As far as PC character creation goes, has work begun on Togs and/or Burians yet? We've yet to see any pics of either race. Also, we've seen Qwi, but I don't think they were PC Qwi
Originally posted by Faemus Originally posted by HJ-Royce Originally posted by Tenclaw I have a short question... You mentioned a pet theat you can kind of customize and that lvls with you etc. What kind of pets will that be? Just combat pets like bears or wolves or giant lizards or will there be some smaller pets as well, like ferrets, weasels and cats (oh please tell me there will be ferrets or weasels... or some kind of mustelidae ^^
greets from Vienna (and sorry for my bad english)
I don't think we've let it slip as to what types of pets will be in game yet.
But the thief/rogue in me agrees with this comment.
Your english was fine by the way. I'm very glad to see someone from Austria here. Vienna no less! Home of some amazing museums, galleries, theaters, restaurants and, if I remember right, a giant ferris wheel in the Prater District! (Wiener riesenrad?)
C'mon now. Did you actually know all that? Or did you Google Vienna so you could get overseas brownie points?
I'm a former sailor for the US Navy.... they aren't "always" on the water.
Originally posted by makkah Quick question... As far as PC character creation goes, has work begun on Togs and/or Burians yet? We've yet to see any pics of either race. Also, we've seen Qwi, but I don't think they were PC Qwi
Originally posted by HJ-Royce Originally posted by Faemus Originally posted by HJ-Royce Originally posted by Tenclaw I have a short question... You mentioned a pet theat you can kind of customize and that lvls with you etc. What kind of pets will that be? Just combat pets like bears or wolves or giant lizards or will there be some smaller pets as well, like ferrets, weasels and cats (oh please tell me there will be ferrets or weasels... or some kind of mustelidae ^^
greets from Vienna (and sorry for my bad english)
I don't think we've let it slip as to what types of pets will be in game yet.
But the thief/rogue in me agrees with this comment.
Your english was fine by the way. I'm very glad to see someone from Austria here. Vienna no less! Home of some amazing museums, galleries, theaters, restaurants and, if I remember right, a giant ferris wheel in the Prater District! (Wiener riesenrad?)
C'mon now. Did you actually know all that? Or did you Google Vienna so you could get overseas brownie points?
I'm a former sailor for the US Navy.... they aren't "always" on the water.
A girl I know went into the Navy about half a year ago.
Originally posted by makkah Heh... i've been following the game since it was demo'ed at Simucon like 3-4 years ago... of course I seen the concept art. Good to know modelling has started though. I'm really looking forward to seeing them customizable in game (too many pretty elves and humans!)
I was just going over all the screens shots and I'm almost positive, the one with the giant chains... has a Qwi standing at the bridge.
I'm not going to post the link though. I want you all to go back through the screenies.
Yea, there's a few screenshots with Qwi IN them... but like I said, I meant from a PC stand-point, as in Qwi being customized at creation, etc. Burian and Togs are another story; I've yet to see either modelled at all.
Originally posted by HJ-Royce Originally posted by Tenclaw I have a short question... You mentioned a pet theat you can kind of customize and that lvls with you etc. What kind of pets will that be? Just combat pets like bears or wolves or giant lizards or will there be some smaller pets as well, like ferrets, weasels and cats (oh please tell me there will be ferrets or weasels... or some kind of mustelidae ^^
greets from Vienna (and sorry for my bad english)
I don't think we've let it slip as to what types of pets will be in game yet.
But the thief/rogue in me agrees with this comment.
Your english was fine by the way. I'm very glad to see someone from Austria here. Vienna no less! Home of some amazing museums, galleries, theaters, restaurants and, if I remember right, a giant ferris wheel in the Prater District! (Wiener riesenrad?)
Thanks for that quick answer.... So I still have hope ^^ Yes Vienna is a lovely town... great to live in lots of culture ^^ and yes you remember right... the Wiener Riesenrad is still turning ...
Well, I read through this topic and have one question. I saw a lot of discussion about tiered pricing a while back, what is the final verdict? Is HJ going to be tier priced?
For those of you saying tiered pricing wasn't a doomsday for the MUD's you are wrong. I and my entire guild left DR because of the tiered pricing. I have been waiting for HJ for more then a year. I have been following its developement, and set backs. I am still waiting for beta to start, because I supposedly received a beta slot about 8 months ago. That being said if HJ will be using tiered pricing, I won't be playing. Its a sucker deal. For those who have money its no big issue to pay for more content. For those with less money, they get suckered into paying for a "premium" account because they love the game and want the full experience. And for those who decide to not pay the higher cost, they get less out of the game. The game was looking very promising untill I started seeing this tiered pricing stuff coming up again.
For those who say its no big deal, it wont hurt business, well here is one average joe that won't play this game if there is tiered pricing.
As far as I know there has been no final verdict on the pricing for HJ. I know that no one from on-site has given a definite answer on this and beyond tossing ideas around I'm not sure they've even given it that much thought as of yet.
One of the things I find myself wondering about is whether or not HJ will have "legs" or "longevity," meaning what will be the draw to keep me interested in the game and playing it for one year, two years or even longer.
For example, oftentimes the games which had the longest climb to max character level would hold my attention the longest simply because there was still much left to accomplish in terms of character advancement.
Also, a large gameworld which is made even larger and expanded on a regular basis to include new areas for exploring and adventuring seems to keep me interested the longest.
One other feature, a gameworld that changes and evolves slowly over time through GM or Dev involvement is usually a big plus in maintaining the freshness of a game. In other words, a gameworld which is not static.
So, while it may be premature to discuss these issues due to NDA or what-have-you, I am wondering if you can provide any info on:
1) What will keep players interested in the game for a long time? Would it take a long time for a player character to reach its maximum potential?
2) Will the size of the gameworld be enlarged from time to time? I presume the "sundered world" concept will aid in the "discovery" of new areas to adventure in.
3) Will changes or alterations of some type take place in the common areas of the gameworld? Might mob spawn patterns change, or new creatures be introduced, or might towns become threatened by the encroachment of certain mobs?
4) Might there be periodic and ongoing "events" so that over time a sense of "storyline" will appear? Might there be the appearance of an "evil lord" who threatens to disrupt the gameworld, thus creating a sense of drama?
Any conjecture along these lines would be appreciated.
Originally posted by SpiritofGame One of the things I find myself wondering about is whether or not HJ will have "legs" or "longevity," meaning what will be the draw to keep me interested in the game and playing it for one year, two years or even longer. For example, oftentimes the games which had the longest climb to max character level would hold my attention the longest simply because there was still much left to accomplish in terms of character advancement. Also, a large gameworld which is made even larger and expanded on a regular basis to include new areas for exploring and adventuring seems to keep me interested the longest. One other feature, a gameworld that changes and evolves slowly over time through GM or Dev involvement is usually a big plus in maintaining the freshness of a game. In other words, a gameworld which is not static. So, while it may be premature to discuss these issues due to NDA or what-have-you, I am wondering if you can provide any info on: 1) What will keep players interested in the game for a long time? Would it take a long time for a player character to reach its maximum potential? 2) Will the size of the gameworld be enlarged from time to time? I presume the "sundered world" concept will aid in the "discovery" of new areas to adventure in. 3) Will changes or alterations of some type take place in the common areas of the gameworld? Might mob spawn patterns change, or new creatures be introduced, or might towns become threatened by the encroachment of certain mobs? 4) Might there be periodic and ongoing "events" so that over time a sense of "storyline" will appear? Might there be the appearance of an "evil lord" who threatens to disrupt the gameworld, thus creating a sense of drama? Any conjecture along these lines would be appreciated.
1) We've not revealed an estimated time that a standard player should level. And I use the word standard very loosely. The time is ultimatly known from watching players... play. We'll get a general idea and Beta will narrow that down.
So, I can't speculate on that or reveal the game plan.
2) Oh yes the world will be expanded. That's what the "Army of GM's" is for. Not just in size, but in quests and abilities.
3) Event GM's do wonders at making things like this happen. So I'll answer yes to this as well.
4) I'll also answer yes to this just speaking from experience from Dragonrealms. Events like this happen alot there. There are many long term ongoing storlines and characters and well, we all enjoy a good plot!
Originally posted by Locithon Was looking through this thread and i didnt see this asked.
Will there be PvE raid content in this game?
If so how will you combat camping? or will you use instances?
With or without raids, how will one aquire the best gear in the game for their class once they've hit the end-game ?
Yes and Instanced. (Subject to change)
No information about exactly "where and how" you level up your weapons/armor/pets has been released yet. Just that they you will have the chance to do so.
Originally posted by Locithon Was looking through this thread and i didnt see this asked.
Will there be PvE raid content in this game?
If so how will you combat camping? or will you use instances?
With or without raids, how will one aquire the best gear in the game for their class once they've hit the end-game ?
As for the gear in the game "for the class", It has been stated by many GM's that your gear levels up with you. You may find a piece of better gear, and design a new wardrobe around it, but you could easily play the entire game without switching gear at all. They want to make you have a unique style. It is a theme in all Simutronics games. So you could easily play through the entire game without changing gear or weapons. Or you can change it every five seconds, but you may be only slightly better (or not at all) than somebody that never had changed gear.
I suspect that many people will have different gear for different situations and that each "specialized" gear will be more "I want to look like this" than "I am fighting a fire-type monster, I need to wear this". Because it is a bit tedious to see the same gear day in and day out. But in real life it is pretty tedious to wear the same thing day in and day out. So you'll change gear probably as often as you might buy new clothes.
I like this new approach to gear. I really hate the "I am a level 35 sorcerer; I MUST wear ‘Level 35 gear of necromancial godliness’ in order to play as well as the other 500 level 35 sorcerers that are wearing ‘Level 35 gear of necromancial godliness’". If that isn’t repetitious, uninspired, and unexceptional, I don’t know what is. This new approach is a breath of fresh air.
When I think of HJ being a "zoned" world, it sometimes make me think that the gameworld will have a "cramped" feeling about it.
On the other hand, when I look at all the screenshots, like with a mysterious city suspended over a deep chasm, or ships plying the seas, or views of mountains in the far distance, it makes me feel that the gameworld -- even if zoned -- is rather large.
As a rule of thumb, I tend to think that if I can traverse a zoned area in five to seven minutes either running or mounted, I feel the overall size of the zone is rather small.
I realize some do not like extensive travel times in their gameworld, yet I cannot help but feel that a large world with expansive areas of wilderness and outposts to explore is a boon.
So, with regards to gameworld size, is there anything you can tell us that would help us understand the size of the world (or the zones within the world) as being either small or medium or large -- realizing, of course, that these are relative terms.
Originally posted by SpiritofGame When I think of HJ being a "zoned" world, it sometimes make me think that the gameworld will have a "cramped" feeling about it. On the other hand, when I look at all the screenshots, like with a mysterious city suspended over a deep chasm, or ships plying the seas, or views of mountains in the far distance, it makes me feel that the gameworld -- even if zoned -- is rather large. As a rule of thumb, I tend to think that if I can traverse a zoned area in five to seven minutes either running or mounted, I feel the overall size of the zone is rather small. I realize some do not like extensive travel times in their gameworld, yet I cannot help but feel that a large world with expansive areas of wilderness and outposts to explore is a boon. So, with regards to gameworld size, is there anything you can tell us that would help us understand the size of the world (or the zones within the world) as being either small or medium or large -- realizing, of course, that these are relative terms.
My sentiments exactly. One of the things I'm most eager to get a clearer snse of is the "feel"of the environment. I've followed HJ for a while and am impressed enough to give a heavily Instanced game a try, but sometimes I just want to stretch my legs and take off into a BIG expanse of unknown territory. That kind of experience ( as far as I know ) isn't synonomous with Instanced Zones.
Actually part of this specific concern came when I read that HJ players would be able to interact with the environment ( rock-slides, etc ). Part of me thinks that if the Develops are putting that much effort into being able to interact with certain parts of the enironment, they may be focused on the "micro" aspects of the virtual world, and leave out some cool "macro" elements. For example, being able to travel across hills, plains, rivers and mountains, then reaching the top of the mountain, looking back at the land and remembering neat things you saw on the journey.
But thats mostly the Explorer in me talking. Even if I can't trek into the great wide open, they seem to have their act together with most everything else.
Well in the FAQ, it says there will be PvP Servers and RP Servers, etc.
In Roleplaying, shouldn't there be open PvP to get the full RP experience because if RPers are trying to make it seem that the game is the real world, that at anytime someone could come and attack?
Originally posted by SpiritofGame So, with regards to gameworld size, is there anything you can tell us that would help us understand the size of the world (or the zones within the world) as being either small or medium or large -- realizing, of course, that these are relative terms.
The best explanation I can give for this is, "They will vary is size from one to the next." Although most of them currently don't "feel" like a zone to me.
If you've played Fable and loaded from room to room, then they are MUCH larger than that.
If you've played SWG and loaded from planet to planet, they are smaller than that. But these planets could easily be traversed in 7 minutes via mount. So would you consider those small?
The video from last years E3 gives an example of size. (If someone would be so kind as to post a link)
In parting, size is a matter of your perspective and games you've played in the past. So It will be interesting to see the views from people once they are able to get into HJ and see the world for themselves.
Originally posted by Greatness Well in the FAQ, it says there will be PvP Servers and RP Servers, etc. In Roleplaying, shouldn't there be open PvP to get the full RP experience because if RPers are trying to make it seem that the game is the real world, that at anytime someone could come and attack? So my question, will RP Server have Open PvP?
This has yet to be announced.
But on a side note (this is not policy for the game), how would such servers be able to support an influx of new players if the second they log into it, they get torqued by a higher level player at every step?
I'm giving a short, unsubstantiated answer because I'm at work with deadlines galore. But I've always been partial to a "Bounty" kind of solution for lowbie ganking. IMO its a believable deterrant in the game because new players are usually kind of weak or helpless, and preying upon the weak is something that should result in "law enforcement"
For example, if a lvl 45 Sirpwnsalot drops by the freshmen area just to tenderize some lvl 4 meat, he should have a bounty placed on his head that increases by multiples for every low level player that he kills more than a few times. I say a "few" times, because it would suck to get a bounty on your head if you Accidently dropped someone.
The bounty would result in NPC guards trying to detain / arrest / kill the transgressor depending on the amount of Gankage. Once caught, half of the bounty would be paid by the ganker themself, the other half by whatever the NPC governing authority is. The bounty enforcement could possibly be player driven, but the easy way would to simply have only official NPC bounty hunters be able to collect on ganker bounties. Otherwise theres a pretty easy exploit for players to take advantage of by having a friend's "trash" character get a bounty put on them, and then collecting on that bounty over and over. Or maybe collecting on the same person could have diminishing returns during an extended period of time. . . I dunno, I'm getting sidetracked.
That result of Bounties would mean that rediculous gankage on lowbie players who have NO CHANCE to fight back would result in Money out of the Gankers pocket. AND, if the ganker doesn't have enough money to pay for half of the bounty, the equivalent value of gear is taken off of the ganker and held until the remaining money can be paid. If they don't have any gear, they lose EXPERIENCE. The PVP is still open, but just like in a realistic environment, There Are Consequences. Those consequences should only be applied widely differing Level Ranges in an OPEN PVP environment, otherwise we'd be trampling on the spirit of competition.
The bounty would probably need to have a maximum Money penalty cap or Experience penalty cap for the Ganker. It would suck if someone had a little sister who was mad at them for who-knows-what-reason, and so the little sister gets on the account and goes apocalyptic. Whatever the Caps would be, they should be a suitable deterrance that makes griefers think twice about taking out angst on the innocent, but it should Not be so crippling that is basically perma-kills the player and their previous achievements.
BUT, Lets not forget that griefing can go both ways. If there are harsh penalties for killing the "weak", then all of the sudden those weak-low-level players feel the freedom to talk all kinds of trash to more Accomplished players without any reprocussions. This IS an open PVP server after all, and should maintain an "Actions = Consequences" kind of feel.
In those cases of Lowbies verbally dumping on higher level players, I'd like to see a system where if a lowbie is being a total ass, they can be flagged for "hazing" for 5 of 10 minutes. Hazing would basically give the higher level player a means to provide a Consequence to the Lowbie in question, without getting Bounties placed on them. (I haven't thought about the criteria for being flagged yet)
Once flagged "hazing" would basically give the Higher level player the ability to kick the Low level player in the ass at will,.. Literally. . . it would be an animation that Kicks the player right in the ass, lifting them off the ground a little bit. Maybe even throw in a few wimpy whines and grunts while they are getting booted around.
Ok, I need to get back to work. That wasn't as short as I'd hoped, but just a thought with some neat extras thrown in that I think would be applicable, funny, and work within the context of the game.
The bounty thing sounds interesting, but the exploit you mentioned is a nasty deterrant. Having only NPCs "clear" the Bounty by smoking the guy seems anticlimactic though. Seems like any other ways are getting rather complicated.
On the newbie talking trash idea. I don't see any way at all of implimenting that in any way shape or form. How would you do this? Let the ganker call a vote of the newbies in the area? Monitor what they say? It quickly becomes a nightmare trying to find some sort of balance on this end. Let's say you somehow had some uber programmer make some kind of watch program, watching the newbie's typing whenever Sirpwnsalot shows up to show how cool and badass he is. What happens when he levels the smackdown on Newb #1 and all the other newbs start calling him names? What you'd end up with is tons of newbies respawning standing ankle deep in their own blood and Sirsmuckface has no penalty for killing 35 newbies in the general area.
It quickly becomes insane if you see what I mean. The best way I can see PvP systems like this is top down. Penalize the higher levels for ganking newbie and let them wait for the newbs to high level then own them like thin sliced beef. The higher levels will be higher level longer than the newbies will be newbies.
Originally posted by phosphoros The bounty thing sounds interesting, but the exploit you mentioned is a nasty deterrant. Having only NPCs "clear" the Bounty by smoking the guy seems anticlimactic though. Seems like any other ways are getting rather complicated. On the newbie talking trash idea. I don't see any way at all of implimenting that in any way shape or form. How would you do this? Let the ganker call a vote of the newbies in the area? Monitor what they say? It quickly becomes a nightmare trying to find some sort of balance on this end. Let's say you somehow had some uber programmer make some kind of watch program, watching the newbie's typing whenever Sirpwnsalot shows up to show how cool and badass he is. What happens when he levels the smackdown on Newb #1 and all the other newbs start calling him names? What you'd end up with is tons of newbies respawning standing ankle deep in their own blood and Sirsmuckface has no penalty for killing 35 newbies in the general area. It quickly becomes insane if you see what I mean. The best way I can see PvP systems like this is top down. Penalize the higher levels for ganking newbie and let them wait for the newbs to high level then own them like thin sliced beef. The higher levels will be higher level longer than the newbies will be newbies.
I understand where you're coming from regarding the seemingly complicated nature of the ideas, but keep in mind, this is meant as a directional answer, not an final-conclusive solution forever and ever amen. After work, I will try to return and simplify everything into concise, clear, bulleted concepts.
And, once again on the point of being complicated, during my rushed brain dump, I seemed to have left room for some miscommunication. At no point should there be a penalty exemption from killing lowbies. The "hazing" idea is meant as an amusing/embarrasing animation, that you could perform on a jerk lowbie without actually, killing them. Hazing would simply be an animation of the higher level character kicking the ass of the jerk lower level character.
Not killing, not standing ankle deep in blood from 35 downed lowbies. Killing the lowbie is an option of course, but Hazing would be a means to getting revenge without actually killing the player and getting a bounty on you.
Count me as someone who is both very impressed and thankfull to have someone to ask and get timely responces from concerning this game.
with that said, an odd question...
will Suwari be able to walk around on all fours? have i missed a blatanly stated blurb about this? if not could one of the rediculously attentive GM's comment on what they know about it?
Comments
Quick question...
As far as PC character creation goes, has work begun on Togs and/or Burians yet? We've yet to see any pics of either race. Also, we've seen Qwi, but I don't think they were PC Qwi
EQ1, EQ2, SWG, SWTOR, GW, GW2 CoH, CoV, FFXI, WoW, CO, War,TSW and a slew of free trials and beta tests
I don't think we've let it slip as to what types of pets will be in game yet.
But the thief/rogue in me agrees with this comment.
Your english was fine by the way. I'm very glad to see someone from Austria here. Vienna no less! Home of some amazing museums, galleries, theaters, restaurants and, if I remember right, a giant ferris wheel in the Prater District! (Wiener riesenrad?)
C'mon now. Did you actually know all that? Or did you Google Vienna so you could get overseas brownie points?
I'm a former sailor for the US Navy.... they aren't "always" on the water.
HJ-Royce
Simutronics Staff (GM)
http://www.play.net/hj/
Have you've seen the concept art for them?
http://www.foxprints.com/tracy/gallery/simu/stoneborn.html
That's the website for Tracy Butler, our lead art manager.
But yes, work has begun.
HJ-Royce
Simutronics Staff (GM)
http://www.play.net/hj/
I don't think we've let it slip as to what types of pets will be in game yet.
But the thief/rogue in me agrees with this comment.
Your english was fine by the way. I'm very glad to see someone from Austria here. Vienna no less! Home of some amazing museums, galleries, theaters, restaurants and, if I remember right, a giant ferris wheel in the Prater District! (Wiener riesenrad?)
C'mon now. Did you actually know all that? Or did you Google Vienna so you could get overseas brownie points?
I'm a former sailor for the US Navy.... they aren't "always" on the water.
A girl I know went into the Navy about half a year ago.
Now she's pregnant.
HJ-Diviana
Hero's Journey GM
Hero's Journey Official Site
Hero's Hall
Heh... i've been following the game since it was demo'ed at Simucon like 3-4 years ago... of course I seen the concept art.
Good to know modelling has started though. I'm really looking forward to seeing them customizable in game (too many pretty elves and humans!)
I was just going over all the screens shots and I'm almost positive, the one with the giant chains... has a Qwi standing at the bridge.
I'm not going to post the link though. I want you all to go back through the screenies.
HJ-Royce
Simutronics Staff (GM)
http://www.play.net/hj/
I don't think we've let it slip as to what types of pets will be in game yet.
But the thief/rogue in me agrees with this comment.
Your english was fine by the way. I'm very glad to see someone from Austria here. Vienna no less! Home of some amazing museums, galleries, theaters, restaurants and, if I remember right, a giant ferris wheel in the Prater District! (Wiener riesenrad?)
Thanks for that quick answer....
So I still have hope ^^
Yes Vienna is a lovely town... great to live in
lots of culture ^^ and yes you remember right... the Wiener Riesenrad is still turning ...
Well, I read through this topic and have one question. I saw a lot of discussion about tiered pricing a while back, what is the final verdict? Is HJ going to be tier priced?
For those of you saying tiered pricing wasn't a doomsday for the MUD's you are wrong. I and my entire guild left DR because of the tiered pricing. I have been waiting for HJ for more then a year. I have been following its developement, and set backs. I am still waiting for beta to start, because I supposedly received a beta slot about 8 months ago. That being said if HJ will be using tiered pricing, I won't be playing. Its a sucker deal. For those who have money its no big issue to pay for more content. For those with less money, they get suckered into paying for a "premium" account because they love the game and want the full experience. And for those who decide to not pay the higher cost, they get less out of the game. The game was looking very promising untill I started seeing this tiered pricing stuff coming up again.
For those who say its no big deal, it wont hurt business, well here is one average joe that won't play this game if there is tiered pricing.
One of the things I find myself wondering about is whether or not HJ will have "legs" or "longevity," meaning what will be the draw to keep me interested in the game and playing it for one year, two years or even longer.
For example, oftentimes the games which had the longest climb to max character level would hold my attention the longest simply because there was still much left to accomplish in terms of character advancement.
Also, a large gameworld which is made even larger and expanded on a regular basis to include new areas for exploring and adventuring seems to keep me interested the longest.
One other feature, a gameworld that changes and evolves slowly over time through GM or Dev involvement is usually a big plus in maintaining the freshness of a game. In other words, a gameworld which is not static.
So, while it may be premature to discuss these issues due to NDA or what-have-you, I am wondering if you can provide any info on:
1) What will keep players interested in the game for a long time? Would it take a long time for a player character to reach its maximum potential?
2) Will the size of the gameworld be enlarged from time to time? I presume the "sundered world" concept will aid in the "discovery" of new areas to adventure in.
3) Will changes or alterations of some type take place in the common areas of the gameworld? Might mob spawn patterns change, or new creatures be introduced, or might towns become threatened by the encroachment of certain mobs?
4) Might there be periodic and ongoing "events" so that over time a sense of "storyline" will appear? Might there be the appearance of an "evil lord" who threatens to disrupt the gameworld, thus creating a sense of drama?
Any conjecture along these lines would be appreciated.
~ Ancient Membership ~
1) We've not revealed an estimated time that a standard player should level. And I use the word standard very loosely. The time is ultimatly known from watching players... play.
We'll get a general idea and Beta will narrow that down.
So, I can't speculate on that or reveal the game plan.
2) Oh yes the world will be expanded. That's what the "Army of GM's" is for. Not just in size, but in quests and abilities.
3) Event GM's do wonders at making things like this happen. So I'll answer yes to this as well.
4) I'll also answer yes to this just speaking from experience from Dragonrealms. Events like this happen alot there. There are many long term ongoing storlines and characters and well, we all enjoy a good plot!
HJ-Royce
Simutronics Staff (GM)
http://www.play.net/hj/
Will there be PvE raid content in this game?
If so how will you combat camping? or will you use instances?
With or without raids, how will one aquire the best gear in the game for their class once they've hit the end-game ?
Yes and Instanced. (Subject to change)
No information about exactly "where and how" you level up your weapons/armor/pets has been released yet. Just that they you will have the chance to do so.
HJ-Royce
Simutronics Staff (GM)
http://www.play.net/hj/
As for the gear in the game "for the class", It has been stated by many GM's that your gear levels up with you. You may find a piece of better gear, and design a new wardrobe around it, but you could easily play the entire game without switching gear at all. They want to make you have a unique style. It is a theme in all Simutronics games. So you could easily play through the entire game without changing gear or weapons. Or you can change it every five seconds, but you may be only slightly better (or not at all) than somebody that never had changed gear.
I suspect that many people will have different gear for different situations and that each "specialized" gear will be more "I want to look like this" than "I am fighting a fire-type monster, I need to wear this". Because it is a bit tedious to see the same gear day in and day out. But in real life it is pretty tedious to wear the same thing day in and day out. So you'll change gear probably as often as you might buy new clothes.
I like this new approach to gear. I really hate the "I am a level 35 sorcerer; I MUST wear ‘Level 35 gear of necromancial godliness’ in order to play as well as the other 500 level 35 sorcerers that are wearing ‘Level 35 gear of necromancial godliness’". If that isn’t repetitious, uninspired, and unexceptional, I don’t know what is. This new approach is a breath of fresh air.
When I think of HJ being a "zoned" world, it sometimes make me think that the gameworld will have a "cramped" feeling about it.
On the other hand, when I look at all the screenshots, like with a mysterious city suspended over a deep chasm, or ships plying the seas, or views of mountains in the far distance, it makes me feel that the gameworld -- even if zoned -- is rather large.
As a rule of thumb, I tend to think that if I can traverse a zoned area in five to seven minutes either running or mounted, I feel the overall size of the zone is rather small.
I realize some do not like extensive travel times in their gameworld, yet I cannot help but feel that a large world with expansive areas of wilderness and outposts to explore is a boon.
So, with regards to gameworld size, is there anything you can tell us that would help us understand the size of the world (or the zones within the world) as being either small or medium or large -- realizing, of course, that these are relative terms.
~ Ancient Membership ~
My sentiments exactly. One of the things I'm most eager to get a clearer snse of is the "feel"of the environment. I've followed HJ for a while and am impressed enough to give a heavily Instanced game a try, but sometimes I just want to stretch my legs and take off into a BIG expanse of unknown territory. That kind of experience ( as far as I know ) isn't synonomous with Instanced Zones.
Actually part of this specific concern came when I read that HJ players would be able to interact with the environment ( rock-slides, etc ). Part of me thinks that if the Develops are putting that much effort into being able to interact with certain parts of the enironment, they may be focused on the "micro" aspects of the virtual world, and leave out some cool "macro" elements. For example, being able to travel across hills, plains, rivers and mountains, then reaching the top of the mountain, looking back at the land and remembering neat things you saw on the journey.
But thats mostly the Explorer in me talking. Even if I can't trek into the great wide open, they seem to have their act together with most everything else.
-- I need a nerf --
Well in the FAQ, it says there will be PvP Servers and RP Servers, etc.
In Roleplaying, shouldn't there be open PvP to get the full RP experience because if RPers are trying to make it seem that the game is the real world, that at anytime someone could come and attack?
So my question, will RP Server have Open PvP?
~Greatness~
Currently Playing:
Nothing
The best explanation I can give for this is, "They will vary is size from one to the next." Although most of them currently don't "feel" like a zone to me.
If you've played Fable and loaded from room to room, then they are MUCH larger than that.
If you've played SWG and loaded from planet to planet, they are smaller than that. But these planets could easily be traversed in 7 minutes via mount. So would you consider those small?
The video from last years E3 gives an example of size. (If someone would be so kind as to post a link)
In parting, size is a matter of your perspective and games you've played in the past. So It will be interesting to see the views from people once they are able to get into HJ and see the world for themselves.
HJ-Royce
Simutronics Staff (GM)
http://www.play.net/hj/
This has yet to be announced.
But on a side note (this is not policy for the game), how would such servers be able to support an influx of new players if the second they log into it, they get torqued by a higher level player at every step?
I'm curious to see thoughts on this.
HJ-Royce
Simutronics Staff (GM)
http://www.play.net/hj/
I'm giving a short, unsubstantiated answer because I'm at work with deadlines galore. But I've always been partial to a "Bounty" kind of solution for lowbie ganking. IMO its a believable deterrant in the game because new players are usually kind of weak or helpless, and preying upon the weak is something that should result in "law enforcement"
For example, if a lvl 45 Sirpwnsalot drops by the freshmen area just to tenderize some lvl 4 meat, he should have a bounty placed on his head that increases by multiples for every low level player that he kills more than a few times. I say a "few" times, because it would suck to get a bounty on your head if you Accidently dropped someone.
The bounty would result in NPC guards trying to detain / arrest / kill the transgressor depending on the amount of Gankage. Once caught, half of the bounty would be paid by the ganker themself, the other half by whatever the NPC governing authority is. The bounty enforcement could possibly be player driven, but the easy way would to simply have only official NPC bounty hunters be able to collect on ganker bounties. Otherwise theres a pretty easy exploit for players to take advantage of by having a friend's "trash" character get a bounty put on them, and then collecting on that bounty over and over. Or maybe collecting on the same person could have diminishing returns during an extended period of time. . . I dunno, I'm getting sidetracked.
That result of Bounties would mean that rediculous gankage on lowbie players who have NO CHANCE to fight back would result in Money out of the Gankers pocket. AND, if the ganker doesn't have enough money to pay for half of the bounty, the equivalent value of gear is taken off of the ganker and held until the remaining money can be paid. If they don't have any gear, they lose EXPERIENCE. The PVP is still open, but just like in a realistic environment, There Are Consequences. Those consequences should only be applied widely differing Level Ranges in an OPEN PVP environment, otherwise we'd be trampling on the spirit of competition.
The bounty would probably need to have a maximum Money penalty cap or Experience penalty cap for the Ganker. It would suck if someone had a little sister who was mad at them for who-knows-what-reason, and so the little sister gets on the account and goes apocalyptic. Whatever the Caps would be, they should be a suitable deterrance that makes griefers think twice about taking out angst on the innocent, but it should Not be so crippling that is basically perma-kills the player and their previous achievements.
BUT, Lets not forget that griefing can go both ways. If there are harsh penalties for killing the "weak", then all of the sudden those weak-low-level players feel the freedom to talk all kinds of trash to more Accomplished players without any reprocussions. This IS an open PVP server after all, and should maintain an "Actions = Consequences" kind of feel.
In those cases of Lowbies verbally dumping on higher level players, I'd like to see a system where if a lowbie is being a total ass, they can be flagged for "hazing" for 5 of 10 minutes. Hazing would basically give the higher level player a means to provide a Consequence to the Lowbie in question, without getting Bounties placed on them. (I haven't thought about the criteria for being flagged yet)
Once flagged "hazing" would basically give the Higher level player the ability to kick the Low level player in the ass at will,.. Literally. . . it would be an animation that Kicks the player right in the ass, lifting them off the ground a little bit. Maybe even throw in a few wimpy whines and grunts while they are getting booted around.
Ok, I need to get back to work. That wasn't as short as I'd hoped, but just a thought with some neat extras thrown in that I think would be applicable, funny, and work within the context of the game.
-- I need a nerf --
The bounty thing sounds interesting, but the exploit you mentioned is a nasty deterrant. Having only NPCs "clear" the Bounty by smoking the guy seems anticlimactic though. Seems like any other ways are getting rather complicated.
On the newbie talking trash idea. I don't see any way at all of implimenting that in any way shape or form. How would you do this? Let the ganker call a vote of the newbies in the area? Monitor what they say? It quickly becomes a nightmare trying to find some sort of balance on this end.
Let's say you somehow had some uber programmer make some kind of watch program, watching the newbie's typing whenever Sirpwnsalot shows up to show how cool and badass he is. What happens when he levels the smackdown on Newb #1 and all the other newbs start calling him names?
What you'd end up with is tons of newbies respawning standing ankle deep in their own blood and Sirsmuckface has no penalty for killing 35 newbies in the general area.
It quickly becomes insane if you see what I mean.
The best way I can see PvP systems like this is top down. Penalize the higher levels for ganking newbie and let them wait for the newbs to high level then own them like thin sliced beef. The higher levels will be higher level longer than the newbies will be newbies.
this is meant as a directional answer, not an final-conclusive solution
forever and ever amen. After work, I will try to return and simplify everything into concise, clear, bulleted concepts.
And, once again on the point of being complicated, during my rushed brain dump, I seemed to have left room for some miscommunication. At no point should there be a penalty exemption from killing lowbies. The "hazing" idea is meant as an amusing/embarrasing animation, that you could perform on a jerk lowbie without actually, killing them. Hazing would simply be an animation of the higher level character kicking the ass of the jerk lower level character.
Not killing, not standing ankle deep in blood from 35 downed lowbies. Killing the lowbie is an option of course, but Hazing would be a means to getting revenge without actually killing the player and getting a bounty on you.
-- I need a nerf --
Count me as someone who is both very impressed and thankfull to have someone to ask and get timely responces from concerning this game.
with that said, an odd question...
will Suwari be able to walk around on all fours? have i missed a blatanly stated blurb about this? if not could one of the rediculously attentive GM's comment on what they know about it?
thanx
Be one with it.