20080415 - Answers to your questions

[Mats Persson]

Disclaimer: The following post deals with what we are planning, working on and testing for Mortal Online. There is no guarantee the features discussed here will be included in the final game. Please read the Features or FAQ page at www.mortalonline.com where features will be listed one by one as they make it to the game.

Ok, here's some answers to the questions asked in the previous thread "Answers to your questions". Feedback is really appreciated, but please ask any new question in the related forum section: http://www.mortalonline.com/forums/s...uestions-here/

Originally Posted by Shawk

One quick question if you don't mind, about the instances you explained, does that mean they will be more like zones? like Everquest/Daoc had for example as their dungeons/city zones?

I'm sorry, but it's really too early to tell how we will handle instances/zones. A lot of work is going on here at the moment. But I want to give you at least some idea of what we're dealing with:

When for example entering a city or a cave, a short loading time (and zone-splitting) gives us the opportunity to create really unique content for that zone, both visually and gameplay-wise. It could be specific buildings, creatures, mechanics and so on. This would benefits both PvP and PvE. However, if there are zones the transition must be handled very carefully as to not ruin the everyday PvP. Border-ganking is one of those issues. Another issue is of course that loading time (even as little as say 20 seconds) tends to spoil the feeling of a seamless world. We are of course trying our best to avoid them.

I personally feel that instancing is totally ok when it can be motivated in the game. To give you an example, Arena Fatalis, the large gladiator court in the capital city of Tindrem, will most likely be an instance. In role-playing terms, the arena will simply be "full" when enough people participate and/or spectate. I simply don't think it's necessary for a player to find out that it is "full" by walking in and watch it lag, and possibly spoil the ongoing fights.
However, more info on this later.

Originally Posted by Dingo

What kind of weapons do you guys have planned for the game? Hopefully a lot of different ones(short swords, bastard swords, halberds, maces, morning stars etc)

We have a lot of weapons covered. They are divided into groups where possible (i.e. 1-Hand Swords may consist of Arming Sword, Rapier, Falchion, Light Claymore, Falcata, Gladius etc.) both for Crafting- and Skill purposes.

Originally Posted by SkullPizza

Will the game world be mostly open or will there be instanced sections or "zones" that one must load into?

Please see answer above.

Are you planning on implementing mounted combat?

Yes. We also have weapons only usable on certain Mounts.

Will there be a limit to the amount of skill points you can allocate?

Yes and no. It's hard to explain without digging to deep: The Primary Skills will have limits, as thay are a prerequisite for the Class Skills. The Class Skills won't have limits. In short, you will have to choose for your character whether to become the world's greatest herbalist or swordmaster, as it can't be both due to its Primary Skills.

Is there a possibility that boss fight encounters will be GM controlled rather than AI controlled? (If you're fighting a Dragon will a GM control it so you can fight another person rather than generally predictable AI?)

Yes.

Will character names be visible above the heads of character Avatars?

We're working on this. The current solution is fps-like. If you spot someone you can identify him/her by holding your crosshair (or similar) on them. Also, you can set the GUI to automatically display the names of people that have succeeded in attacking you (people in your Target List), or people in your Group.

Are you planning on implementing marine warfare? (Boats)

This will probably have to wait until after release. But we're planning on it.

Will the most powerful items in the game be craftable or will you to find them in the game world?

Both. There will be powerful items to be found in the world that you cannot make - until you have found one and tried to understand the design and the components needed to be able to make one yourself (and sharing the secret is of course up to you).
Also, as the resources to make an item is found in the world, let's say Algoron Hide for making a great leather-type armor, you will find "powerful resources" in the game world that can make for a "powerful item", not necessarily the item itself.

Considering the name of the game are you planning on implementing perma-death in any way? (I'm not a fan of perm-death, I'm just curious.)

No.

Will a player be able to advance doing only PvP?
Will a player be able to advance doing only PvE?

Yes. Naturally, as the game depends on both your and your characters skill, you can't for example PvP-fight for a year and then suddenly know all about how to aquire Egg-Mussle Shells from 60 meters depth outside the Tindrem harbor. Likewise, spending all your time in front of the blast furnace won't give you an advantage on the battlefield (except possibly from your gear).

Are you planning on implementing changeable weather effects? If so, will they effect gameplay in any signifigant way?

Yes, weather, and day cycles (including astronomical changes) are on our list. Whether weather (!) will affect gameplay is still up for review though.

Are you planning on implementing pets that can help you in fights for any or all of the classes?

You will be able to (try to) control various creatures.

Will there be item decay? (Can items be lost permanently through use?)

Yes.

How big are you planning on the largest battle to be? (How many players can fight each other at once?)

We don't know for sure yet.

What is your position on stealth?

You mean in PvP, right? Stealth should be a combination of your skills as a player, combined with your character's Skills. As we can't represent every obstacle to hide behind, or every light source, there will be Stealth in the game that is somewhat "magical". Likewise, detecting something or someone that is "hidden" is not entirely up to you, as one or two Skills might help. It's all about balance though, so we will see.

Originally Posted by Protonix

1. Will players be required to use a last name in their character?

Say what?

2. I apologize if I missed this, but will there be city seiging a la shadowbane?

We'll comment on that later on.

3. Will the developer forum interaction remain as stellar as it has been thus far?

Depends on how much spare time we'll have

Originally Posted by Ethnine

I do have a question to add though:
I'm a huge solo/PVE fan, and I'm not a hardcore gamer at all. But like I said I love PVE, and a little PVP mixed in is cool with me. Most games think of end-game PVE as just being huge RAIDs that take hours to gather, and take hours to work through. I'm not a fan of this at all, in fact I'm totally against raiding on a massive scale since it takes to long and I'm still in college. I also think its just watered down end-game PVE, when there is much more that could be done with end-game content. So will MO have massive scale RAIDs? Will that be the only thing offered as far as end-game PVE? What other options will there be, besides the PVP? How much content is being invested into end-game PVE/PVP?

This is a good question that requires an extensive answer. I won't be able to give that answer right away, but I'll do my best:
First of all, I'm not even sure what a "RAID" is, outside "that game". Where I come from, a "raid" is when you gather people from all around to sack a village, make a sudden attack on an enemy and so on. And yes, you will of course be free to to that. But I definitely can't see "raiding" in Mortal Online as the type of establishment it has become in other games.
PvE becomes very different in a PvP (or, PtP, Player-to-Player) game. Let's say your goal is to become a great history writer. The writing itself is very much a solo-thing, but you couldn't do your writing without a lot of PtP-interaction. Or say you'd like to become a master smith. When you sell weapons to other players (PtP), you'll undoubtedly become involved in their PvP conflicts. You'd probably want other people to help out in gathering and refining resources for you as well. Another example is if you (and your guild) is out on a "quest" to rescurrect some ancient creature for this or that reason. Your actions will affect other players (rescurrecting the creature might upset the balance of the Gods), and therefore other people might try to stop you or help you. I can think of few examples where end-game PvE won't affect the PtP/PvP, so I'm really not sure where to draw the line.

Originally Posted by OrnJ

1. Im a big class based fan, so im wondering how much variety there will be..

Hopefully enough. It's also a matter of combining Skills.

2. Will u be able to multiclass?

All Classes are somewhat multiclass as it's a matter of what Skills you choose. I can't go into detail about fighter-mages, blacksmith-assassins etc at this time though

3. will there be instant kills (like throat slitting)

There will be special moves triggered when the timing is right, but killing somebody in one move will probably not happen.

4. how are the skill trees work without lvling?

When using a Skill, you get better at it.
All Skills are connected to (based on) your main Attributes. When you train a Skill, you also train your Attributes. When gaining in an Attribute, so will your Skills connected to that Attribute.

When you want to learn a new Skill, you'll have to meet the prerequisites (mostly Attributes and Skills) and buy a book or find somenoe willing to tutor you. On some occasions, you can also discover and learn Skills by just.. ..doing things.

5. with the religion system, how will having a powerful god affect gameplay?

A Cult or Religion will work almost like a Guild, but with the Role-Playing addition of a belief-system or codex. A God might give prophesies and commandments to its believers, and maybe also certain gifts.

6. can u rob banks?

Essentially no.

7. can u eat you mount? (lol)

Theoretically yes. If you kill your horse, you can get its meat. And you can eat horse meat.

8. will the admins allow a guild or clan to control regions with influence?

Yes, that is our plan.

9. will weather and enviornmental events effect character performance?

Please see answer above.

10. will there be flying mounts?

I can't answer that right now.

11. will mods take the roll of some npc's?

A NPC played by a mod wouldn't be an NPC anymore, but I see what you're getting at. Yes, most likely.

12. when will beta begin?

We'll announce that later. Also, please disregard any of the production schemes circulating on the forum or the web. We ourselves are in control of our development, and schemes taken out of context aren't good for anyone.

Originally Posted by iMp

Will there be items / rares etc , for rare collectors to collect? (like uo had, with diffrent "museums u often travel to see hard to find items, that really had no mening in the game, like 1 rock etc)

Yes.

How will death be?`will u force spawn to a hospital or more ghost style (uo), ?

"Ghost style". See answer further down.

Please NEVER add ethy mounts etc, that spawns a mount if u klick ure bag..

We'll try to avoid that..

Hands on ure heart devs. is UO the so far best mmo there was? (thats style of pre trammel game u look for?)

We differ somewhat in our opinion of the best mmo. Henrik would say UO without blinking. Me being more into PvE-with-PtP would say.. ..it hasn't been made yet. At least not in a fantasy setting.

houses can they be accessed by everyone if door is unlocked, and can u decorate it like uo?

Yes. But you'd be trespassing. And yes, we'd like to see decorations.

will the mage system be more like uo. where the less amrour you wear the faster mana regen? i really like that idea, as then everyone dosent look like robots, .

Mages will be affected by armor.

i think not the best items should be made by crafters, i want it UO style. magic wepons are bit better, but it wear of and break. IF a crafter can do the absolut best items. then the economi wont be as balanced. as the rich make the items and sell and become richer. UO's craftign where good, coz GM made katan where still used more then the drops. as they lasted longer, and did "almost" the same damage as a normal drop. i dont think any wouldnt agree to that. and now if there is full loot on bodys. u dont dare to figt alone with a nice drop u had. but uses the more easy to get made stuff. u see my point? and make the variation of the drop totally random, so u cant farm bosses etc for IDENTICAL items. take uo's exemple. the biggest bosses had ofcoz bigger chanse on drops, but i could really never say what droped. nto like wow where u know more or less whats going to drop from diffrent bosses.

If some of the best items are made by crafters, needing ingredients from "bosses" (I would say powerful creatures), you would actually need both. There will be rare items to find in the world. A bear will never drop gold though, and the dragon won't give you any sword(!?).

Originally Posted by Ludo

Are floating nametags in? Please tell me they aren't - nametags destroy kills off alot of tactics and potential ways to pvp.

Please see answer above. We will avoid PvP-destroying stuff like that at all costs - but it's also a matter of GUI usability and control.

Originally Posted by Thagri

Are there going to be things like stuns and mezzes in this game that lock characters down and make them easy kills?

Hopefully no (trained) character will be an "easy kill". Magic is magic though, and there will naturally be a lot of different spells.

Originally Posted by Soulein

Will guild be able to use the Keep system to control large swathes of territory, effectively creating an Empire?

Please see "answer" above.

Originally Posted by 1998Altima

Will there be quests?

Yes. Altough we promise to try to stay as far away as we can from the "pick 200 apples for me"-type quests.

Will there be pocketable mounts?

Hmm, I'm not sure about the English here. If you mean pick-pocketable mounts, then yes.
Otherwise no.
You could argue that there are spells/scrolls you can tweak to get a similar effect (i.e. Raise Steed), but for that to work you'll need a dead horse or such (perhaps an eaten one?). But that's more of a special case.

Will it be SRS(single race per server) or SCS(single character per server) or will it just have a number of character slots?

Probably a number of character slots (your Deva).

Will there be universal banking?

I really don't know yet. We're thinking about a bank-system where items can be delivered with a delay, and at a cost.

Will there be ships?

I don't think we'll manage player-controlled ships for release. But they're planned.

Will there be archery & magic mounted combat? (From the teaser it only looked like melee mounted combat.)

Yes.

What is you're favorite mmo of all time?

Please see above.

Originally Posted by Aragoni

My question from yesterday still stands. Will there be inns and taverns?

Yes.

Originally Posted by GFLiE

how much are you planning on charging for the game at the moment?

Please read the FAQ. A monthly fee similar to other MMORPG's on the market.

Originally Posted by Erdamon

If the game has a Realistic Combat system, how are you planning to balance classes and skills and more importantly make them diverse?

I really don't know how to answer that. Via excessive testing, testing, and more testing. And eventually, beta-testing.
Also, it's a matter of what you mean by balance and diversity. A warrior-class character is naturally focused on warfare, and won't have a very "balanced" fight against a trader-class character focused on commerse.

Will the game also include mounted combat/siege warfare etc. mechanics ?

Please see above.

How will the player's actions affect the world? Will we have a static enviroment like your typical MMORPG or will we have a dynamic living and evolving enviroment?

To be honest, for now the environment is based on randomness and ecological variables, but unfortunately static in itself. This means that if you for example were to kill off every predator in the woods, the number of herbivores won't go up. We'll have to manually adjust things like that over time. We'll see what happens as the development progresses.

What are your plans for a PvP system? Will it be based on small skirmishes or massive battles?

The PvP is based on one-to-one or skirmishing battles, as that is the foundation for good gameplay in larger-scale PvP battles. However, at the moment I can't tell you the number of players in that kind of battle.

What are your plans for a crafting system? And will you make crafting class specific?

I will add more about the crafting system later, but I'll try to summarize what's been said earlier:

In short, you will have to choose for your character whether to become the world's greatest herbalist or swordmaster, as it can't be both. (And yes, there will be crafting-specific classes.)

Items are divided into groups where possible (i.e. 1-Hand Swords may consist of Arming Sword, Rapier, Falchion, Light Claymore, Falcata, Gladius etc.) both for crafting- and skill purposes.

There will be powerful items to be found in the world that you cannot make - until you have found one and tried to understand the design and the components needed to be able to make one yourself (and sharing the secret is up to you).
Also, as the resources to make an item is found in the world, let's say Algoron Hide for making a great leather-type armor, you will find "powerful resources" in the game world that can make for a "powerful item", not necessarily the item itself.

When can we expect a CLOSED BETA phase to begin?

We'll announce that later.

Originally Posted by Estefan

Who funds the development of Mortal Online?

Star Vault is a publically listed company. We are independent in the way we are not dependent on a publisher's money or goodwill.

Originally Posted by Krodion

You mentioned in the FAQ
"Also, some classes are reserved for veteran players."
So i wondered how are you going to be classed as a "Veteran player"?

There will be a number of achievments in the game that will determine your official (or inofficial, if you choose to hide it) status.

Originally Posted by Grannus

Will you be able to read someones World Map to fill in blanks in yours, even if you can't loot it?

Very possible.

Originally Posted by Neith

Maybe I missed it, but will their be an old school UO type taming class?

With enough knowledge and skill you will be able to tame creatures (possibly as a class). Whether the system will be old-school or not is up to you to decide.

Originally Posted by Brongle

1) Can we be expecting an morale alignment system in this game?

Something like that, yes.

2) If so, will this possibly affect classes?

It may both directly, or indirectly, affect skills and classes. I have to come back to this later on.

3) Will there be factions and oppurunities to raise our standings in those factions?

There will be Guilds and Cults/Religion. How the larger scale "factions" and politics, i.e. alliances of Guilds etc, will work and be administered will have it's own topic in due time.

4) Can you tell us anything about the death system and the penalties (if any) associated with them?

When your body dies, your soul is set loose and steps halfway into a plane called the Ether World. As a disincarnate soul existing in both worlds at the same time, you have no physical belongings (they're left behind with your body) and you are very limited in what you can see, hear, and do. The same goes for people in the real world, as they have difficulties interacting with you. The Ether World is a very dangerous place for a Mortal Soul with rules of its own, and you will probably want to get back to your normal self as quickly as possible. To reincarnate, essentially get your body back, you must find a spirit channeler of some sort willing to help you.
More about if and how penalties will affect you later on.

5) Will the U.K and American servers be different?

Do you mean if U.K and America will share the same server? Or do you mean if they will differ in content? I take it you mean the latter (sorry, my English is far from perfect :P).
No, they will not be different from each other, originally. But as time passes and people in the different worlds choose different paths, the worlds will be affected and thereby (most likely) end up different.

Originally Posted by Dane Juros

What platforms are you building the game for?

PC

Originally Posted by Sime

Is Mortal Online going to be alot like Ultima Online...But differant?

That will be up to you to decide, and depends on which mechanics or gameplay you mean. We're not after cloning UO, if that would even be possible due to the move to first-person 3D. However there are a lot of mechanics and gameplay elements in UO that we like.

What is the game of the comany making Mortal?

Game? Comany? Please read the FAQ before asking questions - it makes our job at StarVault a lot easier

[Shawk]

Wowza, I noticed you creating the thread before you made it, i'm not actually that fast

Thank you so much

[Dingo]

woot

thanks

[Dingo]

Originally Posted by Shawk

Wowza, I noticed you creating the thread before you made it, i'm not actually that fast

I love stalking mobs

[Dagger]

Originally Posted by Mats Persson

Whether weather (!)

*reminisces a great Simpsons moment*
*applauds*


Great post! A lot of things I was wondering about has taken form from your ideas. Keep up the good community work, we love it! ^^

[Dingo]

Great

that gets a lot of worries out of the way.
Can't wait to get some screens/vids.

[Shawk]

When your body dies, your soul is set loose and steps halfway into a plane called the Ether World. As a disincarnate soul existing in both worlds at the same time, you have no physical belongings (they're left behind with your body) and you are very limited in what you can see, hear, and do. The same goes for people in the real world, as they have difficulties interacting with you. The Ether World is a very dangerous place for a Mortal Soul with rules of its own, and you will probably want to get back to your normal self as quickly as possible. To reincarnate, essentially get your body back, you must find a spirit channeler of some sort willing to help you.
More about if and how penalties will affect you later on.

This sounds really sweet, I love it. Now to add all this into my FAQ...

Thanks again for keeping us updated

[0rnJ]

lol wow I was joking about eating your mount, but they brought up a good point.

With necromancy classes, you would be able to summon your undead horse with a spell, becuase its dead, ie eaten.

[Spartan]

I'm a bit worried about the introduction of instanced content.

[1998altima]

WOW! Thanks a lot for answering all of our questions I mean that is quite impressive. About the pocketable mounts, I was asking if you magically had mounts poof out of nowhere. Example, you have a mount icon in your bag and you click it then your mount appears. That's what I meant by pocketable mounts even though I don't think pocketable is a word. I think it might be more immersive if you have to leave your mount at a stable or tie it to a tree when you get off it.

[Shawk]

Originally Posted by Spartan

I'm a bit worried about the introduction of instanced content.

Ill need to hear more about it before I can really hate it or not.. It sounds like they dont like what is considered an Instance in most games but they are trying to use that technology to make it alot better.

Instance technology is good, the way it's put into games today, isnt.

[Dingo]

Originally Posted by Spartan

I'm a bit worried about the introduction of instanced content.

I think that goes without saying, but lets hope the devs find a way to make it all work(something MMOs have yet to do) I did like what he said about the Arena though.It helps reduce lag.

[Carpface]

Some sexy information there, thanks.

[k01c3k]

Yea really nice answers.

Can you specify this:

I know the word "later" from other games. There was "later" in 1 or 2 years.

[Suomidude]

Wil there be Prepaid Cards?

[Nehemia]

Originally Posted by Suomidude

Wil there be Prepaid Cards?

The problem is, what makes you think they would reach such barbaric land like Finland?

[Zealot08]

I'm happy that irreversible item decay is in, and hell I'm REALLY happy with these fast and specific Dev responses. Keep up the good work.

[Valroth]

Its mostly bad news for me. Zoning and instances make me cry. I am also very doubtful about a summer 2009 release.

[no-one]

Wow developers answering questions. I'm just not accustomed to it.

[Surly]

Answer my question about Zero Sum Economies! I want to know if