New DAoC expansion - with Horses

[eldaec]

Mythic are announcing details of DAoC expansion number 4 at their fanmeet this weekend.

GOA (the comedy outfit that attempts to host DAoC in Europe) has released the following....

During the Round Table of the 30th of April that was led in Chantilly, Virginia, Jeff Hickman, new executive producer of Dark Age of Camelot presented the concepts of the 4th commercial expansion of Dark Age of Camelot which main lines are being finalised. The information we give you is thus not the final elements of this expansion which will be presented with more detaile at the E3 video game gathering of Los Angeles in May.

Like the previous ones the new expansion brings new PvE contents dedicated this time for players of quite high levels (30 to 50). Indeed, the realms will call for their best inhabitants to deal with a rebellion which aim is to overthrow the sovereigns. No one knows who leads the plot and adventurers will thus have to unmask the enemy, find his territory and invade him to put an end to the threat. The invasion of this territory will not be simple and many epic battles will certainly come.

Characters will have the opportunity to accomplish heroic quests commanded by the highest authorities of the realm and will be able to gain the title of Champion of the realm. The status of Champion can be claimed by level 50 characters and will be obtained in PvE as well as in RvR as well as a new content specially meant for that. Champions will of course receive some benefits like access to the royal armory and will be able to personalise their mounts or use unique mounts.
Indeed, the expansion will give the possibility for characters to own personal mounts, which was eagerly awaited. There will be different types of mounts, the basic ones being accessible whichever version of the game the player possess.
A few high level epic zones will also appear and will also be the place for group quests. They will of course ask you to venture in the adventure wings for some parts of these quests - giving to each one the occasion to become the hero of the adventure.

Reports from message boards purporting to be from people at the fan meet (mostly VN so discount as appropriate)...

next expansion will have player horses and Champion Levels, they seem to be similar to mls but all doable by 1fg.

new level 51 quest weapons

Player controlled horses!
A basic model anyone can get from a quest
A heavily customizable model you can purchase at level 45.

A new long series of quests, which can earn you up to 5 champion levels, which give small increases in HPs, power pool, just like gaining levels. Also, you earn up to 5 sub-class points. These allow you to go to a trainer of a different class and learn a skill similar to that classes skills, such as a lower level fireball for a paladin. Mythic is being careful not to include crowd control or bladeturn, pets, etc. You can spend all 5 points at one trainer/path/subclass, or go "one deep" in 5 paths.

The final champion quest reward is a class specific "champion weapon", level 51, unique look, supposed to have great stats, the paladin example we saw a sketch of was an amazing golden-wing hilted ivory handled sword, they will all have unique particle effects when wielded as well, like the hilt wings on the paladin sword will glow and flare , etc.

Official word is, it's not PvE only. You'll be able to earn champion levels via PvE, RvR, special Champion Quests, or a combination of all of the above.

CL's are overpowered and runing the game

(I love that last one.)

If this means MLs again, but this time balanced for 8 people, instanced to avoid spawn timer nonsense, and avoiding stupid steps like, well, all of ML3, then it's probably possible to avoid the horrors of ToA.

[eldaec]

To forestall the question someone would inevitably ask within 5 posts...

No. They aren't going to fix buffbots.

[schild]

Gotta be honest. After playing (and losing but not caring that much about the losses) the pvp in guild wars, I care not for any other MMORPG. At all.  :-D

[Malderi]

Note to any Mythic people reading: This expansion looks interesting. Lots of your recent patches look good.

I will resub when buffbots are fixed, and not a minute sooner.

[Krakrok]

I'll resub when you make combat like Mount & Blade.

[trias_e]

Buffbots/Realm Imbalance/Insane Grind without Powerleveling/TOA catassing: Nothing could possibly bring me back until these are all fixed.

[stray]

Buffbots/Realm Imbalance/Insane Grind without Powerleveling/TOA catassing: Nothing could possibly bring me back until these are all fixed.

Not that I have anything worth coming back to, but yeah, what he said.

[angry.bob]

Eh, everything about DAoC is mostly bearable and at this point it's a pretty well flushed out game in both PvP and PvE aspects. I do admit that ToA was pretty game-breaking though. As far as I'm concerned, the games' biggest problem wasn't any of the stuff previously mentioned, it was the complete lack of cheesecake, especially pantyshots. And yes, I'm completely serious. Why do you think so many people are able to stand Lineage 2? The game is complete hell, but the copious ammounts of pseudo-porn make the game very entertaining. DAoC could stand to learn a lesson from that game, because frankly I don't like not being able to tell chicks from guys without seeing their face. I'm really looking forward to the Conan game and I'm crossing my fingers for the day when somebody makes some Gorean monstrosity coupled with some kind of VR helmet. That would be really great. Come on pandering game industry, get busy!

[Merusk]

Am I the only one who keeps misreading the topic as "- with Hroses"?

I get visions of angry little italian mobs running around reshaping the landscape to some twisted view of reality.

[AlteredOne]

I am currently active in DAOC because my wife wanted to try Catacombs, after WoW graphics made her physically ill.  She's pregnant, go figure. 

Anyway after playing GuildWars for a few days, I must say that this could be the real DAOC-killer for me.  My last couple of months in DAOC were nothing but a timesink.  I rolled a new Catacombs character, gave up when I got to 44 and realized how miserable the ToA grind would be.   Went back to my 50 hero and druid, couldn't find any groups for RvR.  I think I had one good group in 3 weeks of trying.

DAOC just feels like a job, and with a baby on the way, I'm better off focusing on my real job.

As for the expansion, yeah all that sounds nice, I'm just betting that around November I will not feel any real compulsion to pick up that grind again.  Better to move on to newer shinier things with less baggage.

[Paelos]

I'm too much a WoW-addict to go back to DAOC's issues. It was a fun ride while it lasted, and it was the first MMOG I cut my teeth on. It'll have a special place in my heart. But, I played one hour in ToA, and I quit the game forever. I'll never resub again.

[angry.bob]

Attention any Mythic employees reading this thread, I think the message is clear: Get rid of ToA and throw money at me to consult on panty art for your character models. And maybe some of the hotter NPC's and monsters. It's a win-win-win situation for everyone. You get more subscribers, I get more money, and players get less ToA and more panties.

Frost Elves totally should have been in t-backs and spike-heeled leather thigh highs.

[Hoax]

/agree +1 psudo porn

[Johny Cee]

The big rumor now (after the last login poll) is that the "no ToA" server is going to go in.  Which makes sense,  since most folks who've played have finished ToA/artifacts now, and have too much time/effort involved in realm ranks.

Honestly,  the xp grind is fairly easy now.  Between reductions in xp needed, changes to the camp bonus xp,  the "free level" system,  and many more xp quests.  A quick example, I have a lvl 40 animist with about 1.5 days played on him,  counting quite a bit of time in bgs.  (And no, I don't bot). The artifacts/farming scrolls/items are much more the pain in the ass.

Even Master Levels are fairly easy now,  since numerous fixes (Example for those who know,  my server ran a ML 3 a few weeks ago that did everything in about 1.5 hours.  ML 3 is one of the ones that have been fixed the most, lately.)  MLxp is more of a problem.

If the item/artict acquisition wasn't a complete pain.....

Oh,  and one each of the Catacombs expansion classes was explicitly designed to operate free of buffs.

Vampiir's can't be buffed.  (and are damn fun to play in pve or battlegrounds)
Heretics have self buffs.
Warlocks abilities aren't really effected by buffs.

[AlteredOne]

You left out the other Cats classes:  Bainshees and Valkyries.  Both are highly buffable, and they are throw-backs to the old school classes.  Except that Bainshees are seen as ridiculously overpowered.  Nobody even bothers to play Valkyries, who seem to be a misguided experiment.

As for a no-ToA server, I think they are missing the point.  Yes, it is easy to get xp now.  But I simply would like to have fun in RvR with my Realm Rank 7 hero, who I stopped playing about 18 months ago, after ToA arrived.  Well, I gave it another go when New Frontiers was released, but I realized very quickly that tanks had no role in the new keep-centric warfare.

So great, they finally admit that ToA stinks and they remove it from a new server or two.  Tons of players flock to the new no-ToA server(s), the population on the existing servers plummets, and nobody is happy yet again.

[murdoc]

I'm too much a WoW-addict to go back to DAOC's issues. It was a fun ride while it lasted, and it was the first MMOG I cut my teeth on. It'll have a special place in my heart. But, I played one hour in ToA, and I quit the game forever. I'll never resub again.

This is me exactly, except I suffered through more than a hour of ToA. I think it was ML3 that was the finals straw for me.

Though the battlegrounds kept me subbed for awhile. I had a blast in the 20-25 and 35-39 BG's

[chinslim]

I yearn for a classic server: no RA's, no spellcrafting, and no ToA.  There's something pure about having to make hard choices on itemization  and having limited character abilities on which to base your combat decision tree from, and not being able to cap out every stat, resist, and +skill, and whip out the I-PWN from your pants every half-hour.

DAOC is still a great concept that got fucked by its own designers.

[Soln]

Hands down, Mythic is the best game company I ever subscribed with.  I think really highly of that company, their management, and some of the technical architecture they have (they have real "real-time" combat)

Unfortunately, I had to stop playing DAoC 3 years ago.  It's the most conservative, strict, puratanical... whatever description you want, it ain't flexible.  PvP is the end game, and if you ain't lvl50 yer fucked.  Their grind is appallingly hard and boring, and few people play that game enough anymore to make it interesting.  It just wasn't worth their extra effort.  Content is pretty thin now unfortunately.  They honestly need to loosen things up a bit.

Wonderful company, but the game is bit dated now

[chinslim]

Wonderful company, but the game is bit dated now

If the game is to be considered outdated, it's due to the cruft of feature, spell, and ability bloat that's tipped the see-saw of balance drastically towards one way or the other(i.e. all the little sorceror buffs over time and several patches that turned the class from uber gimp to uber).  Do they really need players to wrack their minds over spellcrafting formulas?  Was giving assassin classes 2.2 or 2.5X spec points/level really necessary?  Were all those NF towers really needed?  New and returning players will probably have no clue what 3/4 of the new slash commands do.

The game and combat mechanics are completely shot, but Mythic has done a good job over the years updating the graphics, and DAOC still has kept its dark medieval feel that I loved alot.

Tear the whole thing down and rebuild each class from scratch.  DAOC became less fun for me as each year added a whole new hotbar of abilities I had to scroll to in the heat of battle.

[stray]

I honestly believe Shadowbane is less of a clusterfuck than DAOC.

edit: But perhaps DAOC has the bigger carrot.

[Xanthippe]

DAOC was the first mmog that broke my heart.  I loved that game the first year or so.  Spellcrafting and RAs were ok, considering how terrific the Shrouded Isles expansion was.  Trials of Atlantis came out, and I tried it, hated it, tried it again, hated it more, and spent the remainder of my time there in the battlegrounds.

Finally I just quit after months of moaning/wishing/hoping they'd remove ToA. 

DAOC had so much promise, and then the designers went the complete wrong direction for me.  I guess there are people who still enjoy playing it, though.  Or not.  Population seems to be in decline since ToA.

[HRose]

DAOC is still a great concept that got fucked by its own designers.

I definitely agree. But pushing back the clock in order to hope for some nostalgia to kick in is even more stupid.

You can bet that it's exactly what they'll do.

The game and combat mechanics are completely shot, but Mythic has done a good job over the years updating the graphics

You nailed it down. They kept (and are keeping) ignoring all the real flaws in order to desperately chase "teh pretty".

The new Catacombs zones are breathtaking but there are holes in the design that completely ruin the gameplay.

A game with an unexpressed potential and without anymore a direction.

[Yegolev]

I'll resub when you make combat like Mount & Blade.

Nice, thanks for the link.  I'll give this a try soon.

[Furiously]

I was in the middle of master level 5 and I logged out mid raid. I realized 6 hours had passed and I only had 20% of it done and it would be like 5 more hours of pain. It just wasn't worth it.

[Yegolev]

There's something pure about having to make hard choices on itemization  and having limited character abilities on which to base your combat decision tree from, and not being able to cap out every stat, resist, and +skill, and whip out the I-PWN from your pants every half-hour.

GW 4 teh win!!11!

[AlteredOne]

Yeah at some point with these farming-oriented games, you must ask yourself what the hell you are doing.  Unless you plan on selling all your stuff on e-bay, it becomes obscene to spend 50+ hours on a series of raids just to improve your farming ability with a "mega uber pet" ability.  And even if you do plan to sell the stuff for real-life cash, your effective hourly wage would be eclipsed by simply serving burgers at McDonald's.  DAOC fell into the trap of catering to the obsessive-compulsive crowd and the e-bayers, and they have paid dearly for it.

Prediction:  DAOC's next expansion will be its last, and Imperator (a.k.a. togas in space) will flop like Vin Diesel in a French romantic comedy.

[Jayce]

I'd like to take this opportunity to pimp my idea for a game that unapologetically tells the catasses to step off, and has extremely easy (for a catass, but balanced for a casual) content.

WoW is probably almost there, but it looks like they are taking their first steps down the mudflation/catasseriffic trail.

I say let 'em quit!  They are a minority anyway, if a vocal one.

I suppose it's too late for DAOC.

[Paelos]

I'd like to take this opportunity to pimp my idea for a game that unapologetically tells the catasses to step off, and has extremely easy (for a catass, but balanced for a casual) content.

WoW is probably almost there, but it looks like they are taking their first steps down the mudflation/catasseriffic trail.

I say let 'em quit!  They are a minority anyway, if a vocal one.

I suppose it's too late for DAOC.

I like instancing so far in WoW to a point. The 40 man raids are just dumb. I went to MC last night and it was awful. I don't think I could fathom trying to grind my way down in that place.

[Yegolev]

WoW is probably almost there, but it looks like they are taking their first steps down the mudflation/catasseriffic trail.

I say let 'em quit!  They are a minority anyway, if a vocal one.

I am completely behind this.  I was hoping Blizz would not cave in, but this player-farming patch has greatly dismayed me.  Someone with some balls will eventually come along, ignoring the catass/troll whiners, letting their first-to-max-level asses fall off the end of the game... leaving it to people who actually want to have fun in the game.  It would also help if developers would stop trying to create their own EQ2.

I'm hoping GuildWars is the beginning of a trend, or the bucking of the EQ trend, whichever you prefer.  Its purported resemblance to EQ/WoW/any MOG is largely fictional.  It is also incredibly fun.

[Sky]

Yeah, Blizz /seems/ on board, but it feels like that is changing. Certainly the "Honor Rewards" were implemented with only the hardcore in mind, Not just the amount of killing to get a ranking, but the relative nature and weekly maintenance of your stature or losing gear? Then layer on the fact that it also caters to organized guilds at the expense of soloers and casual groupers (especially and egregiously on pvp servers), and it's a troubling sign.

Certainly lit the fire under my butt to go play Planetside and not WoW, fwiw.

[Xanthippe]

Attention any Mythic employees reading this thread, I think the message is clear: Get rid of ToA and throw money at me to consult on panty art for your character models. And maybe some of the hotter NPC's and monsters. It's a win-win-win situation for everyone. You get more subscribers, I get more money, and players get less ToA and more panties.

Frost Elves totally should have been in t-backs and spike-heeled leather thigh highs.

Agreed.  Females models in DAOC - and costumes - could have been designed far better.

[Rasix]

Feh.  I can see my ex-DAoC catass addict friends resubbing for something like this.  I can't wait to hear for hours at a time on the phone about how fucked up Mythics attempts to balance the game is and how pathetic Mythic as a company is...  all while they run around Emain looking for fights. 

[tazelbain]

I have nothing against the cheesecakes itself. Its all the immature behavior that tends accompany the cheesecake.  I think GW so far has done a good job of making females attractive without looking stripers and S&M fetishists.  Fan Service seems out of place in the social MMOG environment.

[Strazos]

I guess you haven't seen the female Elementalist outfit, or the dances of female Rangers or Elementalists.

I think they're the worst female dances.

I have much luv for the Monk, Warrior, and Necro dances. My Mesmer dance is amusing too.

[HaemishM]

HORSES! And only after 3 years of promising them. I remember Jacobs first big address at the end of 2001, saying that horses and houses would be in soon-ish. It's about time.

Frankly, there is so much good about DAoC, but it's just all overwhelming crushed by the need to level, then the need to level artifacts, then the need to level master levels and blah de blah blah. It's the only MMOG I've ever resubbed to. Level 20-24 battlegrounds were pure butter. Everything after that was a boring ordeal of looking at my Exp. bar and thinking of how much fun the RVR would be. And that was after the free xp. and xp. for PVP was added.

It takes too long to level, and MMOG's with any sort of competition has shown that if it goes to 11, 10 will not do. Thus, everyone in RVR is at 11, while I'm stuck grinding through 5.