Well Visionary Realms definitely hit us with the one-two punch (Monk pun optional), showing off a total of about 3 hours of great gameplay over two streams this week. To read my recap of the first part of this stream, click here. Last time, we saw the team fight through South Saol to the base of the Tower of the Reckless Magician. Today, we saw that same group fight through the Tower itself. But before really getting started on the adventure, the devs took some time to set the stage and clear up some concerns that had been raised by viewers after the last stream. It is important to remember that the purpose of these streams has been to show that there are solid system foundations in place. Pantheon is of course still in development, so what is shown is by no means finalized. There are already many improvements planned. The game will absolutely see changes in the future as needed, but these changes need to be implemented in layers and those layers take time. And they all firstly require a solid foundation, which is what we see now. Lead Game Designer Chris "Joppa" Perkins offered some clarifications on the following concerns:
1. Buff/Item Scaling:
- Stats on items and effects of buffs will not automatically/artificially be decreased to a set amount that suits the receiver's level.
- A character's weapon skill will govern how effective that character is with a weapon. (Ex.: if a lvl 1 equips a lvl 40 sword, that player's 1H Slashing skill is going to limit how much damage he/she can do with that weapon.)
- Furthermore, for example, if a level 40 Shaman casts a Strength buff on that same character, the lvl 1 may be able to take advantage of the full damage range of the weapon. However, that character will still be not be doing much damage overall compared to if that sword was being wielded by a lvl 40 character, due to the difference in 1H Slashing skill.
- There may be required levels on procs or clickies. (Note: you may still be able to equip the item itself and benefit from the rest of the stats, but the proc or clicky will not trigger until a particular level)
- Worn effects on items (Ex.: passive haste boost) will probably not be restricted by level.
2. Combat:
- NPCs will have special abilities and the tactics to use them strategically. (Ex.: healing, ranged, taking cover, cleave, knockback, knockdown, charms)
- New dynamic encounters will be introduced, such as Ambient mobs. (Ex.: on a balcony, there could be a battalion of archers that periodically launch a volley of arrows after a loud shout. Players will need to find ways to either dispatch the archers, or take cover when they fire their waves of arrows.)
- Expect to see more details soon regarding new NPC Dispositions, such as Pyrophobic, Predator, and Sniper.
- Animations will continue to be improved.
3. Death penalty:
- Death penalty is currently reduced simply to expedite testing.
- The ultimate plan is to have players respawn at their bind point.
- Other details will be tested with the community during Pre-Alpha, Alpha, etc.
4. Climate/Acclimation:
- The exact role infusions play in Acclimation is still under consideration.
- Several different factors will affect your Acclimation score.
- Some aspects of being acclimated may require a certain amount of upkeep.
This stream seemed to be primarily focused on showing some more in-depth combat strategies and mechanics. The team did a lot of fighting, and intentionally spent additional time focusing on playing their group roles correctly, rather than answering viewer questions in order to give a more accurate representation of what it would be like to group in a dungeon on an average day of playing Pantheon. However, we still learned a lot. As previously mentioned, keep in mind this is an early iteration of the game, so almost anything is subject to change, but of course it's still very good to know what the current state of the game is or what their current plans are. Here are what I would consider the highlights... important information that is new or now more detailed:
NPC Dispositions/Behavior:
- There is always a chance that a mob can spawn with a certain Disposition.
- Mobs may change their pathing patterns or migrate short distances.
- Mobs can know when to specifically target players that are below a certain health percentage.
- NPC casters can target a random arcane or healer player to cast an interrupt on them. Or they could randomly target a melee player to cast a root on them.
- If an NPC caster has started to cast a spell, they will complete that cast. But once they have completed their cast, they will move to get you in their line of sight.
- Incapacitating (Ex.: stun, root, etc.) an Alarmist for 8 seconds will cause them to no longer try to find help.
Abilities:
- The Shaman-specific mana regen buff is called "Walk of the Ages."
- There will be some in-combat resurrection abilities.
Combat:
- Mobs cannot use passive defensive skills (Ex.: block, parry, riposte) on attacks coming from the area 180 degrees behind them.
- Gear, level, and innate passive bonuses are the three factors that positively affect Resistances.
- Debuff spells, Atmospheres, and Climates are examples of things that can negatively affect Resistances.
- Mobs cannot be aggro'd through walls, regardless of proximity, even if the wall is glass.
Perception:
- Becoming a Keeper will require you to start off as an apprentice of an old, wise mentor.
- These mentors will probably be located in racial starting cities.
- You will then acquire basic Perception skills (Insight & Investigate) and be given loose, tutorial-like tasks to use those skills in and around the area of that mentor.
- Progressing to higher levels of Perception may require you to travel far and visit specific places and/or talk to specific NPCs and potentially meet new mentors.
- As a Keeper, being able to detect NPC Dispositions would require a specialization in Insight.
Trading:
- There will most likely be local auction houses. (subject to change)
- You may be able to set up your own player merchants in the future. (post-launch; subject to change)
User Interface:
- While the current plan is to only have an in-game world atlas, it will probably be possible for players to make their own personal notes and markings on it. (subject to change)
- Players will be able to "mark" their targets to make it easier for their group members to see which mob they are referring to.
- You will be able to compare an item with your currently equipped item by hovering over it.
- The default UI allows you to drag individual windows.
- Max camera distance will not be reduced by third-person view.
Miscellaneous:
- Pets will be able to equip items, as long as it makes sense. (Ex.: wolves cannot wield swords)
- You will probably not be able to lose levels due to XP loss from dying. (subject to change)
- Falling velocity may be in the game eventually. (Ex.: the longer you fall, the faster you fall. The sound of rushing wind may get louder as you pick up speed) (subject to change)
- Choice of deity may affect your faction and/or alignment.
For more information, click on the timestamps below:
00:06:48 - Introductions
00:08:59 - VIP Program
00:09:31 - Safe Fall & looking out over South Saol
00:11:34 - Buff & item scaling (clarification)
00:18:19 - Combat dynamics (clarification)
00:20:51 - Death penalty (clarification)
00:21:16 - Acclimation (clarification)
00:25:20 - Rare loot from common spawns
00:28:16 - Vendors & "dumpster diving"
00:30:24 - Buffs & GM powers
00:32:37 - Close-up of the new wolf pet model
00:35:00 - /loc
00:35:45 - Resurrection abilities
00:37:02 - Corpse summons
00:37:40 - Elevator
00:39:05 - Tower of the Reckless Magician lore
00:43:17 - Guild mechanics/tools
00:45:13 - Camps
00:47:49 - NPC caster mechanics
00:50:48 - Loot tables
00:51:22 - Line of sight
00:51:49 - Detecting dispositions
00:53:33 - Difference between Wizard & Enchanter
00:55:01 - Perception specializations
00:56:00 - Maps
00:58:28 - Countering mob behavior
01:00:42 - Pet equipment
01:02:52 - Marking targets
01:03:50 - Resistances
01:06:39 - Item comparisons
01:08:47 - The meta of wipes & corpse recovery
01:11:56 - Proximity aggro
01:13:29 - Combat positioning
01:17:58 - Max camera distance in third-person view
01:19:22 - Falling velocity
01:26:00 - Effects of deity choice
01:26:59 - Resurrection abilities (cont'd)
01:27:42 - Auction House
01:29:18 - How to become a Keeper
01:31:31 - Player collision
01:33:18 - De-leveling from death XP loss
01:34:18 - Investment/job opportunities & pledging
01:34:56 - Conclusion
I hope you all enjoyed! Needless to say, the team continues to impress with the amount of work they have put into the game. Now we look forward to what is to come!
