**This thread is intended to bring people up to speed on the changes that have been going on in the development cycle of Darkfall from August 08' to the present.   Not everyone has the luxury of patrolling forums 24/7 for the latest update, and since many threads get locked up around here this will hopefully catch those who are interested up to speed.**

Up until August of 2008, we had been left in the dark for awhile and there were a lot of questions about whether or not this game was vaporware and would ever release.  Well at the end of August, a chain of events started that has brought Darkfall into the limelight and sandbox, pvp, and just mmo fans everywhere have been on the edge of their seats discussing it (one way or another).

-August 29th, 2008 - 17min 100% In-game Gameplay Trailer is released.

If you follow this link , you will find multiple download and viewing options to see the video.

It showcases numerous gameplay mechanics that will be found in Darkfall and gave us a great glance at what is possible in the game. 

Everything you will see is taken from ingame footage of testers playing the game.  It brought up heated discussion about the quality of the animations and graphics of the game.  It was later discovered that the video was shot at low settings and compressed, but the animations have not proven to be any better than what you will see in the video.

-August 29th, 2008 Darkfall Beta Sign-ups

Along with the video came the opening of Beta signups for the public.  This was not the first time Aventurine (Developers of Darkfall) had promoted a beta test, but it has proven to be the first time they actually followed through with it.

If you follow this link , you will find the news announcement with a link for the signup page.  Signups are still open but at this point it is unlikely you will be accepted to the closed beta.  Though it may be a good idea to sign up anyways as it is unsure how they will be handling open beta.

-October 16th, 2008 - Aventurine presents Darkfall at the Athens Digital Week Convention (with videos)

If you follow this link , you will find links to view the 30min video that shows parts of the convention.  Including video of developers playing Darkfall over the internet with players from different locations.

This event was followed by numerous appearances of DF in the media including magazines, television, and online new coverage.  You can find links to some of the television interviews in darkfallworld in the above link.

The footage exposed a lot of things we had not seen before and provided the community with lots of things to discuss.

-November 18th, 2008 Developer Tasos gives many quotes from the closed beta testers on the status of the game.

If you follow this link, you will see a long list of beta tester quotes that are organized according to game mechanics.

These beta comments came from people who were invited as a result of the public signups for closed beta.  They are not related to the paid beta testers that Aventurine employed before the signups were availible.

The comments were mainly positive but did raise some concerns and is a very good read.

-November 21st, 2008 - Two Journalists from MMORPG.IT visit the Aventurine Studios

The two Italian Journalists were allowed to play the beta client live at the studios.

If you follow this link, you will find links to the italian and english translations of the review that they wrote based on their experience.  You will also see multiple pictures of the studio and game.

*Update:  A gameplay video from their visit can be found here.  It is a short video that doesn't show many new things, but it is shot over the shoulder and allows the community to see that all is well in the Aventurine Studios.  Status of the game on release still up in the air.

-December 1st, 2008 - Gianna (Author of "The Noob" Comic) Gives a Beta Experience review

A fairly unbiased opinion from another non-Aventurine employee, although has personal ties to DF developers.  As I write this there are only 2 parts of the review up with more hopefully to come.  Nothing really new as far as info goes, but a very nice review from someone who hasn't "followed the evolution of the game before beta, so don't expect any deep insight. The skinny goth dudes are called Alfar and I'm catching up on the rest. "  So we aren't talking about a review from an uber fanboi here.

Part 1 can be found here

Part 2 can be found here

Part 3 can be found here

Part 4 can be found here

Part 5 can be found here

Part 6 can be found here

Part 7 can be found here

Enjoy!

-December 4th, 2008.  MMORPG.com Interviews Tasos

A great interview from our own staff here at MMORPG.com.  Topics range from development cycle, their view on the forum drama/discussion, marketing, beta, and an announcement of a release date soon to come!

You can read the full article here!

December 5th, 2008.  Aventurine and Audio Visual Entertainment (DF publisher)  Announce a January 22nd, 2009 Release Date for Darkfall. (which would later be pushed back)

You can read the official statement here.

This is the first time that Darkfall has annouced a specific release date for the game, and is certainly a milestone in the history of this game.  This is also the first time they have set a timeline of any kind in which they have had other business recognize the game and announce their partnership with them.  The amount of media coverage, third party business collaboration, and recent communication from the dev team make this announcement the most significant one in history because the community now know when Darkfall will open it doors for all to play.

December 24th, 2008.  Curse.com has an interview with Tasos and Claus.

Here is the link to the news section where it was announced.

January 15th, 2009.  Annoucement that the commercial release will be pushed back about 1 month to February 25th, 2009.  There will now be a trial on January 22nd, 2009.

Details of the announcement can be found here in the news section on the official boards.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Also it should be noted that the FAQ on the official site is quite out of date and that it may not reflect many of the current gameplay and development informaiton that we now know based on the list of updates above.   There will be a completely revamped website availible on release according to the devs.

Reserved

(i probably made a few errors, especially with the date of the ADW so please point out any errors and I will fix asap)

Please keep this thread civil.

It is meant to help inform people interested in the game and most of the information I gave was direct from the developers.  Im going to review it some and try to take out anything that is more opinionated and keep it as factual as possible.

I am still waiting to try the game myself before I make any comments.

DARKFALL 4 EVER!!!

 until i get to try it, its all just wishful thinking

Originally posted by WharfRat

 until i get to try it, its all just wishful thinking

 

That works with everything : )

Obiously they hit a snag, there is no way they can announce open beta, get it underway, and finish within 1 month. They just conveniently haven't announced it yet. lol

To everyone saying something like "im going to wait till i can play it"....

I think that is the best possible outlook on this thing. 

Originally posted by imbant

To everyone saying something like "im going to wait till i can play it"....

I think that is the best possible outlook on this thing. 

+1 totally agreed.

Good post...although you may want to do something with the font size as it is a little small under the topics for the date (at least on my screen)

How do we request a sticky?

Originally posted by imbant

Reserved

(i probably made a few errors, especially with the date of the ADW so please point out any errors and I will fix asap)

Please keep this thread civil.

It is meant to help inform people interested in the game and most of the information I gave was direct from the developers.  Im going to review it some and try to take out anything that is more opinionated and keep it as factual as possible.

And then  you posted this:

* Darkfall Open Beta will end in early December.
* They are still on track and are confident that they will be releasing the game in 2008.

Open Beta has not yet started and they only have about a month to meet their 2008 deadline so we will all have to wait patiently to see if they meet their goal or if they hit a snag in the road and have to delay.

Either they release in '08, or the devs are shall we say, less than honest. Not, oh my, they might hit a little snag, but that would be perfectly acceptable.

We don't all have to wait patiently. I think we all know that if they don't release in 08, it's back to vaporware.

Originally posted by imbant

... 

Over the course of the last 3 months, the developers have also announced the following:

• Darkfall Open Beta will end in early December.
• They are still on track and are confident that they will be releasing the game in 2008.

Open Beta has not yet started and they only have about a month to meet their 2008 deadline so we will all have to wait patiently to see if they meet their goal or if they hit a snag in the road and have to delay.  Most reports from the beta and journalists are positive and make it seem like the game could be ready, but as we all know from past game releases that this is never something to be trusted so all that we can do is wait and see.

 

That part I high-lighted above is my biggest problem with Aventurine/Tasos and why I feel some of the supporters are being naive and/or deceptive when they say that they are the most trust-worthy Devs of any MMO.

How can anyone honestly say that at this late juncture that Tasos isn't being deceptive about what the state of the game is in?  Obviously they know by now when/if they will be doing an Open Beta before the end of the year.

Let's say that I believe them about not knowing for sure if/when the game will release by the end of year.  Although even that is becoming very problematic as they realistically have less than a month (unless someone knows of a game that has ever released between Dec. 26th and Jan. 1st). 

But for them not to have any details about Open Beta out yet... which was slated to be FINISHED by the beginning of December is a bit hard to swallow.

Again... it is not about them releasing in 2008.  If it needs to be pushed back or delayed, so be it.  It is not about them making good on their stead-fast declarations that it will release in 2008; it should release when it is ready.

For me anyway... it is about them communicating with their fans.  Communicating with those who they expect to pay for their product.  Changing the mistakes of the past.  In 2005 when the Clan Beta did not materliaze there was zero explanation as to why.  Even to this day it is never discussed or explained what happened.   I am hoping that 2008 does not end with the same silence. 

I was just wondering if anyone has heard any more info on the 2 italians. Have they posted a vid like they said they would.

Originally posted by imbant

This thread is intended to bring people up to speed on the changes that have been going on in the development cycle of Darkfall over the last 3 months.   Not everyone has the luxury of patrolling forums 24/7 for the latest update, and since many threads get locked up around here this will hopefully catch those who are interested up to speed.

It has been a VERY exciting 3 months and the game is primed for release.

Up until August of 2008, we had been left in the dark for awhile and there were a lot of questions about whether or not this game was vaporware and would ever release.  Well at the end of August, a chain of events started that has brought Darkfall into the limelight and sandbox, pvp, and just mmo fans everywhere have been on the edge of their seats discussing it (one way or another).

 

-August 29th, 2008 - 17min 100% In-game Gameplay Trailer is released.

If you follow this link , you will find multiple download and viewing options to see the video.

It showcases numerous gameplay mechanics that will be found in Darkfall and gave us a great glance at what is possible in the game. 

Everything you will see is taken from ingame footage of testers playing the game.  It brought up heated discussion about the quality of the animations and graphics of the game.  It was later discovered that the video was shot at low settings and compressed, but the animations have not proven to be any better than what you will see in the video.

 

-August 29th, 2008 Darkfall Beta Sign-ups

Along with the video came the opening of Beta signups for the public.  This was not the first time Aventurine (Developers of Darkfall) had promoted a beta test, but it has proven to be the first time they actually followed through with it.

If you follow this link , you will find the news announcement with a link for the signup page.  Signups are still open but at this point it is unlikely you will be accepted to the closed beta.  Though it may be a good idea to sign up anyways as it is unsure how they will be handling open beta.

 

-October 16th, 2008 - Aventurine presents Darkfall at the Athens Digital Week Convention (with videos)

If you follow this link , you will find links to view the 30min video that shows parts of the convention.  Including video of developers playing Darkfall over the internet with players from different locations.

This event was followed by numerous appearances of DF in the media including magazines, television, and online new coverage.  You can find links to some of the television interviews in darkfallworld in the above link.

The footage exposed a lot of things we had not seen before and provided the community with lots of things to discuss.

 

-November 18th, 2008 Developer Tasos gives many quotes from the closed beta testers on the status of the game.

If you follow this link, you will see a long list of beta tester quotes that are organized according to game mechanics.

These beta comments came from people who were invited as a result of the public signups for closed beta.  They are not related to the paid beta testers that Aventurine employed before the signups were availible.

The comments were mainly positive but did raise some concerns and is a very good read.

 

-November 21st, 2008 - Two Journalists from MMORPG.IT visit the Aventurine Studios

The two Italian Journalists were allowed to play the beta client live at the studios.

If you follow this link, you will find links to the italian and english translations of the review that they wrote based on their experience.  You will also see multiple pictures of the studio and game.

In the next day or two the journalists will be uploaded a Video that was taken during their gameplay.

 

Over the course of the last 3 months, the developers have also announced the following:

• Darkfall Open Beta will end in early December.
• They are still on track and are confident that they will be releasing the game in 2008.

Open Beta has not yet started and they only have about a month to meet their 2008 deadline so we will all have to wait patiently to see if they meet their goal or if they hit a snag in the road and have to delay.  Most reports from the beta and journalists are positive and make it seem like the game could be ready, but as we all know from past game releases that this is never something to be trusted so all that we can do is wait and see.

 

thanks for the informative thread. 

you may want to include that this is he first time ever e release date has announced. this is of note

Originally posted by deathtripp

Obiously they hit a snag, there is no way they can announce open beta, get it underway, and finish within 1 month. They just conveniently haven't announced it yet. lol

oh. and I agree with this.

Originally posted by razerblade29

I was just wondering if anyone has heard any more info on the 2 italians. Have they posted a vid like they said they would.

They said they would have it by the end of the week.  So they still have time.

Originally posted by imbant

Originally posted by razerblade29

I was just wondering if anyone has heard any more info on the 2 italians. Have they posted a vid like they said they would.

They said they would have it by the end of the week.  So they still have time.

I'm nearly praying for a video with a LOT of people running around, screwing around.  I want to see those testers, damnit!

Originally posted by TheHoweller

Originally posted by imbant

Originally posted by razerblade29

I was just wondering if anyone has heard any more info on the 2 italians. Have they posted a vid like they said they would.

They said they would have it by the end of the week.  So they still have time.

 

I'm nearly praying for a video with a LOT of people running around, screwing around.  I want to see those testers, damnit!

Im not sure what your level of skepticism is Howeller, but there is a ss leak out there that shows multiple testers talking in global chat.  I mean it  could be argued that it is fake...but then again it could be argued that showing multiple bots on a screen in a video could be fake to appear like beta testers.

Originally posted by imbant

Originally posted by TheHoweller

Originally posted by imbant

Originally posted by razerblade29

I was just wondering if anyone has heard any more info on the 2 italians. Have they posted a vid like they said they would.

They said they would have it by the end of the week.  So they still have time.

 

I'm nearly praying for a video with a LOT of people running around, screwing around.  I want to see those testers, damnit!

 

Im not sure what your level of skepticism is Howeller, but there is a ss leak out there that shows multiple testers talking in global chat.  I mean it  could be argued that it is fake...but then again it could be argued that showing multiple bots on a screen in a video could be fake to appear like beta testers.

I believe in one of the in-game movies when they were panning the camera across the landscape there were quite a few people running in random directions.  I understood after seeing that, that they were likely bots, or people at Aventurine making the video look more "realistic".

When I say I'm hoping to see people running around, screwing around... I'm saying I want to see things out of the ordinary happening, people talking to eachother in global.  Really, a plethora of things.  However, I understand this will likely not happen, and even if it does I may still remain skeptical.

Really, I just need to play the game for myself.  Otherwise it'll take something that's hard to dispute, to change my mind.

Yep the best thing to do is just wait.  All this debate never goes anywhere.  Hopefully we will know for sure in the next few weeks.

Originally posted by xzyax 

In 2005 when the Clan Beta did not materliaze there was zero explanation as to why.  Even to this day it is never discussed or explained what happened.   I am hoping that 2008 does not end with the same silence. 

Exactly.

Originally posted by Dameonk

Originally posted by xzyax 

In 2005 when the Clan Beta did not materliaze there was zero explanation as to why.  Even to this day it is never discussed or explained what happened.   I am hoping that 2008 does not end with the same silence. 

Exactly.

Same thing happened in 2003, they announced they had found a publisher and that beta would start soon, and they had plans to launch within the year, sounds familiar.
 

Originally posted by Dameonk

Originally posted by xzyax 

In 2005 when the Clan Beta did not materliaze there was zero explanation as to why.  Even to this day it is never discussed or explained what happened.   I am hoping that 2008 does not end with the same silence. 

Exactly.

Hmm, yeah completely forgot about that. I remember being disappointed that individuals couldn't sign up. I wonder how many people scrabbled around to get a guild together for the Beta, only to be let down...

Originally posted by Polarization

Originally posted by Dameonk

Originally posted by xzyax 

In 2005 when the Clan Beta did not materliaze there was zero explanation as to why.  Even to this day it is never discussed or explained what happened.   I am hoping that 2008 does not end with the same silence. 

Exactly.

Same thing happened in 2003, they announced they had found a publisher and that beta would start soon, and they had plans to launch within the year, sounds familiar.
 

Yep, I remember that.  It's crazy that is approaching 6 YEARS ago.  This game slapped my support and hope in the face too many times in the past.  I give them no support until they do something, anything.  And if we were all being honest, this "Rise" has absolutely nothing substantial in it.  The "Italian review" is a joke as was discussed ad nausea on these boards, the "Beta comments" I am very skeptical about, and ultimately they have 1 month left.  1 month.  This long in development and this close to "launch", and they haven't asked a single reputable gaming magazine/site to have a look at the game??

Well, skepticism aside, we will see very shortly if this releases.  Anyone who has followed the development cycle SHOULD be expecting the worst, so here's to the us with common sense being wrong and the game being great.

All this stuff thats going on isn't really a Rise, its a Repeat of 2003. History repeating itself.