Salem: an F2P permadeath colonization MMORPG from Paradox

[Stormwaltz]

...huh?

The game puts emphasis on a player-driven world that promotes crafting skills. Even more interesting, when your character dies he’s gone forever, leaving all your creations to be pillaged by other players.

They also say the game is "only in the early stages of development" but "due for a 2011 release."  

http://www.pcgamer.com/2011/01/20/paradox-announce-free-to-play-mmo-salem/

[Mrbloodworth]

Permadeath is news?

Cuse uh, there are sandboxes with permadeath already. I can think of one off hand.


EDIT: After watching the interview, this will end well. 

[Ingmar]

I think "Paradox MMO" already makes my head explode, even before you bring in all the rest of it.

[Modern Angel]

Will it include at least two expansions to fix basic functionality?

(I kid, Paradox, I kid....)


(Wait, of course it does... it's an MMO)

[Nebu]

Cuse uh, there are sandboxes with permadeath already. I can think of one off hand.

Is Wurm permadeath?  That would be interesting... spend months making a home so someone can walk along and take everything from you. 

[Rasix]

Cuse uh, there are sandboxes with permadeath already. I can think of one off hand.

Is Wurm permadeath?  That would be interesting... spend months making a home so someone can walk along and take everything from you. 

Having flashbacks of UO house break-ins.   

[WindupAtheist]

I'm just going to repost my comment from early last year on a different shitty game nobody remembers.

Man, I am never gonna get my worldy-but-casual dream game of an updated latter-era UO with the stupid bits removed. Because everytime someone goes to make something that isn't a total diku, they go so far in the other direction that it turns into some sort of neckbeard virtual society indie shitpile ungame hell that will never make more than $37.

[Sir T]

Needs more witch burning.

[Soln]

I'm just going to repost my comment from early last year on a different shitty game nobody remembers.

Man, I am never gonna get my worldy-but-casual dream game of an updated latter-era UO with the stupid bits removed. Because everytime someone goes to make something that isn't a total diku, they go so far in the other direction that it turns into some sort of neckbeard virtual society indie shitpile ungame hell that will never make more than $37.

you do have to wonder what games will be like in the future from people who've only ever played WoW + Farmville.

[Hawkbit]

I'm going to be a colonist tank.

[Kageru]

I expect once they actually beta-test reality will hit. How they expect to run a cash-shop when you are buying benefits for a character that may will be shortly subject to perma-death also amuses.

[01101010]

I expect once they actually beta-test reality will hit. How they expect to run a cash-shop when you are buying benefits for a character that may will be shortly subject to perma-death also amuses.

Thank god you said it. Every time I tried, I thought about it and blacked out from the pain.

[Bzalthek]

I'm starting to think there needs to be a dedicated gank squad to teach these people the error of their ways.  We can have a bat signal and everything!

[Ashamanchill]

I'm just going to repost my comment from early last year on a different shitty game nobody remembers.

Man, I am never gonna get my worldy-but-casual dream game of an updated latter-era UO with the stupid bits removed. Because everytime someone goes to make something that isn't a total diku, they go so far in the other direction that it turns into some sort of neckbeard virtual society indie shitpile ungame hell that will never make more than $37.

Pffft this game isn't going to fall victim to that! First of all, they are going to charge $38.

[Mrbloodworth]

Cuse uh, there are sandboxes with permadeath already. I can think of one off hand.

Is Wurm permadeath?  That would be interesting... spend months making a home so someone can walk along and take everything from you. 

Our "Alpha classes" are.

[Severian]

"There are plenty of things in the game mechanics themselves that are relatively conducive to an extremely dark game. Players in this world are able to attack each other more or less unprovoked and they will be able to kill each other and maim each other and raze the buildings that other players have built with their sweat and hard labor.

I believe that the game has all the potentialities in the world to balance itself. I believe the players will be the first and foremost fount of justice in the game. And I think that's another beautiful aspect about it, because there's nothing as awesome as killing the guy who caused a lot of trouble on your farm. That's going to one of the greatest things about the game, I think, a sense of well-earned justice, finally."

- Bjorn Johannessen, Paradox

[Mrbloodworth]

I have never seen that myth proved.

[Lantyssa]

Can a newbie kill a vet?  Can a squad of newbies?  Can a vet crush newbies?  If so, griefing will be taken to a whole new level.

Oh wait, that pretty much covers all angles.  This will go down in flames.

[Merusk]

I have never seen that myth proved.

That's because the guy just wanting to farm is solo and the guy burning it to the ground always has 4+ friends with him.   That's before taking into account the optimization of each character.

This is going to be hilarious.

[Yoru]

I've always wanted a decent game built around the colonization and conquering of a vast wilderness. This one's just adding to the pile of disappointments, and I don't even need to write a snarky review article about it - the presence of permadeath outside of boutique dozen-player games simply doesn't work.

This'll be great for popcorn, though.

[Soulflame]

Just to add to the hilarity, there will also be non-respawning resources.

[UnSub]

because there's nothing as awesome as killing the guy who caused a lot of trouble on your farm."

- Bjorn Johannessen, Paradox

Here's the thing: if that guy "causing trouble" on the farm doesn't start with killing the owner, he's just asking to be murdered in return. If the mentality is "kill or be killed" then that is what results.

[01101010]

More I read about it, the more fascinated I am with it... and the horror it shall bring.

[Fabricated]

Someone just needs to make the Permadeath+PVP Always MMO and honestly advertise it as a game for sociopaths.

[Kageru]

This is what happens when online griefers grow up to become game developers I guess (only explanation for Eve too). Or is it something Nordic?

"We'd like you to grow as a character and help build your own little corner of the world... before we kill you and burn it down".

The idea of a hard-core perma-death crafters versus bandits is just so funny it must be a joke. A game in which crafting a structure infers the responsibility of guarding it 24/7 from people with torches?

[ajax34i]

The only way this will work is if the focus of the crafting/building/farming system is to build Dungeon Siege -like areas for the griefers to attack and kill themselves on.

[Malakili]

I'd play this game if I was independently wealthy.

[UnSub]

I'm curious about it because I expect it to result in a bloodbath.

It is F2P. Perhaps they'll sell 1UPs.

[pxib]

The only way I can see a F2P cash shop game working with permadeath is giving players the opportunity to purchase access: Better starting gear, ability to visit specific locations, prestige classes, specialized appearance options. Even if the player can't access those things without "leveling up" their newbies, the extra gameplay choices would still be worth the cost.

The capitalists behind this may be hoping players will pay for things that other players will destroy -- and a  few suckers might -- but it won't sustain a business.

[Sparky]

Generously assuming it ever comes out they'll add Trammel within two months

[Nebu]

I have visions of people dying (for real) playing this game.  If you log off for even a minute, someone will pass you on the power curve.  Can't have that! 

[raydeen]

I have visions of people dying (for real) playing this game.  If you log off for even a minute, someone will pass you on the power curve.  Can't have that! 

Reminds me of the episode of Mission Hill where Kevin and his buddies play the game Virtual Valkyrie.

[Mrbloodworth]

Bit of digging. The people responsible for this are those developers working on Haven and Hearth. A very cool 2D sandbox game. As confirmed here.

There is even a screenshot:

[Sky]

At least there's a cool art style. 

[SnakeCharmer]

Instead of a bucket of popcorn, it should be a bucket of acid.