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Camelot Unchained gives a first look at the Viking Jotnar [Updated]
A new producer's letter from Camelot Unchained's Tyler Rockwell is out today with a first look at one of the giant races of the game. The game posted a piece of concept art for its Viking Jotnar as well as an image of a creature found in The Depths dungeon. Rockwell said that the team has a lot to do over the next month, including integrating a new game designer into the team, developing the Tuatha giant race, and vastly improving the internal testing client so that large-scale battles can happen. The game's scheduled to get Havok physics and collisions added in, allowing for jumping and projectiles to be included in the future. [Update: Tipster Matthew let us know that CU also uploaded a new developer video. It's after the cut!]
Make My MMO: Crowdfunding February 23 - March 1, 2014
This week's Make My MMO adds Trials of Ascension's Light the Forge campaign, which is Chaos Forge's company-specific (i.e., non-Kickstarter) bid to raise $40,000. The fantasy sandbox canceled its initial Kickstarter campaign because it "failed in showing its true potential," according to a news posting on the ToA website. If the Light the Forge drive is successful, the devs will use the $40,000 to finish the game's demo and return to Kickstarter in the hopes of attracting additional funding. Head past the cut for a breakdown of other crowdfunded MMO projects for the week ending March 1st, 2014.
Last Week on Massively: Maintenance mode is better than a sunset
This post originally appeared on Massively by Editor-in-Chief Brianna Royce. At the end of every week, we round up the best and most popular news stories, exclusive features, and insightful columns published on Massively and then present them all in one convenient place. As one of the first three MMORPGs ever, Asheron's Call made its mark in the genre with live events, hybrid character development, and a failed but later resurrected sequel. This week, Turbine comforted veteran players with the news that the venerable old sandbox will retreat to maintenance mode rather than sunset in the wake of the company's recent layoffs. The studio plans to make both classic AC and its sequel, Asheron's Call 2, free-to-play and allow player-run servers by the end of the year. Read on for the rest of this week's top MMO stories.
Massively Exclusive: Camelot Unchained armor dev blog concludes with part 3
In the preceding installments of Camelot Unchained's three-part armor dev blog, you've seen the images Lead Concept Artist Michelle Davies and Concept Artist and Animator Sandra Pavulaan have provided on the Vikings, the Arthurians, and the Tuatha Dé Danann. Now, hear about the thought processes behind their work! This exclusive series concludes with these two artists joining Mark Jacobs to talk shop about the development of armor, ruminating on subjects like customizing armor pieces to accommodating non-human body parts and using different combinations of materials when crafting the armor. Oh, and it's got lots of early mockups to marvel at as well!
Massively Exclusive: Camelot Unchained armor dev blog, part 2
Monday, we brought you the first installment of an exclusive three-part series about Camelot Unchained's armor development. Today, City State Entertainment co-founder Mark Jacobs and Lead Artist and Animator Scott Trolan continue the discussion by introducing the looks of two more races. Where part one delved into the details of the Vikings, part two focuses on the Tuatha Dé Danann and the Arthurians. These two groups have very different approaches to armor and distinct looks, as seen in the included images by Lead Concept Artist Michelle Davies and Concept Artist and Animator Sandra Pavulaan. Read up on the ideas behind the art and see the sketches in part two of the CU armor dev blog series.
Mark Jacobs talks character aging: Nixed in Warhammer Online, planned for Camelot Unchained
Players who were disappointed when the character aging feature was cut from the release of (the now defunct) Warhammer Online can look forward to seeing it implemented in Camelot Unchained. Mark Jacobs, an instrumental man in the creation of both games, talked with Eurogamer about that system and how it got scrapped as well as delved into the details of how it will work in CU. Basically, the system would allow players to visually judge the veteran status of others and therefore their threat both up close and from a distance. For instance, a larger-than-normal Greenskin or a Dwarf with a very long beard would signify a player who is more experienced and likely tougher. Jacobs relayed that he was never even informed that the feature was actually removed from the game and only discovered it when a beta tester inquired about it, noting "Nobody was more embarrassed than me when I had to say that that feature of the game had to be removed." The feature is not dead, however, and will make its appearance in Camelot Unchained. What does that mean for players? In CU, the changes will be more than cosmetic, they will actually be meaningful in the world. Jacobs added, "There will be some downside to aging, but there will also be a greater amount of upsides, because we want it to be a net-positive experience for the player. However, players won't have to worry about getting old to the point of major gimping [becoming not as effective] of their characters, or worse, perma-death, as that would simply be no fun."
Massively exclusive: Camelot Unchained dev blog discusses armor, part 1
Currently in internal testing, work on the fantasy PvP sandbox Camelot Unchained continues rolling forward. But even with the plethora of news out there, there are still plenty of details unknown about the game. In the first of a new three-part series, creator Mark Jacobs reveals the artistic vision for CU's armor system with the help of Lead Artist and Animator Scott Trolan, Lead Concept Artist Michelle Davies, and Concept Artist and Animator Sandra Pavulaan. If you are hoping for dental floss-inspired metal bikinis, you're going to be disappointed; Jacob's vision espouses realistic ensembles befitting warriors who depend on their armor for survival. Read the team's vision and see some of the concept art right here in this first installment of this series, exclusively on Massively.
Make My MMO: Crowdfunding February 9 - 22, 2014
In the world of MMOs, no news is not necessarily good news -- especially when it comes to crowdfunding. Silence often denotes a lack of progress on a game, and that can certainly make investors nervous. Thankfully, many games provide players with updates that we, in turn, provide for you here. If no news is bad, then news is good, right? Unfortunately, this doesn't hold true. In the case of Star Rider and Hot Rod Hustle, the news is that neither met its funding goals. So we say farewell to these two games from Make My MMO. And Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen's campaign was chock-full of news, but in the end, its Kickstarter didn't succeed either; Pantheon, however, is continuing the fundraising effort on its official site. At least some news is good! War of Omens also leaves this round up, but for different reasons: Players can hop in and play the game! Likewise, HEX: Shards of Fate and StarCraft Universe move on now that both have moved into testing. Another sandbox, Terrayn, also joins the Kickstarter ranks. To hear other good news, keep reading.
Camelot Unchained's internal testing 'successful' so far
Camelot Unchained Producer Tyler Rockwell wrote a letter to the community today saying that internal testing on the MMO is going well and that the team is ready to work toward its second milestone. "We had a very successful start to internal testing," Rockwell reported. He mentioned that while Camelot Unchained's internal testing has taken place with small groups in limited environments, at one point the team had worked up to 286 players fighting in an area. With the game's first development milestone reached, Rockwell said that the team is now focused on hitting the second one. This includes work on the Depths dungeon and the Giants race. The project will also continue to refine the technical aspect: "Moving forward over the next month we'll be focusing on continued server and client performance and stability. We hope to continue adding art to the client and recently added some simple combat. The big goal is even larger numbers of people in testing with a continued frame rate of 60fps."
Camelot Unchained Q&A talks PvP looting, physical growth, and crafting
There's a new community Q&A up on the Camelot Unchained site dealing with a wide range of topics concerning this up-and-coming RvR MMO. The topics in it range from hooded cloaks (yes, they're in) to just what players will be able to loot from enemy corpses and structures. Perhaps one of the most interesting pieces of information is that the team is putting in a physical growth system similar to the one that was promised but never delivered to Warhammer Online. Mark Jacobs confirmed the feature: "I'm happy to say that yes, certain races (I won't commit to all of them yet) will have meaningful changes happen to them, both cosmetic and gameplay. For example, our Dvergr might have more stone covering their body and their beards will grow. Other examples could be with our HelBound's faces, Hamadryad's tails, etc." The Q&A also addressed the role and importance of crafters, emphasizing that those players will be able to generate basic materials from their land and that they'll "contribute majorly" to battles.
Camelot Unchained meets Depths stretch goal, Giant race next
Camelot Unchained has met another of its stretch funding goals, which means that The Depths are now confirmed for the forthcoming fantasy RvR title. CU's website has updated with the next stretch goal, which is "the giant races of Camelot." "Giants will be used as both player races and as inhabitants of The Depths," says the update. "Each giant race will be unique to their Realm (no mirrors used here either). While the concept of giants isn't new, it wouldn't be Camelot Unchained if we didn't do things just a wee bit differently." Details as to what "differently" means are pretty scarce at this point, but keep on eye on this space for more Camelot Unchained news as it happens. [Thanks Guinness!]
Mark Jacobs promises stretch goals won't delay Camelot Unchained
Camelot Unchained's Mark Jacobs penned an insightful piece today about how the possible dangers of stretch goals in crowdfunding. "Stretch goals are, in theory, generally a good thing for both players and developers," he wrote. "Unfortunately, while on the surface it looks all nice and serene, underneath the calm waters there is danger and that is the ever-looming problem of <insert theme from Jaws here> DELAYS." To avoid any future conflict with funders, Jacobs went on to list several principles that his studio will adhere to for stretch goals. He said that future stretch goals must add something very useful to the game, not be thrown in just to raise funding, not require adding too many new people to the team, and be added only if they don't conflict with other goals. Jacobs also indicated that he's perfectly fine with halting further stretch goals or waiting to put them in until the time is right and the team has already finished what it needs to do. Finally, Mark Jacobs made a sacred vow to fans: "I PROMISE, ON BEHALF OF CSE, NEVER TO ADD, OR ALLOW TO BE ADDED, STRETCH GOALS THAT ENDANGER THE ESTIMATED LAUNCH OF CAMELOT UNCHAINED IN DECEMBER 2015. Okay, now it's official."
Make My MMO: Crowdfunding January 26 - February 8, 2014
The crowdfunding train just keeps rolling right along, with passengers always coming and going. New passengers hop aboard while others hop off at their desired destination. Sadly, some have to disembark early -- such is the case with Universe Rush and Antilia. Although the Kickstarter campaign fell far short of its goal, Antilia does plan to continue development on its own. On the brighter side of things, some passengers reached their stop; Tales From The Strange Universe reached its goal, and both it and Novus AEterno (which brought in over 3.5 times its initial goal) will now take their places in the funded category. The Repopulation, earning over 175K during this latest Kickstarter run, disembarks at Betawatch station thanks to its ongoing alpha testing. Catch up on all the news for all these titles as they journey through crowdfunding here in Make My MMO.
Camelot Unchained's internal testing begins
Mark Jacobs just announced that fantasy PvP sandbox Camelot Unchained is officially undergoing internal testing. "Over the last 24 hours, we have done two stress tests of our client and server. This afternoon's peaked at around 407 client connections from our pool of internal testers," he wrote. "We experienced no crashes even though many players ran multiple instances of the client on their machines." Full details are available via the CU Kickstarter page.
EVE Evolved: EVE needs real colonisation now
MMOs have absolutely exploded in popularity over the past decade, with online gaming growing from a niche hobby to a global market worth billions of dollars each year. Once dominated by subscription games like EverQuest and World of Warcraft, recent years have seen free-to-play games take centre stage. Global MMO subscriptions have been reportedly shrinking since 2010, and EVE doesn't appear to be immune to this industry-wide trend. Though February 2013's figures showed EVE subscriptions have technically grown year-on-year, those numbers were published just after the Chinese server relaunch, and CCP hasn't released any new figures since. Developers have done a good job of catering to current subscribers and polishing existing gameplay with the past few expansions, but the average daily login numbers are still the same as they were over four years ago. EVE will undoubtedly hook in plenty of new and returning subscribers when its deep space colonisation gameplay with player-built stargates and new hidden solar systems is implemented, but time could be running out on these features. Hefty competition is due in the next few years from upcoming sandbox games such as Star Citizen, EverQuest Next, Camelot Unchained, and Elite: Dangerous, and CCP will have to release something big soon to bring in some fresh blood. In this week's EVE Evolved, I ask whether CCP should focus on new players and suggest plans for two relatively simple colonisation-based expansions that could get EVE a significant part of the way toward its five-year goal in just one year.
Make My MMO: Crowdfunding January 12 - 25, 2014
After a sleepy holiday season, the crowdfunding crowd has woken up and gotten down to business. And amidst that new bustle of activity, Make My MMO's ranks are altering a bit. Two games leave our listing, but each for different reasons; the cross-platform space sim Space Unfolding folded after missing its goal, and Face of Mankind moved along to Betawatch to join the ranks of the games in testing. And now that War of Omens' campaign has wrapped up, it moves into the fully funded category. Some campaigns have really kicked into high gear. Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen joined the crowdfunding race and has delivered a slew of nearly daily news. Novus AEterno has nearly tripled its goal and is closing in on yet another stretch goal these final days of its campaign, while The Repopulation has also blown away its initial goal and is aiming for its eigth stretch goal (not to mention revealed plenty of juicy new bits). A smaller title, Tales From The Strange Universe, is more than halfway to its modest goal with a week left. And newcomer Star Rider also jumps on the Kickstarter bandwagon. Unfortunately, others aren't faring as well. Things aren't looking promising for Antilia or Universe Rush, whose campaigns end soon and are still over $85K and $98K short of their respective goals. Want more details on these stories or an update on all the already-funded projects? We've got the round-up right here.
Camelot Unchained eyeing $2.5 million Depths stretch goal
City State has updated its Camelot Unchained website. It's also unveiled some new pledge tiers designed to speed the RvR sandbox on its way toward the next stretch goal. That stretch goal is The Depths, and it will be realized once the crowdfunding total crosses the $2.5 million barrier (it stands at nearly $2.41 million as of press time). The Builders Tiers start at $35 and go all the way up to the $425 level. You can browse all the tier rewards individually or scroll down to the bottom of the page for a handy-dandy tier comparison chart.
Camelot Unchained dishes out details on alpha testing, combat, and player interaction
So, are you a backer of Camelot Unchained? Are you wondering when you'll be able to get your hands on the game in a playable form? The earliest build will be available to players in August, but just what will that early alpha contain? In an interview with Eurogamer, Mark Jacobs has stated that at a bare minimum, players should be able to get large-scale battles going in the game. Progression will be there but will not be fully tuned or adjusted, and the earliest stages of building systems will be present. But what will that large-scale combat look like? In an interview posted today by Keen and Graev, the game's development team confirmed that the game will be avoiding an action-based engine, since it's not in keeping with the old-school ethos of the design. The interview also discusses the social features in the game, including a chat client that will allow players to talk even if they're not in the game. We'll know in August how many of these early concepts make it into testing and whether they work out on the road to release.
Make My MMO: Crowdfunding December 29, 2013 - January 11, 2014
Was 2013 the year of Kickstarter? Whatever you think personally about the funding model, you can't argue with the fact that over $480 million was pledged through the crowdfunding platform in the last calendar year. That's definitely one hunk of change! But whether or not that figure translates into a tidal wave of awesome games has yet to be seen; the jury will remain out until even more funded games actually release and players get to experience what they backed. As for specific MMO news this past fortnight, the bulk of it involves new titles vying for a slice of 2014's crowdfunding pie. The CCG War of Omens has already grabbed a piece; it met its goal and has moved on to stretch goals for the last couple of days. Other hopefuls include more two space strategy games. Learn more about all of these, as well as the news from the funded front, right here in Make My MMO.
EVE Evolved: Designing EVE Onland, part 2
When it comes to living sandbox MMOs, there really isn't a bigger name than EVE Online. Throughout its decade-long history, EVE has produced some huge gaming headlines, delivered record-breaking in-game thefts and heists, and played host to the complex political machinations of dozens of warring alliances. EVE's sandbox design has even made it remarkably resistant to changes in the market, with subscription numbers remaining relatively stable in the face of new releases and the free to play phenomenon. It comes as no surprise then that the sandbox genre is seeing a triple-A revival, with games like Star Citizen, EverQuest Next Landmark, and Camelot Unchained on the way. With the sandbox genre due to explode back onto the fantasy scene, I've been left wondering how much of the core gameplay that makes EVE tick could be easily adapted for an avatar-based game on land. Even features such as EVE Online's trademark territorial warfare and player-run economy have roots in classic fantasy MMOs like Ultima Online, so they should be easy to convert to modern fantasy equivalents. Last week I started this game design thought experiment with a territorial warfare system and free-for-all PvP with harsh consequences for attackers, but there's a lot more to a good sandbox than smashing people's heads in. In this week's EVE Evolved, I delve into the hypothetical world of EVE Onland again and tackle issues of realistic world scale, exploration, economics, and the evils of global banking.
