[Exclusive] Camelot Unchained Q/A

I can’t believe we’re coming up on nine months since Camelot Unchained was funded via Kickstarter.  The CSE team has been hard at work pushing out lots of background information in the form of lore and stories to really set the premise for what’s going on in the world.  So it’s only natural that I would bug Mark Jacobs to subject himself to our barrage of question.

We decided it was time to really start getting to the nitty-gritty details of Camelot Unchained, and we wanted you (our readers) to begin the discussion.  We asked you to come up with the questions you want answered most, and then we just threw them at CSE in a nice big unorganized pile. I think you’ll enjoy what they sent back.

K&G: What is the combat system like? Twitch based, Action-rpg or traditional mmo hotkey based?

CSE: To date, we have said that we are going for an old-school approach to certain aspects of our game, and this would certainly be one of them. What I’m willing to say for now is that we don’t want a lot of bunny-hopping players dodging incoming attacks. There are enough games that already do this, some quite well, and we don’t need to add another to that list. Also, that style of gameplay doesn’t fit what our Founders have told us they are looking for in Camelot Unchained.

K&G: Are there levels in Camelot Unchained? If so, how do you handle/balance low and high level people fighting each other?

CSE: Yes, there will be levels for individual skills and abilities. Not character levels in the traditional sense (Ding Gratz! Now add +x to HP, etc.) but skill levels. As a game with horizontal progression, Camelot Unchained will focus on having a lot of different skills for the players, but also on trying to lower the power gap in individual skills between new players and veterans.

K&G: Are there any plans for social features? Things like in-game clubs/pubs and a large variety of social gear/activity’s (thinking Anarchy Online’s nightlife or SWG entertainer, some form of mini-game card game or anything outside the main focus of the gameplay).

CSE: We will have some social features (such as player-run inns), and there will certainly be something to do besides crafting and killing other players. How much farther we go with the social aspects will be determined by our stretch goals. FYI, we recently tested our new chat server tech, which will allow players to log in and communicate with their friends and guildmates regardless of whether they are using the game’s client or programs such as Trillian. Allowing our players to stay connected at all times, to each other and to what is going on in the game, is something we look forward to doing.

K&G: Can you give us examples of how the factions are different other than looks and names?

CSE: As might be expected, our Arthurians will have access to heavier armor than the other races, while the bows of the Tuatha De Danann will be more effective than those of the other realms. The Dvergr of the Viking realm will probably be the best crafters in the world. Each race will also have individual banes and boons that will offer further differentiation among the races. In Camelot Unchained, your choice of faction, race, etc. will matter a lot, as we are not going with mirrored races and classes.

K&G: What incentives are there for players to hold on to Keeps/Towers/PoIs/etc., that discourage people from simply wanting to trade/swap objectives all the time?

CSE: The carrot and the stick. Losing your special places must be painful, especially if your realm is in the majority. We must also make losing hurt enough so that players can’t min/max the keep trading. If we can’t do that, the RvR portion of our game will fail.

K&G: What are your thoughts on players Zerging?

CSE: As per our Kickstarter, while I personally don’t enjoy Zerging, we recognize that many players do, and that we must not only be able to support it, but also to build in player counters.

K&G: What are CSE’s plans to address the negatives associated with players Zerging?

CSE: We can’t stop Zerging (nor are we looking to do so), but if we can give players effective counters and, even more importantly, keep it from being or seeming the best way to succeed in Camelot Unchained, that will go a long way in this direction.

K&G: In the Luchorpán becoming story the ability called “Pop goes the Luchorpán” mentions distance increasing with practice and age. Two questions: (1) Will abilities improve the more we use them, and (2) Will our characters actually age?

CSE: 1) Yes; 2) Yes

K&G: How in-depth is the crafting system? Feel free to elaborate as much as possible and use previous MMOs as examples of what the crafting will be, and what it won’t be.

CSE: All I will say now is that it is my intention to have a very limited number of crafting skill trees, but with each one being very deep. Per the KS, it will be possible to work with them all; you will not be locked into choosing only a couple of them.

K&G: Is crafting a big focus, and if so how will you balance crafted items vs. non-crafted?

CSE: Umm, because there won’t be NPCs, raid bosses, etc. dropping loot everywhere, the vast majority of items will be player-created. It won’t be 100 percent since new players need weapons, and because if one realm is heavily outnumbered, I reserve the right for its leader to help the war effort by donating useful items such as armor, weapons and crafting materials to its players.

K&G: Will there be harvesters or factories similar to what players could use in Star Wars Galaxies?

CSE: Maybe.

K&G: Will the selling/purchasing of crafting materials be centralized, decentralized, or a mix of both?

CSE: I’m considering a commodities market for raw materials, but there won’t be an auction house for finished goods.

K&G: Will we be able to dye our gear and/or wear guild insignia on our shields and equipment?

CSE: Absolutely.

K&G: Will there be player cities and playing housing? If so, will it be non-instanced?

CSE: Absolutely. Having player-built structures is one of the core features of our game.

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We would like to thank Mark Jacobs and City State Entertainment for answering the questions our readers and community have about Camelot Unchained.  If you would like to learn more about Camelot Unchained, head over to the official site.

As always, our goal is to bring you the best gaming commentary on the web.  Stay tuned for plenty of Camelot Unchained coverage.