07/11/06, RPG Vault Peek #25 - Sensory Cues

[Shaar]

RPG Vault Peek #25

Article here. (http://rpgvault.ign.com/articles/717/717767p1.html)

[Sidabras]

I think she actually looks better with blood on her face. Really not a bad look, considering the face.

[MorkDaOrc]

Very nice Pics. Can't wait for the full article.

[Shaar]

Article up too
Read here (http://rpgvault.ign.com/articles/717/717767p1.html)

[Shadowoak]

pou na parei re shaar, pali me prolaves

[Skullz]

Thanks again for the links Shaar.

[Dronjak]

Look at that sword on pic 3 :)

[Shaar]

pou na parei re shaar, pali me prolaves

Hehe... You're not fast enough for me! :P

[fCo_Pancho]

picture captions are clipped for me.

edit.. ahh i see them in the article.

nevermind.

[Thrill_KIll]

Pic #2, ".....this char is Sho."


Darktide anyone?

[Shaar]

Amasing info on this one :eek: It all sounds unreal for an mmo! Good job!

[Sarusan]

Some interesting details, looks like stealth will be the best in any mmorpgs out here but still, i would like to taste some gameplay.

[Shaar]

There is a typo at some point...

"You can target an opponent and learn the character's name, his clan affiliation, alignment, status and titles."

I believe they meant to say you can't target an opponent and learn the character's name, et...

[Tongue]

As you can probably understand, all these sensory cues and mechanics supporting them add real-world stealth capabilities to the game. Darkfall has some stealth-related skills that enhance the player's tactics, but you won't go invisible because you don't need to. You can effectively perform stealth activities by using tactics such as knowing your terrain, moving silently, using cover, using weather and darkness, wearing non-reflective armor, clothing that blends with the environment, keeping your weapon sheathed, crouching through tall grass, staying in shadows, moving slowly, trying not to make noise, being aware of where your enemy is looking, etc. It's one of the many features we've worked hard on to enhance the immersive experience and excitement of the game, negatively inspired by how many other games have auto-magically chosen to handle this.Real Nice :D

[Dronjak]

Sounds like THE best stealth ever. This is how stealth should be, not turn your self invisible 1 meter infront of your enemy.

[MorkDaOrc]

You can target an opponent and learn the character's name, his clan affiliation, alignment, status and titles. His race, reputation, unique look, the equipment he's carrying, riding ability, the size and type of the spells he's using in combat are some of the many indicators you can use to size up what you're up against. Of course, you can never be too sure.


Well that answers that question. Very nice article.

[SkullPizza]

Man that article was sweet as hell...

No invisibility FTW!

[Azash_AT]

There is a typo at some point...

"You can target an opponent and learn the character's name, his clan affiliation, alignment, status and titles."

I believe they meant to say you can't target an opponent and learn the character's name, et...

Actually I dont think its a typo. They stated in an earlier interview that by targeting folks you will be able to get some information on them. They also have said many times that once you go evil players will know it and be able to attack you. So your alignment will be obvious to everyone so that makes sense and fits in with what they are saying here.

[Kigek]

hawt

[shock223]

good to see that player skill will be needed for stealth.

[Squatch]

Moved on up. I really like what they have done with this article. The visual and audio cues are really a great sounding system.

[Sarmatian]

Sound in Darkfall indicates direction and proximity of the source, and much more, depending on how experienced a player is in recognizing sounds in the game. For example, you can tell if an approaching player is mounted or on foot and what type of mount he's on. You can approximate the size and composition of a party by the sounds you hear in battle, what kind of magic is being used, war cries, etc. Ambient audio effects, monster sounds and ambient music may alert a player to certain points of interest.

Sweet. This game is going to be amazing. Very good article imo.

[Vehementi]

They should probably clarify this, as someone could interpret this as being able to target people in the EQ sense...

You can target an opponent and learn the character's name, his clan affiliation, alignment, status and titles. His race, reputation, unique look, the equipment he's carrying, riding ability, the size and type of the spells he's using in combat are some of the many indicators you can use to size up what you're up against.

edit: beaten like the Materazzi

[Xile Firebane]

Damn, amazing screens and a write up that was full of info. Almost too good to be true.

You can effectively perform stealth...by keeping your weapon sheathed...

I was wondering what incentive there would be to run around with your weapon sheathed (FPV). Looks like the reflection of the weapon answers that. Well thought out system along with everything else I read. The Devs have great ideas and seem very capable. Adds to my faith.

[Artorius]

sun light can be reflected? How completely bad ass. Also, I really enjoyed the girl with the blood on her face. I know they said they would do stuff like that, but it's just really cool to see it in game.

[kehmesis]

This is like... woah. I knew I could expect a lot of things out of DF, but that's just insane. Thats the best update I've ever seen since... well a very damn long time :)

Moving against the wind so my scent doesn't get to mobs? Holy crap!

The bad news is that I will probably not be playing any mp3's ;)

[Darkmatter]

I like :D more to follow..


This article has definitely been one of the better ones in a long time. The features explained in this piece of text is -very- nice. I have nothing to say against it, besides voicing in on that the character ID'ing have to be toned down - there is no reason why we should be able to know what an enemy is using of equipment, spells and skills beyond that - I think that should be something only the player himself should know, and not for everyone to know.

[Wraith]

:ohno:

[Pernix]

Best article so far :)

[Wraith]

They should probably clarify this, as someone could interpret this as being able to target people in the EQ sense...

Quote:
You can target an opponent and learn the character's name, his clan affiliation, alignment, status and titles. His race, reputation, unique look, the equipment he's carrying, riding ability, the size and type of the spells he's using in combat are some of the many indicators you can use to size up what you're up against.


edit: beaten like the Materazzi

They should say "mouse over" or something instead of target as most people get confused.

[Maglubiyet]

Great article, mentions alot of cool new features... The NPC's smelling and hearing you is amazing, can't wait to play this game keeps sounding better and better.

[Xile Firebane]

To me it seemed like the Devs more or less discussed the topics that have been prevelant on the boards recently. Maybe they do still visit the boards often and read up on what the community is thinking.

There was so much in that article that I'm reading it over and over to digest it all. So kickass.

EDIT: Only complaint I have is that pic 6 would have made a great sig, but it was a damn woman! Bah!

[Apraxis]

WOW.. what an article, it is.. well.. just fantastic, i cant wait to play this game.. .

[Kai Strator]

really and truely amazing that a game will include all of these realistix features... maybe they havn't been pissing their time away drinking after all ;)

[JimLad]

Really love the stealth ideas, sounds like they're making sure everything has purpose. Sound, wind, light, shadow... all have to be considered to do the job right. No more grind rewarded/pre-determined crap, just pure down to earth honest to god raw player skill.
And this isn't just Rogue types either, these techniques should come in handy for all templates.
Still waiting to see some of this magic in motion though. :ohno:

[HoE-Drenath]

Amasing info on this one :eek: It all sounds unreal for an mmo! Good job!
Agreed, very impressive.

[stalwart]

im gonna go ahead and slash cream:



/cream

[Viranth]

Simply awesome! :D

[G.Struepp]

I'm speechless. Best read by far, maybe except those very old first interviews back in 2001/02.

Damn, there is no other way: DF has to become a success, a failure will probably break my heart, crush my dreams and i'll never touch any mmo again.

[Poseidon]

Awesome this ambience, weather and sound system. I'm really happy we won't see this stupid instant stealth system in DF. Looks like playing a rogue needs skill here, that's great.

[Veantur]

and still no alfar or maharim pics :mad:

[Ulcis Cor]

I haven't read the article yet... just checked out the screenies and just freaking WOW man! Can't wait to play. I am very pleased with the scimitar in those pics!

/starts reading article

[Corizo]

Very nice article, keep up such informations :eek: :)

[G.Struepp]

and still no alfar or maharim pics :mad:I think they'll keep these for the last pre release reports, if we're lucky maybe for the last pre-beta ones.
They started with humans and orks, recently a first dwarf was sighted. So i guess we'll see some more dwarfs sooner or later, than some mirdain, before alfar and mahirims showing up.

[r4nge]

Incredibly badass and perfect in every way. I'm gonna take my pants off and read it again.

[Dronjak]

Oh My God! Oh My God! Oh My God!

[Angry-Khan]

The finally addressed stealth <3<3<3 though it wont be like i would have expected it stealth should be very interesting and i am still very exited about it. Also the smelling part hints at mahrim pehaps having a sniffing racial. Very nice update, we need more like these.

[Osirus]

the stealth/invisibilty question ... has been answered.

best update thus far imo.

[Darius Black]

Incredibly badass and perfect in every way. I'm gonna take my pants off and read it again.

Hahah. May I join?

Seriously, this article made me want to post a positive reply. Very impressive; very ambitious. And... is it just me or does that chick look a bit like Angelina Jolie?

[Ulcis Cor]

Just finished reading. Speechless really. Most awsome information to date. I read some peoples concerns with the information gathered on someone when they are targeted/moused over and I'd like to shoot in my two cents on that bit as well.

From the article:
You can target an opponent and learn the character's name, his clan affiliation, alignment, status and titles. His race, reputation, unique look, the equipment he's carrying, riding ability, the size and type of the spells he's using in combat are some of the many indicators you can use to size up what you're up against.

This whole statement can be very confusing. I think some of us are thinking that you get all of that information just via mouse over but I do not. I think the mouse over info stops at the status and titles.

Race, reputation (if you have even heard anything about them), their look and gear etc... are all things that YOU will have to learn to notice by sight alone. More player skill and on a higher level than just twitch. You are actually going to have to think in this game. Take into account everthing about your surroundings. My old Drill Instructor use to harp on us about "Attention to Detail". Now that's even true in game.

To the devs I say, Keep up the most outstanding work! Just like everyone else here I cannot wait to login to Agon the first time. You guys just made that wait a little more unbearable. :D

[Phooey]

That was a very fun read. :D

[Deathstrike[GoD]]

probably one of the better updates in awhile. nice job guys

[Mango]

Best information-source till now and lot of new infos. Great to read how the correctly adressed the stealth-issue !

[Legolas]

*Dancing* tremendous sweet article !

[Exodeus]

NOW THIS IS AN UPDATE!!!!!!

wowie :P

[DialM4Monkey]

Forgive me for not bursting with happiness. While it was a very, very good preview, and I hope for many more like it, I am worried.

See that? Over there? See it? Its your framerate dieing.

Shadows, reflections, tall grasses, scent, wind, blood, dust, smoke, dead bodies piling up.

All mandatory for gameplay through the way they have designed it. Also, all very taxing on older PCs. Heck, a lot of that is taxing on newer PCs.

You can't play a FPS, or FPS MMO or whatever you want to call it with lag. Your swings will miss, your shots will go wide, and you will stand while someone hits you.

Please Adventurine, I love your ideas for this game. Please do not ruin it by going to big and having lag kill it all.

Perhaps I am being pessimistic, but it seems more like realism to me.

[DialM4Monkey]

Forgive me for not bursting with happiness. While it was a very, very good preview, and I hope for many more like it, I am worried.

See that? Over there? See it? Its your framerate dieing.

Shadows, reflections, tall grasses, scent, wind, blood, dust, smoke, dead bodies piling up.

All mandatory for gameplay through the way they have designed it. Also, all very taxing on older PCs. Heck, a lot of that is taxing on newer PCs.

You can't play a FPS, or FPS MMO or whatever you want to call it with lag. Your swings will miss, your shots will go wide, and you will stand while someone hits you.

Please Adventurine, I love your ideas for this game. Please do not ruin it by going to big and having lag kill it all.

Perhaps I am being pessimistic, but it seems more like realism to me.

[Exodeus]

they programmed it in a way that low end systems could work with this stuff

[Paco69]

Good info...:D

[Spikey]

lozl, sweet

[paade]

lol, if they can actually make all this work nice and smooth, Darkfall will put every other game to shame, in every level :p

[Darius Black]

To commemorate the great article:
A Pic (http://img122.imageshack.us/my.php?image=df01edit0ls.jpg)

By the way, DialM4Monkey makes a very good point. I stand by him in hoping that all of these wonderful features can somehow be viewed at lower detail settings.

[DelThako]

An update after quite some time...and probably the best one I've ever read.

[Tongue]

Forgive me for not bursting with happiness. While it was a very, very good preview, and I hope for many more like it, I am worried.

See that? Over there? See it? Its your framerate dieing.

Shadows, reflections, tall grasses, scent, wind, blood, dust, smoke, dead bodies piling up.

All mandatory for gameplay through the way they have designed it. Also, all very taxing on older PCs. Heck, a lot of that is taxing on newer PCs.

You can't play a FPS, or FPS MMO or whatever you want to call it with lag. Your swings will miss, your shots will go wide, and you will stand while someone hits you.

Please Adventurine, I love your ideas for this game. Please do not ruin it by going to big and having lag kill it all.

Perhaps I am being pessimistic, but it seems more like realism to me.

I thought the same thing. Good thing I recently upgraded :D

Grass and shadows are the two main framerate killers in games, and with many players on screen it could turn into a slideshow. Lets see how they address it.

[Porthios]

This is, hand down, THE BEST IGN Peek to date. I am very impressed -impressed to the point where I damn near shit myself. Everything (and I mean EVERYTHING) about this article (even the screenies) made me proud to have been following DF for nearly 5 years. If this interview is representative of DF's overall quality, then DF will surely waste any and all competition.

LOVE,

Porthios

[Neverdie]

Great article, best information released so far. This is the kind of material we are looking for from the Darkfall team.

Big thumbs up.

[Bigbone]

I for one am blown away with all the concepts that are being promised. I will be bold and say, If they can get 1/2 of these concepts to work, this game will be very very successful.

I really hope they arent going to stretch the fluff to far and it hurt the gameplay, ala lag..

Very impressed with this article! Two thumbs up!

[Mennovh]

Wow, thats all i have to say. I didnt realize the devs were putting so much detail into the game. :) Quite an awsome update. i think the wait will be well worth it.

[nazual]

I'd have to say it was the best article yet. Made me think of all the possibilities one could use to defeat another person, without having to go into stealth and gank them from behind.

[La Cuspide Scarlatta]

shit, I'm starting to feel like back in 2001/2002... :D

[Pavlos]

Sweeeet update :)

[Nalar]

Yeah, nice update. Keep them coming :)

[Hellidol]

Stop teasing us and bring out beta damnit

[doma]

Love it!
When is beta?

[Metal Wolf]

Yes sweet pics.

Also finally a game that lets stealth be a player skill instead of a maco activity.

[Zeil]

You can target an opponent and learn the character's name, his clan affiliation, alignment, status and titles. His race, reputation, unique look, the equipment he's carrying, riding ability, the size and type of the spells he's using in combat are some of the many indicators you can use to size up what you're up against.
I think if you break up the paragraph like this it makes more sense:

You can target an opponent and learn the character's name, his clan affiliation, alignment, status and titles.

His race, reputation, unique look, the equipment he's carrying, riding ability, the size and type of the spells he's using in combat are some of the many indicators you can use to size up what you're up against.

------------------------

Man cant wait.

[Erikire]

thats just makes the game sound so much better....you can literally hunt players through blood trails...and imagine watching a huge battle in the distance and judging whats going on by the smoke and explosions......awesome details.

[Porthios]

I for one am blown away with all the concepts that are being promised. I will be bold and say, If they can get 1/2 of these concepts to work, this game will be very very successful.

I really hope they arent going to stretch the fluff to far and it hurt the gameplay, ala lag..

Very impressed with this article! Two thumbs up! I don't believe this will be a problem. Take a look at the graphics of upcoming games -DF still isn't exactly top of the line (Crysis anyone?). However, it does make up for its few deficiencies with long view distance (which won't be too bad on graphics lag if they know how to scale at all, and I'm sure they do) and a large flora radius. Little perks like ambient audio, reflective metal and dynamic shadows won't do much to hinder graphics. Maybe in HUGE battles, but I'm not too worried about those. By the time DF is out and in full force we'll be one, or maybe even two, generations of video cards farther along than we are now. Basically, I'm not worried at all.

[End Dream]

darkfall will own....

will it be better than UO??

[Cintare]

Awesome, Darkfall looks like it has the potential to be a real next-gen mmorpg.

[damionD]

That was a great read. Wonderfull info and great screenies.

I know they say this game can be played on lower-end PC, but I cant wait to buy a top of the line rig with my tax money next year. I want to be able to see and hear every single detail they put into this game. This article made up my mind to get the better sound card and probably going to have to go with a 5.1 system instead of a 2.1. I know it will be worth it.

Keep up the good work, dont make us suffer much longer please. Updates have been getting better every week I love it.

[Virtra]

Simply great stuff. I know everyone is drooling over the stealth description, and I am in no way knocking it (because it's fucking awesome). But I think the real sleeper info in there is the description on how TRACKING would be carried out. Basically I'm imagining a handful of skills that would enhance the in game audio to allow you to hear farther or to more easily see where blood has been spattered in a forest or, hell, maybe even to SMELL your enemy (that would be an interesting skill indeed). But like stealthing, tracking is also done by sensory cues and not some big giant golden arrow or a set of coordinates. Well done, devs, well done. Now fly me to Greece and give me a copy of the game! :D

[Porthios]

darkfall will own....

will it be better than UO?? It easily could. All it has to do is stay away from item centricity and artificial barriers. Hell, that should save the devs time AND make the game better than UO ever could have been. Sounds like a win win situation to me.

[ForgottenLight]

WTF?!? I can't see the article, I keep clicking the link and it keeps going back to the same stupid add for that one movie. The link at the top that says "Conitnue to Sneak Peak #25" at the top of the page, I keep clicking it but it keeps reloading the same damn page I CAN'T SEE THE ARTICLE!!!

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOO!

[Shaar]

Nevermind, I didn't read your whole post, sorry.

[LanMandragon]

Thanks for the update. Great info this time, Awesome job.

[Ulcis Cor]

I think if you break up the paragraph like this it makes more sense:

You can target an opponent and learn the character's name, his clan affiliation, alignment, status and titles.

His race, reputation, unique look, the equipment he's carrying, riding ability, the size and type of the spells he's using in combat are some of the many indicators you can use to size up what you're up against.

------------------------

Man cant wait.


Yeah, that was my point. Just change up the wording a bit. I am sure that is what they mean. And it rocks!

[Sarmatian]

That was a great read. Wonderfull info and great screenies.

I know they say this game can be played on lower-end PC, but I cant wait to buy a top of the line rig with my tax money next year. I want to be able to see and hear every single detail they put into this game. This article made up my mind to get the better sound card and probably going to have to go with a 5.1 system instead of a 2.1. I know it will be worth it.


Yeah, I haven't been playing for years and looks like I haven't missed much...

But I will either Play DF and drop lots of money into a gaming rig (even though DF won't require that much supposedly) to enjoy every single aspect it brings to the table...

or I won't buy a new computer and not play any games at all.

My current computer sucks. It has 256 ram and is at least 4 years old. I hate to see people complaining about dumbing down the game. Find something to make you money and upgrade your pc imfo.

I haven't waited for this game for so long so I can have shitty graphics, shitty audio, etc.

[reece]

i want to say 5 things:

1. keep on talking about ig blood and splatter - makes me horny
2. amazing screenshots
3. more blood/corpses/dmg/signs of battle - i love it
4. no dumb invis button yeah :)
5. i want to play

[Afgar]

Sounds great.

Sounds ambitious too.

[Necrash]

OMG The best Update yet. I love it Cant wait!!!!

[Zerikin Loukbel]

Great stuff, no stealth makes you transparent. Just good old fashioned cover, shadows, equipment and some skills, probably noise and tracking type. Me likey

[Malishan]

Sounds like THE best stealth ever. This is how stealth should be, not turn your self invisible 1 meter infront of your enemy.


Thats not stealth. Nobody said stealth had to work one meter from anyone. I'm somewhat dissapointed though. I can see a rogue sneaking up the last couple feet or so in the dark without being seen, but looking at most of the terrain so far, its not going to happen. The terrain is extremely open, bordering on empty in alot of the screenshots. It looks nice, but its not really enough for stealthy tactics except perhaps on the (if people dont gamma tweak) darkest nights. With the view distance apparently available in DF, it will be a VERY rare instance that you ever get the jump on an enemy group in PVP. You might be able to suprise a solo player that doesn't have buddies to help watch every direction, but surprise attacks by stealther groups is pretty much a thing of the past in DF. Some of you are happy about that, and fine, whatever, I'm dissapointed though. Some of the best times in SB were chasing down stealthers, and being one.

Don't give me that "you'll just have to be sneaky" line either. There is no sneaking across open fields in a game, not even at night if people crank their gamma, and they will. Look at how open the screenshots are, you're not gonna be sneaking up on anyone very often. The real world has MUCH thicker cover in all but the most barren locations. Stealth is gone :( Boo Hisss... Still looking forward to the game of course but, damnit!

[Malishan]

Great stuff, no stealth makes you transparent. Just good old fashioned cover, shadows, equipment and some skills, probably noise and tracking type. Me likey

haha there ain't much cover in darkfall, if you haven't noticed from the screenies and the movies. Again, it looks nice and all, but a few scattered trees.... Ya that's not cover. Hiding behind hills etc is going to be about all there is. And all because some whiny noobs don't know how to scout, so they bitch about stealth. Nerfed already...

Make terrain type affect stealth, and/or for gosh sake at least do the translucent Planetside style stealth, but forgoshsakes don't remove such a huge facet of the game.

[ShadowDemen]

:eek: :eek: :eek:

...wow. Gotta love being a necro/assassin right now. With in-depth details on zombies and stealth, I can already see how I'll play the game. Of course, now I feel like I'm in Las Vegas, will the QnA this friday contain details about another game mechanic, or another bit of detailed lore. Either way, I'm happy, as long as they don't go back to the old QnA style, or worse, withdraw ALL FURTHER Qna's...:ohno:

[Tshark]

i realized from this post i deleeted i'm a gay fanboi minus the gay...


all of the info on the last update is finally the good shit
best week update outa all of em.

[ForgottenLight]

best week update outa all of em.

And I can't see it!!!!!!!! Is it up on that one other site that guy had that had trascriptions of all the articles?

[Virtra]

Thats not stealth. Nobody said stealth had to work one meter from anyone. I'm somewhat dissapointed though. I can see a rogue sneaking up the last couple feet or so in the dark without being seen, but looking at most of the terrain so far, its not going to happen. The terrain is extremely open, bordering on empty in alot of the screenshots. It looks nice, but its not really enough for stealthy tactics except perhaps on the (if people dont gamma tweak) darkest nights. With the view distance apparently available in DF, it will be a VERY rare instance that you ever get the jump on an enemy group in PVP. You might be able to suprise a solo player that doesn't have buddies to help watch every direction, but surprise attacks by stealther groups is pretty much a thing of the past in DF. Some of you are happy about that, and fine, whatever, I'm dissapointed though. Some of the best times in SB were chasing down stealthers, and being one.

Don't give me that "you'll just have to be sneaky" line either. There is no sneaking across open fields in a game, not even at night if people crank their gamma, and they will. Look at how open the screenshots are, you're not gonna be sneaking up on anyone very often. The real world has MUCH thicker cover in all but the most barren locations. Stealth is gone :( Boo Hisss... Still looking forward to the game of course but, damnit!
Boo and Hiss to you too! :D:rolleyes:

C'mon man, you think they hand crafted the world so that it would all look the same? What about forests and caves and cities and dungeons and... well you get the point? It's not all gonna be open plains ya know, just take a look at these:

http://df.warcry.com/scripts/images/view_image.phtml?id=78507&site=7
http://df.warcry.com/scripts/images/view_image.phtml?id=78506&site=7
http://df.warcry.com/scripts/images/view_image.phtml?id=77033&site=7

[Sarmatian]

What is "tweaking gamma"? And how do you do this? lol

Changing your monitor so players stand out alot more?

[Tshark]

I don't believe this will be a problem. Take a look at the graphics of upcoming games -DF still isn't exactly top of the line (Crysis anyone?). However, it does make up for its few deficiencies with long view distance (which won't be too bad on graphics lag if they know how to scale at all, and I'm sure they do) and a large flora radius. Little perks like ambient audio, reflective metal and dynamic shadows won't do much to hinder graphics. Maybe in HUGE battles, but I'm not too worried about those. By the time DF is out and in full force we'll be one, or maybe even two, generations of video cards farther along than we are now. Basically, I'm not worried at all.

We arn't in year 2050 yet, I think the graphics will definatley up to date with reflections in water, awesome grass/smoke/mist/world/lightning/lighting effects... everything... people just expect more from screenshots because they don't look all shiney and spiffyd up or cartoony like WoW.

[TizzyFoe]

depending on how experienced a player is in recognizing sounds in the game. For example, you can tell if an approaching player is mounted or on foot and what type of mount he's on. You can approximate the size and composition of a party by the sounds you hear in battle, what kind of magic is being used, war cries, etc. Ambient audio effects, monster sounds and ambient music may alert a player to certain points of interest.

hmmm, character (in game) skill or player(irl) skill?

[Ulcis Cor]

I just had a thought. Didn't I read something about a crouching characters would be harder to spot than a mounted one? That begs the question then... Can I go prone too?

Also, I really don't think you can judge the entire world's terrain by the limited screenies we've seen. Yes there will be areas in the world where sneaking is going to be near to impossible. There will also be areas, I'm sure, that folks will think twice about walking through for fear of taking a dagger in the back. Have a little faith.

[TizzyFoe]

haha there ain't much cover in darkfall, if you haven't noticed from the screenies and the movies. Again, it looks nice and all, but a few scattered trees.... Ya that's not cover. Hiding behind hills etc is going to be about all there is. And all because some whiny noobs don't know how to scout, so they bitch about stealth. Nerfed already...

Make terrain type affect stealth, and/or for gosh sake at least do the translucent Planetside style stealth, but forgoshsakes don't remove such a huge facet of the game.

i dissagree, i think you will be able to stealth very easily with a little skill. you wont be able to get right on top of someone, but you can probably get in front of them and wait for them to come to you. also, they mentioned charactor stealth skills but none of the screen shots showed the charactor using them. for all we know translucent PS style is in. wait till beta b4 you start complaining about things like this.

[Ulcis Cor]

hmmm, character (in game) skill or player(irl) skill?

I'd bet a little of both actually. I can see there being a listening skill that gives you a system message or something depending on how high your skill is.

[Caskillkiller]

It all sounds good to me.

But, hows a player gonna know if they are blending in with the terrian or effectively belinding in with the shadows if they are in first person and cant see their character?

All the more reason to let players toggle the view modes.

But all in all, its a damn fine update.

[TizzyFoe]

It all sounds good to me.

But, hows a player gonna know if they are blending in with the terrian or effectively belinding in with the shadows if they are in first person and cant see their character?

All the more reason to let players toggle the view modes.

But all in all, its a damn fine update.

they wont =)

[Ulcis Cor]

they wont =)

Well said. You'll have to learn about your surroundings so you know what colors to wear and when. There will be nothing preventing another player from seeing you except you and how you play.

[Caskillkiller]

they wont =)


Well, if you, the person controling the character, cant see how your character is blending, then that kinda defeats the purpose of the stealth. In every stealth game Ive played, being able to see how your character blends is key. And the only way to do that is in third person. Or have some kind of guage that lets you know how visible you are like in splinter cell or how well camoflaged you are like in metal gear 3. then I could see it working.

[Shadow Walker2020]

Great update. Stealth is acutally stealth. Nice.

[Clx]

Easily the best update so far. Sounds absolutely perfect.

[Rouzuki]

I hope upping your screen resolution doesn't negate the shadow hiding

[Pirotess]

Changing gamma settings is usually done through your graphics card options, or a third party program if your card's too shitty to include that option. Basically it changes the light/darkness, and visibility in game.

Btw, if you've played Oblivion you'll know exactly what kind of hell moving grass and detailed terrain can cause. I doubt I'd play DF with anything less than a 7900gtx, and 2 gigs of ram. Other shit won't be as important, and from the sounds of things I might actually pick up the ageia physx card as well

[Baldr]

Nice update. :sly:

but i'm curious as to how it'll really work, when your in the game. So if you sit there, and you match the color of the ground/ surroundings, and you are in the shadows, not moving a muscle, ect, will your character actually turn 'invisible' and than maybe you'll barely see him there but can't make him out when you get much nearer, almost like phasing in (transparently) and out on the game screen? I could be wrong...

I'm pretty excited to hear about all this... but ever so curious as to how it'll work in the flesh.

Keep up the good work!

[JaHOEvah]

This game continues to astound.

[Malishan]

Well said. You'll have to learn about your surroundings so you know what colors to wear and when. There will be nothing preventing another player from seeing you except you and how you play.

Hahaa! When I hear all this talk about blending in and sneaking around in Darkfall I think about Elmer Fudd sneaking up on Bugs Bunny. It just doesn't happen lol. Wait till people start painting all clothing textures flourescent green and then try and sneak up on em in the gamma cranked "dark" when it's 50 feet between cover. Oh well I've said my piece, so much for stealth :(

[Malhavok]

Wow, awesome update this time devs. <3

No rader, no health bars! Realistic stealthy behavior sounds like it might actually be useful, especially if character skill stealth is more limited than it is in most games (which I think it will be).

[illicit]

What happens if you "dumb down" your graphics. For example turn off the grass and shadows...

Pretty much every game that has these to features has these options so you can play them on lower spec machines.

Wouldn't this mean that you can you could get an advantage by deliberately turning your graphics settings down (like pretty much every hard core FPS player does already).

Just a thought.

[huapua]

Best update, i was dissapointed from the last update with the undead skeleton mobs... but this one made up for it.

[iza]

Yep, awesome update.. And I'm glad they took the same stance on stealth as I had hoped they would.

Invis FTL

[Rouzuki]

If you dumb down your graphics you'll probably still have moving grass and what not, and I don't think the Physics card is going to be used by DF. All the videos we've been shown or atleast a good few of them have been on "Work" computers rather than power gaming computers so I don't think you'll need a top of the line machine to play DF at top quality. However you may need a higher end computer to handle clan battles.

[End Dream]

hmmm, character (in game) skill or player(irl) skill?

i think they mean player... or a hybrid of both

[kiegh]

they wont =)

They most likely will. In the character sheet, you'll probably be able to see the model of your character in its current surroundings. That seems logical enough, right?

[myrath]

Ooo! Nice article. I like what I'm seeing. Reflective shadows, horse trails showing dust, signs of battle, screaming, crawling for sneaking..

Yummie! WTG!
I like the screenshots too; The rocky area :P

[ShadowDemen]

I think the wasteland area is supposed to be Morak, home of orks.
Seems to me orks discourage stealth...

[suunraze]

There is a typo at some point...

"You can target an opponent and learn the character's name, his clan affiliation, alignment, status and titles."

I believe they meant to say you can't target an opponent and learn the character's name, et...


Actually, I believe that no typo is present. Judging by the context of the surrounding sentences, the developers intend to give a bit less information just by clicking on a player than some other games, but still quite a deal in some respects.

For example, in Dark Age of Camelot, clicking on an opponent allows you to learn its name, race, and approximate level (of course, all players that you meet in RvR are your level, so the last is unimportant).

In Darkfall, you'll also be able to see additional information, such as the player's guild affiliation, titles, and "status," whatever that means.

In neither game is any information given about the player's class or skills--you just have to know from experience and by what they're wearing.

For example, it is common in Dark Age of Camelot for players to mask their characters' classes by equipping unusual items or by using illusionary spells. In Darkfall, the same sorts of tricks appear to be possible, i.e. a tough-as-nails fighter walking around with a robe and a staff of cheap quality, but keeping his claymore and breastplate well-hidden beneath his cloak.

When I played Dark Age of Camelot, I kept a handwritten list of the enemy players, their classes, their equipment flaws (for example, slash/pierce/crush vulnerability), and their relative strengths as players by my computer to study during downtime, so that I wouldn't be fooled.

In Darkfall, it still won't be possible to solidly determine character strength or skill pool without close inspection (read: a battle), but some additional information compared to other games will be available at the click of a button, or perhaps with a few keystrokes.

If we assume that there's no typo, the developers seem to be saying that it will be possible to determine a player's guild affiliation just by selecting him or her. This feature is very surprising, to say the least, and will detract quite a bit from the realism of the game if actually implemented, but we'll just have to wait and see what they meant by that sentence.

Of course, in games like Dark Age of Camelot, it was easy to tell whether a player was an enemy or not, since it was impossible on many servers to attack members of your own races. Perhaps the Darkfall developers consider this tiny deviation from realism necessary in order to help identify friend from foe in a world where everyone could potentially be an enemy.

[DelThako]

Actually, I believe that no typo is present. Judging by the context of the surrounding sentences, the developers intend to give a bit less information just by clicking on a player than some other games, but still quite a deal in some respects.

Nope, with targeting they mean aiming, so you just have to mouse over, if you click you'd strike with a primary attack.

But yeah, there's no targeting in this game.

[Jeraal]

Im speechless, give me what you promise DF, and im yours forever.. :o
<3

[PrideFC]

Very nice info on that article, but in the next screenshots i would like to see how forrests and heavily wooded areas look, are they dense or is the world that scarce everywhere.

[Repius]

Very interesting article. Finally a game where char names are not shown!
I really like that player's skills are necessary for stealth, makes skilled stealthers happy. :)

[LanMandragon]

Very nice info on that article, but in the next screenshots i would like to see how forrests and heavily wooded areas look, are they dense or is the world that scarce everywhere.

How about a Mahrim? I would like that.

Great update, look at the amount of responses in comparison to other recent ones.

[Scarecrowz]

How come I dont even have access to the normal forums? only news forums

[Scarecrowz]

Hmmm it seems its because I am a new user.. How long does that last for? Or must I post in the news forums with all their locked topics... Hmmm indeed

[Xrispie]

lasts for like 3 days( i think) it should tell you about it when you registered with the forums in the confirmation email.

[Evack]

nice update

[Gunther TheBlack]

This article shows that Darkfall is not just a next-gen MMO but a complete next-gen game.

[Hecubis]

I'm very, very happy with the way they decided to handle stealth.

[kiegh]

This article shows that Darkfall is not just a next-gen MMO but a complete next-gen game.

Gunther makes my nipples hard with truths.

[Elro]

This is really impressive stuff. Talk about total immersion!

The only part I'm not too excited about is the smell effects. Since we can't smell through the computer it will be harder to be aware of this effect. Hopefully it will be easy enough to tell which way the wind is blowing!

[Yuengling.OoB]

Sexy.

I can't wait to rub human dung all over my body so that I can enter your town undetected and snuff out your merchants.

Or on second thought, nix the dung part.

[PrideFC]

How about a Mahrim? I would like that.

Great update, look at the amount of responses in comparison to other recent ones.

Yeah, that too. :)

[Porthios]

Thats not stealth. Nobody said stealth had to work one meter from anyone. I'm somewhat dissapointed though. I can see a rogue sneaking up the last couple feet or so in the dark without being seen, but looking at most of the terrain so far, its not going to happen. The terrain is extremely open, bordering on empty in alot of the screenshots. It looks nice, but its not really enough for stealthy tactics except perhaps on the (if people dont gamma tweak) darkest nights. With the view distance apparently available in DF, it will be a VERY rare instance that you ever get the jump on an enemy group in PVP. You might be able to suprise a solo player that doesn't have buddies to help watch every direction, but surprise attacks by stealther groups is pretty much a thing of the past in DF. Some of you are happy about that, and fine, whatever, I'm dissapointed though. Some of the best times in SB were chasing down stealthers, and being one.

Don't give me that "you'll just have to be sneaky" line either. There is no sneaking across open fields in a game, not even at night if people crank their gamma, and they will. Look at how open the screenshots are, you're not gonna be sneaking up on anyone very often. The real world has MUCH thicker cover in all but the most barren locations. Stealth is gone :( Boo Hisss... Still looking forward to the game of course but, damnit! Stealth may be gone out in the open fields, but we haven't seen what all of the forests will look like. Additionally, I think that stealth will still come into play in the city setting, where there are tons of buildings/walls to hide behind.

[Porthios]

Make terrain type affect stealth, and/or for gosh sake at least do the translucent Planetside style stealth, but forgoshsakes don't remove such a huge facet of the game. I would support adding more permanent flora, such as large bushes, but I would be against transluscent stealthing. Oh, and we also need to be able to go prone, but I don't think that's in either.

[Porthios]

We arn't in year 2050 yet, I think the graphics will definatley up to date with reflections in water, awesome grass/smoke/mist/world/lightning/lighting effects... everything... people just expect more from screenshots because they don't look all shiney and spiffyd up or cartoony like WoW. Uhh, you're kidding right? Go take a look at Half-Life 2 (how old is that now, 1, 2 years?). DF pales in comparison. And then go look at the games that will release around the same time as DF: Unreal 2007, Crysis, Project Offset.

If you think that DF is anywhere even near up to date, then you've got some perception issues that even the best neurologist wouldn't be able to cure. Hell, DF wouldn't have even been up to date if it had been released 2 years ago, let alone a year in the future.

[Porthios]

Well, if you, the person controling the character, cant see how your character is blending, then that kinda defeats the purpose of the stealth. In every stealth game Ive played, being able to see how your character blends is key. And the only way to do that is in third person. Or have some kind of guage that lets you know how visible you are like in splinter cell or how well camoflaged you are like in metal gear 3. then I could see it working. Oh okay. I'm glad you mentioned this to me. Next time I go out and try to sneak up on someone in real life I'll be sure to bring along my handy dandy 3rd person camera with me. I wonder how the hell people do it without their 3rd person cameras while playing hide and seek. Those 5 year olds must be stealth masters.

[DeadPan]

Best. Update. Ever.

[Komako]

Chill, Porthios.

We havn't seen the forests or the more 'urban' terrains. I'm sure that you have a point in saying that the plains will be bad for stealth, but think about the stealthy races - Alfar, and Mirdain. Alfar are an underground race, and Mirdain live in the forest - both very stealth positive areas.

[TreyDingo2020]

This article was awesome. Thanks alot sharr. Im loving the shadows when the sun is low a character can cast a shadow over lots of land. Now you can all litereally stand in tmm's shadow. hehe:p

[Evack]

the blood thing, does it go away?

[iza]

The only thing I'm worried about is I will probably put myself at a disadvantage listening to loud music.. O well, it's worth it.

[ShadowDemen]

Actually, even in open fields it is theorectically possible to avoid detection. Don't have any shinies out, thats a given. Don't wear pink clothing if the ground is brown, another given. Stay low,gives you smaller shadow and harder for people to see you from a distance. Keep an eye out, to see if someones near by. If someone is near by, DON'T move, (s)he'll see you. Also, don't walk within 10-15 ft(may vary depending on player) of another player.
It'll be hard, but its always possible to hide given the right equipment, namely your brain.

[Kinslayer]

If Darkfall carries out everything it promises, it will be a while before anything like it comes along to challenge its ruling...AWESOME

I loved this article, finally the one-click POOF buttons of stealth are no longer there, being replaced by a person's brain (oh heaven forbid it take skill you dumb carebears) anyways, gj Dev team, you can tell they've played their fair share of MMO's and dealt with their bs before.
-Kinslayer

[Porthios]

Chill, Porthios.

We havn't seen the forests or the more 'urban' terrains. I'm sure that you have a point in saying that the plains will be bad for stealth, but think about the stealthy races - Alfar, and Mirdain. Alfar are an underground race, and Mirdain live in the forest - both very stealth positive areas.

Reread the post. I'm SUPPORTING the fact that stealthing will be viable. Malishan was the one disenchanted by the stealth portion of the Peek, not me.

[Porthios]

the blood thing, does it go away? No, never. Once a person gets blood on their skin, it stays on FOREVER!!! So in a few days, everyone will pretty much have red skin. Crazy isn't it?

[Airius Droc]

This update was impressive. Well done!

[Porthios]

Actually, even in open fields it is theorectically possible to avoid detection. Don't have any shinies out, thats a given. Don't wear pink clothing if the ground is brown, another given. Stay low,gives you smaller shadow and harder for people to see you from a distance. Keep an eye out, to see if someones near by. If someone is near by, DON'T move, (s)he'll see you. Also, don't walk within 10-15 ft(may vary depending on player) of another player.
It'll be hard, but its always possible to hide given the right equipment, namely your brain. I doubt any of these are viable methods by which someone will be able to hide in a field, but whatever... I think the main thing a stealther will have to pay attention to -in all situations- is the direction that their opponent/victim is facing.

[LanMandragon]

No, never. Once a person gets blood on their skin, it stays on FOREVER!!! So in a few days, everyone will pretty much have red skin. Crazy isn't it?

Porthios, go easy on em lol. WTF owned imo.

[siegfried.it]

please dont make shoulderpads float in the air or clip through arms
i cant really tell by these screenshots but they look suspicious

[Nalira]

here's the article aimed for 70% (at least of what seems to be) of the DF community... the rogues.

anyhow, very nice article... the screenies are a nice touch as well.

keep up ze good work.

[demonic]

real cool info, nice going

we stay pleased that this will actually be a skill-based game and no blind push the bottom till it's dead game :))

Finally we can all experience the stench of orcs in our very own gaming room....

[Salazar[SG]]

If you guys can pull this off itll be awesome

Congrats and thanks for the BEST article weve seen so far

[Brandulfr]

here's the article aimed for 70% (at least of what seems to be) of the DF community... the rogues.




The definition of rogue is not as set in stone as World Of Warcraft would have you believe. A Rogue is someone who is a loner and does things on their own, not some dude who goes around in magic stealth. With this article, it is clear that the term "rogue" will no longer go hand in hand with WoW definitions. Since the only "stealth" is what one can acomplish by useing his brain, it is safe to assume that the "rogue" population will consist of everyone.

What class would not attempt to "stealth" up on an enemy? What army would not use "stealth" to suprise their enemy? It is the basic principle of all military tactics. What the enemy doesn't know...will kill them.

People may think...OHHH Im going to be a WTFPWNZORWBBQSAUCE rogue and sneak around one shotting people with my uber dagger of one shotting. What people will quickly realise, is that rogues, in the true definition, will comprise a very small number of the population. In a world of Empires, the rogue can only survive so long.

Don't say...well aren't Assassins rogues? BAH! Use your brain. An assassin can only work well if he has others to support him. One, a client...two, those to help support you, and three, a guild to help you disappear. With alignment, revenge, and bountys that will be placed....an Assassin will need to have an extremly large support system to be effective.

So what I am saying is this....stealth will be used by ALL people. There are not any classes...and to label one a "rogue" is both stupid and sad. In a game where skill is required, the lame labels that seem to infect the MMO community mean jack shit! Welcome to a game where carebears will die time and time again because they don't have an IWIN button.

ENJOY! :cool:

[123kid4]

another great job from the developers. DarkFall is gonna rock :) :D :cool:

[Ashindir]

Very cool issue.

[Ilovedarkfall]

ya i totally agree, stealth shouldnt be limited to class. Being stealthy is a stratagey that should be depended on the intelligence of the player.

[Asmodeus]

The definition of rogue is not as set in stone as World Of Warcraft would have you believe. A Rogue is someone who is a loner and does things on their own, not some dude who goes around in magic stealth. With this article, it is clear that the term "rogue" will no longer go hand in hand with WoW definitions. Since the only "stealth" is what one can acomplish by useing his brain, it is safe to assume that the "rogue" population will consist of everyone.

What class would not attempt to "stealth" up on an enemy? What army would not use "stealth" to suprise their enemy? It is the basic principle of all military tactics. What the enemy doesn't know...will kill them.

People may think...OHHH Im going to be a WTFPWNZORWBBQSAUCE rogue and sneak around one shotting people with my uber dagger of one shotting. What people will quickly realise, is that rogues, in the true definition, will comprise a very small number of the population. In a world of Empires, the rogue can only survive so long.

Don't say...well aren't Assassins rogues? BAH! Use your brain. An assassin can only work well if he has others to support him. One, a client...two, those to help support you, and three, a guild to help you disappear. With alignment, revenge, and bountys that will be placed....an Assassin will need to have an extremly large support system to be effective.

So what I am saying is this....stealth will be used by ALL people. There are not any classes...and to label one a "rogue" is both stupid and sad. In a game where skill is required, the lame labels that seem to infect the MMO community mean jack shit! Welcome to a game where carebears will die time and time again because they don't have an IWIN button.

ENJOY! :cool:
Good to see someone can differentiate the "Rogue" and "Stealth" conceptions.

[Caskillkiller]

Oh okay. I'm glad you mentioned this to me. Next time I go out and try to sneak up on someone in real life I'll be sure to bring along my handy dandy 3rd person camera with me. I wonder how the hell people do it without their 3rd person cameras while playing hide and seek. Those 5 year olds must be stealth masters.


Whatever....

[Shadow Walker2020]

Look, another dumbass who cant tell reality from fantasy.

Okay, shit for brains, you go do that.


You really shouldnt let him get to you like that. Porthios' ramblings are neither coherent nor valid. Hes just some jerk who likes picking fights with people. No better than some common school yard bully who needs to fight with others to make himself feel big. Dont give him what he wants.

[Caskillkiller]

You really shouldnt let him get to you like that. Porthios' ramblings are neither coherent nor valid. Hes just some jerk who likes picking fights with people. No better than some common school yard bully who needs to fight with others to make himself feel big. Dont give him what he wants.


yeah, sure, whatever.

[LanMandragon]

You really shouldnt let him get to you like that. Porthios' ramblings are neither coherent nor valid. Hes just some jerk who likes picking fights with people. No better than some common school yard bully who needs to fight with others to make himself feel big. Dont give him what he wants.

I wouldn't say that hes rambling, incoherent, or invalid at all. Hes pointing out stupid, and idiotic posts for what they are.

[Martha]

OOC: This article did a good job of exciting me about the game even more! If all goes well people will actually have to rely on their experience in the world and in battle. No more mini maps!

[Porthios]

I wouldn't say that hes rambling, incoherent, or invalid at all. Hes pointing out stupid, and idiotic posts for what they are. Thank you! And that's exactly what I do. Shadow Walker2020 is just bitter because it just so happens that I feel compelled to point out 99% of his posts.

Shadow Walker2020,

It's not that i'm biased against you, it's just that I'm doing my duty. :D

[LanMandragon]

Thank you! And that's exactly what I do. Shadow Walker2020 is just bitter because it just so happens that I feel compelled to point out 99% of his posts.

Shadow Walker2020,

It's not that i'm biased against you, it's just that I'm doing my duty. :D

Welcome. I like your thoughts.

[Caskillkiller]

Thank you! And that's exactly what I do. Shadow Walker2020 is just bitter because it just so happens that I feel compelled to point out 99% of his posts.

Shadow Walker2020,

It's not that i'm biased against you, it's just that I'm doing my duty. :D


Your job? Fuck you ass hole. All you do is flame posters who dont post things you agree with to further you own agendas! The only thikng your pointing out is how much of a jerk off you are and nothing more!

[Caskillkiller]

Welcome. I like your thoughts.

Oh, so porthios jumps on his other username and supports his own bull shit. Nice try dip shit, but im not so easily fooled. And you got no way of proving me worng either.

[BLACKWATCH]

Oh, so porthios jumps on his other username and supports his own bull shit. Nice try dip shit, but im not so easily fooled. And you got no way of proving me worng either.

Porthios and Lanmandragon are two different people, both are respected for there Posts. An for there Wit.

You are a Unknown, and havent earned any respect.

I have very high regards for both Porthios, and Lanmandragon.

Mahirim, Feeling the Love! :P

[Caskillkiller]

Porthios and Lanmandragon are two different people, both are respected for there Posts. An for there Wit.

You are a Unknown, and havent earned any respect.

I have very high regards for both Porthios, and Lanmandragon.

Mahirim, Feeling the Love! :P

I wouldnt respect that dick brain if his was the last posts on the god damn forums. And if being a dick head who just sits around all day and flames and bitches is the only way to gain respect in the eyes of you fuckers, then were gonna have alot of problems, now arent we.

i didnt come here for respect. I came here to keep an eye on the games progress and to post my opinion and views on things discussed here. Who the fuck is this ass hole Porthios to come along and just start criticizing what I post claiming that hes the judge of all things? Huh? Tell me that?

Its pricks like Porthios/Lan, who drive people away from games with their know-it-all arrogant ass bull shit.

[Darius Black]

Back on topic, drama queen(s). This is a thread where we discuss the article mentioned, not our respective inadequacies.

I have one important question about one of the aspects the team talked about: How close do you have to be to "target" someone?

Hopefully, it's one of those close-in-person things where you walk up to the character and inspect their alignment, etc.