Kickstarter: Project Gorgon (AC1/EQ1-Like Indie MMO)

[tad10]

Sweet a forum in which I can shill!

Title: Project Gorgon
DevDiary: www.eldergame.com

Devs: Sandra Powers (srand from AC1, EQ2 Producer), Eric Heimburg (AC1, AC2 Producer)
Engine: Unity + EH Backend
Release: First Quarter 2014
Status: Alpha

Kickstarter: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/...erans?ref=live

Gameplay Videos:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DCWxEZ9mYQU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1WZW1...hannel&list=UL
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JF4F5Qpk7TQ&feature=plcp (Latest)

Why you might like this:

1. Kickstarter is for art and animation assets only. The backend is done as are many subsystems. This means the game releases even if the kickstarter fails (just with crappier art and animation). So

2. The game is old-school in the sense of:
-Shared dungeons/non-instanced content.
-Non-directed questing (not the lack of "?" over the NPCs in the third video).
-Emphasis on emergent gameplay - many smaller subsystems that interact in unusal ways.
-Player freedom. There are no rails.

3. AC1/EQ1 Like
-Classless system (AC1) but with permanent choices.
-Vendor diving (loot sold to vendors remains for others to buy).
-EQ1 like zones (40 zones planned at release)
-Drop loot on the ground.
-Ranger-like Tracking (EQ1)
-AC1 (random) and EQ1 (static) type loot.
-No Auction House (as in original EQ).
-Lots more

4. New Twists
-Permanent choices. For example if you catch lycanthropy and do not cure it, you will be permanently cursed with lycanthropy. This means early on you will be stuck for three full real-time days as a wolf during the full moon.
-Allowed two learned combat skills at a time, switch out at town.
-Low power curve.
-Faction is now indivdiual NPC reputation. You build faction one person at a time.
-Player freedom. Already mentioned, but worth a second. One quest line leads to the possibility of a player turning into a cow. The player can get the curse removed or level as a cow. Certain in-game recipes require milk from player-cows (higher quality than normal).

What it needs for completion:
-$55,000 for Art & Animation (see for example the strafe animation in Video #2)
-Server optimization
-Finishing remaining skillsets.

I highly recommend reading the development blog. Lots of good things.
Even if you don't want to contribute to kickstarter, I recommend if you're a fan of the older-style MMOs to track this game.

Cheers

[DaftPunk]

Looks nice so far men,wish you best of luck!

[Harlander]

I don't think I'd ever play this, but the blog has made for fascinating reading.

I especially like how some of the status effects are minor Freudian complexes. "The pig is now unable to form meaningful relationships!"

[tad10]

Looks nice so far man,wish you best of luck!

Eric and Sandra are developing the game - I'm just a fan ;-)

@Harlander

Yes, the blog is very interesting.

[Berzee]

HECKS YES
This is highly interesting to me. I will do some thorough investigation at lunchtimes today and see if I want to ask someone to back this for me for my birthday =P

"non-instanced".../happysigh
non-directed questing.../squee
etc...

Of course it might go awry, but I'm feeling so super hopeful right now. I hope it tends more towards AC1 than EQ1 ;) Thanks for posting this!

[Berzee]

Pity there's no PvP though...well, I like undirected PvP where you can lose items but have no other artificial consequences ("land control" shenanigans, etc)...so if they could be convinced to make a single FFA PvP server, that would be The Best!

Even for PvE, I'll have to find out what the death penalties are...

[tad10]

Pity there's no PvP though...well, I like undirected PvP where you can lose items but have no other artificial consequences ("land control" shenanigans, etc)...so if they could be convinced to make a single FFA PvP server, that would be The Best!

Even for PvE, I'll have to find out what the death penalties are...

They'd need a lot more money for PvP. Death is complicated as there is a type of Death XP. That is you have to die to gain XP for some skills.

http://www.eldergame.com/2012/04/death-stories-in-mmos/

http://www.eldergame.com/2012/02/pro...death-penalty/

http://www.eldergame.com/2012/08/optional-ways-to-play/

[Mentalepsy]

I'm considering funding this, but haven't made up my mind yet. The basic idea appeals to me, but what I've read so far puts too much emphasis on silly minutiae, which muddies the picture. I've been meaning to go through more of the updates and read the development blog to get a better idea of the game, but I haven't had time yet.

I do foresee a lot of aggravation due to limiting groups to three, even though the game is non-instanced. I'm a big proponent of small-group content, but if I were to play the game, I would often be playing with more people than that. Maybe they've already thought of that and handled it, though.

Side note: I'm skeptical of their pledge to avoid stupid memes and pop culture references when $25 gets you a /ymca emote.

[Berzee]

They'd need a lot more money for PvP.

AC1 PvP was best PvP and that was just a server with player collision detection and attackability turned on!

/ymca emote

Agree, but in this case it may also be more of an AC1 reference than a direct pop culture reference. Still, a silly contradiction for them to overlook =P

[harhis23]

The game looks promising to me.
I find some interesting stuff/skills mentioned in the blog like the Patron's Hat, Journeyman's Boots, and the Word of Power, which I'm looking forward to try on. Hope it could make it to launch.

[tad10]

Game is entering pre-alpha see kickstarter note for how to get a key

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/...veterans/posts