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"Founded by ex-Blizzard programmers who worked on the likes of Starcraft, World of Warcraft, and Warcraft II and III, ArenaNet was acquired by Korean developer/publisher NCsoft late last year. Its debut title, eXarch, seems like it won't stray too far fromthe roleplaying well, as it bears a strong resembalance to a sci-fi/fantasy online-only version of Diablo."
that blurb was taken out of my April 2003 PC Gamer mag. just though all of you would like to know considering ArenaNet hasnt even officially announced the game yet! it also had a very small screenshot of a guy in some kind of high tech armor wacking some baddies with a sword.
So a new Action rpg buy the ex-big wigs of blizzard eh? sounds pretty swell!
Signatures suck
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Oh my goodness, I have been wondering for months what they would come up with. The game is supposed to be realmless and purchasable online only. Pretty daring and innovative if you ask my humble sitting cushions. Thank you very much for the news !
Their site is still not giving any hints. I'll try to tease Gaile to give some more info, she takes care of the alpha testing I understand.
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. . . hype and waiting and anticipation and then, when the game hits, hopefully
"Satisfaction!"
We can hope, can't we?
Or, is it possible that the fantasy RPG model is on the downslope, and the bar to be cleared in order to be 'The goods' just too high?
Cry 'Havoc' and let slip the Men 'O War!
In War, the outcome is never final. --Carl von Clausewitz--
Igitur qui desiderat pacem, praeparet bellum
John 11:35 - consider why.
In Memory of Pete
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03-08-2003, 07:53 AM
(This post was last modified: 03-10-2003, 07:49 AM by Gaile Gray.)
bschultz,Mar 7 2003, 03:43 AM Wrote:"Founded by ex-Blizzard programmers who worked on the likes of Starcraft, World of Warcraft, and Warcraft II and III, ArenaNet was acquired by Korean developer/publisher NCsoft late last year. Its debut title, eXarch, seems like it won't stray too far fromthe roleplaying well, as it bears a strong resembalance to a sci-fi/fantasy online-only version of Diablo."
that blurb was taken out of my April 2003 PC Gamer mag. just though all of you would like to know considering ArenaNet hasnt even officially announced the game yet! it also had a very small screenshot of a guy in some kind of high tech armor wacking some baddies with a sword.
So a new Action rpg buy the ex-big wigs of blizzard eh? sounds pretty swell! Hello,
I received a couple of e-mails about this post, so I wanted to clear up a few things, while giving a wave of greeting to the LL and especially to my buddy Bolty, whom I've known for years. Ok, here goes:
ArenaNet is the name of our company, founded in March 2000 by Patrick Wyatt, Mike O'Brien, and Jeff Strain, former Blizzard executives. Their lineage is a bit more extensive then listed, though, and I don't mean to quibble but I'm darn proud of them so I'll point out that it actually goes back (with Patrick) to the original Warcraft, and extends (with Mike) to the creation of Battle.Net, the world's largest gaming network and includes StarEdit (with Jeff) the powerful and highly-regarded world editor for StarCraft. Our company was acquired in December 2002 by NCsoft, a powerhouse in gaming about whom I know you will be hearing more and more.
The biggest clarification though is that eXarch is... not our title. I don't have PCGamer in my hands at this moment, but that won't be our screenshot, either, I'm positive. Now, I know what that leads to is the question "So what IS your title?" and unfortunately we're not quite ready to go public with that, nor genre, nor release window. And yes, I know that's a little frustrating, since I've been on the fan side and I know what information is so eagerly sought! But if you guys can hold on for a while, I promise you news about what will be a wonderful game. Cross my heart! :)
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Hey, a small online guy in armor wacking some baddies with a sword (or, even better, a bow)? Sounds like my kind of game! Umm...well maybe a little more info would be nice, though we can but hope that it bears a strong resemblance to the original Diablo. ;)
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Occhidiangela,Mar 8 2003, 02:18 AM Wrote:. . . hype and waiting and anticipation and then, when the game hits, hopefully
"Satisfaction!"
We can hope, can't we?
Or, is it possible that the fantasy RPG model is on the downslope, and the bar to be cleared in order to be 'The goods' just too high? Of course we can hope. It's interesting to note though, the way Arena.net is not not hyping this game amongst a small crowd of people occasionally dropping a note and wishing some people good luck. Simply because they think something magical is going to happen :)
I don't quite understand: "... in order to be 'The goods' just too high?". I've read other posts by you and they made perfect sense, so I was just wondering what you meant :)
Btw. Gaile, thank you for clearing that up!
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Yeah sorry for the trouble there gaile. I had already posted this before you emailed me back about it. I was just so excited darn it!
Signatures suck
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03-10-2003, 07:45 AM
(This post was last modified: 03-10-2003, 07:48 AM by Gaile Gray.)
Hey, bschultz, this was no trouble at all, it was my pleasure to clear it up. And 'sides that, your alert about the magazine blurb allowed us to put a shiny new info post on the corporate site, which means things are cleared up sooner rather than later. We all appreciate the heads up.
Nick, you said here about our game, "they think something magical is going to happen." Yes. Ohhhhh, yes. :D
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When Diablo came out, there was some talk at the time that the Fantasy RPG genre was moribund, or had maybe just hit a bit of a creative wall. Diablo hit the ground running and became "the goods" or at the very least "the bee's knees" and in some cases "Da Bomb." In other words, it succeeded well beyong what many expected. It set a remarkable standard for combining game play simplicity, replayability, and easy to use graphical interface, including that marvelous innovation, the Lying Character Screen. :)
So, when is the next game going to arrive that makes a similar breakthrough, or is that sort of breakthrough simply to difficult to achieve?
I hope that Gaile's commentary here is predictive, and the 'magic' happens. :)
*waves to Gaile* Thanks for gracing us with your presence, y'all keep up the good work over there in Arena land . . . :)
Cry 'Havoc' and let slip the Men 'O War!
In War, the outcome is never final. --Carl von Clausewitz--
Igitur qui desiderat pacem, praeparet bellum
John 11:35 - consider why.
In Memory of Pete
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Gaile Gray,Mar 8 2003, 07:44 AM Wrote:StarEdit (with Jeff) the powerful and highly-regarded world editor for StarCraft. Tell Jeff that I know dozens of folk who would have killed for a "Stop WAV" trigger in StarEdit, myself included ;)
All joking aside, this all looks pretty interesting. I'll be keeping an eye on future progress.
When in mortal danger,
When beset by doubt,
Run in little circles,
Wave your arms and shout.
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Gaile Gray,Mar 8 2003, 02:44 AM Wrote:The biggest clarification though is that eXarch is... not our title. I don't have PCGamer in my hands at this moment, but that won't be our screenshot, either, I'm positive. Now, I know what that leads to is the question "So what IS your title?" and unfortunately we're not quite ready to go public with that, nor genre, nor release window. And yes, I know that's a little frustrating, since I've been on the fan side and I know what information is so eagerly sought! But if you guys can hold on for a while, I promise you news about what will be a wonderful game. Cross my heart! :) Gaile, you're too much. :) Any company smart enough to take on your services is one to be excited about, though!
Hope it's something I can get interested in. The LL could really use a third game to cover. There's still nothing out there that "does it" for me. Thanks for stopping on by this humble fansite.
-Bolty
Quote:Considering the mods here are generally liberals who seem to have a soft spot for fascism and white supremacy (despite them saying otherwise), me being perma-banned at some point is probably not out of the question.
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I never knew that. I've bought Diablo on a rainy saturday. Just a random purchase because the box looked so nice. It indeed turned out to be 'Da Bomb' :)
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04-22-2003, 11:19 PM
(This post was last modified: 04-22-2003, 11:25 PM by Nick Tandoori.)
Apologies for reviving such an old thread, but I just checked the arena.net website again and was surprised to find their first game announced. If it interests you, go and check the following url: http://www.arena.net
It wouldn't flabbergast me at all if you might actually like this one :)
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Don't apologize. Thanks for the heads up. :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :)
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04-23-2003, 02:31 AM
(This post was last modified: 04-23-2003, 02:33 AM by Methraton.)
Wow, it looks to be a very interesting game.
I have read the description (game info, faq) on ArenaNet and the preview at gamespot, and I must say that I'm quite impressed ! Here are my two cents :
INGREDIENTS : The following text might contain spoilers !
This game tries to implement all the fun part of MMORPG without keeping the boring and frustating parts. I especially love the fact that you can click on the map to get somewhere instead of having to walk, take a horse, ride a boat or beg for a teleport. Having to wait for 5-10 minutes for a boat then about 10 minutes to get to the other side of an ocean is the reason I quit EQ. :angry:
The quest system seems to be great too. Dynamic missions are fun, but they better not be repetitive as in AO. I hope they are varied and made so it's not difficult to get friends to join you (key copying and distributing them one by one could be tedious). Having to choose between 8 of all your learned skills before going in a mission allow a lot of roles and playstyle for one single build !
Skills that actually required some thinking before you use them is nice (the part in the preview about skills that act a little like M:TG). A few hundred of skills seems great but I hope they can balance (utopia ?) them. By utopia I am not saying they can't achieve this, I means that I don't think balance can be achieved in those kind of games. At least, they have a streaming technology that lets them update and patch easily, so we won't (might ? ) not have to wait for a year for a 1.10 patch ;)
Having to go through a "tutorial" that lets you play with different skills of all professions (classes) seems like a great idea. Then you choose the profession you like must. But the process can be long and boring if you have to do this for every new characters. Having to level to clvl 5 in DaoC or getting to the end of the tutorial in AC2 is not fun once you are an experienced player. I just hope it will be skippable (is that even a word ? ).
Graphics are ok but not awesome, but it's not whats important. Gameplay is the name of the game and should be for every game in my humble opinion.
Even though the preview talked about combat, I still don't know if the combat is action-oriented (Diablo) or tick-tick-tick-oriented (for lack of a better word, it means like in DaoC, EQ, AC, etc.)
I am really looking forward to this game and how it will evolve. I has a lot of potential but it is still really soon in development... well, I'm just enthousiast even though not much is known! The fact that I don't have to pay to play is great (especially since I'm paid in canadian pesos, but hey... thats where I live). And any game that has necromancers that can use a corpse explosion skill has to be good !
Methraton
P.S. I am a long time lurker, but it is my first post ! I just love your forums Bolty !
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04-23-2003, 04:38 PM
(This post was last modified: 04-23-2003, 04:43 PM by Mithrandir.)
A MMORPG without a monthly payment? Riiiiight. I'll believe it when I see it.
Ideas, screenshots, and "This is what e hope to do"s are nice and all, but a game they do not make. I think we can all take Horizons as evidence of this :)
Edit: BTW, what's this latest fad by MMO developers to create seperate dungeons for each group that goes in. MMOs are supposed to be social games - with all that that entails - not antisocial ones. Sure, in the early days of EQ I'm sure kill stealing was considered a "big problem" but it just is an absolute non-issue right now. Hell, in all my time playing DAoC, I cannot recall a single instance of someone stealing kills from me or my group... and only one instance of someone complaining about kill stealing on a public forum (even then, it turned out that it was just a case of poor communication).
--Mith
I would rather be ashes than dust! I would rather that my spark should burn out in a brilliant blaze than it should be stifled by dry rot. I would rather be a superb meteor, every atom of me in magnificent glow, than a sleepy and permanent planet. The proper function of man is to live, not to exist. I shall not waste my days in trying to prolong them. I shall use my time.
Jack London
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So, as I read this blurb, this game's release may render every other fantasy MMORPG obsolete. That is what I would call a bold vision. :)
World of Warcraft, watch your back, some one has a bullseye on it, and you know them personally! :)
Cry 'Havoc' and let slip the Men 'O War!
In War, the outcome is never final. --Carl von Clausewitz--
Igitur qui desiderat pacem, praeparet bellum
John 11:35 - consider why.
In Memory of Pete
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Occhidiangela,Apr 23 2003, 12:30 PM Wrote:World of Warcraft, watch your back, some one has a bullseye on it, and you know them personally! :) Competition...
Roland *The Gunslinger*
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Quote:BTW, what's this latest fad by MMO developers to create seperate dungeons for each group that goes in. MMOs are supposed to be social games - with all that that entails - not antisocial ones. Sure, in the early days of EQ I'm sure kill stealing was considered a "big problem" but it just is an absolute non-issue right now
Mithrandir, I think MMORPG developers try to prevent overcrowded areas and limit camping.
Instanciating zones is a good AND bad thing in my opinion:
-It's good because it implies you won't have to fight with another group for spawn. Who likes sharing anyway :P (that was ironic). I had sometimes wish that would happen in DaoC when you try to fight in Mithra's Tomb at peak hour.
-But the problem I see with it is that, when you are in a good group and there is too much people around, you usually explore and try to find another camp of monsters to kill. Anyway, that's what I did when I had nothing to hunt. Instanciating zones might limit exploration for some.
Anyway, that's what I *think* developers *think*... I'm probably completely off the track here ! :blink:
Methraton
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One quick question to Gaile: Any idea of what the system requirements are going to be? (specifically, if it's going to be for Mac, etc...)
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