Dawntide MMO

[UnchainedAcolyte]

Didn't see a thread about this, and I know how rabid some people are about UO and SWG. Original massively post is a bit dated, but good information. I just got into Beta 2 myself and am going to post impressions here. You can still sign up for Beta as well.

Massively gets the low down on Dawntide

Dawntide reaches beta phase 2, re-opens testing applications

Spoiler Alert, click show to read:

Massively gets the low down on Dawntide

by Seraphina Brennan Aug 25th 2009 at 11:00AM

Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Game mechanics, MMO industry, New titles, Massively Interviews, Dawntide

The last we spoke of Dawntide, the new sandbox MMO from Danish developer Working As Intended, we were covering the start of their closed beta application process. Information is still scarce on the title, or, should we say information was scarce!

We got the chance to sit down with Christian Hummeluhr, Dawntide's producer, and drill him for info on the upcoming game. From races to world size and from combat to skills, we got a lot of useful information about the game that you're sure to be interested in. Especially if you're a fan of Ultima Online.

So come on and follow us after the break, and learn more about what Working As Intended has in store!

So introduce Dawntide to us and our readers. What's your main goal with creating this game?

We want that "real world" feeling that Ultima Online had back. The great thing about UO was all the different kinds of players playing in the same game, but in practice playing widely different games. Who wants to become a master blacksmith in a single player game? Some people probably, but it won't keep their attention very long. On the other hand, killing virtual avatars is quite fun, but if there's nothing at risk for the target (for instance: if they aren't a person), it also won't keep anyone's attention for that long.

But being a master blacksmith in a world where real people were dependent on the goods you made? That was somehow a game worth playing. And by creating a fun game where people interested in creating more than they were in killing could have fun, the game was made infinitely playable for the people who did like killing - and the killing in turn fed the crafters' game by creating demand for equipment and real risk.

That doesn't happen anymore, and we want it back while keeping the good developments in the genre from the years since. We completely understand that combat needs to be fun and engaging – but if all there is to the game is combat and combat-minded people, even the best game mechanics get stale eventually.

We've heard that Dawntide will be a skill-based progression game, a la Ultima Online. How many skills will be available to players? Will there be any system in place to prevent someone from learning all of the skills at once, or can a character excel at everything?

There are currently 50 skills planned, each of which has its own tree of Perks, which may take the form of bonuses to skill-related activities, attack types, passive bonuses, etc. A character will theoretically be able to learn all skills and Perks, but will face diminishing returns in skill gain rate as his total skill points increase. In practice, it will be ridiculously time-consuming to train every skill to the maximum possible on a single character.

Dawntide is low-fantasy, but will magic be available to the players, or only technology?

Christian: Dawntide will have magic. There's also a nifty skill called Ritualism that allows characters with very high Sorcery skills and the prerequisites to do so to join with other Ritualists and cast very powerful spells. They'll take a good amount of time to channel and will probably end up with material requirements, but you get the picture – they'll be cool.

When we say low fantasy, we simply mean we're not going with the standard Tolkien races, and that magic and technology coexist. Magic is involved in some technology, and technological devices can be focus objects, for instance.

How will skills be raised? Through use of the skill, or though something like an experience tree?

Skills improve through use. Dawntide doesn't have experience points.

Regarding the world -- how brutal is Dawntide? Is it like Darkfall, where everything can be looted from a player's corpse, or something else?

While we do have full loot, I'm not sure full loot is what caused Darkfall's brutal atmosphere so much as Darkfall's large emphasis on combat. Dawntide will be a pretty brutal place in some areas, but I think players will succeed in creating some orderly places as well – at least for a while.

You have mentioned on your website that players will be able to create cities and form territories in Dawntide. How much creative power do the players have regarding that? Also, can they take over already existing parts of the map, like NPC factions?

We will be aiming to give players as much creative freedom as we can, but we have no plans for customizable graphics at this point. We think the idea is noble, but frankly, a surprising amount of people will put penises (can I say that here?) (Yes, you can say that here. - Eds.) on anything, if given the chance– so it never really works out in practice. As the game grows, we will add new types of buildings and variations on old ones so players can better customize their city.

Players won't be able to "take over" NPC cities, but will eventually be able to raze monster settlements in order to build their own.

How big is Dawntide? One massive continent, multiple continents, or something else?

Dawntide takes place on an island world, around 15km^2 of world terrain is planned for the Beta. There are a few big continents, but mostly a lot of small to medium sized islands. Sailing will play a large part in the territorial warfare part of the game, I think, both for logistics and fighting. Controlling routes will be important for success. Ships are player-built and come in about a dozen different types with different purposes.

How extensive is crafting in the game? Is it to the level of something like EVE, where crafting supports the market, or is it more like a traditional MMO? What will players be able to make with their crafting skills?

We've put a lot of effort into our crafting system, and it's quite extensive. Everything can be made my players, and virtually nothing is generated by NPCs – the most notable exception being coin, of course. Players are the only source of resources and crafted items, and are responsible for almost the entire market demand for both.

Players are also responsible for the introduction of new item types. By going around the world and researching different objects and collecting samples, players can research and invent new item recipes, which they can then build from or sell to other players. They can also find ways to improve existing recipes, allowing them to build higher quality items.

As far as the actual resource system and crafting process go, we've drawn a lot of inspiration from UO and SWG. The crafting system is not based on a fixed list – instead, items are created based on templates, which are then modified by attributes such as material quality, skill level and enchantments to determine the final item attributes. There's a lot of room for customization, and we allow players to brand their goods with their or their guild's name.

Will there be any other forms of travel outside of mounts, such as caravans or some form of flight?

We will have sailing, as explained before. There will be wagons and carts as well, with and without beasts of burden. Mounts and beasts of burden have to be tamed or bought from an NPC stable, and can't be carried in your backpack.

What are the races in Dawntide? Will your race provide any influence on your skills or statistics?

We have the Vynn, kind of a human race of noble savages or barbarians living in the colder regions, and the Cevanti, another human race led by sorcerer nobles ruling a decaying empire. Then we have the Andrunians, who are physically unimpressive but have strong ties to the Vynn and high technology, and the Santyrians, a race of reptilian humanoids who serve as slave labor to the Cevanti.

I can't really do them justice within the space of an interview question, but we have a lot of information up on them over at our forums.

All right, final question -- If a train leaves Copenhagen at 75 kilometers per hour and another train leaves New York City (it's a train that can fly over the ocean, bear with me here) and it's going at 90 miles per hour, and the two trains are set on a collision course for one another somewhere in Sweden... how awesome is your game on a scale from one to awesome?

Haha – like I said, this is a big task, so we're trying to stay pragmatic. We're pretty awesome right now, but we've definitely got some way to go before we can say that we're totally awesome.

Thanks for your time, Christian!

[Hatorade]

Let us know, never thought I would say this but I am tired of all the shit that is out there in the form of subscription based gameplay on a massive player scale.

[maskedmelon]

I have applied for Beta 2 as well, but have yet to be accepted. The game does look promimising, though still very early in development. Has a real EQ'ish feel <3

[Utnayan]

I keep getting stack overflows on your web site.

[maskedmelon]

I did too, the official Dawntide site is here:

Dawntide

There is a link to the beta app center on the mainpage and I think the resto f the info in the links from UA is covered in his spoiler.

[Kodylan]

For what it's worth, the game is in extremely early development, so don't sign up unless you're looking to actually contribute feedback to the future of the game. You won't find anything resembling a finished product for a while.

However, knowing the producer of Dawntide and CEO of Working as Intended, they're very serious about listening to player feedback and are both talented and creative.

[Wizerud]

Without trying to generalize it too much the graphics look very EQ-ish. Kinda like EQ2 should have been.

[Araxen]

Only 4 races...meh. Not too excited about it.

[Xakk]

Originally Posted by Araxen

Only 4 races...meh. Not too excited about it.

19 races is what made vanguard a success

[Araxen]

1 human race with 18 other animal heads tacked on don't count as races.

[HailToTheChimp]

Originally Posted by Araxen

1 human race with 18 other animal heads tacked on don't count as races.

Interesting to see where this game will go. Looks like they are taking the elements of what makes an mmo and essentially putting it in the hands of the players allowing them to do what they wish? A la EVE but in a fantasy setting?

[Libra]

We could use more sandbox MMOs. I'll be keeping an eye on this one. Thanks for the link.

[Kidriot69]

Im all for sandbox and skill based UO style, but like in EVE, I dont like how you can eventually get every skill in the game.

Yes, they said it would take a very long time, still in EVE, people who have been playing for years are probably: Good PvP, has Industry, has Jump Freighters...

In short, I would rather have a cap, a la SWG talent points. You have a certain amount and use them where you wish. That way, IF Dawntide is successful and a few years down the road (or in general) when new players start, they can find there niche in the world, because PvPers will need crafted items, and if you use all your talent points for PvP skills, you obviously have no extra points to train in crafting. Therefore, crafting will be more useful and have actual incentives.

[Tananthalas]

Originally Posted by Kidriot69

In short, I would rather have a cap, a la SWG talent points. You have a certain amount and use them where you wish. That way, IF Dawntide is successful and a few years down the road (or in general) when new players start, they can find there niche in the world, because PvPers will need crafted items, and if you use all your talent points for PvP skills, you obviously have no extra points to train in crafting. Therefore, crafting will be more useful and have actual incentives.

It sounds like it will be easier to just make an army of alts for all your crafting needs, allowing all max skills on one character isn't that big of a deal if you can make 6 others to fulfill all your other needs.

[Tananthalas]

Originally Posted by Kidriot69

In short, I would rather have a cap, a la SWG talent points. You have a certain amount and use them where you wish. That way, IF Dawntide is successful and a few years down the road (or in general) when new players start, they can find there niche in the world, because PvPers will need crafted items, and if you use all your talent points for PvP skills, you obviously have no extra points to train in crafting. Therefore, crafting will be more useful and have actual incentives.

It sounds like it will be easier to make alts after a cerain point rather than keep building up one character. It really doesn't matter either way, if you allow multiple characters per account but have a cap on skills people who want to do everything are just going to make alts anyway.