So in the first episode of the new official Podcast 'Parting of the Veil' Joppa dropped this little bean about a Riding system.
Joppa said: (source) "... When we are able to unveil what we're hoping and planning to set up as a free mounting system where you're able through a riding a particular riding skill and other perhaps items and and what not you're able to mount certain creatures in the world freely and ride them for a period of time..."
Now obviously we should pay attention to some key words in there like 'hoping and planning' and not assume this is something that will be a confirmed feature of the game at launch.
Joppa is such a tease. They call the podcast 'Parting the Veil' and then he goes and says 'When we are able to unveil'. Come on Joppa; either you are parting the veil or your not ready to unveil. You can't have it both ways. *grumble*
My first thoughts were that this could be some sort of Taxi type service where certain creatures are Mountable if you have the right level of skill in Riding and these mounts then take you places and then drop you, either as a quick(er) way to get across a zone or perhaps to get you access to a previously unaccessable location. Like maybe there is a large creature you can mount that can jump across a Gorge you noramlly can't get across.
But maybe this system is just meant to give you possible temporary access to a very high speed mount for a short while that you can ride anywhere under your full control.
I guess we will just have to wait until they are 'able to unveil' *sigh*.
As someone on the 'no mounts' side of things, I'm going to wait till I know a bit more about the limitations put on this system before taking a position. It wouldn't take much in the way of random variables to make this an interesting activity without actually being a dependable form of long distance travel. Which I do hope we avoid, at least for some significant period of time after Release.
kellindil said:Just confirms mounts will be in game and that's not something I had wanted to see.
I think it could be interesting depending on its implementation. I wouldn't mind seeing this system as long as it was only available to the upper mid-ranged character levels, and it was tied to a progression system that was challenging and intricate.
I have always enjoyed the concept of land mounts, but mounts of any kind tend to reduce the size of the world. I think that having the world size reduced is something that is only healthy for max-level characters who have already experienced the world.
I also think it might be cool to see this system in a limited form as a way to navigate certain obstacles in the world. We know there will be class abilities that help with obstacle traversal (vine woven bridge, drop rope, summoner raft... etc), but it might be cool to see obstacles that can only be traversed while on the back of certain specific wildlife. I think that something like this could definitely add to the RP and fantasy aspects of the game while being fun and engaging if it is solidly implemented.
I'm hoping this does allow for mounts with special abilities like climbing and water walking. But you have to have a high enough skill and then hunt them down. Maybe keep them fed while you're riding them else they'll buck you off. Great way to add depth to a tried and true system.
Hmmm... so many Neigh-sayers. Ok bad pun.
But Philo is right. Mounts have been confirmed for a very long time. They just didn't talk about them much because they hadn't decided how they would be implemented. Joppa's bean here was one of the first Hints we've gotten about some of their plans.
I see this as animals, beings in the area, but once mounted you are subject to their whim. You go where they go. Like the Dinosaurs in Jurrasic Park "they're flocking this way!" hopping on one of those, and, you're heading that way. if it's a way you want to go, great. "Noggins!- duuuude!" riding a sea turtle on the East-pantheonic current - 42 wallaby way!. and hopefully.....Shai'Halud. Or depending on their temperment they could freak out. Or the one place with one quest/raid event that a clever solution is to have a certain combination of buffs, and another charm skill to allow one the mounting of a chicken in order to cross an otherwise impassable road. I can just see it, like an adult riding a childs tricycle but smaller.
Byproducts said:I'm hoping this does allow for mounts with special abilities like climbing and water walking. But you have to have a high enough skill and then hunt them down. Maybe keep them fed while you're riding them else they'll buck you off. Great way to add depth to a tried and true system.
That's kind of how I see it fitting in. Say you mount a water creature and can more quickly swim underwater or mount a wolf and move faster.
I understand Pantheon doesn't want to be labeled as niche - you don't want to turn off players from trying your game. Totally understand and agree.
However, to me a free mount mechanic/system can be piled up along with a lot of the other very complex systems the game is trying to put in, while seemingly ignoring the simpler ones that are more in line with the spirit of EQ. This game was 'unofficially' marketed for several years as the spiritual successor to EQ which in a way makes it niche, but that doesn't mean there is no opportunity to introduce it to a new audience. But why not introduce them to a game that is not like others already on the market? Many of the people that funded it did so for that reason alone.
Back to mounts, if people want a cool mounting system they'll just go play AoC or many of the other MMO's that already have it. So it's hard for me to get excited about this system becuase other games have mounts. "free" mounting I suppose is unique, but I'm worried it may just be a novelty that will wear off after you do it a few times.
And I continue to hear from VR, even from Brad when he was still with us, that people "don't have time like they used to". That is absolutely not true. How is life any different today than it was 20 years ago? There are still 15 year old HS kids that will want to play like I was, and there's still that 65 year old retired guy that wants to play a MMO, and the parents in between that play when they can. That's no different today than it was back then, they are just new people. And you know what, that 35 and 85 year old guy may still want to play today.
bigdogchris said:And I continue to hear from VR, even from Brad when he was still with us, that people "don't have time like they used to". That is absolutely not true. How is life any different today than it was 20 years ago? There are still 15 year old HS kids that will want to play like I was, and there's still that 65 year old retired guy that wants to play a MMO, and the parents in between that play when they can. That's no different today than it was back then, they are just new people. And you know what, that 35 and 85 year old guy may still want to play today.
bigdogchris said:And I continue to hear from VR, even from Brad when he was still with us, that people "don't have time like they used to". That is absolutely not true. How is life any different today than it was 20 years ago? There are still 15 year old HS kids that will want to play like I was, and there's still that 65 year old retired guy that wants to play a MMO, and the parents in between that play when they can. That's no different today than it was back then, they are just new people. And you know what, that 35 and 85 year old guy may still want to play today.
Well said and I think exactly the same.
I just don't want mounts to ruin the scale of the world like what almost always happens. And personally, attaining a mount has brought me no more joy than any other item I've been able to aquire in other games. If they can make it to where it doesn't ruin the world scale and can make it a truly joyous experience then I'm game to try it out. I guess it'll just be a wait and see situation.
philo said:bigdogchris said:And I continue to hear from VR, even from Brad when he was still with us, that people "don't have time like they used to". That is absolutely not true. How is life any different today than it was 20 years ago? There are still 15 year old HS kids that will want to play like I was, and there's still that 65 year old retired guy that wants to play a MMO, and the parents in between that play when they can. That's no different today than it was back then, they are just new people. And you know what, that 35 and 85 year old guy may still want to play today.
This is a good point that gets overlooked. Even moreso. Technology has streamlined our lives and given us even more time in a ton of ways. The counter is that maybe because of that technology people have become less patient? Less tolerant to wasted time? That depends on the person I guess. It is a bit more of an opinion compared to the many examples of how technology has allowed us to have more free time.
The number of people I've known who have played MMOs at work, who have taken the nearest exit off the highway to attend a raid on their laptop, or simply sacrificed a few hours of sleep in order to progress...and it's only going to get easier to mix real life in with gaming. Once self-driving vehicles are more reliable, everyone complaining of gridlocked traffic and long commutes will instead have that much more free time.