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New Das Tal vid explains combat, playstyles, and more
Das Tal's devs have released a new video and are currently adding player settlements, resource warfare, crafting, and progression to the PvP sandbox, according to a new press release. The video runs for nearly 10 minutes and explains a good bit about the game's combat abilities. It also summarizes possible playstyles based on weapon and armor choices, as well as a high-level look at the game's "MOBA meets MMO" combat system. Click past the cut to see for yourself! [Source: Fairytale Distillery press release]
Das Tal devs: 'We don't even own a gauntlet'
Yesterday, we posted about an article penned by Das Tal Head of Communications David Wells in which he threw down the proverbial gauntlet, as we put it, at ArcheAge's feet; he laid out many of ArcheAge's faults and explained how Das Tal, an admittedly indie sandbox, could improve on the format and avoid some of ArcheAge's infamous mistakes. This prompted a fiery debate, particularly among ArcheAge's fans and frenemies, over sandbox design in the indie and AAA space. Das Tal Managing Director Alexander Zacherl hopes to expound on that treatise with a letter to players of his own; he emphasizes that Fairytale Distillery's intent was not to provoke a duel with ArcheAge but to improve the studio's corner of the genre. We've agreed to publish that letter in full today. Read on!
Das Tal boasts that it will 'do things better' than ArcheAge
Consider the gauntlet thrown down from one sandbox to another. Das Tal Head of Communications David Wells posted a new essay today in which he says that his title will best ArcheAge: "Unfortunately I, like a lot of others, have come to the conclusion that ArcheAge is probably one of the worst MMOs to come out recently -- but the reasons why are not straight forward. I am going to go over the good and bad, as well as shamelessly point out how our game will do things better." Wells says that ArcheAge stumbled with a messy housing system, bad monetization, cultural differences, hacking, heavy grind, lackluster PvE, no solid PvP, shaky server tech, and a lack of good communication by Trion. He goes on to provide a counterpoint for each these items, explaining how Das Tal will succeed where ArcheAge has failed. Or, if you're looking for a TL;DR version, "How we do it better: To put it simply, we give a s**t."
MMO dev: Steam Greenlight still 'a big black box' for indies
Fairytale Distillery is an independent studio based in Munich, Germany, with four full-time developers and a handful of freelancers who help out as needed – and they're all making an MMO for PC, Mac and Linux called Das Tal. It's not as massive as EVE Online or as intricate as World of Warcraft, but it's a huge project for such a tiny team to tackle. Fairytale Distillery co-founder Alexander Zacherl seems to have a solid development and launch plan that sees Das Tal thriving until the late 2020s, when he expects it to shut down. With just two founders and two developers who work on the game daily, Fairytale Distillery is overextending itself trying to handle all aspects of launching an MMO. Everyone on the team has hands in designing, developing, marketing and selling the game, Zacherl says. Part of promoting and selling Das Tal was the game's Greenlight campaign on Steam. Das Tal was approved for sale on Steam on November 6, after 91 days on Greenlight. During this process, Zacherl noticed a shift in Steam's approach to Greenlight – approved games aren't announced in batches anymore. Instead, it seems as if games in the top 100 are constantly getting the go-ahead with no official announcements, he says.
Das Tal's latest stress test happens this Saturday
Fantasy PvP sandbox Das Tal is hosting a pre-alpha stress test this weekend, according to developer Fairytale Distillery's latest press release. The test runs from 2:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. EST on Saturday, November 22nd. Das Tal's previous stress test attracted a population nearly three times as large as a normal test, and as a result the devs have increased capacity which means that the "servers will be packed full of PvP." To get in on all the killing, you'll need to sign up as an alpha tester and then check your inbox for an invite. There's also a sneak preview available for viewing via the alpha test footage after the break.
Das Tal gets the Greenlight, sells supporter packs
The indie sandbox Das Tal is feeling a little more vindicated today, as the title announced that the community voted to Greenlight it on Steam following a three-month campaign. The studio said that it will now be figuring out "how best to use Steam's platform" as the alpha MMO moves forward. Riding high off of the announcement, the Das Tal team announced that it will not be looking for further funding through a Kickstarter but will be selling development supporter packages instead. These packs go from $30 to $200 and include trial keys, alpha access, name reservations, and concept art.
Watch the sped-up creation of Das Tal concept art
It's always great to get two things for the price of one, isn't it? Well, that's what you're going to get when you watch today's developer video from Das Tal, as it not only contains an interview with the game's art director but shows the sped-up creation process of one of Das Tal's pieces of concept art. Art Director Michail Mamaschew discusses his priorities for each day's work, what programs he uses, where he gets his inspiration, and all of the aspects of art that he has to consider as he creates pieces for the team. You can watch the formation of concept art and listen to his interview after the jump!
Das Tal launches merch while making a Greenlight push
If you're excited for Das Tal, now's a fine time to vote with or without your wallet. Yes, both work here. Voting without your wallet is as simple as moving over to the game's Greenlight page on Steam and supporting it if you haven't already; the developers have issued a statement claiming that the game is close to getting Greenlight status and just needs a final push. How can you vote with your wallet? Well, you can grab some Das Tal apparel, coffee mugs, or the like. The merchandise features art from the game's art director, so it's a good way to show off your affection for the game in physical form. You can also check out a video of the game's most recent test update just past the break, although you can't buy that on a shirt. It's hard to display video on a shirt. (It's the same video we covered recently, though, so if you saw it then you can safely skip it.)
Das Tal revamps skills, adds stealth and tracking
Indie PvP sandbox Das Tal has revamped its skill system in its most recent alpha update. Fairytale Distillery has also added stealth and tracking features as well as tweaked audio for both the game's ambient tracks and its attack sounds. There's an October update video and a copy of the full press release after the break! [Source: Fairytale Distillery press release]
Perfect Ten: Terrible, terrible MMO names
A catchy, vivid title is essential to getting your game noticed and establishing a strong brand. Yes, we as gamers will get used to pretty much any dumb name (unless it's Daikatana), but a great one allows us to mention it in polite society without getting spat on or rejected for dates. The best MMO names in my opinion are single words that sound cool or conjure up a strong association. I'm less fond of ALL CAPS ACRONYMS and any game that can't be more inventive with its title than to put "Online" after it. For the most part, MMOs play it safe and boring with titles, with only a few outliers in the awesome or terrible fringes. Today, we're going to examine the latter. I want to make a couple of quick qualifiers here. I'm not judging these games by their names; an MMO can be good or bad independent of how silly its name is. And while I know that some of these names make more sense in context, I generally feel that if I have to have it explained to me, then it's a fail.
Das Tal's next alpha test happens August 24
PvP sandbox Das Tal has sent out 800 single-use alpha keys for its next alpha test, according to the latest dev blog update. The test happens Sunday, August 24, and it's designed to stress test the game's servers. Fairytale Distillery has also published a couple of alpha weekend videos that show off small-scale PvP. You can view them after the break.
Das Tal jumps to Steam Greenlight
It's a big week for the PvP sandbox Das Tal, as the title has hopped on board the good ship Steam Greenlight in the hope that it will gain more attention and support from the community. Das Tal has also finished up its first round of alpha tests in July, with more to come every Sunday in August. The team pieced together a video from the alpha to show off some of the title's looks and combat sequences. The devs stress that many of the graphics are using placeholder images, but if you can stomach that, you can get an early peek at the game after the jump.
Das Tal alpha starts July 20
Das Tal has tabbed July 20th as the official start of its alpha testing period. The build will focus on "good old-fashioned PvP combat," according to a Fairytale Distillery press release. Gameplay will feature clans battling to control five landmarks as well as three armor classes, three weapon sets, and "fast-paced and diverse combat situations." You can still apply for an alpha slot, and you can also read the full press drop after the break. [Source: Fairytale Distillery press release]
Das Tal secures additional funding, releases summary vid
Fairytale Distillery has announced that its Das Tal PvP sandbox MMO has received a $130,000 funding infusion that will speed up development. "A basic playable build will be available for public testing in July," the firm says via press release, and new alpha testers will be added to the current pool. If you want to be part of the game's testing process, you can sign up on the newly redesigned website. Finally, the dev team has a released a new video that summarizes what Das Tal has on offer. View it in full, along with the press release, after the cut. [Source: Fairytale Distillery press release]
Introducing Das Tal, a PvP sandbox where players make the rules
If your fun's been stunted by a sad lack of free-for-all PvP sandboxes, then might we suggest you're not looking very hard? Let us give you a start in this direction, at least, as Fairytale Distillery announced its upcoming project, Das Tal. Das Tal is a "fast-paced" sandbox that includes open PvP, full looting of players' corpses, a classless character system, and a constant struggle over resources and player settlements. Probably the most interesting aspect of this MMO is that each server will eventually reach a "climactic end event" and then restart, allowing players to vote on the rules and features for the next iteration. Das Tal is on Steam Greenlight, is currently in the pre-production stage, and will most likely be doing a fundraising campaign at some point. We've got a teaser trailer for you with the creepiest voice-over ever after the break. [Thanks to Skurvel for the tip!]
