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Darkfall: E3 2006 Preview
Dana
Member Posts: 2,415
Tasos Flambouras (Associate Producer) and Kjetil Helland (Lead Programmer) of Darkfall Online explained their hardcore PvP title to today in Los Angeles. Michael Hampden files this report.
;) Today we sat down with Tasos Flambouras (Associate Producer) and Kjetil Helland (Lead Programmer) from Adventurine, to discuss their upcoming MMO project, Darkfall. We learned that for those of you looking for something different in an MMO Darfkall could be the game for you.
We took it out because it wasnt fun says Tasos Flambouras, when questioned about a game mechanic related to simulating real-world conditions. This is a refreshing point of view in an industry where too often developers fail to realize where to draw the line between creating virtual worlds Darkfall isnt just generic Fantasy-themed WoW-clone number 852. The game will feature a robust PvP system that unlike the majority of current MMO titles, will be very fast paced. Also unlike many current MMOs with PvP, player skill will often be the determining factor in combat. You have the character skill says Lead Programmer Kjetil Helland, but what will matter as much is the players skill. And youd better have some skill, because in Darkfall, you wont find things like safezones to protect you. You can attack, or be attacked at any time, in any place. |
You can read this article here.
Dana Massey
Formerly of MMORPG.com
Currently Lead Designer for Bit Trap Studios
Comments
Btw: The commentary link in the full artice links to the main page, that might be why you don't get more comments.
This could be an awesome game if it ever comes out and comes out as promised. Given the lenght of time they've been working on it, though, one can't but wonder if there will ever actually be a release date.
Skill is subjective--some games require skill at macroing, others require quick reflexes and knowledge of game mechanics, etc.
Apply lemon juice and candle flame here to reveal secret message.
*head explodes as watching 2 amazing things at same time hurt BRAIN*
?played: Nearly everything.
?waiting: *Darkfall*, Hero''s Journey
Well, I applaud the guys over at Razorwax, or whatever they're calling themselves these days, for daring to dream, but if this game ever actually sees the light of day, I'll be amazed. Moreso if it even remotely resembles the game they've been pitching for the last 2-3 years. I certainly hope they succeed, though. The lack of worthwhile pvp MMOs is painful.
It'll be interesting to see how the devs react when the local uberguild shows up, and dominates the map, or when the grief crew start driving people off, despite the devs well laid plans to the contrary.
To answer the height maps question, a height map is a 2d representation of a section of 3d terrain. As I understand it, it can be used to create random terrain, or manipulate terrain features, height wise, for lack of a more indepth description. In this particular instance, Im guessing it just referring to the fact that all the terrain is built from scratch by hand, rather than randomly generated as SWGs is.
One Ebonlore exploita-guild type outfit with more concern for their e-peens than the health of the game could make a major mess of this sort of a system... I just hope the Devs are either very strict on exploita-grief guilds (ie the opposite of SoE), or the system really does create negatives, as opposed to just losing faction as a deterent; as in, it's not one.
But then, guilds of outcasts will form just to grief, and the cycle continues.. Arg, back to that horrid human nature thing again...
The game in theory looks awesome, though probably won't see release anytime in the next year or two knowing our luck. But time will tell.
Good luck to the Devs.
"(The) Iraqi people owe the American people a huge debt of gratitude." - George W Bush.
Oh. My. God.
Oh, and sure there is a release date. Just check the main Darkfall page. "When will Darkfall be released? We are hoping for a Q1 2003 release of Darkfall. Again, delays happen"
I applaud their iniative and enthusiasm in attempting to create a PVP MMO with FPS type gameplay.
One of the main technical challenges I seem them facing is varying qualities and speed of connections. Sounds to me like this system would be VERY subject to latency and lag issues. Someone with a long ping time could be at a significant disadvantage.
Well I was a HUGE sceptic, just look at my history, since year two of the annoucment that the game was coming, I said, eh "it's vaporware" from the name legal action to the silence of the site, to the actual company falling apart because of the lack of funds, this title seemed doomed from the start. However if they are at the E3 show, (which is not cheap at all to get into) there really must be something going on. I have been to those shows and to get in, takes a good amount of funding and proof you actually have something to sell.
I will offically take them off my "vaporware" list, it seems they got the funding and things are moving ahead. Thou even with the "clan beta" concept going flop etc. I think it comes to just bad project managment. I am less sceptical now that this title won't see light, but I am still sceptical that everything they are promising will be there. We will have to see, but at least this is a step in the right direction.
Edit: has anyone noticed the screen shots are the same ones from the game a "hero's journey"? another reason why it's ummm... questionable.
"The monster created isn't by the company that makes the game, it's by the fans that make it something it never was"
And the company didn't fall apart, they merged with another one.
aye after they ran out of funds... not saying this is a bad thing, just shows the bad managment and forsight needed to take on such a project.
"The monster created isn't by the company that makes the game, it's by the fans that make it something it never was"
What they mean by skill is you will be playing against humans who think, not just npc's who zerg you.
It's coming MF'ERS! And it's looking great! I Can't WAIT!!!!!!!!!!
hehe yeah I am sure they took screenshots of another game to E3...
some people need to stop being paranoid..
I will try to get into the beta if they ever get it into a playable state. I refuse to get hyped by a feature "wish list" that isn't implemented yet. Too many games have promised the heavens and delivered a couple grains of sand.
Currently Playing: Dungeons and Dragons Online.
Sig image Pending
Still in: A couple Betas
no u r
Cool, now that the sun has set on Shadowbane, Darkfall sounds like the PvP sun is rising. Im excited to see this game make good on their ideas. Every game I played since I started MMORPG annoyed me beacuse of the lack of collision detection. No matter how many "tank" type toons you had in front of you, the enemy would just all run through them and zerg me the poor magic-user/cleric type. Naval Strategy? Awesome. Looking forward to chokepoints at sea and land. Yeah the nromal fantasy races sound the same but the wolf men (Maharim sp?) sound cool. They recieve an extra special running speed on all fours.
Good Luck Darkfall!
Originally posted by Amorphism
Hmm.. what does it mean "no height maps"?
A height map is, as someone already mentioned, a means of producing 3d looking
terrain. it is done by taking a 2d plane, a grid of points forming polygons
facing one directions. Place the plane facing up towards the "sky"
and then move the points( vertexes) of the plane up or down to form the ground.
Many games use this as a simple form of map making. The unreal engine uses
height maps to some effect for some of it's outdoors.
There are major negative effects with height maps though. First being that a
very simple height map looks very very bad. The second is that since vertex can
only be moved up or down, you can never create a cave or any other structure
where any vertex of the plane would be moved in any direction but up and down.
AFAIK, most good mmo's wouldn’t use pure height maps in a game, but a
combination of different techniques.
But to answer your question, I think what they are trying to say is that they
created the whole world in a 3d modeler, by hand. Not that this is anything
fancy, because WoW did the same thing. It gives you a really nice looking
world, but it takes a very very long time to make the world.
For your pleasure, here are the newest interviews about Darkfall.
http://www.the-combine.net/ArticleViewer.aspx?ArticleNo=322
http://www.warcry.com/scripts/columns/view_sectionalt.phtml?site=15&id=499&colid=9722
Hrere is one made by, dare I say it, a carebear. Still an ok review.
http://www.tentonhammer.com/index.php?module=ContentExpress&func=display&ceid=332
http://www.mmoreports.com/news/594/
Note: To those worried about this game will ever see daylight, It will.
the reason for this huge delay (3 years) because of the main company who had it's office in norway couldn't find enough investors or capital in Norway, and had to move on... to Greec.
Now they are working with annother company, from Greec, and have more then enough investors to finish off this game. GL HF!
Alright alright alright, shake it shake it.
While I think this game has a better chance of coming out more then 5 years ago btw. As with mourning, dark and light, the trend of overseas titles seems to be "promise the world, release crap". Because of all these delays, promises of clan beta etc , I doubt many who followed this title have your optimism. It's been another year come and gone and a PR pitch to bring people back to the forums and talking about the game.
What will impress me is actually reading a "review" at this point. Hey I want this game to come out as much as the next guy, but so did allot of people with the latest bs release of DnL. So eh call me skeptical for now till something is actually released. However I am less skeptical a few months ago, but now I am about back to were I was previously before this announcment of clan beta that went dead as well.
"The monster created isn't by the company that makes the game, it's by the fans that make it something it never was"