All Posts by mlorriman

I don't know exactly how it's going to work, but I think it's safe to say that there will be a lot of quests you can solo, but also many quests that require a group. Luckily, the great thing about Spellborn is that parties will be very easy to put together. You only need four people and you don't need to wait for hours to find a tank or a healer, since everyone can do that a little. All you need are four random people of decent skill and intelligence, which, from the looks of the community so far, won't be too hard to find.

I haven't really played MMOPRGs for that long (started with FFXI), but I kind of feel the same way. I used to be all hyped up for all the cool new games that were comming out, but the game in your mind is never the same as the game that's actually being made. The more you find out about them, the more disapointed you get until you just don't care anymore. I think what we're all after is that sense of wonder and joy that we had when we played our first couple of MMORPGs, but the sad thing is that we can never go back to that. We all end up chasing the ghosts of our memories, seeing the shadows of the past in the games of the future, only to find out that it isn't what we've been looking for. I think one of the things that have led to the stagnation of the genre is our desire for the past. Developers and players alike yearn for the "good ol' days" of whatever game they remeber, or developers see the success of a past game and try to emulate it. Both end up just making a pale copy of the original and push the genre farther and farther down a spiral of decay.

What the genre needs is something truely different to recreate the same wonder, but to do so would require an almost complete overhaul of what we consider an MMORPG. So far, out of all the games that I've seen, my hopes rest with The Chronicles of Spellborn. It's innovative combat system coupled with it's focus on lore, storytelling and immersion have been enough to win over my bitter, old heart. It's not quite a revoloutionary game that will turn the entire genre upsidedown, but it's good enough for me.

All the Leizig coverage must be doing wonders for this game, people are really starting to notice it. The past week has been the only time that I can actually recall where Spellborn forums topics have frequently been on the front page. I must say, it's nice to see.

Spellborn will most definately be a great success as far as niche games go. I imagine it will fill a role in the MMORPG market similar to what EVE has today: a relatively small, but very dedicated and passionate fan base. The people who like it, will like it alot. It may lack mainstream appeal with so many original gameplay and design elements, but I think that might actually work in the game's favor. It will probably have a very close knit community of mature and intelligent people, if the official forums are any indication of how the game will be once it launches. An interesting thing that I've noticed is that it seems to attract a very specific set of people. There are alot of ex-FFXI players and avid pen and paper RPG gamers, which I think is due to Spellborn's emphisis on storytelling and lore. It is quite likely that the game will have a strong RP community. I never played the old school games like UO, AC and EQ in their prime, but somehow I've always thought that their communities would be something like that of Spellborn.

I guess to sum it up, you could say that Spellborn is a next generation game with an old school heart and soul.

Although that might not exactly be too acurate... but it does sound rather nice.

Ah, good idea, this should make it easier for some people to get into the game. The lore really is something everyone should check out, even if they aren't interested in the game. It's very well written and is a nice deviation from the usual cliche lore most games have nowadays.

Yes, it is most likely that Europe will get the game first, us people in North America might have to wait until Q1 2008. It's a matter of how quickly they can find an North  American publisher that they are comfortable with. If they get one soon enough, we might see a simultanious release.

It really is a terrible tragedy, but you can always import the game and play on the European servers if you can handle the lag.

Sadly, there is no trial version, as the game will not be relased until Q4 2007, probably November or December.

However, you can check out the website here: http://www.tcos.com/

It's filled with a whole bunch of useful information, and if you browse the forums for a bit, you should be able to find out everything you need. I highly reccomend that you have a look at the developer journals and videos from the Leipzig Gaming Convention. There's a very good video on this site as well that covers most of the basics, but it's pretty long. It's worth it though.

You can find the video here.

 I hope all that helps.

I guess it's up to people like us to hype the game for now. I know I'm trying my hardest, I'm even using subliminal messages!.

(+> PLAY SPELLBORN <+)

Whoops, sorry, that was my super-liminal message.

Anyway, I think the main reason that they don't have an publisher for North America yet is because most people might see it as too big a risk. It's a small company from the Netherlands making what I think is their first MMORPG, usuing a number of new and inovative gameplay elements. European companies are usually more open to risky business decisions, but U.S. companies are often more conservitive. It's a tragedy, really, because I think the only reason Spellborn could end up not doing so great is if it doesn't get enough marketting.

Also, another big factor is that for the game to do well, the developers really need to stick to their vision, and some publishers like to lord over eveything the development team does and ensure they can milk the game for all the profit that it's worth. If something like that happened, it could destroy Spellborn very quickly.  They need to be really careful picking a publisher. I mean, if they went with SOE, a significant number of people would refuse to play the game just because of the publisher.

I say it's a good idea for them to wait. Releasing later could be bad because of the competition from WAR and AOC, but getting a bad publisher would be just as catastrophic, if not more so.

Now how could I resist this opportunity for some shameless self advertising!? 

Guild Forums >  http://www.maelseekers.co.uk/phpBB2/

I run the Maelseekers Guild, a Chronicles of Spellborn guild with members mostly from North America and Europe. We are RP friendly (meaning we support roleplaying, but it isn't mandatory) and focus mostly on the exploration aspect of the game. Of course, we will still be involved in other things, (I myself am determined to get a statue from the arena) but our main goal is to go where no man, woman or Daevi have gone before, to seek out new shards and adventures, to peel back the very boundires of the known world! And, of course, have fun. If you're interested, you can check out our forums through the link above.

It truely is a beautiful game, perhaps I could go so far as to say it is the most beautiful game I have ever seen. I personally prefer an artistic style to a realistic style, especially for a fantasy world. Everything looks so mysterious and alien, it really makes it feel like your in another world, rather than medeival Europe with elves and magic. For some reason it reminds me of Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind, not so much in the way it looks, but the way it feels. I just hope my computer can run it with resonable graphics.... 

Excellent, another convert! Welcome aboard!

As for your question, I haven't really heard much about that. There is some indication that you may be able to get a flying dragon mount, but I'm not really sure if it will really let you fly around within the shards. The areas in the game are built to be very easy to get around, so flight wouldn't really be necessary. If they do add any form of flight, it will likely take place in the deadspell storm. But really, right now all we can do is guess, so the answer to your question is a definate maybe.

Sterkt summed it up pretty well, except that not all ancesteral quests are solo only.

Spellborn's focus on lore and story will no doubt make the quests very entertaining, and considering how much effort they've put into this game, I'd be surprised if we end up with many dull quests. Somewhere along the line, there will probably be "go to there, kill this, gather these" quests, but that is pretty much unavoidable considering the fact that there are well over one thousand quests in the game. I think most quests, though, are more like adventures than menial tasks.

While I don't think it will be possible to do very well in Spellborn with no grouping at all, I do think that Spellborn will make grouping a lot easier with smaller parties and adaptable classes. You don't need to wait to get ten people or spend hours looking for a healer, which is going to be a very refreshing change.

Something that would make grouping even easier, though, would be to find a nice guild near or before the game launches, that way you'll always have access to people if you need them. I run a guild called The Maelseekers Guild if you ever feel like you want to join one. It's RP friendly (meaning we support roleplaying, but it isn't mandatory) and has people from both North America and Europe, if any of those things are a factor. You can check it out here: http://www.maelseekers.co.uk/phpBB2/

If nothing else, it's a nice place to kill time until launch.

Spellborn is at the top of my list right now. I was following it along with some other games, but the more I heard about Spellborn, the more I liked it; and the more I heard about the other games, the less I cared. Its beautiful artwork, lore and original gameplay mechanics have me sold, and I really can't wait to play it.

I don't think there are any out right now, at least, not any good ones. Planetside and World War II Online are massivly multiplayer first person shooters games, if that's what you're looking for. D&D Online has some realtime elements, like dodging, and Star Wars Galaxies is kind of a real time battle system... almost.... But I'd say your best bet would be to wait a bit for games like Age of Conan or The Chronicles of Spellborn. Personally I'd reccomend Spellborn since it has a really interesting sounding combat system, you can check it out here: www.tcos.com 

What's a better way to spend time waiting for a game than waiting for another game? 

I reccomend this one: http://www.tcos.com/

Lots of nice pictures and a neat community makes for some good waiting. But I guess if you actually need something to do, I reccomend picking up a hobby like getting into the Warhammer table top game if you don't already play it. It's kind of expensive, but it's pretty cool. None of the MMORPGs out right now are really worth it...

Well, both games look interesting, but personally I'm more interested in TCoS. Although it may not have the graphical power of Aion, the art style is simply beautiful. It reminds me alot of Morrowind, it's a vast, alien world that almost seems alive. Also, the lore is simply some of the best I've ever seen in a videogame and their focus on staying true to the lore and telling a story that pulls you into the world is admirable to say the least. The gameplay is another factor, as they are experimenting with a unique, action oriented combat system that sounds like it will be alot of fun... if it works. All in all, TCoS just has more of the things that I look for in an MMORPG than Aion does, although I'll probably give Aion a try at some point as well.

Well, I don't know if there are any  out right now, but The Chronicles of Spellborn is supposed to be very action oriented. The controls are like that of a thrid person shooter/action game where you have to aim to hit your opponents and move to dodge. It's the closest thing to an action RPG I've seen so far, although Age of Conan and a few others are going to use a similar system. Anyway, at least it might give you something to look forward to.

http://www.tcos.com/

Well, it's not Pokemon, but they are making a Monster Rancher MMORPG, which is kind of the same thing.

http://www.mf-online.jp/

Might satisfy your monster raising needs until an actual Pokemon game comes along. It's currently in closed beta over in Japan, so I'm not sure when/if it will be released here. The artwork is beautiful, though.

Originally posted by Sandcastle

Here: Monster Farm Online, aka. Monster Rancher Online in its Japanese form. CB started July, I think.

If they're incorporating elements from Monster Rancher Evo/5, then owning a team of monster is a possibility.

Sweet mother of monol! This is the game I've been waiting for! I just hope they don't screw this up. Also, they better release an english version. The art on the website looks awesome... I want this game... now!

Yeah, the system is like in Guild Wars, except with a bit more depth and variety, but it's really the same thing as any other system. You turn raw materials into finished goods, the only difference is that you aren't the one actually making it and you don't have to grind up your crafting skills to make stuff.