Per subject

I don't care either way :p

I just want the game out ...

Thank you very much for such an informative post Jatar. As per normal, CoS developers are keeping those of us 'chomping at the bit' waiting for it, informed on what it will be like..

Cheers

New team members and E3
24 June 2009

* The MMO Magic team is growing! We've recently added two new people to the Quest Writing staff. Our game takes a very special type of writer and we are constantly looking and testing people to find those capable and foolish enough to want to take on this difficult task. Writing just one of our quests is like attempting to write a detailed outline of an epic fantasy novel, and that story changes every time you read the darn thing. It takes the average Quest Writer more than a month to write just one of our quests. It takes a kind of masochistic writer to want to punish themselves in writing in this style. However, we have found two more writers who do it quite well. Since each of our quests takes an average of a week of play to complete, you will only go through about 50 quests in a year, but due to the time it takes to write each of these epic changing stories we are increasing the size of our writing staff to handle the work load.

In art we have been working hard on NPC animations, additional structures for villages and towns.

Level Building continues to add to the world as they try to get ahead of those who will be adding our 'living' NPCs to those same areas. Right now placeholder terrain is used, since the real terrain system is still under construction (hence, no screenshots released yet).

The Trident3D engine is nearing the next build. There have been a lot of requests from the game designers on changes to features in the Enact tool and they are attempting to get a build out soon.

We took off some time and most of the company went to the E3 game industry show. We were both disappointed and thrilled to see that there wasn't a lot of competition for CoS in the MMO arena. We were disappointed in that there were no game coming out that we wanted to play (we are game players, even if we are also working on our own game). And we were thrilled because there still wasn't anything like Citadel of Sorcery being shown. The games we saw demonstrated had the same old game play and technology that we've seen for several years. Our company goal of releasing a new type of MMO game using new technology are still on track. :) We returned to work ready to redouble our efforts to bring this game to the public as soon as possible.

Unfortunately, there is still a lot of road ahead of us. Fortunately, most of that road involves the more exciting parts of development, writing, building and testing quests and combat, for example.

One last note, we continue to get emails constantly asking us if we are like this game, or that game, if we are PVP or PVE, if we will have crafting, etc. We want to state again, you have to forget other MMO games when talking about CoS. This is a new type of game, and therefore we don't have what other MMO games have, we're simply not like other MMO games. Expect something different and stop trying to fit us into some pigeon hole. For better or worse, this game will be something new. We hope you will like it.

---

I'm just an impatient witch waiting for this...

My friend Greybeard is again being tight-lipped (like he EVER will tell me anything :(  )

How about a June update on the CoS site?

Thanks, your very impatient and devoted fan.

20 May 2009

* Time for a small update (to keep the wolves at bay). Work progresses in all departments.

Programming has been handling some issues with Enact, mostly server communication and a few other areas. The fact that Enact works in the live game world has made for some interesting bugs. They will soon be moving onto the world terrain creator (the world is currently using older style hand created terrain pieces, but this is placeholder).

Art continues to add structures and NPCs. Upcoming work includes some architecture based on the different ages of the world (some of this will be ruins, of course, but some castle and keeps as well).

Quest Writers are working on writing more quests, and pushing the limits of what can be done in quests to make them exciting, fun and as addictive as possible. These Quest designs take an incredible amount of work. A single Quest design for CoS can be 50 to 100 pages, including various flow charts and spreadsheets, and each one is a mental maze to design since the player choices change the way the quest unfolds AND the quest has to be adaptive for use within the customization system for individual player stories. Novels are easier to write, trust me.

Level Designers are currently writing Bios for various. NPCs. Since all of our NPCs have lives, jobs, hobbies, interactions with other NPCs and players, friends, enemies, political views, etc., each has to be designed with a full bio. NPCs also have to work within the community, meaning have proper interaction with all the other NPCs. Work on this is barely started and will go on for months.

Game Design is working on character Abilities (which seems to be endless, with approximately 1400 to design). The Story Tool has recently been completely redesigned to handle some of the new quests and missions being written by the Quest Writers. The object of the Story Tool is to allow the writers to design any quest they can imagine. As previously stated, our quests should take players a week or two to complete if they play a couple hours every day (although there are smaller achievements within each quest so that you get a chance for payoffs along the way rather than just the big one when you reach the grand climax of the story).

Overall the game progress is steady, and fairly on track. People keep asking us how close we are to being finished, which is a question that cannot be answered. With all of the R&D work and pushing the game and MMO design envelop, the project will just be done when it is done. Thanks for your patience, we are working hard, and Citadel of Sorcery is progressing.
--

(and don't yell at me Greybeard! its public knowledge! :P )

--

Thank you, I will give it a try

Does it have PVE and Consentual PVP.

Is it consentual PVP so you don't have to fight. and just want to PVE?

Originally posted by amusedmonkey

Originally posted by mike470

It would all be voulantary too, cause the #1 fanboi doesn't need money!

 

Sorry for the necromancy, but they have just gained their first #1 fangirl

You mean me? :P

Originally posted by mike470

Oh, and a quick question for Jatar:

Will this new site have official forums??

Just had to ask.

My friend 'Greybeard' offered to host the forums free (and moderate them) on his own site, on his own time, and got pretty much the same answer as you did, so don't feel bad :)

My friend has the same info and a bit more on his fansite at http://cos.oldmmogamers.net

I think hes also on the dev team (greybeard)

---

Originally posted by Chawncy

Man I wish they could speed it up! I can hardly wait!

---

All my friend will tell me is 'Soon'... the bastard..

Cheers

Was looking for new game, decided to give Chronicles of Spellborn a try.. BUT

Most current version of AVG 8.5 (19 May 2009) Brand new install from 3.0GB install downloaded from official site.

"C:\Spellborn\bin\client\SBGame.dll" ;"Virus found Win32/Devir"; "Infected"

http://www.viruslist.com/en/viruses/encyclopedia?virusid=20467

Virus.Win32.Devir (Kaspersky Lab) is also known as: Win32.Devir (Kaspersky Lab), W32/Insane.dr (McAfee), Trojan Horse (Symantec), Win32.Deviator.12288 (Doctor Web), W32/Devir-A (Sophos), Win32/Devir.A (RAV), TROJ_DEVIR.A (Trend Micro), W32/Devir.15128 (FRISK), Win32:Deviator (ALWIL), Win32/Devir.15128 (Grisoft), Win32.Insane.7096.dr (SOFTWIN), Univ.B (Panda), WIN32 (Eset)
Description added May 31 2001
Behavior Virus
Technical details

This is a per-process memory resident parasitic poly-morphic Win32-virus. The virus infects PE EXE files that have .EXE filename extensions. When run, the virus infects files in current directory only.

The virus also stays in the system memory as a component of the infected host program, gains access to KERNEL functions and intercepts 10 of them: file opening, copying, moving functions, etc. When a PE EXE file is accessed by these functions, the virus infects it. As a result, the virus will infect all PE EXE programs that are accessed by infected the host program, and the virus will be active until the moment the host program exits. The virus also hooks, selecting a new directory function, and infects PE EXE files in there.

--

The PE EXE infection method is a complex and is similar to the Win32.Driller virus. The block of host file code that is overwritten by the virus poly-morphic routine in some cases may be also compressed during infection.

The virus also contains a backdoor routine that opens an Internet connection, waits for its author's instructions and then follows them: sends/receives files, executes programs, reports system information, etc.

The virus contains the following "copyright" text:

Intruder v.0.1 by Deviator//HAZARD

My friend won't tell me any thing about the game and hes is supposedly working on it (Greybeard) . Says his 'boss' will skin him if he says anything so he told me to come here :( 

1.) Will there be anything for Geek Girls in CoS? Most MMO are male oriented first and provide stuff for girls second, or just a remake of male stuff with female features. Would be nice to have plate mail skirts, something only female. (not that some guys would not look cute in a dress! or skirt)

2.) Will there be combat pets (that help in combat) and normal 'just for show pets' (I want a dragon :) )

Well I think I have embarassed myself (and Greybeard if he see this) 

Cheers