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Exclusive Interview: Going global with Fallen Earth's PvP
Two of the biggest cornerstones of Fallen Earth have always been crafting and PvP, and its these cornerstones that GamersFirst is enriching come patch 2.4. The patch, called Global Territory Control, is taking these elements and firing them up in ways that any PvPer or crafter should find exciting. We hopped on the phone with Associate Producer Asa Reed, Director of Operations Joe Willmon, and Senior Game Designer Marie Croall to talk about why 2.4 will be the patch that will change the wasteland forever -- and why you should anticipate it, whether you're a crafter or a player-killer.%Gallery-155670%
Big faction changes coming to Fallen Earth
Big changes are coming to Fallen Earth's faction system, and the latest GamersFirst dev diary has the details. Lead designer Marie "Aro Sei" Croall says that the devs "want to make sure it is clear to all players who they are fighting for and who they are against." The current faction dynamics can be confusing, she explains, and GamersFirst feels that Fallen Earth's learning curve can be smoothed out "without dumbing it down." To do so, shoulder factions are being removed, and wastelanders will need to pick a faction and remain loyal to it in order to earn points. Missions may be accepted from three factions, but only the primary faction will determine PvP objectives, missions, and faction channels. Finally, the devs are removing factional friendly fire except in cases of clan wars, bloodsports, or dueling gameplay. Croall says this is intended to curb same-faction griefing, and ultimately contribute to "a less jarring PvP experience in Fallen Earth."
Fallen Earth lays the foundation for 2012 in its January state of the game address
Senior Game Designer Marie Croall sounded the klaxons and ran up the flag for the wastelanders of Fallen Earth in the latest state of the game address. For her and the team, it's time to shake off the ravages of holidays and get to work on laying the foundation for the game in 2012. Croall says that this month players should expect to get the ability to use bombs in Territory Control, which should change things up somewhat. The Territory Control PvP feature will be significantly expanded in the months afterward as well. Also on tap for the near future are additional mid-level quests, the augmentation system for customizing gear, improving the flow of starter areas, and better rare drops across the board. The art team is excited to move on to giving Haven a facelift much like the work the team did on the recent Embry Crossroads revamp. Perhaps the most intriguing is that Croall hints at a major top-secret project in the works: "This month we're also breaking ground on one of the biggest systems we've ever done. It's still too early to really get into details on but we'll make sure this one was worth waiting for."
The joys of scripting the apocalypse: A behind-the-scenes look at Fallen Earth
What's it like to have a post-apocalyptic landscape as your writing canvas? According to Marie Croall, it's pure heaven. Fallen Earth's lead designer opened up to Rock, Paper, Shotgun about the joys of writing and designing the myriad of quests for the game, as well as the free-to-play transition, plans for PvP, and the dynamic world events. Croall is part of a slimmed-down team of 12 developers who currently develop Fallen Earth's content. Saying that the team is always trying to "push the envelope" when it comes to the stories told, she notes that each area contains the imbued spirit of each writer: "I worked on a lot of the conflict towns early on and we knew that this was a place for people to kill each other, so a lot of the missions ended up being really thinly veiled insults." One of the aspects of Fallen Earth that Croall loves is how crazy the team can get. In one instance, the team decided to redo the starter town of Boneclaw by dropping a missile right into it. "We killed off all the players that were there, all the NPCs, and left it as a radiation zone for a good two months, while we made the new town. We flat out nuked it because it wasn't doing what we wanted it to do. Boom!" While Fallen Earth skirts the line between sandbox and theme park, Croall says the team is devoting a great deal of resources to beefing up the former. "The more features we add, the more ways for players to drive themselves, it makes the world better, it makes it feel like what we saw it as," she said.
Wasteland Diaries: Player-run economy
The economy in Fallen Earth has been stagnant for a while. The auction house has been just a place for trader clones (with maxed social skill) to post wares with a small markup from the NPC vendors prices. In some cases, these traders would post mats that could only be bought in PvP conflict towns or found in secret or dangerous scavenging spots. It was hard to be competitive in a market like that. Every resource had an unlimited supply thanks to the vendors. There were a few items that actually worked on the supply and demand principle, like vibrant and volatile chemicals and pre-fall tech. These items had prices that were dictated completely by the players. Through competition, the prices got pretty reasonable (and I even bought a few pre-fall techs to allieviate the Citadel grind). All that has changed now, and the Fallen Earth team has made some massive changes to the way the economy works. In this post, I'll take a look at what has changed. I'll try to give my best guess about what will happen to the economy in the coming weeks. A great many players are already freaking out about this concept on the forums and in global chat. While I admit it's too early to tell what will become of us in the near future, there's no need to panic. People were rage-quitting the game mere hours after the changes were made. If you ask me, it's a bit premature to make a decision like that. Nobody really knows what will happen, but click past the cut to see my best guesses.
Two years after the fall of the world: Fallen Earth's second anniversary
It's no secret that Fallen Earth is somewhat of a staff favorite here at Massively. While its combat system may not hold the same polish of other titles, it more than makes up for it in sheer exploration, incredibly deep crafting, an engagingly different game world, and the dark humor that seeps into every aspect of the game. In fact, Massively is what convinced me to give Fallen Earth a shot when it came out two years ago. At the time, I was just a regular gamer looking for something a little different than the elves-'n'-fantasy fare that 99% of MMOs were dishing my way. Fallen Earth's semi-familiar setting -- modern guns, post office boxes, motorcycles, sunglasses, giant mutated ants -- was at once familiar and foreign. It took me two solid tries to get into the game, but once I did, I was hooked. I've always felt bad that Fallen Earth never got more popular than it already is, although I can understand why. The post-apocalypse setting is enough to weird players out, and the paradigm shift from getting your gear via looting to building your own gear via crafting takes some getting used to. Plus, the troubles that Icarus Studios ran into early on didn't help matters any. Fortunately, the future looks bright for Fallen Earth, and as it celebrates its second anniversary, we should look back at this past year to see just how far this cult MMO has come. Clones, assemble!
Fallen Earth dev diary talks economic changes, world events, and more
Earlier today we told you about the Fallen Earth devs answering a few of your free-to-play questions. Now it's time to dive a bit further down the rabbit hole courtesy of this month's state of the game update. Producer Marie Croall checks in with us to talk about the game's two-year anniversary celebration, which includes "PvP, PvE, and RP components." She also says that the event will be run at EU- and US-friendly times (though said times aren't specified as of yet). In terms of game updates, the major portion of the September recap concerns the ongoing economic changes. Inconsistencies dealing with recipe and component rarity have been dealt with, and the dev team has "redone the placement of most of the nodes in the game" to make the rarer nodes more of an incentive to enter PvP-enabled areas. Finally, Croall says that the release of the new world event system has been bumped back to coincide with the free-to-play conversion on October 12th. Grab your favorite wasteland beverage and read all the details at the official Fallen Earth dev blog.
Fallen Earth state of the game talks 1.9.2, economics, and more
Curious -- and perhaps a tad impatient -- regarding the status of Fallen Earth's free-to-play transition? We were, and fortunately for everyone, producer Marie Croall just penned a dev blog that's given us a bit more insight into the goings-on around the wasteland as of late. The good news is that "the heavy lifting is over" in terms of the account and services migration to GamersFirst. Croall says that the Fallen Earth team is a smidge over halfway through the entire transition process, so for now it'll still cost you a few bucks to log in and get your post-apocalyptic sandpark fix. Croall spends some virtual ink talking about this month's fast travel/1.9.2 patch, and she also goes into a bit more detail on the combat changes that came with it. Finally, she touches on the game's second anniversary (yeah, it's been two years already!), which happens next month and will also herald some economic changes designed to make the game's well-regarded crafting system pack a little more punch. There's more too, but much of it is farther down the development pipeline, and we highly recommend heading to the official Fallen Earth dev blog to check it out.
Fallen Earth dev blog talks Alpha County, factional territory control, and more
There's a new Fallen Earth dev blog in town, and it's so big that it requires the input of two devs. Producer Marie Croall outlines the game's upcoming development schedule and even drops a release date for the much-anticipated Alpha County/Progress Towns/combat changes patch. That date is July 6th, and Croall provides a recap for those of you who've forgotten about the fact that the update will raise the level cap to 55 and introduce new resources, gear, missions, and a town to fight over. Croall also hints at upcoming changes to Fallen Earth's fast travel system, and she's quick to point out that the team isn't "dumbing anything down -- just putting emphasis on the features that drive the game." Speaking of features, we learned that a world event system is coming, as is faction territory control. It sounds as if the details haven't been ironed out just yet, as Croall doesn't offer any specifics. She also invites players to ask plenty of questions "so [they] can explore all angles together." GamersFirst's Joseph "Linus" Willmon checks in to update players on the status of the PTS as well as the new monitoring tools that G1 is putting in place to isolate those pesky server performance issues. Finally, there's a quick blurb about skill and faction respec items that have been added to the Fallen Earth store. Catch up on all of this and more at the official Fallen Earth dev blog.
Wasteland Diaries: Coming soon
Due to the new partnership between Fallen Earth and GamersFirst, there are some huge changes coming in the very near future and massive changes headed our way before the end of the year. Sector 4 is going to be released soon along with a major re-write of the skills and abilities system. There are still a great many questions that remain unanswered, but the developers on both sides have dropped some subtle and not-so-subtle hints here and there. There are still many players asking questions in global chat and on the forums that have been answered already. A few of the answers given have left me scratching my head, but I'm still optimistic at this point. But there's still a lot of confusion within the community about what is coming and when. I've dug up many of the responses to the toughest questions by Marie Croall of Fallen Earth and Joe Willmon of GamersFirst, who are holding their cards close to their chests but have nevertheless given up some good info. After the cut, I'll try to clarify what's going on in the short and long term, but it may result in some speculation on both our parts.
GamersFirst announces acquisition of Fallen Earth with new F2P business model
After last month's announcement by GamersFirst that the company is taking over the hardware side of Fallen Earth, most of us made the obvious connection that the post-apocalyptic MMO would be heading into free-to-play territory. Even while hinting at it in a recent E3 interview, GamersFirst never really came out and said anything definitively. Well, it has now. Today, GamersFirst has given us the exclusive news that it will be taking over the operations of Fallen Earth immediately. Of course, following all other games in the GamersFirst library, Fallen Earth will also adopt a F2P business model. But what does this mean for the development of Fallen Earth? Will GamersFirst take over production and content design? Just how free will the game be? Follow along after the jump for answers to those questions and more.
Wasteland Diaries: F2P?
There are some big changes coming to Fallen Earth in the very near future. Sector 4's Alpha County is looming on the horizon. There is a new skills-and-abilities system coming. We don't know when we're going to get it, but we are going to get it. But the biggest news is the game's new partnership with GamersFirst. GamersFirst is the company responsible for the rejuvenation of APB: Reloaded and its conversion to the free-to-play format (F2P). I've heard mixed reviews on what's going on with APB, but without any first-hand experience, I'll withhold judgment. Nobody has come out and said that Fallen Earth is going to convert to the F2P business model, but it's a pretty safe assumption at this point. Every GamersFirst title is F2P, so why would FE be any different? I haven't tried APB, so I'm in no position to judge the performance of GamersFirst on what has been done with that title. F2P can be a two-edged sword, and the FE community is strongly divided on this subject (at least on the forums). I am a member of the optimistic side, and after the cut, I'll tell you why I think this move could be a very good thing for Fallen Earth.
'Major' Fallen Earth announcement coming May 31st
Maintenance breaks may typically be frustrating, boring patches of non-activity for MMO gamers, but next Tuesday promises to be different for Fallen Earth. According to the official site, the team has a "major" announcement scheduled during the May 31st downtime -- one you won't want to miss. The announcement will take place during two live podcasts with Senior Game Designer Marie Croall. During the podcasts, Croall will discuss the game's present and future to the dedicated wastelanders out there. You can catch the podcast and announcement on Fallen Earth's Ustream channel on May 31st at 3:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. EDT. Alternatively, players may use Ventrilo to catch the action and even submit their own questions. What will this announcement be? We're not sure, but it looks to be a long weekend wait until we find out!
Fallen Earth state of the game talks combat tweaks, progress towns, and more
It's the beginning of another month in the wasteland, and that means that in addition to scavenging for scrap metal and dodging ginormous prairie chickens, denizens of Fallen Earth are heading to the game's official website to check out the latest state of the game address. Much of producer Marie "Aro Sei" Croall's letter concerns progress towns, Alpha County, and combat tweaks. While we've previewed progress towns before, there is an interesting nugget in this month's letter that details a new form of related currency. Croall calls it "a PvE form of death toll" and explains that it is intended to reward players for capturing and building one of the three progress towns. She also takes the time explain the changes to minimum skill levels, which is an important consideration when it comes to players spending their hard-earned stat points. Finally, there's a bit of discussion about post-Alpha County development plans including an objective system and potential world events. Check out all the details at the Fallen Earth website.
Fallen Earth offers a look into the upcoming 1.8 patch
While Sector 4 is shining on the horizon for Fallen Earth players, there are still hurdles to be faced between now and when we reach those storied lands. First up is the enormous patch 1.8, which will contain new content that leads to this area and scavenger bosses. Players already well-enmeshed in life in the post-apocalyptic Grand Canyon will also notice a huge overhaul to some core systems, such as skills and mutations, as outlined in the recent State of the Game posting from Marie "Aro Sei" Croall. We've managed to snag some screenshots showing off these upcoming areas that will pave the way for players to get to Sector 4. Unlike the overwhelmingly brown locales that some immediately associate with a post-apocalyptic setting, lush landscapes dominate these new images -- as do bits of wreckage and NPCs intent on killing any player crazy enough to cross their path. Civilization has collapsed, after all! If you're curious, check out the new eye-candy in the gallery below, then head over to the Fallen Earth forums for all the patch note news. %Gallery-48606%
Fallen Earth rocks the future with a Nuclear Blast
Today's news from the wasteland is like the introduction of the peanut butter cup: two great tastes that taste great together. The post-apocalyptic MMO Fallen Earth has partnered with recording label Nuclear Blast. The heavy metal and extreme music studio has supported a multitude of independent rockers for over 24 years, and its pairing with the grungy MMO from Icarus Studios could be the best fit the game has seen yet. In a press release issued by the developers of Fallen Earth, Senior Game Designer Marie Croall stated, "We listen to so much of Nuclear Blast's music at the office. This is an awesome opportunity to share our favorite music with our players." To help with this goal, the developers will open an underground bunker bar next month, a bar that will feature Nuclear Blast Radio and rotate through many of the recording label's greatest artists like Meshuggah, Soilwork, and Testament. Tune your radio dial to Massively for an upcoming Q&A session from artists and developers from Fallen Earth. As Nuclear Blast's Label Manager Gerardo Martínez said, "Get ready to hear the sounds of Fallen Earth on tour buses across the country!"
Fallen Earth state of the game letter details upcoming content
It's a new month, and that means it's time for a new State of the Game letter direct from the wasteland. Fallen Earth producer Marie "Aro Sei" Croall checks in on the official forums to let us know about the next patch coming our way from the folks at Icarus. All things considered, it looks to be a pretty substantial update, and nowhere are the changes more noticeable than in the game's skill and mutation lines. We're particularly excited to see how the Dirty Tricks and Escape Artist lines work out, since the descriptions dovetail perfectly with the cutthroat atmosphere of a post-apocalyptic world on the brink. The patch will also bring a new Scavenger Boss Area that serves as a preview for the new tech going into the upcoming Alpha County release. The area, called Ruination, includes several camps and encounters that showcase new creature behaviors and destructible barrels. You'll find it on the way to The Wall that serves as the Sector 4 border. Economic tweaks are also under way, as are a number of February events. Finally, Aro Sei concludes this month's letter with the answers to a few pressing community-generated questions. Check out all the juicy info on the Fallen Earth forums.
Fallen Earth state of the game letter previews economic fixes, new content
Another year dawns fresh on the wasteland, and Icarus senior game designer Marie Croall checks in on the official forums for Fallen Earth's latest State of the Game update. 2011 looks to be an exciting year for fans of new stuff, as the game will see a combat revamp, new high-level group content, and of course the new Sector 4 portions of the map. Icarus plans to release Sector 4 across four counties with the first one, Alpha, raising the level cap by five and bringing new gear, mutations, recipes, and abilities to the game. Look for it to debut on the live server in the second quarter of 2011. Why the delay? Croall explains that the team needed to address balance issues prior to rolling out new content. "There were several areas of combat that we needed to adjust before we could properly design encounters and instances as we moved forward. Additionally, our art team has been taking these past few months to make huge improvements that are necessary for the gameplay, story and setting. As important as it is to us to get the new content out, it's more important to get it out right," she says. Croall's letter also clues us in to the next patch, currently scheduled for February. In addition to skill and mutation balancing, the update will feature the new scavenger boss system (with new bosses and encounter areas) as well as the team's first crack at a round of economic fixes. Icarus is taking some of the concerns raised about Fallen Earth's economy to heart and is going to be addressing everything from supply and demand to drop rates, trading concerns, and general crafting fixes. "A thriving player driven economy should be a central part of our game and we're working very hard on getting it there," Croall writes.
Wasteland Diaries: New direction
The state of the game announcement for Fallen Earth was a bit vague, but it did contain some good news. It seems the game, now under new management, is headed in a new direction. Does new mean good? All outward indications say yes. I have never been accused of being overly optimistic, but I like where Fallen Earth is headed. Most of the big news is still over the horizon, and the combat changes are the first order of business. With new management comes new direction. It's nice to know what that direction might be. Of the three who were let go, I have nothing negative to say about any of them. Marie Croall has taken the reins at Fallen Earth, LLC and seems to have a clear plan. That's not to say there wasn't a clear plan before, but we are finally getting definitive answers on huge questions that we have been demanding responses on for quite a while. More details await you after the cut.
Icarus publishes latest Fallen Earth State of the Game
Fallen Earth fans have had a rough couple of weeks (to say nothing of the staff at Icarus Studios). The post-apocalyptic sci-fi MMORPG was recently hit with a round of layoffs that impacted several key people and likely left subscribers wondering as to the future of everyone's favorite digital wasteland. Happily, Icarus senior game designer Marie Croall is here with a lengthy State of the Game letter that puts a few of our fears to rest and outlines a path forward. Though Croall doesn't directly address the recent layoffs, preferring instead to focus on the upcoming development schedule, it's clear that there are a lot of improvements incoming, which bodes well for Fallen Earth's fans and future. Croall talks about Sector 4, a level cap increase, and new gear, consumables, and recipes that will soon see the light of day. Graphical upgrades and physical combat changes are also on the way, with the latter being pushed to the test server before the end of the month. The Fallen Earth team will also be improving high-end group content, tweaking the serendipity system, and continuing to balance Progress Towns throughout December. Finally, look for long-awaited additional character slots to be available in the Fallen Earth store as early as next week. Check out the full letter on the official forums, and also look for the Fallen Earth devs on next week's Massively Speaking podcast with Shawn and Rubi.
