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The Camelot Vault has conducted an interview with Mythic's Matt Firor, the producer of 'Dark Age of Camelot' about the expansion pack ('Shrouded Isles') for the original game.
Here's a bit:Camelot Vault: Of all the new features being introduced, is there a specific one that has not received a lot of attention that you believe will be a big hit with the community?
Matt Firor: I'm glad you asked - one feature that we haven't talked about too much yet is our new advanced monster AI. In the early stages, we weren't sure what we could accomplish with overhauling the AI, so we haven't released many details. Now that we are well on our way to completion, we can start to talk about what we're doing with AI. Basically, one of the most common complaints of online RPG players is that monster hunting simply isn't challenging enough - so we're trying to break some new ground with the Shrouded Isles monster AI.
Some quick examples of advanced AI - we have monsters that use lower level monsters to "lure" unsuspecting players into encounters while the higher level ones hide. Halfway through the encounter, the higher level monsters ambush the players. We also have monsters that can shape-change to look like friendly players - they then try to pass themselves off as a player character, until they reveal their "true" form and attack. In one Hibernian expansion area, there is a procession of Sylvan that perform a ritual to "re-seed" the land by throwing magic dust in a lake, from which sprout small treant seedlings. This is a friendly event; however, this ritual is often attacked by Fomorian monsters; the player character can protect the ritual if they wish. In one part of the Albion expansion area, there are two keeps in close proximity to one another - one is manned by Avalonian guards, but the other has been taken over by Drakoran forces. Once in a while, when the Drakoran fortress is at full strength, the Drakoran pour out of their keep and attack the Avalonian keep. Players are encouraged to join the battle.
One of the many reasons why we're using this AI is to let the player take part in events that are unfolding throughout the expansion areas. Another is to mix up the routine monster fighting that players immerse themselves in during normal gameplay - to throw them some curves from time to time. In the expansion, you won't always find monster camps in the same place all the time - sometimes monster camps, upon reaching full strength, migrate to another area, or split into two groups with one group moving around to find another place to call home. It's definitely not always the "same old, same old" hunting experience. |
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DAoC: Shrouded Isles - Interview @ Camelot Vault
