Trials-of-Ascension
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Make My MMO: September 21 - 27, 2014
As usual in the Kickstarter corner of the MMO industry, this week saw ups and downs for hopeful MMOs. Trials of Ascension hit its $60,000 crowndfund goal, Star Citizen broke $54,000,000 (count those zeroes, folks!), and Camelot Unchained got a new website. Yay! But TUG laid off half its staff, Pathfinder Online's early enrollment has been delayed until almost Halloween, and Project Gorgon's Kickstarter campaign has fallen short of its $100,000 goal. Boo! Bringing balance to the universe is Shroud of the Avatar, which was successfully Steam greenlit but has resorted to enticing testers with digital hats. Read on for our complete MMO crowdfunding roundup in this week's edition of Make My MMO.
Trials of Ascension will include playable dragons
Pay attention, students: Trials of Ascension is coming up to the head of the class to give a progress report. Don't be timid, fledgling game. We're all listening. First of all, Trials of Ascension has hit its $60,000 crowdfunding goal. This means that Forged Chaos will be including a playable dragon race at launch, so prepare your Dragonheart names now. And in a new progress video, Trials of Ascension showed off its new dynamic spawning tech for mobs and plants, its resource gathering system, improvements to combat with full-body animations, items that persist when dropped in the game world, and a naming and chat system that won't automatically identify strangers. There's more to it than that, of course, so check out the full progress video after the break. [Source: Forged Chaos press release; thanks to Azrile for the tip!]
The Game Archaeologist: Ironman modes and elective permadeath
One facet of video games that's been around almost since the very beginning is the difficulty level. This has allowed the player to choose how hard or easy a game would be from the onset, influencing factors such as the number of enemies, hardiness of bad guys, fragility of the player character, and available loot (or lack of it). I used to love how some of those '90s shareware titles would mock me for picking easy, sometimes portraying my character wearing a baby bonnet and sucking its thumb. Real gamers, the devs implied, go tough or go home. With a few exceptions, MMOs operate on a fixed level of difficulty for all of their players. Instead of assigning blanket difficulty client-side, the game world portions difficulty into areas, usually according to level or activity. Some games have instances with adjustable difficulty levels, but past that what you get is also what I get. This might be changing. A very fringe but dedicated group of players have championed such ideas as elective ironman and permadeath modes for their MMOs, and at least one studio is responding positively to that desire. Would you choose to make your MMO experience harder than everyone else in exchange for nothing more than a bigger challenge and a more "realistic" experience?
Perfect Ten: How to spend $46,750 on MMO crowdfunding purchases
Do you ever look at your wallet and say, "Ugh, this thing is too full! It's causing a bruise on my tushie every time I sit, and no gas station ever has change for a thousand-dollar bill!" Are you tired of the endless cycle of purchasing luxury sedans to roll them off cliffs only to realize that the auto industry is making them faster than they can be destroyed? We here at Massively feel your pain, and just as soon as I finished eating a breakfast of scrambled eggs made from endangered birds, I hopped off the company's gold yacht and got to work tracking down ways that you could relieve yourself of the burden of wealth. So here is my plan, in 10 simple steps, for you to shed $46,750 of your bank account, all by blowing your enormous disposable income on Kickstarter and other crowdfunding options. No, please don't thank me by sending me a gigantic check. I would only shred it to use in my robo-hamster's cage.
Trials of Ascension shows off combat prototype
The Trials of Ascension team is making progress on technical demo for the game, primarily in the field of combat. In a new video posted earlier this week, a developer walks viewers through some of the stances, moves, and mechanics of combat in the game. Some of the planned functionality, such as hit boxes for limbs and double-tapping to evade, are not yet in place, but you can see the rough outline of what fighting will be. Check out the video after the break and let us know what you think! [Thanks to Skymaul for the tip!]
Trials of Ascension pushing to fund playable dragons
Trials of Ascension has launched a "Release the Dragons" campaign to encourage backers to chip in a little extra so that playable dragons will be added to the game. The game just crossed the $50,000 crowdfunding barrier, and the team promises that if it reaches $60,000, it will add in the draconic characters. By donating funds during this campaign, players can recieve extra goodies such as a high-rez dragon poster and special dragon tail designs. According to the official disclaimer, playable dragons will be a truly hardcore choice: "There will be no harder race to play in ToA than the dragon. You will be challenged at every turn. You will die. A lot. Seriously. Chances of your dragon character making it to adulthood will be near zero. This is by design so don't bother whining about it. If after reading this warning, you still want to try, by all means read on but understand we cannot be held responsible for broken keyboards or debts payable to your swear jar." [Thanks to Android for the tip!]
Make My MMO: April 20 - April 26, 2014
Trials of Ascension acquitted itself well this week with a new dev video that showed off its unique dynamic spawning feature. In other crowdfunding news, The Chosen's IndieGoGo campaign came and went without hitting its $1,000,000 goal. Thanks to the service's flexible funding, though, The Chosen's devs will keep existing donations to the self-described "game-child" of EVE Online and Fallout 3. Click past the cut for the rest of Massively's weekly crowdfunding roundup.
Trials of Ascension video demonstrates dynamic spawning
A few weeks back we told you about sandbox MMO Trials of Ascension's work-in-progress dynamic spawning feature. Essentially it allows GMs to mark points in the world and allow the game's automation to adjust everything from animal migration to flora growth. While it sounds cool in theory, seeing it in action is even better, which is where the latest ToA video comes in. Click past the cut to watch an alpha-state example that includes developer commentary. [Thanks Android!]
Trials of Ascension details dynamic spawning feature
Trials of Ascension started its life with an unsuccessful Kickstarter campaign in November of last year that grew into a determination to rise up and continue making the player-driven sandbox MMO. Now the team is back this week to update us on the progress of several features including Dynamic spawning. Dymanic spawning allows the dev team and GMs to pick points for the world to change with spawn markers. This change could include everything from animal migration to creeping flora, and the dev blog states that all testing has blown the team away so far. Be sure to check out the full dev diary for more on the world map, an innovative inventory system, housing, and more. [Thanks to Cik for the tip!]
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.
Trials of Ascension gives pay model details... sort of
Trials of Ascension has announced some -- but not all -- of the details of its pay model, which will be primarily buy-to-play with an optional subscription. In a new post, Forged Chaos outlines some of the preliminary details of its pay model, although the developer allows for enough wiggle room in case of changed minds. As it stands, Trials of Ascension will be playable as a one-time purchase, although adding on a monthly subscription (30 days of which is included in the box) opens up more races, the discovery of innovations, and the ability to be a lord, lady, king, or queen. The team is also "considering" a skill cap for non-subbers. A loyalty program will reward faithful subscribers with fun goodies like a treasure map and t-shirt. There will be other ways for you to spend some dough in Trials of Ascension, including purchasing Writs of Time, acquiring permanent race access, and making a custom crest. [Thanks to Android for the tip!]
Make My MMO: Crowdfunding October 20 - November 2, 2013
The news meter for crowdfunding keeps right on ticking. The last two weeks have seen a score of changes in the realm of community funding initiatives, with some titles experiencing success, others not meeting their goals, and even more joining the ranks. One big name in gaming, Brad McQuaid, is even planning on launching a campaign in the near future. The zombie-centric The Living was unsuccessful, and Story Quest Online failed for a second time. Mixmaster Online removed itself from the field and canceled its campaign. On the other hand, 8BitMMO met its first stretch goal, ensuring that a Mac edition of that game will be available for players. And then there's City of Titans, which is climbing closer to doubling its goal with only two days left. Finally, there are all the progress updates for those already-funded campaigns, conveniently rounded up right here for you in Make My MMO.
Trials of Ascension launches Kickstarter
Although originally announced to start on October 21st, Trials of Ascension's Kickstarter was delayed a couple of days, and finally launched today. Now that its hat is thrown into the crowdfunding ring, ToA hopes to garner enough player support to bring this sandbox with a skill system, dynamic spawning, and multi-step crafting to fruition. If you want to get a quick glimpse of the world and hear the game's philosophy straight from the dev's mouth, the campaign page offers a video clip along with a look at the various backer reward packs available. [Thanks to Android for the tip]
Make My MMO: Crowdfunding October 6 - 19, 2013
This was quite a fortnight in the realm of crowdfunding, and for once we don't mean just Star Citizen news! More than one game met its funding goals, with one title proving that fans can be a very passionate lot: City of Titans reached its lofty goal within days. On top of that, two other games joined the fight for funding. Conversely, Alteil Horizons pulled its campaign at literally the last minute to avoid the stigma of an unsuccessful stamp and plans to launch again. Want the scoop on all these stories and many more? Learn the latest right here in Make My MMO.
Trials of Ascension starting Kickstarter campaign on October 21st
"True permadeath" sandbox MMO Trials of Ascension has finally set a date for the start of its Kickstarter campaign: October 21st. Over the past few months, the team has been gauging interest in the project, promising a crowdfunding campaign if enough folks seemed behind it. Apparently there were and so here we are. Trials of Ascension features a complex fantasy environment full of crafting, building, and consequences for one's actions. Players will have to create their own spell books to use magic and will face the real possibility of being wounded and afflicted long after a battle is over. [Thanks to Android for the tip!]
Aspiring sandbox Trials of Ascension touts true permadeath
Does Trials of Ascension sounds familiar? That could be because the aspiring sandbox poked its head out several years ago but didn't lasso enough investors to become a reality. Now, however, with the advent of Kickstarter and ability to circumvent the big corporate investors, the developers are revving up their engines to give it another go. But first, they are gauging community interest in what they have to offer. So what is Trials of Ascension offering? Here are some tidbits that might tantalize sandbox lovers: a skill system instead of classes, permadeath, multi-step crafting that promotes interdependence, and dynamic spawns. There will also be open PvP and magic. If that sounds good, head on over and sign up on the official forums (doing so will enter you to win a city in the game!). You can also follow the game on social media and share the news with friends. If enough interest is expressed on the forums, devs will post the project to Kickstarter.
