I have followed the development of Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen since the failed Kickstarter in 2014. Backers believed that the project was important and viable enough that they continued supporting it by pledging on the official website after the original campaign didn't reach its goal. I was one of them. Many of us just wanted a modern take on the original Everquest that didn't wrap itself in all the trappings of a modern MMORPG focused on maximizing profits at the expense of the experience. Something that could be sustainable long-term and a new home for players who had been hopping between games for years.
The development of Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen has had quite a journey so far. But most recently, two items have created what could be described at best as a mixed response among the community. The first was a change to the art style in September from realism-based to a new painted style. While I am not a fan of it so far, I see the benefits when it comes to development.
But the initial statements about a new gameplay mode called 247 that would be playable by Pre-Alpha testers in September is what really started to concern many, myself included. I waited for the October Producer's Letter for more details about the 247 gameplay mode and wondered if it was a full game or something contained within the Pantheon MMO as a new system. When the letter dropped yesterday, it confirmed that 247 was a survival extraction experience that will be used to help development, reach a wider audience, and may be monetized to bring in further funding as a stand-alone product in the future.
With concern about Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen development already taking so long, the Producer's Letter still left many unanswered questions. But it also announced a public Q&A with Community Manager Jamie "Savanja" Henry and Creative Director Chris "Joppa" Perkins on the official Discord server later that day.
Early during the Q&A, Chris explained that having session-based tests with a 24-hour and 7-day uptime would help gather data needed to further iterate on various aspects of development. He said the extraction mechanics work well with the testing churn they wanted to see as developers. According to Chris, this mode would allow for the front-loading of many systems typically found in MMOs.
When asked why not simply monetize Pantheon in its current state? Chris explained that doing so "is not conducive to getting to the point where they want to be in developing the game." He said, "247 came about because it contains all the elements that need to be iterated on. It all fills the need to keep ahead of players consuming content. The game loop has a lot of resiliency."
As for the details of what 247 is and will be moving forward. It has been running for about two weeks with the Pre Alpha testers. Players will queue for missions on the currently existing map, and as additional Pantheon zone development is completed, more maps will be added to 247. Up to 100 players can participate in a timed mission in a PvE or PvP ruleset. At the end of a task, they must reach the extraction point or lose gathered gear/resources. In PvP, if a player dies, the corpse can be looted by others. In between missions/expeditions, characters can interact in a lobby area represented by Tazrin's Gaze Tower and accept a mission/task from one of the eleven Watchers.
Later this year, Alpha access pledge tiers will be able to play 247, and they are currently discussing bringing in Beta testers sometime next year. Once access is granted to 247, testers will not lose access to it in the future. However, access to Pantheon will remain separate and only occur as the MMO advances into different phases, such as Alpha. A question about lifting the current NDA did come up so that current testers could talk to the community directly about what is going on and their experience. Chris confirmed that this is something they are looking at very closely, and while there are a lot of benefits to doing so, they are still taking into account some considerations before making the decision.
When asked what elements of 247 would carry over to the development of Pantheon, Chris explained that it was easier to list off the elements that would not. These included timed missions, extraction portals, and the death penalty. Groups in 247 would also be smaller than the full MMO, four instead of six. The decision for a smaller group size was made because it brings the challenge level up to where the developers would like it to be right now versus balancing everything in the full MMO for six-player groups.
The rest of the community Q&A explored a variety of topics. These included communication transparency, the possibility of more future art change, descoping, included classes, customization of player spaces, possible changes to core tenants, the next classes to be implemented in testing (soonTM - though they could be before the EOY as long as the community was okay with classes being implemented "half-baked"), percentage of the Thronefast zone currently completed, what the team is currently working on, volunteer developers from the community, the possibility of partnering with a publisher, and the importance of community feedback.
So, what is 247 in a nutshell? Currently, it's a survival extraction game mode that requires minimal (5-10% additional work that is not usable by the MMO per the Producer's Letter). This new mode can be rolled out to more testers soon and, according to Chris, will help speed up development for Pantheon as an MMORPG in the long run. 247 could also become a separately sold product set in the Pantheon world if the numbers make sense and a permanent part of Pantheon after release as part of a limited PvP system if players find it enjoyable.
Chris sounded quite sincere and open with his responses during the Q&A. He provided a lot of information that would double, if not triple, the length of this article. As a backer of this project, it was nice to hear. But at this point, when it comes to the gaming industry in general, it is nice to hear is all too common. He even confirmed the Necromancer and Bard classes at one very brief point. But even after thinking about everything that was said, I am still in the same place I was before.
I am concerned about the future of Pantheon. I got over being somewhat upset a few years ago, which is not a good sign for my continued interest. At this point, I need to get something I can experience in my hands to help bolster my faith that Pantheon is still moving in the right direction. I will admit that it's possible 247 could accomplish that. However, I am not a competitive player, and my past experiences with the extraction modes in other games have been, at best, a flash in the pan. I hope it can be an effective development tool to speed up the release of Pantheon. But my mind keeps returning to other games where the development pivoted to something completely different. 247 is not why I was originally drawn to Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen, and I question if it's a step in the wrong direction. I hope not.
