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Translation of Open Coffee Video.
Thanks to Mozi for videoing and translating the video into English. I created a new thread for this because they other open coffee thread was about a diffrent guy attending the event.
Ok here are the subs/translation for the video for you until I manage to incorporate them in the video.. pardon me the odd spelling error
1
00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:02,000
You made a mistake about my presentation
2
00:00:04,607 --> 00:00:08,607
We don't have 3 million users or 50 employees
We have 30 employees and ...
3
00:00:09,896 --> 00:00:11,896
...about the 3 million users,
4
00:00:13,135 --> 00:00:17,135
Once a journalist asked us how many people
were following the development of our game
5
00:00:19,974 --> 00:00:21,974
It's a video game...
we will say more about it later
6
00:00:25,450 --> 00:00:29,950
At the moment we have about 300k registered
users at our forums... in our beta...
7
00:00:32,362 --> 00:00:35,362
Who are actually trying to get to our beta
8
00:00:37,602 --> 00:00:41,602
Of course our system cannot support 300K users
simultaneously at this stage.
9
00:00:42,227 --> 00:00:44,227
Our product is going to be released
very soon
10
00:00:47,898 --> 00:00:49,898
Darkfall is our product
11
00:00:50,380 --> 00:00:52,380
A few moments ago there was an
image of it here.
12
00:00:55,558 --> 00:00:57,558
It's an online video game
13
00:00:59,799 --> 00:01:01,799
Online... that is, it is played
through the internet
14
00:01:02,630 --> 00:01:04,630
It's a virtual world
that we have created
15
00:01:04,872 --> 00:01:07,872
It is located in a server somewhere
in Germany
16
00:01:09,567 --> 00:01:13,567
Where each users
plays a role
17
00:01:15,419 --> 00:01:18,419
That is, he has a character that
enters this virtual world
18
00:01:19,060 --> 00:01:22,060
And every other character he meet
in there, is another user
19
00:01:22,927 --> 00:01:24,927
from a another place in the world
20
00:01:25,408 --> 00:01:27,408
So, I could be playing with people
from all over the world
21
00:01:29,081 --> 00:01:31,680
The most well known game of the
genre is World of Warcraft
22
00:01:32,861 --> 00:01:35,861
And if you haven't heard of it, you
probably are not familiar with the genre
23
00:01:38,659 --> 00:01:40,659
They have announced having
around 10.5 million users
24
00:01:41,367 --> 00:01:44,367
without knowing what exactly happens
in China, in Russia
25
00:01:45,898 --> 00:01:48,898
and in other countries for which
we don't have good statistics
26
00:01:49,305 --> 00:01:51,305
11.5 million users for a product,
27
00:01:51,927 --> 00:01:54,927
Up until then, the genre had
to show as the highest
28
00:01:55,885 --> 00:01:58,885
500k users, from a previous game
called Everquest
29
00:01:59,614 --> 00:02:02,114
And in Asia there was something
similar
30
00:02:04,275 --> 00:02:06,674
We started some 6 years ago
this effort
31
00:02:07,604 --> 00:02:10,905
which it had already been started
as a concept in Norway from 4 people
32
00:02:13,284 --> 00:02:15,284
We went to find them
33
00:02:15,749 --> 00:02:17,749
We brought them here in Greece
34
00:02:18,216 --> 00:02:20,216
We incorparated with them
35
00:02:22,607 --> 00:02:25,607
The interesting bit is that a small
company from Norway,
36
00:02:26,297 --> 00:02:28,297
as soon as it left the country there
were headlines about it
37
00:02:28,809 --> 00:02:30,809
In the biggest Norwegian newspaper
38
00:02:33,669 --> 00:02:35,669
I am mentioning this because if
something like that happend
39
00:02:36,525 --> 00:02:38,525
to a Greek company, noone would have
noticed
40
00:02:41,841 --> 00:02:43,841
So how did Darkfall start out?
41
00:02:44,411 --> 00:02:46,411
We went to Norway and brought the
company to Greee
42
00:02:47,430 --> 00:02:49,430
we added Greek technical staff
43
00:02:51,315 --> 00:02:54,315
We brought Greek scientists back
from abroad
44
00:02:57,391 --> 00:03:00,391
who were working in foreign
companies
45
00:03:00,966 --> 00:03:02,966
We brought the technical expertise,
and we 've been in development now
46
00:03:03,443 --> 00:03:06,443
for 6 years non stop
following a very serious pace
47
00:03:08,177 --> 00:03:11,177
Because all our competitors
follow serious paces
48
00:03:13,987 --> 00:03:16,487
All our technology is
transferable/re-usable
49
00:03:17,992 --> 00:03:19,992
We we can make more games with it
50
00:03:22,666 --> 00:03:24,666
Our philosophy was this.
51
00:03:27,310 --> 00:03:29,310
What is it that the users (gamers)
from these games want
52
00:03:30,585 --> 00:03:32,585
and it is not given to them
53
00:03:33,805 --> 00:03:36,805
We were playing these games
ourselves, that's why we know them
54
00:03:37,268 --> 00:03:39,268
So moved in the opposite direction.
We thought about what the users wanted
55
00:03:40,007 --> 00:03:43,007
what we wanted, and why it wasn't
happening and how it could happen
56
00:03:43,632 --> 00:03:45,632
When we saw that it wasn't happening
because at that time
57
00:03:46,185 --> 00:03:48,185
There wasn't the technology that
could allow such things
58
00:03:50,325 --> 00:03:52,325
We decided to develop the technology
ourselves
59
00:03:53,401 --> 00:03:55,401
Which in hindsight, was a very good
decision
60
00:03:56,351 --> 00:03:58,351
But we have doubted this decision
many times over the years
61
00:03:59,591 --> 00:04:02,591
.. we have been developing a video
game for 6 years now
62
00:04:06,146 --> 00:04:08,646
To get an ida of what we are talking
about
63
00:04:09,405 --> 00:04:11,405
Becuase you may not be familiar
with it
64
00:04:13,237 --> 00:04:15,237
..a small video..
65
00:04:36,401 --> 00:04:39,401
Every one you see here is a
character played by a user
66
00:04:41,437 --> 00:04:43,437
In this case of course, it is us
playing in the office
67
00:04:54,082 --> 00:04:56,082
As you can see, it is
medieval fantasy
68
00:04:56,263 --> 00:04:58,263
Q: Do play with only with other
users or also with the computer?
69
00:04:58,707 --> 00:05:00,707
Yes, yes, both among themselves and
the computer
70
00:05:01,573 --> 00:05:04,073
There are .. creatures in the game
they can face
71
00:05:10,020 --> 00:05:12,020
This is for you to get an idea
72
00:05:12,703 --> 00:05:14,703
It is a virtual world which in
size is something like a small country
73
00:05:17,172 --> 00:05:20,472
And it supports, this virtual world,
10K users simultaneously
74
00:05:22,770 --> 00:05:24,770
More actually, but we put this as a
safety limit
75
00:05:28,182 --> 00:05:30,182
So, imagine 10K users per virtual
world
76
00:05:30,969 --> 00:05:33,969
to enter it, to socialise, and...
do what you see here
77
00:05:36,086 --> 00:05:38,086
Q:In terms of hardware, what are
we talking about?
78
00:05:40,728 --> 00:05:43,728
We talking about lots of servers
79
00:05:44,721 --> 00:05:46,721
hundreds of proccessors...
in Germany
80
00:05:53,586 --> 00:05:55,586
Q: how many?
80, but times 8 proccessors
81
00:05:57,886 --> 00:05:59,886
To get a magnitude of the
processing power.
82
00:06:05,107 --> 00:06:07,107
It is enough to recreate a
virtual world
83
00:06:07,684 --> 00:06:10,083
Notice here the tree leaves
moving, and for every tree
84
00:06:10,520 --> 00:06:12,520
Lots of things going on, there
are million of objects
85
00:06:13,573 --> 00:06:15,573
tens of thousands of users
86
00:06:16,425 --> 00:06:18,425
this interaction you see here
87
00:06:19,880 --> 00:06:21,880
it requires a huge proccessing power
88
00:06:22,158 --> 00:06:24,158
Q: Is there as plot in the game?
Yes, there is one... but
89
00:06:24,797 --> 00:06:26,797
we are actually interested in...
90
00:06:27,274 --> 00:06:29,274
We call this a 'sandbox game'
meaning that...
91
00:06:30,352 --> 00:06:33,852
what we actually have made is
give the users a virtual world
92
00:06:34,592 --> 00:06:37,592
that provides them with a relatively
absolute freedom
93
00:06:38,104 --> 00:06:40,104
When I say 'relatively absolute'...
well you can't just do anything
94
00:06:40,703 --> 00:06:43,703
Whereas in other game there is a...
linear progression
95
00:06:44,375 --> 00:06:46,875
Meaning, you have to do there do
this, in order to progress
96
00:06:47,916 --> 00:06:50,916
You can't just move freely, which
annoyed us as players
97
00:06:52,796 --> 00:06:55,796
And we decided to make what we
actaully to play as gamers
98
00:06:57,155 --> 00:06:59,155
and thinking along those lines
99
00:06:59,544 --> 00:07:02,446
I think we have created something
unique
100
00:07:03,446 --> 00:07:05,844
Because a small company with zero
marketing budget
101
00:07:08,367 --> 00:07:10,769
which has at this movement million
of people following the game
102
00:07:12,519 --> 00:07:14,919
and we are being told we are the
most anticipated online game
103
00:07:14,998 --> 00:07:17,498
in the world
104
00:07:19,165 --> 00:07:21,165
Of course you could challenge that
105
00:07:21,588 --> 00:07:24,088
However, in every poll that is what
happens, from a large community
106
00:07:25,520 --> 00:07:27,520
That is quite an achievement
107
00:07:28,534 --> 00:07:31,534
And this is partly due to
the fact
108
00:07:33,735 --> 00:07:36,735
to provide what the users actually
wants
109
00:07:38,882 --> 00:07:40,882
(You have 2 more minutes for the
presentation)
110
00:07:42,701 --> 00:07:45,701
I will tell you then something which
can inspire you maybe
111
00:07:46,817 --> 00:07:49,717
Let's not talk just about the game
itself but also how it was created
112
00:07:50,900 --> 00:07:52,900
As we said we moved backwards,
what does the user want?
113
00:07:54,720 --> 00:07:57,020
We turned to the world market
from the start
114
00:07:57,614 --> 00:08:00,114
The Greek market only interests
because we are here
115
00:08:03,161 --> 00:08:06,161
The way in which we function is
to make the right partnerships
116
00:08:07,338 --> 00:08:09,338
but always based on what WE
want to do
117
00:08:09,628 --> 00:08:12,628
We had publishers coming to us
... large companies
118
00:08:13,825 --> 00:08:16,325
All have heard of them, that are
familiar with the genre
119
00:08:16,874 --> 00:08:18,874
Which have to told us
'Take this money, lots of it,
120
00:08:20,613 --> 00:08:22,613
we will take care of the publishing
for Europe, US, anywhwre..
121
00:08:23,168 --> 00:08:25,168
but we want you to do this thing'
122
00:08:26,217 --> 00:08:29,217
Which thing, it may not be
compatible with what WE want
123
00:08:30,759 --> 00:08:33,259
You may argue that we had the luxury
to do something like that
124
00:08:34,140 --> 00:08:36,140
No, actually we didn't
125
00:08:36,614 --> 00:08:38,614
and we have made lots of
sacrifices
126
00:08:39,272 --> 00:08:41,272
But we would have never made it
127
00:08:41,822 --> 00:08:44,322
if we couldn't make it as we
wanted, as we believed
128
00:08:45,584 --> 00:08:47,584
We have a partnership now with a
company, Audiovisual SA
129
00:08:50,082 --> 00:08:52,481
for the distribution of the game
in Europe
130
00:08:53,180 --> 00:08:55,180
With a deal which...
131
00:08:56,200 --> 00:08:58,200
was the deal that WE wanted
132
00:08:59,342 --> 00:09:01,342
We were looking and found a
company
133
00:09:01,905 --> 00:09:03,905
that was willing to accept our terms
134
00:09:05,010 --> 00:09:07,609
So we started from what the users
wanted
135
00:09:08,324 --> 00:09:10,324
Or rather, what they 'actually' want
136
00:09:12,108 --> 00:09:14,108
because there is a diffence between
what they want
137
00:09:14,783 --> 00:09:16,783
and what they think they want
138
00:09:18,186 --> 00:09:19,686
This is very important
139
00:09:20,203 --> 00:09:22,203
And, when someone tells you
'I want this'
140
00:09:24,362 --> 00:09:27,061
It doesn't neccessarily mean that
is what he really want
141
00:09:27,582 --> 00:09:29,582
In practice, there is often
a difference
142
00:09:30,817 --> 00:09:32,817
I could be talking all day but
143
00:09:37,883 --> 00:09:41,883
Q: What percentage from the company
are actually in the Board?
144
00:09:47,981 --> 00:09:51,981
We are 8 people in the Board from
the 30 people in the company
145
00:09:52,630 --> 00:09:54,630
and we are all actively
involved in the project
146
00:10:01,446 --> 00:10:04,946
Q: What will be the cost of the game
subscription?
147
00:10:07,245 --> 00:10:09,245
It's a bit lower that the
competition
148
00:10:12,437 --> 00:10:15,437
about 10 to 11 euroes
per month
149
00:10:16,627 --> 00:10:18,228
Q: And when is it being released?
150
00:10:18,691 --> 00:10:20,691
22nd of january is our launch date
151
00:10:21,608 --> 00:10:23,608
[They say something about a demo tha
Tasos hadn't time to prepare]
152
00:10:27,816 --> 00:10:29,816
Q: And where is the game being
launched?
153
00:10:31,881 --> 00:10:33,881
Worldwide. We are launching in
Europe with the US also taking part
154
00:10:41,016 --> 00:10:43,516
And we have seen that our game can
run problem-free from our tests
155
00:10:44,494 --> 00:10:47,494
Q: A large portion of your audience
is mad about WoW,
156
00:10:49,511 --> 00:10:53,511
why would a WoW player leave a game
he's been playing for years
157
00:10:54,218 --> 00:10:56,218
and come to you?
158
00:10:56,796 --> 00:10:59,796
We could be talking all day about
the things that make Darkfall unique.
159
00:11:01,203 --> 00:11:03,203
One thing is what I already
mentioned earlier about the company
160
00:11:04,884 --> 00:11:07,884
Another one is the level of
interaction we allow among our users
161
00:11:09,281 --> 00:11:11,281
that you cant find in WoW
162
00:11:14,947 --> 00:11:18,547
And let us not go into graphics
and users per server
163
00:11:24,495 --> 00:11:26,495
There is no doubt that WoW
is a great game
164
00:11:27,531 --> 00:11:29,531
But it's a different game
165
00:11:29,970 --> 00:11:31,970
We dont want WoW's users
166
00:11:32,588 --> 00:11:35,588
We want that part of the users which
are not covered by what WoW offers
167
00:11:36,093 --> 00:11:39,093
And they play WoW and say 'Why can't
I do this and that and that'
168
00:11:44,823 --> 00:11:48,823
Q:You mentioned something about 6
years development, Greek you brought
169
00:11:50,212 --> 00:11:52,712
from abroad, a company from Norway
.. and you are still in beta...
170
00:11:53,352 --> 00:11:55,352
how exactly....ehh..
171
00:11:55,968 --> 00:11:58,968
You mean, how we can justify all
these years, right?
172
00:12:02,157 --> 00:12:05,557
One of the hardest undertaking in
the computer industry, is video games
173
00:12:07,953 --> 00:12:11,453
And in video games, the hardest you
can make is this type of games
174
00:12:13,286 --> 00:12:16,286
We also made the technology from
scratch, which is re-usable
175
00:12:17,837 --> 00:12:21,038
If we had to make this game now, it
could only take us a couple of years
176
00:12:21,570 --> 00:12:23,070
assuming we had the same team
177
00:12:23,630 --> 00:12:25,230
We had less people ... than...
178
00:12:25,758 --> 00:12:28,258
Some large companies have
around 300 people
179
00:12:29,844 --> 00:12:32,044
To produce some similar, or rather
not even something like that
180
00:12:32,557 --> 00:12:36,057
80 million euroes budget and an
additional 80 for marketing
181
00:12:38,027 --> 00:12:40,027
Q: My question is how did you get
fundng, even if it was for 2 persons,
182
00:12:40,988 --> 00:12:42,988
even for 2 people working for
6 years....
183
00:12:44,036 --> 00:12:46,036
Yes, the budget we had to work with
was..... END OF BATTERY!!!!
Comments
Much more of the same.
I think he said 300k people signed up for the beta.
Does anyone else think this was more 'fishing for funds' rather than market the game? I mean, the people he was talking to had no idea what MMORPGs are... it's like they had no clue online multi-player games exist.
At least he confirmed Jan 22nd. Nothing else really new. Who was he talking to? Maybe they weren't all fans so he had to fill them in on all the general information.
Your mind is like a parachute, it's only useful when it's open.
Don't forget, you can use the block function on trolls.
Well, I'm sure we're all relieved that Tasos knows what it is we "really" want, since we obviously don't know ourselves. And here I thought I wanted a feature-rich game that looked good and ran smoothly... guess it's lucky Darkfall is here to cure me of that delusion!
so, they have a 640 processor cluster running Darkfall. that is pretty damn impressive.
wonder what type of SAN they are using.
Thanks for posting this over here at MMORPG.Com. I thought about it, but figure no evidence will ever quiet the Vaporware crowd that exists on this forum.
I am hoping that it came off sounding better than that in it's original language.
It was kinda brutal to read that and imagine it came from a hi-level Dev. of MMO that you are anticipating. I'm sure that he was trying to be very basic for his audience as well.
I couldn't really tell what the purpose of the event was? Anyone else able to figure out the gist of it? He went into a lot of backgroud info about the company itself, and that DarkFall was highly anticipated with a lot of followers (I noticed one time he did say million).
101
00:07:08,367 --> 00:07:10,769
which has at this movement million
of people following the game
So, why go into all that unless you're looking for some money? Anyway, that is what it seemed like to me. Also didn't the person who filmed this say that after the event that a lady from Chase... don't remember for sure... came up to him after the event?
If they get extra money... great for them. Tasos is doing his job then.
8
00:00:37,602 --> 00:00:41,602
Of course our system cannot support 300K users
simultaneously at this stage.
They explicitly stated that there are no 300k users in Beta right now. Since he said himself their system can't support 300k Users at this time.
Of course, this begs the question of why that is the case, since Darkfall was ready to launch in december supposedly.
P.S.: As some people already said, it seems they will go for a small/regulated start of the game, which makes sense for a small company like this.
Which Final Fantasy Character Are You?
Final Fantasy 7
What evidence?? This is just words.
What's even more amazing is that people are reporting getting between 200-300 ping from this supposed setup.
Now that's some killer network coding work.
This game has failure written all over it.
What evidence?? This is just words.
Point proven.
Well, I'm sure we're all relieved that Tasos knows what it is we "really" want, since we obviously don't know ourselves. And here I thought I wanted a feature-rich game that looked good and ran smoothly... guess it's lucky Darkfall is here to cure me of that delusion!
Remember he's talking to thick people here.
I think that what he was talking about there, is what happened with UO and Trammel. When someone died and lost their stuff, they'd cry and whine for changes, right? But, that's not what they really want. Look at what happened to UO when Trammel was introduced.
He knows exactly what an MMO player wants (or atleast what I want), and that is the freedom to do whatever the f*ck you like, even though it can be frustrating at times, this is what we really want.
Ofcourse some people may completely disagree with this post, either because they're fairly new to the genre, or they got absolutely wrecked back in UO. But remember, this is the point of the MMO genre, a persistant, free world. Not games of 10v10 capture the flag with swords and spells, under the name of an MMO. Because their is nothing "Massively Multiplayer" about instancing, and limitations to everything.
EDIT: Just thought I'd add this, you could say that Tasos is talking from passion. He has a passion for MMOs, and probably hates to look at the modern MMO, and see what this genre has become.
_________
Currently playing: Black Desert Korea (Waiting for EU)
Always hating on instances in MMOs! Open worlds, open PvP, territory control and housing please. More persistence, more fun.
This sounds a lot more like a 5 minute presentation pitch to potential investors with no knowledge of the MMO industry, then the sort of pre launch promotional event one would expect for a feature complete ready to release game to me.
He "confirmed" Aventurines official company commitment to launch within 2008, and announced open beta was scheduled to end in early December last year at similar Greek events.
So far with under 2 weeks left till the 22nd I don't see how his confirmations this year are necessary any more trustworthy then the last.
I like this bit:
"All our technology is transferable/re-usable, We we can make more games with it"
So if Darkfall does not work out for Aventurine presumably they can always try again and start making another game.
Tasos thinks he has a unique game that has millions of people interested in it and its the most highly anticipated MMO title, and he claims large companies have offered Aventurine lots of money and publishing deals but they have turned them down.
Im highly skeptical of those claims to say the least.
The most important part is when they talked about how they had all these big publishers offering to publish their game worldwide and give them money...
.... but only if they changed certain things.
The fact that such a small company with such little money said "No", because they had a vision for the game and wouldn't be "bought out" like so many other companies out there, has them earning my highest esteem of respect.
Respect doesn't pay the bills. This whole game and developer gives me the impression of a very elaborate magic show with lots of smoke, mirrors, and pulling flowers out of their sleeve with a grand flourish to the rabid applause of 3 guys sitting in the audience.
Launch on the 22nd. Open beta a week before. No sign of any way to purchase the game (or is it going to be free?) Sounds like a mess.
To bad they did not do this over Dinner and a few too many Beer's.
Velika: City of Wheels: Among the mortal races, the humans were the only one that never built cities or great empires; a curse laid upon them by their creator, Gidd, forced them to wander as nomads for twenty centuries...
What will be next, a presentation in a Kidergarden? ROFL
duno if its tasos himself or the translation but lots of this doesn't make sense, in english anyway.
My blog:
We know that Aventurine went to at least one game convention back few years where they did show the game to potential customers (there was the Deyth article etc). They did claim all the time that they do not want to sell the game to company which wants to control them. And they (the shareholders) know that they will be filthy rich if they pull this through and get 300k customers. I fail to see what is so magical that so many people here think they are bullshitting us about jumping into arms of SOE and co.
80 servers of 10000 simultaneous players.
thats expecting at least 800,000 players assuming the limit will be 10k characters a server. bit hopeful imo.
how does 8 quad core processors per server compare to other mmo servers, it sounds leet.
My blog:
That is my favorite part of the speech along with the part about having 0 dollars for marketing. Diffrent FTW?
Especially seeing as they themselves say they can't support 300k users at the moment. -.-
Which Final Fantasy Character Are You?
Final Fantasy 7
Tasos just got busted:
http://localglobe.blogspot.com/2007/02/opencoffee-club.html
OpenCoffee Club
What is it?
This is an attempt to establish recognized, open and regular meeting places where entrepreneurs can meet with investors (and anyone else who fancies coming along) in a totally informal setting.
Tasos is still looking for investors for his feature complete ready to launch game 2 weeks from release!
Well, I'm sure we're all relieved that Tasos knows what it is we "really" want, since we obviously don't know ourselves. And here I thought I wanted a feature-rich game that looked good and ran smoothly... guess it's lucky Darkfall is here to cure me of that delusion!
This whole forum, and this specific game forum's activity is the result of one thing. MMO company bosses waking up one day and saying "Hey, let's give the bigger part of the community what it says it wants! That's how business works, right guys?"
To fight the horde, singing and crying: Valhalla, I am coming!
On we sweep with threshing oar, our only goal will be the western shore."
Did you ever think they are looking for investors for NA launch? Or maybe just looking for more investors period? Do you think companies gain investors only before thier product is released?