I've been keeping up with Pantheon for a while now, and it has been said many times that the game will have a high fantasy setting and theme. My question is, will the setting be more "traditional" similar to the setting of Norrath during early EQ? The atmosphere in the old continents (Odus, Antonica, Faydwer, Kunark, and Velious) was something straight out of a knights and princesses fairytale. Though there were zones with a more "futuristic" vibe like Neriak's almost nightclublike appearance, for the most part it was a very traditional fantasy setting of castles and fortresses, dungeons and caves, you know, the works.
This is the kindof stuff I really prefer, for some reason the more futuristic, out there stuff(think Outlands in WoW) isn't really my thing, not to say I dislike these types of environments. I worry that devs today think of the more traditional settings as overdone and worn out, when if you think about it there hasn't really been any big name game with a setting like that in some time.
So what would you say Terminus will be more akin to? The old knights and wizards type setting, or the more "out there" setting with floating islands and all kinds of wild special effects going on? Maybe a mix of both? To the players, what would YOU like the setting to be personally?
Montreseur said:
Long answer short, it is a balance of both. There are some areas you find that are a bit more on the tame side of Traditional Fantasy, with immersive and convincing environment. This is to balance and contrast with areas more "Epic", grandiose or High Fantasy styled.
This is actually exactly what I would want from it. I absolutely love having interesting, mysterious areas but having some grounded roots are also important for making the world feel real and meaningful.
Thanks for the reply Mont, I think a healthy mix is what I would want after all. Since having nothing but the more traditional fantasy setting would be a bit boring after a while, but it is nice to have those zones like the Commonlands which are rather mundane and then have your zones like the Hellfire Peninsula from WoW which was definitely out there and was a nice change of pace.
Can't wait to see what you guys are gonna come up with
Adding on to what Monty said, there's going to be traditional fantasy elements paired with creations that are native to Pantheon. But beneath it all I feel like the player is owed consistency and authenticity when it comes to their world. I hope that becomes a hallmark of what we do and is an identifiable trait of Visionary Realms: the world is so real you believe it existed long before you and will continue long after you. Philosophically, the challenges should come from the content of the world, not the believability of it. We can't have too many "outrageous asks" of a player before he or she disconnects with the world in a pretty important way. Terminus has a base or skin that is recognizable as traditional fantasy, but also has a host of otherworldly additions and augmentations. All of the traits of those new worlds or races need to be true to that world and that race. Then when it's introduced to the stage of the playable world it makes sense, even if it's outlandish by comparison. The surprises come naturally and aren't forced.
I think we've all been fatigued by games that try to make EVERYTHING SO FREAKING HUGE AND BIZARRE that after a few rounds lose the very attribute they were striving to inspire. It's like a Michael Bay film where the fifteenth explosive, effects-soaked and tech breaking scene feels so far less spectacular than the first, even if it's significantly larger.
Hope that helps show how I/we approach the game, at least.
I loved Istuulamae's answer "the player is owed consistency and authenticity". I don't think we could ask for much more.
When lore, graphic design, mob content/AI and music all come together the effect is magical. So long as the zone has some level of consistency and lore, it becomes believable.
Some of my favourite EQ zones were simple places like Rivervale where the music alone could transport you, but there was activity and a sense of bustle in their hedgerow. Some areas need to be simple, serene and calming while others should strike fear in your heart at the mere mention of their name.
The game does not need to have an outlandish/bizarre look, although it adds to its character if it has some, in specific places, where it makes sense.
Traditional high fantasy has one main quality: It works. It worked for Tolkien, and for every good writer since Tolkien, it worked for Everquest. It's consistent, and such a world makes sense within its own basic assumptions.
Significantly different settings are like spices on a meal: used in reasonable quantities, and where it makes sense, they will enhance the flavor. Mindlessly used anywhere and in too large quantities, you get the same results as when covering a burger with chocolate sauce.
Istuulamae said:Adding on to what Monty said, there's going to be traditional fantasy elements paired with creations that are native to Pantheon. But beneath it all I feel like the player is owed consistency and authenticity when it comes to their world. I hope that becomes a hallmark of what we do and is an identifiable trait of Visionary Realms: the world is so real you believe it existed long before you and will continue long after you. Philosophically, the challenges should come from the content of the world, not the believability of it. We can't have too many "outrageous asks" of a player before he or she disconnects with the world in a pretty important way. Terminus has a base or skin that is recognizable as traditional fantasy, but also has a host of otherworldly additions and augmentations. All of the traits of those new worlds or races need to be true to that world and that race. Then when it's introduced to the stage of the playable world it makes sense, even if it's outlandish by comparison. The surprises come naturally and aren't forced.
I think we've all been fatigued by games that try to make EVERYTHING SO FREAKING HUGE AND BIZARRE that after a few rounds lose the very attribute they were striving to inspire. It's like a Michael Bay film where the fifteenth explosive, effects-soaked and tech breaking scene feels so far less spectacular than the first, even if it's significantly larger.
Hope that helps show how I/we approach the game, at least.
This was one of the things I read that I liked while lurking about before I pledged to the game. I was wondering has anything changed with this statement; or is there something more a Dev would add to this.
I am so done with the supersized armour and weapons, I hope we are still on the tracks so to speak. I hope big means something again.
Skycaster said:Istuulamae said:Adding on to what Monty said, there's going to be traditional fantasy elements paired with creations that are native to Pantheon. But beneath it all I feel like the player is owed consistency and authenticity when it comes to their world. I hope that becomes a hallmark of what we do and is an identifiable trait of Visionary Realms: the world is so real you believe it existed long before you and will continue long after you. Philosophically, the challenges should come from the content of the world, not the believability of it. We can't have too many "outrageous asks" of a player before he or she disconnects with the world in a pretty important way. Terminus has a base or skin that is recognizable as traditional fantasy, but also has a host of otherworldly additions and augmentations. All of the traits of those new worlds or races need to be true to that world and that race. Then when it's introduced to the stage of the playable world it makes sense, even if it's outlandish by comparison. The surprises come naturally and aren't forced.
I think we've all been fatigued by games that try to make EVERYTHING SO FREAKING HUGE AND BIZARRE that after a few rounds lose the very attribute they were striving to inspire. It's like a Michael Bay film where the fifteenth explosive, effects-soaked and tech breaking scene feels so far less spectacular than the first, even if it's significantly larger.
Hope that helps show how I/we approach the game, at least.
This was one of the things I read that I liked while lurking about before I pledged to the game. I was wondering has anything changed with this statement; or is there something more a Dev would add to this.
I am so done with the supersized armour and weapons, I hope we are still on the tracks so to speak. I hope big means something again.
Still very much on track with this, everything has its grounds in history. We are very focused on keeping the proper progression, contrast and context for grandiosity.
Tralyan said:This is a great post.
Gnomes live in a friggin' floating city though - for all you floating landmass haters.
I kind of pictured the Gnome city to be more of a device that uses power to keep itself afloat. I think they piloted it to the position that it is in now.
I also am not a fan of floating landmasses , but I can roll with it, if it must be that way.
Istuulamae said:But beneath it all I feel like the player is owed consistency and authenticity when it comes to their world. I hope that becomes a hallmark of what we do and is an identifiable trait of Visionary Realms: the world is so real you believe it existed long before you and will continue long after you. Philosophically, the challenges should come from the content of the world, not the believability of it.
This would be a premiere !
And I am SOOOO in phase with that approach :) In most MMOs (2 exceptions : Lotro and EQ) I played, there was a clear and obvious disconnect between the lore and the visual world . It always felt like if there were 2 independent teams one that was creating the zones and another that was slapping some generic lore on them without much regard for consistency . There rarely was any relationship and continuity between history and the present world in which we played . There was little relationship between the NPC's behaviour and their personnal history and mostly the devs didn't even bother to provide some consistent history to NPCs . Even EQ - I always wondered who the Ghoul Lord in Guk was and what he wanted , how the living Frogloks and the undead cohabitated or why there were Kobolds in Solusek b .
You are so right by saying that challenges for the player come from the content but should never ever come from the believability and consistence of the world ! I wish you good luck because if you hit this target (at least partly), it would indeed be a hallmark because afaik with the exception of Lotro (for obvious reasons) this feature hardly exists in the MMO world .