Legends of Aria - new sandbox MMO by the leads of UO where you can make UO2

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Video Games > The MMO HMO > Legends of Aria - new sandbox MMO by the leads of UO where you can make UO2

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Alexander DeLarge: Dec 20, 2013

2018 update: Game is now called Legends of Aria. lovely name but it's still doing the custom shards stuff which is all that matters.
By the way the graphics changed too. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EaMhfWggDUs

quote:

From former lead engineer (Derek 'Supreem' Brinkmann) and lead designer (Tim 'Draconi' Cotten) of Ultima Online comes Shards Online.

"Citadel Studios has the right team to give the sandbox genre what it�s been missing" - Rob Denton, co-creator of Dark Age of Camelot

Experience limitless content. It's a game that lets you experience hundreds of different worlds with just one client! You can play on official Citadel Studios servers or join any of the hundreds of community run servers. Each server has different rules and content, allowing you to find a game universe that fits your exact play style.

Shards Online is breaking away from the modern MMO conventions of levels, classes and quest grinds. We are returning to living virtual worlds where stories emerge naturally as players explore the worlds laid out before them.

The game will launch with a complete game containing several official rule-sets. Our current plans include one with a well balanced set of gameplay, a hardcore PvP battle-royale, and even one featuring permanent character death: the ultimate game of risk versus reward.

We are initially targeting the PC platform, and plans for a Mac and Linux launch are in the works. Shards Online will be distributed digitally and we are strongly considering using an established platform like Steam.

When you purchase the game, you will be able to play on player run servers and run a single �shard� with no additional cost or subscription fees. In addition to the official Citadel Clusters, players will be able to run their own servers by signing up for a cluster server that is hosted by Citadel Studios. We only intend to charge just enough to cover our costs. These servers, when marked public, will be listed in-game for all players to see and join.

Shards Online is the first game that legitimately allows you to run and moderate your own game worlds with the potential to support thousands of users at one time. Customize every aspect of your servers� gameplay experience from character development, to combat, to items and equipment, to monsters and AI. You can even add completely custom game worlds!

Ultimately, we aren�t just creating game that fosters a player community, instead, we are giving our players the tools to create their own in-game communities.

This is where it gets interesting

quote:

Explore the Multiverse (official shards): Out of the box, it's a complete game experience with an immersive storyline. It�s about vengeful gods that fight for supremacy in a multiverse of worlds that span many genres.

Shards and Clusters

Each server (or �shard�) is a completely separate game world. These game worlds are connected together to form a much larger server (or �cluster�).

The cluster ties all of its connected �shards� to a single rule-set. This enforces fairness since player characters are also tied to the cluster. It would not make sense to be able to bring a character that is fully geared from a �shard� with easy rules to a �shard� running a hardcore rule-set.

Cluster servers are provided by Citadel Studios and use a simple web interface for managing the cluster. Through this interface, you can select the rule-set, change settings, add �shards� to the cluster, and manage god users.

Clusters can have any number of �shards� connected to it. This way you can decide which maps are available to explore. Want to run a steampunk only cluster? Want to run 10 versions of the fantasy home �shard� Celador? (think of them as alternate realities) It�s completely up to the players that run the cluster.

Our top priority with player run servers is simplicity. This is the first step to putting all the power and freedom of Shards Online squarely in the players hands

Immortals and Gods

Mortals are not the only living creatures in the many worlds of Shards Online. There are those who have escaped the icy grip of death; those who have unlocked ancient and divine powers. These immortals and gods oversee and shape the mortal realm.

There are many classes of immortals in the Shards Online multiverse. Normal players who ascend to immortality interact with the world on a completely different level.

Immortals trade the foolish desires of mortals for new powers. They can change their form or become completely invisible, and instant teleportation is trivial.

Even still, there many entities more powerful than immortals. The first of such are shard gods. �Shard� gods have complete control over the objects, life forms and events of their home �shard(s)�. Here is just a small sample of the powers that gods will wield:

Cluster gods are in control of the entire cluster. In addition to having god powers on every single �shard� in the cluster, they can control the cluster from the web interface.

Make the cluster public (listed on server select) or private (players need address)
Control what �shards� connect to the cluster
Give god access to player accounts
Grant or deny access to the cluster for specific accounts
Set the cluster rule-set and tweak rule-set settings
This system of moderation allows you to stay completely in character in game while still providing you with all the tools you need to create engaging game worlds.

Custom Rulesets

In addition to the official rule-sets provided with the game by the Citadel team, players with the desire to mod the game will create custom rule-sets. Just like mods for other games, these mods will be posted online for other players to use on their clusters. While truly adventurous modders may build an entire rule-set from scratch, most custom rule-sets will be variations of one of the official rule-sets.

Our primary goal with the modding system is to allow for easy creation of simple mods while still providing ways to allow the modder to go as deep as they want. There are many layers to the customization of Shards Online.

The most simple way to modify a rule-set is through the creation and manipulation of world objects. World objects are permanent objects that always exist in the world. A common object type is a spawner. These spawn other objects in the world such as NPCs, monsters and treasure chests.

Every single object in the game world is created through the use of object templates. These templates define the properties and behaviors of those objects. There are so many things you can create just by manipulating these templates. Here are just a few examples:

NPCs and creatures � You can specify the equipment they are wearing and the loot they have in their pack. Give them custom dialogue and add special behaviors.
Equipment � Templates specify the name, color, attributes and special abilities of weapons and armor.
Spawners � Define the region, types of creatures and respawn frequency for NPC and creature spawners.
At the core, nearly every aspect of gameplay is defined by behaviors written in the Lua scripting language. Even the entire combat system including skills and abilities is defined with behaviors. Here are some examples of things you can change in script:

Create new skills, abilities, crafting recipes, rare resources
Write new AI for NPCs and creatures.
Create new story lines and events.
Create new game modes.
We at Citadel Studios are really excited to see what players will come up with using custom rule-sets.

Live Server Editing

Admins will customize their world without ever logging out. From creating portals, to monster spawners, to even custom NPCs with their own stories, every single shard will have its own stories and encounters for players to experience. This level of world customization will require absolutely no technical knowledge or artistic skills.

Custom Assets (Phase 2)

At some point during Alpha, we will begin to roll out the ability for player run servers to use custom assets. Modders will use the Unity editor to create new items, equipment, monsters and even completely new maps. These custom assets will be automatically synced down to the player when they connect to a server running them. This will take modded shards to a completely new level.

2016 Greenlight Trailer
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lU1Xk6iexno

Also here's pre-alpha player housing
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nAv3Zga1OJA

Business Model
It's in pre-alpha backer only access right now, but it's going to be buy2play where you can host your own server or pay them to host it for you. They'll be selling expansions later on.

Check out the website for more info
http://legendsofaria.com

:siren:

Use my referral link, I might be able to get our own "cluster" and award you with the loyalty items once I have them :siren:

http://www.legendsofaria.com/purchase/?referral=ff-3a72

Alexander DeLarge fucked around with this message at 10:13 on Jul 1, 2018

# ? Sep 5, 2015 07:38

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# ? Apr 27, 2024 05:37

Freakazoid_: Jul 5, 2013; Buglord

This would be kinda neat if Shroud of the Avatar and Crowfall weren't already approaching similar ideas. Also the art direction blows.

# ? Sep 5, 2015 11:40

Digital Prophet: Apr 16, 2006; "..and then came the black crow, herald of doom, who foretold the coming of death."

Freakazoid_ posted:

This would be kinda neat if Shroud of the Avatar and Crowfall weren't already approaching similar ideas. Also the art direction blows.

Not really. I backed both this and crowfall, and they're pretty radically different. SoA sadly looks like a confusing jumble of nonsense.

This game, for me, is all about creating my own poo poo. The actual game itself is largely secondary, much like the single player campaign that shipped with the NWN games. You can host your own server, with your own custom poo poo. Its the MMO-friendly version of the NWN toolset. At least, that's the pitch. We'll see how much of that actually shows up, and what level of customization we really have access to. Im hoping for all of it, but fully expecting to be disappointed.

Crowfall, on the other hand, is a game with temporary, randomly generated worlds, which only last a few months, and which serve as pvp platforms. Each player has a sort of base of operations which takes the form of a static, saved land that they can customize with different "land" modules, but it mostly (I think) acts like a social hub or something between conquests.

The art direction does blow.

# ? Sep 5, 2015 12:14

Alexander DeLarge: Dec 20, 2013

Gawain The Blind posted:

Not really. I backed both this and crowfall, and they're pretty radically different. SoA sadly looks like a confusing jumble of nonsense.

This game, for me, is all about creating my own poo poo. The actual game itself is largely secondary, much like the single player campaign that shipped with the NWN games. You can host your own server, with your own custom poo poo. Its the MMO-friendly version of the NWN toolset. At least, that's the pitch. We'll see how much of that actually shows up, and what level of customization we really have access to. Im hoping for all of it, but fully expecting to be disappointed.

Crowfall, on the other hand, is a game with temporary, randomly generated worlds, which only last a few months, and which serve as pvp platforms. Each player has a sort of base of operations which takes the form of a static, saved land that they can customize with different "land" modules, but it mostly (I think) acts like a social hub or something between conquests.

The art direction does blow.

As for the art direction, I figure that's because they want it simple to implement third party assets but it does look like generic fantasy game #2010921090921, luckily the mechanics save it from being generic fantasy game #2010921090921. Imagine how rad this will be if someone recreates Britannia and maybe a game set on Middle Earth during the first or second ages, those are the most likely recreations, but most of it will be original content. Based on what I've seen in the pre-alpha builds, they're really trying to ship something comparable to UO with the Enhanced Client but have the multiplayer functionality of a game like NWN (which is more of a platform than an actual game).

Imagine how cool it could be where you have a cluster of communities banding together so characters are shared across shards using shared assets but different terrains and quests and all that kind of stuff.

Shroud of the Avatar is shaping up to be alright, personally I'm waiting for feature complete beta before I judge it but I can see major improvements across each release they do. Crowfall is too early to be considered competition, but the more sandboxes there are in development, the better chances one will be great and stick around.

# ? Sep 5, 2015 13:36

Baldbeard: Mar 26, 2011

Imagine dear reader a fantasy world of limitless possibilities.

# ? Sep 5, 2015 16:07

Freakazoid_: Jul 5, 2013; Buglord

Gawain The Blind posted:

Not really. I backed both this and crowfall, and they're pretty radically different. SoA sadly looks like a confusing jumble of nonsense.

This game, for me, is all about creating my own poo poo. The actual game itself is largely secondary, much like the single player campaign that shipped with the NWN games. You can host your own server, with your own custom poo poo. Its the MMO-friendly version of the NWN toolset. At least, that's the pitch. We'll see how much of that actually shows up, and what level of customization we really have access to. Im hoping for all of it, but fully expecting to be disappointed.

Crowfall, on the other hand, is a game with temporary, randomly generated worlds, which only last a few months, and which serve as pvp platforms. Each player has a sort of base of operations which takes the form of a static, saved land that they can customize with different "land" modules, but it mostly (I think) acts like a social hub or something between conquests.

The art direction does blow.

You're under the idea they're actually going to deliver an NWN style creation system, when it looks like it'll be a series of predetermined assets with similar themes and rules you can mix and match. Which is like crowfall, except the devs decide when the new window dressing goes in.

edit: ok, the LUA scripting is something, but it's limited. This puts it in a similar ballpark as neverwinter online, a shining beacon of player created content.

Freakazoid_ fucked around with this message at 12:32 on Sep 6, 2015

# ? Sep 6, 2015 12:19

Digital Prophet: Apr 16, 2006; "..and then came the black crow, herald of doom, who foretold the coming of death."

Freakazoid_ posted:

You're under the idea they're actually going to deliver an NWN style creation system, when it looks like it'll be a series of predetermined assets with similar themes and rules you can mix and match. Which is like crowfall, except the devs decide when the new window dressing goes in.

edit: ok, the LUA scripting is something, but it's limited. This puts it in a similar ballpark as neverwinter online, a shining beacon of player created content.

Well, there has been screenshots of the creation interface and it looks like it gets down to the pieces, rather than the whole map sections that crowfall uses for your personal kindom or whatever. They haven't really gone into detail about it though, so you could be right. The impression I got was that it would be pretty involved, or I wouldn't have backed it in the first place. The Neverwinter foundry is pretty awful for that stuff. They also are saying that you will "eventually" be able to import your own assets, though they always preface that with "eventually." It's kind of frustrating really, because all of the videos they post are about the game itself which I don't care about in the least, as long as its functional. I think maybe they're confused as to their key demographic. Or they're trying to hide how limited it will really be.

# ? Sep 6, 2015 16:35

eonwe: Aug 11, 2008; Lipstick Apathy

hello all

# ? Sep 6, 2015 16:39

Blazing Zero: Sep 7, 2012; *sigh* sure. it's a weed joke

how long before this game exists

# ? Sep 6, 2015 21:06

eonwe: Aug 11, 2008; Lipstick Apathy

so I do have to say that out of Crowfall, Albion, and Shards I think I do like the 'concept' of Shards the most but i feel like its got about a good a chance of being a game as Crowfall which isn't a lot

# ? Sep 6, 2015 21:23

Blazing Zero: Sep 7, 2012; *sigh* sure. it's a weed joke

there's always great ideas and a handful of people willing to do something about the idea. will it be done well though?

# ? Sep 7, 2015 00:29

Alexander DeLarge: Dec 20, 2013

Blazing Zero posted:

how long before this game exists

It's playable and fun now, but I'd estimate a late 2016 release, which isn't bad since they've been in full production since June 2014

# ? Sep 7, 2015 08:15

Alexander DeLarge: Dec 20, 2013

Freakazoid_ posted:

You're under the idea they're actually going to deliver an NWN style creation system, when it looks like it'll be a series of predetermined assets with similar themes and rules you can mix and match. Which is like crowfall, except the devs decide when the new window dressing goes in.

edit: ok, the LUA scripting is something, but it's limited. This puts it in a similar ballpark as neverwinter online, a shining beacon of player created content.

Really depends on how in depth they go with the Lua scripting support, but from what they've said, you'll be able to make your own rulesets and create your own mechanics so I'd say it's more similar to Garry's Mod in that way, which was pretty awesome.

No idea how importing custom assets will work but it's definitely going to be more than "here's a library of prefabs that you can use"

# ? Sep 7, 2015 08:20

Blazing Zero: Sep 7, 2012; *sigh* sure. it's a weed joke

if they essentially make a uo2 but with garry's mod level editing, i am so on board with this thing. gonna watch this and see what happens

# ? Sep 7, 2015 08:22

eonwe: Aug 11, 2008; Lipstick Apathy

Same

# ? Sep 8, 2015 16:53

Kylra: Dec 1, 2006; Not a cute boy, just a boring girl.

Why should I potentially play this in the future when I can literally play Ultima Online right now.

# ? Sep 9, 2015 00:23

Blazing Zero: Sep 7, 2012; *sigh* sure. it's a weed joke

the only reason i can think of is its gonna be prettier :v:

# ? Sep 9, 2015 02:30

Kylra: Dec 1, 2006; Not a cute boy, just a boring girl.

It looks newer, but I'm not entirely sold on better at the moment.

The most important question though: will we finally be able to vendor buy the bank some guards?

# ? Sep 9, 2015 02:52

Alexander DeLarge: Dec 20, 2013

Kylra posted:

Why should I potentially play this in the future when I can literally play Ultima Online right now.

Because the decently populated UO shards don't want to support the newer client tech out of ~muh nostalgia~ when the player base continues to play the game due to the sandbox mechanics.

Razor-based clients only support 1080p game windows while the Enhanced Client supports up to 4K, looks better, not to mention plays better too.

Alexander DeLarge fucked around with this message at 08:01 on Sep 9, 2015

# ? Sep 9, 2015 07:59

Kylra: Dec 1, 2006; Not a cute boy, just a boring girl.

Saying that one UO client is better than another is not really an argument in favor of this game!

# ? Sep 9, 2015 14:46

Kylra: Dec 1, 2006; Not a cute boy, just a boring girl.

Oh hey their alpha pack isn't a billion dollars. I still don't know if it's $40 worth over the cost of playing UO to risk though.

# ? Sep 9, 2015 14:50

yoloer420: May 19, 2006

So it looks like they'll be hosting all the servers. That's a bit annoying.

# ? Nov 1, 2015 09:33

Alexander DeLarge: Dec 20, 2013

yoloer420 posted:

So it looks like they'll be hosting all the servers. That's a bit annoying.

quote:

What is the difference between a �shard� and a cluster? Do we have to host our �shards� through Citadel?
The current plan is to have �shards� hosted in the way other games like Minecraft host their servers. You get the binary when you purchase the game and can run the server out of your house or rent space from a game server hosting company. If you are tech-savvy enough, you can run them up in the cloud yourself!
You can run a single �shard� for people to directly connect to (just like Minecraft) without the use of our cluster technology. However, if you want to connect multiple �shards� together, you will sign up with Citadel Studios for a hosted cluster. Among other things, this provides you with a web interface that allows you to specify which �shards� can connect into the cluster, and what players have admin (god) access.

Unless someone has something really unique/special, I figure they'll want to stay connected in the clusters.

# ? Nov 1, 2015 09:38

Byolante: Mar 23, 2008; by Cyrano4747

I was just thinking to myself what the mmo space is really missing is a sandbox pvp game founded on nostalgia for UO, thank god these guys are here to provide that option.

# ? Nov 2, 2015 13:05

HardKase: Jul 15, 2007; TASTY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=So2pu_c80eo

# ? Dec 14, 2015 17:20

Alexander DeLarge: Dec 20, 2013

HardKase posted:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=So2pu_c80eo

Added to OP, he made this looks really good and explained it moderately well.

# ? Dec 15, 2015 01:55

Khorne: May 1, 2002

HardKase posted:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=So2pu_c80eo

Why does the screen look so jerky when the guy moves? It's hurting my brain.

# ? Dec 16, 2015 11:08

Usenet Magic-User: Jun 13, 2010

This will be the best uo launched in 2016

I will only be playing on the clusters that allow macroing and don't have skill locks. Nothing like losing a point of Magery when you accidentally raise tactics while wrestling

Usenet Magic-User fucked around with this message at 11:57 on Dec 16, 2015

# ? Dec 16, 2015 11:54

xZAOx: Sep 6, 2004; PORKCHOP SANDWICHES

Alexander DeLarge posted:

Added to OP, he made this looks really good and explained it moderately well.

I'm not sure if that's sarcasm or not. I mean, it's not the worst video ever, especially by YouTube "standards", but the main takeaways I had from it were:

1. That he was a psycho (he seriously kept going on about wanting to decorate a house with severed heads for way too long)
2. First fight involves getting your rear end kicked by a deer, boy that sounds thrilling
3. Your "UO-style PVP/OpenLoot" realms will be nothing but PKs camping newbs and terrible if you're trying to do anything else but camp newbs, unless you're in a guild with people to protect you or something before you even log in (which is, I guess, definitely the nostalgic experience.....)

# ? Dec 16, 2015 14:44

Byolante: Mar 23, 2008; by Cyrano4747

I am glad someone is taking the brave step of producing middleware so that upcoming UO nostalgia bait full loot pvp sandbox mmo devs can test out their ideas before they launch a new kickstarter. Who am I kidding if they had tested their ideas they would know they are poo poo and that can't be true!

# ? Dec 16, 2015 15:27

Kimsemus: Dec 4, 2013; by Reene; Toilet Rascal

Is this game still happening? I've heard nothing about it.

# ? Feb 5, 2016 04:08

Alexander DeLarge: Dec 20, 2013

Kimsemus posted:

Is this game still happening? I've heard nothing about it.

They're implementing clusters right now, coolest poo poo ever, I believe anyone can play it now when they buy the basic tier ($40). It's pretty fun.
https://gfycat.com/WeightySelfassuredHydatidtapeworm

Alexander DeLarge fucked around with this message at 16:44 on Feb 5, 2016

# ? Feb 5, 2016 16:21

eonwe: Aug 11, 2008; Lipstick Apathy

I do have this and its pretty fun, not sure about large scale pvp with their cluster concept but its a solid UO like

# ? Feb 5, 2016 17:34

Alexander DeLarge: Dec 20, 2013

Eonwe posted:

I do have this and its pretty fun, not sure about large scale pvp with their cluster concept but its a solid UO like

Depending on their limitations on player count and map size, I could see the clusters being used as zones for an absolutely massive world. I just hope the community is there for it, because I'm thinking of this as heaven for the Neverwinter Nights module community.

# ? Feb 5, 2016 19:52

eonwe: Aug 11, 2008; Lipstick Apathy

Yea that's kind of my take in it too. UO gameplay with a NWN style world

# ? Feb 5, 2016 20:00

Tempus Thales: May 11, 2012; Artwork by Tempus Thales

Kimsemus posted:

Is this game still happening? I've heard nothing about it.

It's happening, they are still in pre-alpha, I think they have one zone built but you can do pretty much everything the game has to offer for its majority. Really like the fact you can hang the head of people you kill in your property.

# ? Feb 6, 2016 02:37

kaempfer0080: Aug 22, 2011; Certified Weeb

Oh look, another video game to be rushed into an MVP and then peddled to the masses under the guise of testing. Surely this won't end in a quagmire of disappointment for all. The Hello Neighbor/gently caress You got me good though. I'm in.

# ? Feb 6, 2016 04:59

eonwe: Aug 11, 2008; Lipstick Apathy

played again, was pretty neat

# ? Feb 9, 2016 16:31

FreeWifi!!: Oct 11, 2013; Okay, that's true. Good point, Marquess. Point for you. But you get a point taken away for being a dick. So, back to zero.

Eonwe posted:

played again, was pretty neat

Thinking about getting this. how pre alpha is it? Like is it where most the functions arent in or its laggy etc?

# ? Feb 9, 2016 18:32

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# ? Apr 27, 2024 05:37

eonwe: Aug 11, 2008; Lipstick Apathy

A lot of the 'stuff' is in, but the servers aren't super stable yet seemingly and the population is very low

They currently only have one map, but apparently they will be implementing custom maps at some point

The end goal is 120 people max per instance and you could connect separate world parts by a portal

# ? Feb 9, 2016 18:48

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Video Games > The MMO HMO > Legends of Aria - new sandbox MMO by the leads of UO where you can make UO2

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