As the western hemisphere reverts into longer, colder nights, there has never been a better time to grab your favorite blanket and curl up with our newsletter. We start with our newest iteration of Under Wraps, which highlights Pre-Alpha 4 and introduces the newest member of our team. We move on next to a brand new feature called Behind the Design, from there we delve into an amazing tale of lore fresh from the wilds of Faerthale - called The One Between the Winds, and we wrap it all up with our latest Community Spotlight
https://www.pantheonmmo.com/newsletter/2018_november_intro/
Thanks much!
Great little read. I'm super excited to see Faerthale so here's to hoping we get a stream (video or screen shots even) soon!
Awesome to see new models in action. Maybe it will push back my couple to Ogre team (or untill they show some myrs...).
Interesting topics, especially perception we had little glimpses until now. Not sure about "turning off perception pings", ignoring should be sufficient as long as there is no annoying sound tied to it.
I agree that the Halflings and Elves look too plastic. Maybe it is the lighting in these particular screenshots, but they don't look good. The Elves are, by far, the worst. On the positive side, the Ogres look amazing.
That's two lackluster newsletters in a row. We got spoiled a bit with the class reveals, but the last two months have been really light with just some solid lore and a lot of "Pre-Alpha 4 is coming soon, we are hard at work" chatter. I don't doubt any of that, but it makes for a disappointing newsletter. Hopefully the December 12th newsletter will have some meat to it and maybe we can expect some streams next month as well, specifically showing off the Druid and Summoner in Faerthale. And as a final aside, please treat the Bard as a launch class. Not only is it necessary since you only have one Control class at the moment, but you could do a lot of fun lore type things if you had NPC mobs that could spawn as bards as well. Hearing "all classes now in the game for the first time" is extremely disheartening when as far as we know the Bard is still MIA.
Beefcake said: Concerning perception, I have a concern about one quote: "Once you find a Perception Ping, you will not be able to trigger it again unless there is more information to unlock from it. " I am afraid that if I am running from place to place and trigger a perception ping, I might miss it. Then, according to above, I can't retrigger it later, unless there is more info.
If I'm understanding the explanation in today's Newsletter, then the Tome of Keeping mentioned will serve as your quasi "quest log" (more like journal / notes) related to perception and perception triggers. So if you trigger a perception ping but don't "do" anything about it right then and there, it will trigger some kind of log / update / entry in your Tome of Keeping for later reference.
Excellent read!
Welcome Brasse - I use to test for SoE when I lived in San Diego.
All 3 race models look absolutely amazing!
"3) What will your main race and class be and why?
With a very high probability a Dwarven Paladin. I have always been partial to Dwarves and Gnomes in all games and the reason why it will be a Dwarf is that the Pantheon’s Gnome style doesn’t resonate with me. Dwarves are fiercely loyal, stubborn and courageous yet have nothing against some good ale quaffing, head-butting and loud singing about gold. And a Paladin because it is consistent with the former even if I will have to tone down the quaffing a bit. Finally, as identification and immersion are for me the most important things that I ask from an MMO, I can only choose a race/class combination that really makes sense and is consistent with the lore."
Deadshade's possible main character choice Dwarven Paladin... solid choice. From his reasoning I would also suggest a Dwarven Bard (then you could quaff and sing all you want and still be in character!) :)
Mathir said:That's two lackluster newsletters in a row. We got spoiled a bit with the class reveals, but the last two months have been really light with just some solid lore and a lot of "Pre-Alpha 4 is coming soon, we are hard at work" chatter. I don't doubt any of that, but it makes for a disappointing newsletter.
I can't disagree that we were spoiled rotten over the summer with all the class reveals coming by way of the newsletter, but wow, I can't fathom how you made it through the content drought of 2016/2017 if you think the previous two newsletters were disappointing ^>
Thank you for the current art direction with races. Everything looks awesome and I like the realistic look you are taking to the races. I ask myself, if they were real how would they look? Most games now take a very cartoonish approach to the design, so the more mature look of this game is awesome!
Nikademis said:Mathir said:That's two lackluster newsletters in a row. We got spoiled a bit with the class reveals, but the last two months have been really light with just some solid lore and a lot of "Pre-Alpha 4 is coming soon, we are hard at work" chatter. I don't doubt any of that, but it makes for a disappointing newsletter.
I can't disagree that we were spoiled rotten over the summer with all the class reveals coming by way of the newsletter, but wow, I can't fathom how you made it through the content drought of 2016/2017 if you think the previous two newsletters were disappointing ^>
Same way. I like to think my critiques have helped steer the newsletter to where it is now that we do actually get monthly updates on what they have been working on the last month. 2018 has largely been a giant step in the right direction for the monthly update. It's tailed off the last few months, they need to finish strong.
Reply to October 2016 Newsletter:
It's something I guess. Rather than hear more thoughts, opinions, and answers from the team, I would rather continue to see the list of patch notes, updates, and improvements made to the actual existing game. Crowfall and Camelot both do a great job of showing their accomplishments each week or month with tangible data. That type of transparency is welcome and also allows those that have plunked down money, the ability to see the game progressing, as well as the pace at which it is progressing. You guys tend to use the right buzz words in your answers, but as we've seen with failures like EQ Next or No Man's Sky, the proof is more in the pudding, not so much in what the developer claims is happening or will be amazing. Your twitch streams were a necessary initial step to show there is infact some form of game here, and it alleviated some of the skepticim surrounding the project, but if that was the big reveal of 2016, and now we're back to community spotlights, theoretical class descriptions, and "trust me, it's gonna be great" type AMAs, I believe that skepticim will rightly return. Surely the team understands this. I think just telling us what you've actually accomplished and worked on each month would be a nice bridge the gap type of concept, especially since most other MMOs are doing so. Anyway, here's to hoping November's update has significantly more meat to it.
Reply to August 2017 Newsletter:
Did work on the game get paused for several months? There's been not even a hint of a discussion on development advancement since the last stream four or five months ago. I think everyone can be patient, to some degree, but it sure would be nice if you guys would put in your monthly letter what you've worked on for the last month. I don't understand at all what the silence is all about unless significant work was not getting done and you guys hit a wall. The total secracy is definitely a major turnoff. Transparency and communication was a goal I thought. When did that change? If this game is targeted for a 2020 or later release, like it seems, you should announce that, I think it would alleviate some of the frustration at being kept in the dark despite early investment in the game.
Reply to September 2017 Newsletter:
That is a pretty big difference. Looking forward to when you are unleashed with the ability to take lots of new screenshots with the updated lighting Kilsin. Definitely a solid monthly update. I still think we have room to improve on the "State of the Game" section, definitely more detail would be appreciated, but headed in the right direction with communication. Keep up the good work.
Mathir said:Nikademis said:Mathir said:That's two lackluster newsletters in a row. We got spoiled a bit with the class reveals, but the last two months have been really light with just some solid lore and a lot of "Pre-Alpha 4 is coming soon, we are hard at work" chatter. I don't doubt any of that, but it makes for a disappointing newsletter.
I can't disagree that we were spoiled rotten over the summer with all the class reveals coming by way of the newsletter, but wow, I can't fathom how you made it through the content drought of 2016/2017 if you think the previous two newsletters were disappointing ^>
Same way. I like to think my critiques have helped steer the newsletter to where it is now that we do actually get monthly updates on what they have been working on the last month. 2018 has largely been a giant step in the right direction for the monthly update. It's tailed off the last few months, they need to finish strong.
Reply to October 2016 Newsletter:
It's something I guess. Rather than hear more thoughts, opinions, and answers from the team, I would rather continue to see the list of patch notes, updates, and improvements made to the actual existing game. Crowfall and Camelot both do a great job of showing their accomplishments each week or month with tangible data. That type of transparency is welcome and also allows those that have plunked down money, the ability to see the game progressing, as well as the pace at which it is progressing. You guys tend to use the right buzz words in your answers, but as we've seen with failures like EQ Next or No Man's Sky, the proof is more in the pudding, not so much in what the developer claims is happening or will be amazing. Your twitch streams were a necessary initial step to show there is infact some form of game here, and it alleviated some of the skepticim surrounding the project, but if that was the big reveal of 2016, and now we're back to community spotlights, theoretical class descriptions, and "trust me, it's gonna be great" type AMAs, I believe that skepticim will rightly return. Surely the team understands this. I think just telling us what you've actually accomplished and worked on each month would be a nice bridge the gap type of concept, especially since most other MMOs are doing so. Anyway, here's to hoping November's update has significantly more meat to it.
Reply to August 2017 Newsletter:
Did work on the game get paused for several months? There's been not even a hint of a discussion on development advancement since the last stream four or five months ago. I think everyone can be patient, to some degree, but it sure would be nice if you guys would put in your monthly letter what you've worked on for the last month. I don't understand at all what the silence is all about unless significant work was not getting done and you guys hit a wall. The total secracy is definitely a major turnoff. Transparency and communication was a goal I thought. When did that change? If this game is targeted for a 2020 or later release, like it seems, you should announce that, I think it would alleviate some of the frustration at being kept in the dark despite early investment in the game.
Reply to September 2017 Newsletter:
That is a pretty big difference. Looking forward to when you are unleashed with the ability to take lots of new screenshots with the updated lighting Kilsin. Definitely a solid monthly update. I still think we have room to improve on the "State of the Game" section, definitely more detail would be appreciated, but headed in the right direction with communication. Keep up the good work.
I applaud you for your efforts over the years. I have no doubt your comments have helped shape the newsletter into what it has become. I just don't necessarily agree that the previous two newsletters where disappointing, and certainly not when viewed independently of the summer class reveal editions. We've simply never had a content dump like the class reveals through the entire development.
Beefcake said: Concerning perception, I have a concern about one quote: "Once you find a Perception Ping, you will not be able to trigger it again unless there is more information to unlock from it. " I am afraid that if I am running from place to place and trigger a perception ping, I might miss it. Then, according to above, I can't retrigger it later, unless there is more info.
I agree with this. Some group may also not want to stop while you read things. We need an options on this.