features. If you missed it, you're still in luck: The broadcast was recorded and saved for posterity. In it, Creative Director Bjorn Johannessen, "Code Gnome" Frank Tolf, and Senior Producer Gordon Van Dyke want to give viewers a feel for how the game functions and feels. It's important to note that the demonstration doesn't begin for real until the 14-minute mark, so unless you really like elevator music and waiting, you might want to skip ahead to there. You can watch the full video after the jump.
One life in the New World: Salem MMO to feature permadeath
Permadeath is a topic that's brought up on a regular basis in MMO discussion circles, usually featuring a cast of characters that span the full spectrum of the debate. Is there a burning desire for the risk and finality of a permadeath system in MMOs? Would players flock to or flee from such a game? And how would it work in such a way to retain players instead of alienating them? Game Designer Bjorn Johannessen is working hard on the answers for those questions in his new MMORPG, with the working title of Salem. Developed by Paradox Interactive, this free-to-play title is set in New England during the early period of North American colonization and features players stepping off the boats from Europe to make their way in uncharted wilderness. Like Wurm Online and Minecraft, Salem will focus heavily on crafting as players forge the tools, buildings and weapons they need to survive. For Salem's aesthetics, Johannessen named H.P. Lovecraft and Tim Burton's gothic horror as sources of inspiration, and the MMO will include magic and witchcraft as potential paths. Over all of this is the specter of permanent death: "When your character dies, he stays dead," Johannessen said matter-of-factly. This is made even harsher by the fact that Salem will allow free-for-all PvP, which means that anyone can attack you without provocation. Player buildings can be razed and their corpses looted, but Johannessen hopes that the players will band together to protect each other and mete out justice. You can watch Bjorn Johannessen's introduction to the game after the jump.
