Technology

[Arkull]

What will the technology be? More traditional or a mix, like how ultima online 2 is doing?

[toray]

Please, please say traditional. Epic fantasy, high fantasy, call it what you will, just no guns, no steamworks, no internal combustion engines. Too many of the next generation MMOGs have a large scifi element, and I much prefer the traditional fantasy settings.

[Rolfe]

We share your sentiments Toray. I've always prefered medieval fantasy over futuristic fantasy. What we decided to do is have the world predominantly medieval as far as technology. We wanted some futuristic elements though too. We gave it a lot of thought and came to the conclusion that not ALL futuristic fantasy had to be so void of personality. Isn't that the real issue? I know it was for me when I originally dismissed the idea of adding futuristic elements. I argued that there was no character in futuristic games and movies. Richard seemed to agree with me, but then one of the others brought up Star Wars. That sort of changed my mind. I think the problem is that in other futuristic themed stories, everything is metal and either too clean or too junked. Either way, there's too much metal. Just because it's the future doesn't mean there won't be trees, right? And they're not going to stop using wood as a building material, because metal will still be more expensive and harder to work with than wood, right? In Star Wars, Luke lived in a mud house or something if I remember right. It was on that desert planet. He wore rags practically, not some high-tech space suit. And the best weapon in the movie was a sword (light saber). THAT I can get into.

So futuristic weapons will be few and likely limited to higher level dungeons/ruins. We're not going to add any futuristic weapon or other item unless it has some character, like the light saber did. And the theme will remain predominantly medieval (think Might & Magic: Gates to Another World).

Hope that sounds as good to everyone else as it looks in my head.

[Stafir]

Well hi again..my take on this.


I hate Magic in a world of Science (read FF7 or FF8). However science in a world of magic (think FF6..or the upcoming FF9) is fine with me.


I've seen enough futuristic games to last me a lifetime. They are boring to me. If science is in a game..thats fine with me. Heck my own ideas of a fun world..would be one that has developed as far as our world has...but, magic was another 'science' to be studied. And therefore scientific technology hasn't developed as far as it has in our world. I think it'd provide a fun perspective...having societies like today..mixed with mideval type societies....and add in how magic would have affected techonology...just think it'd be fun..but thats just me :).


Stafir

[Slitherrr]

Alright you turds, if you think Science Fiction has no character, then I refer you to the following authors:

Isaac Asimov
Robert Heinlen
Rudy Rucker
FASA Corp (for Shadowrun)
ICE (for Cyberpunk)
and the list goes on...

However, magic + science generally doesn't suit well, and for that I agree, but that's only cause it's usually not worked in really well. I personally enjoyed the FFVII, FFVIII mix of magic and tech, but I'm a rare bitch. Personally, traditional High Fantasy bores me somewhat... Perhaps you could make societies advanced in a very SPECIALIZED area, say, a society that's developed electricity to some degree, but still lives in mud/stone huts, or a place where ceramics are so developed they're harder than metals... After all this is a whole different world, who says it has to follow the same tech tree (to borrow and oldskool Civilization term) ?

[UBIK]

ya know FF6/3 was fun, i think its the best game i've ever played....i think im gonna go do that now

[Rolfe]

Slitherrr is right. Technology isn't inherently dull, it's just not usually worked into games very well. Doesn't mean it can't be done. We will likely be using it sparingly, but a particular city that's more advanced than others shouldn't be out of the question. We're not concerned with sticking to any ONE theme as much as just making the game fun WITHOUT TAKING AWAY FROM IT'S CHARACTER. Arcanity is just supposed to be a fantasy world with a lot of character and charm. That's what we're aiming for.

[Deafsong]

Well I think a Magic, High fantasy society that is birthed from a Present day Cataclysm, needs to have some remnants of it's past in the game. I think touches of Technology here and there would be fine. Perhaps a working, but rusty and unreliable gun might be found. I don't think it should be a respawnable quest, such that eventually everyone will own their own little pistol, perhaps make it very limited so that owning it is just a vague novelty and not a 'power weapon' It can be used, but is limited to 6 shots, unless you come across, and can recognise lost ammo for it. That sort of intrigues me, and could certainly be a point of interest for some characters, Tech-collectors like you always see in the Post-Holocaust Games. It just has to be highly regulated so that it doesn't end up running rampant and becoming trite.

There has to be an air of mystery to the Technology, whereas Magic would be more common, reliable etc.. though still with it's own mysterious unknown qualities.

[Slitherrr]

And you could always pull the Planet of the Apes thing, where travelers could run into a remnant building from the past (today), something like the pyramids or great wall or (surprise surprise, if you've seen the movie) the Statue of Liberty.

[Lordosis]

Ya you guys have the level of high-tech stuff about right. It won't be overwhelming. It will be powerful enough to make in interesting, but it will be far from reliable.