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Karos Online proves that mining and fishing don't have to be crafting tradeskills
Free-to-play title Karos Online is demonstrating a different use of fishing and mining than the norm. Instead of taking their crafting skills and placing them on the side, Karos is directly implementing them into an alternate character progression tree separate from leveling.Both mining and fishing will allow players to recover "fletta gems," artifacts that are used to increase player stats and some player buffs. These gems can also be used to buy special resources or enchant items for the character, making them a one stop shop for all your upgrade needs. Of course, this leads to these items being coveted for their use, and Karos is also implementing a guild control system on the mining areas -- turning what's normally a crafting ground into a high-stakes PvP area.Karos is currently in closed beta, running in weekend beta tests similar to Aion. If you're looking to jump in, sign up for an account on the Karos website and then apply for a beta testing position.
Vanguard's past, present, and future with producer Thom Terrazas pt. 2
You mentioned Pantheon of the Ancients, and that's another one of my questions. What will Pantheon of the Ancients be bringing to the game? What can the players expect from the new dungeon and raid? "Pantheon will not look the same as the rest of the game. We have all new textures and brand new monsters, really cool ones that were created just for this zone." Thom: Our first launch for Pantheon is going to be including new 6 man raid content. There will be a little more content past that, but you're looking at mostly a 6 man group. Pantheon will not look the same as the rest of the game. We have all new textures and brand new monsters, really cool ones that were created just for this zone. It's pretty exciting. I've got a walkthrough this week from the designers, and it is really looking awesome. Along the lines of that, in our attempts to get content out, we're incorporating new quest lines, new loot, new rare drops. We're incorporating the three spheres of diplomacy, crafting, and adventuring into this release. There's alot of work that's been done, and the unfortunate and fortunate part of this is that this is just the first part of Pantheon. The higher end raiding portion of Pantheon will be coming out as we're working on the customer request list, but we will be doing all of that work simultaneously. That's just a process of balancing, mostly. Different areas to play in and not to have raids and groups playing on top of one another. It's just quite a bit of work to juggle. This is a simple question, but there seems to be something more to it. I noticed that you were increasing the level cap from 50 to 55, which is something usually reserved for an expansion. I'm interested in your thought process behind raising the level cap. Thom: Well, we have quite a few players, a large percentage, that is already at the cap of level 50. This is the kind of value that we keep adding to Vanguard. Something that you've already paid for, we just keep adding more and more value for your money. You don't need to go out and spend 20, 30, or 40 on a new expansion. We've chosen to do content and level expansions, giving you new race/class combinations, all with existing content and your existing purchase of Vanguard. We felt that this is something that the players would appreciate more rather than going out and purchasing a new box. Speaking of leveling, there's a little note here on your Producer's Letter about alternate advancement. Can you shed some more light on that? Thom: We're building a way for you to advance your character, well, I guess, alternatively. *laughs* Thom: But the idea is you can build your character out so it's a bit more specialized in things like damage, or mitigation, or spell damage. So you can specialize any way you want. We're working on that now, and it's something we're looking to launch in the raiding portion of Pantheon. So if you really love your character and want to specialize in something more, be a little different then the rest of your class, then AAs will be coming with the second part of Pantheon so you can customize your character further in the higher level. So, then, let's pretend for a moment that I've heard about Vanguard, but I don't own it and this Collector's Edition box isn't sitting next to my desk. In fact, let me hide this box for a moment. Thom: *laughs* So I've only heard about Vanguard. I heard about the rocky launch, it's been two years into the game and many people are at level 50. Why should a new player pick up Vanguard today? "So I'd say come on back and we'd love to have you. I'd like to prove that we've been able to take a rocky launch and make it into a better game." Thom: I think that if you're interested in playing a game that is a little bit different than the hack and slash games, Vanguard gives one of the best vistas and looks of any game I've played or been associated with. It is incredible to just hop on a flying mount and just see the vast areas that have been created for Vanguard and explore this artwork that is inspired by Keith Parkinson and continues on with our current art team. This is something you don't see in every game. I'm not saying we're doing something that nobody else has done. But I'm saying the views, the artwork, the level in detail in Vanguard can measure up to some of the highest games you can think of. If you're looking for visual, but also exciting playstyles, you have three spheres of progression you can choose to be an expert in. So, I guess the experience in Vanguard is just limitless. Well thank you for your time today, Thom. This has been very insightful. Any last words you have for everyone? Anything we should know about? Thom: Thank you! Let's see! Well, check out my producer's letter on the forums and you can see what the team has put together. The game is certainly getting out to new audiences. If you've tried us in the past or haven't tried us, then come on back, we have free trials on the website. You can also find it now on Steam as well as FilePlanet, so this is a great time for Vanguard and our team right now. So I'd say come on back and we'd love to have you. I'd like to prove that we've been able to take a rocky launch and make it into a better game.
Programmer Jason Weimann discusses his work on Vanguard
Further to their chat with Lead Designer Salim "Silius" Grant last week, Allakhazam has posted an interview with another Vanguard staffer. This time it's Jason "Ikik" Weimann, a programmer that joined the team in April of 2007, long after what we'll tactfully refer to as a very unfortunate launch period. Fans of Vanguard will happily tell you how much better things are nowadays, and Weimann has had a part to play in these improvements, both in things that the players can see, and in behind-the-scenes refinements that have helped other members of the development team in performing their roles.One of Weimann's most noticeable contributions to the game is the current iteration of the riftway teleportation system, which he had found to be unsatisfactory before he flew in and tidied things up. Some of the things he's working on right now were in fact mentioned by Salim Grant in his interview, such as the alternate advancement and item enhancement systems that will go live in the coming months. His dream project for Vanguard would be a little different though; he'd love to design and code a brand new class for the game. May we put in a request for some kind of pirate/ninja/zombie combination? No? Why not?
Vanguard to get expansion-sized serving of free content in coming months
We're not going to call it an actual expansion until they do, but it sounds like there's a serious amount of new content in the works for Vanguard: Saga of Heroes. The game's lead designer Salim "Silius" Grant was recently interviewed at Allakhazam, and he spilled the beans about what to expect in the way of patches over the next few months. We're talking two new dungeons with both group and raid components (which were previewed at SOE's Fan Faire '08), an Alternate Advancement system that might sound familiar to fans of EQ1/2, item enhancement, and an increase to the level cap.Whether or not SOE decides to tie all of this new stuff together as an expansion of sorts is of little consequence, because -- and here's the best part -- it is all intended to be free. For a few specifics: currently, the level cap will raise to 55, and this does mean that classes will be getting a mix of both new abilities, and upgrades to older ones. The AA system will be modeled after the one found in the original EverQuest, and there will be passive bonuses like stat and run-speed increases, as well as class-specific bonuses. As for the dungeons, one will help players to get from level 50 to 55, and the other will be for 55's and will feature some AAs. To get the full scoop on these things and more, make sure to check out the rest of the interview with Silius.
