Archeage

[Regolyth]

Korean games are so pretty.

[Laethaka]

Aug 22, 2012 15:49:11 GMT -5 Regolyth said:

Korean games are so pretty.

because they work 100 hours a week

some Windysoft devs visited Perfect World after Rusty Hearts came out and really really wanted to get transferred here

[Morreion]

ArcheAge flagging system, piracy options explained (Massively)

So you wanna be a pirate in ArcheAge? It's doable according to a translated post on the ArcheAge Source fan forum. The game's PvP implementation features a familiar "red" flagging system for outlaw players. Killing (or stealing from) your fellow players will result in bad karma. When your meter gets to 3,000, you're a red, and you can do things like form a pirate expedition force (we have no idea either, but it sounds cool).

Pirate factions can only be joined by other pirate players, and you won't be able to interact with NPCs on the game's starter continents (you'll also aggro the guards).

ArcheAge Korean open beta slated for December (Massively)

ArcheAge recently completed its fifth closed beta phase. ArcheAge Source reports that the testing drew 130,000 users and was well-received by gamers around the world.

ArcheAge's pet system turns cute baby wolves into fearsome battle wargs (Massively)

Also like mounts, battle pets have their own levels which are advanced through hunting mobs (gathering, crafting, and quest turn-in XP does not affect either pet type). Finally, battle pets can die and will lose XP when they do.

New ArcheAge China videos profile Hariharan race (Massively)

ArcheAge underwater treasure hunting guide released (Massively)

The process is pretty involved, and requires a ship, scuba gear, and plenty of air bags to lift chests to the ocean surface.

The guide posits that treasure hunting is more profitable than traditional gathering based on preliminary beta testing, but it also cautions that resource prices may vary quite a bit.

Underwater Treasure Hunting Guide (Archeage Source Forums)

Studying the sea floor you can stumble upon a wreck, and next to it notice a couple of treasure chests, if you are lucky.
The search may take long time, depends how lucky you are and how good "eye" you have since you have to look around carefully.

ArcheAge Chinese beta begins May 2013 (Massively)

ArcheAge criminal system features jail time, player juries, and more (Massively)

Bad behavior in free-form sandbox games is inevitable, but ArcheAge is adding an interesting wrinkle in the form of a criminal system which includes trials, prison time, and pirate status for repeat offenders.

When you steal from protected property or kill a faction member, you leave behind clues in the form of blood or footprints. When a certain amount of said clues are turned in as evidence against you, you'll be faced with a choice of either a trial or immediate jail time upon your next death or login.

Trials may increase or decrease your jail time depending on what the jurors (level 30 players who accept an invite) decide. If you end up doing time, you can kill rats, play soccer, or try to escape. While incarcerated, you lose access to your hotbars, and the penalty remains in effect for an unspecified time should you make a successful escape.

Extensive ArcheAge housing guide released (Massively)

Houses are placed in the open world as opposed to the instances found in many MMOs, and XLGAMES has designated certain build areas on AA's northern and southern continents as well as several islands. Depending on placement, houses may be taxed or even destroyed. ArcheAge features several architectural styles including various Asian and Western influences along with the ability to build stilt homes on the water.

The guide touches on the game's castle system too, and apparently players will need to plan the entire layout since the location of walls, towers, and farms are not predetermined.

ArcheAge Houses and Castles Guide (Archeage Source Forums)

There are plenty of these housing areas around, they are not all the same size, some areas can support up to 200 houses, while others just a few. Usually the ones which are close to towns are the big ones, while the remote locations are the small.

[Morreion]

Archeage official site (English)

ArcheAge's Korean open beta starts January 2 (Massively)

After six years of development and nearly two years of closed testing, ArcheAge's Korean open beta is nearly upon us.

Jake Song: 'We're working on the English version' of ArcheAge (Massively)

While there are no dates involved, it's more confirmation that western sandbox fans will indeed be getting their hands on ArcheAge at some point.

ArcheAge's Korean OBT features lengthy queues, intro cinematic released (Massively)

ArcheAge's Korean open beta is finally here, and XLGAMES has a lot of fans banging on its front door for a chance to test drive the new sandpark title. According to ThisIsGame, the firm opened 20 servers, some of which feature entry queues ranging from 500 to 2,300 players.

ArcheAge to launch with subscription model in Korea (Massively)

A Korean website called Inven has spilled the beans regarding ArcheAge's business model. According to a leaked photo from a convenience store, the highly anticipated fantasy sandpark will feature a monthly subscription...a cash shop "is expected to be added soon."

ArcheAge Adventures Part 1 (Steparu)

ArcheAge seems to be really popular in South Korea right now and with some extra free time on my hands I decided to play a bit of it. I actually got up to level 20'ish and did my first instance dungeon for the first time! The game seems to have improved a lot ever since the last time I played it. A lot of the previous dull looking areas have been toned around a lot and looks really pretty. If you happen to have some spare time on your hands, then come check out some of the highlights of my first week of ArcheAge Online!

XLGAMES revamps English ArcheAge website (Massively)

XLGAMES has updated ArcheAge's English website to more closely resemble its Korean counterpart. The redesign boasts a slew of videos and images from diverse in-game activities like glider air shows, the court and trading systems, housing, farming, and ship-building mechanics, and of course information on the game's world, races, and classes.

ArcheAge Ships Guide (Archeage Source)

Introduction to Ships
ArcheAge has a huge world, with three big continents, many small islands and water as far as the eye can see, and reaching other lands by swimming would be impossible, the seas are filled with sharks and other monsters, with pirates and PK'ers hungry for your goods, and with a badass roaming Kraken boss. So thats why we are able to craft ships and sail with them, to travel from one to the another location or explore the vast world of AA.

Types of Ships:
There's currently three kinds of sea bound vessels that you can summon and captain.

Simple rowboat - given from a quest early on.
Speedboats - there are 2 versions of Speedboats, with and without a harpoon, and they are very fast.
Galleons - there are 3 versions of Galleons, a normal, a Chinese one, and a pirate one (Black Pearl like in the movie Pirates of the Caribbean) their main purpose are the battles, with their 8 cannons.
Merchant Ship - perfect ship for transporting packs.
Cruise Ship - huge NPC ship, not controllable yet.

ArcheAge lists Korean pre-order options for next week's launch (Massively)

Things are moving fast for ArcheAge in Korea as the title barrels down the final stretch to launch. The title is currently wrapping up open beta testing in the region and recently revealed that it will be releasing on January 15th there with a subscription model. Now we have a glimpse as to what XLGAMES is preparing in terms of pre-order options thanks to the official Korean website.

New ArcheAge gameplay clips showcase crafting, questing, and undead (Massively)

Questing appears to be the fastest way to level through XLGAMES' new sandpark, but plenty of XP can also be gained by tradeskilling, mining, farming, exploration, and more. Speaking of tradeskills, players have multiple chances to crit on their equipment when crafting, which can raise the quality of the resulting item or its level. Even equipped armor can be reforged and upgraded.

Trion to publish ArcheAge in the West (Massively)

The company responsible for RIFT, Defiance, End of Nations, and the Red Door publishing and development platform will bring Jake Song's fantasy sandpark opus to audiences in North America, Europe, Turkey, Australia, and New Zealand, according to a joint press release. The document makes no mention of either a release date or beta dates for the western market.

Level 50 player reviews ArcheAge, sees 'issues for the casual crowd' (Massively)

...It's basically a review of the game by a level 50 player, and he has plenty of interesting details to share about PvP and safe zones, the legal, weather, and land ownership systems, and the significant role that crafting and resource management play in the day-to-day experience.

The author illustrates several of ArcheAge's extensive non-combat gameplay options, many of which are focused on crafting and gathering. These take a certain amount of dedication, as not logging in for a few days will result in the deaths of your crops and livestock. That said, it is possible for in-game "family" members to manage things while you're gone.

The ultimate takeaway from the piece is that the author is having a great time in an MMORPG loaded with unique features, though he does see "potential issues for the more casual crowd."

Review: ArcheAge (Aion Source)

Ok, I've been level 50 for a while in Korean ArcheAge and I've played most of the classes at least a little bit. I think I've got enough information to right a proper review of the game. I'll start with the good stuff and go on to the stuff that I find down right annoying with the game. Note that I'm still playing and expect to keep playing for the foreseeable future.

Why you will want to play the game

Open world PvP with pirating on the open sea. This makes the game and is my main reason for remaining as a player. This is the "don't miss it" feature of the game. A word about the graphics here - if you've got a good video card then the game will use DirectX11 and it will look very beautiful. If you don't have a good video card then the game will look ok, but you probably won't want to sit and watch sunsets on the open water. You may also want to upgrade your graphics card to play the game and see it at its best. I did.

...The game is more like a sandbox game like SWG than it is a WoW-like clone. At launch the game has full housing, growing crops, growing trees, livestock, and every type of crafting you normally see in a mmo game plus general building construction. The Koreans are just starting to get creative with some of the things they can do with their houses. Like I ran into a house the other day that had boxes going up the outside of it and a jumping puzzle on the roof that led to a bed (also on the roof).

...Safe areas: All level 30 or less zones are safe in the game for their faction. In some places this means that harbors are safe for ships of one faction. It means that some people never leave those zones and do all their deliveries for low amounts of money within those zones.

XL releases offline farm monitor for ArcheAge (Massively)

Management minigames tend to give time-poor players a severe case of eyetwitch, though, so XLGAMES has released a new tool designed to help gamers keep track of their farm and its furry denizens. The system is basically a monitor designed to alert you (through either a web or mobile app) that your assets need attention. MMO Culture reports that there are currently no options to harvest your crops or feed your livestock outside of actually connecting to the game server.

[Morreion]

ArcheAge, Don’t believe the hype... (AltTabMe)

A long fan review-

Conclusion about the Sandbox feel of ArcheAge:

I would have to say this game feels less like a sandbox game as you are extremely limited to where you play, place homes, and there is no system to set up your own vendor towns. Houses are there to benefit you and that is all. It is a feature put on top of a game that doesn’t have enough meat to make it worth the time investment. They are beautiful though so at least they got that right. Just don’t expect to make a lumberjack or mining character and going to a cave or forest like in Ultima Online and gathering resources for a few hours, then heading back to your home in order to upgrade or decorate. And that grind... my god, does the end justify the means?

ArcheVille mobile game hooks into ArcheAge somehow (Massively)

What exactly is ArcheVille? It's a farming- and minipet-based mobile game that ties into XL's upcoming sandpark title. MMO Culture reports that gift exchanges are possible between ArcheVille and ArcheAge, though we're not sure if that functionality will work for English-speakers just yet due to the latter's Korean-only client.

ArcheAge – Interview with Trion Worlds for upcoming epic title (MMOCulture)

Q: Which major factors finally led to Trion Worlds pursuing to acquire ArcheAge for the western market?

A: ArcheAge is a great game, created by a really great developer, and it offers us something that we don’t currently have in our portfolio … a AAA MMO that provides expansive open world gameplay. Everyone who tested it was super excited about the game, so it was a great opportunity for us.

ArcheAge may be F2P in China (Massively)

ArcheAge launched with a subscription model in its native Korea, but XLGAMES founder Jake Song says that a free-to-play model may be better for the title's Chinese release...Similarly, no plans have been announced for ArcheAge's Western business model. The game is being published by Trion in America.

Yes, that is a car in ArcheAge (Massively)

This not-sure-if-serious moment is brought to you by XLGAMES. The Korean MMO maker, presumably hard at work collaborating with Trion to westernize its ArcheAge sandbox opus (right guys... guys?), has published what can only be termed a curious gameplay video to its official YouTube channel.



WTF? Swords and race cars? OK...

Lost Continent: An ArcheAge community guide (Massively)

A good resource for Archeage links.

[Morreion]

[56k/Phone warning]Personal Review - What you should know about ArcheAge (Archeage Source)

...To take this point a little bit more literally, the world of ArcheAge is best described as medival steampunk-fantasy. I know, this does not really make sense, but in a way it's the only way to describe the world. You have swords, magical fireballs and shining armors. But you also got steampowered cars, tractors and casino slot machines.

How ArcheAge's Korean F2P model works (Massively)

Korean F2P customers may advance to level 50, but may not own homes or regenerate labor points (labor points are a pool much like traditional health and mana pools, but set aside for the game's numerous non-combat activities). There are other restrictions too, most of them contingent upon whether or not Korean users are playing from home or from their local PC Bang internet cafes.

ArcheAge player-made factions incoming (Massively)

How it works is that apparently players who carve out some territory on the northern continent can then create their own independent faction. It looks like there will be a way to establish relations with other factions, tax local estate owners, and get into scuffles with neighbors. Players won't be able to join multiple factions and become dual-citizens, so choose wisely when the time comes!

Lost Continent: ArcheAge needs a business model, too (Massively)

This is one reason why most of the major sandboxes tend to stick with the old-school subscription model. Your Darkfalls, your EVE Onlines, and various and sundry Kickstarter sandboxes all realize that keeping players on relatively even ground is paramount to the success of a player-driven world that isn't heavily instanced and/or scripted. I don't want to get bogged down defining pay-to-win in today's column, but it is important to realize that a) it exists, and b) it's pure poison for the growth of a sandbox MMO.

ArcheAge F2P today, adds houses and dungeon (Massively)

This update didn't stop at just the move to F2P; Steparu.com reports that XLGAMES also introduced a new 10-man dungeon called Island of Eternity as well as new houses with underwater farms. Additionally, a new coin system has been implemented that will allow players to purchase potions to replenish labor points -- used in the game's non-combat activities -- up to three times a day. This last bit of news could be highly beneficial for the free players, since labor points will not naturally replenish unless an account is paid.

Lost Continent: Should we worry about ArcheAge's crafting? (Massively)

Casualizing the game's crafting and minimizing its overall impact on the game world would have been a smarter call if ArcheAge were coming out in, say, 2007. Today, though, what is the upside -- and who is the target audience -- for ArcheAge Lite? The people who sort of like MMOs but don't have the time to play them are already served by Guild Wars 2, which in addition to being more accessible lacks ArcheAge's Korean stigma in the West. It also lacks ArcheAge's forced open-world PvP, which of course tends to alienate mainstream players even more than crafting.

ArcheAge – Japan server celebrates launch with 2 new TV commercials (MMO Culture)

ArcheAge Japan is still retaining the monthly subscription model, despite the Korea version has embraced Free-to-Play. There is still no news about the North America and Europe server, but I don’t see any substantial updates coming till later this year.

[Morreion]

Lose your life and your wallet with ArcheAge's new dragon and cash shop (Massively)

Also included in this latest update is the new cash shop. In a unique twist, players wishing to browse through and buy the wares visit an actual in-game shopping mall in the Market District. There are no generic icons to pour over, but full-scale items on display instead. Shoppers can peruse different departments filled with clothing, animals, gliders, even cars.

Player Factions in ArcheAge (Archeage Source)

The system allows to establish independent faction relations with all existing factions (NPC and other player made as well). And also allows you to combine the players who were previously hostile factions (Hariharan and Nuian). During the truce between faction players, they can come to each other's territory, and the guards will not attack them, and you can easily interact with the NPC merchants.

ArcheAge Fishing Guide: Detail Recipes For Pole and Bait (2P)

Common fishing is very easy. You can use a bamboo fishing pole with its exclusive skill, and click the place to fish with your mouse. After the location is confirmed, you just need to wait and the hook will be back after the fishing succeeded or failed. And you can cycle the movement we mention above.

Epic and Awkward ArcheAge Trailer (Keen & Graev)

Our reaction was literally “Woah! Sweet! Oh man did you see that? Finally, a game that looks awesome! … Uh, did you just see cars? Was that just a family vacation?! The heck is going on here? The trailer started to feel like an episode of The Bachelorette, at which point we started to get really uncomfortable and avoid eye contact.

Hands-on with ArcheAge's Japanese open beta (Massively)

This is why AA is a sandpark and not a sandbox. It is a solid, well-made game aiming at a broad audience, but not specifically the WoW one in my opinion. This is not a game for raiders looking for a sense of predefined purpose or ladder matches. One thing that most good sandboxes do is create a living world that players can actually impact. If you want to see the world change because of your actions, own a non-instanced part of that world, and interact with other people doing the same thing, ArcheAge is not only something you might enjoy, but also a title that I think can be used to introduce people to non-themepark MMOs.

ArcheAge offers gameplay features that are similar to titles like Ultima Online or Darkfall, but AA is much easier to digest. No, the crafting isn't as complex as we might like, but the overall game features create a reasonably complex environment, one that even lets you import your own designs for cloaks and flags. Unless something big changes, AA will be the other starter MMO I point people to (or try to lure them into the genre with).

ArcheAge gives import progress report (Massively)

Wondering what's going on with ArcheAge and when-oh-when will we ever see it in North America and Europe? While Trion Worlds is still being cagey with its time frame, CM James Nichols gave a progress report to give us some info as to what the team is doing.

Nichols reported that the team is tackling several hurdles, including connecting the game to Trion's billing system, setting up the server architecture, and translating over a million words for those of us that don't speak Korean. He said that players should expect any changes to the Korean version to be "very minimal," so players shouldn't expect huge new features or differences.

New ArcheAge video showcases new outfits and riding shotgun (Massively)

Also highlighted are new outfits, including French maid and butler ensembles as well as leopard-print swimsuits. See them all modeled in the clip after the break. But don't say we didn't warn you about those last few moments.

Rumor: XLGAMES eyes restructuring after disappointing ArcheAge performance (Massively)

Is XLGAMES in trouble? There's a rumor coming out of Korea that may indicate as much, according to MMO Culture. The website says that XL is preparing for a round of restructuring "after ArcheAge did not meet financial expectations in the Korean market after the massive outlay for its development."

The fantasy sandpark title has been in development since 2006 and debuted with a subscription business model before going free-to-play. ArcheAge still has not launched in the West, and publisher Trion remains mum on any sort of release date.

Lost Continent: On the 'failure' of ArcheAge (Massively)

And in case you're still wondering where I'm going with all of this, allow me to be blunt: It's way, way too early to label ArcheAge a failure. I can't believe I have to explain that since it hasn't even launched yet, but there you go. It's never too early to get your mind right in terms of expectation, though, and the reality is that ArcheAge was never going to compete with games like Guild Wars 2 or the legions of disposable F2P titles cluttering the landscape. The game's feature list dwarfs that of just about every title in this genre, and certainly all of the AAA ones, and that complexity and choice makes ArcheAge unattractive to time-poor players -- i.e., the majority -- right out of the gate.

When you add in a significant open PvP aspect -- which limits sales in the Western MMO market -- plus the Asian culture shock, you're left with a title that was always going to be niche.

[Regolyth]

Those are some nice updates to the game, specifically factions. I don't care for the cash shop though.

[Morreion]

Archeage Releasing this year in the West











Trion CM confirms F2P ArcheAge coming to Americas and Europe this year (Massively)

Trion community manager Evan "Scapes" Berman has announced that ArcheAge's western alpha will expand in the weeks following GDC. In a post on AA's early-adopter fansite ArcheAge Source, Berman explained that pre-launch beta packages will be offered which grant closed beta access, and he confirmed that the fantasy sandbox will feature a free-to-play business model and launch "in the Americas and Europe this year, 2014."

While he didn't address the controversial and game-changing 1.0 patch that developer XLGAMES has already pushed live in Korea, Berman did emphasize ArcheAge's sandbox features.

The Soapbox: Does Trion realize what it has in ArcheAge? (Massively)

So, Trion. And XL, too, assuming either of you is listening. Please do everyone a favor and realize what you've got. What you've got is an MMO that could and probably should be the heir apparent to UO and Star Wars Galaxies. What you don't have is a title that will sell to a wide audience regardless of how you market it. Let me repeat that for emphasis.

ArcheAge is not a mainstream MMO.

It isn't capable of catering to everyone as designed, which is OK because MMOs need not be all-inclusive to be profitable over the long term. The sooner everyone accepts that, the sooner ArcheAge can go about realizing its full gameplay potential and building a loyal audience that will support it for decades.

Players successfully petition to change ArcheAge's business model (Massively)

...most of the outrage was directed at the fact that Mail.ru's initial model gave major in-game advantages to players with fat wallets. "A rich Russian player [could] get his whole guild to level 50 within a day," the site said. After a mass player outcry, the publisher is now offering players a choice of how to move forward. Option one involves refining the current model, option two would use the same free-to-model found in the Korean version of ArcheAge, and option three would use both models simultaneously.

ArcheAge video features people in bear suits and flying sloths (Massively)

ArcheAge Korea recently got updated with a new patch, and the folks at XLGAMES have released a new video to show it off. Though to be completely honest, we're not entirely sure what to make of it. There are people dancing in bear costumes and sloths being worn as backpacks and/or used as hang-gliders. That's really all there is to say. If that's the sort of thing you're into, you can check out the full video after the cut.

ArcheAge wins big at Korea Game Awards (Massively)

Not only did Jake Song's sandpark take home awards in two categories through the show (planning and scenario, graphics), it also took home the big prize of the night as the best game in show. It's good news to see for fans, especially in light of some rumbling that the game hasn't been doing as well in Korea as initially expected.

Hartsman: ArcheAge getting substantial progression and economic tweaks (Massively)

Hartsman also mentions substantial progression and economy improvements that will find their way into the sandpark game before it reaches western shores. "The economic game of ArcheAge is a big part of what attracted a lot of us to this game," he said. "XL will be implementing improved balance between crafting, farming, and trade, [with] the goal being to promote a more vibrant economic game that produces more valuable and more frequently used items than what the original version launched with."

ArcheAge fansite compiles the game's current problems (Massively)

Essentially, the complaints in the thread focus around the idea that the game continues to reduce the effectiveness of open PvP while adding in far more standard themepark elements, including a heavy reliance on daily quests near the level cap.

Leaderboard: Are you still interested in ArcheAge? (Massively)

While I've been critical of XLGAMES for its interminably slow localization process -- and for releasing its fantasy sandpark everywhere except the West in recent years -- I'm still psyched to play it. The title is both full-featured and utterly unique, and how often can that be said about a current-gen MMORPG? Ultimately, it's one worth waiting for, in my opinion. What about you? Assuming you were interested in ArcheAge at some point over the last three-plus years, are you still interested?

41% say yes, 25% no, 23% unsure.

[Morreion]

ArcheAge Russia punishes 57,955 destructive players; ArcheAge West opens forums, streams (Massively)

...Not only has the company fixed those exploits and apparently banned approximately 2,000 users, but it also punished 57,955 players for various destructive behaviors, including spamming chat and botting. Mail.ru exhorts players to continue reporting exploits to customer service rather than post them publicly.

Trion: We control prices in ArcheAge's cash shop (Massively)

He also dashed the hopes of those pining for special server rulesets like PvP and RP, promised server farms for both NA and Europe, and suggested that cosmetics might be a part of the game's westernization.

ArcheAge FAQ mentions testing plans, optional subscription, and housing limitations [Update] (Massively)

ArcheAge will be adopting a hybrid F2P model including an optional subscription. This subscription will be necessary if a player wants to own his or her own house in the game, as the "limited real estate" will be earmarked for paying customers only.

'Since ArcheAge is a free-to-play game, there's a risk that malicious users may attempt to use multiple free accounts to claim the best real estate simply to deny access to that space from other players. Requiring Patron status to claim land removes this risk. Free players can still gain the benefits of houses and farms by way of guild-, family-, or friend-owned property (the family system is a special permissions-granting friends list).'

Trion shows off ArcheAge housing in dev video (Massively)

If you were curious about ArcheAge's housing system, the Trion community team shows off the process of claiming your desired land and the details on placing a house from your inventory. Of course, there's an intricate construction process that goes on while the house is being built (in which players can attack the construction site and loot the materials!).

ArcheAge – New update to reward players for open world PK (MMO Culture)

1. Open field monsters will now give much more experience points than before.

2. Open field player kill (PK) will now reward players with experience points, an increase from nothing previously.

3. Boss monsters now drop much better loot, while new crafting materials are also added.

4. New farm products. Farming will give much more experience than before since it will increase along with skill level.

ArcheAge boasts 120 class combinations (Massively)

Players construct their class by picking three skillsets at levels 1, 5, and 10, with the option to respec for a fee. Skillsets can be leveled up independently, allowing players to invest in far more than three of them, and those skillsets have certain synergies between them. The 10 skillsets in the game are Archery, Auramancy, Battlerage, Defense, Occultism, Shadowplay, Songcraft, Sorcery, Vitalism, and Witchcraft.

ArcheAge wants you to know that you have the option to level to the cap entirely through crafting professions if desired. The 21 professions are leveled through a slowly regenerating resource called Labor, and eventually they hit a hard cap until the player chooses a handful for specializations.

ArcheAge's founder packs will run you $49.99 to $149.99; closed beta to start in June (Massively)

Unlike some other MMO testing periods, ArcheAge's alpha and beta test won't be done sequentially; it will instead overlap. The alpha server will be an ongoing 24/7 test, while the beta server will be used for focused, limited-time events. Trion declined to comment on the expected or hoped-for size of the alpha and beta testing crowd, although Voss said that the team has discussed several scenarios.

ArcheAge VERY Early Impressions (Keen & Graev)

ArcheAge is quite beautiful. You can glean that from watching most videos. The engine runs well on my computer at maxed out settings with only the slightest hint of slowdown around what I think could be a shadow issue. From a complete technical novice like myself, the game ‘feels’ well put together and as the end-user I have no technical complaints yet.

...Combat is the typical tab target hotkey fare. There’s one little twist that I haven’t seen before, though, where some abilities are labled something like fast use (rapid use? I forget) and you can hold the button down to essentially spam it. Graev’s character (he also got in) throws these arcane stars from his hands “Hyah hyah hyah!” rapid fire style — by holding down the button he alternates hands and spams them.

...I already have a rowboat! It’s awesome! Best experience I’ve had in the entire game so far. Nothing has come even remotely close. Controlling the boat is really intuitive. I’ve done some minor rowing as a young scout and I recall how weird it is to row with your back facing the direction you want to go...The water is awesome in ArcheAge, and I seriously can’t stand the wait until I can build myself a ship. I’m going to go into this special zone tonight where I can try out the ships and all that good stuff. I’m really excited.

ArcheAge: Sandbox, Themepark, or Farmville? (Keen & Graev)

This is the part of ArcheAge I do not like at all. The questing extremely shallow and really quite boring. The quest text can just be skipped, it’s that good. You just follow arrows around or look on your map for the indicators and do whatever it wants you to do. It’s always click this or kill that. Really too bad since I wanted ArcheAge to be a sandbox. This questing-to-level system breaks what could have been a very, very good time. I wish the questing was removed completely in favor of a big open world. The zones are definitely linear, and you progress THROUGH the game rather than living in it as you grow as a character.

...I’m starting to think the game as a sandbox doesn’t begin until level 50. 1-50 is just a filter and time waster. At level 50 you’ll be able to afford the good ships, build castles, siege people’s property in wars, sail out into the ocean and live the life of a real pirate, drive in race cars, etc. Until then it’s this weird quest grind. I’ll keep you updated as I progress as far as I can during the alpha and beta phases.