Shadowbane News - CM Speaks On Forums

Posted by Dana Massey on Jul 19, 2005 | 2 comments in our forums

Sean "Ashen Temper" Dahlberg has dropped by our General Discussion Forum to respond to MMORPG.com reader WSIMike's comments in the news comment thread for yesterday's Q&A with Lead Designer Sara Jensen.

In Response To Reader Comments

You make a lot of good points, WSIMike, but I hope you don't mind if I address them anyhow.

Shadowbane's PvP has a much greater basis in Player Control than any other MMO currently on the market. Yes, there are other games out there where you're fighting for something that matters but is there any other one out there where you put your gold and time into not only protecting but building and making a flourishing city? A city that you could of helped design, implement, and protect? A city where you can control the vendors or what other NPCs belong there? A city where you can control the guards?
You are correct, the normal player will go through 20 levels of PvE first. You can actually jump to the mainland at Level 10 (or Level 1 if you are already part of a player guild) but it's not recommended. The reason we do this is we give players a chance to understand the mechanics of the game and their character a little more before sending them into the war torn lands. I like to look at it like going to high school before college... but on a much quicker basis. While 20 levels may sound like a lot, there are players who have easily gotten to Level 20 within a day or two of normal gameplay. Level 20 in Shadowbane is a lot easier to attain than Level 20 in pretty much any other MMO. Like I said, it's a tool for players to learn the game mechanics before having to jump into the real fun.
There have been some geometry issues in the past. Over the course of the last year or so, we have addressed the vast majority of these, though. This is not a problem just in Shadowbane, I've encountered this problem in pretty much every MMO I've tried. It's a known problem in the industry and everyone is trying their best to alleviate it as best as they can.

With all of that said, I'll be the first to admit that Shadowbane is not a game for every MMO'r out there. In fact, there isn't a game on the market that is. Some of them have gone a long way in attracting a large subscriber base but there has yet to be that "perfect" game that everyone loves to play. Probably never will be (but that won't stop developers from trying, heh). Shadowbane is not a game about questing and, truth be told, that is all that some people like to do (which isn't a bad thing). But in Shadowbane, rather than focusing on the story arc of the single character and taking the game no further, it has extended the experience by creating a backdrop of political intrigue and warfare for players to become engrossed in. Players can join together to form guilds, raise armies and conquer Kingdoms. Leaders marshal their strength to build keeps, temples and fortifications. Armies battle their rivals to control resource mines crucial to their kingdoms' growth. And when diplomacy fails, legions and siege engines batter down the walls of cities, and the destinies of player nations are decided on virtual battlefields.

That is Shadowbane. And if that is something that sounds like you might want to play, you may want to try out the exclusive 20-Day Free Trial on MMORPG.com at:

http://www.mmorpg.com/gamelist.cfm/setView/news/gameID/16/showArticle/3216

You never know when a developer may pop their head up!

2 comments in our forums

Shadowbane News - CM Speaks On Forums

Posted by Dana Massey on Jul 19, 2005 | 2 comments in our forums

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