Crowfall - Page 3

- Once we had the base concept locked, we broke the "Hunger" effect into stages. We wanted to sell the idea that the Hunger spreads like a disease, and it happens over time -- twisting and corrupting a creature so that, by the onset of Winter, it becomes unrecognizable.

- Once we had the various stages in mind, we jumped to the Winter and created a high-res image. The goal here was to visualize the musculature and Hunger effects in detail.

- That image was then used to create a high polygon model, a 3D sculpt of the cat in all his (her?) glory. After modelling, we textured (painted) her -- including lighting, diffusion and reflection layers. The model was then rigged with an internal skeleton, and animated. The final result of this process can be seen this video:

1. What is the pricing model for Crowfall?

Crowfall is a “buy once, play forever” game. That means that you buy the game once (estimated retail price of USD $50.) and you can play for the life of the game, without ever paying us again!

We also offer an optional VIP membership, details of which are provided below.


2. Can I spend real world currency buy in-game items or currency?

No. The only things that you can buy from ArtCraft:

- VIP membership tickets

- Cosmetic items that do not affect gameplay

- Account level services (such as increasing your number of character slots, or the size and population caps of your personal kingdom).


3. What do I get for buying the game?

You get a digital copy of the game and one active game account, which you can use to connect to the live game service.

Each game account allows for three characters, and one “passive training” slot that you can use to train one of your characters – even when you are offline.


4. Are there any restrictions on those character slots?

Nope. You have access to all the archetypes. You get the same number of character creation points to use to customize your characters. You draw from the same list of advantages, disadvantages, promotion classes and disciplines to advance your character. Your skill list is the same. Your character advances at the same rate.

Our goal is to make the VIP membership entirely optional.


5. What do I get for a VIP membership?

VIP members allows a few additional benefits:

“Behind the scenes” access to the development of the game
VIP members can use passive training for all 3 character slots (not just 1)
Priority access to all game servers
VIP frame / badge on the forums
Discount pricing on any purchases
Other cool (non-balance affecting) benefits as we think of them!


6. How much will VIP membership cost?

The price is currently TBD, but we’re expecting it to be around $15 a month.


7. Can I buy resources (stone, iron, wood) from ACE?

No. Once the only way to get resources will be to either earn them by participating in Campaigns, or by trading with other players.


8. Can items and resources be traded between players?

Yes. This the foundation of a player-driven economy.


9. Can I trade VIP membership tickets to other players?

Yes. This means that people who purchase the game, but don’t want to pay a monthly subscription, can still become VIP members by providing goods and services to other players.


10. Does this apply to the game world-wide? or just North America?

These answers are for North America only. Other territories will have likely different pricing methods. Details related to other markets will be released at a later time.

On February 13 2015 04:43 Liebig wrote:
Isn't being able to trade the VIP tickets kinda like the plex system in Eve ?

On February 13 2015 14:17 Spaylz wrote:
Kind of put off by the new info release.

I like the B2P model, and think it works for what the game looks like so far.

However, I have some concerns about having a "VIP membership" à la ArcheAge. Those who played know how terrible it is, but ArcheAge is purely and entirely pay-to-win, no question about it. Then again, even Trion advertised their game as "No Tricks, No Traps"... so I'm afraid that with Crowfall, I'm going to be extremely cautious and wait. No preorders for me on this one.

Another concern is "Personal Kingdoms". People on the forums have been musing about those, and it's still unclear what they are. The fact that you can apparently use real money to increase their size suggests it is some sort of player housing. I'm starting to worry about the dynamic of Eternal Kingdoms.

Overall, colour me way more uninterested than I was before. I'll keep following the development, but this info drop turned me off quite a bit. Perhaps my interest will be piqued again in the future, after all, we still have very little information, but I was too hugely disappointed by ArcheAge to be hyped again.

1. What are Voxels?

Imagine a world made of bricks – like Minecraft – only with bricks that are much, much smaller… So small, in fact, that you can’t see them. Small enough that you can carve a sphere out of a surface and leave it perfectly smooth. You can take a chunk out of a wall or a hill without it looking angular and blocky.

Voxel Farm is a technology library that does two things:

1. It allows you to create things out of voxels, which means that things can be easily broken apart and put back together in real time.

2. It includes a library set for generating Worlds procedurally. More than worlds, actually – castle walls, towers, buildings, rocks… you name it!

This technology, when mixed with a real time physics simulation, opens up a whole new world of potential gameplay.



2. What does a voxelized world allow players to do?

Blast holes in walls. Collapse towers on your opponent. Dig a tunnel beneath a castle wall, so that you can dig your way up into the courtyard and siege from within.

Voxel technology gives the players the ability to (literally) move mountains.

To see what’s possible, check out the Voxel Farm destruction demo, here.



3. Is this only on Campaign Worlds? Or on the Eternal Kingdoms are well?

We are using this technology for every Crowfall world.

On the Campaign worlds, the implications are obvious – if these Worlds are going to be destroyed eventually, anyway, why not make them fully destructible?

On the Eternal Kingdoms, the technology gives you the ability to customize your Kingdom or province in unique and interesting ways: construct a blacksmith shop, design a marketplace, build walls and towers and design a Castle.

All of this is possible -- provided, of course, that you win enough materials in the Campaign Worlds, first.




4. What does “procedural world” generation mean?

Most online games use 3D environments created by hand. This process is incredibly expensive and time consuming, as it requires the coordination of numerous artists and designers working for months to create every single area in the game.

Generating a game algorithmically means that this process is automated. Instead of having each World be created by a team of artists and designers, these individuals create assets (like trees and rocks and buildings) independently, as part of a “World creation toolset.” Engineers then “teach” an algorithm to create a multitude of Worlds using (and re-using) those parts.

Algorithmic terrain creation isn’t great for theme park games where the areas are created to match particular, pre-written storylines. However, it works GREAT for simulation and strategy games (like Minecraft, or Civilization) where your decisions – and the decisions of the other players – form the foundation of the experience.




5. What kind of things can be created algorithmically?

Terrain generation can be done algorithmically, resulting in realistic looking Worlds: oceans, continents, mountains, lakes, hills, valleys, rivers.

Subterranean areas can be included, as well… veins of iron or copper, twisting caverns and underground lakes and rivers. It can even be used to generate an endless landscape filled with ruins.

A great example of what can be accomplished with terrain generation can be found here.

Structures can be created algorithmically, as well. You can use “grammars” (sets of rules) to create walls and towers out of bricks, and castles out of walls and towers. See what kind of buildings can be “grown” algorithmically by checking out this video.

…and to see the real-time architectural tools in action, click here.

The two systems can even be used in conjunction, allowing you to build a continent and then “grow” villages, castles and towns in places where they would be most likely occur.




6. Why is this important for Crowfall?

Crowfall is a mix of an MMORPG and a strategy game.

You know that feeling you get, the first time you log in to a new game – that rush of exploration and mystery? The sense of excitement that comes during first turn of a game like Civilization – the urgency to explore, to expand, to conquer? that’s the emotion that we want, every time you enter a new Campaign World.

One of the things that can make a strategy game grow stale is knowledge of the game board. If players learn that the key to winning is to always “take control of point A” and “avoid the choke point at B,” it makes subsequent games less interesting.

By using an algorithmic approach to create new game Worlds at the “push of a button,” Crowfall can keep the players constantly guessing and keep the game feeling new.

On February 13 2015 04:33 Sn0_Man wrote:
TBH my biggest concern about the payment model is how they can build a playerbase with the upfront payment. I know it can happen but that barrier to entry does hurt.

On February 13 2015 04:33 Sn0_Man wrote:
Well, passive levellingtraining of 3 characters seems like a preeeetty big advantage but we'll have to see how valuable it is to have a variety of levelledtrained characters.

And i'm sure somebody will whine that you can trade VIP tickets for in-game stuff setting up a virtual P2W system whereby I can buy VIP tickets and trade them for in-game items, but considering the economy style that they are going for, trading for external items is absolutely going to happen regardless of any attempt to prevent it, so I don't have issues with them doing it in a way that directs the revenue stream through them, makes it safe if you choose their method, etc.

TBH my biggest concern about the payment model is how they can build a playerbase with the upfront payment. I know it can happen but that barrier to entry does hurt.

1. What do you mean by a "physics" system?

Physics system means that objects in our game world move and react according to real-world physics rules. Objects have mass and that mass imparts inertia/momentum.


2. Don't most MMOs use physics to move things around?

Most games have a simple physics system to represent players falling and things like that. Our system uses a physics engine for this purpose and as such can account for a much more dynamic scene, for example, falling objects colliding with one another. Movement of debris from an explosion, or scene dressing does not require a physics simulation. We apply physics to objects that can be meaningfully involved in gameplay, like the player's avatar, chunks of terrain and so on.


3. Does that mean players can't stand inside of other players?

It does! We think this will lead to some fun behaviors in combat.


4. What kind of forces are applied? (Momentum, inertia, Gravity, etc?)

We use a real-world gravity system where objects have mass and that mass corresponds to what you would expect from every day experience; Big barrels full of sand would be heavy, small objects like weapons weigh a lot less. Our player powers can also create forces to do things like push or pull, and knock up or knockdown.

When you apply player powers to in world objects there is potential for crazy destruction. It could also get out of hand and make a giant mess, so we are watching this area carefully.


5. Does this system affect... characters, monsters, objects, buildings, terrain?

Yes, the system affects everything in the world.


6. Can players block other players from moving?

Yes they can, which should allow for some interesting battlefield formations. However, not all characters will have the same mass, so a larger character like a Centaur will have no trouble pushing a much smaller Assassin out of the way. Also, some characters may have special powers that enable them to teleport past other players, while others may have powers that prevent players from passing them. Controlling the battlefield will be a key strategy to master!


7. Has this technology been used before?

Yes. The Voxel Farm technology library has been used by Daybreak Game Company on their titles Landmark and up-coming MMO, EverQuest Next.


8. Will any of my ranged powers use physics?

Yes, some powers use physics forces/impulses to push objects around. Some powers create projectiles which can apply forces to whatever the projectile hits and explodes on. A fireball could hit a player, explode and knock them back a few feet. Or maybe a meteor could hit the ground next to a player, knock them into the air and destroy the terrain under them, so when they fall it is a fair distance.


9. Will any of my melee attacks use physics?

We want everyone to enjoy the physics in Crowfall, so yes!


10. Can I use physics to push another player off a cliff? Or down a mountain?

Absolutely, assuming the force applied to them is enough to move their mass. Some of the characters have much more mass than others like the Centaur or the Champion.


11. What physical properties do items have?

All objects in the world will have mass, and a corresponding weight based on the world's gravity. Items in your inventory will not contribute to your avatar's overall mass however.


12. What tactical considerations will I need to take in account during combat?

In most other combat systems the environment is very static and the physics pretty limited. With the introduction of physics and a destructible environment Crowfall is shaking things up, quite literally.

This technology allows all kinds of emergent behaviors that no one has seen before. Imagine blasting a hole in the ground, using a force to knock an enemy into it and summoning a giant rock over the hole.


13. How can players take advantage of this system (shield walls, or tactical formations)?

We anticipate the tank types to have positional control on the battlefields, they will create formations or walls to protect whom or whatever is behind them. In classic MMO’s the tanks have protected the more lightly armored members of the group, in Crowfall they may also be protecting a siege weapon or entrance to a tower. Of course the enemy may have specialists who dig through the terrain under those tanks to get to the targets.


14. Do projectiles use physics?

Yes they do.


15. Does that mean that I can be hit by friendly fire?

Wherever possible, yes -- but we have to make sure that this is balanced. Some rules sets (like the infected worlds, which are Faction based) divide players automatically into teams. We have to make sure that players can't join teams specifically to take advantage of friendly fire to grief their own "teammates."

Our plan is to try and apply debuffs to players for doing damage to or killing their teammates (the gods curse you for your incompetence). If this proves not to be a good enough deterrent, however, we may have to turn friendly fire off for particular Campaign worlds.


16. How does this system work with the destructible environment system?

If walls crash down on you, you will take damage. If the ground opens up below you will fall. The environment can be just as lethal as an enemy player.

Next Tuesday at 2:00pm CST, we'll be doing a twitch stream of the creation of the Guinecean Duelist character model! Our friends and partners at OMNOM workshop (who we rely on heavily to help us sculpt our game characters) have graciously offered to allow everyone a chance to see how the sausage is made. In this case, the "sausage" is a talking guinea pig with the saber and a flintlock pistol.

On February 20 2015 03:13 Gorsameth wrote:
Seeing all these archetypes makes me hope they are just a way to show off the races / classes and that the game will not be limited to such specific combinations.