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Feature List
(80% is completed, except for the evolution part)
Landscape
The Xsyon starting world is a scaled version of the Lake Tahoe Basin which spans the California – Nevada border.
Terrain is based on US Geological Survey data.
Speed Tree 5.1
Speed Grass 4.
Reflective and refractive rivers, lakes and waterfalls.
Players can build roads, clear, level, raise and lower terrain.
120 sq km starting playing field, gradually expanding to a 1200 sq km area and beyond.
Resources
Players rely heavily on natural and found resources: lumber from trees, leather from animals, grass, scrap materials and rare objects of the lost modern civilization.
Constantly changing resources can be renewed or depleted.
Availability dependent on season and weather conditions.
Resources can be claimed by tribes.
A large variety of resources with individual properties. Different woods, cloths and metals have properties that affect crafted items.
Scavenged items such as books can introduce knowledge of new crafts and skills.
Environment
The realistic environment in Xsyon is not simply visual. It can affect resources, quests, objects, creature behavior and player actions.
Four seasons: Winter, Spring, Summer, Fall.
Realistic sun path and shadows.
Realistic moon cycle and moonlight.
Volumetric and dynamic layered cloud system.
Night sky with an accurate star map and constellations.
Accumulating snow.
Weather effects: Rain, Snow, Hail, Sleet.
Terrain surface affects movement.
Creatures react to adverse and favorable weather.
Weather conditions affect player actions and item durability.
Character
Character development is pivotal to Xsyon. Unlike many game worlds where a character develops from a weakling to a god, Xsyon characters start off as heroes, above average in stats but inexperienced, unskilled and lacking knowledge.
Customizable body, face and hair system.
Characters visibly gain or lose weight and muscle.
Characters age visibly. Ageing affects character statistics.
Statistics increase or decrease based on actions, experience injuries and age.
Skill based system. Skills increase and decrease based on actions and experience.
Experience is gained for most player actions, not only combat, but crafting, questing, gathering and social activities.
Levels gained will give additional points for the character to boost skills and statistics. These are in addition to normal action based skill and statistic gains and reflect what a character would be doing when not actively being played.
Characters possess eight different gauges that affect the performance outcome of actions: Health, Faith, Energy, Adrenaline, Hunger, Thirst, Encumbrance and Comfort.
Character actions are tracked for Good, Evil, Law, Chaos, Karma and Luck. These factors affect creature reactions, town status, reputation and skills.
Basic Actions
The character can perform many basic physical actions as well as gain specific skill based actions. Most actions are dependant on a combination of player statistics, skill and current status.
Basic movements include forward, backward, strafing.
Variable run and sprint speeds based on many factors.
Swimming ability and speed are based on skill, stats, type of armor and clothing worn and encumbrance.
Different swim strokes are available based on skill.
Basic actions include gathering, scavenging, digging, sneaking, hiding and chopping trees.
Movement is based on the character’s skill and statistics.
Movement is affected by terrain slope and surface.
Movement is affected by the character’s encumbrance and current state.
Weight and bulk limits make the player have to decide what to carry and what to leave behind.
Nearly 50 different emotes for the character to express himself.
Flexible camera system allows for players to view and record their actions from many different points of view.
Skills
Players start the game with a selected set of skills. They gain new skills by learning from other players or by uncovering knowledge in books from the past.
Skills increase with use.
Skills decrease over time if not used.
Skills can be maintained and increased by using experience points.
Skills are affected by many external factors.
Many actions are dependant on several skills.
Skill increase is dependant on the character’s current level of similar skills.
Over 50 skills in Combat, Physical Actions, Trade Skills, Crafts and Resource Gathering.
Crafts
Everything in the world can be crafted and destroyed. Craftsmen can find new patterns, recipes and blueprints, learn from other players or gain knowledge through inspiration.
Characters craft tools, weapons, armor and equipment.
Characters build buildings and clear roads.
Eight basic levels of craftsmanship, from Novice to Grand Master.
Inspiration allows characters to gain crafting patterns similar to those already known, without the needs to find these or learn them from other players.
Supreme Master level of craftsmanship for those characters whose achievements top their peers.
Characters achieving the Supreme Master level of craftsmanship work with the Xsyon team to introduce a crafted item of their own design.
Patterns require a minimum skill level, but most are available to mid level craftsmen.
Craftsmen are limited to the number of patterns they learn, gaining the ability to add more patterns to their knowledge base as they advance.
Different craftsmen of the same skill level will typically have a different set of patterns in their arsenal.
Object quality and durability depends on materials used and the craftsman’s skill.
Craftsmen depend on tools and supplies from other craftsmen.
As they advance, craftsmen gain the abilities to repair, reinforce and improve objects.
Armor
Xsyon is not a gear based game. A wide range of armor parts are available and the player selects armor based on play style and appearance more than how stats are affected.
Part based armor system. All parts can be crafted and customized.
Layered armor system for many possible combinations.
Armor bulk and material affects player comfort, speed and actions.
Variable armor quality and durability for the same armor type.
Armor parts can be enhanced.
Weapon types versus armor types.
Dyeing of armor parts allows for thousands of different looks.
Objects
By scavenging the world, characters will discover over a thousand different types of objects. All objects serve some function, even if it’s not readily apparent.
Found objects can be sorted for material and color
Skilled scavengers have a greater chance of uncovering rare and useful items
Discarded objects can be found by later scavengers or picked up and used by creatures
Different areas yield different found objects
Objects degrade and decay with use and the ravages of weather and time
Creatures
Xsyon is populated with player humans and non player undead, animals and mutants. Creatures can be hunted or become the hunter.
No set creature spawns or re-spawns. Animals multiply based on the current creature population. Undead never truly die, or do they?
Creatures gain experience and power, potentially evolving into legendary beings.
Creatures can overrun areas or be depleted.
Creatures gravitate towards different areas based on mood and weather.
Creatures can be tamed and ridden.
Creatures driven to the outer reaches of the world mutate.
Creatures possess realistic loot. If you see armor or a weapon on a creature you can take it. Animals can be carved up for raw materials.
Creatures are a primary resource for crafters.
Communication
Communication between players is key to the Xsyon world. Characters have many ways to interact and communicate at their disposal.
General chat based on hearing range.
Whisper directed to specific players within range.
Town and player group chat channels.
Town message boards where players can post announcements.
Town markets where players can place auctions, items for sale or trade and want ads.
Town mail boxes where players can send items and private messages.
Combat
Combat combines manual targeting and clicking with the final blow success based on the many factors – statistics, skills, weapon type, defense skills, armor and the opponents stance.
Skill and statistic based combat.
Manual targeting, affected by abilities.
Manual defense tactics including dodging, parrying and blocking.
Body part targeting for critical attacks.
Weapon types versus armor types.
Combat specialty moves gained through experience.
Combat modes for sparring, training and dueling.
Tribes
The most important aspect of the Xsyon world is it’s tribal mechanics. Players rely on their home town or tribe for survival and success.
Players become registered members of a tribe. 10 players or more must come together to form a town.
As towns increase in membership, they can claim more land and gain town abilities.
Player owned protected housing.
Player owned protected storage.
Hierarchical political system for towns.
Bonuses to stats and skills when in native town.
Bonuses to stats and skills for town leaders.
Town leaders have special abilities to assign quests and perform leadership actions.
Towns serve as centers for quests, trade, crafting, storage and interaction.
Player honor lists will keep records of player achievements.
Tribes can choose tribal colors and emblems to be displayed in tribal clothing, banners and flags.
Quests
Quests are assigned from one player to another using the quest system. Tribal chiefs and leaders will have the ability to assign specific quests. Quests are posted at town totems so that players can obtain and complete quests without requiring the quest giver to be online. Types of quests include:
Delivery of goods.
Delivery of mail.
Bodyguard.
Hunting.
Gathering.
Bounty Hunter.
Achievement.
Exploration.
Tribal Quest – Guard.
Tribal Quest – Patrol.
Tribal Quest – Defeat enemies.
Timed contests and events.
Economy
The economy is entirely player run. It relies heavily on players to gather resources, craft necessary items and trade. Players can barter or buy and sell using local currency.
Town and individual bank accounts.
Towns can impose taxes.
Town quartermaster can collect resources and goods.
Player run shops and auctions.
Players post want ads to increase demand.
Resources can be controlled and destroyed to reduce supply.
Trade between individuals and towns.
Evolution
Xsyon is constantly evolving. During the Prelude, characters start off as simple hunters, gatherers and scavengers. As societies will advance new features will become available to the larger, more civilized tribes and towns. These features will include:
Agriculture.
Evolved cooking. Character created recipes.
Animal breeding and pets.
Trade with tribes beyond the impenetrable mist.
Armor decoration system which can indicate achievements and status.
New weapons, armor and tools.
Religion.
The Unknown
The full features of the Xsyon online game world will never be fully disclosed. Part of the fun in playing is discovering the unknown. New features, skills, objects and creatures will typically be discovered in game before they are officially announced. A few hints to spark the minds of new Xsyon players:
When and where you craft might be just as important as what you craft.
Specialization leads to inspiration.
One man’s trash is another man’s treasure.
Two minds are better than one.
The world is changing, keep exploring.
Developer Answered Questions:
cpuser asks:
On Xsyon's official release date, currently April 15, 2010, will ALL of the features listed on the Features Page be in the game or will some of the items be added at a later date?
Xsyon Developer Responds:
All the features listed will be available on the Prelude launch date.
The exception is the section titled: Evolution. Those features will spring up during the Prelude this summer.
inferno3387 asks:
Does the game include a latency/ping meter?
Xsyon Developer Responds:
Yes, we have this.
Bartillo asks:
Well As I understand the game will launch with one server.. Where will it be located? eastern europe? western europe? NA? China? lol.
Just would like to know what my ping will be like from NA.
Virtus (Community Manager) responds:
Chicago, IL
to find out your ping roughly:
Start > run > type cmd > type ping www.xsyon.com
This will roughly tell you what you in game ping might be. I don't know how accurate it will be but it will give you a general idea.
inferno3387 asks:
What is the IRC login information?
Virtus (Community Manager) responds:
irc.darkmyst.org
port: 6667
or you can use xsyon.com/chat
Stofio asks:
How long has this game been in development?
With an April 15th Launch date i was just curious.. especially considering i never heard about this game until today (thanks to a forum post on MMORPG)
Xsyon Developer Responds:
Yes, about 2 1/2 years in development though it took about 6 months to solidify the current team and a lot of the work during the first few months was scrapped.
The intial game was designed as "Apocalypse" over 10 years ago.
Sique asks:
Will player characters ever die or have to be "retired" due to age? If so what sort of system is in place to deal with that? Will a retired character give some of his knowledge to offspring in the form of alternate characters or will there be no need to ever worry about death or "retirement"?
Xsyon Dev Response:
Yes, they will, but it's going to be a while before players need to worry about that.
Characters currently age at the rate of 1 year per real time month.
Prelude characters will start off relatively young. They are a new generation, the offspring of Apocalypse survivors.
Game time in relation to real time is something that we are open to changing. Any opinions here? Would you prefer characters to age quickly or slowly? How many real time game years would be reasonable for you to reach a ripe old age and die?
inferno3387 asks:
How long is the life span after this apocalypse?
Xsyon Developer Responds:
This depends on how you play the game, but in general players can live close to 100 years.
beachtoke asks:
Will the world be our canvass to build on? Will there be ways to claim ownership of land, and build walls and lock doors to protect valuables?
Xsyon Developer Responds:
Yes. Tribes can claim more land as they grow. Walls can be built to protect villages.
beachtoke asks:
We'll be able to rotate buildables?
Xsyon Developer Responds:
Yes. Walls can be rotated only to cardinal compass points and snap to a grid for proper alignment, while other buildings can be rotated freely.
Cradlejoe asks:
Xsyon, will we be able to lock and unlock houses and if yes, will we be able to burgle them?
Xsyon Developer Responds:
This is something still in development, so the short answer for now is 'no'.
aurickle asks:
Another question is, how customizable is the interface?
Xsyon Developer Responds:
Interface elements can be moved around and they do snap to a grid.
They can't be currently scaled, but it's possible in the future.
About skins, this is possible but we'd need to set things up a bit differently to make skinning easier. We'll likely do this in the future.
aurickle asks:
A great example of why I ask for scaling is Allods Online, which doesn't have this feature. I play on a 30" screen, and really don't need my health bar to be 6" long
Xsyon Developer Responds:
Ah, I see. Our interface elements stay the same size in pixels, so if you run the game in high resolution, the elements are smaller in relation to the screen.
Derek asks:
Will there be magic in the game?
Xsyon Developer Responds:
There is no magic in the Prelude. This is a planned evolution as the world expands.
Palo god asks:
Will we be able to combine different time themes such as Viking armor and weapons with more modern technology as the game progresses? Like mixing new technology with past themes or mixing past themes together to create new unique themes?
Virtus (Community Manager) responds:
As Xsyon grows diffrent regions around the world will open up. I'm not 100% sure but I believe each culture will have access to otehr cultures so Someone from Africa could get to america and share religions and cultures and technologies.
Don't quote me on that but I think i remember reading that.
Palo god asks:
When fighting can we dismember parts of our enemy while fighting? And if we can will those cut off parts become lootable items that we can pick up and put in our inventory(like a trophy)? Also, if dismemberment is possible and a body part is lost during a fight will it have long term effects on a player?
Virtus (Community Manager) responds:
Dismemberment will not be in the game.
NearlyDeparted asks:
I would like to see an explorer given the chance to setup a camp where anyone who happens upon it while the explorer has it setup can do crafting or cooking, barter supplies, rest with the peace of mind that someone is watching guard.
Time limited camp, maybe various types of camps you can create based on the items you have salvaged. Possible be able to add your part to the camp to make it a better camp with more to offer, like a hunter or gatherer type character could add something to the camp that an explorer wouldn't be able to.
Its something I mentioned during the beta of another post-apoc mmo, don't think they ever gave it one thought.
Xsyon Developer Responds:
I like this idea. A temporary camp would be useful, though not safe.
Players can already put together a small makeshift camp fire anywhere. I think we can design a few very simple tents that can be carried.
We'll see, but most likely, yes!
Skitzi asks:
Has there been any word if the future chapters will be free with the subscription or need to be purchased as expansions?
Xsyon Developer Responds:
Future expansions will be free to current players.
Kaldor says:
Discovery has become a lost art in gaming.
Xsyon Developer Responds:
Yes! This is exactly why I will be deliberately vague about some upcoming features and exact game mechanics.
One thing that kills most mass-market games for me is the lack of discovery. You can look up all stats, quest details and even exactly how to run a fight or what's the best PVP strategy and build, and if you don't look these things up the game becomes more tedious not more fun.
We'd like players to feel the excitement of uncovering a new resource or strange lost object and wondering what they can do with it. Bringing this resource to the right craftsman can spark an 'inspiration'.
Sure, over time as players discover what combination sparks a certain 'inspiration' what was once a product of imagination can become commonplace, much like a real life invention.
So our goal is to constantly add things to the game that are not just more of the same, but suprising things that can be discovered.
Redus asks:
Well I am an pack animal myself and enjoy playing games with groups. I found that playing Wurms Online alone was also rather fun, while time consuming it did has some satisfaction to even do the smallest task by yourself and see you build a small deed all up by yourself. Find your own mine, terraform your own land, farm your own food etc.
A discussion with is similar to this is being discussed here and in this thread we already concluded you can not set up a temporary camp.
However is it possible for a player, without a tribe, to create a small camp, small farm (after we get there though evolution ), etc to sustain himself and how "easy" would that be to do? In Wurm Online it was relatively easy, while it was hard work it was possible to even as a new player go out and do it and maintain every building, fence and farm to sub stain one person.
Xsyon Developer Responds:
I'm taking this into consideration. Right now the world is based around tribes.
In the future I can see where we can evolve the game to allow for this: individuals having alliances with tribes, paying for protection or simply finding a very remote spot to comfortably live as a hermit.
I can imagine a solo player building a camp and making a deal with the evil tribes so that they leave him alone in exchange for goods and services.
Or maybe a player with high level skills will be valuable enough for everyone that others will let him be.
These are the kind of questions I like to read to help us decide how the game will evolve in the future.
We'll see!
Kole asks:
Is it designed around tribes because of its all built around the 10+ people requirement, or because build takes a lot of resources & effort?
Xsyon Developer Responds:
Both, and primarily because this is a community based game.
I can imagine in the future with well established towns that Xsyon will appeal more to the solo player who can come in and see the existing community as a backdrop for adventures, but the Prelude is mostly about building communities in a new world.
Baldur asks:
1) How will buildings be dealt with. Enterable by anyone, or 'private'. Furthermore, are there planned storage containers in houses? Can you give 'access' to more players?
2) Will lore be an integral part of the game? How will it be revealed to us? Are players, and tribes, taking an active role in the development of the world through RP?
3) Is currency lootable? Bankable? Banks?
4) Melee, magic, archery... which ones?
5) Will skills go from 1-99, a la Darkfall and RV?
Xsyon Developer Responds:
1) Buildings have different access levels. You can share access with friends.
Storage containers can be kept in buildings.
2) Lore isn't very developed for the Prelude, but we have some interesting plans for this...
3) Currency is lootable. We will have banks in the near future.
4) Melee. Evolving to archery, soon. Evolving to magic in the future.
5) Skills go to a master level of 100. Beyond that, you can keep building your skill but it becomes very difficult.
Baldur asks:
If you die by an NPC will they steal some of your loot? Especially humanoid NPCs? Also do you need to go back to where you died to get the loot and will it just be lootable by anyone?
Xsyon Developer Responds:
NPCs currently don't currently steal loot, though it's something I've thought about and possible in the future.
When you die there is a limited time for looting. What's not looted will be on you when you revive. Friends can help you by quickly looting important items if you don't want your enemies to get to them.
Uzik asks:
Should we be expecting Mortal Online pitch black without a torch, or WoW style magic torches that always light up your area?
I love the concept of having to work lighting into combat strategies but know this would turn off a lot of casuals if you need to carry a torch while hunting at night.
Xsyon Developer Responds:
Moon light varies based on the moon's cycle. In general the darkness isn't pitch black, especially near the lake where the water is reflective.
inferno3387 asks:
Please tell us that night time will not be this dark
Xsyon Developer Responds:
It's definitely never that dark.
Fiku asks:
So which views will be available?
Xsyon Developer Responds:
Third Person view is the view of choice (at least my personal choice), but the game can be played in either view.
Zendru asks:
1) Is there a limit on how many people can join a tribe?
2) Can tribe villages be destroyed?
3) Also, can you have multiple tribe leaders?
Xsyon Developer Responds:
1) No
2) This will be up for discussion. The plan is yes, but the final implementation is something I want to discuss with our player community.
3) There are multiple positions within a tribe, but not multiple leaders. Larger tribes will have more available positions (assistant chiefs etc.)
Darkrounge asks:
1) Will it be possible to have official tribes as well?
Official as in new player spawn points.
2) Top flagged tribe/best tribe.
Xsyon Developer Responds:
1) New player spawn points will be near the existing tribal village of the player's choice.
There will also be spawn locations not near any village for those that plan to spawn and build their own tribe.
Before any villages are built, the player can choose to spawn in one of four different locations.
2) Interesting idea. Possibly we can place World Totems where players can view overall world information about tribes in general. I'll think about this. I like it.
JCatano asks:
Sneaking up on someone will be pointless if there is 3rd person.
Xsyon Developer Responds:
When sneaking you are invisible to players that can't 'perceive' you.
Basically for some players you will be invisible, for others you might be part visible which means you are successful in hiding from a distance, but not up close.
Vessol asks:
I'd love an alignment system that made PKs rare and actually badass and the hardest of the hardcore, not well, everybody. Like it was in UO. PKing is boring when everyone and their sister is doing it.
Xsyon Developer Responds:
Yes, this is the goal and if things don't seem balanced enough at first, we will adjust the system to achieve this goal.
Edaw22 asks:
1) What forms of combat are there in prelude and in the future?
For example, we have seen that there is melee type combat, will there be Ranged including but not limited to; Bows and crossbows, Guns and magic? and will there be mounted combat?
2) How does melee combat feel in game?
3) What is the current control system for combat in the game? (Click to swing, parry buttons, dodging, equipping weapons etc) and will there be duel wielding?
Xyson Developer Responds:
1) Melee and ranged for the Prelude. In the future, other options are planned.
2) Slower and tactical. With bows you will have to actually aim.
3) Keys for left and right attacks (that answers the dual wielding question). You can set the mouse for these attack as well, but we're still working on how this might conflict with camera controls.
Additional keys (for example Alt) are used for manual dodging / parrying.
The character is set to attack only the selected target, but you must be within close range for melee attacks. Direction of attacks is taken into consideration.
When in combat, the character is in 'combat mode'. This limits your movement speed somewhat so that you can't run circles around a player.
Edaw22 asks:
1) How will banking work?
2) 2) The features list speaks of skill decay through lack of use. In addition to this will there be a Hardcap or Softcap on the number of skills a player may raise?
3) Is it likely we will see Ships and/or land vehicles (Chariots, carts, carriages) upon or after release?
4) Will there be NPC guards for player tribal cities/villages?
Currently no. There is a planned system for the future, but again I can't reveal the details until they are implemented.
5) Is PvP ENTIRELY open or are there some areas in the game where it is not possible to attack others?
6) How many players will be able to play at the same time per server?
7) And finally, how many servers do you intend to have and will there be a US/Oceanic server upon release?
Xsyon Developer Responds:
1) There will be safe, local tribal banks.
2) It's a soft cap as you described.
3) In the early Prelude no. As for the future I'm not going to announce these types of features unless I am sure they will make it into the game.
4) Currently no. There is a planned system for the future, but again I can't reveal the details until they are implemented.
5) In the early Prelude you will be safe in town.
6) The game is designed for a few thousand and as we expand we plan to have new areas on separate servers, not copies of the same world.
7) We have one main US server. We have a second server ready in case we need it, but our current plan is to use it as a test world as we continue to add features.
Grimskeggr asks:
Would characters be able to move between these servers?
(referring to Xsyon dev saying "The game is designed for a few thousand and as we expand we plan to have new areas on separate servers, not copies of the same world."
Xsyon Developer Responds:
Absolutely yes.
In order to avoid all players moving to a new area, we plan to always expand to several new areas at once.
bigworm asks:
Can you build dams to lure wildlife, fish, etc?
Xsyon Developer Responds:
It's not possible right now to build dams. We tried this but the system was getting too complicated for now. It's definitely something we will return to in the future.
Xsyon Developer on PVP:
A few people have posted questions regarding PVP and death in Xsyon. I will explain the system a little more.PVP is open, but it has severe consequences.
Players can choose to fight in different combat modes: to the death or to unconsciousness. (I'd love to say 'to the pain' but that's not quite right).
In the Prelude, technically neither results in actual death.
As religion enters the game during the prelude there will be forms of permanent death as well as resurrection but the details about this will be given later.
In the Prelude:
Unconsciousness results in very minor skill loss and in general the victor will be allowed to loot an item of choice as a reward for a fight well fought.
Death results in some stat and skill loss and allows the victor to fully loot the player. This is not without complications and consequences for the victor.
- Carrying capacity is limited, so fully looting another player will not be practical.
- A dead or unconscious player can be looted by friends as well as enemies. Friends have the loot advantage by having a quick button to rescue select loot from a fellow player. The advantage is to players that fight in groups and players that know when to pack up and flee from a losing battle.
- Killing or looting a person that is not in an enemy tribe will cause severe reputation loss with the other tribe and within your own tribe.
And there’s more…
When tribes are formed an overall tribe alignment is chosen. Players in a good or neutral tribe will automatically become outcasts if they ‘gank’ a good or neutral player of a non enemy tribe.
Players from an evil tribe are free to loot and pillage and will gain reputation within their own tribe for doing so, but they will also be vulnerable to attacks from all players who will be able to attack evil players without negative consequences. Players in good or neutral tribes will be allowed to put bounty quests on known evil players. In essence, if a tribe chooses to be evil they become the ‘monsters’ of the world.
Tribes can choose different levels of diplomacy with each other.
Players from friendly or allied tribes can fight each other, but only to unconsciousness and without looting capability.
Players from rival tribes can fight each other to unconsciousness with partial loot to the victor. Potentially the amount of looting can be agreed upon by rival tribes. (Setting the amount of looting is not currently implemented, but it’s something I am considering).
Players from enemy tribes at war can fight to the death with full looting (Potentially tribe leaders can come to a looting agreement for this as well).
Tribal leaders can set what actions are acceptable by their tribe members, in effect determining the laws within each tribe. Even an evil tribe may have a set of lows for its members to follow in order to maintain civil trade and exchange with other tribes.
Two good tribes can not become enemies, they can become rivals at worst.
Breaking the rules agreed upon by your tribes is possible but will result in a warning. If you proceed to act after the warning, your character is set to full evil mode and your reputation, alignment and karma consequences will be severe.
But that’s not all….
A primary worry for players is that they will loose their gear or loot. Keep in mind that in Xsyon all armor and weapons can be crafted and are thus replaceable.
Regarding death by age, this will not occur in the Prelude. By the time any characters will age enough to reach a natural death there will be several (and I think very interesting) methods to deal with permanent death without character loss.
Xsyon Developer on expansions:
Slow expansion over time, with new chapters every 6 months to a year is the plan, depending on the content of the expansion.
We're hoping to expand to other parts of the world, with all new building and creature types. Those would be yearly expansions.
Xsyon Developer on terraforming and trees:
Replanting trees is planned to be introduced along with agriculture this summer.
Currently players can build roads, raise and lower terrain, clear the ground and chop down trees.
Cleared ground and trees will tend to come back naturally over time.
There is currently no tunnel building, though it's something we'd like to add.
Leiros asks:
Will it be possible to build bridges across rivers and streams? and if so, would this fall under the road building feature?
Xsyon Developer Responds:
Yes, an it comes under the architecture skill.
Grimskeggr asks:
Any hooch in this game? Brewing? Visual effects for being sloshed?
Xsyon Developer Responds:
This will be introduced this summer. The visual and character effects are ready, but the crafting and ingredients for booze aren't set up yet.
I might throw in some bottles of 100 year old scotch though for scavengers to find.
Xsyon Developer responds to questions about a preview video:
At this point, the plan is to let players make gameplay videos, for several reasons.
1) Saves us time. We're a small team and right now the main concerns are to keep improving the game features, ironing out bugs and get you guys playing.
2) It probably sounds strange, but we don't want or need more hype. We're building a nice small community right now and that's exactly what we want for the Prelude.
3) As mentioned above, a developer made video might not reflect real gameplay. I think it's just inevitable if I turn some artists loose on making game videos they will make them as nice as possible and we do have flexible camera views to do so. Also, we are more familiar with the game.
Player made videos are good in my opinion as they will reflect more what the first time player sees.
Xsyon Developer on Full/Partial in-game nudity:
No full nudity.
I personally wouldn't mind it, but it's not worth the customer support hassles.
I worked on one game where some customers complained about artwork for a nude statue not yet implemented in the game. It was simply in the art folders.
Palo god asks:
Will we have to eat food periodically to survive? Or will it just be something to help our toons heal?
Xsyon Developer Responds:
You will have to eat, but it shouldn't be tedious (if people find it tedious we'll adjust the rates).
When you're logged off it's assumed your character is eating and sleeping normally, so there will be no offline hunger building up.
Cooking is a skill, but it's simple right now. We will develop this further as time goes on.
Vassago asks:
1) How are resources claimed exactly? Which kind of resources are claimable?
2) How is digging and chopping done?
3) "Realistic moon cycle and moonlight."
I hope by realistic you are not refering to a 24h cycle like in real life.
4) Why levels if character development is skill based?
5) "- General chat based on hearing range.
- Whisper directed to specific players within range."
Q: You do realize that a sandbox mmorpg is fully dependent of its community.
6) "Body part targeting for critical attacks."
Q:How sure are you that the server can manage this and Xsyon won't turn into an unplayable "lagfest" ?
7) Very interesting quest system, although I fear this can be easily exploitable. What kind of rewards do we receive for completing those quests? If those rewards are given by the system what prevents the players from creating thousands of intantly completable quests? If rewards are "payed" by the player creating the quest what is the deference of that from the advertisement trade boards?
8) I read on the forums that with religion comes Permanent Death chances. Any chance for details on that? Permanent Death is something very few players look for in a mmorpg, so I think this can't be a feature "to be revealed later on"...
9) How can you assure us that this game is in a playable condition with all listed features included and can handle thousands of players like it is supposed to on a mmorpg?
Are you planing any open beta testing before release?
Are you planing any trials?
Xsyon Developer Responds:
1) Ground resources, trees and later mines and farms within a tribe's radius of influence will be accessible only to tribe members or allies with permission. Others will be flagged as stealing if they gather resources without permission.
With walls, tribes will be able to further block out intruders by walling off resource areas.
2) Chop down any tree. There is no mining at the moment, but other resources can be gathered from the ground basically anywhere, not in specific nodes.
3) This refers to the moon following a natural cycle in terms of position and whether it is full moon, half moon etc. Time is currently set at 8 game years in one real year.
4) Levels gives an additional skill boost so players can maintain or build a few skills without having to repeatedly use them. It is meant to reflect what the character is doing while offline. It's not a major boost in skill, just additional skill points.
5) Thanks for catching that. That's a mistake. Whispers are not based on range. Neither are the tribe or individual group chat channels. Only general chat is range based.
6) If it does, we adjust the system. The goal here is to create a fun community based game. Adjusting the details if we encounter problems is part of our plan.
7) Rewards are given by the quest giver. Experience is set by the system. There are checks in place to prevent exploiting, but of course if I give details players will try to figure out ways around them.
8) Permanent death will be an option and it will have it's rewards. As it's not part of the Prelude, that's all I can say about it right now. If a player is dead set (pun intended) against permanent death they don't need to worry about this feature.
9) We've performed closed beta testing and are looking only for a small community right now.
Trials will be available after the release.
Skepticism is understandable given what other companies have done with their game releases. We've deliberately under hyped the game and we're currently all working around the clock to make sure everything is in before April 15th. For assurement you can wait and see what the pre-order players say when they are let in.
Comments
What is Xsyon?
Xsyon is a massively multiplayer online role playing game (MMORPG), an online community, a virtual world and an adventure.
Set in the near future, Xsyon is an apocalyptic fable. The world draws its inspiration from history, mythology, and prophecies of the Apocalypse. Most aspects of modern life are now gone. The leaders of the new world, under the guidance of the reinvigorated once forgotten gods, have hidden traces of the scientific progress that led to the devastation of the earth. Modern vehicles, weapons, appliances, computer and even the books that describe these things are practically nowhere to be found.
The world will be released in a series of installments. Each release will further expand the online world to locations across the planet. the myths, beliefs and culture of these locations, both past and present will augment the Xsyon experience, as new skills, crafts, artifacts, creatures and landscapes are introduced. The storyline will advance based on the prophetic revelations and the players settlers of Xsyon who influence and determine the current state of the world.
Xsyon is Dynamic:
Xsyon is an ever changing dynamic world. Players affect the environment by gathering resources, chopping down trees, hunting animals, building towns and developing trade. Players hold the power to create and destroy, to maintain a balance with nature or to cultivate a new civilization.
The game is built around environmental, natural, economic, questing, and social systems. These systems are in constant flux and it's the players interacting with these systems that determine the current state of the virtual world.
Xsyon is Educational:
Xsyon is a fantasy world, but is heavily based on reality. Set in an uncertain apocalyptic future, the virtual world draws upon real life geography, history, science and medicine, fauna and geology are slightly twisted versions of what is real. Whether you are ascertaining which wood is sturdy enough for construction and which is flexible enough for a bow, gathering information on the local geography or uncovering historical facts and trivia, there is always something new and real you can learn from the Xsyon world.
Xsyon is Flexible:
As a player, explorer and settler of this new virtual world you have many choices. You can play as a warrior, a trader, a crafter, or a cultivator of crops. You can specialize your skills or become a jack of all trades. You can play as a clan leader or town offical, socially involved with many other players, or you can explore the world as a lone adventurer. Xsyon is a game for all kinds of players from casual to hard core. The path you take is up to you.
Xsyon is Fun:
Whether you are a first day scavenger or a grizzled veteran, Xsyon should be fun. Players begin with a decent set of statistics rather than evolve from a weakling to a super human. You enter the world inexperienced and lacking skill, with strengths and weaknesses, but still as a hero. Rather than grind levels to reach predictable goals, Xsyon is based on change, interactions and consequences. As new quests, lands and features are constantly introduced, there is always something new for you to discover.
Xsyon is Unique:
By combining elements of different game genres and social worlds and by blurring the line between fantasy and reality we have created a unique online world. We hope you will find the Xsyon experience fresh, enjoyable, rewarding and full of surprises.
Explore, learn, make friends and enjoy! Are you with us?
What is the Prelude?
The Prelude is a limited first release of the Xsyon virtual world. An isolated basin surrounded by mountains in a future American wilderness serves as a launching point for the ever expanding world. This setting provides a pristine environment for players to develop a new world.
During the Prelude, Xsyon will continuously evolve and expand. Denizens will uncover remnants of lost technology, discover new crafts and skills and encounter new creatures. A deadly fog which surrounds the basin will slowly recede to expose new lands, more affected and ravaged by the ongoing apocalypse.
The players of the Prelude begin as scavengers, hunters and gatherers. By uniting as clans and building towns, they will cultivate civilizations, establish trade, forge alliances and develop enmities. They lay the foundations for future generations of Xsyon dwellers.
Join us now in the Prelude and help determine the future of Xsyon!
Developers
Jordi Grau Davis
Jordi Grau Davis (that's me) studied for many years, earning Bachelor degrees in Archaeology and Architecture from the University of California Berkeley and a Master's degree in Architecture from Harvard University, only to leave it all behind for video games in 1994.
I founded two game graphics companies, Vector Graphics and Future Primitive and have been in the game industry for 15 years. Through these companies I fulfilled contracts with Sony, Sega, Mindscape, Microprose, Virgin Interactive, Raven Soft, Hewlett Packard, Worlds Inc. and many other clients culminating with a publishing deal with Electronic Arts with only a four person team.
As Future Primitive was disbanded, I continued working as both an artist and a programmer for several small independent projects for companies including Autodesk and Hurricane Electric, the latest being an online world Roma Victor which was released to the public in July of 2006.
I founded Notorious Games LLC in 2007 with the intention of creating a unique virtual game world, the game I’ve been wanting to play since I first sat at a computer, Xsyon.
Aleksey Egoshin
Aleksey Egoshin is a versatile designer and artist from Novosibirsk, Russia. From 2004 to 2007 he created characters for the game Refuze at Multisoft in Novosibirsk. His interests include history, armor, weaponry and hand to hand combat.
Aleksey designs armor, weapons and buildings for the game and creates models, textures, terrain surfaces and interface artwork.
Dmitriy Chernov
Dmitriy Chernov is a highly talented 3D modeler and texture artist from Novosibirsk, Russia. He earned his degree in physics from Novosibirsk State University. Immediately after he spent 5 years working with Crioland in Novosibirsk on the game Zavtra Voina (Tomorrow War).
Dmitriy is our lead armor modeler and texturer. He also works on creature design and execution and various other modeling and texturing tasks.
Evgeniy Myasnikov
Evgeniy Myasnikov is a proficient 3D Max animator from Novosibirsk, Russia. He studied at the Novosibirsk College of Information Science and also worked as the lead animator for Crioland on the Tomorrow War project.
Evgeniy is our lead animator working on all animations from basic human and creature movements to funky dance moves.
Filipp Pavlov
Filipp Pavlov is a lead programmer for the Xsyon world. He studied accelerator physics and programming in the US and in Russia. As lead programmer at Crioland, he programmed many aspects of the game Tomorrow War from game logic to special effects.
Filipp is our lead graphics programmer and works on a multitude of programming tasks for both the client and the server, playing a major role in developing the Xsyon engines.
Ilia Pantyhov
Ilia Pantyhov is an exceptional traditional artist from Novosibirsk, Russia. He has created concept art for various game projects including “Tomorrow War” (Zavtra Voina). His goal is to create fantastic characters and scenarios.
Ilia designs armor sets and creates models, textures and interface artwork.
Jamie Eckmier
Jamie Eckmier was a founding member of the game graphics company Future Primitive. With degrees in Architecture from the University of California Berkeley and Harvard and working as both a game artist and a programmer. He has worked on many games as a manager, artist and programmer.
Jamie assists with game design and programming.
Julio Rincon
Julio Rincon is an accomplished musician and business partner of Mauricio Grau Ribes. Together they have worked on commercial music projects for film and television for the past 10 years.
Julio composes and records thematic music for the game.
Ekaterina Andreeva
Ekaterina Andreeva is an outstanding texture artist from Novosibirsk, Russia. She earn her degree in Mathematics and Computer Science from NSTU (Novosibirsk State Technical University). She worked as a designer, both as a lead 3D designer at Multisoft and on many freelance projects.
Ekaterina works primarily on creature and object texture and also assist with 3D modeling and animation.
Maurici Grau Ribes
Maurici Grau Ribes is from Barcelona, now living in Villanova i la Geltru near Sitges on the coast of Spain. He is an amazing professional musician and classical piano instructor for the past 10 years. He has been working since 1997 as an advertising company musician and has recently become interested in 3D worlds and game art.
Maurici is in charge of sound and music in the game, also assisting with art direction, organization and modeling.
Pepe Davis
Pepe Davis earned his Bachelor’s degree in engineering from the University of California Berkeley and his PhD from the University of California Los Angeles. He has worked for years as an engineer in various roles from fiber optics design, directing quality management, and running a small consulting firm.
Pepe assists with project management, business planning and program design.
Yuri Vinokurov
Yuri Vinokurov earned his diploma in radio engineering, electronics and physics from NSTU (Novosibirsk State Technical University) in Novosibirsk, Russia. He worked as a modeler, animator and art director for Multisoft, a multimedia and game development team in Novosibirsk, Russia, and has worked on many freelance projects involving 3D art.
Yuri is our lead object modeler and environmental artist.
Additional Developers
Aleksey Serbyakov : programmer
Evgeniy Yurjev: artist
Iulian Cebotari: artist
Mauricio Rivera: artist
Rich Bates: website
Sloan Venables: programmer
Yulia Khavkonova: asset organization
-MrDDT
Wow, that's almost everything we know in 1 post, haha.
Thanks for the good rep from this post. i will try to update it every time a Xsyon dev answers a question.
Thanks for gathering everything into one post. It will be interesting to see what kind of reviews Prelude players give it.
Current: None
Played: WoW, CoX, SWG, LotRO, EVE, AoC, VG, CO, Ryzom, DF, WAR
Tried: Lineage2, Dofus, EQ2, CoS, FE, UO, Wurm, Wakfu
Future: The Repopulation, ArcheAge, Black Desert, EQN
the feature list looks amazing hopefully they can deliver can't wait to see a gameplay video!
The answers seem pretty honest...
I am not very fond of the death by age feature though. I would rather age while gaining titles like The Yellabelly , The Experienced , The Veteran , The Ancient..ect but not die from aging. People get attached to their characters.
The first screenshot looks fake like the models were moved into position but the rest look real enough.
Whether I preorder or not will be based off of the video .. If it shows an indepth look at many features and combat then the guys at Xsyon will be 40$ richer.
But I do have a question.. Whats with the terrain editing and such? Something like that could lead to alot of not so nice happenings. Anyways.. Say I build me a house somewhere .. Can someone come along and make the house impossible to reach / get into by lowering / raising the terrain?
How long does it take to change the terrain?
Will there be an " access level " radius around houses and towns?
Just things I am concerned about.
Part of that is going to be worked out Im sure overtime, plus I dont think its as easy as you think to terraform the area =P
I will see if we can get that answer though from the forums.
-MrDDT
I dont think you can build or terraform land your tribe does not control... So dont think anyone can grief you by digging up your house unless they are in your own tribe.
What is curiously (to me) missing from all this info and features is the full PVP element of the game which really is a large part of how the gameplay will be. Why this is not touted as a main feature I do not know. Seems almost hidden. I had to dig for the info a little.
My understanding that there will be some penatlies for PK although some will of course go that direction.
My understanding is also that when you are killed you can be looted.
All this may work out very well or not. I really do not know.
I elect to wait until this is out a few months and will check on it then. IMO have just seen it not work well in other games and am gunshy. If it does work this game will have more other elements than any other game with full on PVP that I have seen. If not it will go the way of the others.
This game has PVP in it, but its not PVP focus. Its sandbox focus. Meaning you are more like building and living in a world to do stuff in. PVP is part of what that world has to offer.
As does being a trader, crafter, leader, city builder, explorer etc.
This isnt like most games you see where you go to find a new area and it has quests there you do.
You go to a new area, and you make it your own. You and your tribe can choose to build here, raid it, trade with the people that live there, or attack them and be mean. Or you can help them build up or maybe clear an area away.
Maybe find new things for your gear, so you can go to other places and trade that gear with that tribe.
The players themselves make up some of the quests in this game. If a town needs say more wood to build up its temple, it the tribe leader can offer a reward for a player to gather that wood.
If a town has a problem with bandits (players or NPCs) it can make a quest to offer a reward for clearing them out.
PVP will be a major part of the game, but dont think it will be like the only part or PVP first everything second.
Its Sandbox first, PVP is just part of that.
-MrDDT
I could not want to play this game any more than I do now.
If it is 40% of what they claim, it will still be fantastic.
My only concern is, yes, there are a hand full of screenshots and some promising information on their website, I would love to see the actual game, say, in a video.
I do not feel like this is much to ask. If the game is 80% complete as they say a two minute quick video of ingame, even if not showcasing much, would at least prove that there is something there.
I personally believe it unfair to ask for preorders with no proof of product what so ever.
A video should be appearing within a week or 2. Currently the Dev's main focus is the game.
I agree that the developer seems to be pretty honest in his answers and doesn't seem to be playing anything up. Still leery based on that unbelievably expansive feature list, no video, and sudden appearance, but I really am hoping this pans out well.
Thank you for the very swift response, I greatly appreciate that.
And of course the priority should be the game.
I look forward to seeing the video then pre ordering.
We are all waiting for that, tell Jooky to hurry up!
Game sound interesting. A lot of features from old games that made them good along with lots of new features to make it a new game and not some rehash. On the feature list: I can believe most of it for one reason...they are focusing on a relatively small area and not trying to push a mega world out at the start. This gives them more time to focus on interesting and good content over a small area rather than bland and boring content over a huge area. At least that is how I read it. I will take small and interesting over Huge and bland any day. More than likely I will give this game a try.
Agree, not that many people will be playing at the beginning, I would rather them work on features than a huge empty world (opposite of what MO did)
This game has PVP in it, but its not PVP focus. Its sandbox focus. Meaning you are more like building and living in a world to do stuff in. PVP is part of what that world has to offer.
As does being a trader, crafter, leader, city builder, explorer etc.
This isnt like most games you see where you go to find a new area and it has quests there you do.
You go to a new area, and you make it your own. You and your tribe can choose to build here, raid it, trade with the people that live there, or attack them and be mean. Or you can help them build up or maybe clear an area away.
Maybe find new things for your gear, so you can go to other places and trade that gear with that tribe.
The players themselves make up some of the quests in this game. If a town needs say more wood to build up its temple, it the tribe leader can offer a reward for a player to gather that wood.
If a town has a problem with bandits (players or NPCs) it can make a quest to offer a reward for clearing them out.
PVP will be a major part of the game, but dont think it will be like the only part or PVP first everything second.
Its Sandbox first, PVP is just part of that.
if there is pvp in it, ppl will always make PvP the main focus....other than the PvP loved the feature list, like a civilization MMO :P
There will be some rules for pvp, not mindless zergs.
I viewed a few pictures and if my avatar is able to wear a pair of jeans with a shovel as weapon then it's a big + in my book
If there was a kudos feature in this thread, you'd earn +1. That being said, this is a lot of great information. One of the biggest upsets about Xsyon (Besides "How do you pronounce it?") is the lack of information. Seemingly coming out of nowhere, this game bolsters a feature list 3 miles long, a hand full of developers, and a vision that is similar to the ravings of a madman.
This puts a lot of my worries to rest, but the nagging feeling that there's something not right with this game still rides my heels.
~Miles "Tails" Prower out! Catch me if you can!
Come Join us at www.globalequestria.com - Meet other fans of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic!
That feature list is crazy.
2 1/2 years development?
Kind of crazy.
Playing: Rift, LotRO
Waiting on: GW2, BP
Tbh, this seems too good to be true. Call me a bitter MMO vet, but I have seen this before (Dark&Light anyone?) and indeed this "Prelude" (aka paid beta) reminds me of the infamous "Settlers of Ganareth" scheme.
I'd very much hope, this game flies and with even 60% of the promised features I would very probably play it.
But this industry made me doubting thomas.
I think I have to agree with this sentiment. I'm so sick of all the bright, shiny, glowy crap and games which try to give you badass looking or cool looking equipment and weapons right from the start that I would find it refreshing if I had to live in tattered rags and use an old pitchfork or a crowbar as a weapon for a while.
I don't know how things will be in this game exactly...just saying.
Totally agree with you, I did the Dark and Light thing, and it was crap. All I can say is wait a while and see. There is more info there just not released yet.
Wait for videos and game play to come out the next month.
BTW I got my money back from Dark and light just by selling the account to someone for 10$ more than I paid. So worked out.
-MrDDT