Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen | Catching Up on the Past Year | MMORPG

SBFord · August 2015

Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen | Catching Up on the Past Year | MMORPG

On Tuesday night I caught up with two of the team members from Visionary Realms. Creative Director for Pantheon Rise of the Fallen Chris Perkin and Director of Communications Benjamin de la Durantaye. Read on to see what the two of them had to say about what Visionary Realms has been up to for the past 12 months.

Read the full story here

Wizardry · August 2015

Well it is a nice hello how are you article,it tells me nothing really.

It is nice he can work on the art and music and stuff but what is the game doing what is the information that matters to us the gamer?

I only need to know the basics to know of the game is worth waiting for. Example ...I myself and the entire market does NOT need another auto generated game world with linear questing.We already have a plethora of those games,so does this game really bring something new to the table or is it going to be same old different skin?

Is it multi class or altaholic,is it a tree system or skill system.Do levels at any point in the game carry any meaning or yet another Wow clone with meaningless levels.That type of design is all aimed at some fake end game that really only comes off as a repeating loot dungeon finder.

Point being does the game have meaning,do players have a role in the world or is it just race through levels to get to yet another end game?

goozmania · August 2015

I think it is a mistake to not have group instances. That was an evolution of grouping mechanics, designed to solve a massive problem that existed within Everquest. EQ2 had a completely masterful solution, where there were instances within contested dungeons. To me it seems like a great idea to have a huge contested Solusek's Eye, with dozens of dangerous and viable camps for full groups, or even partial groups... but then... in the depths, for those strong enough, an instance that took a group through the fire goblin castle; and another that took a raid party through the fire giant castle, all the way to Nagafen.

Elmberry · August 2015

I think it's great that the game will only have few instances. However I would prefer if the game had none. I am so tired of all MMOs with instances. It's a game where you will not rush to end game. It will also take some effort to reach max level.

This is a must buy game for me. It's the only MMO I actually looks forward to.

Zandil · August 2015

September is coming

Joppa · August 2015

Wizardry said:

Well it is a nice hello how are you article,it tells me nothing really.
It is nice he can work on the art and music and stuff but what is the game doing what is the information that matters to us the gamer?
I only need to know the basics to know of the game is worth waiting for. Example ...I myself and the entire market does NOT need another auto generated game world with linear questing.We already have a plethora of those games,so does this game really bring something new to the table or is it going to be same old different skin?
Is it multi class or altaholic,is it a tree system or skill system.Do levels at any point in the game carry any meaning or yet another Wow clone with meaningless levels.That type of design is all aimed at some fake end game that really only comes off as a repeating loot dungeon finder.
Point being does the game have meaning,do players have a role in the world or is it just race through levels to get to yet another end game?

Hey Wizardry,

Thanks for the comment.

This interview is simply this: Visionary Realms and MMORPG.com shaking hands after a year or so, and an opportunity for us to share a general overview of the state of the studio and state of the game.

The info you're looking for, and much more, will be coming with our September update.

goboygo · August 2015

Wizardry said:

Well it is a nice hello how are you article,it tells me nothing really.
It is nice he can work on the art and music and stuff but what is the game doing what is the information that matters to us the gamer?
I only need to know the basics to know of the game is worth waiting for. Example ...I myself and the entire market does NOT need another auto generated game world with linear questing.We already have a plethora of those games,so does this game really bring something new to the table or is it going to be same old different skin?
Is it multi class or altaholic,is it a tree system or skill system.Do levels at any point in the game carry any meaning or yet another Wow clone with meaningless levels.That type of design is all aimed at some fake end game that really only comes off as a repeating loot dungeon finder.
Point being does the game have meaning,do players have a role in the world or is it just race through levels to get to yet another end game?

I see, you want to know every possible thing there is know about a game in one interview, got it. I think you missed the whole part about this game not wanting to be an open book during development, the whole part about creating anticipation and unknowns. Why should it matter to you while the game is still in early development? Why cant you or others just be happy with what they are willing to divulge and wait a year or two when they are ready to crack the lid open a bit with an alpha or beta. No, you don't have a right to know everything they are doing. Be happy with what you call a meet and greet, but apparently I got far more out of this interview then you.

ste2000 · August 2015

Joppa, you do know that by starving the fanbase of news for so long translates in people getting extremely high expectation for your next "Jesus update"?
I really hope that all this wait is worth and doesn't backfire.
There are lots of expectations for Pantheon.
The kickstarted campaign failed because it was half assed, I really hope your next update is not going to repeat the same mistakes.

Buccaneer · August 2015

I'm really looking forward to September's update but the one thing that jumped out of the article was your statement you are bringing camping back. I'm sick and tired of the quest grind, it will be refreshing to do a bit of old fashioned camping with like minded individuals. I'm glad you are going to have a few instances for the solo content and it appears you are going to use them wisely to progress and tell quests/stories which I can appreciated. It's also good to hear you are standing by your vision and keeping all the group content in the open world.

Tyvolus4 · August 2015

cant wait for this game. instances ruined MMOs...for me at least.

[Deleted User] · August 2015

The user and all related content has been deleted.

Talonsin · August 2015

Elmberry said:

I think it's great that the game will only have few instances. However I would prefer if the game had none. I am so tired of all MMOs with instances. It's a game where you will not rush to end game. It will also take some effort to reach max level. This is a must buy game for me. It's the only MMO I actually looks forward to.

In todays player-heavy game space, instancing solved a big issue with camping. Personally, if I had to choose between instancing and camping, I would go with instancing all the time. I remember how bad camping was in SWG, if there was any kind of a decent drop, it was camped with at least 5 people 24/7. Geonosian complex, camped! Bat cave with mod drops, camped! Holocron drop mob, CAMPED!

YashaX · August 2015

Sounds great.

Just wondered if anyone could clarify this comment "We have an opportunity to make a game that does camping well."

Anyone know what specific mechanics/ideas the devs have in mind to do camping well?

Cendharia · August 2015

Looking forward to getting to the stage of testing....Onward Pantheon

Charlie.Cheswick · August 2015

Hot damn! I said hot damn!

Rattenmann · August 2015

goozmania said:

I think it is a mistake to not have group instances. That was an evolution of grouping mechanics, designed to solve a massive problem that existed within Everquest.

And this is why Pantheon is targeted at people like me. I don't see a "massive problem" that needed fixing. Actually i do see a massive problem that is the result of a fix to an issue that never existed.

The moment dungeons went "instanced" the genre died. This might sound overly dramatic, sure. But think about it. What differs a MMO from a single RPG or small scale flash games? Scale. The possibility to meet new people and the need to work on your reputation with players, not just mobs.

Instances (and dungeon finders later on) removed the need to talk to other people, even if grouped. It removed the need to be nice to eachother. It removed the chance to meet new people, or at least reduced it by A LOT.

What is left? A RPG that feels small in scale and the Nr 1 reason to actually play a MMO vanished: Socialization. Don't like socialization? Why play a genre that is all about that?!

YashaX · August 2015

Rattenmann said:

goozmania said:

I think it is a mistake to not have group instances. That was an evolution of grouping mechanics, designed to solve a massive problem that existed within Everquest.

And this is why Pantheon is targeted at people like me. I don't see a "massive problem" that needed fixing. Actually i do see a massive problem that is the result of a fix to an issue that never existed.

The moment dungeons went "instanced" the genre died. This might sound overly dramatic, sure. But think about it. What differs a MMO from a single RPG or small scale flash games? Scale. The possibility to meet new people and the need to work on your reputation with players, not just mobs.

Instances (and dungeon finders later on) removed the need to talk to other people, even if grouped. It removed the need to be nice to eachother. It removed the chance to meet new people, or at least reduced it by A LOT.

What is left? A RPG that feels small in scale and the Nr 1 reason to actually play a MMO vanished: Socialization. Don't like socialization? Why play a genre that is all about that?!

There is definitely room to have an mmo with no group instances. Not saying one method is better than the other, but it does change the way a game feels. There are potential issues with camping etc; will be interesting to see have these are addressed.

Elmberry · August 2015

Talonsin said:

Elmberry said:

I think it's great that the game will only have few instances. However I would prefer if the game had none. I am so tired of all MMOs with instances. It's a game where you will not rush to end game. It will also take some effort to reach max level. This is a must buy game for me. It's the only MMO I actually looks forward to.

In todays player-heavy game space, instancing solved a big issue with camping. Personally, if I had to choose between instancing and camping, I would go with instancing all the time. I remember how bad camping was in SWG, if there was any kind of a decent drop, it was camped with at least 5 people 24/7. Geonosian complex, camped! Bat cave with mod drops, camped! Holocron drop mob, CAMPED!

This game will be focused around PvE. To make the game interresting and fun, it needs to have some competition, which creates desires among players, just like in WoW which have PvP, and by having no instances the competition will be about the resources (the loot).

Vorthanion · August 2015

The problem is that only guilds and power gamers are rewarded with games designed for open world camping. Not only is loot locked away behind a camping wall, but so is most of the worthwhile content. Dynamic spawns, high spawn rates, phasing, instancing, forced rotations and allowing other mobs the ability to drop good loot with less frequency than a named mob, helps with this problem. I like open worlds, but I despise having to deal with asshats who block loot and content and I despise developers who encourage that kind of negative behavior, especially with no consequences.

Clywd · August 2015

@Vorthanion I am sorry for you. You will never have the ability to compete with power gamers. Only if really everything is handed to every player on a silver tablet - but what is it worth then? Why even try to get it? I am pretty sure that the pantheon team has thought about the content blocking issue, at least i understood that from the interview. Looking forward to learn more about that system. And i am looking forward to exp-camps and the chats while sitting together in a corner and waiting for the puller

kjempff · August 2015

Vorthanion said:

The problem is that only guilds and power gamers are rewarded with games designed for open world camping. Not only is loot locked away behind a camping wall, but so is most of the worthwhile content. Dynamic spawns, high spawn rates, phasing, instancing, forced rotations and allowing other mobs the ability to drop good loot with less frequency than a named mob, helps with this problem. I like open worlds, but I despise having to deal with asshats who block loot and content and I despise developers who encourage that kind of negative behavior, especially with no consequences.

Loot that is easy to get hold no value, not as currency but more important neither as feeling of accomplishment. This is the essence of why current mmo's are boring and bland, nothing means anything to players. So, there is only one cure, make stuff matter again, and that is only done by making it requiring efford to get. Dynamic spawns - yes very much in favor, moar rng concepts like .. less static loot tables, random stats on drops (d2 style), etc. High spawn rates - no, that defies the idea of loot mattering and being hard to obtain. Phasing - only necessary in heavy story based games, which Pantheon hopefully is not. Instancing - I am fine with it as a means of allowing for procedural generated adventure, but with some kind of lockout timer system as to avoid heavy farming, or other measures. Forced rotations - I bloody hate them in p99 and progression, it goes against the game ideas. Players blocking content needs to be handled by the game, by providing enough content, enough randomness or other means of dispersing the problem. Other mobs having a chance to drop great loot - yes a small chance, Rngesus lives.

xanier · August 2015

Been supporting this game since kickstarter. Very much looking forward to Sept and um.... the new webby? Some of us would still love to continue to help support financially.

LacedOpium · August 2015

While I appreciate many, if not most, of the old school game play features and functions Pantheon is proposing, they need to be careful in their implementation so as not to include some of the changes that innovated the genre. Camping, non-instance game play, and no LFG/LFD tools game play features sound good in concept, but in reality there is a reason why those game play features were phased out and eventually done away with.

At the time, the choices for gaming were very few so we all put up with the inconveniences and pushed forward regardless of the bore and frustration these game play functions bestowed upon us. Nowadays, the choices and alternatives are many. Most of us may come and reminisce about how it was, but we will not remain once our memories are refreshed regarding the inconveniences and frustrations that are mainstays with camping, non-instanced game play, and non LFG/LFD tools. If Pantheon's developers want to release a successful game, they need to do their homework and be careful and realistic regarding the evolution of the genre as it pertains to the majority of the current player's needs and demographics.

Neanderthal · August 2015

I have mixed feelings about this game, assuming it actually gets made. I like some of what they want to do but on the other hand competing over prime camps can be a huge pain in the butt. If anyone doubts this just go play on the Project 1999 server. But....I absolutely hate being led around by quests so I would take the camping model over that.

But the thing that basically makes me write this game off as something to avoid is the likely nature of the end-game. Brad has always had this thing about massive (and long) raids. It seems to me his philosophy is that if a person can't do four or five 10 hour raid sessions with 60 other people each week and doesn't like being a peon in a massive guild then they don't deserve to have any way to progress in the end-game. I don't know if he has changed his thinking any but I remember his posts in which he said that people who couldn't do that sort of end-game or who simply didn't want to didn't deserve to progress past a certain point. I also remember him saying that the not-so-hardcore players who couldn't participate in the end-game would still be happy getting vicarious satisfaction by hearing about the stuff the hardcore types where doing and the scrubs would be thrilled to stand around and admire the hardcore players as they strutted by in their high end gear.

That sort of talk, and yes he did say stuff like that, demonstrates a fundamental misunderstanding of why people like me got upset about the end-game in EQ. We didn't care what the hardcore types where doing we just wanted something to do at the end-game ourselves. Some way to continue playing that we had time for and might actually enjoy. Brad never did seem to get that.

SlyLoK · August 2015

The Sep. update better blow my socks off after so many months will have passed. At this point I am positive that it will come with an alpha announcement... I just hope they will have done something about the stock animations.

Ozmodan · August 2015

goozmania said:

I think it is a mistake to not have group instances. That was an evolution of grouping mechanics, designed to solve a massive problem that existed within Everquest. EQ2 had a completely masterful solution, where there were instances within contested dungeons. To me it seems like a great idea to have a huge contested Solusek's Eye, with dozens of dangerous and viable camps for full groups, or even partial groups... but then... in the depths, for those strong enough, an instance that took a group through the fire goblin castle; and another that took a raid party through the fire giant castle, all the way to Nagafen.

Yep, that is a major minus point for this game. I guess the devs liked the old EQ feature where all the bosses are camped ad infinitum.

Howdy, Stranger!

Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen | Catching Up on the Past Year | MMORPG

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Comments

거북이는 목을 내밀 때 안 움직입니다

Howdy, Stranger!

Quick Links

Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen | Catching Up on the Past Year | MMORPG

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Comments

거북이는 목을 내밀 때 안 움직입니다