Darkfall Developer Journal #9: The Beta Question

Tasos Flambouras is back with his latest bi-weekly journal entry here on Darkfall WarCry. In it, he responds to a recent call from one of our columnists to tell us when the long awaited Beta really will be. For that and more, read on!

This update will be a proper journal entry, the last couple of weeks we did some race presentations here, before we had a couple of lore updates.

We've been throwing around the word beta quite a bit, and it's not to churn the waters, it's because it's what we're working on right now. An editorial on this site urged us to come out with a date. Well that's nice, and we will when we have one. We've specified that our internal target date is this summer and we can't get more specific yet, but we will when we're ready to make an announcement. We have recent negative examples of games with good potential being rushed out having been improperly tested and we don't want that for Darkfall. Things are going well and we'll keep you updated on that front as we know more ourselves.

Some of you may have noticed that we're doing a small facelift to the site which involves a lot of new screenshots, new texts, etc. So far the areas we've done are in the race section: the Mirdain, the Alfar and the Mahirim. The other races will follow. We've updated the monster section and we'll keep adding to it. We updated the Agon map, and updated the Rubaiyat area text and added screenshots. The changes and updates will keep happening all over the website over the next few weeks.

This Darkfall affiliate site has stood by our game and has supported the Darkfall community for a long time. I don't think it's out of line to ask you to do the same and help it evolve. To be honest with you, I'm not fond of the editorials and we've had enough ranting to last us a lifetime, but we do appreciate intelligent commentary and critique. In that spirit, I got an interview question from a Greek journalist. He asked me if the Alfar have any unique characteristics that counter-balance their socialization drawback. Their advantage isn't technical, there's no built-in superpower, but the question is interesting. I've answered the question but I would like to hear your opinions as well on this topic.

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I believe the Alfar hold an advantage over other races because their universal antagonism will be cause for unity. I believe that the Alfar will be one of the more unified races (perhaps even moreso than the elves and the dwarves). On the flip side, I believe that the human and the orcs will be the two races wrought with the most internal strife.

Weren't the Alfar supposed to have some kind of minor enhancements during the night and penalties during the day? I heard that they had been "toned down" or something to that effect, but do they exist at all? That was always a feature I felt was very fitting for a loner race like the Alfar, to be able to hold at least the nominal advantage over everyone else if even only for the duration of the night. Both a unifying factor, and one that would spur resentment from others. Even, as I said, a superiority which exists in name only.

Without at least a few unifying factors, I believe that the Alfar race will not be quite as tight knit as people assume during the first months of the game. The playstyle that is most oft drawn to the Alfar is that of the Random PKer, and it will take quite a few lessons learned from many of them before they're willing to replace "Random" with "Most" in their pridefully held titles. And truth be told, that may be quite anticlimactic for players drawn to Darkfall for the carnage of 24/7 action. Hopefully this is offset by creating the "Chaotic" player faction as one of depth and viability, while still promoting the vast majority of the population staying lawful and holding to the race guidelines.

That said, however, these speculations I've got rattling in my head can only be affirmed by knowing precisely how all of the alignment and race relation mechanics work and the ultimate proof by which we'll gauge the success of this system will be the product spawned by the sociological development of the Darkfall world. That social development phase of MMORPGs is always my favorite part, hopefully Darkfall's underlying mechanics will introduce enough unpredictable variables to keep things exciting for quite a while. I do however wonder what, if any, evolutions may be planned for the game world so that it doesn't become stale and predictable too quickly.

The only thing I can think of that wouldn't give Alfar that much of an advantage, but could be fit in lore style, would be to make some skills have a higher soft cap while other skills may have a lower soft cap. Now, I don't think that it should be a large amount of difference, but something like 5 skill points maximum either way. This way you could fit the lore around the natural skills of the Alfar race, but you aren't restricting people from getting the skills they want, they just might have to try a little harder/less hard for those particular skills.

I really dislike how most MMO companies these days use the illusion of difference to simulate an actual difference, most especially in the races. 5 extra points out of 100(or whatever) is nothing but crap. If the Alfar are strong in one area, let them be strong in that area. Too many MMOs these days try not to alienate their populace by being stale and boring while simulating difference and variety. They fear the whiners that will plague the forums if there is even the slightest hint of advantage in any area by any side. Get over it, please.

Lets not have a boring game world where all races are equal for the sake of this mythical "balance" devs are always questing for. Far too often fun and variety is sacrificed for the sake of this "balance", and for what really? So all the idiots and noobs can feel satisfied in their choices? For how long? Until they realize that the game is actually boring without ever knowing the reasons behind that fact?

Let the races have obvious strengths and weaknesses. 5-10% in a stat here or there just doesn't cut it. An average orc probably wouldn't be a mere 10% stronger than an average elf, but more likely 30-50% stronger if not more. So what if an elf can't hope to win against an orc relying on strength? The elf should be using speed, intelligence, and dexterity to take the big orc down, not out muscle it. Oh but what about all the whiners? Who cares? As long as each race has strengths and weaknesses to make up for each other, it shouldn't matter. Players should come to fear Mahirim raiding parties, Dwarfen smithing empires, orkish great axe berserkers, alfar mage guilds, etc, etc, etc. If enough smart players come up with good strategies, I am sure players will be able to fear elvish berserkers at some point too, for different reasons than fearing the Ork berserkers. Same for all such strengths and weaknesses. It is the differences that make things interesting.

Don't simulate variety and diversity. Embrace it.

Well I wasn't talking about stats at all in my post, but about skills (healing, swords, daggers, etc...) Obviously stats for races should be different, but that's not what I was trying to get at. Yet if you make an Orc 30-50% stronger in a game where you can get any skill you want then that severly restricts their choices. If they are 30-50% stronger than that means they must be considerably less agile or intelligent and then it makes it somewhat pointless to get skills that require agility or intelligence because you will just be mediocre at best. So yes, stats should be different starting off for races, but 30-50% is absurd.

Also, balance is really important in this game overall. I don't mean that every 1v1 fight should be balanced, but that there is always a balanced counter to something. For PvP to be good there has to be balance, period.

Who knows though, Alfar may just get sunglasses as newb gear so they don't get headaches during the daytime.

Absurd? It is practical. It makes things interesting. Anything less than 20% difference on such a stat is rediculous. Why have 5 races if they are all just glorified humans?

Besides, it doesn't matter if the difference is 200% as long as the elves have a counter. Like 200% more dexterity. The elf runs around hitting the ork 2-3 times for every 1 strong hit the ork gets in. It evens out, and it isn't boring.

It doesn't mean the elf can't use a great axe, it means he has to use it differently.

Balance has been the bane of every mmo to date, and not because everything was so drastically different, but because everything was so excruciatingly similar.

Decimatus:
I really dislike how most MMO companies these days use the illusion of difference to simulate an actual difference, most especially in the races. 5 extra points out of 100(or whatever) is nothing but crap. If the Alfar are strong in one area, let them be strong in that area. Too many MMOs these days try not to alienate their populace by being stale and boring while simulating difference and variety. They fear the whiners that will plague the forums if there is even the slightest hint of advantage in any area by any side. Get over it, please.

Lets not have a boring game world where all races are equal for the sake of this mythical "balance" devs are always questing for. Far too often fun and variety is sacrificed for the sake of this "balance", and for what really? So all the idiots and noobs can feel satisfied in their choices? For how long? Until they realize that the game is actually boring without ever knowing the reasons behind that fact?

Let the races have obvious strengths and weaknesses. 5-10% in a stat here or there just doesn't cut it. An average orc probably wouldn't be a mere 10% stronger than an average elf, but more likely 30-50% stronger if not more. So what if an elf can't hope to win against an orc relying on strength? The elf should be using speed, intelligence, and dexterity to take the big orc down, not out muscle it. Oh but what about all the whiners? Who cares? As long as each race has strengths and weaknesses to make up for each other, it shouldn't matter. Players should come to fear Mahirim raiding parties, Dwarfen smithing empires, orkish great axe berserkers, alfar mage guilds, etc, etc, etc. If enough smart players come up with good strategies, I am sure players will be able to fear elvish berserkers at some point too, for different reasons than fearing the Ork berserkers. Same for all such strengths and weaknesses. It is the differences that make things interesting.

Don't simulate variety and diversity. Embrace it.

I completely fucking agree with this, but we kind of have to work with what we're getting. Aventurine has said repeatedly they won't be making huge differences between the races, much to my chagrin.

So given that, minor differences are better than none... and the more of them, the better. When you add a little to a little, and then do it again, you start to get a lot!

Decimatus:
Absurd? It is practical. It makes things interesting. Anything less than 20% difference on such a stat is rediculous. Why have 5 races if they are all just glorified humans?

Besides, it doesn't matter if the difference is 200% as long as the elves have a counter. Like 200% more dexterity. The elf runs around hitting the ork 2-3 times for every 1 strong hit the ork gets in. It evens out, and it isn't boring.

It doesn't mean the elf can't use a great axe, it means he has to use it differently.

Balance has been the bane of every mmo to date, and not because everything was so drastically different, but because everything was so excruciatingly similar.

Introducing racial differences is a balancing nightmare too, of course...

But fuck it, I want what I want!

It would be neat to have different races have different sets of proficiencies and a unique "feel". An elf would move more nimbly and have more precise control on his movements than a lumbering Ork, and would perhaps have more accuracy and precision with his attacks and ranged shots, versus the Ork who would be less accurate, but much more brutish and durable with his attacks.

It can be done, but whatever. Save it for Darkfall II imo!

Surly I wouldn't worry about the content becoming stale. The thing about games like Darkfall is that they have truly dynamic worlds. The content and boundaries within the game serve to add spice and not much more. Essentially it will be you and I creating the truly interesting content because of the freedom the game gives us by nature. Trust me when I say you won't be getting bored as you are quite possibly in line to see some of the most amazing examples of dynamic player interaction ever before manifested in an MMORPG.

Alfar may not have the largest advantage outdoors at night (as things have changed) with two moons and all, but underground there could be a huge advantage to night vision. Couple with that an extensive cave and tunnel system makes gaurding their home turf much easier. One or two ways in, are a lot easier to guard than being topside and having more area to secure (yes, we don't know the terrain or subterranean landscape will be, but i am making a logical assumption).

Can't really bring siege weapons underground either, and with the attacking clan leader running for his life with the challenge shard underground, in cramped quarters, gives the alfarts a huge defensive bonus.

Also, Porthios' point of racial strength cannot be underestimated. Kill everybody else, is easier than kill 2/3, especially when trying to ID people on the field of battle, with FF flying everywhichway. Also, controling underground may give advantages such as easy flanking on topside countryside and maybe a direct pipeline into various resources (stone, ore, etc. again, i am guessing).

Also, once they drive out underground NPCs and take over, it will be hard for NPCs to colopnize again. Not to mention the waxing and waning ability "bonuses" from Melek. With the alfarts being strong casters any bonus in the magical category can and probably will be descisive at certain times.

Alfart advantages could be anything, but it is fun to guess.

AlwaysPEPSI:
Well I wasn't talking about stats at all in my post, but about skills (healing, swords, daggers, etc...) Obviously stats for races should be different, but that's not what I was trying to get at. Yet if you make an Orc 30-50% stronger in a game where you can get any skill you want then that severly restricts their choices. If they are 30-50% stronger than that means they must be considerably less agile or intelligent and then it makes it somewhat pointless to get skills that require agility or intelligence because you will just be mediocre at best. So yes, stats should be different starting off for races, but 30-50% is absurd.

Also, balance is really important in this game overall. I don't mean that every 1v1 fight should be balanced, but that there is always a balanced counter to something. For PvP to be good there has to be balance, period.

Who knows though, Alfar may just get sunglasses as newb gear so they don't get headaches during the daytime.

I play a game currently where the statistical numbers when you rolla character have a certain cap (80 points total..but the racial differences matter in how you can start) .. it's nto a huge amont of poitns but what makes the game itneresting is that the growth of those stats are hindered or accelerated.

For instance.. the Gor'Tog .. (orcs basically) .. are easily able to train strength and i believe stamina.. but they are quite dumb and unwise. They CAN train these things..and can be any class.. be it a mage or what ever... it's jsut harder for them to develope the stats important for that task. That does not mean they can't, just that's it's challenging and unique to be a Gor'Tog moon mage (scholarly mage) compared to the stereotypical barbarian.

It is a fine system..and allows you to play with the consequences, positive or negative, you chose to.

As mentioned many times before, Alfar's main advantage will be the necessity to maintain strong diplomatic ties between clans. How will that work out in the game? I think we'll only see what really happens once game is available. It's possible that during the Beta some Alfar guilds will gain greater dominance over Nagast and maintain some sort of peace (forcefully or not) in the region.

To be honest, I think the Alfar situation depends too much over the racial demographics. If Alfar end up having a very small population due to the fact that players simply chose to pick different races over Alfar, we'll be at a huge disadvantage. In such case no matter how many great PvPers and Clans we have among Alfar, we'll still be constantly invaded by much larger clans or even racial alliances from Dwarves/Mirdain/Humans and Orks/Mahirim.

While I'm not proposing a technical advantage for Alfar. I do believe that even a small enchantment would be appropriate. Developers have talked about vision enhancement in darkness (Night/Underground). That would not significantly overpower Alfar in any situation. Sure, they might have slightly better vision in dark, but don't they reside underground?

I've also thought about a different idea which deals with Melek. As mentioned in the Alfar lore:

"Even though he is quite insane, Melek is a brilliant strategist, who immerses himself in ambitious long-term plans for the alfar race and for Agon in general. In fact, his work on these schemes tend to engross him completely for long periods of time, leaving the alfar to their own administrative devices."

"All alfar magic emanates from Melek. Due to the god-king's unpredictable nature, this power fluctuates somewhat, and every time an alfar casts a spell the results vary slightly. Alfar are born with a certain aptitude for the magical arts and tend to excel in them."

Since Melek will certainly appear to Alfar from time to time, and Alfar magic is affected by the god-king, there could be a strong alfar magic enhancement when he's present. Melek retreats to his laboratories to work on his plans, which would mean that when he's among his people, he has a new offensive plan and naturally he enhances the magic.

The main issue with magic enhancement is what is too little and what is too much. Anyone has any ideas?

Nefastus

Neffy:
Developers have talked about vision enhancement in darkness (Night/Underground). That would not significantly overpower Alfar in any situation. Sure, they might have slightly better vision in dark, but don't they reside underground?

Nef, how can seeing farther in dark situations NOT be overpowering? Are you kidding? That's like giving the mirdain +50 yards on all ranged combat. You have to see it before you hit it. with two moons topside the alfar advatange due to sight should be minimal, but underground it would be a huge defensive bonus.

Don't Mahirim get speed boost? Isn't it true that every other race can ally up without a problem and march together on Nagast? Unless Alfar actually end up having stonger bonds among each other, we might end up being significantly overpowered by the simple force of other races.

Nefastus

Panchoe:

Neffy:
Developers have talked about vision enhancement in darkness (Night/Underground). That would not significantly overpower Alfar in any situation. Sure, they might have slightly better vision in dark, but don't they reside underground?

Nef, how can seeing farther in dark situations NOT be overpowering? Are you kidding? That's like giving the mirdain +50 yards on all ranged combat. You have to see it before you hit it. with two moons topside the alfar advatange due to sight should be minimal, but underground it would be a huge defensive bonus.

Give me a break. What game, let alone MMO has made it an issue of turning up the gamma to see in those hard to see places? Are the devs saying that darkness will actually lower the literal visual range in the game? I haven't seen such a claim.

Giving Alfar some ridiculous night vision "advantage" would be all but useless.

Actually, the server controls what you can see by not sending information to stuff you can't see. So being able to see "further" in the dark would literally mean just that, character models in the dark would be loaded longer away.

As for the nightvision, it wouldn't be too overpowering. The vast majority of combat will be above ground, but the Alfar would have the ability to move around more easily down underground.

That said, I don't think there needs to be any special buff. We'll have to see how Alfar shape their society. I think that with Humans being so popular in MMOG's that they'll have a ton of racial infighting, making them less of a factor in race wars. The real challengers will be Orks and Dwarves, because their small numbers will make them much more likely to have secure and tight-knit communities like the Alfar might develop.

Neffy:
Don't Mahirim get speed boost? Isn't it true that every other race can ally up without a problem and march together on Nagast? Unless Alfar actually end up having stonger bonds among each other, we might end up being significantly overpowered by the simple force of other races.

Nefastus

Not really. Mahirim can just run on all fours at the speed of a mount. The racial alliances are human & mirdain, ork & mahirim, alfar, and dwarves are neutral to humans & mirdain. The problem with marching against nagast is that the orks/mahirim and humans/mirdain/dwarves dont get along.

Panchoe:

Neffy:
Don't Mahirim get speed boost? Isn't it true that every other race can ally up without a problem and march together on Nagast? Unless Alfar actually end up having stonger bonds among each other, we might end up being significantly overpowered by the simple force of other races.

Nefastus

Not really. Mahirim can just run on all fours at the speed of a mount. The racial alliances are human & mirdain, ork & mahirim, alfar, and dwarves are neutral to humans & mirdain. The problem with marching against nagast is that the orks/mahirim and humans/mirdain/dwarves dont get along.

See, here you are missing an important aspect of OFFENSIVE. If you have all 4 other races marching on Nagast, they only have to worry about the Alfar and Alfar NPCs. Which means that all 4 races can fight TOGETHER against Alfar since they are not facing each other and each other's NPCs. It's not like when Ork player meets a Human and they are forced to fight. If they faced each other's NPCs, they'd be automatically KOSed, but there aren't Ork or Human, or whatever race defending anything in Nagast.

Neffy:
See, here you are missing an important aspect of OFFENSIVE. If you have all 4 other races marching on Nagast, they only have to worry about the Alfar and Alfar NPCs. Which means that all 4 races can fight TOGETHER against Alfar since they are not facing each other and each other's NPCs. It's not like when Ork player meets a Human and they are forced to fight. If they faced each other's NPCs, they'd be automatically KOSed, but there aren't Ork or Human, or whatever race defending anything in Nagast.

Could happen. I doubt it though.

Neffy:

See, here you are missing an important aspect of OFFENSIVE. If you have all 4 other races marching on Nagast, they only have to worry about the Alfar and Alfar NPCs. Which means that all 4 races can fight TOGETHER against Alfar since they are not facing each other and each other's NPCs. It's not like when Ork player meets a Human and they are forced to fight. If they faced each other's NPCs, they'd be automatically KOSed, but there aren't Ork or Human, or whatever race defending anything in Nagast.

The game would have to go really carebear if four out of the five races ever got together to go after the Alfar. This game lives on chaos and I know that if people like me were in that four race alliance that I'd kill someone from the opposite race just to start the mass confusion where everyone starts killing each other.

AlwaysPEPSI:

Neffy:

See, here you are missing an important aspect of OFFENSIVE. If you have all 4 other races marching on Nagast, they only have to worry about the Alfar and Alfar NPCs. Which means that all 4 races can fight TOGETHER against Alfar since they are not facing each other and each other's NPCs. It's not like when Ork player meets a Human and they are forced to fight. If they faced each other's NPCs, they'd be automatically KOSed, but there aren't Ork or Human, or whatever race defending anything in Nagast.

The game would have to go really carebear if four out of the five races ever got together to go after the Alfar. This game lives on chaos and I know that if people like me were in that four race alliance that I'd kill someone from the opposite race just to start the mass confusion where everyone starts killing each other.

You are underestimating ARACs and simple former game alliances. It doesn't have to be all players from all 4 races, it could be just a number of clans from each. That's big enough.