[World of Darkness] Not as dead as you'd think...

Caveman Paws

I can't wait to see how clan influences (or doesn't) the power structures of the cities. If City X is ruled by a Toreador, will Torries flock to that town? If they do, will they gain some slight boost to their social status (real or imagined)? Will Nossies be treated even more poorly in City X than elsewhere?

Zzulu

This is funcom isn't it?

The answer is "probably not"

Basil

F-Funco- oh. You're thinking of the other World of Something, dogmatix.

V1m

Zzulu wrote: »

This is funcom isn't it?

The answer is "probably not"

It is not Funcom, it's CCP.

KoopahTroopah

You're thinking of The Secret World by Funcom. Which I'm surprised hasn't been shut down by the Illuminati yet.

Chases Street Demons

KoopahTroopah wrote: »

You're thinking of The Secret World by Funcom. Which I'm surprised hasn't been shut down by the Illuminati yet.

The Illuminati is funding it - they want everyone to see them as saviors.

As to mixing WoD creatures...as much as I want to play a Silent Strider, I think anyone who seriously believes we're getting anything more than Vamps is peddlin' vacuum. In order to respect the PnP franchise (which I believe they do), even the most guttersnipe Bone Gnawer would have to have a serious advantage over most vamps when the sharp things get pulled out. Hunters suffer from the same problem, except they're even weaker then vamps. Mages are too damn powerful for anyone, and literally impossible to police, while Wraiths are interesting and tragic...but ignorable.

Vampires alone make the best story, and easiest to balance. If we get Garou I'd love it, but I know I'll be seeing a bit of red when I lose a fight to an even-level vamp.

Edith_Bagot-Dix

Chases Street Demons wrote: »

KoopahTroopah wrote: »

You're thinking of The Secret World by Funcom. Which I'm surprised hasn't been shut down by the Illuminati yet.

The Illuminati is funding it - they want everyone to see them as saviors.

As to mixing WoD creatures...as much as I want to play a Silent Strider, I think anyone who seriously believes we're getting anything more than Vamps is peddlin' vacuum. In order to respect the PnP franchise (which I believe they do), even the most guttersnipe Bone Gnawer would have to have a serious advantage over most vamps when the sharp things get pulled out. Hunters suffer from the same problem, except they're even weaker then vamps. Mages are too damn powerful for anyone, and literally impossible to police, while Wraiths are interesting and tragic...but ignorable.

Vampires alone make the best story, and easiest to balance. If we get Garou I'd love it, but I know I'll be seeing a bit of red when I lose a fight to an even-level vamp.

In the hands of a determined cheeseball, Changeling is pretty bad too.

Caveman Paws

Chases Street Demons wrote: »

KoopahTroopah wrote: »

You're thinking of The Secret World by Funcom. Which I'm surprised hasn't been shut down by the Illuminati yet.

The Illuminati is funding it - they want everyone to see them as saviors.

As to mixing WoD creatures...as much as I want to play a Silent Strider, I think anyone who seriously believes we're getting anything more than Vamps is peddlin' vacuum. In order to respect the PnP franchise (which I believe they do), even the most guttersnipe Bone Gnawer would have to have a serious advantage over most vamps when the sharp things get pulled out. Hunters suffer from the same problem, except they're even weaker then vamps. Mages are too damn powerful for anyone, and literally impossible to police, while Wraiths are interesting and tragic...but ignorable.

Vampires alone make the best story, and easiest to balance. If we get Garou I'd love it, but I know I'll be seeing a bit of red when I lose a fight to an even-level vamp.

My thoughts exactly. Well, not exactly, but close enough for jazz. The way this game is being made, with the social/political aspect taking so high a priority, it wouldn't fit werewolf very well. Sure they have their politics, but it isn't the same as vampire, and trying to shoe horn in changeling, mage, and werewolf would be a mistake and just take away from the vampire game.

I personally believe they are going to promise a great deal early on to get the largest crowd possible, then later on we'll hear "after much research and debate it is decided we just can't do justice to the other games for (various reasons)."

So hope I'm wrong and can re-create my silver fang ahroun and get laughed at for my 13 year old self's idea of a badass werewolf.

V1m

In all fairness to CCP, whilst they do tend to promise more then they're able to deliver, they also do have the best record of any MMO publisher for continued development. EVE is almost ten years old and its still being actively developed, and CCP show every sign of continuing to do so, including implementing the third graphics engine upgrade.

Its fair to assume that they're in it for the long term.

KoopahTroopah

Hey guys, haven't updated in awhile but I took a walk over to the wodnews.net.

Just to let you guys know, there will be no new WOD news at E3. The focus from CCP is primarily on Dust for the convention.

Here are the new Concept Art Images leaked a couple days ago:

http://www.wodnews.net/Home/tabid/41/Article/648/seems-chris-spoke-to-soon-new-concept-art-leaked.aspx

They look pretty sick and I'm glad to see this game is still going places.

According to a tweet earlier last month, internal testing inside CCP has begun with very basic gameplay. I.E. Fight animations, dynamic lighting, characters created on the network, etc...

Thomas Holt, a WoD MMO developer posted on twitter they celebrated in Atlanta with cake and mead on a successful internal milestone for the WoD MMO (and EVE's birthday). Here is the tweet; loki_diegoCelebrating EVE's B-Day & a successful internal WoD release with cake & mead #CCP #WoD

Also there was an internal demo group that tweeted a bunch of information about the game. Spoilered because there are a LOT of tweets giving very small updates:

Spoiler:

@wwchrism
#wodmmo Going to be trying something new this morning. We have team 2-week sprint demo's. Going to send a small live update about each.

@wwchrism
#WoDMMO Team Crash N Burn (Server and Builds)Test Analysis for Network Services, Network Logging Services (all very exciting for the nerds)

@wwchrism
#WoDMMO Team Crash and Burn (Server and Builds) Logmonitor internal wiki documentation, Graphs of test results, Network Data for Bottlenecks

@wwchrism
#WoDMMO Khann(Enlighten,Content Browser, Blockout Tool) Early work on new blockout tool for level design to create quickly modifiable worlds

@wwchrism
#WoDMMO Khann (Enlighten, Content Browser and Blockout Tool) Enlighten lighting middleware additional improvements

@wwchrism
#WoDMMO Khann content browser work in Jessica (our internal design tool) to help edit worlds and organize thousands of assets

@wwchrism
#WoDMMO Big Iron (Multicity/Network) swarm node work-Entity Services To move things like AI to sep. server to reduce load on primary servers

@wwchrism
#WoDMMO Big Iron (Multicity/Network) Early aperture work to determine visibility of Avatars (Obfuscate)

@wwchrism
#WoDMMO Big Iron (Multicity/Network) Early Work on Multicity char transfer

@wwchrism
#WoDMMO Big Iron (Network) Single sign on to use EVE acc to log in to WoD, now on our int WoD web "One Step Towards World Domination"

@wwchrism
#WoDMMO Plaid (Pandora) Pandora work on "Volumes in Game" Allow for area effects (AOE) disciplines spheres, cones, cylinders

@wwchrism
#WoDMMO Plaid (Pandora) Showing Aura's and active buffs in combat

@wwchrism
#WoDMMO Acme (Animation) New Character Model and Rig in Game Animation samples for discipline powers

@wwchrism
#WoDMMO Acme (Animation) Testing different combat anim styles Seeing knock back and stagger anims, jumping across roofs, climbing up walls

@wwchrism
#WoDMMO Team MDK (Camera and Selection) Testing out new camera systems, added camera delays to fast motion to prevent jitter

@wwchrism
#WoDMMO Team MDK (Camera and Selection) testing control modes for enemy select Improv targeting "stickiness" huh? Porn Music Playing? WTF

Not really sure what to make of that.

@wwchrism
#WoDMMO Team MDK (Camera and Selection) Target cycling options,New Keymapping options Seeing some basic celerity powers

@wwchrism
#WoDMMO Hyperpole (Punch and Stagger) Combat improv oriented towards int CCP test in June Attack Chains, ending power attacks with knockback

@wwchrism
#WoDMMO Hyperpole (Punch and Stagger) Attacks now made interrubtible "Tyrant's Gaze" Discipline Willpower Attack

@wwchrism
#WoDMMO Hyperpole (Punch and Stagger) Network Improvements Fixed mantling on objects to only happen on 50% approach

@wwchrism
#WoDMMO Hyperpole (Punch and Stagger) Seeing characters knocked off ladders and "knockbacked" off of rooftops

@wwchrism
#WoDMMO Gibbet (Economy) Developing NPC workflows and documents Working on District fiction

@wwchrism
#WoDMMO Gibbet (Economy) Working on ability to acquire new discipline aspects improvements in game for testing improv appear on char sheet

@wwchrism
#WoDMMO Agoraphobia (District Art/Level Design) Defined all elements of districts (gameplay types, locations likes stores, Elysiums etc>)

@wwchrism
#WoDMMO Agoraphobia (District Art/LD) Updated history of district to match story timelines Review old assets and gathered for districts

@wwchrism
#WoDMMO Agoraphobia (District Art/LD) Began a simulated neighborhood that contains all elements of locations and gameplay

@wwchrism
#WoDMMO Agoraphobia (District Art/Level Design) Prototype block out tool for making buildings that automate crafting to art kit metrics

@wwchrism
#WoDMMO Vestiphobia (Character Art) Added rough shaders to highlight selected character Worked on new high poly male model

@wwchrism
#WoDMMO Vestiphobia (Character Art) Put together new female fashion ref for female reference model Dressed base model in prep for in game

Brainleech

Well it's nice to know they are still working on it.

Caveman Paws

Checking for WOD MMO updates has been a past time of mine for years.

I can wait a few more months.

SquiddyBiscuit

I'm starting to wonder if the whole vampire fad might be over by the time this is actually released.
Maybe it's just me, but I have a feeling that WoD's social and dress-up aspects are primarily made with the twilight crowd in mind.

Just_Bri_Thanks

You know, I hope so. Because if there is anything the Twilight crowd can use it is an appreciation for vampires that don't sparkle.

Caveman Paws

SquiddyBiscuit wrote: »

I'm starting to wonder if the whole vampire fad might be over by the time this is actually released.
Maybe it's just me, but I have a feeling that WoD's social and dress-up aspects are primarily made with the twilight crowd in mind.

Having played more than my healthy share of WoD games over the years I know for a fact that RPing a vampire in fancy clothes sitting in a coffee shop is something that happens with great regularity (usually because there is no ST online).

Twilight is an overall boon to WoD (and games like it) since it causes a big chunk of people to look into games like this when before they wouldn't have bothered to. That is not a guarantee that they will stick with the game, but the few that do stay are extra coin in the pocket of CCP&WW.

Speaking of dress-up: One of my favorite things to do in Skyrim (and similar games) is finding cool outfits for my character to wear. I carry numerous outfits around with my barbarian where ever he goes 1)Conanesque outfit 2)outfit from the skyrim trailer 3)fur armor+cape for when he walks around cold places 4)heavy armour 5)light armour 6)The other Conan-like outfit, etc.

Brainleech

I don't think the vampire fad has ended since Victorian times

I really have no idea and am quite scared of the things I will do with the social and dress up things I might do

KoopahTroopah

Brainleech wrote: »

I really have no idea and am quite scared of the things I will do with the social and dress up things I might do

I wanna RP a British gentleman who dresses in all golf attire with a top hat and monocle. Thinking Toreador? Maybe Ventrue?

Brainleech

I know they are going for the old VTM clans but I personally like the VtR ones more
But I really have no idea when my character prances around in fine fashion telling jokes and making rather macabre comments like I usually do in games

Caveman Paws

Brainleech wrote: »

I know they are going for the old VTM clans but I personally like the VtR ones more
But I really have no idea when my character prances around in fine fashion telling jokes and making rather macabre comments like I usually do in games

I prefer the VtR clans better myself, but I doubt I'll care much in the end.

That having been said I have narrowed my characters clan down to either Ventrue, Gangrel, Brujah, Toreador, Nosferatu, or maybe Tremere. Not so narrow but I still have a year to figure it out.

My one fear for this game: Standard MMO combat powers. Hit a button, you glow a funky colour signifying a buff is in play, wait for cool down, etc. I'd love to see something not this.

Kevin Crist

I'll be going Toreador, with inspiration from:

KoopahTroopah

Kevin Crist wrote: »

I'll be going Toreador, with inspiration from:

KORBAN DALLAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAS

Kadoken

I hope they go for the Masquerade. If they did, I wonder how they'd input true faith.

V1m

Caveman Paws wrote: »

Brainleech wrote: »

I know they are going for the old VTM clans but I personally like the VtR ones more
But I really have no idea when my character prances around in fine fashion telling jokes and making rather macabre comments like I usually do in games

I prefer the VtR clans better myself, but I doubt I'll care much in the end.

That having been said I have narrowed my characters clan down to either Ventrue, Gangrel, Brujah, Toreador, Nosferatu, or maybe Tremere. Not so narrow but I still have a year to figure it out.

My one fear for this game: Standard MMO combat powers. Hit a button, you glow a funky colour signifying a buff is in play, wait for cool down, etc. I'd love to see something not this.

I mean this in the most literal way possible: CCP have no idea how to make an ordinary game.

Caveman Paws

V1m wrote: »

Caveman Paws wrote: »

Brainleech wrote: »

I know they are going for the old VTM clans but I personally like the VtR ones more
But I really have no idea when my character prances around in fine fashion telling jokes and making rather macabre comments like I usually do in games

I prefer the VtR clans better myself, but I doubt I'll care much in the end.

That having been said I have narrowed my characters clan down to either Ventrue, Gangrel, Brujah, Toreador, Nosferatu, or maybe Tremere. Not so narrow but I still have a year to figure it out.

My one fear for this game: Standard MMO combat powers. Hit a button, you glow a funky colour signifying a buff is in play, wait for cool down, etc. I'd love to see something not this.

I mean this in the most literal way possible: CCP have no idea how to make an ordinary game.

Perhaps, though DUST looks a lot like Halo (not that I played enough HALO to make that call).

I wanna keep my expectations low and jaded so this game doesn't have to work to hard to impress me.

V1m

I'm not saying whether WoD will be "good" or "bad" (although I can pretty much garauntee that CCP will drive you insane with rage on at least one aspect of it), just that it won't be an "ordinary" hotbar EQ derivative.

CCP will make it heavily focused on player interaction because they really don't know how to make good gameplay. Honestly they have no idea. So whatever's worthwhile to do in WoD will involve players interacting with players...

...which is a good thing for an MMO, in my opinion.

V1m

PS They basically hired an outside company to make Dust, and the engine looks familair because it's the UT3 engine. The parts of Dust that aren't an off-the-shelf engine are the part that aren't ordinary.

KoopahTroopah

http://twitter.com/wwchrism/status/217985824422236160/photo/1

You can take that for what it's worth.

cj iwakura

Aw yeah.

We'll catch a "tiny" glimpse of vampire MMO World of Darkness at this year's Eve Online Fanfest in late April, maker CCP has told me.

The secretive MMO is being played internally, CCP CEO Hilmar Veigar Pétursson said, and has benefited from the restructuring that once looked like it had killed the project.

"It's going on very nicely," he told me. "A great example of focus and clearer priorities.

"We're playing it internally at CCP. It's actually a problem that some of our employees are losing themselves already in the World of Darkness as we go through the playtests.

"And we'll be showing a tiny piece of that also at Fanfest. So that is all I have to say about that at this time."

The last we heard of World of Darkness was in summer 2012 when the game was classed as in "active development".

The game's senior producer Chris McDonough had, months earlier at Fanfest 2012, taken to the stage to proclaim the project not dead after restructuring at CCP seemed to hit the World of Darkness Atlanta office hardest.

McDonough offered some detail about the game as well. He said it will feature real-world city locations like London, Paris and New York, and will be built on a sandbox philosophy with deep political systems that can put player Princes in charge of cities.

Those Princes will also have the power to inflict permadeath on other players, gulp.

There will be complex hand-to-hand combat and blood will be used as a currency. Inspiration is being drawn from Vampire: The Masquerade.

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2013-02-28-vampire-mmo-world-of-darkness-being-played-internally-at-eve-online-maker-ccp

Suriko

Inspiration is being drawn from Vampire: The Masquerade.

Very yes. Very, very yes.

KoopahTroopah

Those Princes will also have the power to inflict permadeath on other players, gulp.

This is awesome and frightening at the same time. Glad to see it's not dead though. Good find.

Docshifty

KoopahTroopah wrote: »

Those Princes will also have the power to inflict permadeath on other players, gulp.

This is awesome and frightening at the same time. Glad to see it's not dead though. Good find.

Abusing Blood Hunts is a great way to make sure your prince doesn't stay one, as well. Should be fun.

cj iwakura

It'd be neat if a player could go to ground or exploit havens to avoid a blood hunt.

Magic Pink

So just vampires then? That's cool but I was hoping for wraiths. They were easily the best of the lot, followed closely by the Fallen but I'm not sure either of them would translate to a vidjima game very well.

Nyht

cj iwakura wrote: »

It'd be neat if a player could go to ground or exploit havens to avoid a blood hunt.

I also like this as an idea. If you're marked for death, go seek a haven or a good place to hide. Also, I think the person should be marked by name alone and NOT some giant blaring icon over there head so that unless people are LOOKING for you, you might be able to pass others with no issue.

Just_Bri_Thanks

I am not too keen on mixing and matching supernatural creatures. Whenever it happened in pen and paper it was usually a case of blatantly arm-twisting the setting to get the kids to play nice. In actuality werewolves have every reason to hate vampires, vampires have every reason to exploit everyone they lay eyes on, and wraiths are far too busy trying to avoid being reprocessed into raw materials.

Just vampire is fine with me. If it works out perhaps they can do a werewolf later and integrate the two on a purely pvp basis.

Nyht

Just_Bri_Thanks wrote: »

I am not too keen on mixing and matching supernatural creatures. Whenever it happened in pen and paper it was usually a case of blatantly arm-twisting the setting to get the kids to play nice. In actuality werewolves have every reason to hate vampires, vampires have every reason to exploit everyone they lay eyes on, and wraiths are far too busy trying to avoid being reprocessed into raw materials.

Just vampire is fine with me. If it works out perhaps they can do a werewolf later and integrate the two on a purely pvp basis.

I agree to a point. The point being a video game of course and unless a miracle happens, in table top too I imagine it being a cluster. That won't stop me from fantasizing about this miracle scenario where you have all these different supernatural beings working together. Like a group of one of each ...

However this should be an epic story of some sort and not the norm and not the place for an MMO for sure. Proven by Vampire Bloodlines, vampires and their clans are plenty enough drama without dipping into another pool of weirdos and freaks.

... but I want me some blood magic. Let this be clear ...

KoopahTroopah

Nyht wrote: »

but I want me some blood magic. Let this be clear ...

I have a feeling not all of Thaumaturgy will be in. There's just so much of it.

syndalis

KoopahTroopah wrote: »

Nyht wrote: »

but I want me some blood magic. Let this be clear ...

I have a feeling not all of Thaumaturgy will be in. There's just so much of it.

They will have to find ways to cap player advancement so there is room for expansion packs.

More advanced blood magic falls handily into this space.

Corehealer

syndalis wrote: »

KoopahTroopah wrote: »

Nyht wrote: »

but I want me some blood magic. Let this be clear ...

I have a feeling not all of Thaumaturgy will be in. There's just so much of it.

They will have to find ways to cap player advancement so there is room for expansion packs.

More advanced blood magic falls handily into this space.

Tremere hierarchy sez no blood magic of this tier for you... for now...

Magic Pink

Just_Bri_Thanks wrote: »

I am not too keen on mixing and matching supernatural creatures. Whenever it happened in pen and paper it was usually a case of blatantly arm-twisting the setting to get the kids to play nice. In actuality werewolves have every reason to hate vampires, vampires have every reason to exploit everyone they lay eyes on, and wraiths are far too busy trying to avoid being reprocessed into raw materials.

Just vampire is fine with me. If it works out perhaps they can do a werewolf later and integrate the two on a purely pvp basis.

Depends on what kind of Wraith setting they use. The Orpheus stuff would work great.