Doubt it.

The Turbine that created AC is gone.  The idiots, I mean devs, that infest the post 2002 game are not the same people.  These clowns NEVER understood what AC1 was and what made it great.

In fact, almost nobody in the entire gaming community understands.  Not sure why... but to quandry this I have puzzled for years.

1) Absolutely nobody that missed 1999-2000 Asheron's Call has any understanding of why Asheron's Call is not an EQ-Clone.  People can not see outside of the EQ box.  They are completely blind to any other format for a game, and WoW only made that a permanent condition.  An entire generation of computer dorks will have to die off before anything but an EQ-WoW clone will ever be made.

2) Turdbine doesn't understand why macros killed the game.

3) Asheron's Call Two is what people think of when they think of an AC game... Including the idiot devs that today stink and fester in the chairs once occupied by the real programmers that created AC1. 

4) AC2 was the most monumentally bad MMORPG to be released by a major company EVER.  and everything that has come from this company since is nearly as bad.  Once they crack open the code, these morons will only mess around until AC is reborn as a pathetic excuse for a MMO. (Think D&D and AC2 et al)  Nothing good could possibly come from any of these idiots going anywhere near the code.

I could go on and on as to why this isn't going to happen and even if it did, it would be a disaster.

Ask around... the devs want a WoW clone and the people want Persistant-world Online nintendo Shooters (POS's).  Asheron's Call had almost no place in the gaming world when it was a two horse town...  There is no denying that in the minds of the 1999 AC players it is the gold standard.  But we are a tiny handful of players that could all get together in my jacuzzi and talk about the good ol' days

Nobody played it when there was no competition in the market and no EverQuest/World of Warcraft brainwashing to indocrinate the kidiots to MMOs  ... nobody played it then - nobody is going to play it now.

nufsaid.

Why would anyone want this..

Lets remake everquest while we are admitting we clearly dont have any new ideas so lets polish the old.

Originally posted by DeserttFoxx

Why would anyone want this..

Lets remake everquest while we are admitting we clearly dont have any new ideas so lets polish the old.

lol, don't make me laugh...new idea's? ha. Millions of people play wow, and that's nothing but a dumbed down, polished EQ clone.

People want a graphically revamped AC1 because even in it's current 8 year old form - and way beyond it's prime (read: new, stupid dev team, stupid patches, moronic decisions, third party programs) - it's still a much more in depth, versatile, challenging and fun experience than any of these recent noob friendly dumbed down zero risk piles of crap like WOW and LOTR.

Originally posted by WiccanCircle  Nobody played it when there was no competition in the market and no EverQuest/World of Warcraft brainwashing to indocrinate the kidiots to MMOs  ... nobody played it then - nobody is going to play it now.

nufsaid.

AC1 was great, I thought it allowed for much more freedom and didn't have the go kill 20 mob a's before going to kill 30 mob b's quest that completely kill a mmo for me.  They class and skill system were awesome compared to the rest of the clones we have today.  

With the number of people looking for a non clone mmo with good pvp today, I think a polished AC1 would do well today.  Yes to a degree all mmo's from here on out will be a clone in some way or another, but AC1 was out on it's own with alot that it did and compared to WOW, Vanguard, LOTRO...etc was completely different game play.

Don't know why, but in my mind there was UO, lineage and The Realm as 1st gen and then EQ, AC1, DAOC, AO and SB, as 2nd gen and all the 2nd gen had something completely different, if you didn't like one there was a good chance you would like another one of em.  Most everything since then i personally classify as 3rd gen or clones.  Since the 2nd gen the orginality has gone down hill, and i think it is because the people that played those 1st and 2nd gen games are now making the 3rd gen+ Games and while they are good with graphics, they suck at the rest of the process.

I'm a 1999 AC player.  Played for almost 4 years and I have to take off my shoes to count how many times I've returned (or attempted to do so).  There was something unique about AC back then, and there still is.  Unique perhaps being the key term here, as there were nearly an unlimited number of options for a character in AC - template, armor and weapons, etc.  In short, I'd be all for a revamp of graphic engine and leave the game alone for the most part.  Hell, I'd even return if all servers were condensed to one carebear and DT (I know this debate has taken place and the responsed to housing and such and I'm not attempting to start that again here).

For me, even if AC were updated graphically ONLY, I would still return but I think there are a few things like in any game that should be modified.  It cracks me up when I hear people talk about "grinding" in other games like WoW (which I have a lot of experience with as well).  You don't KNOW what grinding is until you've spend a week of 16 hour days in a tusker, olthoi or even eater dungeon and only gained a level - if that!  This is the reason I don't play AC today.  There's no way I can really compete or even participate in high end content.  My last return I got a character to around level 145.  Not even close and I put more time and effort in to that character that I did on any level 70 in WoW.  AC is dead, as far as being accepting to new players, because of the grotesque amount of experience needed to reach the level cap.  Have fun trying to PvP.  You better be a shut-in at home for at least a year before you even think about it. 

Lastly, the greatest thing about AC IMO was the patron vassal experience passup system.  Nowadays, a new player is just another chunk of xp for that patron who wants to hit that level cap or get a little closer to it, with little or no hope of getting any producing vassals him/herself.  This game really requires the server numbers to be up a little more than they are to take advantage.

I know a lot of folks complain about the newer mmo's like WoW, but there is something to be learned from them.  If nothing else:  QUEST XP!!  If AC gave double xp for outdoor monsters and nice chunks of XP for doing quests and added a few more I believe it would inch much closer to being the perfect MMO. 

Anyway, sorry for the long-winded response.  You can probably tell that AC is, was and always will be close to my heart.  I hope like so many out there that something more will become of it!!  I'll sign that petition!!

We, as gamers, think this way: You know, that would be the coolest &#%$in' thing in a game!

Developers, unfortunately, think this way: You know, that would be the easiest &#%$in' way to make some money!

A revamped AC, which would be my nectar and ambrosia, would not make money. The AC community is not that big as you can tell.

What we NEED is some independent talent with passion and a love for games with freedom like AC to publish another cult classic that we can all fall in love with. Some people that just want to break out of the fantasy mold of orcs, elves, and the like and just make something radical and weird like Asheron's Call.

Honestly, if I had the know how for programing, graphics, or whatever, I would be making something like that right now.

Why would someone who has no power in the game news industry have a source?

  OK I took segments from Pryzm's post above and commented on them in Blue  But this is exactly why AC is dead, never to be reborn  ... and worse, it is why Asheron's Call was a one time thing.  The gaming world doesn't want AC anymore.  In fact, almost nobody wanted it then either.   read on...

Originally posted by Pryzm

 You don't KNOW what grinding is until you've spend a week of 16 hour days in a tusker, olthoi or even eater dungeon and only gained a level - if that!  Strange, this is one of the things I LOVE about AC.  16-hours in a Luggie or Tusker or Olthoi Dungeon never felt like a grind at all.  It was actually FUN to do it not just to finish it for some 'mission reward'.

This is the reason I don't play AC today.  There's no way I can really compete or even participate in high end content. Umm So?  Why do the kids today think that everyone should be equal at all times?  (More likely it is that they can't handle when someone is better than themselves and hate living in a world where there are people that have devoted more time, energy and effort to achieving a goal.)  News flash - You aren't SUPPOSED to be able to compete against people that have a 8-year head start on you!  High end content is for people at the high end.  High end should be nigh impossible to achieve without directed effort over a LONG period of time.  If you chose to do something else - oh well. 

My last return I got a character to around level 145.  Not even close and I put more time and effort in to that character that I did on any level 70 in WoW.   Again I am stymied as to why this insignificant effort should be somehow equivalent to what others have achieved over 8-years?

AC is dead, as far as being accepting to new players, because of the grotesque amount of experience needed to reach the level cap.  Have fun trying to PvP.  Here is why there will NEVER be another great game - Level Cap Chasers.  Who cares if you never reach the level cap.  AC is great because of, not inspite of the fact that it is hard to reach the upper end of the game.  It should be even harder.  And as far as PvP ... And again, kids, you do NOT get to be blackbelt in a week or two or a year or two or three or five, got it? (Except for rubber stamp schools 1st Dan is a serious investment in time and effort, my TKD Moo Duk Kwon and Hapkido belts took a decade and a number of titles before ukemi was effortless.  If someone has been training their character for almost a decade isn't it supposed to be dangerous for you to try and defeat them?

You better be a shut-in at home for at least a year before you even think about it.  A year should never equal 8-years.  Why would someone that had invested 12% of the effort think they had a chance to be the peer of someone that had invested 100%?

Lastly, the greatest thing about AC IMO was the patron vassal experience passup system.   Oh MY GODZ!!!  That is the absolute worst thing about AC!  That is what caused the level cap crisis for people that didn't know how to get from Eastham to Nanto.  XP used to mean Experience, the twerpy kids today have lost the meaning.  Experience is never something that someone hands you while you are working on your MySpace page.  You shold get exactly ZERO XP for anything you do not do.  Vassal XP passup should be limited to that which is earned while actually hunting with the Patron, period.  (Institute a SideKick program like in City of Heroes)  Is it any wonder that the world is turning toward socialism with all the free handouts expected by the lazy kiddies in place of effort and personal commitment?

I know a lot of folks complain about the newer mmo's like WoW, but there is something to be learned from them.  If nothing else:  QUEST XP!!  If AC gave double xp for outdoor monsters and nice chunks of XP for doing quests and added a few more I believe it would inch much closer to being the perfect MMO.  Double XP?  Nice Chunks of XP?  I hate the Pinball mentality I see from the kids today.  They think that if they get 10 XP that somehow, if they were handed 10,000,000,000 XP for doing the same thing, it would be better?  NO! It is the process of earning the experience that is important not being handed a level every time you kill a rabbit.

Anyway, sorry for the long-winded response.  You can probably tell that AC is, was and always will be close to my heart.  Mine too, but for a massively different set of reasons.  But this just proves that Asheron's Call can and will never be revived.  Here we have two people from pre-xmas 1999, the golden days of this game, and we absolutley would hate the game if it were made to the other's idea of perfection.  It isn't just that we see AC differently, it is that everything that he liked I hated and vice versa.  Everything that he wants more of is what I see as the death of the game.

Anyhow, it is getting late and I have a terrible upper respiratory infection that is keeping me up and making me cranky.  But I had to comment on this radically different view the Poster has of the exact same game.

AC was my first mmorpg as well and I loved it. It wasn't like the stupid "HURRY UP AND GET TO THE END!" games out there today. The focus of AC wasn't about the end but about the journey through "life". That was also why people were so friendly in AC. I would often help some random newbie level near the lifestone outside Hebian. Just debuff the hell out of all the mobs and let him pretty much one-hit everything.
In games like WoW people are in such a hurry. If you're not leveling or farming/raiding, you're wasting your time. In AC it wouldn't hurt you helping someone. People weren't in such a hurry all the time. That also explains the thriving cities and community. People didn't mind talking to each other cause they didn't HAVE to reach the level cap asap.

That being said, I think an AC makeover would be a waste of time and money for Turbine. I just don't see the playerbase even being able to cover the cost of that project. AC is outdated in some ways even though I will always love that game. Like someone else already pointed out, the lack of melee and missile skills is a huge problem. For people who played AC back in the day, it was just the way it was. We could still live with it today but it will not attract new players at all. Even if it does, they will leave again because it's all about auto attack for those 2 "classes" (melee and missile). Most players are used to having different skills now a days and they will not accept anything else I'm afraid.
Even though we all loved it, AC was also way to focused on magic. If you guys remember all the old pre-made class templates, they just weren't any good compared to the Battlemage, OG Mage, Life/OG archers, Life/OG dagger/UA etc. Magic ruled everything in AC. It was fine for us but people would whine about it big time if it was like that in a game today. The average age of mmorpg games has gone down a lot. Nothing is allowed to be a real challenge anymore.

AC had some awesome features that could still be used in an AC3 (or whatever) though.
The skill system was just amazing. You would actually get better at the thing you were doing. If you were a dagger user, your dagger skill would go up (slowly at higher levels) etc.
Another good thing was the fact that levels didn't really matter. You didn't spend your "level points" but your experience points which meant that you actually accomplished something even if you didn't level for a week.
The way the mage worked was also cool. I hate the new games where you have to spec either Fire, Cold, Lightning or whatever they may call their skill trees. A big part of knowing how to play AC was knowing when to use a specific type of damage. Ie. Don't use Frost Damage on a Mattekar.
That goes for melee and missile chars too though with their Fire weapons etc.

I also liked the Patron/Vassal relationship in AC. Of course they would have to figure out how to prevent the chains but the idea is awesome. I have never had such a good time as a low level in any other game. Your patron would actually help you out because he would get rewarded for doing so himself. You also got to know your Patron (and his Patron) very well because you would actually spend time with them. :)

I tried returning to WoW once... Just cause I was bored. I joined a guild and they seemed nice and all but because of the way WoW is made, they just sent me some gear and I never saw them again (maybe once in a while at the auction house) until I hit level 60 and could go hunting with them.
That would never happen in AC... Well I guess it could but then you should just get another Patron. lol

But no, I don't think the original AC with a new engine would be viable. People may get all excited about the idea but I think that would change if they had to do the exact same things all over again. They can base a game around the AC basics though. But it has to be a new and up to date game if you want to attract new players and of course Turbine want that. Hehe it's a business after all. ;)


Edit: Forgot stuff.

Things started going downhill once they added the Allegiance mansions, the marketplace etc. (imo)
The towns were deserted after that. People were always hanging out at their mansion and it hurt the community a lot. Even the area around Hebian lifestone was empty after that. That area used to be crowded. Hehe
I liked it a lot better before the mansions. If you needed to talk to a certain allegiance, you would just go to the town, they were known to hang out in and depending on which town you went to, you would actually meet new people. The game wasn't as linear as the new games are, so the people who hung out in Cragstone wouldn't be the same as the people in Mayoi 99% of the time. Of course they might go there for comps once in a while.

I agree adding Marketplace was a bad move, I could remember the times when towns such as Qalaba'r were full of people selling their wares. Also Subway was full of peeps as well but alas marketplace took away all of those people as well. :(

I would love to see a revamped AC. The thing that killed AC in the beginning was the graphics plain and simple. EQ revamped their graphics and tossed out a lot of the content and cool things they had going , but it looked a lot better than AC.  I remember trying to get people to check out AC when they got bored with EQ , it took a while but once they got past the graphics they loved the game.

AC still has some of the best and most innovative features of any MMO out IMHO. The fact that missiles weren't LOS only, the monthly changes to world ( including seasons ), the fact that i never felt boxed in by zones. It was an absolute joy to explore, add to that the fact that you determined what mobs you could handle as opposed to the usual lame level limits applied by almost every other game made it feel a lot more free and open. Attacks that actually hit various parts of your body instead of just your armor class as a whole ( tuskers hitting gloves anyone? ). The fact that player actions actually influenced world events etc etc.

Upgrade the graphics, tweak the skill system a bit ( to get rid of tank mages ), add some skills , get rid of macros. Presto you have an amazing game thats fun to play , explore, and it looks good.  Personally I am sick of all the hand holding happening with current games, no raising your own stats, having everything being totally gear dependent etc.

Actually, Turbine already tried this and it was called Asheron's Call 2 and it not only failed, it was deleted from the pages of MMO history.

At any rate, I find this info you've come across as complete fantasy and/or speculation. Turbine hasn't proven their worth in the MMO industry to aquire such a project as this. AC was of course a decent game in it's time, but AC2 failed and DDO isn't getting a whole lot of positive recognition or marketing. Last but not least, you have LOTRO which is a pretty good game, but lacks a true PvP approach. Theres already too many PvE MMO's on the market, such as WoW and EQ/EQ2.

To be honest, they could simply upgrade AC's graphics, but in the long run, who honestly is even going to care? That would be the current general population that plays AC right now. Now, if Funcom upgraded Anarchy Online that would be a different story completely, since AO is a sci-fi game and has a much more intriguing storyline. I guess what I'm trying to say is, the high fantasy market is absurdly saturated and yes, AC is a high fantasy game because it contains, monsters, magic and so on.

Originally posted by Rhoklaw

Actually, Turbine already tried this and it was called Asheron's Call 2 and it not only failed, it was deleted from the pages of MMO history.

Umm aside from the game name, world name, races , publisher, and developer there was nothing at all similar between AC2 and AC.

I won't argue that AC2 was a complete and utter debacle.  I will though argue that a game with some depth to it is needed and wanted in the market, high fantasy or not.

Well if this is true, and I really wonder, it would be awesome if...if they could keep the same basic game mechanics in place.   The combat in AC is unlike any combat in any MMORPG...it is almost like playing an FPS but with spells, bows and swords because you could dodge them!  Plus..they'd have to make it seamless as the original was.   If it isn't seamless...I will not touch it.   I don't wish to have to port from area to area like you do in EQ2.   That was one of AC's things that made it so awesome was the seamless world you played on.

Bring it on and bring back Darktide!!!!!! 

Originally posted by Teala

Well if this is true, and I really wonder, it would be awesome if...if they could keep the same basic game mechanics in place.   The combat in AC is unlike any combat in any MMORPG...it is almost like playing an FPS but with spells, bows and swords because you could dodge them!  Plus..they'd have to make it seamless as the original was.   If it isn't seamless...I will not touch it.   I don't wish to have to port from area to area like you do in EQ2.   That was one of AC's things that made it so awesome was the seamless world you played on.

Bring it on and bring back Darktide!!!!!! 

Well the combat system would also be one of the reasons it would fail today. I agree that the dodging is cool but the combat system is badly outdated. The mage skills are ok I think but the missile and melee characters only use auto attack. That just wouldn't work today. Other games offer so much more skill-wise, so only old AC vets would probably play it... And that would not be enough subscribers today. :/

Originally posted by Grand_LC

Well the combat system would also be one of the reasons it would fail today. I agree that the dodging is cool but the combat system is badly outdated. The mage skills are ok I think but the missile and melee characters only use auto attack. That just wouldn't work today. Other games offer so much more skill-wise, so only old AC vets would probably play it... And that would not be enough subscribers today. :/

Only auto attack? what about the power/speed and height of attack?  Heck they still don't have anything comparable in MMO's that I have seen yet.  No fine tuning of attack rate or power of attack or being able to hit above below or on the belt.

I do think if they revamp it they need to add more things in for the melee/missile users, but they could do that by adding in a melee/missile version of what they already have for spellcasting. Similar to what DAOC has for the various weapon skills.

The weak missile/melee combat system is what made me quite in the end, spesially the melee system. its just isnt fun playing a melee character in Ac1, imo. So if a Ac3 came along and used Ac1 melee/missile system, i wouldnt play.. not a chance!

I think what makes Asherons Call 1 so great is the simplicity of the combat system. I dont like how all of the other games have 34 different skills for a melee. A melee should be a dumb foot soldier and all he knows is to go in and hit, he shouldnt have a bunch of options other than how he swings his weapon.

Now it sounds like AOC is going to improve on this system by making it more of a skill than auto attack, and letting us attack in 6 differnt areas, im not sure about the melee's magical capabilites in AOC, i personally hope there are none.

AC combat just makes scense. Melees hit with weapons, Archers hit with Arrows and magicians hit with flying balls of elemental energy.

I just dont like how melees and archers are givin so much magical complexity. Like Critical strike,  freeze in position, slow, shoot multiple arrows, exc, exc, exc.

Originally posted by dogdexter1

I think what makes Asherons Call 1 so great is the simplicity of the combat system. I dont like how all of the other games have 34 different skills for a melee. A melee should be a dumb foot soldier and all he knows is to go in and hit, he shouldnt have a bunch of options other than how he swings his weapon.

Now it sounds like AOC is going to improve on this system by making it more of a skill than auto attack, and letting us attack in 6 differnt areas, im not sure about the melee's magical capabilites in AOC, i personally hope there are none.

AC combat just makes scense. Melees hit with weapons, Archers hit with Arrows and magicians hit with flying balls of elemental energy.

I just dont like how melees and archers are givin so much magical complexity. Like Critical strike,  freeze in position, slow, shoot multiple arrows, exc, exc, exc.

I would have chalked this up to sarcasm if not for the fact that you hauled out a 1 post alt to write this.

Melee types should be dumb just swinging away yet you reference AOC. Have you ever read any of the Conan books or are you just going by the movies from the 80's for your inspiration?

< begin sarcasm>

We all know that in ancient times they never actually bothered to learn anything , longbow users were just men grabbed from the midden heaps , given a bow and thats all they needed,  Melee users were just given a weapon and that was all there was to it. Even today they don't teach anyone in the military any combat moves or points to aim at. Heck whats the point of hindering someones movement ,  or teaching them how to deliver a blow that will render an opponent senseless or knock them off their feet. Everyone know those are just "magical" combat moves that don't happen in the real world.

<end sarcasm>

The concept of a New Asheron's Call has always been a rumor.  Whether this one is founded or not, ... Eh, well you can only ever rely on the things you hear from Turbine. 

It would make sense that the company revitalized their first game to catch up with their others and its wholely possible that the AC1 Engine can be mimiced.

But as many have posted already, a good sequal is not unlike what its sequalling; a skill based gaming engine that relies on skills and customization, player-skill based PVP systems, and integrated GUI would be required as baseline necessities for an AC3 to take off.

A lot of people will be skeptical about AC3, since AC2 did so horrible and AC2 was only the test subject for LOTRO. 

I'd definitely play it if it came out, though.  If it sucked, I'd quit in a heart beat for AC1.  Its sad to say but .. if an AC3 comes out and doesn't do well, that's all she wrote for AC1. 

Turbine will only beat a dead horse so much, even if it was their first one.

--Raui