Upcoming: World Events & Faction Territory Control

Greetings everyone!

So Free2Play happened, which was awesome.

Even while we sorted through the server issues, lots of fun things that get industry types in suits get excited about like "concurrent users" and "unique logins" and whatnot all decided to climb high enough to set some records. Then when we finished sorting through the server issues they went up (of course). But I'm sure you're not here to read about that! You're probably interested in what's next content-wise.

To that end, guest posters AFFA and Neverender have decided to drop some knowledge on y'all re: World Events and Faction Territory Control that should be coming soon (once we have a PTS up). From here on out divest yourself of all but your scrollin' finger and your sense of amazement, because they're all you'll need!

World Events

Hey, it's AFFA, and I'm here to talk about World Events.
Have you ever seen waves of rotters attack Kristo's Rest?
Have you ever protected Chemtown from a CoG invasion?

Have you ever seen El Cadejo escape from Brigg's Point and go rampaging across the wastes?
Well, as Microsoft used to say: you will.

Types of World Events

The World Event system is Fallen Earth's answer to dynamic content. The system itself is very robust. We can create an event anywhere in the game and we have several types of events that can be combined to do almost anything.

There are currently three basic kinds of World Events: Node, Attack, and Effect. Node events spawn harvest nodes at a random location. Attack events can spawn a creatures in a random area or creatures that attack a specific point. They can spawn creatures in waves, as regular generators with a respawn time, or all at once. Effect events can apply an effect to all players, all NPCs, or just certain NPCs. This could be used to temporarily lower merchant prices in a town (Social debuff on merchants), start a disease spreading, or give all players in an area a buff.

We also have a more advanced World Event which we call Goal events as each one can have five separate goals that players must complete. The good news is that these Goal events can do almost anything. And if they can't do something yet, it is very easy to add new features. They are limited only to things available in the Scripting API, which is not much of a limit. The bad news is these events are extremely complicated and time-consuming to set up, and we don't have as many of these in the game yet as we'd like. In addition to spawning nodes, spawning creatures, and applying effects, these events can create objects, create buildings, change NPC behaviors, add new mission givers, and much more.

World Map Icons

The ability to draw on the world map, called the Objectives system internally, is something we've wanted for a long time but were only recently able to implement. World Events require map icons since they can occur at random, but there are other systems in the game that will benefit from the ability to draw on the world map, such as Conflict Towns, Progress Towns, and Town Events. We have plans to add more systems that make use of this feature, such as Territory Control (keep reading!).

All players in the game receive the icon, name, and position for every Objective on the map. All players should be able to see at a glance which faction owns a Territory Control keep, where a random boss has spawned, or where additional resource nodes are. You can see all the Objectives in the game on the map, not just the ones for your current sector. If you mouseover any Objective icon, a more detailed description will pop up.

Rewards

World Events track player participation. When a World Event succeeds, all players who have participated get a mission that instantly completes itself and offers rewards. The rewards can be anything a mission can give you: experience, items, AP, faction, chips, defense tokens, etc. The rewards are scaled based on your participation. Someone who killed 50 rotters will get a larger reward than someone who killed just 1. If you stop participating for too long or go offline, you may not get any reward. And of course there is no reward for failure.

Future Possibilities

Any World Event can chain to another World Event on creation, on success, or on failure. With this capability, we can eventually build chains of events and make Fallen Earth a much more dynamic game. Currently the event for Kristo's Rest above is just waves of rotters. But in the future, if you kill all the rotters, perhaps that will chain to a World Event to fix the LifeNet pod. And if you fail, perhaps that will chain to a World Event that makes all the NPCs go indoors and rotters roam freely in the town. There are a few examples of this working internally, but they are minor. For instance, if you finish one of the Papermill World Events, it chains to a Node event that spawns crates of paper as part of the reward.

The World Events we have written so far are very modest and don't use the full capability of the system. We also have some additional work to do before we can make mission givers, merchants, and other town NPCs react to World Events. The first batch of World Events will be mostly random harvest nodes and creatures attacking a single town, but we have big plans for this system in the future.

Territory Control

Hey guys, Neverender here. I've been busy working on the upcoming Territory Control system. Here in the office we've started to have some early play tests of some of the mechanics, and I think it's going to be a lot of fun. I have to say, the area looks amazing. Our artists have done some excellent work and I am pumped for this stuff to go Live so I can run around and kick some ass in this war zone they've created. You probably want to hear some more about the mechanics of Territory Control, so I thought I'd share a few things.

Territory Control area, with large central keep (left)

One of six smaller keeps

Territory Control Area

When Territory Control goes Live, we will introduce a new area north of Blaine where everything--at least initially--will take place. We plan on expanding Territory Control after that, but to give you an idea of the size I'd say the whole area is around the size of Terminal Woods. The area can be reached by taking the road north from Blaine. Once there, you'll be able to activate a Fast Travel point at your respective Faction camp along the outskirts of the area.

Control Points

The Territory Control area has 13 control points that Factions can hold. These control points work a lot like the existing Faction Control system, but with some nice additions. Six of the points are out in the open and will be harder to defend and maintain control of. The other seven points are actually inside of keeps (including one bad-ass huge keep in the middle of the area) that will provide much better defense, as well as some other nice perks.

Keeps

The keeps will feature destructible doors and walls with defenses that can be upgraded and reinforced once your Faction has taken control. The keeps also come equipped with some out-of-service LifeNet pods, but don't worry-- you can fix those too! You may want to protect them though, as they might make a nice target for any attackers that have their hearts set on taking over your keep. There will also be Faction NPC guards and bosses that help add some extra defense.

The barriers and LifeNet pods can be upgraded by spending Death Toll. Some perks for holding a keep (on top of the much better defensibility) will include vaults, a mailbox, a crafting facility, and more. Players from the faction that currently controls the keep will be able to use a re-purposed LifeNet Pod to teleport themselves inside.

Rewards

If your faction holds any of the 13 control points in the area, you'll get a nice buff that will improve based on the number of points you control. That improvement will max out at 4 control points. The buff will increase death toll, faction, and experience earnings and will also give a nice boost to the major offensive combat skills.

And then there's what you're all really fighting over: resources. When you control a point, you'll have the ability to create and place your own harvesters that will generate some nice resource nodes in the area surrounding your control point. Be sure to defend your area though, because if another faction moves in and takes over you'll lose your hard work!

Capture Mechanic

Currently the capture mechanic works a lot like Faction Control Points. The control points each have a flag. If there are Faction NPC guards or bosses defending the flag, you'll need to take them out before you can attempt to take control. If the control point is inside of a keep, you'll need to breach the keep's door(s) before you can even do that. Whenever you take control of one of these points away from another Faction, your flag will be immune to attacks for a short while. We also plan to add exciting new ways to take control of an area in the near future.

Each control point will have an icon on the strategic map representing the Faction that currently controls it, as well as what state it is in. The 3 states that the icon will indicate are Controlled, Under Attack, and Immune to Attack. Each faction has 3 icons that represent each of those states, so players anywhere will be able to see how their Faction is doing at all times.

Well, that covers most of the basics. I'm excited to see all of this in action. Thanks for reading!

Fallen Earth - On Free2Play and Beyond!

We're on the cusp! 

Today marks the day we've been building up to for the last four months. As of today, everyone with an account will be able to log in and play Fallen Earth without buying a box or paying for a sub! Free players will be able to gain every level, craft every item, join and create clans, and visit every place in the world (including all instances) without paying a dime. Current subscribers will be upgraded for free to the Commander Premium Subscription (until their current sub or game time ends or re-ups), and everyone who has ever bought the game or had a sub will be receiving their Spiked Chopper. Check this page out for the full rundown on playing free or supporting the game with a Premium Subscription.

We know the ride hasn't always been smooth, but it's been a crazy fun journey and we're honored to be taking it with you!

Gifts Recap

If you're an existing subscriber, please check below to make sure you receive everything for which you've qualified. We've spent a lot of time on these, and we'd hate it if you missed out on them!

• July Subscriber Appreciation Gifts: Fancy White Boots and Skindog Pet. Sent to anyone with an active subscription or game time in July. Keys sent out in August.
• August Subscriber Appreciation Gifts: Snazzy White Hat and Chupacabras Pet. Goes to anyone with an active subscription or game time in August. Keys sent out in September.
• September Subscriber Appreciation Gifts: Sexy White Jacket and Classic Creeper Pet. Goes to anyone with an active subscription or game time in September. Keys sent out in October.
• Free2Play Transition Subscriber Appreciation Gift: Chest, Legs, and Groin Wardrobe Slots unlock item. Goes to all who had an active subscription in July, August, September, and October. Keys to be sent out today.
• Vet Reward Item: Spiked Chopper. Keys to be sent out by the end of this week.
• Commander Subscription Upgrade: Free upgrade to Commander level Premium Subscription on any game time/sub active when the game goes Free2Play. Lasts until the end of the current billing cycle.
• Permanent Commander Subscription Discount: Permanent discount on Commander Premium Subscription ($29.99 to $19.99), available to all players who have ever purchased or subscribed to the game. Effective permanently as of October 12th.

As with all of the code-based gifts (Vet Reward Chopper and Subscriber/Transition Gifts), you can check your e-mail for the code OR find it in your account's "Codes" page.

Patch Notes & World Events Delay

Besides Free2Play, here are some changes of note:

• Loot on many creatures fixed (drop rates shouldn't have been as low as they were)
• Bridges fixed to lower incidents of people falling through them
• Bandages back on merchants
• Fastener count in recipes reduced (to reflect the fact that they are now rarer)
• Bandages require less cotton
• New items on Reward Merchants: "Commander's Best Crafting Kit" (can be used in place of any crafting kit) and Wardrobe Slot unlocks

We wanted desperately to release World Events along with Free2Play, but the realities of testing mean we've uncovered enough bugs and performance issues to have to push it. As a consequence, World Events will be added in next week. And they'll be awesome when they do.

Check out the full patch notes here.

Economy Overview:

Subtitle: Where are we going with all this??

We understand that before the last patch it was easy to run out to a waypoint and snag some components you knew would be there. Completely understated, it sucks to not be able to just do this now! This is the way Things Have Always Been, and changing it up is stressful to everyone that has been doing it since forever. There were, however, three huge problems with maintaining that status quo: One, it wasn't fun. Two, when things are easy to get (as they were), they don't matter as much. Three, there was no reason to interact with other players. At best, it was a simple way to get whatever components you needed with little challenge; at worst it was an unengaging pre-requisite to crafting that devalued both cooperation and final crafted products. Everyone got the resources they wanted whenever they wanted them and everyone could craft anything easily, meaning there was no real value to resources and not much of a market for components or products. Nobody needed to trade or cooperate to achieve goals, and there was never any competition for resources. While this was a fairly laid back system to participate in, it was not particularly good for Fallen Earth's long term health.

Now we're in the process of changing that up for the better, even if the changes right now seem like they make things a little more difficult. With the addition of World Events and Faction Territory Control, there will be more substance to resource gathering, and all the activities dependent on acquiring resources. Where before resource gathering meant going out to your waypoints and getting the resources you need, soon it will mean competing with opposing factions to control territory and cooperating with your faction and clan to harvest unique nodes from that territory, finding a suitable plot of land and placing your own resource harvester (and defending it), participating in dynamic World Events, hunting for resources in PvP areas, or just exploring to find resources on your own, using what you need and trading what you don't. 


You'll have to make a lot more interesting choices, and there will be more game there to play. All in all it should be a lot of fun, and we're looking forward to it -- and all the other new developments that the transition to Free2Play will enable!

Free2Play Details and More!

On the morning of October 12th, 2011 Fallen Earth will go into its regularly scheduled maintenance. When it returns, the game will officially be transitioned to Free2Play. This means that all current and former accounts (that have been linked to a GamersFirst account) will be able to play for free!



*Finalized but still subject to balance tweaks. Veteran pricing on Commander Premium Subscription is intended to be discounted, details of which are coming soon.

Scavenger -

This is a free account, the default starting level for all new accounts. This is for those who are new to Fallen Earth, or returning players that aren't sure what to expect. You'll have access to 100% of the game content from level 1 to max level. The efficiency at which you advance is not quite comparable to subscribed players, there is a limit to how many hours per day you can spend crafting, and how many chips you can have (this is to limit gold farmer impact, and goes away if you ever subscribe or buy anything, which essentially just "validates" your account). You do receive Reward Points each month, which you can take straight to the Reward Points merchants and spend right away, or save up for something bigger. Your primary reasons to purchase a Premium subscription will be to maximize your rate of advancement, to
get unlimited crafting time, more character slots and reward points, and because you want to show support for Fallen Earth's continued development :)

Survivalist -

The entry level Premium Subscription, Survivalist, is directly analogous to the game current subscribers are playing in terms of Reward Points and rates of advancement (except for the addition of a 5% marketplace discount), but costs $9.99 -- $5.00 less than the current subscription. You probably want to go Survivalist if you're into playing Fallen Earth enough to want to remove the minor restrictions to which "Scavenger" accounts are subject, and don't mind playing at the current default advancement rates. Your biggest reason to upgrade is that you want to improve all of the aforementioned gain rates plus you want a bit more Reward Points to spend at the Reward Merchants (which isn't a bad idea, as we're adding more stuff to them all the time).

Wastelander -

This costs $14.99 -- the same as a current subscription -- and provides dramatic increases your harvesting and crafting speed, as well as the rates of gain of EXP, AP, Death Toll, and faction. You want to go with Wastelander if you're a current player who understands the game and wants to benefit from the efficiency increases this Premium subscription provides. If you're truly a solo player, this is all you need -- it comes with a 15% discount in the Marketplace and 300 Reward Points (versus the current 100 Reward Points you already get with a subscription). Note: If you have an existing subscription, it will transition to Wastelander without your having to do anything.

Commander -

The Commander Premium Subscription is what you'll want if you're someone whom others look up to as a leader. While it is in most respects similar to Wastelander, the key difference here is that this package includes the Commander aura, a stackable buff that increases salvaging speed, EXP, Random AP, Death Toll, and Faction gain rates for all players in the Commander's group. It also includes a massive 500 Reward Points. You probably want to go Commander if you have friends that you want to help out with your aura, and/or you plan on buying a lot of items from the Reward Shop (which includes marketplace items as well).

Fallen Earth free to play confirmed

Just how free-to-play will it be?

There will essentially be four tiers of this new business model: completely free, plus the Silver, Gold, and VIP subscription levels. The subscriptions will offer reward points, much as the game does now, but with even more items to purchase with those points. Keep in mind that these may not be the official names of the subscription tiers on release.

Free: This is to be considered an unlimited free trial, by which players will be allowed to play the game from end to end completely free if they'd like. They just won't earn any reward points.

Silver: This tier will cost less than the current sub price (which is currently $14.99 a month) and provide the same content. All subscriptions (Silver, Gold, and VIP) will also earn enhanced XP gain.

Gold: This will cost the same as the current sub fee but offer more reward points and bonuses each month, which can be spent in the item shop. So you'll be getting more for the same price.

VIP: With this top tier (which will most likely cost more than the current sub fee), players will have the ability to share their VIP bonuses with everyone in their party in the form of a VIP "aura." So if one person in your party is VIP but the rest are free players, everyone in the group will still reap the rewards of this aura. These rewards are also stackable, so if you have a full party of VIP members, you can expect some crazy boosts for everyone in the group.

Also, the game will be a free download from the GamersFirst site, but the company will not be removing either the current stock of boxed copies being sold in brick and mortar stores or the Steam digital download. If you do buy a boxed copy, you'll get some sort of subscription compensation to equal things out. Details on this haven't been finalized yet.

What will be offered in the item shop?

This is something that hasn't been set in stone yet, but some examples given were items that decrease crafting time and the possibility of more cosmetic content.

Many of the items in the item shop will be available to purchase for both GamersFirst credits (something used for all of its games) and Fallen Earth reward points. This allows you to pay through game means or just outright with cash.

When does this new business model start?

There's no definite date yet, but the developers say it should be within the next few months if all goes well.

Will the game's development change?

Marie says that the current development schedule is on target and will remain intact. Past Alpha County, the team hopes to introduce more player-driven content with long-term features. This is something it has discussed previously (especially with progress towns) and is still aiming to deliver. With the added resources from GamersFirst, the development goals should be easier to reach, but the design decisions themselves will not be dictated by GamersFirst.

GamersFirst talks Fallen Earth and F2P

Massively: So you're working with Fallen Earth -- what can you tell us about that?

Darek Connole: We're helping them by offloading some of the block-and-tackle, day-to-day operations so that their creative team can focus on getting things like Alpha County done.

We see the game and we see so much potential. It's such an awesome game, but there's just a niche that's playing it, so we're offering them cost-savings in their backend. We're also looking at putting a marketing machine behind it. They do great PR, but their marketing side is a little weak, and we're looking to bolster their advertising and get their name out there.

What we're getting out of that right now is we're looking at the way their microtransactions work, we're looking at the way their subscription model works, and we're looking at how we can get our take of that. Now, the relationship is still forming, so I would say for you and for your audience, keep your eyes peeled to see where it goes!

I have to ask about the business model. Is it going to go free-to-play?

Free-to-play is on the table. It's not something I can confirm; it's not something that I can deny. But we're talking about all kinds of options.

It's a consideration.

It's a huge consideration because the game does already lend itself. It has an in-game store, and it already has a subscription model that has more of a premium model than a typical subscription base, so it is something we're looking at. However, we also have to balance the current game and the current game systems.

The Fallen Earth fans are awesome. They're amazing. And they're technical people, even moreso than the All Points Bulletin fans. We did a screencast and 30 to 40 percent of the questions were about server sharding, lag time, where are they located, are we going to be making any changes to the packet software (because they didn't want to see drops in ping or anything like that). Hugely smart, hugely technically savvy -- that's a gamer who will be there, one who deserves to be taken care of.

The game deserves to be taken care of. It's a brilliant concept, the crafting system, kind of like APB's character creation system; it's fantastic. It takes some of the BS out of other crafting systems (like stopping everything you're doing to do it); they allow you to set stuff up and go. It's great. We want to be a part of that, and how that is going to go is still being determined.

As for other business models, we're looking at tiered sub models. We're looking at a lot of different things because the last thing we want to do is do something that doesn't fit the game. We care about our players. Our players and our player communities are the most important thing to us. Without them we have nothing since we don't have a box sale on that side.

And the team at Fallen Earth an amazing mentality. Marie Croall is amazing and passionate. When we first started to go down this road, there were certain things that she said were absolutely not going to happen, so we've come up with a company line on things like leased weapons and pay-to-win and things like that:

Frak that.

And you can quote me. We are not doing that. We're going to keep the game true to the game and to the people who like it. We're not there to impose our will on it; we're there to help because we see opportunity.

It's a brilliant game, and it's very deep, but nobody's playing it. And hopefully we can help that.

And it sounds like you're on board with keeping the current staff over there.

Well, we don't have any control over that. We're giving suggestions on things, but we don't have any direct control over development; it's all Marie and her team. She definitely tells us if we make a suggestion she doesn't like -- she's very vocal about it.