Fallen Earth: Improvements (Now in beta)

[Mrbloodworth]

In an announcement today, Fallen Earth released the final round of female character developments, including upgrades with re-texturized armor and clothing and advanced rendering techniques such as per-pixel lighting and specular highlights. With male character developments completed in mid-July and a tentative content complete date in mid-September, this is another sign for MMO gamers worldwide that the Apocalypse is indeed coming.

“We provide the best experience for our fans by giving players many high quality choices for customizing their characters as much as they like,” said Steve Coyle, Art Director for the independent LLC. “We also want to make game play as real as possible, and our characters have to reflect that.”

Using up-to-date rendering techniques, artists have modeled muscular and skeletal systems more accurately, and with the use of per-pixel lighting, shade and shadow provide a new level of 3D realism. With a toned-down, post-Apocalyptic color palette, female characters are more representative of the 2154 sexy super-soldier they were intended to be.

Female character upgrades follow the series of adjustments made to male counterparts last month, including anatomical updates, equipment, and customization options for faces, hairstyles and tattoos among other things. Players will also look forward to a wide array of faction-oriented bolt-ons, currently in concept phase.

New models represent a variety of snapshots of player advancement, from basic clothing and salvaged weapons all the way up to advanced armor plating and sub-machine guns. All of the individual pieces, from thigh plates to belts to boots, can be mixed and matched, enabling players to create uniform looks or more chaotic outfits. The only question left? What will you wear to the Apocalypse?

Old:


New:


Linky with more shots.

[HaemishM]

Real is brown, y0.

[schild]

They shouldn't have thrown style out the window with the upgrade.

[Mrbloodworth]

They shouldn't have thrown style out the window with the upgrade.

Well, considering crafting is an important part of the game, i would expect that color tints would be possible, but i'm not sure. Other than that, i personally think the new models and look are better.

[Lantyssa]

Well, considering crafting is an important part of the game, i would expect that color tints would be possible, but i'm not sure. Other than that, i personally think the new models and look are better.

They might be technically better, however the previous models had more character.

We went from the punky Mad Maxine, to cowgirl and SWAT wannabes.  Only one of them even kinda convinced me of being edgy, and that was just because she was wearing biker boots with her cute little cami.

[UnSub]

What will you wear to the Apocalypse?

According to that second picture, it will be something sensible.

[UnSub]

From a forum post made by a comedy mod I'm not going to even link:

Dune Buggy

The dune buggy is a mid-level vehicle that crafters will be able to make when they reach Northfields. The knowledges involved in building the dune buggy are discovered through research, extrapolating from the ATV and motorcycle knowledges characters will have gotten earlier in their vehicle-building careers. Like most vehicles, the secret to their construction is found through lots of work crafting components and doing research.

At its core, the dune buggy is the mid-range vehicle of Fallen Earth. It uses more gas than an ATV, but has more hit points and cargo. It isn’t as fast as the Interceptor, but it is much more fuel efficient and much easier to build or repair. It is slower than a motorcycle, but can take a lot more punishment and has a bigger fuel tank. The dune buggy will probably be the vehicle of choice for many characters, since not everyone needs the high-performance abilities of the Interceptor. Also, like the Interceptor, the dune buggy can mount machine guns on its chassis.

The dune buggy is available in several versions, from the basic dune buggy all the way up to the Skirmish Buggy. Some dune buggy versions use different types of fuel, such as biodiesel or batteries, while others have varying amounts of armor, levels of fuel efficiency, and cargo. A basic dune buggy is worth about 15K chips, while a Skirmish Buggy is worth upwards of 200K chips.

All vehicles are made out of four core components: frame, engine, tires, and control system. Some also have a fifth core component in the form of weaponry. Many vehicles also require vehicle repair kits of varying qualities to represent all the little bits needed to put the major components together. Building a basic dune buggy requires a Science skill of 75, while building a skirmish buggy requires a Science skill of 195. The basic dune buggy requires 225 hours to construct all the core components and put them together into the finished vehicle.

Components needed for the core components of a dune buggy (which are subject to change through the testing process, but the ballpark is about right):
Engine:
Scrap Steel: 40
Scrap Gears: 30
Scrap Fasteners: 30
Weak Geologic Chemical: 10
Salvaged Copper: 15

Tires:
Scrap Rubber: 50
Weak Geologic Chemical: 30
Scrap Steel: 20

Control System:
Salvaged Copper: 15
Scrap Gears: 15
Scrap Fasteners: 20
Scrap Steel: 15
Scrap Glass: 5

Frame:
Scrap Steel: 70
Scrap Fasteners: 30
Scrap Rubber: 20
Scrap Glass: 10

For a total of:
Scrap Steel: 145
Scrap Gears: 45
Scrap Fasteners: 80
Weak Geologic Chemical: 40
Salvaged Copper: 30
Scrap Rubber: 70
Scrap Glass: 15

One part of me goes: 

Another part of me goes: 225 hours for construction  I hope in-game hours are the metric and they pass 4x faster and happen when I'm offline or something ...

[Mrbloodworth]

I still do not see that as unreasonable.

1). its a car, in this game = to "Epic mount".
2). Offline crafting.
3). You can get parts from other players/Drops ETC...
4) you could always just buy one.

YMMV (<-- heh!)

[Nonentity]

They posted on the forums that they sent out another batch of keys over the past day or two.

Just FYI.

[Lantyssa]

4) you could always just buy one.

Either their 15k chips for 225 hours of work is waaaaay off, or one chip is going to buy a ton of goods.  That's not even accounting for the work which goes into the two previous vehicles needed to learn this one, nor other activities.

If it's not off-line time, something is going to have to give.

[Mrbloodworth]

Even still, the premise isn't far off, or really over the top. And it is in beta, and a lot of things are subject to change. Like i said, best bet without knowing more, is to get components off others. I do not think its intended for one person to make one. Even if some will try.

And yes, all crafting can happen offline. AFAIK.

[UnSub]

Tiggs has joined Fallen Earth's moderation staff.

I know no-one really cares, but hey, it saves looking up LinkedIn or something.

[Mrbloodworth]

Tiggs has joined Fallen Earth's moderation staff.

I know no-one really cares, but hey, it saves looking up LinkedIn or something.

Oh, wow.

[Signe]

Tiggs has joined Fallen Earth's moderation staff.

I know no-one really cares, but hey, it saves looking up LinkedIn or something.

I can't figure out how she keeps getting jobs!

You're really really bored, aren't you?  I can tell.  It was the even bothering to write something about Tiggs which gave it away.

[FatuousTwat]

Who is Tiggs?

[Mrbloodworth]

Who is Tiggs?

SWG, Flopgate:London, LotRO, D&D Online.

Should work out fine, she was already around when the Apocalypse hit, on Nov 15.

[UnSub]

Tiggs has joined Fallen Earth's moderation staff.

I know no-one really cares, but hey, it saves looking up LinkedIn or something.

I can't figure out how she keeps getting jobs!

You're really really bored, aren't you?  I can tell.  It was the even bothering to write something about Tiggs which gave it away.

FE is a game I want to really like, but in my heart of hearts I know it probably won't happen.

[Signe]

Tiggs has joined Fallen Earth's moderation staff.

I know no-one really cares, but hey, it saves looking up LinkedIn or something.

I can't figure out how she keeps getting jobs!

You're really really bored, aren't you?  I can tell.  It was the even bothering to write something about Tiggs which gave it away.

FE is a game I want to really like, but in my heart of hearts I know it probably won't happen.

I know.  I want to like all these games, too, and I'm always disappointed.  I'm beginning to think maybe they're actually good games and I'm in some sort of weird disappointment rut.  Then I come here and I realise either everyone is in the same rut, or these games all really really suck.  It's all so disappointing! 

[Cheddar]

Looks interesting.  I am sure it will disapoint.

I need a game like Neocron, but one that works!

[UnSub]

Yet another reason why Gamespot shouldn't be doing MMO alphas: FE's alpha is apparently over, which is news to the community managers. Also, according to a post soon to be scrubbed as NDA breaking, apparently they can no longer download the client from Gamespot.

Also, since it hasn't been reported here: FE is content complete.

-New level of 3D realism through use of hi-poly normal mapped objects
-Hundreds of jackets, pants, belts, gloves and pads for players of all skill levels, yielding thousands of new character customization options
-More than a dozen customizable character slots including head, mouth, eye and ear slots
-New and improved range and melee weapons including bladed hockey stick, a parking meter, a Tesla hammer (a Taser on a hammer) and a baker’s rolling pin!
-Wide range of gear, including gas masks, hazmat suits, goggles and specialized body armor
-Approximately 70 towns including starter towns for beginner players, player-conquerable towns for PvP enthusiasts, and faction and barter towns for more advanced missions and character development (although this differs from our original estimate, we’ve honed in to make the best possible player experience)
-More than 5,000 missions available
-Three sectors of game play to be included in the game release: The Plateau (red desert sands and barren wastelands); Northfields (grassy wheat fields); and Kaibab Forest (trees and scrubby foliage)
-More than 50,000 lines of dialogue including information on missions, item descriptions, conversation options and NPC interactions
-More than 1,300 new and motion-captured animations and emotes
-Several thousand crafting recipes
-Database of more than 6,000 items
-Players combine materials and work with others to craft 95 percent of game items
-Players can mount and fire weapons from within different types of vehicles
-More than 1,000 square kilometers of explorable territory (this territory reflects game play for sectors 1-3 and will be available upon launch, while the remaining approximate 6,000 square kilometers will be made available in later expansions

About 30% of the world is PvP enabled, for whatever that's worth.

[schild]

The biggest problem for FE, since I've seen it live now is that it will never achieve the level of polish necessary to be worth giving it a serious look. Which is a shame, because far as I can tell, they've done something impressive with very little.

[Mrbloodworth]

I hope your wrong.

[schild]

Best of luck with your hoping.

I'm always up for being wrong.

[Yegolev]

I think the "hundreds of pads" announcement must be the thrust at the female demographic.

[Mrbloodworth]

From Fallen Earth:


Hi all… Circatrix here, writing on behalf of the Fallen Earth Team. We are happy to bring you a sneak peek of the faction gear you’ll see in Fallen Earth™. You may have seen the character modifications we worked on back in July and August, and there have been some impressive improvements. We have also taken the non-player characters’ (NPCs) wardrobe and accessories to a new level.

Leading up to Content Complete, the art department was hard at work improving the look of the Faction NPCs. The screenshots you’ll see here show NPCs, although many of the items are available to players. We worked to build consistency in the color palette, texture and overall design of the faction gear so that NPCs would be readily recognizable for players as they approach. This becomes especially important as eighteen towns are faction settlements and many of the missions are faction-oriented.

As you may already be aware, within the game there are three pairs of diametrically-opposed factions. The factions are CHOTA and Enforcers, Vistas and Techs, and Lightbearers and Travelers. Each week, we will cover two opposing factions. This week, we look at the CHOTA and the Enforcers. If you are familiar with the Fallen Earth storyline, you know that each faction has a particular interest in how the Grand Canyon Province is ruled, and each faction’s philosophy results from the Fall.

Known as the CHOTA, the Children of the Apocalypse are a product of the Fall. When Shiva struck and nuclear holocaust ensued, they embraced chaos and destruction, preferring to destroy any semblance of the old ways. They are led by the warlord Redhand, and prefer a tribal society. Although they are some of the most powerful warriors in the Grand Canyon Province, their alliance is fractured. CHOTA are made up of several independent tribes that only rally for major causes.

The CHOTA NPCs you’ll see in the screenshots reflect the faction’s tribal and savage characteristics. The tribal influence of the CHOTA can be seen mainly in their patchwork wardrobes, some pieces of which are available for players. Leathers and various animal skins have been stitched together to create pants, shirts and armor, hearkening back to the ways of the ancient Native Americans that inhabited the area. You’ll see a skull on the right shoulder of the NPC in back, and many of the decorative elements of their wardrobes include feathers, bones, animal teeth and claws. You’ll also recognize the lucky rabbit's foot hanging from the belt of the female CHOTA warrior in front. You might assume from their wild hairstyles and colors, random tattoos and face paint that they are on the edge, but their savage nature is also evident in the variety of melee weapons they keep on hand. From a shark-toothed mace to a huge axe, CHOTA have a flair for gruesome weapons. Several pieces of forearm armor have blades and spikes, as do some helmets and shoulder armor. The NPC in back even has four severed fingers dangling from his necklace.



Opposite the CHOTA and no less deadly, the Enforcers were formed from the remaining military and police forces of the U.S. government. After the Fall, they worked to bring order and stability to the Grand Canyon Province. They are orderly and systematic, and they police the Province, offering protection for settlements in exchange for food and shelter. They are without doubt the most efficient combat force in the area. They often get their latest and greatest weapons from the Techs, and they train constantly. At times, they’ve held off groups ten times their size.

You’ll immediately think of present-day military when you see the Enforcer NPCs. All have at least one camouflage element in their wardrobes—jackets, pants or gear. Many of the boots, belts and even the beret worn by the warrior in the middle are reminiscent of current military fatigues, and two of the soldiers wear traditional supply belts. Their gear isn’t tribal like the CHOTA, but instead focuses on function to make them more effective in combat. Many of the materials resemble metal or a Kevlar-like material, and the camouflage color palette ranges from desert browns to woodland greens. More clean cut and orderly than the CHOTA, the Enforcer NPCs don’t have many piercings, tattoos or face paint. Some boots featured in the screenshots and the pants worn by the officer in the beret can also be acquired by players. Players can acquire the weapons, including the rocket launcher held by the warrior on the left, at various stages in the game. Since they were formally trained by military, police and government agents, most Enforcers rely on ranged weapons. The helmets and hats pictured—as well as the night-vision goggles worn by the soldier in the middle—can all be acquired by players. The character customization slots accommodate a helmet and goggles simultaneously.

Although we’ve prepared a few examples in the screenshots, we hope that as players ally with a particular faction that they’ll max out the character customization options we have in store. More than a dozen character customization slots, with more than fifteen options for each slot, yield thousands of combinations. We are excited to see what players do with what they’ve been given.

Check in with us next week for the next round of factions gear and screenshots. And if you haven’t submitted yet, check out our Halloween Costume Contest (http://forums.fallenearth.com/fallenearth/fecontest.php). We hope you’ll use the screenshots for some inspiration. Winners will get an alpha key and Fallen Earth t-shirt. Good luck and stay tuned for next week!

Fallen Earth Image

Linky

[UnSub]

The FE forums are hilariously dead since most of the frequent posters are now in beta.

... I still refuse to sign up to Gamespot to get in.

[UnSub]

Tiggs tells HG:L players to go play LOTRO or FE.

... okay, not quite. But it isn't good when sporting a red name to promote your new gig at your old place of work.

[schild]

What does FE and LOTRO have to do with eachother?

As in, how does she go from doing badly at one community to TWO?

Is that only crazy to me?

[UnSub]

I've got no idea how LOTRO figures into this, but I'm 90% sure she's been hired by FE as another community person for them.

[Mrbloodworth]

Fallen Earth: Dev Journal Part Three - Travelers and Lightbearers

Last week we posted images of the gear used by the nature-oriented Vistas and the science-obsessed Techs, and this week we move on to the Travelers and the Lightbearers.


The Travelers exist in the junction between traveling performers, underworld crime bosses, and used car salesmen. Their primary concern is money and trade, and they will go to great lengths to make a profit, even if some legs have to get broken in the process. The Travelers believe that trade in and of itself is a worthwhile goal, as it allows people to trade what they have for what they need, and the Travelers want some portion of that transaction. While most Traveler operations are concerned with trading, entertainment, or servicing the various vices that survived the apocalypse, they also have more than a few less pleasant activities. Assassination, extortion, and flat-out robbery are all part of Traveler operations. Travelers avoid standup fights where possible since they are rarely profitable, preferring a knife in the back or a silenced pistol to a fight where their enemies can see them coming. Through trade and their own handiwork, the Travelers are well equipped with a variety of new and salvaged equipment.


The Travelers are divided into eight families, each with its own particular trade and focus. The first Traveler on the left is an example of the Vegas family, which concentrates on alcohol and gambling; they were also the ones who brought the poker chip currency to the Grand Canyon Province. The second Traveler is an example of the Moros family, which once formed the criminal underground of Hoover Dam before it was ransacked in the CHOTA revolt. The third Traveler is an example of a high-ranking Traveler, probably of the Brenhauer family. The fourth Traveler is an Orphan, the Traveler family most closely tied with the CHOTA. The last Traveler is a member of the Black Hood Gang, which serves as the muscle for the Travelers when brute force is called for. The enigmatic Cleaners, the assassins of the Travelers, are not so careless as to be caught in a picture.


Opposing the Travelers are the Lightbearers, a monastic order of healers, mutants, and warriors. While the Lightbearers claim to be dedicated to helping all comers, there are rumors and whispers that they only actually help mutants and are working toward a future where all humanity has been replaced with mutantkind. The Lightbearers are skilled healers, knowing much of pre-Fall medical science and natural remedies. Lightbearers use these skills to help save as many people as they can, and also use their respectable close-combat skills to protect those who cannot protect themselves. While the Lightbearers do not use much in the way of advanced weaponry or armor, they make up for it with skill and the powerful mutations they have developed. The Lightbearers are the foremost experts on mutations in the Grand Canyon Province and can bring a number of different mutation talents to bear against their enemies. The Lightbearers often trade their medical goods to the Enforcers and Vistas for supplies and equipment, preferring natural materials in the same way the Vistas do.


The first and third Lightbearers are representative of low-ranking members of the order. The second Lightbearer is possibly a member of the Sun and Moon, the secretive order of Lightbearer assassins that some would call ninjas, but who don’t exactly wear their allegiance openly. The third is a Lightbearer Master prepared for battle, while the fifth is a Senior Lightbearer, such as you would often find in charge of a Lightbearer settlement.
 

For more information on Fallen Earth including live dev chats, contests and game updates, visit www.fallenearth.com.

[UnSub]

I am really interested in playing as a Lightbearer in FE, but they do look like the kind of guys who bring a knife to a gun fight.

I like that the assassin is checking her watch, like it's, "How long is this going to take? I've got places to go, people to kill!".

[schild]

/shrug

I like the ideas but I am liking the art less and less and I expect the game to be a mess.

I'll still play it. But well, yea, you know where I'm going with this.

[Mrbloodworth]

I am really interested in playing as a Lightbearer in FE, but they do look like the kind of guys who bring a knife to a gun fight.

I like that the assassin is checking her watch, like it's, "How long is this going to take? I've got places to go, people to kill!".

From what i understand, i think factions mean little to your player in terms of ability's and the like, as its a skill based "use based" system, you can do what ever you want. Also, much of the "equipment" only affects looks, next to none have stats (think SWG). This is my understanding, but i have not been paying a ton of attention lately to them. I will double check my info.

[UnSub]

FE is skill based and you start off neutral; over time you gain faction with certain groups which then lets you have greater access to their specialist skills and abilities. It then means their opposite faction hates you. Eventually you can join a faction completely, I believe.

[Venkman]

I feel like I'm playing this game, except it doesn't have a monthly fee and is called Fallout 

I really can't drum up the interest to read the usual blathering overly wordy overpromises. Can someone please summarize what this game is trying to do and why we should care?