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The Kickstarter has been launched today for this promising sandbox MMO. I will start by providing you with information from the kickstarter, and I will add up some features lower. I will also reply to your questions. P.S. I have pledged 100$ myself, and I rarely pay for games, out of principe. And here, I've payed out of this same principe.
Introduction - About the game.
Embers of Caerus is a next-generation sandbox medieval fantasy MMORPG under development by Forsaken Studios. With a rich, player-controlled story, a massive, realistic game-world, and a host of innovative features, Embers of Caerus promises to be the game that sandbox fans have been waiting for! Now, with the fantastic support of leading software company Havok and access to their amazing technologies, we’re ready to take our project to the next level. And that’s where you come in… Make sure to check the official Kickstarter page for the video.
Forsaken Studios is offering you the chance to support Embers of Caerus through our Kickstarter program. We’re developing a prototype of our game to show to potential investors and we need your help to make this a reality. In cooperation with Forsaken Studios, your generous pledges will fuel the development and production of our prototype, bring our game to the attention of the major players in the industry, and help put Embers of Caerus firmly on the MMORPG map!
What to donate for?
We’re looking to raise $25,000 to cover software licenses and development costs. Every single cent pledged will be put towards this goal. Each and every member of our team is working on a volunteer basis to make this happen and, in return for your support, we are offering a veritable dragon’s hoard of rewards – check out the sidebar for details. And if we exceed our target amount? Then we have a fresh set of bonus rewards to sweeten the pot – but we’re keeping those under wraps for now. When we hit our initial goal, we’ll lift the lid on the pot and share some of the secrets with you!
So what makes Embers of Caerus worth your pledge? It’s simple. At Forsaken Studios, we’re gamers. We love this crazy hobby of ours and we want it to be the best that it can be. But the one thing we all agree on is that we still haven’t found that perfect sandbox game that matches all our expectations and fulfills all our wildest dreams. So we decided to make it ourselves.
When it is released, Embers of Caerus will include a whole host of features that will set it apart from the rest of the pack. Level-less, classless character advancement? You got it. Massive, seamless, persistent world? You got that too. Full loot, full PvP and full-on PvE? In the bag. Extensive crafting systems and a player-controlled economy? No problem. Combat based on your skill as a player rather than tied to some in-game abstraction? Look no further.
But it doesn’t stop there. Ever wanted to create your own religion? Ever felt like forging your own kingdom, setting the laws of the land and commanding your minions to enforce your every whim? Ever wanted to take part in a realistic siege, or become the terror of the ocean waves with your fleet of warships? Embers of Caerus will bring you all that, and more!
And just because it’s a sandbox doesn’t mean that there’s no story to it. A rich and compelling story is at the heart of our game, with an epic main plot that spans thousands of years, and a number of major subplots and minor stories running alongside it. And all of it is influenced by you. In Embers of Caerus you are no passive bystander to a pre-scripted narrative. You’re in the thick of it, determining the fate of the world itself.
That’s why Embers of Caerus features the Dynamic Event Team, a group of highly-experienced GMs dedicated to bringing the world to life before your very eyes. The Dynamic Event Team will be monitoring the progress of the game as you play it, modifying events, unleashing surprising plot twists and triggering fresh turns of fate from one moment to the next. You will be in the heart of a living, breathing world where everything you do feeds back into the game as a whole.
Forsaken Studios - About us.
Founded in 2011 and based in Texas, Forsaken Studios arose out of a desire to exceed expectation in delivering a new revolutionary standard in MMO gaming. We aim to deliver quality in everything we do, from the in-depth core mechanics to the smallest graphical detail. We think about everything we do with the goal of providing ground-breaking immersion and a challenging and highly entertaining gaming experience. We have a feature list to die for and, while we work hard to include those features in the game, we’ll also be maintaining the standards we set on day one. No short-cuts will be taken. Forsaken Studios will provide a challenge and experience which the online gaming community has been screaming for. This is no theme-park, but you are in for one hell of a ride!
Forsaken Studios is proud to already be partnered with some fantastic middleware technology providers. Foremost among these is Havok, the award-winning software company that helped bring you hit games like The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, Assassin’s Creed: Revelations, and L.A. Noire, and box-office smash movies like The Matrix, Clash of the Titans, and Harry Potter: Order of the Phoenix. Havok is at the top of their game and is a recognized industry leader in the games technology field. At Forsaken Studios, we couldn’t be more excited about this partnership and can’t wait to see what incredible results it brings!
For example such technologies have been used for the sky.
Video
About our directors
Rob Steele - CEO, Founder and Creative Director
For the majority of his life Rob has been a gamer, one with an unyielding love for a good RPG, and MMOs are no exception. Having followed countless MMOs, he has shared the heartache and frustrations experienced by so many players searching for a good game. This perspective, combined with over 10 years of amateur writing, puts him in an excellent position to help guide the Forsaken Studios team toward the creation of a great game. Even his experience with metal-working is being put to use in helping design realistic crafting systems, weapons, and armor.
Perhaps the most exhilarating part of this project for him is that it has always been a dream of his to make his own game and to make one of his stories come to life in a RPG. Now, as the Creative Director of Forsaken Studios, Rob has the opportunity to do just that, and share it with the world.
David Belcher - CTO, Founder and Technical Director
Dave started out at a young age nurturing a passion both for games, and for programming, cutting his teeth on small games written on the Commodore 64 in Basic, while learning the frustration of spending days writing code, hours recording it to cassette tape, only to be scuppered by the dreaded "Syntax Error". As an avid gamer, Dave got involved in online gaming with "Gemstone MUD" then "The Realm" (playing on a 9600baud GSM modem!), and hasn't looked back since. He has subsequently played almost every well-known western MMORPG that has been released, plus a few more obscure ones!
While he nurtured the idea of making computer games, Dave was hindered by the fact he had no-one willing or able to create the game art, so his life took a different turn for a while and saw him enlisting in the British Army where he served for 5 proud years.
He never lost his natural aptitude for IT however, and it soon became apparent that IT was where his true passion lay so, leaving the forces, Dave embarked on a new mission. He managed to secure a place at University, where he studied Software Engineering and honed his programming and system design skills (and achieved a First Class degree, with Honors), before moving into the IT security field. For the last 7 years, Dave has worked on all manner of systems, performing research and security assessments on numerous technologies, and providing consultancy on all forms of systems design and architecture to the highest levels of UK industry and government.
It is this broad and very deep technological experience and training that makes Dave the perfect candidate for the position of Technical Director. He brings a deep and thorough understanding of most technological fields, and has the aptitude to pick up and learn new systems and technologies with ease. Now he is using all of that experience to ensure not only that all of our systems and designs are technologically feasible, but also to help us really push the limits of what is possible in an MMORPG.
Lee Perkins - COO, Founder and Art Director
Lee's previous experience as a project manager, a manager of a small company of concept artists, 3D modelers, and animators, and as a freelance 3D artist for a Swedish games developer, has left him poised to seize his life-long dream of working in the gaming industry. Now, as Forsaken Studios Art Director, he works to ensure that the game's appearance stays true to the concept, and assists greatly in keeping the project focused.
We are privileged to have Lee on board, as his artistic flair and eye for detail ensure everything that is created for the game is of the highest standard.
Lee started gaming at a very young age experiencing MUDs at first before moving on to games like the Eye of the Beholder series back in 1992. He then went onto games such as Daggerfall in 1996, with its vast, open world and the sheer amount of things you could do in a PC game. After that, in 1997 – and still his favorite to this day – Ultima Online! Lee believes to this day that this is the game to beat and fails to understand why games companies refuse to see this. Since those memorable days, Lee has dabbled in many of the world’s well-known MMORPGs, but is still waiting for a company to release that perfect game using today’s technology.
Lee got bored of waiting.
A brief overview from the website.
Become part of a storyline that spans more than a thousand years and change the course of a brutal and dynamic world. Create everything from weapons, armor, ships, shops, and homes, to entire cities and nations. Control everything from local and national laws, taxes, markets, territories and political landscapes. Influence the unfolding and development of the game's storylines and make the world your own. Advance your character in a unique, rich, classless, and level-less skill-based system.
Struggle to survive in a harsh and violent world recently torn asunder by a magical apocalypse. Face challenges that bring new meaning to player versus environment. Encounter natural, magical, and demonic creatures, forces of nature and gods, and other players seeking to advance their own agendas - or simply end yours. Unlock mysteries of the ancient world that can lead to anything, from new skills and spells, to rare resources and valuable items. Discover haunted ruins, fantastic creatures, and deadly traps that can leave you questioning your sanity and your friends' loyalty.
Help restore the temples of the old world's gods, or create your own religion and will a new deity into existence. Spread your patron god's good nature across the world, drawing in support from others - or unleash hellish powers in their name, make others cower before your god's might, and reap fell rewards for your service.
What story will you write into the history of Caerus?
Features.
Everything that is underlined - are additions from me, as far as my knowledge goes, these are facts.
Screenshots.
Mountain screenshot - A fairly interesting screenshot, without shaders and without a sky. The small character is drawn in paint. To run from the camera's current location to the small character, it took the developer 35 minutes on maximum speed, ignoring vertical slopes. To reach the peak on the left, it took him 19 minutes. Just behind these mountains there is another one, standing at 3,4km high. To make the player model same size as the one drawn in paint, they had to increase it by 50 times, to make a 100meter-high man.
Videos.
About the sieges
Dungeon
Game presentation
Engine test
Links.
The official website.
The kickstarter.
The vision of the game - nice read.
The magic system.
P.P.S The game wont come out before 2015. However, the developers are pretty active, so we might get a chance to play the beta/alpha earlier.
Comments
Sounds great but you might get more pledges if the wish list was more realistic.
If you said MO/DFO with a few improvements people might accept your goals as achievable.
There is a nice saying in poland:
"To have a go at the sun with a sickle"
Thats what this game feels like on paper.
Too many features, incoherent features, and too many unknowns.
Just read open world, full loot pvp.
I have no problem with this kind of design per se, but what kind of system will there be to keep players from ganking lowbies and everything turning into a gank fest. NPC bounty hunters? Restrictions? Jail system? Anything?
Locked in first person view.
Unrestricted free for all PvP with full loot.
Even if it's for real it's already as good as dead.
Hello Neanderthal!
We can appreciate your concerns and dislike of full loot pvp as well as locked in 1st person view. It isn't for many people so it's very understandable that there will be individuals such as yourself who are reticent to dive into a game such as ours.
There has been a lot of discussion on our forums and some great answers and questions about this subject. If you are interested, here is a link to a great discussion that will hopefully speak to your concerns.
It might not win you over but who knows? Maybe it will peak enough curiostiy where you might consider trying our game.
In any event, thanks for your input and we hope to see you in our forums contributing to the discussion..
They can't have said anything I haven't already heard a thousand times before over the years. I know all the arguments in favor of locking games in first person view.
In the end it doesn't matter how good a case you make for doing it, you're still going to alienate a huge chunk of your potential customers if you do it. I mean,if you ran a restaurant you could yell at people untill you're blue in the face, telling them how good liver and onions is and how good for you it is and so on. But in the end, if they don't like liver and onions they aren't going to buy it from you.
Reads like a lot to take on. Gonna need an army of people to pull all of that off. Best of luck to them.
BigCountry | Head Hunters | www.wefarmpeople.com
There has been already a great discussion on the official boards, why no 3rd person option. They explained it VERY well, that everyone agreed. I suggest you head there, nobody will listen you here, and nobody cares if you listen to us here, neither should you care if someone listens to you or not, since this is mmorpg.com, son.
They can't have said anything I haven't already heard a thousand times before over the years. I know all the arguments in favor of locking games in first person view.
In the end it doesn't matter how good a case you make for doing it, you're still going to alienate a huge chunk of your potential customers if you do it. I mean,if you ran a restaurant you could yell at people untill you're blue in the face, telling them how good liver and onions is and how good for you it is and so on. But in the end, if they don't like liver and onions they aren't going to buy it from you.
MYSPACE ACCOUNT
http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=80721225
Which FF Character Are You?
Noone cares on THESE forums, and there is already a section for suggestions on the OFFICIAL forums, where they listen and reply to you. You read what you want to read, heh?
You really aren't helping them here...
So, does anyone have any questions?
I was actually very excited about this game till i seen it wont release till around 2016.......uggggg come back at me in 4 years, man where is my cryofreeze capsule........
MYSPACE ACCOUNT
http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=80721225
Which FF Character Are You?
ugh, customer service at its finest. Hate to say it but running a company is more than putting together features.
Here is a translated version of what you said:
"Hello Neanderthal!
We can appreciate your concerns and dislike of full loot pvp as well as locked in 1st person view. It isn't for many people so it's very understandable that there will be individuals such as yourself who are reticent to dive into a game such as ours.
There has been a lot of discussion on our forums and some great answers and questions about this subject. If you are interested, here is a link (insert some sort of link here) to a great discussion that will hopefully speak to your concerns.
It might not win you over but who knows? Maybe it will peak enough curiostiy where you might consider trying our game.
In any event, thanks for your input and we hope to see you in our forums contributing to the discussion."
Godfred's Tomb Trailer: https://youtu.be/-nsXGddj_4w
Original Skyrim: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/109547
Serph toze kindly has started a walk-through. https://youtu.be/UIelCK-lldo
I am not a developer, im just a fan. But i will steal that fine peace of cake for my post
What i am saying - these forums have too much trolls to reply to every single one of them. If you want good discussions, join our community at the official forums of Embers of Caerus, we will be happy to reply.
Hello Neanderthal!
We can appreciate your concerns and dislike of full loot pvp as well as locked in 1st person view. It isn't for many people so it's very understandable that there will be individuals such as yourself who are reticent to dive into a game such as ours.
There has been a lot of discussion on our forums and some great answers and questions about this subject. If you are interested, here is a link to a great discussion that will hopefully speak to your concerns.
It might not win you over but who knows? Maybe it will peak enough curiostiy where you might consider trying our game.
In any event, thanks for your input and we hope to see you in our forums contributing to the discussion..
Well, all I can say matey, is that we, those who follow the game, believe in it. And that I rarely pay for games, and even with not having much money now, I donated 100$, so much I believe in the project.
Up to you.
My list from the other thread:
1 - Player skill-driven combat
"Make the difference in battle with your personal abilities, not a character level, character age, or a set of magic items you spent 2 weeks grinding dungeons for!"
How does the skill-based combat work?
Are we talking about aiming here?
Are there hitboxes?
How does the combat look PVE vs PVP (i.e. does it involve continuous circlestrafing? bunny hopping?)
You mentioned Mount and Blade/Skyrim/MO which are nothing alike in combat, so please clarify how these are supposed to work in tandem.
2 -Level-less, classless character advancement
"Play and advance your character how you want instead of adhering to preset roles and restrictions! There are no limits like in mortal online, which required creating other characters for gathering, and no such difference in power like in darkfall between veterans and new players. "
How does this work? There are no limits like in MO, yet there is no difference in power like in DFO?
How does skill-training look? Is usage of the skill a factor? Is it passive skilltrainging? Experience gain and distribution? Perks?
This is contradicting, or at least very hard to swallow without an explenation on how this can work.
Either your skill-advancment influences something and has no limit in the advancment creating a more powerful character, or the skill-advancment doesn't matter at all and creates no power difference.
This is inconsistent.
3 - Full loot, open PvP combat
"Fight for your own reasons, not just because a storyline tells you your character must hate the other guys, but beware the consequences. Whatever you fight for, don't forget to loot the spoils of war!"
How does this work? What kind of consequences are we talking about?
Are you being flagged for looting? Is the looting only allowed in sieges or special PVP "zones"?
Is it hard to play a bandit/thief/outlaw in EoC (as it should be)? How is the game going to restrict the complete gankfest that usually comes with FFAPVP environment (bounties? guards? safezones? gods wrath?)?
4 - Death Hurts
"In EoC death hurts, badly. Not only do you drop your gear, but your character has to recover from their wounds before they will be much help to anyone - assuming their body survives their death at all!"
How will you mitigate the death-penalty and the setbacks this creates for new players (especially in a FFAPVP setting)?
How will the game make death "fun" instead of frustrating and a timesink?
5 - Rich player-controlled market and economy
"Nearly every item is either created or supplied by players. Invest in resources, goods, or the businesses themselves, become a rich tycoon, or just strive to crash the market of your competitor to make them an easier target for the local bandits. Yes, there will be local banks and uneven distribution of resources = caravans + caravans over the sea = piracy. (And since it will take hours to sail between continents... A pretty nice picture, huh? )."
How will the game mitigate resource-hoarding and resource denial? How will the game prevent monopolies that prevent other players from taking part in the economy?
What part will the economy play in the overal gameplay? Will items have diminishing returns? Will crafting have diminishing returns?
What prevents a player abusing the economy to make the game unplayable for anyone else?
What safeguards have been put in place to prevent currency inflation?
Can the politics set economical restriction and regulations on conduct?
6 - Extensive crafting systems
"Gather and refine raw resources into usable goods. Create each piece individually with exceptional care that brings in extreme prices, or manage your own workshop that mass produces high-demand goods. Whatever niche you choose, rest assured each and every piece you create has a purpose, and someone out there needs it! There are many different resulting items, and each of them is being handchecked for usefullness."
Keeping in mind that the game has a supposed player-driven economy, how can every item have a purpose and be usefull to someone, especially with the mentione mass-production?
How does the crafting work? Is it interactive? Passive?
Will there be assemblage?
Again does crafting suffer from diminishing returns?
7 - Dozens of professions
"Decide whether to specialize in a single profession or instead spread your efforts across many, ranging from crafting, farming, gathering, alchemy, engineering, and many more!"
Jack of all trades - master of none effect?
How does the game make jacks of all trades viable versus specialization? What incentives are there to not specialize vs. specialization?
How does the game handle players that played longer with more skills and higher level skills? This ties in with my no-lvl no-class question nr. 2
Those are my basic questions for now.
see how awesome and customer servicey you sound!
I'm intrigued by the game and the way the developers treat their potential customers and would like to subscribe to your newsletter.
Godfred's Tomb Trailer: https://youtu.be/-nsXGddj_4w
Original Skyrim: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/109547
Serph toze kindly has started a walk-through. https://youtu.be/UIelCK-lldo
What is your dev name on the forums? I can't seem to find you there.
Like i've said, IM NOT A DEV
Im a fan.
Hi All,
I'm Robert, better known as 'Khaiyne' and Community Manager for Forsaken Studios. It's really exciting for us to see news about our game and our Kickstarter project spreading. I'll see if I can get a Developer over to answer some of your questions shortly.
For the sake of clarification, Romtin is a fan and not part of our Development team. Members of the Forsaken Studios team will usually identify themselves as such when representing the company.
We understand that Embers of Caerus can't be for everyone - but we also know that it's the game that so many people have been waiting for, and something we're truely proud to be part of.
Talk to you soon!
Khaiyne
Even as a fan you should have a more positive attitude towards people responding here. To me you seem very bad-mannered towards anything not of your liking. Wanting a game you're following to get out there requires positive energy.
"We need men who can dream of things that never were." - John F. Kennedy
And for MMORPGs ever so true...
I am totally turned off by FPV also. I liked Skyrim's system, where you are locked into a behind view, and I could accept a limited distance like hand to hand in Darkfall (although just a little more distance enough to show the feet+ would be best). I could also accept missle combat being forced to FP like Darkfall, but prefer the Skyrim way much more. I don't think FPV will kill your game, but I do think it'll hurt numbers quite a lot. Maybe as much as a factor of 3, maybe even more.
FPV not only takes out peripheral vision and feels like blinders, but it also removes something many gamers like. Customized characters. If you can't see your character, then customization means very little to you.
At any rate, FPV is just too restrictive for me.
Wide open PvP is another thing, I'm very leery of that. There has to be some means to prevent players from hammering on anyone and everyone all the time. Death penalties can work to prevent players from sticking their characters into a murderer status, but I don't see information yet to lead me to think the game has that, or enough of it. I do like the idea of the ability to murder, as long as there's a strong reason not to, without work-arounds and avoidance issues.
I'm all for Full Loot. I think NPCs and MOBs should loot players, even in a PvE game. Loss should be a possibility in any game that's not designed to be "pure win", and I don't want "pure win".
Aside from that, I absolutely love the ideas on warfare and sieges. This can work, and work exceptionally well.
I dearly wish you all would reconsider. I'm sure you won't. But FPV is a major mistake for an MMO, in my opinion, and if you don't have control over rampant PKing, that's an even bigger issue.
Once upon a time....