Dark Days Are Coming - New Funcom Project

[Hoax]

This is very much a "no way this will work but how can I miss it?" type of title. I was really upset that I wasn't able to play Fallen Earth so I'm really looking forward to unwrapping a new virtual world that is trying to be interesting.

[ghost]

Why couldn't you pick up Fallen Earth?  They've got e free trial rocking now.

[Kageru]

I would very much like funcom to not screw this up. Desperately need a new game that's not fantasy and think this genre is novel, popular (lots of supernatural fiction at the moment) and has lots of space for variety in gameplay and good lore.

but, balancing that, funcom.

[Spiff]

This is very much a "no way this will work but how can I miss it?" Funcom type of title.

Fify 

Really though, after AoC I swore on a stack of bibles Funcom wasn't going to pull me back in ... and then they start whispering all these sweet little words like "no level based progression", "modern day setting", "complex multi-layered puzzles" and I'm all weak in the knees again.

I'd be somewhat flabbergasted if this thing launches in or even near 2011 though.

[Hoax]

Why couldn't you pick up Fallen Earth?  They've got e free trial rocking now.

Games like this are only fun if you are in at launch. Its that new world, where everyone is wandering around figuring shit out for the first time and each new encounter and zone has that "oooooooooh" feeling. Once the majority of the player base is same old been there done that and is grinding through on their 4th alt? A game can never be as much fun as it is day one in my opinion. This is doubly true of games that will never really work and are only fun because they tried to do cool shit.

When Fallen Earth released I didn't have the time or really even the money to get into it.

re: Funcom games.

Yeah its Funcom, so what, like I said I know what I'm getting into and I'm still excited.

Some people play a game like Rift or ChampsO or Aion knowing its a soulless boring pile of shit that does the same boring crap you played in the 90's. I think those people are fuckheads but at the same time I'm willing to pay money to enjoy playing with actual new gameplay systems in a virtual world that is trying to be meaningful instead of trying to just be a bag of lewtz delivery system.

[UnSub]

I would very much like funcom to not screw this up. Desperately need a new game that's not fantasy and think this genre is novel, popular (lots of supernatural fiction at the moment) and has lots of space for variety in gameplay and good lore.

but, balancing that, funcom.

I've followed TSW for a long time now and agree with the above. I'd love for TSW to be a fantastic MMO, but it has been in development for a long time, gone through several name changes and Funcom reputedly is in a financially concerning situation (although that is just an internet rumour I haven't looked at in detail).

I wonder if I can even find that code I unlocked years ago that looked like a beta code...

[jth]

Server structure is still to be decided but The Secret World will use very little instancing. Funcom prefers to have players collide, co-operate and socialise on large persistent maps and in dynamic encounters.

This is great news.

[alcohol-influenced rant]
I've always hated instancing in MMO's with a passion. UO, DAoC and FFXI for example did very well with no (or very little) instancing and those are the ones I always had most fun playing, at least until they were fragmented and ruined by too many expansions. For me, instancing effectively kills the immersion and makes the game world feel much less alive, and anyway if I wanted solo or group only instances, I could as well play a single player or a regular multiplayer game. And as for the argument that instancing is often "necessary" to present the game story, I couldn't care less about any story in my MMO's, where I play myself or a variant of myself in the game world, as opposed to single player games where I play the game character in the game story.
[/alcohol-influenced rant]

Also, the article mentions that they will start the first internal beta test in a month or two. Maybe this means a closed beta later this year.

[palmer_eldritch]

Server structure is still to be decided but The Secret World will use very little instancing. Funcom prefers to have players collide, co-operate and socialise on large persistent maps and in dynamic encounters.

This is great news.

[alcohol-influenced rant]
I've always hated instancing in MMO's with a passion. UO, DAoC and FFXI for example did very well with no (or very little) instancing and those are the ones I always had most fun playing, at least until they were fragmented and ruined by too many expansions. For me, instancing effectively kills the immersion and makes the game world feel much less alive, and anyway if I wanted solo or group only instances, I could as well play a single player or a regular multiplayer game. And as for the argument that instancing is often "necessary" to present the game story, I couldn't care less about any story in my MMO's, where I play myself or a variant of myself in the game world, as opposed to single player games where I play the game character in the game story.
[/alcohol-influenced rant]

Also, the article mentions that they will start the first internal beta test in a month or two. Maybe this means a closed beta later this year.

I enjoyed your rant and agreed with much of what you said.

[Cadaverine]

Server structure is still to be decided but The Secret World will use very little instancing. Funcom prefers to have players collide, co-operate and socialise on large persistent maps and in dynamic encounters.

This is great news.

[alcohol-influenced rant]
I've always hated instancing in MMO's with a passion. UO, DAoC and FFXI for example did very well with no (or very little) instancing and those are the ones I always had most fun playing, at least until they were fragmented and ruined by too many expansions. For me, instancing effectively kills the immersion and makes the game world feel much less alive, and anyway if I wanted solo or group only instances, I could as well play a single player or a regular multiplayer game. And as for the argument that instancing is often "necessary" to present the game story, I couldn't care less about any story in my MMO's, where I play myself or a variant of myself in the game world, as opposed to single player games where I play the game character in the game story.
[/alcohol-influenced rant]

Also, the article mentions that they will start the first internal beta test in a month or two. Maybe this means a closed beta later this year.

Not good news.  I've got better things to do than fight with everyone, and their mother, for spawns in the dungeon(s).  Nor am I inclined to deal with dicks leapfrogging myself, or my group, to kill the boss, or whatever, after we've fought our way to it.  To me, that sort of thing is far more immersion breaking than having the dungeons instanced.

[DLRiley]

Server structure is still to be decided but The Secret World will use very little instancing. Funcom prefers to have players collide, co-operate and socialise on large persistent maps and in dynamic encounters.

This is great news.

[alcohol-influenced rant]
I've always hated instancing in MMO's with a passion. UO, DAoC and FFXI for example did very well with no (or very little) instancing and those are the ones I always had most fun playing, at least until they were fragmented and ruined by too many expansions. For me, instancing effectively kills the immersion and makes the game world feel much less alive, and anyway if I wanted solo or group only instances, I could as well play a single player or a regular multiplayer game. And as for the argument that instancing is often "necessary" to present the game story, I couldn't care less about any story in my MMO's, where I play myself or a variant of myself in the game world, as opposed to single player games where I play the game character in the game story.
[/alcohol-influenced rant]

Also, the article mentions that they will start the first internal beta test in a month or two. Maybe this means a closed beta later this year.

Special place in hell for people who insist that I should wait to spawn camp dungeons for hours on end for items with .1% drop rate.

[Margalis]

FFXI has bosses that you can force to pop with an item and when they appear they are automatically claimed. But other people can still see them IIRC.

There is a happy medium between heavy instancing and spawn-camping.

[Kageru]

It's a game lore very well suited to the idea of "rifts" in which hot-spots appear, are fought, defeated and vanish.

(trying to restrain optimism above "hope it doesn't suck").

[Rasix]

(trying to restrain optimism above "hope it doesn't suck").

FUNCOM!

[Zane0]

Here's their newest trailer. It rocks: http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2011/04/08/secret-world-trailer/#more-56482

Funcom has always been an industry leader in the awesome high-concept hook to draw you in, though. Their ambition trips them up every goddamn time but I'm glad they're around. Even Anarchy Online was an eccentric and fascinating world that WoW can't remotely hold a candle to. I am also one-hundred percent certain this game will be an equally unmitigated disasterfuck with broken content, incredible bugs, and ridiculously poor balance (you can see the disaster-waiting-to-happen with their open skill system from a thousand miles away). I don't care though. I won't miss this game for the world (to dabble with the story anyway).

[Kageru]

I know, it's Funcom :/

But MMO lovers are innately hopeless optimists. Generally chasing a dream of recovering the innocent joy they experienced in their first MMO.

[Draegan]

That trailer was dumb.  It was all text and emotional music ending with some random chants and singing.

[UnSub]

The new trailer is fairly parody worthy and only appeals to those on the forums who know what the statements actually means (or can guess).

They have recently updated the main site though to include a lot more information. I love the villain groups - Scarecrows are a nice explanation and link to modern horror, the Spectres look effectively scary - and the settings look nice.

However...

All the "no levels! you can play how you want!" is going to end up disappointing people. Especially since all they've shown has been combat. People take those kind of statements literally and then get disappointed when it turns out they can't really be a super ninja magic using viking knight.

On Instancing

As a casual player, I don't have time to wait in line so I can defeat a boss I need to progress, nor do I see immersion in the 'secret' dungeon that has a queue going out the door, or finding that the dungeon is clear of the enemies I needed to kill because a larger group has gotten there before me.

There are advantages and disadvantages to each approach.

[Kageru]

The new trailer was pretty dumb. Too much text, too obscure... but I guess it's still very early and they don't want to or can't show gameplay.

I actually like the no leveling idea. The level mechanism is great for telling a story of "from peasant to hero!" but in a more realistic setting having it based on skills, no one being super-powered, has a lot of advantages. And if they can find a way to keep people motivated without levels (which is doable) the game won't have the dramatic change in game-play that happens at level cap. Of course, the mechanics need to support that,

[Arrrgh]

Could you folks who hate instancing tell us about your ideal death penalty and leveling curves?

[Dark_MadMax]

I went to website and videos there are amazing. Granted its funcom, but they said magic word "no instances"!

Could you folks who hate instancing tell us about your ideal death penalty and leveling curves?

death penalty - minor incovenience. The one which eventually makes you repair, short run to gravestone (<5 min) . With one small tweak - durability loss would be expressed in gold/materials and would be available to loot of body if death happened in pvp.

Leveling curves? - very small vertical one (just so people dont make throaway mules) and mostly horizontal one. Leveling does not make you more powerfull -just allows  to have more options (not necessarily all at same time).    Horizontal progression could be long , but new players would be as powerful as 2 year old veterans

[Arrrgh]

Not EQ1 nostalgia then. Silly me.

[UnSub]

I'm also not sure of TSW not having levels when Rock Paper Shotgun reported that combat used traditional MMO targeting recticles over manually aimed crosshairs.

Devil is in the details, as always.

[Soln]

I thought (hoped?) TSW was also going to include puzzles and non-fighting/mashing stuff with neat lore. Non-instancing doesn't help that. 

[Dark_MadMax]

I thought (hoped?) TSW was also going to include puzzles and non-fighting/mashing stuff with neat lore. Non-instancing doesn't help that. 

Yeah because we totally lack instanced games right now ! And its not like single player games are instanced! -there is always those random dudes ruining my single player game sessions !

[Nija]

Yeah because we totally lack instanced games right now ! And its not like single player games are instanced! -there is always those random dudes ruining my single player game sessions !

Play Demon's Souls if you want people ruining your single player game.

[Mrbloodworth]

but they said magic word "no instances"!

Meh, No instiances is bad, they are handy tools if used well. None, its a nightmare. Guess we shall see a line at the end of the dungeon then.

[Dark_MadMax]

but they said magic word "no instances"!

Meh, No instiances is bad, they are handy tools if used well. None, its a nightmare. Guess we shall see a line at the end of the dungeon then.
[/quote]

And why there is a line at the end of dungeon? Because there is respawning loot pinatas  in there! bad design is bad. Instances are  just band aids to mask the real problem. 

[Kageru]

Instances are just a tool. You can design without it and have advantages (player interaction, epic scope) or with it and have advantages (controlled player interaction, can tailor a "story" and the challenge). It's just how you use it.

[K9]

And why there is a line at the end of dungeon? Because there is respawning loot pinatas  in there! bad design is bad. Instances are  just band aids to mask the real problem. 

What is the 'real problem' then?

[Malakili]

And why there is a line at the end of dungeon? Because there is respawning loot pinatas  in there! bad design is bad. Instances are  just band aids to mask the real problem. 

What is the 'real problem' then?

By the sound of it, the fact that they made a game where loot pinatas are desirable?  Sounds like a generic "The game should be fun on its own merits, I shouldn't play to collect stuff"  I'm actually sympathetic to the argument, but its almost too much to ask from an MMO these days.

[Spiff]

They had a lot of non-instanced and semi-instanced (multiple groups allowed in a single dungeon) stuff in AO, it delivered it's fun moments from time to time and something is certainly lost by instancing most of the action.

That said; I don't miss the endless named mob camps, dps races (whoever did most dps got the loot in AO, those were dark days   ), getting 'trained' by some dude with half of the dungeon in his wake, etc.

They revisited it in AoC with some dungeons as well, although they came back on some of that since iirc.

My main problem is that it invariably leads to a bigger time investment from me; dungeons get scaled to more people (bigger, more trash, ...) and you have to compete for spawns and whatnot ...
Also, it usually empowers 'random internet guy #66' to fuck with my fun, which I don't need.

[Shatter]

TRAIN TO ZONE!!

[Rasix]

They revisited it in AoC with some dungeons as well, although they came back on some of that since iirc.

Wasn't AoC entirely instanced? Or was that just in every zone in Tortage and then removed upon entering the post tutorial world?

[Mrbloodworth]

Over-world Population dependent.

[palmer_eldritch]

They revisited it in AoC with some dungeons as well, although they came back on some of that since iirc.

Wasn't AoC entirely instanced? Or was that just in every zone in Tortage and then removed upon entering the post tutorial world?

They had a few non-instanced dungeons (eg the sewers in Tarantia) but I believe they later turned those into instances following complaints from players.