Saturday - February 16, 2002
 Seven new Dominion Screenshots
(PC: MMORPG) | Posted by Rendelius @ 23:40 - Top 
| Game Info | Homepage |
| Pharaoh Productions, makers of the upcoming MMORPG Dominion, has released 7 new screenshots, showing off their graphics engine... |
A preview of Icewind Dale 2 has been posted at Armchair Empire. Here's a bit from that:
The game is looking like it will be a reasonably lengthy affair, clocking in at about 30-40 hours of gameplay, and even more if you play in the improved Heart of Fury mode (that’s the exceptionally high difficulty mode, for those who don’t know). The game is not only looking fairly large in terms of time consumption, but in the sheer girth of the world to be explored. The game is slated to be larger than that of the original Icewind Dale. However, what is not clarified is whether it is larger than Icewind Dale Proper, or if this includes the size of the game once you factor in the Heart of Winter and Trials of the Luremaster expansion packs. The level cap will also be set at the 31st level for those in Heart of Fury mode, and slightly lower for those playing at easier difficulties.
One final area of concern is the rumblings in interviews and such that battles will be more broken up, so to allow more interaction with NPCs and to perform puzzle solving. The problem I have with this is that these sort of things hardly seem in the spirit of Icewind Dale. It set itself apart by primarily being about beating the tar out of enemies, leveling up, and finding really nice weapons, armor, and items. What they propose to do by breaking up the battles a bit more sounds like the game will be made to play a lot like Baldur's Gate. While emulation is one of the finest forms of flattery, we already have a Baldur's Gate, why not enhance the battles, which thus far appear to play out in the standard manner found in the original game, or any other aspect of Icewind Dale that set it apart from its Infinity Engine brethren instead? |
 Ages of Athiria Newsletter #2
(PC: MMORPG) | Posted by Rendelius @ 16:16 - Top
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The latest Ages of Athiria newsletter (#2) is online at the official site now. They feature two new artworks and a developer's view on player run cities. Here's a bit:
Establishing a PRC is a major event in Ages of Athiria. It requires the leaders of at least three guilds to be present. Each of the three or more founding guilds must have purchased a guild house and built them all relatively close to one another. A spokesperson from one of the founding guilds will enter the “Create City” command and the remaining guild leaders will get a chance, via a dialog box, to approve the settings before the PRC is actually created. The settings that are required for PRC creation are selection of: 1) a capital building (or “city hall”), and 2) a government type. Various capital buildings will be available, each varying in size and cost. The lower-cost capital buildings can be upgraded at a later date, but all will have their own vault. The initial setting of government type is important because the city will be run by these rules until it is either taken over or disbanded. There are four government types in the game, Democracy, Republic, Socialist, and Monarchy. The following list describes each type of government.
Here's a little more information about this MMORPG:
Athiria is a world of powerful warriors, scholarly scribes, colorful jesters, menacing wizards, and hustling merchants. It is a world where the savagery of the middle ages is present along with all of its risks. It is a world where the success of your character is based solely on his or her ability to personally develop their skills and abilities, where your collection of knowledge is as important as expertise, and community is easily achievable through creative use of the technology used to build the game. Players are encouraged to form guilds and play with a group of friends. Although the solo adventurer is not the preferred approach, they will not be excluded. Your character will be part of the world, able to make him or herself known throughout the history of the lands by their very actions. A rich basic storyline will have a dynamic and direct effect on all things in the world - PCs, NPCs, buildings, cities, landscape, etc. A dynamic event and quest system will be built around this world, creating numerous subplots that characters can explore, discover, and create! The world will react to the characters within it through dynamic weather changes, shifting and changing landscape, dynamic quests and events, and an ongoing, vibrant economy. The future addition of new Ages will bring unlimited growth and content to this fantastic world. Simply put, Athiria is HUGE. It has to be to contain all the content for which we have planned. The time has come... |
| Gamigo.de came up with a preview of Dungeon Siege (in german). Most interesting are some screenshots from later sections of the game (lava lakes and such) - you a minor spoiler alert appended here :-) |
| A german preview of HoMM 4 (based on the press demo) and some screenshots can be found at mm-world, the biggest german fan page about Might & Magic. |
ToTheGame who surprised us with all kinds of MMIX coverage last week (new screenshots, a world map etc.) have posted a very nice and detailed in-depth preview of 3DO's upcoming ninth installment in the classic Might & Magic RPG series.
You may choose to not directly jump to the preview page but to visit their main page first because the link to the preview in the site's top menu contains a spiffy looking small artwork taken from the back cover of the retail box.
By pure coincidence we from RPGDot were able to contribute to this preview in supplying some of the background info last night as we are in close contact with ToTheGame's Erik Johansen, the editor of this great preview. It's definitely the most complete summary of a game many of us are really looking forward to. A must read :)
Here's a teaser snip:
There will be around 65 new quests to solve, over 400 hundred NPC's (Non Playing Characters) to interact with, and they’ll also react to what you say, or what you do. Sounds like it would be smart not to ask them to "Kiss my Ass", or "Kick their Ass". This will definitely be an improvement over earlier M&M games, as they tended to have pretty stupid NPC's. The game will also provide over 100 new monsters (not many have been revealed yet so there might be a few surprises here) and this time they’ll have an improved AI and therefore be a lot smarter (in real life that would be to knock out all the Party members, drink all the beer, and run away with the pretty woman that used to be in your party). Another important change is the number of monsters. There will no longer be masses of goblins attacking at once, but instead fewer and smarter monsters.
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In cooperation with Lyra Studios, makers of Underlight, an interesting and unusual MMORPG with a large and loyal fanbase, RPGDot is happy to be able to offer you an exclusive extended playtesting period of two months for our readers. Just click the link to read the easy steps how to get into that game. This offer is valid until the end of February, so take your chance and enjoy Underlight.
Here's something about the game:
Imagine a world whose focus was on internal technology, on developing and extending the mind. Progressing not through spear, bow, gun and missile, but through mental discipline, meditation, lucid dreaming and finally-conscious entry to the Dreamstate. Imagine a world where the mind is the supreme element.
This world is Cloudsbreak, a land of mist and forest set far from our earthly sphere. Though the people of Cloudsbreak live simply, farming the land in isolated groups, their mental powers are unmatched. Their highest pinnacle of mental discipline is known as the Awakening. The Awakening allows one to break through the veil of dreams and enter the Dreamstate fully conscious.
The Dreamstate is the universe of raw consciousness shared amongst untold dreaming souls. It is at once a part of our material universe and apart from it. All feeling creatures enter the Dreamstate in sleep-- it is the playground of the soul. For the Awakened of Cloudsbreak, dreams are as real as the waking world.
Long ago, the Originators, first to Awaken and enter the Dreamstate consciously, wrought the first city of dreams, Underlight. Fighting back the chaotic energy of the Dreamstate, they walled off the city from vengeful Nightmares, tortured souls that roam the Dreamstate.
Underlight quickly became the political, cultural, and social center of Cloudsbreak. For a thousand years Underlight grew, as the Awakening spread through Cloudsbreak. Discord marred the city, as factions warred over the nature of the Dreamstate, and who would ultimately control it. Underlight became a moral battleground, as legions of Knights fought to control the entry points to the city. These Dreamwrights created ever more potent arts, forging powerful artifacts to enhance their power and reach. Ultimately, a vast wave of unconscious energy was unleashed upon the city, leaving all in chaos. The learnings of a millenium vanished, powerful artifacts scattered.
Today, the City of Dreams lies in ruin. Foul Nightmares roam the land, threatening all. Those that remain must relearn the arts, and recapture the City of Dreams from the Nightmares that now corrupt it. The Awakened must find a way to rebuild Underlight, and restore it to its former glory. |
Gamespy has posted the sixth installment of their developer diary for Ultima Online - Lord Blackthorn's Revenge. This time, it is about mounts and riding, and here's a snip:
We have often said that the advantages of riding are too great. Why? A lot of fun is lost when you are forced to use a mount simply because walking is painfully inferior. In this case, you may not feel as if you are making an interesting choice when making the decision to ride a mount, and it is for this reason we are adding slight advantages to relying on a pair of sturdy boots instead of horseshoes, whether in combat or strolling across the landscape. For example, hurling a bolo that can potentially dismount a rider can only be thrown while on foot. Something we are considering is the capability to continue walking, but not run, when you are fatigued. However, if your mount becomes completely tired, it will not budge until it has regained some strength. Animals are stubborn, after all. |
Penny Arcrade has published a developer profile of David Chan from Bioware. Here's a bit:
In the middle of planning Neverwinter Nights, Baldur's Gate II: Throne of Bhaal kicked into high gear so Neverwinter Nights had to be moved down to low priority for me. On Baldur's Gate II: Throne of Bhaal my job was essentially the same as it was for Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn just on a smaller scale. After Baldur's Gate II: Throne of Bhaal shipped and some much needed holidays, I got back into Neverwinter Nights and that is what I have been working on since. Well, that and stuff that would force me to kill you if I told you about it, so I won't mention it.
In some ways Neverwinter Nights is actually bigger than Baldur's Gate because we have to not only plan for what we will be using in the single player game, but what the end users might want as well. This also means that I finally get a user-friendly sound implementation tool as well ;) Not that in-house tools are that bad, it's just that they are designed to get the job done without the spit and polish that a end user product like the Neverwinter Toolset gets. |
I've updated the site with some new Divine Divinity stuff.
First of all I've added a video as it was broadcasted by the Dutch/Belgian Canal+ in their Cyber program. It is part two, and for those who haven't seen part one yet, it can be downloaded on the same page right here.
Secondly I've scanned the preview from the German PC Games magazine and addeda rough translation to English of that article as it was done by Alrik Fassbauer.
You can find the result here, including the link to a video they made of the game. |
With an overall score of 80/100, the review of AC - Dark Majesty is a positive one. Gameraiders comes to this conclusion:
With a very difficult learning curve, Asheron’s Call: Dark Majesty may very well be too difficult for some people to play. The online only nature of the game could also be a turn off for some gamers. The choice is yours, but the game can be very rewarding for those that are willing to take the time to enjoy it. |
Over at Inside Mac Games, there's an interview witb Lineage's lead programmer Jake Song about this MMORPG. Here's something interesting:
IMG: Are there any other major changes planned for Lineage further down the road?
Jake Song: There will be another episode release (no 12) later this year or early next year. It will include more exciting changes which we'll be announcing as we get closer to that launch. Beyond that we do have big plans to upgrade Lineage which we'll be announcing very soon.
What makes Lineage unique is our ability to create and distribute free to our customers regular updates to the game. Our model is to continually give our customers new content at least 3-4 times every year. This has been a very successful model in Korea and Asia.
Quality content does not require a retail presence, but can be delivered via the internet for a quick, ever-changing product. Lineage offers this with unique gameplay and the opportunity to join in a successful online community. |
 Music Inspired by Middle Earth
Posted by Garrett @ 06:35 - Top
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I would like to draw your attention to a not so RPG related topic:
David Arkenstone, who, in cooperation with Westwoods in-house composer Frank Klepacki wrote the excellent score for Lands of Lore 2 & 3 has now released his Album Music inspired by Middle Earth.
Frank once said to me, that he would very much like to write the music for Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings Movies. As you may all know, it was Howard Shore, who got to do that, but David Arkenstone nevertheless produced his own Lord of the Rings Album. The tracks are very moody and go in the same direction as the Lands of Lore tracks. There's also one mp3 sample available in the link above... |
Jeff Vogel latest addition to his Grumpy Gamer Editorials over at CGOline covers the time a game lasts. While everybody complains, games are getting shorter and shorter, he takes an opposite apporach and says, there is no more time in today's world for long games (an experience I am making too):Or take Wizardry 8. This is a very good, old-school RPG. If you like RPGs, you should strongly consider buying it. And, since it had a very hard time getting to market, I hesitate to pick on it. However… it takes twice as long to finish as it should. Even with all of the speed toggles turned up, fights seem to take forever, and there are lots and lots of fights. There's a lot of fun in there, but there's a lot of padding too. |
| On the World of Gothic Boards, readers have scanned and posted the two screenshots that appeared in the German Printmags GameStar & PC Games (RPGDot reported). GameStar's pic is on the top of the thread, PC Games' on the bottom. Especially the second one is very well worth a look, even though the quality is not very good and the source pics in the magazines were rather small too. |
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