tasos-flambouras
Latest
New Darkfall video shows off redesigned Sandbrook
It's time for Aventurine's weekly Darkfall update, and today's blurb contains a few interesting nuggets about the town of Sandbrook. Apparently, the hamlet is undergoing a substantial facelift for Darkfall 2.0, and while it will remain a human village and hold on to its geographical location, players will find that it looks and plays quite differently. Aventurine producer Tasos Flambouras tells us that "the city has been completely optimized and everything is conveniently located where players can find it easily." He also mentions that Sandbrook is no longer a starter town but is instead a human factional city. Sandbrook is a picturesque location despite the proximity of a nasty goblin tribe, and the town is home to a small band of humans who settled on the banks of a river in the shadow of some enormous Nithron ruins. Head past the cut for a brief look at the new and improved Sandbrook courtesy of Aventurine's latest Darkfall video.
Darkfall dev update beats around the free-to-play bush
It's Friday and that usually means an update of some sort from the folks at Aventurine. True to form, Tasos Flambouras has checked in with his weekly Darkfall blog post. This time around we're treated to a round of Q&A with a couple of Aventurine devs, and reader-submitted questions are the order of the day. The discussion meanders from Darkfall 2.0's crafting changes, which are described as "a complete overhaul," to mechanical concerns like AoE melee damage as well as surges and fizzles. Flambouras also drops an interesting comment regarding Darkfall free-to-play rumors. "We also read around the internet about Darkfall going free-to-play. Rumor has it that if you start a sentence with 'rumor has it' you can say pretty much anything you want. Not true," he writes. Whether the "not true" was a reference to Darkfall's alleged F2P conversion or a reference to the latter portion of the sentence isn't completely clear, and we'll be interested to hear a definitive answer as it relates to business models.
The Daily Grind: Would you keep playing if your character was wiped?
So the scuttlebutt has it that Darkfall is getting ready to give way to an entirely new version. The PvP sandbox has gone through several iterations since its early 2009 launch, but one thing that has always been consistent is the player characters. Aventurine recently hinted at character wipes in conjunction with Darkfall 2.0, and while front man Tasos Flambouras hasn't said definitively that there will be a fresh start, he also hasn't said there won't be. For today's Daily Grind, we'd like to know your thoughts on character wipes. Whether it's a game like Darkfall or any other sort of progression-based affair, would you keep playing if your progress was reset? Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!
Aventurine talks Darkfall 2.0, character wipes, and more
Last week we told you about an Aventurine blog entry that touted Darkfall's forthcoming update as a "new game." This week, producer Tasos Flambouras sheds a wee bit more light on the Darkfall 2.0 situation, but readers of his latest blog post will likely be left with more questions than answers. To summarize, the new game is not a sequel but rather an iteration on all the lessons learned after two-plus years of operating and updating Darkfall. Aventurine now boasts a much larger dev team than the one that shipped the original game in 2009, and "no aspect of the game has been left untouched" when it comes to the revamp and relaunch. Speaking of relaunches, Flambouras addresses the seemingly odd decision to incorporate Darkfall 2.0's extensive siege mechanic changes into the current game. As it turns out, Aventurine is planning some sort of epic end-of-1.0 event before transitioning to the new game, and sieges will play a part in the action. Finally, those of you who have already purchased Darkfall will not be charged again for the 2.0 client. What about character transfers and/or wipes? That's a bit murkier, and though Flambouras says "it would not be necessary to wipe" in the new version, he also says that the topic is still under discussion. Head to the Darkfall Epic Blog to read this week's activity report.
Upcoming Darkfall relaunch is 'a new game'
How does a fresh start in the world of Agon grab you? The devs at Aventurine have been making noises about relaunching Darkfall for a while now, but in a new dev blog released earlier today, producer Tasos Flambouras gives us a hint at just how significant the changes are going to be. "This relaunch is not an expansion. It's a new game we've been developing in parallel with the current version of Darkfall. The scope is massive, and it has been difficult to stay on schedule after several unexpected issues," Flambouras writes. So, yeah. Whoa. In our best Keanu Reeves voice. The blog features some further discussion about a new siege system and a political map for the current version of Darkfall, but frankly we're still recovering from the previous paragraph and unsure as to how it all fits together. Is this Darkfall II? Is the current version going away when the relaunch hits? Inquiring minds want to know, and we'll bring you the latest on this story as we learn more.
Darkfall possibly headed to Asian market
Darkfall's brand of FFA PvP and sandbox-style fantasy elements may be headed to the Asian market, according to a new post on Aventurine's weekly dev blog. Tasos Flambouras reports that company staffers recently traveled to the Far East for discussions with "several of the Asian majors." What became of those discussions is still shrouded in secrecy, but Flambouras does hint at more news in this regard down the road. "This will be good for the game overall since we'd be tapping into some vast development resources. Unfortunately I can't be more specific but there will be announcements when we can," he explains. Today's Epic Blog entry also talks a bit about some new PvE dungeons in the works, and there are some interesting pieces of concept art as well as a screenshot or two of the new Cairn dungeon. Read all about it at the official Darkfall site.
Aventurine looking for feedback on Darkfall siege revamp
Aventurine is in the process of revamping Darkfall's siege system, and the devs are in need of your assistance. A new entry at the Darkfall Epic Blog fills in the details, and perennial coolest dev name contest winner Tasos Flambouras has published a snippet of an internal design document in order to give players a better understanding of why some changes are necessary. Flambouras lays out four key points of particular interest to Darkfall's devs, and interested players are invited to leave feedback via the blog's comment system. Topics up for discussion include minimum numbers of active clan players, win conditions, timer issues, and automatic vulnerability. Head to the official Darkfall blog to make your voice heard.
Darkfall siege revisions, dungeon reworking, and more
Aventurine has posted its most recent Darkfall activity report, and it covers quite a bit of ground. The first highlight is on the studio's worldbuilder team and its recent work remaking dungeons and clan cities and testing a new lighting system which should allow you to see yourself getting ganked in a brand-new light (rimshot). The art team, meanwhile, has completed numerous new assets including some truly towering trees, flags and banners, and ruins. On top of this, Darkfall players will have some new enemies to slay in the form of newly created monsters like the Imp. To finish this off, players will soon be able to pretty up their characters with the addition of fabulous new hairstyles. The key piece of information offered is about the new siege system, which has been entirely revamped and is ready for testing. For the full onslaught of information on all this and more -- including interactive map changes, blood spatter behavior (oh boy!) and racial/capital quests -- head on over to the full piece on Darkfall's official site.
Aventurine discussing major prestige class revisions for Darkfall
Aventurine is looking for your feedback on Darkfall, and while there's no official survey, there is a lengthy list of bullet points that the developers are debating internally -- as well as an ongoing discussion in the comments section of the Darkfall Epic Blog. Topics include the possible implementation of lawless/lawful areas, clan vendors, capital city tower buffs (which would essentially turn Darkfall's starting areas into safe zones), and a recycling component for the game's crafting system. Producer Tasos Flambouras also addresses some huge theoretical changes to the game in the form of the prestige class system. "We're working on an improved concept to prestige classes where players get to make 'class'-based selections which can lead to the ultimate specialization, especially combined with the right equipment. The philosophy behind this is that while the armor system limits, the new 'class' system extends a player's specialized powers to new levels. [These] are major changes to the game to say the least," Flambouras writes. Head to the Darkfall Epic Blog to make your voice heard.
Darkfall activity report highlights game-changing revamps, recent patch
The March 31st patch was a big step for Darkfall, with everything from skill gain rates to the meditation system to the alignment and crafting systems on the receiving end of some developer love. Aventurine is just warming up, though, and the latest activity report illustrates what's next for sandbox PvP fans all over the world. Work continues on racial area revamps; the Mirdain and Alfar sections of Agon are nearly complete. Aventurine's Tasos Flambouras also hints at some exciting PvE updates, including trap doors and various gameplay physics tweaks designed to delight Agonian dungeoneers. There's also a good bit of info on NPC and monster AI revamps and re-population, new player character and armor models, and a mention of new sound, lighting, and GUI systems, all of which are building toward the game-changing revamp that Aventurine has mentioned previously. Check out all the details on the Darkfall epic blog.
Darkfall blog details PvE tweaks, hints at big PvP changes
Exciting things are afoot in the world of Agon, and Aventurine's weekly Darkfall activity report is here to fill you in on all the grisly details. Whether you're keen on seeing one of your personal weapon designs imported into the game or curious about the ongoing PvE and AI updates, this week's entry makes for interesting reading. To kick things off, Aventurine's Tasos Flambouras gives us the low-down on grungrocs, and these gnarly boar-like bipeds are bent on ruining every adventurer's day. There's also talk of boss fight tweaks, and Flambouras writes that there are "significant changes" coming to high-end PvE content including damage cap adjustments, fight tuning, and loot table changes. Darkfall's PvP is getting some love as well, and new land-based objectives (similar to the game's sea fortresses) are in the works. Flambouras also hints at a new "Arena" project and "a lot more we're doing with PvP" that will be revealed at a later date. Finally, all Darkfall accounts have been gifted with 25,000 meditation points (the game's offline leveling currency) to celebrate the title's second anniversary. Check out the full presentation on the Darkfall Epic Blog.
Darkfall alignment changes incoming
Alignment in Darkfall has long been a sore spot for the game's devoted playerbase. Aventurine's original implementation allowed for players to farm one another at will and basically offered no real penalty for doing so. According to a new activity report on the Darkfall Epic Blog, all that is about to change. Aventurine's Tasos Flambouras states that "alignment changes are going in. Enough with killing other players, this won't improve your alignment any more." So just how does a bad Agonian man (or Mahirim) lose that negative alignment? The devs are implementing a new mechanic centered around Chaos Churches where players can "repent their negative alignment away." Said churches are located in the game's neutral cities (i.e., those not aligned with any of the title's warring races). The activity report doesn't go into a whole lot of detail, but Tasos does indicate that there will be a spotlight feature dedicated to the new mechanic in the near future. Aside from alignment, this week's report also hints at fishing-related modifications, specifically those made to player ships to allow for scalable catches based on the safety of the waters, as well as additional protection against attacks from player swimmers. Finally, there's a bit more info about meditation tweaks and a mention of increased drop rates for books, scrolls, and attribute consumables.
Darkfall dev diary talks new info interface, crafting skills, and meditation
A new Darkfall dev blog update has been sighted in the wild, and Aventurine is apparently hard at work on a number of Agonian fixes despite a case of the flu taking up residence in the company's office. Darkfall players can look forward to crafting skill gain adjustments in the next patch, and Aventurine is also aiming to get stats into the game's offline meditation system in the near future. Darkfall's new info interface will debut in March, and Tasos Flambouras writes that it will "give you a detailed information overview having to do with a great many activities like politics, clan activities, vendor information, etc." Flambouras also mentions the ongoing work on the game's new UI, as well as upcoming lore-related events tied into the title's second anniversary (and a forthcoming website and forum revamp). Be on the lookout for a full run-down regarding the new info interface in an upcoming dev diary, and check out all the other details at the Darkfall Epic Blog.
Darkfall activity report hints at game-changing expansion
It's been pretty quiet in Darkfall land since the first of the year, and whether that's because the devs have been hunting wabbits or hard at work on the game's next patch is a question that is addressed in the latest Aventurine activity report. There's a new patch in the works, tentatively scheduled for sometime next week, and it's bringing "significant changes" to the offline leveling system that was introduced late last year. How significant? For starters, additional skills will be available for meditation and the overall gains will see a substantial increase according to Aventurine's Tasos Flambouras. Aside from the patch, the dev team continues to forge ahead with Darkfall's next expansion, and it is shaping up to be (quite literally) a world-changer. Flambouras outlines the team's high-level approach which "involves a complete overhaul and dramatic streamlining of the world and complete redistribution of all its features," as well as a "completely level playing field for all players." Details on these sweeping statements are vague at this point, but Darkfall will clearly be undergoing some huge changes when the expansion debuts in the second quarter of 2011. Finally, the activity report touches on long-standing issues like the grind, character progression, endgame content, and the alignment system. If that's not enough for you, there's also a hint about a drop rate increase on books, scrolls, and stat potions, leading us to conclude that big things are afoot in the world of Agon. Stay tuned.
APB's Book-Larsson talks story, game modes
Bjorn Book-Larsson is back! Forgive the exclamation point, but we had to accentuate the latest in the long line of developers with action hero names (and with apologies to Atanas Atanasov and Tasos Flambouras, Book-Larsson has vaulted near the top of the spiffy name list). In any case, the GamersFirst COO/CTO has updated his APB Reloaded blog with some interesting insights into the game's story. Yes, you read that right; we said story and APB in the same sentence, and before you think we've been brainwashed by the likes of The Old Republic, TERA, and other story-centric MMOs in the offing, consider Book-Larsson's assertion that APB was originally designed to facilitate the "open world-ish" nature of the Grand Theft Auto series. "APB actually has the beginnings of a lot of the elements that will make it a really successful game in the long term, and could in theory exploit (maybe complete) both types of interactions [story and shooter elements]; there is actually a giant backstory to the entire city (100 plus pages of it), there are deep anthologies of the various factions in the city, and there is even the foundation for a single-player mission mode," he writes. Whether or not players will care about APB's potential to grow beyond an ordinary shooter remains to be seen. After all, Global Agenda is a similar title with a fairly deep backstory (and one that is summarily ignored by 99.9% of the players fragging it up in AvA and merc matches). The fact that GamersFirst is even considering future additions to APB is relatively exciting news, and we'll be watching with great interest.
Darkfall offline skilling coming this week
Ready for offline skilling in Darkfall? Ready or not, it's on the way with this week's patch, according to Aventurine's latest activity report. In addition to the hotly debated advancement mechanic, the devs are also tweaking the sea fortress schedule and updating auto-stacking on equipped items. The activity report, written by Aventurine's Tasos Flambouras, also makes mention of several important pieces of player feedback that the devs are working to address. Balance issues brought on by bunnyhoppers, one-man clans declaring war, and additional types of craftable ships are all on the internal discussion table. Flambouras also uses the activity report to clue us in to the importance of player feedback. "We're not talking about long-term hopes when we say we're looking into something or working on an issue. If we talk about it, there are developers assigned to it and community liaisons following up on progress," he writes.
Darkfall dev diary talks new UI, quest content, and more
Aventurine's Tasos Flambouras returns with another activity report on the Darkfall Epic Blog, and the focus is fairly broad. He touches on the dynamic quests and lore-driven events we mentioned last week, as well as upcoming world optimizations that include aggressive wildlife based on location and time of day, new monster families and epic mob encounters, and improvements to both player character models and monster animations. Those of you who haven't been able to get past Darkfall's unique user interface will also have reason to give the game a second look in the near future, as Flambouras states that Aventurine has decided on a new GUI framework and tools. "These should yield a vastly improved user interface. The next phase for the GUI is the architecture and adapting the current GUI functionality to the new framework," he says. Other notable items include the mention of a completely new environmental sound system as well as an in-game political map which will feature clan associations, vendor and bank locations, and various other resources. Check out all the details on the official Darkfall blog.
New Darkfall blog talks optimizing interaction and offline leveling
Darkfall has always had a reputation for being a very hardcore game, but Aventurine has been hard at work trying to improve the in-game experience for all players -- both the well-known PvP audience and the more PvE-focused crowd. In the most recent official blog, Tasos Flambouras calls the team's focus "optimizing interaction," a convenient catch-all term for an overarching goal of making the game world and the interface easier to work with and more meaningful to players. Flambouras mentions the previously discussed offline skill leveling -- in short, you will pay gold to meditate on a skill to advance it while you're offline. The feature will be limited to a few skills when first implemented, but if it proves not to cause any balance issues, more skills will be added to the roster. There's a lot of information about where the Darkfall development team is placing its emphasis, so take a look at the full article for a peek inside the team members' head.
Darkfall highlights dev team tasks, PvP tips contest
Are you curious about Darkfall but put off by the fact that the open-world sandbox title focuses on PvP? Fear not, as Aventurine is taking steps to make the world of Agon more accessible to a wider range of players. In addition to the recent PvE-focused Hellfreeze expansion, the Greek development firm is also sponsoring a contest designed to impart veteran PvP wisdom to newer players. If you've got PvP tips you don't mind sharing, submit them in the comment section of the contest blog post, and you could be one of five winners who will receive rare in-game ingots and an exclusive forum title. In other Darkfall news, Tasos Flambouras has given us a peek behind the curtain of the game's development schedule, courtesy of another blog post that outlines both the team work groups and their respective responsibilities over the next few weeks. Aventurine's staffers are currently split into 11 teams, all working to grow the game in terms of UI updates, server tools, offline skilling, and various other game mechanics. Flambouras' posting is an interesting look at a Scrum-based software development cycle, and you can check it out on the official website.
Darkfall prepping offline skill advancement
Tired of the lengthy skill-grind in Darkfall, as well as the perception that it will take newer players many months to be competitive with veterans? Aventurine has heard your concerns and is currently in the process of implementing a form of offline skill advancement for the PvP sandbox MMORPG. In a recent activity report on the Darkfall forums, developer Tasos Flambouras clarified the plans for offline advancement and was quick to point out that Aventurine doesn't intend for the mechanic to be used as a substitute for skilling up. "We're not looking to upset the game's balance by adding a convenience feature and this is why I mentioned there's a lot of thought and balancing going into this. So on offline skilling, we'll start with a small amount of skills and gradually expand it, and obviously many skills won't be included," he writes. Offline skilling is nothing new in MMORPGs, as EVE Online has used the system for years, and even themepark games like Age of Conan have gotten into the act. Whether Darkfall implements a similar system or tries something completely new, Massively will be there to bring you the latest.
