Hi Everyone!
I'm a long time player of everquest but a new player to these forums and I have a few questions if you guys wouldn't mind helping me out? Answer whatever you can!
Here goes:
1) What will be the level cap for Pantheon? Has there been discussion of no level cap?
2) Will there be titles that appear at the top of the screen showing the name of each zone as you enter?
3) Are there any items that can be used to help increase the regen rate of mana? hp?
4) I understand bards and necros are on the list next, are there thoughts of having bards twisting songs like before? Any chance to go manual to get an added boost as opposed to setting the system to automatically run songs?
5) What will be the fastest thing in the game? (Will bards be faster?)
6) Any ideas set for epic items that give bonuses when you click them? (like the rez rod for clerics) - IE Massively beneficial items that would be highly sought after
7) Are Alternate Advancement skills going to be available at an early level?
8) Are there going to be things like this which will lead to items that can do illusions? Is there going to be the GM Ugly Stick to make someone a troll?
9) Does the open world have zone lines?
10) What kind of physics are going to be implemented? Is there going to be fall damage? Is there going to be ways to reverse physics, IE floating or flying?
11) Are there any ways to control the terrain with magic other than weather?
12) How will communication work? Will there be general chat channels for zones? If voice over IP is used, will that be distance sensitive based on how far you and the other person are apart in game?
13) For tradeskills, will it be possible to be a tradecrafter and also be a harvester?
14) How will the in-game currency be? Will a gold piece be valuable? What about a platinum piece? Will it be difficult to build currency?
15) How will guild members be able to communicate? Will voice chat be available for a guild? Will there be an in-game chat server that we can modify and create channels in game?
16) I understand that the game is group related and your reputation counts, however some people still will be hostile towards others for no valid reason. What preventative measures are in place to prevent griefing by higher level? Is there an in-game log that can be generated?
17) If there are zone lines for the world, will training to the zone line still be possible? Will players potentially be slammed by monsters at the zone entrance? (This was always a memorable event).
18) Sitting during battle for mana seems a bit odd. Has there been thought of battle meditation animations instead? (Potentially a startup countdown before mana regen starts so moving would disrupt it accurately)
19) Any discussion on the skill tree list? Which MMO will it be most similar to?
20) Will there be an edge to the world or will a player be able to wrap completely around the world?
21) Will there be international servers that can allow countries to play together? Will there be dedicated foreign servers (ie chinese language only)?
22) How will agro work? Will there be a taunt button for tanks or will they have hard hitting high threat damage that's going to attempt to peel off mobs?
23) How will skills like climb be leveled? Will you need scrolls to advance to higher skill numbers?
24) I understand the game has been in development for 2 and a half years. Currently is the game in pre-alpha? Has there been any discussion since the video made in December about when Alpha will be estimated to open? (The video said that there was no estimated date and that it was just Q1 Q2 so far)
25) Will there be unique items that no other players can obtain if you do?
26) Will there be a dungeon similar to upper and lower guk? Two dungeons in one?
27) How fast will the day/night time cycle be?
28) Will there be sewer entrances to cities?
29) How will loot work? Will there be an auto-loot?
30) I hear that no items will be bound to the player unless you modify the item. Is this true for even epic items?
31) I've noticed during the patheon gameplay that the spirit wolf stands on air, any thought of making pets float when in the air above high places as a player jumps from rock to rock?
32) Will there be other realms that we can go to kill gods?
33) Will there be any zones that have mazes in them? Will there be puzzles in the game?
34) Will there be a wipe of the system when alpha moves to beta, and when beta moves to open beta, and finally when open beta moves to open?
35) Will pledge members get items when the game officially opens? Any notable items that you can talk about and how it will help a pledge member out?
36) Will players get a key-ring or will players have to obtain a key each time they go into a dungeon?
37) Any thought of having an official twitch streamer represent Visionary Realms to allow people following a real look at how the game is being developed?
38) If you can't get back to your corpse, will there be a way to summon it?
39) Will all characters have a gate spell or hearth spell?
40) Any idea when the next YouTube video for another 3-4 hour game session be posted?
Thanks very much!
LordJJ
Yeah the FAQ will answer most of your questions. Off the top of my head, I will try to answer some of your questions that I don't think are explicity answered in the FAQ. Anything else is just too early in development to say for sure. I can tell you're excited for the game, which is awesome. I suggest you do some research first and use the forum search function to look for answers or community input regarding your questions. There has been TONS of discussion about pretty much everything under the sun over the past few years.
1) What will be the level cap for Pantheon? Has there been discussion of no level cap?
The level cap at launch will be 50. There has not been any serious discussion that I am aware of no level cap - that brings along a massive amount of design/scaling issues and a burden to create content for a literally infinite amount of levels. Not really feasible in an MMO imo.
11) Are there any ways to control the terrain with magic other than weather?
The closest thing would be that some classes will have abilities that allow them to create temporary impassible structures (such as the Cleric's Pillar Shield or Summoner's Barricade) that can be used to control an area.
18) Sitting during battle for mana seems a bit odd. Has there been thought of battle meditation animations instead? (Potentially a startup countdown before mana regen starts so moving would disrupt it accurately)
See this thread: https://www.pantheonmmo.com/content/forums/topic/4678/meditation
24) I understand the game has been in development for 2 and a half years. Currently is the game in pre-alpha? Has there been any discussion since the video made in December about when Alpha will be estimated to open? (The video said that there was no estimated date and that it was just Q1 Q2 so far)
No official date yet.
34) Will there be a wipe of the system when alpha moves to beta, and when beta moves to open beta, and finally when open beta moves to open?
Yes, all of the above.
35) Will pledge members get items when the game officially opens? Any notable items that you can talk about and how it will help a pledge member out?
As you can see on http://www.pantheonmmo.com/join/ there will be some in-game items, but they will not have stats or give players an unfair advantage over anyone else.
36) Will players get a key-ring or will players have to obtain a key each time they go into a dungeon?
Hasn't been confirmed, but you may want to read this thread: https://www.pantheonmmo.com/content/forums/topic/3966/keys-and-bags/view/page/2
37) Any thought of having an official twitch streamer represent Visionary Realms to allow people following a real look at how the game is being developed?
This is exactly what they do every few months to showcase their progress in the game. Anything more frequent than that would not be worth their time. Sometimes the progress is not as apparent and they don't want the game to be seen in a raw unfinished state that could give off the wrong impression.
40) Any idea when the next YouTube video for another 3-4 hour game session be posted?
According to Brad, sometime within the next few months.
Thanks guys, I edited it based from the FAQ. Any other answers would be great, even just for discussion!
Dude Bazgrim you rock man. Thanks for the links I appreciate it!
Mod Edit: Consolidated double post as it is against the forum guidelines.
LordJJ said:Dude Bazgrim you rock man. Thanks for the links I appreciate it!
No problem. Like I said, unfortunately some of your questions are currently unanswerable because it's just too early to confirm anything. There are a few others that are in the FAQ, but granted they are a little hidden, so I will just copy/pasta:
6) Any ideas set for epic items that give bonuses when you click them? (like the rez rod for clerics) - IE Massively beneficial items that would be highly sought after
(17.4) "Will there be 'epic' quests?" "Absolutely. Some of the most memorable gaming experiences stem from the adventure involved in obtaining and earning ‘epic’ weapons and items. These quests should be class defining moments and fill you with a major sense of accomplishment when completed. Whether hunting for clues to start a quest or trying to figure out the right thing to say or do in order to get to the next step, epic quests will be a significant social component of the game.
There will also be quests for epic, class defining abilities."
30) I hear that no items will be bound to the player unless you modify the item. Is this true for even epic items?
(13.11) "Will I be able to freely trade my items?" "We recognize that the items you gain from your adventures, or the hard-earned gold coins, are yours and that you should be able to do with them whatever you want. This means that no-drop and bind-on-equip items will be the exception, not the rule. Epic weapons or items used for quests may be restricted, but the majority of items will not. That said, some quests may require you to turn in an older item in order to complete them. You will also be able to sacrifice items at altars in temples in return for valuable and long lasting ‘buffs’. So, while the game will not stop you from handing down most items to other players, it will also encourage you to remove older items from the player-driven economy by rewarding you accordingly."
38) If you can't get back to your corpse, will there be a way to summon it?
(7.1)"Will there be abilities, skills, and spells to help negate the pain of death?" "Yes. You will be able to /drag a corpse (assuming you have /consent). There will also be spells like Resurrection and Call of the Hero so that groups can stick together and keep going."
39) Will all characters have a gate spell or hearth spell?
(19.0) "What can you tell me about travel in Pantheon? Will there be teleportation? Will there be any limits or restrictions?" "Pantheon will have meaningful travel -- players will need to travel to new areas and face the dangers that come with such a journey. That said, there will be spells like 'Call of the Hero', which summons an ally to your side if they are grouped with you. There will also be a caravan-like system, where a player can log out whilst in a group and then log back in and still be with the group, even if that group has moved. There will also be additional ways to help groups come together and stay together. But it's also important to note that this doesn't mean people will be able to travel as they please, to anywhere in the world, at a whim; especially if they haven't travelled there by foot or horse at least once (e.g. players will need to unlock certain regions by travelling there first). More details to come as we get closer to beta and launch."
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Other notes:
13) For tradeskills, will it be possible to be a tradecrafter and also be a harvester?
Not totally sure. But these are just a couple of the many threads on this:
ttps://www.pantheonmmo.com/content/forums/topic/3167/crafting-interdependency
14) How will the in-game currency be? Will a gold piece be valuable? What about a platinum piece? Will it be difficult to build currency?
There's a bunch of threads of this if you search "currency" but this one has a good response from Aradune: https://www.pantheonmmo.com/content/forums/topic/4185/economic-factors-amp-currency
23) How will skills like climb be leveled? Will you need scrolls to advance to higher skill numbers?
If I remember correctly, in the last stream, Joppa said skills will be leveled by using them. For example, with Climb, each moment you are actively climbing will contribute toward the next level in that skill. I believe there will also be some trainers that can level your skills up faster for a fee. I suspect this all subject to change though. Not sure about scrolls for skills, but in some cases, scrolls will be needed to acquire brand new abilities/spells.
Without saying a word about the specific questions - they were already responded to better than I could have - I think it is a fair statement that the underlying philosophy is far more important than the details. Pantheon will be a game where relatively slow progress will be encouraged and expected by the standards of today's "the game starts at maximum level - hurry hurry hurry to get to raid level to do the same thing over and over while griping that there is no content" games. Pantheon will be a game where grouping and socializing are encouraged in many ways. Pantheon will be a game where you need to group to do most of the content. Pantheon will be a game where you need a variety of roles for a successful group for any content that is even remotely challenging. Pantheon will be a game where much of how you fight and what gear you use is situational - not the same gear and the same technique for almost all fights. Apologies to those whose favorite aspects of the game I didn't mention I probably just had a senior moment and forgot ((blush)).
Specific details are subject to change - even those already announced. We aren't in testing yet, after all. If the team decides during alpha that a level 40 or level 60 cap will be better for accomplishing these goals, then the cap will change (no I do not expect this). And having a game that is fun to play trumps everything. In the unlikely event, I repeat unlikely, that keeping one core design goal would make the game boring and junking it would make the game fun to play, there will be a wake and tears shed for the tenet. RIP. None of them and few if any of US wants a game that is ideologically pure ...and a failure.
You will see - have seen - heated debate about specific features. Mounts, trial accounts, crafting features, having a broker, buffing the list is endless. None of us will get every feature we want. Except maybe the lead developer and even he may have to give up some pet features if they aren't best for the game, take too long or are too expensive.
It is the core philosopy combined with the need to have a game that is fun to play that matter. Don't worry too much as specific features come and go and are revised after testing begins. To a very real extent features are decorations and the philosophy is the beating heart of Pantheon.
dorotea said:Without saying a word about the specific questions - they were already responded to better than I could have - I think it is a fair statement that the underlying philosophy is far more important than the details. Pantheon will be a game where relatively slow progress will be encouraged and expected by the standards of today's "the game starts at maximum level - hurry hurry hurry to get to raid level to do the same thing over and over while griping that there is no content" games. Pantheon will be a game where grouping and socializing are encouraged in many ways. Pantheon will be a game where you need to group to do most of the content. Pantheon will be a game where you need a variety of roles for a successful group for any content that is even remotely challenging. Pantheon will be a game where much of how you fight and what gear you use is situational - not the same gear and the same technique for almost all fights. Apologies to those whose favorite aspects of the game I didn't mention I probably just had a senior moment and forgot ((blush)).
Specific details are subject to change - even those already announced. We aren't in testing yet, after all. If the team decides during alpha that a level 40 or level 60 cap will be better for accomplishing these goals, then the cap will change (no I do not expect this). And having a game that is fun to play trumps everything. In the unlikely event, I repeat unlikely, that keeping one core design goal would make the game boring and junking it would make the game fun to play, there will be a wake and tears shed for the tenet. RIP. None of them and few if any of US wants a game that is ideologically pure ...and a failure.
You will see - have seen - heated debate about specific features. Mounts, trial accounts, crafting features, having a broker, buffing the list is endless. None of us will get every feature we want. Except maybe the lead developer and even he may have to give up some pet features if they aren't best for the game, take too long or are too expensive.
It is the core philosopy combined with the need to have a game that is fun to play that matter. Don't worry too much as specific features come and go and are revised after testing begins. To a very real extent features are decorations and the philosophy is the beating heart of Pantheon.
Yup very good point to remember.
CanadinaXegony said:Great job once more Bazgrim :)
Thanks!
dorotea said:It is the core philosopy combined with the need to have a game that is fun to play that matter. Don't worry too much as specific features come and go and are revised after testing begins. To a very real extent features are decorations and the philosophy is the beating heart of Pantheon.
Wow Dorotea, thank you for the great in-depth response! I agree with what you said, just because we want something doesn't mean that it's going to be good for the community as a whole. The one feature that is pulling me back towards a game like this IS the group aspect AND the slow pace (maybe because i'm 37 now... ouch!). There are way too many games out there that rush a player through the levels and you never get a sense of true accomplishment from them!
My energy springs forth from knowing that great developers like you share the same thoughts and feelings as the community that backs you up. Thank you so much for all of your hard work!!!
dorotea said:>(maybe because i'm 37 now... ouch!). <
Maybe it will ease your pain at such ancient decrepitude to understand that some of us are a LOT older than that - hah you young kids!
Hehe 37? Age is a state of mind...and I hardly remember 37 it pretty much zoomed by :P
Cana