Production was an integral part of medieval society and was inseparable from the day to day lives of those that lived in that period. It was a time of self-sufficiency where everyone had a rudimentary understanding of every craft. However there were also those that truly excelled in a specific craft and made it their profession – the fame of these masters would spread far beyond the borders of their nation and men from foreign lands would come to them looking for their products.
Crafting is one of the key aspects of Gloria Victis’ gameplay, being based upon the authentic medieval techniques. Players can create weapons and armors designed after the museum exhibits or replicas of the Middle Ages arsenal, using the ingredients and materials known in these times, as well as the crafting workbenches.
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There are 8 different crafts to learn which are connected to each other – Forestry and Farming, Herbalism and Alchemy, Tailoring and Leatherworking, Engineering, Mining and Metallurgy, Armorsmithing, Weapon Forging and the last but not least, Artificing. However, a player will be able to master only a few of them, so cooperation with the other crafters will be required to create many of the items.
Thanks to its complexity, Gloria Victis’ crafting system greatly involves the players which are specialized in different crafts to cooperate and co-create the in-game economy. It is also important that each region of the world offers different resources to be gathered – for example it will be difficult for Azebs to craft a yew longbow because of lack of this wood in the desert, and the resources will need to be transported by players from one place to the other, so the trade will be important, as well as keeping the routes safe.
Let’s take a look at the sword forging process. First of all, a blacksmith needs metal – the simplest blades can be forged from carburized iron but the more advanced weapons will require processing it into steel ingots of proper hardness. The metal needs to be heated in fire of sufficient temperature, which can only be provided by coal. Although, if iron was used for the base material, firewood would be enough to heat it. The last part of the sword is its handle, which can be made of wood or leather straps – wood has to be gathered and chopped, while leather straps can be crafted by a leatherworker who would skin an animal, flesh its skin, shave it and then tan it.
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The plate armor crafting process is even more complex and expanded. Steel has to be forged into metal sheets of proper thickness and riveted to leather straps, which bond them together. Rivets also have to be crafted, using a wire made of semi-hard steel by an engineer, as well as the mail used to provide protection for the weak spots, such as armpits. Mail’s pattern depends on the nationality of the armorer, i.e. 4 in 1 – every single ring is joined with four others – and a King’s Mail are the most popular one in Logres and Wenedia, while Ismirs will rather use 3 in 1 or a Dragonscale. But the plate parts won’t show all of its protection potential without the padding under it, so a gambeson is required – in order to get it, a player has to find a skilled tailor.
But there is an another role for crafters – they will be able not only to create weapons and armors, but also to set camps and resource extraction spots, such as farms and mines. They will be responsible for building the whole villages, towns, forts and castles too – it will require gathering stone and wood or firing bricks, as well as knowing the architectural plans for specific constructions. As in blacksmithing, builders will also have a possibility to choose the base materials used for constructing structures, which will most likely depend on the territories they are currently in – unless a guild decides to import tons of wood to the desert, buildings would probably be made of air-dried bricks, while in rainy Frozen March the stone constructions will be a better choice.
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With the building system guilds will have the means to properly defend their lands in case of enemy’s raid or invasion, keeping the roads safe for caravans transporting the crafting materials. It’s important to note that every player will be able to help their nation build or upgrade structures, by gathering the required materials.
Let’s explain what building a guild’s headquarter will look like. After claiming the land, guild’s members will be able to set a central building with guild’s deposit and bind their spawn to this place. Then the engineers start building walls, towers and gates, as well as the specific structures inside the holding, such as crafting workstations or barracks required to hire the NPC mercenaries who will guard this place – it will be up to the guild’s decision whether their property will be developed into a trading town or military outpost by expanding it in certain direction, giving its owners different profits. These structures can also be upgraded – from sloppy doors to iron portcullis, from wooden to stone walls and gates, from rocks which can be thrown down on the attackers to pots with boiling oil.
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There will also be various minor structures belonging to the guild’s main holding, such as villages, mines or outposts. Controlling resource extraction spots is the key, as they allow to build other structures and provide edibles for the mercenaries. Owners will be able to rent their property to vassals or give them land to build a house or a keep – this way the guild’s territory borders will be guarded by other players, not necessarily the guild’s members, so their small empire would be able to rise both economically and militarily.
It is also worth mentioning that engineers will be able to construct siege machines, greatly changing the battlefield during sieges with rams, ballistas, catapults and trebuchets. Using those machines offers a chance to break through the defence lines, destroying the gates, walls or even towers of a besieged stronghold. Ships will be craftable as well, so there will be alternative trading routes, naval combat and piracy.
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An upcoming Gloria Victis update will introduce fortifications and resources extraction spots upgrades, as well as hiring NPC mercenaries, giving the players possibility to contribute to developing their nation’s property. In nearest future this system will be expanded with the ability to build whole towns and castles, as well as setting up crafting workshops, warehouses and mercenary barracks inside them. The same update will also implement dozens of passive skills, so the players will have even more freedom in developing their characters and creating unique builds.
The players’ impact on the game’s world will grow even more, because there is nothing more important in MMORPGs than the players themselves.
