Details were very limited, but there are a few facts on the table. At or just before E3 this year, Mythic Entertainment will announce the next retail expansion for Dark Age of Camelot. They currently have a portion of the Dark Age team hard at work on it and intend to release it in the fourth quarter of 2005. The impression I got is that you can expect it just before the end of the calendar year.

As previously mentioned, each patch has a new content focus as well as the usual fixing. Guild improvements are coming right after the newbie experience improvements this week. Destin Bales and Jeff Hickman provided me with a list of their top three goals:

1. Proper UI: They are going to finally get this sorted out and give the players powerful tools to manage and observe their guilds.
2. Encouraging Membership: They want unaffiliated folks to join guilds and guilds to welcome them. They do this through incentives on both ends that ensure anyone who wants a guild will find someone willing to oblige.
3. RvR Guild Missions: New tasks just for guilds will add a new ripple to RvR. Not only will people fight under the banners of Hibernia, Albion or Midgard, but also their own groups.

Generally, they were vague on the details, but judging from the magnitude of this week’s patch, I have no doubt that help is on the way for those that love guilds. One idea I heard bounced around (and often hotly argued) around the office is the idea of guild banners. They made it quite clear that this is an idea in discussion, and make absolutely no promises, but Jeff Hickman and Destin Bales talked about it with great passion. The basic idea is that guilds could carry banners (most likely on their back so someone does not have to sit around and hold the thing) into RvR battle. This is both an artistic frill that would allow you to see your standard on the field of war, and a practical improvement that provides combat bonuses to those nearby on your side. It also could provide a fun game for your enemy. If they kill your standard-bearer, the possibility would then exist that they could take the banner home and display it as a trophy in their guildhall.

Beyond guilds, Hickman and Bales were silent. They assured me that they have a long list of issues to address, but wish to wait to see how each patch plays out before they give out a definite schedule. It is however safe to say that these big content patches are a staple that fans of the game can come to expect.

Albion Before and After Shots
Before After	Before After	Before After

One thing I asked every developer I met was where he or she thought Dark Age of Camelot needs improvement. The answers provided me with some insight. Artistically, they really want to keep a constant stream of upgrades flowing. The current focus is on the structures, as seen in the screenshots, and they will ensure that the game remains on the same playing field as their competitors. Dark Age of Camelot is getting older, but it is aging very gracefully. For proof, Walter dug up an ancient shot to show me. You sometimes do not notice the differences until you see what really has gone on. This illustrated it perfectly.

In terms of class balance, an eternal red button issue among the users, Sanya Thomas provided me with some insights. The focus is currently squarely on the new classes, as common sense will dictate. Catacombs is brand new and obviously, you find more issues in classes that are young as compared to one or two year old classes. Generally, though, the team believes that there is a very good level of balance. They cannot please everyone, but do not believe there are any game breakers.

The community has been an invaluable resource in the identification of any issues that do arise. Sanya Thomas outlined her efforts to ensure that developers, not just PR people, read all the boards and are aware of issues as they arise. Often silent lurkers, any place where a meaningful amount of DAoC discussion is ongoing is sure to have some Mythic people watching closely. As one example, the number of issues found in daily reports from the Vault boards is enormous and passed on in daily updates to the team.

Sanya also explained how the Team Lead program is having a real impact. Each time the reports come in, they organize them all into a giant spreadsheet. Sanya then takes this (often numbering several hundred) to a boardroom and reads off each issue aloud with all the responsible developers. This ensures nothing falls through the cracks. Even if you eliminated their constructive suggestions (which they do not, Sanya went to great lengths to explain how valuable those are) and focused only on bugs and other issues, the Team Lead program would be an invaluable resource.

Bonus Tower Razing Video Download!
Registered MMORPG.com members can download a cool new video showing tower razing in DAoC! Click here to download now!

I saw a lot at the Mythic offices. Their enthusiasm is infectious. The dedication to free content alone makes me happy. This is a model more companies need to follow and easily justifies the monthly fees. You are not just paying for the ability to play and continued support. You are getting more content that is new at no cost.

The market is as competitive as ever, but despite the fact some forecast their doom with each new wave of games, Dark Age of Camelot lives on. I see no signs of DAoC slowing and believe it will continue to be a wonderful title for Mythic in the coming years. Graphically it does not show its age and continues to improve. If it is content you seek, what better place than a game that has been around for years. The options are far greater than in some newer games and with this week’s focus on the new player experience, there seems to be no better time than the present to try Dark Age of Camelot.

Mythic is now offering a free 14 day trial for Dark Age of Camelot! You can get it at this link.