Game of Thrones Meets EVE Online: Introducing The Crowfall MMO

[Fanghawk]

Game of Thrones Meets EVE Online: Introducing The Crowfall MMO

Player characters are immortal in ArtCraft Entertainment's Crowfall MMO - but the worlds they fight on will inevitably come to an end.

Gordon Walton and J Todd Coleman know their MMOs. Between them, they've produced games like Ultima Online, Star Wars Galaxies, Shadowbane, Wizard101, and Star Wars: The Old Republic. But they also think MMOs can aim much higher. For that reason, Walton and Coleman founded ArtCraft Entertainment and approached Kickstarter with their first major project: Crowfall, an MMORPG that combines themes from <a href=http://www.escapistmagazine.com/tag/view/game%20of%20thrones?os=game+of+thrones>Game of Thrones and <a href=http://www.escapistmagazine.com/tag/view/eve%20online?os=eve+online>EVE Online. It's hard to imagine a new MMO standing out with so many on the market, but its unique concept combining parallel worlds, tabletop RPG conventions, and strategy gameplay - along with some slick alpha footage - suggests Crowfall might just leave its mark.

Crowfall's aim is deceptively simple - allow for persistent characters while the game world approaches its inevitable end. Each player controls an immortal champion empowered by the gods to fight across dying worlds. Players choose a campaign world that will only exist for a limited time, passing through seasons that alter the environment, resource availability, and the strength of undead NPC legions. The campaign world ends if a win condition is met or if the winter season concludes. At that point, the server is reset and players can journey to another campaign world with their spoils.

[kickstarter=crowfall/crowfall-throne-war-pc-mmo]

From all appearances, these campaign worlds aren't just identical settings copy-pasted into each server. Every campaign world is unique, containing procedurally generated land masses and new gameplay rules as well. Not all races will appear in each campaign, death and respawn rules vary, and even magic effects change from one world to the next. On top of that, the entire campaign world is rendered with voxels, which lets players build structures like castles... or tactically destroy the environment to achieve victory.

Players who achieve victory in a campaign world can then bring their spoils to the Eternal Kingdoms - a world with no natural resources that never resets. Everything in the Eternal Kingdoms is completely player controlled, where resources gathered in campaigns can be used to build up castles and territories. Especially powerful players can even divide up the kingdoms into provinces and land grants and award them to teammates. At the same time, these kingdoms can only be maintained through resources earned in campaign play - meaning even the Eternal Kingdoms can shift over time.

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Crowfall still has a lot of work ahead of it, with a proposed release date in Dec 2016. But the alpha footage certainly suggests its well-underway, especially on the destructive physics front. But with almost 70% of its $800,000 goal raised and 28 days left to go? The odds are pretty high that we'll hear more about Crowfall in the coming months.

Source: <a href=https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/crowfall/crowfall-throne-war-pc-mmo>Kickstarter

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[Aerith]

Sounds too good to be true, to be honest. Like, I have no doubt that this is the game that they want to put out there, but if it's achievable?

I like the title, though. "Crowfall"

 

[RandV80]

Really like the concept. Maybe one of my biggest pet peeves in the MMO genre is the lazy story setting. They set a token story in the same way they would a single player game that makes you the chosen one, but do little to differentiate why there are all these other 'chosen's ones' running around beside you killing the same 10 wolves for the quest NPC. For me to get involved in a MMO it makes a world of difference if they actually incorporate my PC into the story/setting alongside everyone else.

That said, from the sound & look of it not sure what it has to do with Game of Thrones and EVE, other than using popular buzz words.

 

[Fanghawk]

Really like the concept. Maybe one of my biggest pet peeves in the MMO genre is the lazy story setting. They set a token story in the same way they would a single player game that makes you the chosen one, but do little to differentiate why there are all these other 'chosen's ones' running around beside you killing the same 10 wolves for the quest NPC. For me to get involved in a MMO it makes a world of difference if they actually incorporate my PC into the story/setting alongside everyone else.

That said, from the sound & look of it not sure what it has to do with Game of Thrones and EVE, other than using popular buzz words.

Fantasy setting where players can actually take control of the server in ways the devs don't actually control.

 

[Zontar]

Fantasy setting where players can actually take control of the server in ways the devs don't actually control.

That doesn't really justify the comparison to Game of Thrones or EVE, as Game of Thrones isn't really an example of fantasy (not a good one anyway) and EVE is a space sandbox.

 

[DeepReaver]

Ambitious, really really ambitious. But like all ambitious things I really have my doubts. Just as with the topgear guys i have a distinct fear that this will end up Ambitious but Rubbish.

 

[Kajin]

Fantasy setting where players can actually take control of the server in ways the devs don't actually control.

That doesn't really justify the comparison to Game of Thrones or EVE, as Game of Thrones isn't really an example of fantasy (not a good one anyway) and EVE is a space sandbox.

I can see the comparison to EVE in regards of the amount of control the immortal players have over the world, destroying it and shaping it in their own image. Especially the server that never resets and the players can take control of their own kingdoms and all that. Sounds a lot like Nullsec, except with a medieval slant to it.

 

[Not G. Ivingname]

Fantasy setting where players can actually take control of the server in ways the devs don't actually control.

That doesn't really justify the comparison to Game of Thrones or EVE, as Game of Thrones isn't really an example of fantasy (not a good one anyway) and EVE is a space sandbox.

They were leaning more on the political aspects of Game of Thrones, that people can gain (and hopefully lose) land and power within these "eternal Kingdoms," where the rules are determined by a few, but sitting on the throne makes you the greatest target of all.

EVE is a space sandbox, but it is also an insane land of constant political shifts, giant companies, shifting business deals, and betrayal. Look up the kind of shit that goes on in there, and you will find it is far beyond a "space sandbox."

 

[viranimus]

Color me intrigued.

Hrm, a few points to make.

Gordon Walton and J Todd Coleman know their MMOs. Between them, they've produced games like Ultima Online, Star Wars Galaxies, Shadowbane, Wizard101, and Star Wars: The Old Republic.

Technically with name drops like that, shouldnt that read "know their (Irrelevant)(failed)(No longer operating)(substandard)(crushed under the weight of its own hype) MMOs" That is kind of like going to a job interview and your resume indicates you designed the titanic, The Edsel, New Coke, the XFL, and conceptualized giving the Kardashians a tv show. Now that doesnt mean that these gents are inept, or not capable. The statement simply draws comparison of things that in retrospect did not work anywhere near as well as they might have hoped.

____

The name. Personally I think it would play much better with a very slight adjustment to Crownfall. With the "fantasy" setting, it comes off as trying to capitalize on brand recognition of someone elses property when there is no tangible connection. At least with Crownfall, it does at least in some manner still tie into the concept of the project. IE that the game is all about perpetual destruction of kingdoms. Crowfall, at least to me, sounds more like a game centered around getting a job shooting birds at the local airport.

______

Now as for the game itself. I am VERY interested in the concept. And that comes from one of the most jaded, cynical early adopting veterans of MMOs that has essentially given up any sort of hope for the entire genre. However, I think that is hypothetically its potential downfall. The reason being is that is much of the reason why MMORPGs are more of a graveyard than a playground. They tend to come out with super ambitious ideas that ultimately end up being too cumbersome, or set themselves up with unrealistic expectations and ultimately crash and burn. If you want to build a successful MMO now, what you need to do is aim small and sustainable,while being content with that tiny kingdom. not trying to play king of the mountain.

Oh, and yeah. I dont see any real tangible connection to GoT or Eve either.

 

[Zontar]

Fantasy setting where players can actually take control of the server in ways the devs don't actually control.

That doesn't really justify the comparison to Game of Thrones or EVE, as Game of Thrones isn't really an example of fantasy (not a good one anyway) and EVE is a space sandbox.

They were leaning more on the political aspects of Game of Thrones, that people can gain (and hopefully lose) land and power within these "eternal Kingdoms," where the rules are determined by a few, but sitting on the throne makes you the greatest target of all.

EVE is a space sandbox, but it is also an insane land of constant political shifts, giant companies, shifting business deals, and betrayal. Look up the kind of shit that goes on in there, and you will find it is far beyond a "space sandbox."

I know what goes down in Eve (which is why I started playing it in the first place) but for most (re: almost all) players even within the mega-alliances most of that stuff isn't done by them, just those telling them where and when to mobilize and move out. Which is the nature of the sandbox MMO. If it's a sandbox MMO then that should have been the headline, comparing it to Eve makes as much sense as comparing WoW to LotRO.

 

[JaceArveduin]

Well... It says it's going to be Free to Play, so fuck it I'm hyped!

Because I like EVE, but it's a hard game to play when you're corp's basically awol, because going at it solo just doesn't work too well, sadly. This though? With it being f2p, I've got several friends that'll play it with me and it'll be awesome!

 

[John Schaeffer]

Is it only I who recognizes a lot of these ambitious concepts have much in common with the development of Everquest Next? I mean, destructible worlds made of voxels, ability to use content creation tools in game to make persistent landscapes and buildings, ever-changing procedurally-generated game world where story beats eventually lock off content in favor of new content; the combat and art-style even look similar. Add a bit of Stronghold Kingdoms and you have Crowfall. Don't get me wrong, I really like the concept and I would like to see more MMO's embrace such an innovative approach to game design, but I just couldn't help feeling while watching this like I was rewatching the Everquest Next keynote speech from last year. Thoughts? Am I the only one who sees similarities?

 

[viranimus]

Is it only I who recognizes a lot of these ambitious concepts have much in common with the development of Everquest Next? I mean, destructible worlds made of voxels, ability to use content creation tools in game to make persistent landscapes and buildings, ever-changing procedurally-generated game world where story beats eventually lock off content in favor of new content; the combat and art-style even look similar. Add a bit of Stronghold Kingdoms and you have Crowfall. Don't get me wrong, I really like the concept and I would like to see more MMO's embrace such an innovative approach to game design, but I just couldn't help feeling while watching this like I was rewatching the Everquest Next keynote speech from last year. Thoughts? Am I the only one who sees similarities?

Possible similarities, however it bears stating that we dont yet really know what is going to be in EQN and Landmark (the voxel building end of EQN) and EQ Next are not really the same thing.

More like SoE said "Hey, you guys like Minecraft? Well We like getting free labor, so how about we give you our toolkit and why not come do our job for us and build us some landscapes and towns so we can get our staff to focus on other things"

 

[Summerstorm]

Color me intrigued.

Hrm, a few points to make.

Gordon Walton and J Todd Coleman know their MMOs. Between them, they've produced games like Ultima Online, Star Wars Galaxies, Shadowbane, Wizard101, and Star Wars: The Old Republic.

Technically with name drops like that, shouldnt that read "know their (Irrelevant)(failed)(No longer operating)(substandard)(crushed under the weight of its own hype) MMOs" That is kind of like going to a job interview and your resume indicates you designed the titanic, The Edsel, New Coke, the XFL, and conceptualized giving the Kardashians a tv show. Now that doesnt mean that these gents are inept, or not capable. The statement simply draws comparison of things that in retrospect did not work anywhere near as well as they might have hoped.

Ah, come on, don't think like "THEM" - Ultima Online was profitable - also very well done. Star Wars Galaxy, while crashing hard after a short time, has LOADS of innovative, expanding ideas and was well-liked by a core group. Old Republic was clearly murdered by production and business, and COULD have been great. The other two... never heard of them... weird...

Well my thoughts on this is: Good that someone is finaly picking up on old ideas which somehow got buried while/after WoW. This game seems like a logical advancement on MMORPG which we should have had about 8-9 Year ago. And finaly a game which dares having an fucking end (Well, i would prefer killing the Characters too, but hey, small steps). I got sick of the: "Oh noes, we should never have anyone lose anything in a game... the horror" - mentality of online-games. But i wish that "dying" ingame takes a toll, and that equipment isn't that annoyingly important.

So, this is pretty much the Wurm-Online with higher budget and flashy graphics i was waiting for. I guess i might sponsor them - looks like they have a working alpha, integrated subsystems, already a lot of art-assets. Unlikely to get totally destroyed before release. Might be worth it.

 

[natenate95]

Perhaps on the fault of the author's comparison I take issue, but you can't make EvE without the economy framework nearly copied into another game. Ship fittings ----> Armor sets, weapons. Players die, and they lose that armor/weapon loadout.

Unless that functions, then the game isn't player run, isn't a sandbox and certainly will not stand out in this MMO market. Quote me on it when this game doesn't live up to expectations.

 

[404notfound]

Well... It says it's going to be Free to Play, so fuck it I'm hyped!

Because I like EVE, but it's a hard game to play when you're corp's basically awol, because going at it solo just doesn't work too well, sadly. This though? With it being f2p, I've got several friends that'll play it with me and it'll be awesome!

'Crowfall is ?buy to play,? meaning that you only have to buy the retail game, in order to play.'

Seems to suggest that it isn't free to play.

OT: I like the idea behind it, but it could be hard to pull it off.

 

[Jandau]

This sounds... cool.

One of the big problems in MMOs is how to give players a way to affect the game world without them breaking the game. Having the world go through cycles of death and rebirth sidesteps this issue neatly, allowing player-run empires to rise and fall dynamically. Sure, there are tons of ways for this to fail miserably, but as concepts go, this is an interesting one and might be worth keeping an eye on...

 

[JaceArveduin]

Well... It says it's going to be Free to Play, so fuck it I'm hyped!

Because I like EVE, but it's a hard game to play when you're corp's basically awol, because going at it solo just doesn't work too well, sadly. This though? With it being f2p, I've got several friends that'll play it with me and it'll be awesome!

'Crowfall is ?buy to play,? meaning that you only have to buy the retail game, in order to play.'

Seems to suggest that it isn't free to play.

OT: I like the idea behind it, but it could be hard to pull it off.

*headdesk* it was the part of the FAQ right below then one I looked for.

Oh well, I'm still okay with this, unless the base game costs too much.

 

[Fanghawk]

Perhaps on the fault of the author's comparison I take issue, but you can't make EvE without the economy framework nearly copied into another game. Ship fittings ----> Armor sets, weapons. Players die, and they lose that armor/weapon loadout.

Unless that functions, then the game isn't player run, isn't a sandbox and certainly will not stand out in this MMO market. Quote me on it when this game doesn't live up to expectations.

Well my thoughts on this is: Good that someone is finaly picking up on old ideas which somehow got buried while/after WoW. This game seems like a logical advancement on MMORPG which we should have had about 8-9 Year ago. And finaly a game which dares having an fucking end (Well, i would prefer killing the Characters too, but hey, small steps). I got sick of the: "Oh noes, we should never have anyone lose anything in a game... the horror" - mentality of online-games. But i wish that "dying" ingame takes a toll, and that equipment isn't that annoyingly important.

I didn't have a lot of space to flesh this out, but one detail mentioned on the Kickstarter page is that even death rules can vary depending on the campaign you choose. Some worlds will basically be WoW where you keep your stuff and resurrect after a short time, but others will be more strict - including allowing whoever killed you to take your stuff.

 

[freaper]

The problem I have with MMO's where you can build a base is that such outposts carry no weight in a game. In reality, castles and keeps are used to control resource nodes, protect merchants and farmers, or hold military forces from where to stage a siege. In games they're just objectives in and of themselves without real economic meaning, making them often pointless to defend or attack. Moreover, the fact that you can build a castle by just slapping down a few walls and a tower in less than fifteen minutes and destroy it just as quickly makes it lose its importance.

These might not be mechanical problems in and of themselves, but they're gameplay features that I see returning again and again but that don't really seem possible to execute successfully.