Game Mechanics

Forum Finds – World Size

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Today’s topic is one that I find fascinating because it contains numbers, and I like those! However, there is something very important for you to understand about these numbers and that is that they are subject to change. We are still in relatively early days of development for many aspects of the game. It is clear the developers have a good handle on what they want and how they want to get it, but some of the detail will only come through testing and iteration. That is the case when we discuss the size of the world, or more accurately the time it takes to travel across it.

When the news came to the forums this week that we are looking at 48 hours to cross from one side of the map to the other, I was, well… rather confused! I have mostly played theme park games up until now and try to get from one side of the map to the other just isn’t a useful metric. Let’s take the behemoth World of Warcraft. How long does it take to get from one end of Kalimdor (a continent) to the other? Who cares! It is never something you are going to do as part of normal game play. When quests lead you between areas with much back and forth the overall time to travel a continent is irrelevant, even if it is less than an hour as the crown flies (according to this source).

In an open world sandbox game where people are encouraged to travel and explore, like Chronicles of Elyria, it can really make a difference. But is that a good travel time? It is across the whole map, but how are we travelling? What does that actually mean for a player? How will that impact my game? Continue reading →

Chat Log – Land Ownership

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Home. It is quite an emotive word just all by itself. However, when you think of all that goes with it, your house, your belongs, those precious mementos that might seem like nothing to someone else but to you mean the world. The idea of having somewhere like that, but in a game, is quite fascinating. We know player housing will be a crucial part of Chronicles of Elyria, but where will you put that house? Land ownership is one of the features of the game we are still awaiting information on, but we now have some insights after the last live chat.

Before jumping in with the new information, lets make sure we are all on the same page. Previously the developers have explained that all land is owned in some way. Now that may not be by an individual, it could be by the ‘state’. The world is broken down into Kingdoms, which contain Duchies, that are made up of Counties. It is one of these ‘states’ that owns any land that doesn’t yet have a title deed.

If all that land is owned by someone how do you make it your own? How much do you get? What can you do with it? Well that is what this Chat Log is hoping to answer. Continue reading →

Journal Discussed – Contracts and Player-Created Professions

Contract being viewed in Chronicles of Elyria.
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Engaging with other players is what makes multi-player games. We are all social creatures, but strangely MMOs can be a very anti-social environment. We end up playing our own single-player games just in a shared world. That is not something they want to see in Chronicles of Elyria, so they are bring that trust back… sort of! Contracts are a way of making an agreement between players. It could be a simple trade contract between individuals. Or you could request for help for harvest from as many people are willing to provide it. Perhaps you are a King passing laws that all your citizens must obey. They are all contracts, and all open up a world of possibility if you want more information about them check out the Journal Abridged.

Some of the most discussed areas of contracts have been writing them, breaking them, enforcing them, and laws. Over the last couple of Live Chats we have learn some interesting things about all these areas. I put out bounties on them all and luckily every quote has been brought back alive to share with you here. Continue reading →

Chat Log – Weather

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Weather is something that is appearing more often in MMOs these days. Though in the games I have experienced it is simply audio/visual effects added to the world. That does add some immersion, at least in game where it affects all players simultaneously, but that is about all. Nothing about the way you play is affected. Your character isn’t weighed down by their sodden cloak, or parched from fighting in the heat. As so often seems to be the case Chronicles of Elyria will be a little different.

During this week’s live chat with the developer community member Deffcon_1 asked about how dynamic weather would actually be. He wanted to know if it was as basic as rain makes things wet, or would it respond to terrain pooling in low points perhaps even rolling off roves. Jeremy ‘Caspian’ Walsh had some of the answer for us:

We know we want there to be an impact on water tables…. water levels lowering and raising, crops getting sunk under water, etc…. We know it’ll also be possible to fill water bottles, etc… in lakes. And, given the nature of survival, if it does begin to rain, I plan on making it so people can refill their water bottles in the open. As to whether it’ll roll off rooftops… I doubt it. But as you can see in our latest screenshots, there are puddles.

Continue reading →

Journal Abridged – Contracts and Player-Created Professions

Character with backback from Chronicles of Elyria
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This series takes the Developers Journals and gives you all the information in handy bullet points. No frills, lace or any decorative appliqué. If you want discussion then you are going to have to wait for the Journal Discussed which will hit later in the week.

Chronicles of Elyria is focusing on players interacting with the world, not merely being in it. This is highlighted by this week’s topic Player Contracts. Contracts unlock a huge range of character interactions, professions, even governments. With a lot to cover either run over to MMORPG.com to read the full article or jump into the abridged version below. Continue reading →

Chat Log – Interacting with Terrain

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This weeks Developer Journal is not hitting until later in the week so things are a little out of order. However, it means you have plenty of warning for the live chat with the developers which is scheduled for Thursday 24th at 10am PDT. To get you in the mood we are going to dive into the last official live chat and look at two different questions that related to the same broad topic. Lets talk about interactions with the in game terrain. Lets talk about we are going to navigate trees, walls, mountains and the ground itself!

Community member Xilana has rather eagle eyes and noticed in the last character customisation developer journal that there was a reference to those living in jungles spent a lot of time climbing up and down trees. I missed it entirely but they jumped on it, asking the developers if we could do that in game? What about climbing walls, or up mountains?

Yes. I’ve long said I want the game to feel more like an action-platformer… ie. Tomb Raider or Assassins creed. We want adventuring to feel like an adventure…

Continue reading →

Journal Abridged – Character Customization and Bloodlines

Character customisation from Chronicles of Elyria
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This series takes the Developers Journals and gives you all the information straight up. Just the neat facts here, no ice or mixers. If you want discussion then you are going to have to wait for the Journal Discussed which will hit later in the week.

Your character is how we are represented in Chronicles of Elyria. Even in a game where individual characters may pass on, we are still going to have around a year of looking at each one and using them as our means to interact with the world. Character customisation therefore is important. Luckily that is the topic for this weeks Journal which is now live over at MMORPG.com. Either head over there for the full article or read the abridged version below. Continue reading →

Journal Discussed – Families and Family Selection

Chronicles of Elyria Town
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In Chronicles of Elyria blood is thicker than water. Families matter. They are your social support structure. They are the ones that give you that first helping hand in the game. They give you a group to belong to, food to eat, and a roof over your head. They are also an incredibly interesting game mechanic. If you have not read the Journal Abridged yet, you should. The contents of this journal are going to affect how you start your character, how you play the game and how you progress you lineage.

As one can expect when talking about such a key aspect to the game there has been a lot of chatter. Some discussions focus on wide topics, while others look at the details. This Journal Discussed turns the spotlight on some of the hot topics and the developer’s response to them. Continue reading →

Forum Finds – Finite Resources

~ victoriarachel ~ 3 Comments

The world of Elyria will be different to that of a lot of MMOs we are used to. From what we have heard, it will be far more alive. Non-player characters (NPCs) moving around the world going about their business, even setting up camps in untravelled places so they are a surprise to stumble across. Offline player characters remaining in the world following a huge host of behaviors, that really could mean they appear just like any other player character. However, as well as the characters of the world we also have the animals, materials, and resources. Will those feel as alive?

From the looks of it, yes! Continue reading →

Journal Abridged – Families & Family Selection

Family selection from Chronicles of Elyria
~ victoriarachel ~ 1 Comment

This series takes the Developers Journals and gives you all the information in bite-sized chunks. Just the facts here, nothing else, no fluff. If you want discussion then you are going to have to wait for the Journal Discussed which will hit later in the week.

A crucial part of an MMO is the social aspects. The people you play alongside, the relationships you build up. In Chronicles of Elyria, those close social bonds will be built between you and your family. This Developer Journal fills us in on all the background to Families and Family Selection. Want to read the whole thing it is up on MMORPG.com now or the abridged version is below. Continue reading →