Crowfall - Kickstarter Updates

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Campaign Embargo FAQ

How are rewards determined at the conclusion of a campaign?

Players can place items, resources, and materials into Embargo – basically, this is a way of “uploading” items to your Account Bank inside a Campaign. This can only be done at certain specific locations inside a Campaign, and items placed there are basically “in quarantine” until the Campaign is over.

When the world is destroyed at the end of a Campaign, some portion of the player’s winnings (i.e. the contents they have placed inside their Embargo vault) will be transferred into that player’s Account Bank. The number of items transferred depends on how well that player fared within the Campaign.

What is the Account Bank? How does it work?

Each player has an Account Bank, which can be used to transfer items between characters on that account. The account bank cannot be accessed when your character is locked into a Campaign.

How does the Account Bank related to the Embargo Vault?

The account bank exists at the account level – meaning that all of your characters share one account bank. The vault is Campaign specific, meaning that each Campaign will have a different Embargo area. At the end of the Campaign, depending on how well you (and your team) did, some number of item(s) will be moved from the Embargo into your Account Bank. The rest of the items will be lost.

What determines the number of items that can be placed in the Embargo Vault?

The size of the Embargo Vault changes based on Campaign type. As a general rule, longer and more risky Campaigns will have larger Embargo Vaults (higher risk leads to higher reward).

The primary factor that determines the size (and loss factor) of the Embargo is how well your team (faction or guild) finished in the Campaign, as well as your individual contribution to the Campaign.

The length of time spent in a Campaign will be used to scale the final results. This is done to prevent players from waiting until the last moment and then jumping on the winning team of a Campaign just to get the reward. (In fact, Players who join at the very end may get no reward -- even if their team is victorious.)

We really believe in the concept of risk vs reward. The more difficult the ruleset of a Campaign – and the longer of a commitment the player is required to make -- the larger the potential payout from the Embargo.

Add this to the fact that the more rare crafting materials are more plentiful in the difficult Campaigns, and we should have a risk/reward ratio that is quite compelling.

Where is the embargo located in the campaign?

To place item(s) into the Embargo Vault, players must physically transfer those items to a particular type of Point of Interest known as a Summoning Circle. The Summoning Circle acts like a giant bank, and can be found in only the most hostile areas. (Thematically, you could think of these like the giant IO towers from TRON).

We are certain that these areas will be incredibly deadly, as they make fantastic ambush spots – other players will know that this is a location players will gravitate towards, and that they will be heavily laden with items when they come. This system also ties well into the Caravan system (currently at stretch goal) to haul stuff to the Embargo. Items placed within an Embargo Vaults cannot be removed. You can’t use Summoning Circles to “teleport” items around the map.

Is the Embargo Vault specific to a player?

Yes! Each player will have their own Embargo Vault to fill, in each Campaign. Players will need to balance how much of the world’s resources are dedicated to helping the team win, versus how much they want to scavenge for themselves. Having a full Embargo Vault isn’t going to help maintain control of the structures in a world!

Are the contents of the embargo safe?

Yes. If you can make it safely inside the Summoning Circle, then any items you place inside your Embargo Vault will be locked there until the conclusion of the Campaign. It is just like a bank in many respects.

Some of the Rulesets call for 20% reward how does this work for items?

For materials and resources it is easy – we can just adjust the size of the material stack that each player is entitled to. For equipment, we will have to work out some other means of scaling the rewards.

Do I have any control over which item(s) are kept and which item(s) are lost from my Embargo?

Maybe. Right now our design is simple: we will randomly select which item(s) and materials will be released and which item(s) and materials will be lost. We could certainly change this design later, to give preferential treatment to certain items based on rarity, size, value or player preference.

 

[Passage]

One of the most popular and discussed Archetypes since it's announcement has been the Centaur Legionnaire, Today we wanted to give you a little preview into his current animations!

Please remember, this is all pre-alpha!

 

[Passage]

Hello everyone!

I know a lot of you have been asking to hear more about the technical side of Crowfall and I thought with the public release of Unity 5 it would be a good time to talk about how that particular piece of technology has played a significant role in how we've been building the game.

We've been using Unity 5 early on in it's beta and this choice was influenced by a number of important factors. A big part of it was how it brings together an impressive collection of proven, AAA quality modules out of the box. From their new PhysX 3.3 integration for physics simulation (extremely important to Crowfall's unique flavor of physically based combat) to their usage of Mono and the .NET platform - the developers at Unity have been kind enough to assemble a veritable dream team of game development middleware. As a team that has built more than their fair share of game engines as both hobbyists and professionals it's hard to overstate how much time was saved by not having to wrangle all these third party libraries and make them play nice with one another (not to mention those pesky licensing fees!)

For most games this would be enough, but from it's inception Crowfall has been a different kind of game that has very unique requirements. Fortunately, Unity has a well architected extension system - both as editor and runtime managed code as well as a native plugin architecture. This has enabled us to make significant modifications to subsystems that would otherwise be considered "under the hood" of most engines, and bring in our own or additional technology (like the beloved VoxelFarm!) not to mention the massive collection of libraries opened up to us in the .NET ecosystem.

For development, we’ve also been extremely impressed with the additional workflow and features that Unity 5 has given us. As a programmer, their robust debugging and profiling tools have been invaluable in helping us identify issues and performance bottlenecks early on. Our combat team has been very happy with the improvements to the Mechanim system - especially the new animation state behaviors, and the new uGUI system has helped us build working prototypes of many of the screens you’ve already seen.

Post launch, Crowfall’s unique Dying Worlds concept means we are going to need to be able to deliver new content quickly and effectively, and break up resources specific to each world and ruleset. We’ve been looking into the new powerful Asset Bundle system in Unity 5 to help us with this.

There’s a lot more I’d love to talk and share with you! As always feel free to post on the forums and ask questions, and I’ll answer them as best I can. Let us know if you guys find these kinds of posts enjoyable (I’m not sure if they’re as much fun as design and art posts) Thanks for reading, looking forward to talking with you some more!
Howard Smith - Principal Client Engineer (And Forgemaster)

 

[Passage]

Today we want to take you behind the scenes with the artists at ArtCraft Entertainment and explain the Skill Training system in Crowfall.

Passive Training / Skills FAQ

How does passive training work?

Passive training allows you to advance your character(s) skills, whether or not you are actively logged in and playing the game.

Narratively speaking, this is represented in the game by having a temple with Thrall priests “praying” for your Hero to remember the skills from his previous life.

Is there active training, too?

Yes, you can advance a skill through use -- but only to get proficiency. Passive training is the primary way of advancing your character's skills.

Can I only train one skill at a time?

Actually, no! You can train a character in three skills at any one time. They don't all advance at the same rate, however.
You select a primary, secondary and tertiary skill to advance. The primary will advance quickest, followed by the secondary, followed by the tertiary.

What scale is used for skills?

100% is the "theoretical maximum" of a human hero. As a point of reference: if your character has a 100% sword skill, then they could compete as an Olympic-level fencer.

Since our players are immortal champions, chosen by the Gods at the time of their death, they often have skills above the “theoretical maximum” that a human mortal can achieve. Anything above 100% is heroic level; bards wrote poems that centered around your skills and your achievements are the stuff of legends.

How quickly do skills advance?

These numbers are still being balanced, but we're generally going for something like this: to reach 100% level with any skill takes 1 month of primary training, 2 months with secondary, 3 months with tertiary.

The results are granted on a diminishing returns curve, meaning that it is much easier to gain the first 10% of any skill than it is to gain the last.

As an upshot of this system, every time you log in, you should see advances in three of your skills!
Can I train more than one character at once?

Yes, if you have an optional VIP membership. A VIP membership allows you to train three characters in parallel. Each character will also have three passive training slots (i.e. it works the same way with ALL THREE characters, as it does with the first one.)

Once I select a primary, secondary or tertiary skill to train, can I change it? Or is it locked?

It is not locked. You can change (and re-order) which three skills you want to train at any time.

Can I train beyond my skill max?

No. You can only train up to your skill max.

Can I increase my skill max?

Yes. Max skills are determined by a combination of your archetype, promotion class, advantage and disadvantage runes, and Disciplines.

How are the skill increases calculated over time?

The gains are done on a diminishing returns curve. While it may be quick to gain those low-end skill points, mastery of a skill (i.e. the upper portion of the range) will take a considerable amount of time. It may be more beneficial to work on a bunch of skills at the low end rather than taking a skill to the absolute max. How you choose to advance is up to you!

What if I hit a skill max, and I am not able to get online?

No problem! You can queue-up additional skills to train.

 

[Passage]

Lore

 

[Passage]

Servers

 

[Passage]

Crafting FAQ

How do players get access to advanced crafting?

Our system is very freeform! Each of the Archetypes in Crowfall has an initial package of skills, and some of the Archetypes have specific crafting skills in their package. For example, the Forgemaster starting skill package has some initial blacksmithing skill and recipes. As the character progresses and engages in Campaigns they will discover Discipline Runestones such as Weaponsmith, or Armorsmith. As you pick up new Disciplines, that opens up new skills and new recipes.

I have to take a specific Archetype if I want to craft?!

Generally, no. Most of the crafting-oriented Discipline Runestones can be used by any Archetype, though each character is limited as to how many Disciplines they can use (we’re currently planning on 3, max.) We see crafters as a full-time playstyle! They fill a valuable role as much as a tank or damage dealer does. In addition to being able to enjoy the “meta-game” of inter-World trading between Worlds, Crafters also have a specific niche role -- every faction/guild will need to recruit them to turn resources into valuable equipment within the Campaigns.

Won’t this encourage a lot of people to make alternate characters for crafting (alts)?

Probably not -- we want to encourage players to only play a single character within a campaign, so we’re putting design rules in place to encourage that. An upshot of this design is that the best “crafters” won’t generally be alternate characters, because it’s not a very effective strategy. Recruiting proficient and dedicated Crafters will be one key ingredient to waging a successful Campaign. The same can be said of those who choose to specialize in scouting, raiding or sieging. Players (and Guilds) will need to make smart strategic choices about skill specialization -- and even team composition -- before entering a campaign.

Is there interdependence between the crafting types?

Most recipes that create equipment require components from each of the crafting styles. Each guild should encourage their members to take a spread of crafting Disciplines, to cover all the component styles.
What does increasing a specific crafting skill do?

Every recipe requires a specific crafting skill (such as Blacksmithing for metal crafts, or Woodworking for wood crafts). Raising this skill will decrease the amount of crafting failures, and potentially increase the quality of the end piece of equipment. That said, we are trying to reduce the amount of randomness (RNG) in the system, so finding the right balance here will require some iteration.

The crafting skill also acts as a soft gate rather than a hard gate normally seen in crafting systems. In most games, a crafter wouldn’t see upper end recipes until they hit a certain skill amount, grinding out thousands of needless items to get to that point. In Crowfall, each crafter starts with the same set of key recipes -- the challenge is going to be getting their hands on upper-end resources they can craft with them. If they can get these resources, they CAN craft the item -- but the chances of success are very low. Based on their skill, it becomes a judgment call for the crafter as to when they should start attempting to craft more difficult items.

How do you plan to prevent “I only want the best!” Syndrome?

Part of the reason that other games suffer from this is because items are largely permanent – once you gain a particular weapon, you usually don’t give it up (or lose it) until you find a better weapon. This cycle could take months, or years. Crowfall’s design means that items will turn-over much more frequently. Decay and item loss will factor heavily into Crowfall’s economy, so gear that isn't “the best” might be acceptable for a night where the player expects multiple deaths storming the castle. We also see this as a way for the crafters to gain a reputation as one who only sells a certain quality of item. The crafter who really wants to be known for their crafts might craft the same item multiple times and only sell those which they are proud of – and salvage those which don’t meet the quality mark.
What do the crafters do with all their rejects?

Since there is no vendor with an endless supply of coins to buy items, crafters can salvage any items they don’t want to get some of the resources back.

How fast does equipment decay?

Equipment will take small amounts decay from use in combat and large amounts of decay when the player is killed in combat. Crafters will be able to repair equipment which will lower its max durability each time it is repaired.
Is there any way to mass produce items?

Some games (most notably Star Wars: Galaxies) provided the ability for crafters to essentially turn a crafted item into a blueprint that will consume it but allow the crafter to produce a limited amount of copies of that item. We’re considering a similar system, where players can craft a particular item to use a “template” and then order their Thrall Blacksmiths to manufacture that item in larger quantities.

How do I sell items to other players? Is there an auction house?

Currently, we don’t plan on offering an auction house. Instead, we are going to have “shopkeeper” Thralls that can be slotted into buildings to sell items. These thralls can be set up within certain structures, both in Campaign Worlds (to service a guild or faction) and in Kingdoms (to foster trade for use in the Eternal Kingdoms, or Campaigns with less strict import restrictions. We also expect that some players will open up their personal Kingdoms as “marketplaces” for other players to come and sell their goods, and take a cut out of every transaction that occurs.

 

[Passage]

Character Progression FAQ

How does character progression work?

Character progression happens in a few different ways.

At character creation, the player selects an Archetype, and a series of Advantages and Disadvantages.

This is done on a point system; each character (or avatar) has a set number of points that can be spent to improve the character. Additional points can be gained by taking Disadvantages. There is a limit to the number of Advantage and Disadvantage runes that can be added to each character.

After creating the character and advancing your base skills to a level of competency through gameplay, each Archetype has the option to promote to another Class or occupation. We are planning for multiple promotion classes for each base Archetype.

The promotion classes enable the player to skew their character in a specific direction. Want to be a Knight who does more damage? Promote to Swordsman! Want to be a Knight who has even more defensive skills? Promote to Crusader! Want to be a Knight who has a ranged weapon and skills? Promote to Sentinel!

Can I change my Promotion Class later?

No. There are a few changes that are permanent, and this is one of them. Choose carefully.

What does a promotion class grant?

In almost all cases the promotion class increases your skill maximums on all relevant skills. This enables the player to train their skills deeper into a chosen path, becoming a master at what they do.

Most of the time promotion also grants new powers to use in combat and extends the awesomeness of existing powers.
Sometimes promotion will grant a new weapon that can be used along with skills and powers that accompany it. Such as a melee class gaining the ability to use a bow and the skills that accompany bow usage.

Promotion also offers the character a final chance to alter any of their advantages and disadvantages. At this point we think the player fully understands what would be useful to their character as a permanent choice.

What are the requirements to promote?

We are still working on the exact mechanics that will allow a character to promote to their promotion class but are pretty sure it will have something to do with skill points. Either earn a specific total amount of skill points or train some specific skills to a required amount. It might even be a combination of both.

After I select a Promotion Classes, am I done with customization?

No. In addition to promotion classes, characters can also take Disciplines, which are a type of “sub-class” to further customize your character.

Disciplines are applied by collecting Runestones in the game, and applying them to your character. Not every Discipline will be available to every Archetype – but every Archetype will have access to many, many Disciplines.

Disciplines allow you to further customize your characters skills and powers. Want to focus that Knight on more sword damage? Or increasing his Strength attribute? Or turning into a Werebear? These are the types of customization effects that can be added by using Disciplines.

Discipline runes can increase your skill max will certain skills, grant access to new skills and powers, grant you new crafting recipes, or give you the ability to master weapon types that are normally restricted.

The skills, powers and recipes granted by Disciplines are typically very thematic. For example, we wouldn’t have a generic “Weapon Master” discipline that gives you a bonus to swords, spears and shields – but we might have a “Gladiator” discipline that does exactly that, because it makes sense that a Gladiator might have that particular collection of skills.

Discipline Examples:

Alchemist Runestone
“Wine from Water, Lead from Gold”

• Grants Potion Recipes
  Grants Alchemy Skill
  Grants Inventory Bag (Potions) - Potions placed in Potion bag will not explode when hit

Werewolf Runestone
“For the strength of the Pack is the Wolf, and the strength of the Wolf is the Pack”

• Grants Limited Time Transformation Power - Grants Werewolf combat powers while in Werewolf form
  Grants Bonus Damage Vampyre Stat
  Increases Movement speed Stat
  Grants equipment slot: Jorts

Can my Disciplines be changed?

Yes, you can overwrite existing Discipline Runestones with new ones. Doing so will remove or reduce the benefits granted by the previous Discipline, and destroy the old one in the process.

Do Disciplines have restrictions?

Some of them do, usually in any case where an animation set is required for that weapon which that archetype may not have. For example the Cavalier Discipline (which grants shield mastery and block powers) would not be usable by Duelist archetype, because they do have the necessary skill pre-requirements (shields) or animation sets.

Can you give me some examples of other Disciplines?

Sure. Here are a few examples.

Standard Bearer
Rune Caster
Collector
Lapidary
Beastmaster
Ratcatcher
Blood of the Ancients
Berserker
Swashbuckler
Stonecutter
Commander

Where do Disciplines Runestones come from?

Disciplines are found by participating in Campaigns.

The exact method varies: they can be scavenged (meaning they will spawn in ruins, or uncovered as buried treasure when tunneling in the ground), some can be crafted (using additives and resources found in the Campaign worlds) some can be granted as a special Campaign reward.

Can Discipline Runes be traded?

Yes, but since they can’t be removed (only destroyed), you can only use them if they have not yet been applied to a character.

TL;DR

You can turn into a Werebear if you want.

 

[Passage]

Mount FAQ

What are mounts like in Crowfall?

Mounts are creatures that have been tamed to act as both a companion and a steed. They provide players with a method of moving more quickly around the game, and sometimes giving them the ability to transport more items.
How do I get a mount?

Players with the right skill(s) will be able to tame certain creatures they find in the world, and some of these can be ridden as mounts. Additionally, some magic items will allow the player to manifest (summon) a mount from your inventory.

What determines if I can tame a creature?

All gameplay in Crowfall requires one or more skills; taming and riding mounts are no different! Certain creatures will require higher amounts of skill to tame than others. Skill will also be required in order to keep control of that creature once you have tamed it. Increasing your riding skill will help you tame more wild creatures, which in turns allows you to increase your movement speed while mounted.

Can you tame creatures other than Mounts? What can you do with the tamed creature?

Yes. Some creatures are a pack animals. Taming them allows you to open up a separate inventory on that creature, to add and remove items from it, and to order that creature to take simple commands like “stay,” “come” and “follow me.” If the creature is a regular mount, you can ride it, have it follow you or release it back into the wild (i.e. un-tame it). With figurine mounts, you can also dismiss them (i.e. turn it back into a figurine in your inventory, for later use).

Can mounts be attacked? Do they have health? Can they be killed?

Yes, yes and yes. Mounts are creatures in the world, so they can take damage and be killed.

Will a mount defend himself, or you, if attacked?

Yes, when you are not riding on a mount, the mount will defend itself and/or its master.

Can players use creatures higher than their riding skill allows?

No. The riding skill determines which mounts you can ride, as well as mount speed.

You said that mounts can die. Can figurine mounts die?

Yes, but figurine mounts have multiple lives. When it dies, the item takes some decay, and there is a delay timer before the mount can be summoned again. Remember that these are items, so they follow the same design philosophy as everything else: nothing lasts forever.

Can someone else take my mount?

These are items, so they are subject to the Campaign loot rules. That means there is a risk/reward scenario whenever you decide to use a mount figurine. Be careful where you take them.

What about the Kickstarter reward mounts? Don’t they last forever?

The Kickstarter mounts will be limited in use, like normal figurines – but we WILL give you a way to get the visual appearance back, if they are lost in gameplay. Our goal is not to make these “permanent”, but rather to make them temporary, but recoverable. We do want you to be able to continue to use them over the lifetime of the game, though, to show other players that you were an early backer.

Can I get more figurines in the game? Or only through Kickstarter?

There will be Disciplines that allow players to craft new figurines. However, the Kickstarter reward figurines have a unique appearance. Only Kickstarter backers (of the appropriate tiers) will have access to these mounts.

Can my Centaur character ride on a mount?

No, centaurs already have a base movement speed increase and there will be some other mechanic that allows them to travel at mount speed.

 

[Passage]

Relics & Artifacts FAQ

Do I get anything for participating in Campaigns?

Yes. First of all, Campaigns are the primary method of collecting materials and rare resources for use in the Eternal Kingdoms.

Second, Campaigns are also the source of Artifacts and Relics. These are items players can earn by participating in Campaigns.

What do Artifacts and Relics do?

When displayed in the proper building in your Eternal Kingdom, Artifacts and Relics will grant you blessings, which represent the influence of ancient magic and the divine favor of the Gods. These blessings work in much the same manner as passive training: they are “always on” your character, regardless of which Kingdom or Campaign you travel to.

What is a Blessing?

Blessings are passive spell effects (utility buffs) that players can select based on the Artifacts and Relics they have access too. Blessings are minor effects, like “increases archery training speed by 1%” or “increases wood harvesting speed by 5%”.

There is a maximum amount of blessings a player can have active on a character at one time (current estimate is 3 per character). Collecting more Artifacts and Relics on your will give you more blessings to choose from -- but since all characters are limited to only 3 active blessings at any time, having more of them only gives you more variety and choice, not more power.

What is the difference between an Artifact and a Relic?

Artifacts are typically guild rewards. Relics are typically player rewards.

Artifacts are “World” rewards. These can only be gained by winning Campaigns. Artifacts are meaningful trophies (like the World Cup) that can be displayed in your Eternal Kingdom, that confer their blessings on all the players who own land in that Kingdom.

An example of an Artifact might be “the Anvil of Kane”, which (when placed, for example, inside a Reliquary in a Mountain Citadel) offers the “Strength of the Crescent Moon” blessing to all the players on this World.

Relics are “Player and City” rewards. Relics offer similar blessings, but can only be utilized by a smaller number of players – they can be placed inside of the buildings in the cities or villages of your Eternal Kingdom. Relics can be collected in Campaigns or crafted using rare reagents.

An example of a Relic might be “the Blade of Taerious”, which (once placed in a Chaos Temple) offers the “Gaes of Speed” blessing to the players who own land in and around a (player-built) village in your Kingdom.

How do I use my Artifact, or Relic?

To be activated, an Artifact or Relic must be placed on display in an appropriate building in the guild or player’s Eternal Kingdom. Different buildings house different types of Artifacts and Relics, for example:

Barracks can only display weapons of legend.

Temples can only house religious items.

Reliquaries can house many different type of artifacts and relics, but take up a lot of real estate and require a lot of maintenance/property tax.

Each Artifact or Relic must be placed in a building for the blessing to be active. The blessing on these items are time-limited; when the blessing runs out, the Artifact or Relic must be recharged.

Is there any other way to get these outside of Campaigns?

Yes. These are items, and can be freely traded between players.

 

[Passage]

lol. I almost created one big thread, but I didn't think anyone would read it. Thanks for the merge and the second opinion, though. It is cleaner.

 

[Baldoraxx]

Yay, one big thread.

 

[tr1age]

lol. I almost created one big thread, but I didn't think anyone would read it. Thanks for the merge and the second opinion, though. It is cleaner.

Yeah it took up the entire post list with shit people may or may not give a shit about lol. While good for seo not good for the forums lol

 

[Passage]

Project Update #17 | 03/18/15

Good morning, Crows!

We have a few updates for you this morning...

Crowfall crowdfunding continues -- yesterday, we were the 20th largest video game Kickstarter in history -- and this morning, we've climbed to #19! As our campaign draws to a close (just 1 week to go!) we hope you'll help us get the word out, so that we can continue to march up that list!

Let's talk about character advancement!

We've put together a short video where a few of our team members summarize how character customization works: archetypes, skills, promotions and disciplines. You can check it out here:



We also hope you enjoy the last of our behind-the-scenes interviews hosted by Natalie. In this final segment, J. Todd Coleman (our Creative Director) talks about the narrative inspirations behind Crowfall, and the ideas that led him and Gordon to form ArtCraft Entertainment.



Lastly, we are delighted to announce a new member of our team: Valerie "Pann" Massey, Community Director. Valerie has a wide foundation of MMO experience, including almost five years as the senior director of PR and community management EVE Online.

...and for those who might be curious -- no, this doesn't mean Tully is leaving us! It just means that he'll be spending a LOT more time working as a game designer on Crowfall. We're not replacing Tully... only Eric. (j/k Eric!)

7 more days to go -- let's keep that momentum going! We're only 150 backers from that next backer stretch goal (free VIP month for everyone!) and about $75,000 away from Mounts and Caravans (and mount figurines for all tiers $60 and over!)

We can do this, folks -- let's make Mounts and Caravans a reality!

 

[Passage]

Project Update #18 | 03/19/15

13,000 Backers! You know that what means? 1 month of VIP for all pledge levels!

In Today's update, we show off our progress with the male knight animation set and Billy runs through another time-lapse creation of the Guinecean Duelist in Vector.

Additionally, we're adding a new backer stretch goal this morning!

Since the beginning, we have we really (really!) want to add VR support for Crowfall. We think that our vision -- the immersive environments, the seasonal effects and the visceral, sweaty-palms-oh-dear-lord-whats-around-the-next-corner survival nature of our gameplay -- is a perfect fit for virtual reality.

Thanks to Unity 5's native support of Oculus (and we're hoping Vive at some point!) we are excited to say that the possibility is in our grasp -- so we're including it as a stretch goal. Help us find 15,000 backers and we'll make it happen!

Knight Animation Preview

It has been a few weeks since our last animation preview, but it's time to display our current progress with the Male Knight. Remember, this is all pre-alpha!

​

Duelist Poster Timelapse

Billy is back again with another time-lapse of his vector art. The candidate this time is the highly requested Guinecean Duelist and pack pig!

​

Two variants of the final piece can be found below:

 

[tr1age]

I love the art style. Reminds me of that stylized wwii army game which I can't remember the name of meets diablo 3.

 

[Passage]

Project Update #19 | 03/20/15

In Today's update we unveil more information about the Eternal Kingdoms. We hope you have a coffee, this is a long one!

How do I get a Kingdom?

Every account is granted a Kingdom. They start as mini-worlds that players can use to build and explore, which can be expanded to become much larger.

What is the purpose of a Kingdom and why do I want one?

Kingdoms are smaller versions of the Campaign worlds – not just social lobbies. You are the Monarch of this world! You can explore, craft, build structures and even fight monsters… but a Kingdom is limited in terms of difficulty and power.

All accounts are granted a kingdom at the beginning of the game, but using it is not required (…beyond maybe a tutorial? We haven’t decided yet.)

We fully expect that some players will prefer to spend the vast majority of their time participating in the Campaign Worlds, and we intend to let them do so without maintaining a Kingdom.

How do Kingdoms compare to Campaign Worlds?

Kingdoms, while potentially quite large, are limited in size compared to the Campaign worlds. They are also limited in functionality and content. They start with a relatively small amount of land and no buildings. If you want to upgrade them, it will take time and effort (and materials, which come from Campaign Worlds.)

Kingdoms must be upgraded (and developed) to increase their functionality. They start as single-player realms, and must be upgraded to allow more players to join.

How are Kingdoms laid out, and how big are they? Is it like a housing instance?

The map of every Kingdom is divided into a square grid. Each square in the grid is called a “cell.”

Kingdoms begin as a 3 cells by 3 cells square. We’re still building this system, so the cell sizing will probably change a bit… but in the current prototype, this equates to roughly half a mile square of virtual territory.

The Kingdom can grow to be many, many times larger than this starting size.

Why would the size of a cell change?

At some point (soon) the size of the grid cell will be locked. At this phase in development, there are some unknowns which would affect cell size. For example: Our Mounts and Caravans Kickstarter stretch goal is about to be funded! Obviously, that system will change how quickly players can move through the World, and we’ll need to test the world size to make sure it feels right for both mounted and un-mounted players.

For now, we are estimating a cell will likely be somewhere between a quarter of a square acre and two square acres in size. Either way, even the smallest Kingdom will be much larger than a typical MMO housing instance.

How can I make my Kingdom larger?

It will likely take a combination of time and raw materials (stone, iron and wood) to add cells (raw square footage) to your Kingdom.

When I add a cell, what is it filled with?

Terrain/Land. The contents of each cell is initially “wild”, meaning that it is filled with untamed (and unusable) forest. You cannot build assets on land that is wild – and without buildings, the land has very little utility/function.

To develop one or more cells, you have to unlock it, after which you can use materials to buy “parcel deeds”. These deeds represent tracts of land that can be dropped onto your map. Parcels can have unique shapes (like Tetris pieces) that always fit within the boundaries of one or more cells. Our plan is that parcel deeds will be purchased with in-game resources.

Note: our Kickstarter backers who receive tax-free parcels with a pledge will automatically receive enough unlocked cells to place those parcels.

What size are these parcels (in cells)?

The most basic parcel is 1 cell x 1 cell, and will include very limited features.

Some parcels are much more complex, like a chain of 7 parcels that makes up a Mountain Citadel, multiple player villages, and the mountain range around it. Think of these larger areas as a complete region of a country, i.e. “I am the Lord of the Western Reach. From my Citadel, I control all of the Darkspine Moutains -- as far as the eye can see.”

Once you drop a parcel into a cell (or cells), these areas in your Kingdom will be “terraformed” and appear in your Kingdom. Using different types of parcels, you can build the World to be completely unique – the only limit is your creativity.

Not all Parcels are the same size, and shape?

No, but they are constructed to fit precisely within a pre-determined, contiguous set of cells. While there are many parcels that are 1x1 squares, there are multi-cell parcels that form different shapes, as well.

The Mountain Citadel, for instance, is actually a 7 square parcel that forms an “S” shape. It includes not just the Citadel, but the mountain range that surrounds it – and enough building area to construct two mountain villages.

To place this parcel in their world, a player would need to have enough cells unlocked in the appropriate shape (or larger) in which they could place the specialty “S” shaped parcel.

In order to obtain a multi cell parcel a players will be able to combine basic 1x1 parcels for specialty parcels.

Why would I want to have these larger parcels on my World?

Having a larger parcel (like a Mountain Citadel, or an Imperial Palace) added to the World is highly valuable to any Monarch, especially one who is trying to build a mercantile empire, because it offers very efficient use of build space (number of available contiguous building lots), increases the concurrent player cap of the World, and increases the Kingdom’s visibility for other players when the Kingdom is set “public”.

All of which equates to a more popular Kingdom, increased commerce and a larger potential tax base.



In game terms, does a larger Kingdom (with more parcels) give me an advantage?

Yes, and no.

Larger maps have more cells. More cells allows you to place more parcels. More parcels means more buildings. More buildings allow for more tenants, higher online player population caps (i.e. how many players can be on this world at any time) and better visibility when other players are browsing the Kingdom list for new markets (or Kingdoms).

All of this also means more commerce, which can generate more tax revenue.

Note, however, that these are indirect benefits – meaning social and economic benefits that you derive from other players.

However, since every Campaign World will have import rules (that determine what can be brought into the World), having a larger, more developed Kingdom will not directly impact the game balance within the Campaigns.

How do I collaborate with other people (like my guildmates) on a Kingdom?

The Monarch can select sub-sections of your world map (in cells) and grant that area to another player. This selection of cells is called a “Province”.

Any player who has been granted a province is considered a “noble” on that world. Nobles can drop, rearrange and remove Parcels within that Province.
Once I drop a Parcel, what can I do with it?

You can build on it. As the World is divided into cells, each Parcel is divided into “Lots.” You drop buildings and props onto Lots the same way you drop Parcels into cells.

You can also grant Lots to other players -- just like the World Owner granted a province to you. (In fact, we use the same system at both the micro and macro level!)

A 1x1 parcel of land is divided into many lots. On this grid of lots, some areas will be marked as “open” and others will be marked as “blocked” (meaning that you cannot place buildings there).

How do I drop buildings and props on my parcels?

This works the same way as dropping parcels on the World grid.

Each building or prop has a footprint in Lots. (again, think of these like Tetris pieces!)

A lot owner can place buildings and push them around to find the “right fit”. Buildings can go anywhere within the designated build area(s) of the parcel, so long as the footprint of each building is clear of other structures.

Are the buildings locked into pre-determined places?

No – the lots that are designated as “building areas” within each parcel are typically grouped together, to allow you to slide your buildings around. Generally, the building areas will be obvious… you can’t drop a building on top of a lake, or over the edge of a cliff.

What do these buildings do?

Buildings serve many purposes. They can…

- Hold Artifacts and Relics (see the Artifacts and Relics FAQ for more information),
- Act as crafting stations for crafting new goods,
- Provide marketplaces (i.e. house player-run NPC vendors to sell crafted and collected goods),
- Hold trainer thralls (who work in much the same manner as relics, providing buffs to types of passive training speeds)
- Act as personal housing and social hubs
- …and other services, as we think of them.

Can other people visit by Kingdom?

Yes, though which players can visit is a decision left up to the Monarch (owner) of that Kingdom. “Public” worlds are open to the public, meaning that anyone can visit them and trade. “Private” worlds are not open to the public. Only land owners (nobles, vassals and tenants) of the Kingdom can enter the World.

Can I open (or close) my Kingdom?

As the Monarch, you can change your Kingdom to be “public” or “private” any time you like.

Why would I make my Kingdom “public”?

Players will be able to visit those Eternal Kingdoms that are public. Players who want to create marketplace (or social hub) will want to set their Kingdom to public and create one or more attractive, easy to navigate marketplaces in that Kingdom to attract other players.

What can players do in my Kingdom?

As the Monarch, you control the administration of your Kingdom. You can set the PvP rules, collect taxes, and grant provinces to other players, making them nobles of your Kingdom. You can collect taxes in whatever form you want to from your Nobles, be it resources or materials! Hey, it’s good to be the Monarch!

As a Noble, you can grant Lots to other players, making them vassals of the Kingdom and allowing them to place buildings on your land.
As a Vassal, you can erect buildings on your Lots, and grant access to these buildings to other players as tenants.

As a Tenant, you can place relics and thralls in the buildings you have access to, using these buildings as crafting stations and market/vendor locations.
(And remember, these permissions are hierarchical in nature – a Monarch can naturally do everything that his or her subjects can do!)

Can I control the layout of my Kingdom?

Yes. Parcels fit together like Tetris pieces. You can arrange them however you like -- as long as the pieces fit together. You can even pick up and move the pieces, if you don’t like where they are placed.

What if that Guild Leader stops playing?

If the guild leader quits, you can always remove your parcels (and any buildings/improvements) and put them in a different Kingdom.

Can I own a house but share Admin rights?

Yes, you may add another player to the Admin list of your building making them a Tenant of the structure. This will also add them to that Kingdom’s fealty tree, allowing them to log in even if the Kingdom is set to “private.”

Can I own land or be a tenant on multiple different Kingdoms?

Yes, you can – but you should make sure you have the appropriate amount of land to place for the provinces you are granted. No monarch is going to want to grant provinces to Nobles who can’t put that space to good use!

Is there an upkeep cost on the land or buildings?

Yes. You will be required to pay taxes and maintenance to the system for the structures and land – unless you have a tax free parcel, in which case the land has no upkeep cost.

If your taxes fall into arrears, the structures on the land will begin to degrade. Once the buildings have fully degraded, they won’t disappear – you can still repair them – but the land will fall back to its “wild” state and the buildings decay to the point they are removed from the world and placed into the owner’s inventory. They will not be usable until the taxes are repaid.

If I invest in parcels or buildings and drop them on a World, are they locked there? What if I change my mind and want to leave?

If you decide to leave a world – or, if you are ejected from a World by the players above you in the fealty chain -- all of your structures (and any relics or thralls placed in them) will be moved into your account bank. Parcels and Buildings can be moved easily from your account bank into a new Kingdom, once you find one.

 

[ToxicAsF]

Also note - Yesterday there were a couple "Early Bird" tiers that had slots because people were cancelling or upgrading their donation. Keep an eye out for a bonus tier!

 

[PsionicFox]

I read the housing stuff today. It is basically the most exciting thing I have ever read. I want to be the 'Lord of the Western Reach' now!

 

[dainjre]

Kingdom stuff does seem cool. Nothing wrong with heavy taxation for some nice passive income from your tyrannical overlord.