Pathfinder Online

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Treesong

Bronze Knight of the Realm
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29
I am re-starting this thread here because we can use more sandbox mmo's and I hope to see it succeed.

Website:https://goblinworks.com/

Pathfinder Online is based on the Pathfinder IP (Paizo publishing) and will be a sandbox MMO, for what that term is worth. It is made by some industry veterans (among them is Ryan Dancey who has been involved in growing Eve Online and knows a lot about that type of MMO) who really want to steer away from Themeparks and bring back the player. Lots of stuff to read on their website about their views on the matter.

A few facts:
They already did a succesfull Kickstarter for a Tech-demo, which they made and used to secure funding. So they have funding to make this, they have an office, Paizo at their backs for the IP and currently 10 contracted people working on it.

There is another Kickstarter going right now, goal 1 million, which they will use to speed up the development proces. Without the million, Beta will start early 2014, with the million it will start in 2013.

Beta is in fact a paid "early release" (subscription) where players will allowed access to the game in increments of 2k players I believe. When you will be allowed in is dependent on your pledge. Dancey has a theory about why they are building up the playerbase in this way, has to do with the sandbox economy I think.

Needless to say that this kickstarter and the way they go about the "beta" does raise some eyebrows too. Even so, nice to read up about, the kickstarter is going relatively well though I do not see them making the goal. I did not pledge for this kickstarter, only for the tech demo, I am kinda iffy myself on this "paid beta" which is in fact supposed to be a rather bug-free early release.

Game will have PvP, players owning settlements, NPC and player factions (the settlements), skill-system and lots of Goblins.
 
T

Treesong

Bronze Knight of the Realm
362
29
gogusrl_sl said:
That $1 million gets us to the Beta in the summer of 2014 and to Release in early 2016.

.... fuck.
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Ah, that is a bit later then I thought. Beta is actually supposed to be an early release(characters will not be wiped), they have been getting some flak for calling it beta. What they want is gradually build up of the world by motivated players (you pay a sub) whose feedback in those initial months will be invaluable while implementing more game-systems in that time-frame, before actual release hits. After release they will offer a hybrid of subs/microtransactions. Anyway, I can not help but get enthusiastic after reading all their blogs of the past year, today. I will break it down in links, so people can take their pick, it is quit a read.

About how the project came to be
A bit about the world and map
About characterdevelopment
About dying, PvP, Bounties and SafetyInteresting, there is open world PvP.
About PvE contentAn interesting read, imo.
About (looking for) groups, associations, settlements and Kingdoms
About player created buildings and structures
About game-time and (fast) travel
About the Economy and coin, and some explanation about Micro transactions
About Harvesting, Processing, Transporting and Crafting (and Protecting)Interesting for crafters.
A bit about Dungeons
About Player contractsVery nice read.
A bit more about player settlements
Some more about Alignment and Reputation
A bit more about combat (in large groups)
Some explanation on the timeline of development and the beta
More details about combat
Even more details about combat
About Player Alliances
And some more about why they are doing development and beta like they're doing.

Sorry if I sound like a shill, it'll bomb most likely, still I like the fresh outlook.
 
N

ninjarr_sl

shitlord
50
1
Old people make shitty games. The players are not the content, nor are they the story tellers. Games vaporware.
 
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Zhaun_sl

shitlord
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These guys just sent me an email for some reason... because I got Dragons from Piazo like 5 years ago maybe?

My name is Ryan Dancey. I'm the CEO of Goblinworks, the company that's making the Pathfinder Online MMO. Lisa asked if I could write a few words about the game for this email update and I was happy to oblige.

As you may know, my background goes deep in tabletop RPG gaming. I worked with Lisa at Wizards of the Coast on the 3rd Edition of Dungeons & Dragons, and I was responsible for creating the Open Gaming License which enabled Paizo to create the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game.

What you may not know is that after I left Wizards of the Coast, I had a chance to move into the MMO business. I worked at CCP Games from 2007 to 2010 as their Chief Marketing Officer. CCP developed and publishes EVE Online, the most successful "sandbox" style MMO, and is working on DUST514, a first-person shooter set in the EVE universe, and World of Darkness, the MMO based on the White Wolf game world featured in Vampire: The Masquerade.

After I left CCP I made a beeline to talk to Lisa about Pathfinder. I think it's an ideal property to use as the foundation of a virtual world. After about a year of detailed discussion with Lisa and the Pathfinder creative team, we formed Goblinworks to make that dream a reality.

We're setting Pathfinder Online in the River Kingdoms. In a lot of ways, the game draws inspiration from the Kingmaker Adventure Path. We're aiming at a power level similar to that featured in the early Kingmaker Adventure Path releases-approximately the power of characters between 5th and 12th level in the tabletop RPG.

You'll have the experience of entering a land that is mostly wilderness, with a few scattered areas of civilization, and a vast territory dotted with the settlements of pioneers. You'll find all sorts of adventure waiting for you in the game, including marauding bands of monstrous humanoids, mysterious ruins, and dark caverns in the earth.

This world is based almost entirely on the actions of the players. Almost every item in the game will be crafted by player characters, made from resources harvested and processed by player characters.

The game will be incredibly persistent. When you make a building, that building will remain in the world for all to see until the day it is destroyed. Players will be able to found outposts in the wilderness, add to and improve them over time as they grow into settlements, and eventually take control of the territory around those settlements.

Some characters will be classic adventuring heroes, seeking fame and fortune as they explore the world. Others will be known as master artisans, others will become titans of industry, and still others will become diplomats and spies, playing the game of thrones between settlements as they grow into kingdoms. Some characters will be highwaymen and robbers. Some will be soldiers, either committed to a settlement or as mercenaries! The possibilities for characters in Pathfinder Online are tremendous!

We're running a Kickstarter to increase the funding available to Goblinworks for the game. If you back the Kickstarter at the $35 Adventurer level you'll reserve your copy of the game at a sizable discount to the expected suggested retail price. If you back the Kickstarter at the $100 Crowdforger Pioneer level, you'll be able to participate in Early Enrollment, and have a real and lasting impact on the way the game is designed-a process we call Crowdforging.

You can find all sorts of information about the project on the Kickstarter page, or by reading the Development Blogs we publish every other week at on the Goblinworks blog.

I'll also invite you to join the conversation between the developers and the community on the messageboards.

Thanks to Lisa and all the crew at Paizo for giving us this opportunity! Have a happy and festive holiday, and my best wishes for a Happy New Year!

Ryan Dancey
CEO, Goblinworks
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Astral Projection_sl

shitlord
1,268
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This is the most egregious misuse of an IP since the Shadowrun first-person shooter. The first Pathfinder (aka D&D 3.75) video game should have been a party-based RPG Baldur's Gate clone. It would have taken 1/10th of the effort/cost and catered to their target demographic.
 
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Zhaun_sl

shitlord
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I just keep hearing from people who pay attention to such things how Dancy is terribly toxic. This is coming from people who would like to see a Pathfinder MMO work.
 
Convo

Convo

Ahn'Qiraj Raider
8,761
613
I saw a presentation he did about this mmo and how he compared it to mmos of the past. Basically, theme park vrs sandbox arguments regarding success. He completely left WoW out of it and only used points that supported his argument lol.
 
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Flank_sl

shitlord
499
0
Personally I like what they are doing. Their game can afford to be a niche game because they are keeping the development costs down. Judging by other threads on this forum, this is what we need.
 
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Zhaun_sl

shitlord
2,568
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Arden_sl said:
Toxic how? Any specifics at all?
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He has a twentyish year history in the table-top gaming industry and everything he has worked on has turned to shit.

That is what people who follow such things tell me.

Some hold him resposable for killing several nice CCGs and almost killing a few more, hurting the big Open d20 boom of the early 2000s and I believe he killed a big venerable gaming convention-thing as well.

But it is all gamer scuttlebutt stuff, like how MMO gamers hate Brad McQuaid or whatever. How much is real and how much is bullshit, who knows for sure, but when you see the same name showing up in bad places over and you have to wonder.
 
Gavinmad

Gavinmad

Mr. Poopybutthole
42,362
50,402
It's not scuttlebutt.

Dancey came up with this retarded idea to replace rarity with 'scarcity' in CCGs. The idea was such a colossal failure that it largely led to the failures of the Rage, Doomtown and Dune CCGs, which had some solid potential to end up as stable, lasting games, even if they didn't become the next Magic or Pokemon.

Dancey was largely responsible for the OGL and the enormous glut of d20 products that resulted in a giant bust and did a lot of damage to the industry and to game stores. He loves to take credit for all the positive aspects of the OGL, claiming that Pathfinder only exists because of him, but he likes to shift all the blame for the d20 bust onto Wizards. Convenient scapegoat since everyone always hates Wizards/Hasbro.

He joined and ended up as treasurer of the GAMA, a NPO 'dedicated to serving the tabletop game industry'. He resigned shortly thereafter when it was found that he had hacked into the email accounts of the GAMA board of directors.

He's a piece of shit who needs to be thrown the fuck out of the industry, but tabletop gaming is every bit as inbred as MMOs are, so you have fuckups like Dancey passing the blame off on other people as they continue to move on to other projects to destroy.
 
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Zhaun_sl

shitlord
2,568
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Yeah, I understand Doomtown CCG was really great too, I recall a lot of people upset over its loss.

GAMA (GAMMA?) started back in the late 70s early 80s and was kind of an early industry icon, it dying was a bit sad due to that. Also there were questions about potential legal issues brought against him over the email hacking business. but I guess not a lot came of that.
 
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AlekseiFL_sl

shitlord
489
1
http://massively.joystiq.com/2013/01...ndows-and-mac/

Goblinworks, the development team behind the upcoming Pathfinder Online MMO, has just announced that Pathfinder will be available for both Windows and Mac users. Because the team has decided to work in UNITY, there will be a minimal amount of platform-specific development. Think this is a wonderful/horrible idea that will be industry-changing/a sure sign of failure and that more people need to embrace it/scorn the very notion of it? The team is inviting feedback and questions on the Paizo forums.

This announcement is timely, as the game has almost $400,000 left to raise in the final week of its Kickstarter campaign. Perhaps a flood support from all eight Mac-only gamers will clinch the deal.
 
S

Slyminxy

Lord Nagafen Raider
739
-739
Is it just me or are all these "new and sandbox MMO's" collecting money via these Kickstarters, promising no cash shops, no PTW and no subscriptions.. riiiight.
 
Kuro

Kuro

Naxxramas 1.0 Raider
8,350
21,226
Zhaun_sl said:
Yeah, I understand Doomtown CCG was really great too, I recall a lot of people upset over its loss.
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"Rolling Thunder", the system of monthly small releases, was fucking awful and was what killed Rage and dealt various non-mortal wounds to Doomtown. Ultimately, Dancey's actions HURT the game, but didn't kill it. Doomtown died after it was sold to Alderac Entertainment Group. They cut it while re-organizing their resources, because it wasn't profitable "enough" and they were bleeding from their other non-profitable CCGs lines and wanted to consolidate their resources behind a single flagship, Legend of the Five Rings.

Alderac Entertainment Group (Holders of the old Five Rings Publishing Group Intellectual Properties; Doomtown, Rage, Legend of the Five Rings, 7th Sea, etc) really should have tried a soft relaunch when the poker craze occurred in America. Would have likely had to restrict the game to bicycle-format, but honestly, the game was profitable *when it was canceled*, so I don't see why it wouldn't be profitable in that environment as well. Unfortunately, AEG is full of incompetent backwards individuals who treat running the company like a hobby in and of itself, so meh.


So, while Ryan Dancey isn't directly responsible for killing the game, he can still take a long walk off a short pier.
 
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