Kickstarter 2: Updates

A list of updates from the second Kickstarter, https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1045484633/project-gorgon-a-new-approach-to-mmos .

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Kickstarter Ends. What's Next?

Citan, 9/27/2014

Hi guys. So the Kickstarter hasn't been successful. But we've had a lot of new people playing the game and talking about it, which is the next best thing! We occasionally hit 100 concurrent players, and are routinely hosting 60 or more players, which is a great foundation. I think we can build on this! Just... not with Kickstarter.

Kickstarter's all-or-nothing model means we can't aim small, like indies ought to, because we can't deliver the promised features without the full $100k. We need a platform that doesn't have these constraints, that lets us collect money over time. So we're building a custom site, and we're also looking at other crowdfunding tools to try.

We also need more help with our social media. I suck at doing social media posts. I've been working on it, but it's really one job title too many right now. If you have experience in that area and are interested in helping, please drop me a note!

Just to be clear, though: I don't think that social media alone could have made this campaign work, because we tried that last time. In our first Kickstarter we had a great professional media guy posting every day during the campaign (and building up to it), and we pushed that approach as hard as we could. It wasn't successful. So this time we tried some different approaches, which also didn't pan out. Social media is going to be key going forward, though, to help create organic attention. So we need to focus more on that.

We also have more game updates in the works. I think this is very important, because we need to improve retention duration. The game is doing a good job of hooking our target audience -- that is, if you're the sort of person that will enjoy Project: Gorgon, you can usually tell within the first hour of play. (In the final game we'll need to do a lot better, but for alpha, I think we're in a good spot.) Where we're failing is retention. Right now, many players get bored or frustrated and wander away too quickly, which makes it hard for the game to build momentum. So that's why more content, more bug fixes, and the like are in the works.

Seeing everyone in the game makes me optimistic that we can find a way to make this happen. This is a crucial time, though, so please keep playing and telling people about the game!

I really appreciate everyone's time and energy! Thanks so much.

Sun Vale is Live, Dreadz Interview, Post-Kickstarter Plans

Citan, 9/22/2014

Over the weekend we opened a new area of the game, accessible from the docks in Serbule. Sun Vale is on a mountainous island nestled between The Council Lands and the elven country of Verta. Most of the island is rocky and uninhabitable, but a narrow valley is teeming with life for some strange reason. If you're a high level druid (a new skill, also added this weekend), the view looks like this:

It's a lovely place, and if you're high enough above it, it even looks peaceful!

Much more is in the works for Sun Vale. You'll probably quickly come across one of the major dungeon entrances -- the Winter Court Fey have a stronghold there, and players will be able to delve more into their frozen domain soon.

We'll be expanding Sun Vale for a while to come, enlarging it, creating a proper village (instead of just a little makeshift one that's there now), and adding to the mysterious Druidic game elements that are only partially accessible now.

But we're also looking farther ahead! While Sun Vale is for levels 30-50 (much like Kur Mountains), the next area after that will be for levels 50 to 70. It's a harsh desert that the Rakshasa claim as their own. There is also a major city there, full of adventures.

Dive Deep Into Game Mechanics With Dreadz

The long-time alpha test veteran Dreadz interviewed me yesterday. The discussion is largely focused on game mechanics: crafting, skills, combat styles, PvP, and where everything is headed.

It dives into the nuts-and-bolts of the game very quickly, so if you've never played the alpha it may not make a lot of sense. But if you're dying to know whether dual-wielding is coming, or whether cows will ever be able to be druids, or anything like that, there's a fair chance it's covered in this nearly hour-long interview:

http://www.twitch.tv/projectgorgon/b/570870362

Kickstarter Isn't Gonna Make It, But We're Not Dead Yet!

Barring some sort of miracle, this Kickstarter attempt isn't going to succeed. But that's been pretty obvious for a while! The more important thing, to the team here, is that people are getting a lot more excited than they've ever been. We're seeing close to a hundred people online, which is still tiny, but for a previously-completely-unheard-of alpha test, it's great!

We're working on other ways to get the funding we need to make the game. I'll share more of our plans as soon as I know them! In the mean time, if you're enjoying the alpha, fear not: it will remain up and running for at least a few more months while we try to figure out a way to bring the game to completion.

When I see people playing the game (and being excited for its future), it feels like I've been trekking through a polluted swamp and then suddenly started breathing fresh, clean air. It can instantly turn this very tough job into a joyous experience. Our top priority has always been to create a world other people can enjoy with us, and we're already starting to do that!

We're not out of that swamp yet -- getting more money is crucial to being able to finish the game. But your enthusiasm is just as critical. I really appreciate everyone who's taken the time to play and tell their friends about Project: Gorgon!

Making Armor, Pt 2

Citan, 9/15/2014

We have part 2 of Will's time lapse on a new suit of armor. In this one he finishes the high-res model, before it's textured and reduced in poly-count. Pretty interesting to watch! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1LQV4uYk0dc Game Tip: Pull Those Pants Up! If you're playing in the alpha, thanks! It's been great seeing so many people jump in. One thing that the tutorial doesn't really teach you yet (but should!) is how belts work. Belts are equipment like boots and shirts and so on, but belts don't boost your combat abilities. Instead, belts attune the random-treasure system to specific skills. For instance, the Lucky Belt of The Soldier attunes loot to Sword and Shield skills. The Lucky Belt of the Ranger attunes loot to Archery and Animal Handling, and so on.

Whenever you find special loot (that is, equipment whose title is colored green, blue, purple, or yellow), it has random enhancements on it. Normally the enhancements are completely random, but wearing a belt heavily skews the loot so that those two skills show up a LOT more often. So getting a belt is really useful! You may have trouble finding a belt that covers both of the skills you want to use, but you shouldn't have trouble finding a belt that covers at least one of your two skills.

Joeh in Serbule will sell you a couple of Sword-related belts if you raise Favor with him. Other townsfolk in Serbule and Eltibule have other belts for sale, covering every combat skill. And some unusual belts are dropped from random treasure.

If you're in a group, the first person that looks at a corpse will skew the loot based on what belt they're wearing.

(And by the way, if you're concerned: yes, we WILL have the usual bevy of group-looting and loot-permission systems in game, so people can't ninja-loot your kills. It just hasn't been coded yet!)

Alpha Animal Woes

The animal forms like Cow and Spider are intended as curses, but they each have their own play styles, so some players enjoy playing as animals full time. Which is great! But there's a bug in the game right now that can cause Cow players to get stuck, unable to log in, if they log out while dead with certain spell effects on them. This will be fixed in the next update, a few days from now! In the very short term, cows should avoid logging out while dead if you can!

Other observant players have noticed that it's hard to craft gear for animal-cursed players. There's only one gem that covers all animal curses, so you often craft Deer gear when you really want Spider gear, and so on.

In part this is because we didn't really expect a whole lot of players to live out their lives as animals. But we're happy to roll with what you like! In the next update, there will be a way to inscribe runes into those gems, so that you can attune the gem to one specific animal curse. You'll want to get your Sigil Scripting skill to level 25 to be able to use those techniques.

Finally, in order to make "being an animal" a viable path through the entire game, the next update adds some high-level Words of Power that can help. These Words apply an illusion to you that makes you look like a human for a minute or so -- just long enough to talk to NPCs that ignore animals!

Completing quests this was is a fairly laborious process, because you have to research the Words and each Word is usable only once. But I think it's fine if being an animal is a hard play style! This just ensures that animals can access important skills and equipment that they will need at higher level, even though it will be a bit of a pain.

Of course, there's also unique opportunities for animal players. For instance, if you're playing as a Cow, Deer, or Pig, seek out the "Suspicious Looking Cow", an NPC cow in the fields of Eltibule. She can sell you some animal-specific abilities, and even has a unique dye recipe that is otherwise unobtainable ("drab grass green"). Werewolves should look for Sanja the wolf, in the forests off the coast of Kur. And every animal player will find it helpful to talk to Flia, a fairy in the wilds of Serbule.

There's a lot of new stuff about to hit the game this week. We'll be back soon to talk about more of it!

The Fae Lands

Citan, 9/8/2014

We have two huge new areas in production. They have pretty distinct atmospheres, so we'll talk about them separately! First up is the "fae lands." This is a large wooded area with alien plants and fauna that have found their way in from the fairy realm. Fairies are common here, wreaking havoc and causing mischief. Like most of Alharth, this area has been home to many different cultures over the centuries. It's nominally part of The Council Lands right now, but, frankly, that's in name only. You won't find any Council representatives here. If you stay on the roads, it may be hard to understand why. It's a very pretty place. But venture off the path and you'll soon find why. There are outposts in this forest, but they aren't meant for the likes of you.

Without spoiling too much, it's safe to say that the land is full of dark fairies, bringing unique magics, items, monsters, and techniques into the game. Druids also consider this land sacred, and it'll be possible to become a druid, with some finagling.

There aren't any friendly towns in this area, so you'll have to work from a couple of scattered Council outposts, or perhaps you can find a way to "make friends" with the locals.

Goblin Annex Is Live

We've added a pretty large addition to the goblin-filled tunnels underneath Eltibule Keep. If you just keep going straight for a long time, past all the corridors, you'll meet a new guardian. Beyond that guardian, the tunnels get VERY difficult! Be warned. You'll want a LARGE group -- it sounds like seven to nine people would be safest if you're all in the low 30s with your combat skills. (A smaller group may work if you're higher level.) Some tips and tricks have been posted by Auriel on the forums.

This is a very important data point for the game's design, so testing it and giving feedback is really useful. Before this dungeon, we've never had non-boss monsters that would be considered "group monsters" -- we just used a large number of solo monsters together. But that hasn't panned out as being very fun or challenging for groups. This seems like it has more potential.

I'm hoping we can get a large group together to run it this weekend. We have 40+ people online almost all the time right now (and higher at peak), so hopefully by this weekend we'll have enough people in the level 30s that can tackle the annex a few times and help us figure out whether it's too hard, too easy, or just right. Then we can make more content!

Hope to see you in game!

- Eric

Behind The Scenes: Outfit Production. Plus Tips and Tricks!

Citan, 9/3/2014

Will has made a video of one of the new clothing suits he's working on. I found it pretty fascinating, and hope you do too! This is just the first part of the development process; he's doing another video for next week. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GpRFyMwP7Ss

Tips and Tricks

The game is still pretty rough around the edges, so here's a few things that might be harder to figure out than they should be!

If you hate how the Tab key works in combat, you can change it. In the Options window, go to Keyboard Commands, and assign the Tab key to "Select Next Enemy" instead of "Select Next". That will keep Tab from targeting corpses, tombstones, and so on. We'll make this the default setting for new players in the next update. If you're looking for the apples mentioned in the previous update, they're a little hard to find near the exit of the newbie cave. (Oops!) The best place to find them is south of Serbule, way back amongst the trees on the southern portion of the first outdoor map. They show up near the cemetery, too. Got lice? There's lots of ways to get rid of the pesky things. One way is to Hang Out with Lawara, the elf in the newbie cave. She will give you a louse comb. Another way is to raise your First Aid skill high enough to unlock Cure Disease 1. Other players with Cure Disease 1 can also use it on you, if they're feeling kind. Vendors seem out of cash? It can be tough getting started because none of the vendors trust you too much. Focus on giving gifts to one or two shopkeepers to raise their Favor Level. That way they will have more money available, and will give you better prices, too. Joeh is a good choice for offloading weapons and armor. Mushroom Jack is a good early choice for selling random junk. Marna is a bit of a wild card -- she'll buy pretty much anything at full value, but she never has a whole lot of money on hand. Use her for items that you can't find a good buyer for elsewhere. New Dungeon Coming

We've heard your request for more group content! This weekend's update will bring a new dungeon -- well, really it's a large extension of an old dungeon. It should be pretty intense and fun for groups of about six level 30 players. Here's a snapshot of what it looks like today -- before decorations and loot. Just an angry army.

<Image of Goblin Dungeon Elementals> Dungeons tend to look, uh... "programmer-arty" like this at first: bland textures and not a lot of decoration. Initially, it's all about the play experience. Then when things are working well, we can revamp them with better appearance.

In this particular room of the dungeon, there's a large crystal that constantly spawns new elementals. Your group will need to find ways to deal with the waves of monsters long enough to destroy the crystal. How you do that is up to you! Murder works, if you have enough oomph. Crowd control abilities may work a little easier. Tanking and chain healing might work too.

There's lots more to this dungeon, and, much more visually impressively, there's a large land area we're finishing up for later this month. More to come soon!

Objective Orienteering

Citan, 8/31/2014

A lot of the game's depth isn't visible the moment you log in. You'll dig into the complexity the more you play. Let me give you an example.

One of the ways you can make NPCs like you is by doing "favors" -- simple optional quests. (You don't have to do them if you hate quests, they're just one way of gaining popularity with the townsfolk.) Often times, the NPCs will ask for something, but have no idea where to find it. So initially, you may find yourself wandering the countryside figuring out the lay of the land.

But that only lasts a few minutes. If you play for a little bit, picking up stuff you find on the ground, you'll unlock abilities that help you find the way. Pick up nine apples in the forest and you'll have the Foraging XP needed to unlock "Seek Objective", which automatically rotates your character toward where the quest objective is. And as you level up the Foraging skill, you'll quickly unlock "Objective Orienteering", which creates an energy trail for you to follow.

Eventually you'll be able to locate these positions on your map, too. Not every quest has a specific location on the map, of course -- lots of quests require you to craft something, for instance -- but for the quests that do, you can find them pretty easily.

Because the game requires you to explore a little bit to unlock its features, it may seem a lot more limited than it really is. I could give you a whole list of discoverable features, but where'd be the fun in that? Discovering them on your own is so much more rewarding.

Hope to see you in game!

New Character Art, and Steam Greenlight

Citan, 8/29/2014

Hi everybody! We have some great stuff planned for this month, this'll be fun!

New Character Models

It's been pointed out that the player characters used in our video don't look as good as the ones in-game now. That's true! We finished upgrading the character art just two days after we finished the video. (The game is constantly upgrading, so we couldn't just wait for it to be done... it's never done!)

We'll have to retrofit the video with some footage of the new characters. But in the short term, here's some screenshots of what the new character models look like.

Steam Greenlight

Project: Gorgon is now up on Steam Greenlight. If it gets enough votes, it could become playable from Steam, which would be pretty great! It also helps us get exposure for the Kickstarter. If you have a Steam account, please go cast your vote!