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Aventurine speaks on Darkfall's "trial," forums, and pre-release patches
Darkfall's developer, Aventurine, has released a press statement that answers some of the questions swirling around the upcoming MMO. This update has given us some insight into what's going on with their forums, the status of the stress testing during their "trial" period, and what's changing and being added to Darkfall before their launch next February.The Darkfall forums have been under various Denial of Service (DoS) attacks which cripple their bandwidth, forcing Aventurine to take down the forums and re-work them to be stronger and more durable. As for the "trial," Adventurine has found issues with the patcher and login servers and is working to correct the sluggish download speeds.However, much of the release has covered the updates to the game, such as the addition the core attributes, a reskinning of the interface, more monsters, and the ambience/weather system is now enabled.With the NDA still in place, very little information has been released on Darkfall and the overall status of the game. It seems that with this release the NDA will continue to stay in place for a bit longer. For the full press release, check it out over at the Darkfall forums.[Via MMORPG.com]
Darkfall unleashes first wave of invites
The latest news surrounding Darkfall should have some gamers whipped up into a frenzy -- the first wave of invites for clans and for individual testers has been sent out. Those for whom the pearly gates open will be able to download the Darkfall installer and patch their way in to the game. The announcement from Darkfall's creators, Aventurine, states that they're spacing out the invites to better accommodate the number of people they'd like to bring to test Darkfall. So if you haven't been invited yet, there's still hope that you may be; they'll be sending out more invites each day until they've hit their capacity. The NDA will remain in effect throughout this first phase of testing, however. The final bit of info Aventurine put out there deals with their website issues: the site and forums have been coping with denial of service attacks, which Aventurine is working to resolve... it looks like the PvP has begun before the game's even launched. [Via MMORPG.com]
Anti-Aliased: The Darkfall prophecies
var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/pc_games/Anti_Aliased_The_Darkfall_prophecies'; Darkfall. Everyone talks about it. Our mailboxes get flooded with requests about it. Comments regarding the game are both frothingly energetic and intensely angry. Just writing a piece about it can get a writer wacked.So, let me paint a giant target on my back, cover myself in delicious meat, and walk right into the lion's den of MMOs. This column is dedicated to Darkfall's gameplay mechanics; presenting an analysis of what we know so far from released beta tester announcements and gameplay footage. This is, by no means, a comprehensive analysis of everything Darkfall has to offer. This is just one man's opinion column at work, looking at the ups and downs of what Darkfall might bring to the table.I'm doing all of this to answer one eerily simple yet dastardly complex question: Can Darkfall live up to the hype around it?
Anti-Aliased: The Darkfall prophecies pt. 2
The double-edged sword to this is that the player is going to require a time investment. It's going to take more than stats and big numbers to win battles in these parts, and those things take time to learn. Knowing the environments, knowing how to gauge enemies, and knowing where to go in case of emergency are going to be things that are learned through use and not by giant pointing arrows or help boxes.But, when you do learn them, you'll probably find that you'll enjoy this game more than other games on the market. Once again, talk to any EVE player who's ever killed another player or destroyed a player-owned station, or done anything of note. They'll talk excitedly and smile the entire time they tell you the story.Epic is more than just purple text, it's a philosophyThe number one reason to get your hands on Darkfall seems to be the environment itself. Exploration is finally a viable option, as exploring can lead you to some amazing discoveries and treasures. Cities seem to be well designed and crafted from the limited view we've been presented with. And, of course, some of the scenes are amazingly gorgeous and worthy of a fantasy novel.All of this is heightened by the tension that an ambush can happen at any moment. Things could go from blissfully calm to deadly in a heartbeat. Player action is the root of the game, and not an incidental item left outside of the menu. The design is set up so that players drive what the game has to offer, a page taken directly from EVE Online's book of plays.Games should stop telling their players that things are epic, and instead make players feel like things are epic. Darkfall seems to understand this, and incorporates it into as many aspects of their design as possible.So, what's the final word?Even with all of these good things in store, even with the looks we have of the game, I'm going to be bluntly honest. Darkfall's hype is bigger than it's bite. We're not looking at the savior of MMOs or anything like that. Players are going to walk away feeling disappointed not because Darkfall is a bad game, but because they may not understand what they're getting into.Darkfall will be a good, solid game that will follow up on amazing concepts, but those concepts are not made for the general population of players. Let me stress that this is not a bad thing. Darkfall will certainly have a home amongst the well made games of our time. But players who are buying into the hype and not researching what they're getting into may find that this may not be the game for them.Players with backgrounds in Lineage II, EVE Online, and Ultima Online will find things to love here. But players with more modern MMO experience, like World of Warcraft or Lord of the Rings Online, may find that the game world is too harsh and unforgiving.But if you can get through that harshness and stick it out, you're going to find experiences in this game that you will be completely unable to find in other games. You will walk away from Darkfall with tales to tell your friends, I guarantee it. Colin Brennan is the weekly writer of Anti-Aliased who is interested, yet cautious, about Darkfall Online. When he's not writing here for Massively, he's over running Epic Loot For All! with his insane friends. If you want to message him, send him an e-mail at colin.brennan AT weblogsinc DOT com.
Darkfall's release date announced (for real this time)
After an initial release date announced last month as January 22nd, the Darkfall Online team has clarified their plans a bit and re-assigned a new launch date of February 25th, 2009. Of course the date of January 22nd won't be completely trashed, as they plan to begin a trial on that date, allowing thousands of people to stress test the servers and test the game's features before launch.A pre-order will be made available in mid February which will give those players priority for early access to the game, including the possibility of a staged launch, due to the overwhelming interest in the game so far. They plan to release more information on this pre-order, North American player access and system specs very soon. Stay tuned![Thanks Jacob!]
Analyzing Darkfall's pre-launch trends
In anticipation of Darkfall's upcoming release, one of their popular European fansites has conducted a poll of over 1600 people asking their plans and views for when the game goes live. The poll's results might not really surprise you (such as the fact that 98% of those polled are male), but many of the stats could help determine how you yourself may enter the game on launch.For instance, it seems most players are looking forward to rolling an Alfar character, which is the only race that is not officially aligned with another. It is said to be the most "hardcore" path in the game, and the majority of players are up to that challenge. Check out the rest of these stats, including some surprising numbers on how players view killing one of their own in the game.
What features are you anticipating most in Darkfall Online?
With a game like the upcoming Darkfall Online, the opinions can become quite polarized. It is already labeled "The Fantasy EVE", in regards to its hardcore nature, and I think most people understand that it will be a niche game without wide appeal. But is that such a bad thing?Over that Keen and Graev's blog, they've compiled a detailed list of the Darkfall features that they're looking forward to the most. This includes everything from the hardcore PvP to the degradable loot to the fact that the game has no levels. Don't forget about the crafting system! Personally, while I'll miss leveling a tiny bit, every aspect of this game excites me to no end. I'm looking forward to setting up shop as an expert crafter, and even throwing out a little security money to the local roughneck guild that will protect my shop from ruffians. So check out their list and let us know your own in the comments below.
Will Darkfall be important to the genre?
"Darkfall deserves your best wishes, even if you don't plan on buying it."This seems to be the sentiment of most Darkfall enthusiasts, as the reality of the game's announced launch date has set in. It's no secret that the wild success of World of Warcraft has changed how studios develop games for the last 3-4 years, but is it about time that we went back to how MMOs were originally created? Darkfall boasts a sandbox-type freedom and the return of the once-hated ganking and player killing found in earlier MMOs. It boasts innovation (then again, who doesn't) and a death penalty that makes you actually fearful of dying. These factors, and many more, are what drive the game's loyal fanbase for over seven years.So to answer the question posed in the title, yes Darkfall will be important to the genre. If this niche game succeeds, it will show that innovation is not dead and we're collectively ready for a change. If it fails, it means that we're not really as ready for something different as we all claim.[Via WorldIV]
Darkfall beta is actually happening, tester feedback proves it
Aventurine's Darkfall has been in development pretty much since the dawn of time (alright, since 2001, but that's not far from the dawn of time for the MMORPG genre), and we have on more than one occassion wondered whether or not those promises of an eventual beta test would be fulfilled. Turns out that for some, they have been.The developers have posted a large collection of quotes from beta players' feedback. They claim it's representative, and it's mostly (but not all) positive. Sounds like players are impressed with the hugeness of the world and a solid crafting system, but a bit turned off by a complicated and unconventional control scheme. The devs say they're working on it.If you fall into Darkfall's hardcore Ultima Online-esque PvP niche, feel free to scan through to see what you've apparently been missing out on for the past seven years.
Darkfall Online to enter beta, shows off in-game videos!
If you've never heard of Darkfall Online, don't feel too bad. This indie MMO has been in development for some time now, with the creators wisely keeping their heads down and their noses to the grindstone. That way, when a big announcement come along, it'll blindside you like a very pleasant tsunami. And blindside us it did: Darkfall Online is jumping into Beta, and you're invited to sign up to participate.The official announcement in the Darkfall forums is very to-the-point: sign up, check it out. To coincide with the announcement of the Beta phase, developer Aventurine has ginned up a lengthy trailer to showcase what the game is about. There's a forum post offering instructions on how to get that, or you could check it out in pieces on YouTube. Go familiarize yourself with Darkfall on the official features page! Then, to get look at the game right away, you can click on through below the cut for the first part of the trailer.
Darkfall producer talks about beta, testing and setting release dates
There's a PvP-oriented game with real-time, aimed combat, a wide variety of races and tactical gameplay, but it's name doesn't have Conan or Warhammer anywhere in it. Darkfall aims to be the best free-for-all, PvP oriented game ever made. "Too good to be true" is an accusation they hear often; and yet one they aim to live up to, says Associate Producer Tasos Flambouras in Darkfall dev journal #25. Though Darkfall is feature complete, they have not yet opened their doors to regular players. The devs have hired a team of professional beta testers to check through the game first. When they do open the doors, the game will be as close to a finished product as possible, and they can focus on tuning the game for various hardware configurations and stress-testing the server without having to worry about fundamental game issues at the same time.Darkfall NPCs go about their lives and level up as they age. Because the NPC AI is so sophisticated and seems exactly like a player to the servers, the NPCs themselves are doing a fair amount of game testing just by running around and exploring. Perhaps when the game goes live, the NPCs will eventually set up camps and build cities around popular player re-spawn points, the better to knock them on the noggins as they groan back to life. Darkfall's aim is to give players a world and let them do in it whatever they like. There won't be quests that tell you what to do, where to do it and what to do after that. It's well to the left of the sandbox-game MMO divide. Perhaps Darkfall will succeed where Shadowbane failed, to make a wide-open world where nobody is safe and anything can happen.
