The Chronicles of Spellborn

I was really excited about TCoS for some time, but as information released about the game has slowed to a trickle and the anticipated release window passes further behind, I've got to admit I'm losing interest, especially with WAR looming in early 2008. I was hoping TCoS would hold me over for the remainder of 2007 and into 2008; does anyone know if the game is still even coming out in 2007 anymore? I thought that they were supposed to be in the final testing stage at this point?

No one knows. It is an mmorpg. Officially they are aiming at an open beta and release in Q4 2007.

More information is coming out at the moment, btw. Check the dev section on their forums.

Nope. They're still saying a Q4 release, but other than that it's up in the air. In my opinion, if they push it back ANY further, like into 2008, this game is in big trouble. TCoS has to unveil it's combat system first, BEFORE Warhammer releases, otherwise if Warhammer is any fun at all, no one will think to give it a shot.

This is a really tight spot right now for this team. You can't release a buggy product, or the bad press will kill you, but you can't keep bug fixing indefinitely either, or Warhammer IP will.

Originally posted by Size-Twelve

TCoS has to unveil it's combat system first

I have read the footage about the combat system and have seen in game combat. What else do they need to do before you deem the combat system to be unveiled?

Anyway, I think WAR will be a fun game when it delivers, but so far it does not seem to be my kind of game. So I will be glad when TCoS comes out, because that game is very close to what I am looking for. I do not believe TCoS will loose its audience just because some other game will be released. TCoS is just too good for that. Only a disastrous open beta and launch might drive people away, but it looks like they are working hard to prevent that from happening at the moment.

I do not believe everyone will like TCoS because of its look and feel, but for those who do like it it will be a pleasant surprise. A real fun game to play with a lot of depth.

Lets put it this way: I might try other games, but I will try TCoS.

By unveiling I just meant a chance for people to actually try it out for themselves, like Open Beta or release.

Warhammer is going to be huge. 300k beta signups already, and positive press all over the place. I just feel that if TCoS doesn't impress on people what they're missing with their style combat BEFORE Warhammer comes out, no one will really give it a chance.

I guess I just don't see TCoS PULLING customers away from Warhammer is all, and once Warhammer is launched it's what everyone will be playing. I'd wager that WoW and WAR alone will make up a HUGE portion of the total MMORPG subscriptions in '08. This leaves either trying to get players into Spellborn before 2008, OR relying on a niche market to fill the subs, and as a former Beta tester for Auto Assault....well we'll save the niche market talk for another day.

Anyway, the dev's have to do what they have to do. It's a guaranteed fail if they launch buggy and without content, whereas it's only highly likely they fail in launching behind WAR.

The road to launch for Warhammer is still very long, much longer than that of Spellborn. From your perspective I would worry more about AoC. Better still is not to worry at all. TCoS has a following. Perhaps not as big as some other games, but more than enough to make TCoS a commercial success. Whether TCoS will be a bigger hit than AoC or WAR now looks unlikely, but that may change when the game is out, no matter when the game comes out. That should not even concern you and me. And, being a big hit has its draw backs. Maybe the release of AoC and WAR are the best things that can happen to TCoS. Comparable to the release of EQ2 at the time WoW was released.

Yeah, Warhammer is not until 2008, but should Spellborn be delayed again, that would push it back to 2008 also. This was all I was saying in my first post.

I personally think AoC might be more hype than anything based on what I've read of it, but yeah this is another example. I mean you'll have WoW, and Warhammer, and AoC (maybe) as pretty big in 2008. So should Spellborn launch behind all of these, who's going to play?

You mentioned that TCoS has it's own following, but where? Their main website forums move incredibly slow. The TCoS fansites I've searched for are the same way, 1 post every couple of months maybe. This game is reminding me of Auto Assault. It has a few loyal followers, but the majority of people just aren't interested in what they've been shown so far.

So it was my view that for this game, it's more important, at least in the U.S., to get that Beta out before the other big IP's hit. This way people that are disenfranchised with their current MMO can play, and we'll see if the FPS style targeting catches on. If people try it and like it, TCoS could very easily do well. However if gamers start to play other games first, they may never give it a chance.

Originally posted by Size-Twelve

You mentioned that TCoS has it's own following, but where? Their main website forums move incredibly slow. The TCoS fansites I've searched for are the same way, 1 post every couple of months maybe.

The following has become very silent since september last year when the game was supposed to be released. The post-ponement and the lack of information resulted in the feeling everything worth discussing has been discussed many times over without resulting in any new insight. People started lurking the forums instead. Many have indicated that they were just lurking. SIL was to blame for this, and only now signs are there that SIL is becoming more active again with giving information. The forums will pick it up, no doubt. Don't know about fansites. Never visit those things, but I know of fansites of another game that are virtually dead while the game is the largest mmorpg at the moment.

Things will change with open beta, and when not, then we will need to hold out breath for sure. Not now. I do understand your concern, but I am not worrying. It is a good game that will appeal to a large group of players.

Originally posted by Delanor

The road to launch for Warhammer is still very long, much longer than that of Spellborn.

And how do you know this? As far as I know, Spellborn has been delayed several times now. First release date was somewhere around Xmas season 2006. Then the OB was supposedly going to start around April/May this year, with a release in Q2. Suddenly, that became Q4 with no mention of OB at all anymore. Also, they've hired more people recently, apparently and some Korean devs from Frogster came down to finish the game. All that doesn't look too good to me.

Warhammer isn't much better.

So all in all, I doubt you can say with certainty which game is closer to launch.