http://www.mmorpg.com/discussion2.cfm/post/3408612#3408612

How many of these features made it into the official launch a year later and in what state are they?

~Ripper

Green text - implemented and working

Orange text - partially implemented/working, or impossible to determine currently

Red text - not currently implemented, or impossible to determine currently

Blue text - my comments

The feature list:

Landscape

The Xsyon starting world is a scaled version of the Lake Tahoe Basin which spans the California – Nevada border.

Terrain is based on US Geological Survey data.
Speed Tree 5.1
Speed Grass 4.
Reflective and refractive rivers, lakes and waterfalls.
Players can build roads, clear, level, raise and lower terrain.
120 sq km starting playing field, gradually expanding to a 1200 sq km area and beyond.

Resources

Players rely heavily on natural and found resources: lumber from trees, leather from animals, grass, scrap materials and rare objects of the lost modern civilization.

Constantly changing resources can be renewed or depleted.
Availability dependent on season and weather conditions.
Resources can be claimed by tribes.
A large variety of resources with individual properties. Different woods, cloths and metals have properties that affect crafted items.
Scavenged items such as books can introduce knowledge of new crafts and skills.

NOTE: Depleteable resources are not currently respawning. No "changing" resources have been discovered yet.

Environment

The realistic environment in Xsyon is not simply visual. It can affect resources, quests, objects, creature behavior and player actions.

Four seasons: Winter, Spring, Summer, Fall.
Realistic sun path and shadows.
Realistic moon cycle and moonlight.
Volumetric and dynamic layered cloud system.
Night sky with an accurate star map and constellations.
Accumulating snow.
Weather effects: Rain, Snow, Hail, Sleet.
Terrain surface affects movement.
Creatures react to adverse and favorable weather.
Weather conditions affect player actions and item durability.

NOTE: All weather effects are currently cosmetic

Character

Character development is pivotal to Xsyon. Unlike many game worlds where a character develops from a weakling to a god, Xsyon characters start off as heroes, above average in stats but inexperienced, unskilled and lacking knowledge.

Customizable body, face and hair system.
Characters visibly gain or lose weight and muscle.
Characters age visibly. Ageing affects character statistics.
Statistics increase or decrease based on actions, experience injuries and age.
Skill based system. Skills increase and decrease based on actions and experience.
Experience is gained for most player actions, not only combat, but crafting, questing, gathering and social activities.
Levels gained will give additional points for the character to boost skills and statistics. These are in addition to normal action based skill and statistic gains and reflect what a character would be doing when not actively being played.
Characters possess six different gauges that affect the performance outcome of actions: Health, Faith, Energy, Adrenaline, Hunger, Thirst, Encumbrance and Comfort.
Character actions are tracked for Good, Evil, Law, Chaos, Karma and Luck. These factors affect creature reactions, town status, reputation and skills.

Basic Actions

The character can perform many basic physical actions as well as gain specific skill based actions. Most actions are dependant on a combination of player statistics, skill and current status.

Basic movements include forward, backward, strafing.
Variable run and sprint speeds based on many factors.
Swimming ability and speed are based on skill, stats, type of armor and clothing worn and encumbrance.
Different swim strokes are available based on skill.
Basic actions include gathering, scavenging, digging, sneaking, hiding and chopping trees.
Movement is based on the character’s skill and statistics.
Movement is affected by terrain slope and surface.
Movement is affected by the character’s encumbrance and current state.
Weight and bulk limits make the player have to decide what to carry and what to leave behind.
Nearly 50 different emotes for the character to express himself.
Flexible camera system allows for players to view and record their actions from many different points of view.

Skills

Players start the game with a selected set of skills. They gain new skills by learning from other players or by uncovering knowledge in books from the past.

Skills increase with use.
Skills decrease over time if not used.
Skills can be maintained and increased by using experience points.
Skills are affected by many external factors.
Many actions are dependant on several skills.
Skill increase is dependant on the character’s current level of similar skills.
Over 50 skills in Combat, Physical Actions, Trade Skills, Crafts and Resource Gathering.

Crafts

Everything in the world can be crafted and destroyed. Craftsmen can find new patterns, recipes and blueprints, learn from other players or gain knowledge through inspiration.

Characters craft tools, weapons, armor and equipment.
Characters build buildings and clear roads.
Eight basic levels of craftsmanship, from Novice to Grand Master.
Inspiration allows characters to gain crafting patterns similar to those already known, without the needs to find these or learn them from other players.
Supreme Master level of craftsmanship for those characters whose achievements top their peers.
Characters achieving the Supreme Master level of craftsmanship work with the Xsyon team to introduce a crafted item of their own design.
Patterns require a minimum skill level, but most are available to mid level craftsmen.
Craftsmen are limited to the number of patterns they learn, gaining the ability to add more patterns to their knowledge base as they advance.
Different craftsmen of the same skill level will typically have a different set of patterns in their arsenal.
Object quality and durability depends on materials used and the craftsman’s skill.
Craftsmen depend on tools and supplies from other craftsmen.
As they advance, craftsmen gain the abilities to repair, reinforce and improve objects.

Armor

Xsyon is not a gear based game. A wide range of armor parts are available and the player selects armor based on play style and appearance more than how stats are affected.

Part based armor system. All parts can be crafted and customized.
Layered armor system for many possible combinations.
Armor bulk and material affects player comfort, speed and actions.
Variable armor quality and durability for the same armor type.
Armor parts can be enhanced.
Weapon types versus armor types.
Dyeing of armor parts allows for thousands of different looks.

NOTE: The attributes of weapons and armour are not displayed ingame, and can only be determined by testing them in combat

Objects

By scavenging the world, characters will discover over a thousand different types of objects. All objects serve some function, even if it’s not readily apparent.

Found objects can be sorted for material and color
Skilled scavengers have a greater chance of uncovering rare and useful items
Discarded objects can be found by later scavengers or picked up and used by creatures
Different areas yield different found objects
Objects degrade and decay with use and the ravages of weather and time

Creatures

Xsyon is populated with player humans and non player undead, animals and mutants. Creatures can be hunted or become the hunter.

No set creature spawns or re-spawns. Animals multiply based on the current creature population. Undead never truly die, or do they?
Creatures gain experience and power, potentially evolving into legendary beings.
Creatures can overrun areas or be depleted.
Creatures gravitate towards different areas based on mood and weather.
Creatures can be tamed and ridden.
Creatures driven to the outer reaches of the world mutate.
Creatures possess realistic loot. If you see armor or a weapon on a creature you can take it. Animals can be carved up for raw materials.
Creatures are a primary resource for crafters.

NOTE: Creatures are extremely rare, so it's basically impossible to determine any overall behaviour. All of the red text could actually be true and implemented, but in the absence of actual creatures that is a moot point.

Communication

Communication between players is key to the Xsyon world. Characters have many ways to interact and communicate at their disposal.

General chat based on hearing range.
Whisper directed to specific players within range.
Town and player group chat channels.
Town message boards where players can post announcements.
Town markets where players can place auctions, items for sale or trade and want ads.
Town mail boxes where players can send items and private messages.

NOTE: Characters in Xsyon have acute hearing. "Hearing range" extends for well beyond visible distance

Combat

Combat combines manual targeting and clicking with the final blow success based on the many factors – statistics, skills, weapon type, defense skills, armor and the opponents stance.

Skill and statistic based combat.
Manual targeting, affected by abilities.
Manual defense tactics including dodging, parrying and blocking.
Body part targeting for critical attacks.
Weapon types versus armor types.
Combat specialty moves gained through experience.
Combat modes for sparring, training and dueling.

NOTE: Combat mechanics are very crude, and subject to player-sync issues. Hits and damage are calculated client-side. There is no form of healing in Xsyon whatsoever. There is no ranged combat or magic at present.

Tribes

The most important aspect of the Xsyon world is it’s tribal mechanics. Players rely on their home town or tribe for survival and success.

Players become registered members of a tribe. 10 players or more must come together to form a town.
As towns increase in membership, they can claim more land and gain town abilities.
Player owned protected housing.
Player owned protected storage.
Hierarchical political system for towns.
Bonuses to stats and skills when in native town.
Bonuses to stats and skills for town leaders.
Town leaders have special abilities to assign quests and perform leadership actions.
Towns serve as centers for quests, trade, crafting, storage and interaction.
Player honor lists will keep records of player achievements.
Tribes can choose tribal colors and emblems to be displayed in tribal clothing, banners and flags.

NOTE: The game does not recognize "towns" as such. There are only player settlements of varying sizes. Currently, there are no doors for player "housing" stuctures, or gates for "town walls" or palisades. Player housing structures serve no purpose other than decoration at present.

Quests

Quests are assigned from one player to another using the quest system. Tribal chiefs and leaders will have the ability to assign specific quests. Quests are posted at town totems so that players can obtain and complete quests without requiring the quest giver to be online. Types of quests include:

Delivery of goods.
Delivery of mail.
Bodyguard.
Hunting.
Gathering.
Bounty Hunter.
Achievement.
Exploration.
Tribal Quest – Guard.
Tribal Quest – Patrol.
Tribal Quest – Defeat enemies.
Timed contests and events.

Economy

The economy is entirely player run. It relies heavily on players to gather resources, craft necessary items and trade. Players can barter or buy and sell using local currency.

Town and individual bank accounts.
Towns can impose taxes.
Town quartermaster can collect resources and goods.
Player run shops and auctions.
Players post want ads to increase demand.
Resources can be controlled and destroyed to reduce supply.
Trade between individuals and towns.

NOTE: There is no real economy at present. Resources are equally distributed in the world. A single player can potentially master all crafting disciplines with sufficient grinding. There is no item decay yet, so nothing needs replacing.

Evolution

Xsyon is constantly evolving. During the Prelude, characters start off as simple hunters, gatherers and scavengers. As societies will advance new features will become available to the larger, more civilized tribes and towns. These features will include:

Agriculture.
Evolved cooking. Character created recipes.
Animal breeding and pets.
Trade with tribes beyond the impenetrable mist.
Armor decoration system which can indicate achievements and status.
New weapons, armor and tools.
Religion.

Join us in the Xsyon Forums for discussions of other potential unique features that we plan to develop and try out.

The Unknown

The full features of the Xsyon online game world will never be fully disclosed. Part of the fun in playing is discovering the unknown. New features, skills, objects and creatures will typically be discovered in game before they are officially announced. A few hints to spark the minds of new Xsyon players:

When and where you craft might be just as important as what you craft.
Specialization leads to inspiration.
One man’s trash is another man’s treasure.
Two minds are better than one.
The world is changing, keep exploring.

Thanks SpottyGecko!  Very well presented.

I wonder to what extent it would be helpful for Notorious Games to adopt a similar template for their own features page.  It would lessen the disappointment and let-down some customers seem to be experiencing, but still wet their appetite for upcoming direction.

It's a very ambitious project for an indie with what appear to be very limited resources.

It seems kind of as if WoW had launched advertising flying mounts throughout the game world.  Certainly took many years for that to happen.

One of the implemented features I've enjoyed the most is the range(as in number) and usefulness of emotes.  I can't tell if a character I see is going to hit me over the head, or be friendly.  Same for the character upon spotting me.  I like this as it adds immersion (for me) and a spot of reality.  I use the more peaceful emotes to indicate my intentions from a relatively safe distance and hope they respond in kind.

Again, thanks for the work you put in.

ps. I didn't realize the damage was calculated client-side.  I wonder what the coding logic behind that would have been.

This is a disappointment, I was thinking about jumping into this game until now.  One would have thought they had made more progress by now.