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[ReaperXL7]

So last night 38 opened the new Amalur site, and it contains a huge amount of new information about the 10,000 years worth of lore that R.A has helped to craft for the franchise, including the Reckoning which comes out in February. It contains a map of a chunk of the world of Amalur, information on many different races, factions, key history points within the timeline, and alot of other information.

You can check out the site here:

http://www.amalur.com/

I have not been able to get through all of it yet,as it's just a ton of information, but it's enough information that I think it deserves it's own thread. It's also believed that Copernicus will take place during the Age of Heroes in accordance with the timeline, but it's just speculation right now.

I'm also going to use this thread as a place to put updates, since most threads of KOA seem to die down pretty quickly it seems like it will be a better idea to just have one thread for awhile, especially because they are putting out "series" videos pretty frequently, and making a new thread for each to only disappear within a day or two seems pointless.

New Screens:

So here are the series vids:

A Heroes Guide:

Factions:
Factions Guide

Destiny, and Fate:
Fate and Destiny Guide

Inside Reckoning:

Cinematics design


Narrative Design

Live Dev Q&A:

Narrative
Starts at the 7minute mark.

Destiny
Released today.

*I will update each of the series vids as the new ones are released.*

Dev weekly community Q&A:

Q: Will quests have multiple ways to be finished? Such as instead of killing someone, you can persuade them to go away, etc. – By Fluent

A: Yes, there will be some quests in which the outcome can be altered by making different decisions. Some quests that have Persuasion options in them, may also give you extra EXP or varying rewards based on successful or failed Persuasion attempts. Quests which allow you the option to make different narrative choices may result in an NPC’s demeanor changing, one NPC living versus another, allowing the player to either keep a particular item or return it to its owner, and many other scenarios. There are also quests where you may decide that rather than attempt to persuade an NPC, you can help them out by running a side errand for them to progress the quest, or bribe them with gold to save yourself the time of running the errand. NPCs that you agree to help may offer you services after completing a quest for them, where they previously didn't offer you any before.

As you might imagine, another alternate way to prematurely end a quest would be to kill the quest giver or an NPC crucial to that quest. Some side-quests are linked together, or supplement the outcomes of other quests, so killing off quest NPCs may hinder the end result of a quest chain. You may have to complete favors for a few NPCs before they will unlock more quests, in which case killing the original quest givers might never allow you to unlock the follow up quests (sometimes, this may cause you to miss out on valuable rewards as well!). If you complete the tasks asked of you, the NPCs may reward you with certain weapons or items that will aid you in defeating a more powerful enemy at the end of the quest chain.

Quests in Amalur offer a wide variety of exploration, choice, and reward. I have found that this adds greatly to replay value, especially if you’re like me and enjoy creating multiple saves so you can see how things would have turned out if you made all the opposite decisions on another play-through. – By Kitty “Neko” Hughes, Level Designer

Q: How will attacks work on the PC? (What buttons are currently used in place of let's say X, Square, O and Triangle on the computer?) What steps did the Reckoning team take to make sure PC combat without an XBox 360 controller is as fun as combat on the consoles? – By Kaloris

A: We've spent a large chunk of development time, and more importantly, play-testing time on getting the PC controls to feel right for Reckoning. At different stages of the project's development, we've put the game in front of players from outside of the studio. During these sessions, people will go hands-on with the game for a few hours or more with no guidance from us. Meanwhile, I (or another designer) watch through a one-way mirror and takes notes. Many of those players have been playing with a mouse and keyboard instead of a controller. That is where we have gotten a lot of our most useful feedback on what we are doing right and wrong with our PC controls.

Attacking in the default PC control scheme doesn't have an exact 1:1 remapping from the gamepad-based control scheme. On a controller you can attack with one weapon by hitting X (or Square on a PS3 controller), and attacking with your second equipped weapon with Y/Triangle. On the PC, your weapon attacks are tied to the left mouse click, and you have one weapon available at any given moment on that click. However, you can quickly swap to a secondary weapon by scrolling the mouse wheel, similar to switching from an assault rifle to a handgun in a first-person-shooter. The right click on the mouse is used to cast your active spell. This "left-click weapon, right-click spell" setup allows you to quickly mix weapon and magic attacks mid-combat.

You can map additional spells to your keyboard’s 1 through 0 number keys, which gives you 10 options to quickly swap to as your active spell. This is a big difference from using a controller, where you just have 4 magic options to quickly switch between (one for each face button – X, Y, A, B). The rest of your basic combat suite is rounded out with dodge on the Spacebar and blocking controlled by holding down Shift. – By Justin "perezidente" Perez, Systems Designer

Q: I've heard that the console versions of Reckoning will have a few presets you can use to customize the controls but what about the PC version? Will it be fully customizable or something similar? – By occumsrazor

A: Every keyboard press in the answer above is from the default control setup. They can all be remapped to whatever buttons you prefer. Dodge with shift, block with control and sprint with Spacebar, if you'd like. It's very customizable. And if you're playing with a trackball, or any mouse without a scroll wheel, you are free to move the secondary weapon swap command to a button on the keyboard that works for you.

And worth noting, you can always plug in a USB controller if you'd like the play the PC version of the game but prefer console controls. The game's UI will even dynamically change itself based on what controller you are currently using. When playing or testing my work on the game here at the office I actually find myself using a controller to do all the fighting and exploring in the game and relying on my mouse when I'm navigating menus. I'm not sure many people will utilize the quick swapping of controls to that degree when they are actually playing the game, but it's neat that it's there. – By Justin “perezidente” Perez, Systems Designer

Q: To what extent will voice acting be present in the game? Can we look forward to some "real" bosses in instances with voice acting and special moves? – By Goatrek

A: Voice Acting was a major undertaking in Reckoning. It took 10 weeks of all-day recording with studios in LA, Portland, New York, and the UK to get lines for every conversation, every cinematic, and every Lorestone in the game.

The talent we were able to get was fantastic, as were the Director and Studio Tech. One of the factors that resulted in the great VO you’ll hear in the game is the writing from our Narrative Design team. Multiple actors commented about how excited they were to read for characters with the depth and texture seen not just in the Main Quest, but the Side, Faction, and Freeform Quests as well! It’s a testament to everyone involved on the project that participants in our recent press events have gone on at length about "the injured girl in Gorhart", or "the wolf-guy in Dalentarth" being their most memorable moments in the few hours they spent with us.

As to your second question, there are indeed boss fights with special moves and exceptionally well done VO. Jim Cummings did a great job as the maniacal Gadflow, though his Winnie-the-Pooh version of the Gadflow lines will likely never go public…sadly…. – By Sean "notthatseanbean" Bean, Producer

Q: What type of interaction can we expect to see with NPC's? Would some develop throughout the game or will NPC's only have a few things to say and then nothing new again? – By HolyKnight

A: There are many interactions you can have with the NPCs in Reckoning. Aside from being able to use the services that certain NPCs may offer (whether it be healing services, training services, or some other type of service), you will also be able to engage in conversations with them. You can ask NPCs about certain topics aside from questline-related topics, and you may also find some can be swayed by using the Persuasion option.

Many NPCs dialogue will, in fact, be affected as you progress through the game. This could stem from choices you made during a quest, how much of the main quest-line you have completed thus far in the game, or even what time of day it is. Certain NPCs will also change their responses about a particular topic, so speaking with them multiple times about the same topic, at different points in the game, will sometimes give you more insight to how that NPC feels about a specific action that you or those around them have made.

Some NPCs may even offer to play a mini-game with you, and others still may give you the option to bribe them. There are a few that might offer insight on fellow NPCs nearby, or advice on who to speak to if you are looking for a particular service. NPCs are not always stagnant, either, and they may move around the town based on the time of day. If you can't find a particular NPC you spoke with in town during the day, perhaps you should check the local inn or the NPC’s home at night. Even NPCs need to rest occasionally, too. (Although, you may find a few of them stumbling around the local tavern in the evening as well!)

The NPCs in Reckoning also participate in many different activities. Don't be surprised to find that some are skilled lute players whose tunes entertain tavern guests, or that others keep busy tending gardens or praying by shrines. There are even situations where you may find NPCs living, and later find them deceased in their homes. This is a great reason to revisit some of the towns you may have already been to. Things could change by the time you return; some may change for the better, some for the worse.

Of course, there is always the option that you might also choose to take your rage out on a town’s NPCs, and assault or murder some of them too. In that case, you should be stealthy about it, or else be prepared to have the town’s guards start hunting you down to serve out some hard time in the local jail! – By Kitty "Neko" Hughes, Level Designer

For developer walkthroughs with alot of gameplay you can go to these previous threads:

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=441133

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=447206

 

[Deleted member 17706]

Awesome! I'm really looking forward to this.

 

[ReaperXL7]

Yeah, I am too. I also love how deep they intend the lore to be. I really enjoy getting lost in this kind of stuff, and so far from this new stuff that i've read through it sounds really interesting. Of course if your not into fantasy stuff, you may not be all that interested in this, but i'm a fantasy nerd so this is right up my ally, helps that I love most of R.A previous work in the lore/story department.

 

[purg3]

Looks good, definitely have high hopes for this.

 

[FINALBOSS]

I will be purchasing this video game.

 

[Xevren]

I'm really looking forward to the game. I'm mostly curious about the skill tree's and how big they may be. I hope we get a lot of abilities and the like, LOTR:War in the North left me disappointed.

 

[inky]

Very excited about this game (surprisingly so) but I'm just avoiding the info because there are other big big games much closer; so reading up on a game that is still some way out might be counterproductive.

But yes, this looks pretty awesome.

 

[mik83kuu]

One of my most anticipated games right now. It's a fresh new franchise so I sort of want it even more than any of the big sequels released late-2011.

 

[Chairman Yang]

The story, setting, and lore seem way too generic. For a supposed passion project, I'd expect something much fresher. Perhaps Schilling should have gone with someone like China Mieville instead of R.A. Salvatore.

 

[Derrick01]

I'll definitely buy this on PC if EA doesn't infect it with Origin. Also pretty interested in the lore but I'll have to save that for when I'm done with Skyrim. Too much fantasy lore at once.

 

[syko de4d]

mhh The Elders Scrolls: Fable
looks not so bad

 

[Kandinsky]

This is probably my most wanted 2012 game, looks and sounds amazing.

 

[ReaperXL7]

I'm really looking forward to the game. I'm mostly curious about the skill tree's and how big they may be. I hope we get a lot of abilities and the like, LOTR:War in the North left me disappointed.

Not sure if this will help you out, but here is a short video showing the skills(lockpicking, stealth, etc.), and the might abilities tree.

http://www.g4tv.com/videos/55532/kingdoms-of-amalur-reckoning-abilities-skills-video/

 

[burgerdog]

If the game is good I hope it does well. Can't wait to play it.

 

[Xevren]

Not sure if this will help you out, but here is a short video showing the skills(lockpicking, stealth, etc.), and the might abilities tree.

http://www.g4tv.com/videos/55532/kingdoms-of-amalur-reckoning-abilities-skills-video/

It does indeed help, thank you!

 

[ReaperXL7]

The story, setting, and lore seem way too generic. For a supposed passion project, I'd expect something much fresher. Perhaps Schilling should have gone with someone like China Mieville instead of R.A. Salvatore.

I can understand where your coming from, and why you might want someone other than R.A. I would not be surprised if R.A and Ken Rolston contributing to the game did not have something to do with each other as they have both have quite a background with TSR, and DnD. I pretty much know what to expect from R.A though, but for me being that I enjoy most of his work it's pretty cool to me that he's involved. I was a fan of the Demon Stone game that he was involved with years ago aswell.

I'll definitely buy this on PC if EA doesn't infect it with Origin. Also pretty interested in the lore but I'll have to save that for when I'm done with Skyrim. Too much fantasy lore at once.

Curt Schilling has commented on this a few times on the Reckoning forums, and he says that they are doing everything in their power to make sure that the game is available on Origin, Steam, Impulse, and Amazon. So if thats any indication then we should not have any issues with that.

 

[ironcreed]

Really looking forward to this one next year. It is clear they are putting a lot of work into the world. It kind of has a Warcraft meets Fable art style, but looks overall like the sort of action RPG that Fable should have evolved into. It is shaping up quite nicely indeed.

 

[Derrick01]

Curt Schilling has commented on this a few times on the Reckoning forums, and he says that they are doing everything in their power to make sure that the game is available on Origin, Steam, Impulse, and Amazon. So if thats any indication then we should not have any issues with that.

Right but I meant the game being Origin only similar to Steamworks. Like it will be for sale on Steam and everywhere else but like BF3 every copy requires Origin to run. Though honestly I have a feeling EA will only do that with their heavy hitters like Mass Effect 3.

 

[Mattdaddy]

Holy shit this game gets better every time I see. Climbing the anticipation ladder at an alarming rate.

 

[Zeal]

This game seriously looks hot as hell. My wife showed it to me when the site first launched and now I'm hooked.

It looks like a mix of when Fable used to be good, with some Elder Scrolls and WoW thrown in.

 

[Kacho]

I so want this game to be as awesome as it seems. Getting hyped for this reminds me of fable. In my mind, the game is exactly what I want it be. Hopefully this time the end product comes close to my expectations.

 

[Barack Lesnar]

I really like the art style... look at that big red ogre thing, looks awesome.

 

[Black-Wind]

Would love it if there was some way to get through the game without killing anyone/ anything.

I wonder if there's a RPG like that ... one where you can gain exp and levels without having to kill a single person. It would be awesome to just make all my enemies sleep or dance as I walk pass them to get to my goal ... or if I were able to just talk every big-bad out of doing something harmful or just freeze them or put them into a coma with my Mage powers.

But it's time for me to go to sleep so nvm my silly lil post lol

 

[Elixist]

The enemy design is so sweet! Lots of enemy variety as well, pretty sure i'm day 1ing this shit.

 

[BrokenSymmetry]

I'm mostly excited for this game because Ken Rolston is working on this. He was the lead designer for Morrowind, and the lore and atmosphere of that game is still unparalleled.

 

[Striek]

Game looks and sounds more awesome with each update. Shame its going to be criminally underappreciated even if its great.

Would love it if there was some way to get through the game without killing anyone/ anything.

I wonder if there's a RPG like that ... one where you can gain exp and levels without having to kill a single person.

Deus Ex. Although not the type of RPG you're referring to.

 

[Calisto Glory]

This games looks so good and i want to play it so bad.

 

[Fjordson]

The more I see, the more excited I get. Will probably be getting this day 1. I'm such a sucker for open-world RPG's.

 

[Calisto Glory]

The more I see, the more excited I get. Will probably be getting this day 1. I'm such a sucker for open-world RPG's.

Jeah me too.

The best thing is it looks like a mix of Skyrim and Fable.

 

[Giran]

I'm really getting hyped for this game.

 

[ReaperXL7]

Some new Gameplay vids, sadly the vids are from IGN and whoever is playing the game is not very good, but overall I love the look of the game. The characters seem interesting, the combat looks great for a game of this type, massive world to explore, and it's a brand new IP which always gets me excited if the title shows promise, and in my opinion this shows lots of it.

Some conversation stuff:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FnQZzZHhXgU&feature=youtu.be

Meeting Titarion:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-NPIQvnBRLo&feature=youtu.be

Random Exploration:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pDrr-fkCJG4&feature=youtu.be

Really feels like 38 is putting alot of hard work into this, it's great seeing a fresh new developer who clearly cares about creating a great RPG. Can't wait to dive into this beast.

 

[K.Sabot]

Glad to see the framerate is awesome.

 

[SPEA]

Thanks for the updates Reaper. Game looks awesome.

 

[Dresden]

R.A. Salvatore's involvement is a bad thing, not good.

 

[bigdaddygamebot]

Wow. This game kinda snuck up on me.

 

[Xenon]

As much as I want to get excited about this game, I can't help but feel it's going to be a big mess.

 

[Last Hearth]

The dialogue tree seems very primitive.

 

[ReaperXL7]

R.A. Salvatore's involvement is a bad thing, not good.

Mind if I ask why you lean that way? Just curious.

Personally I like most of R.As work, he's done some stuff here and there that i'm not as big a fan of, but alot of it I feel is very solid. Game wise he was involved with a game years ago called Demon Stone, and while it had some rough edges I actually enjoyed the story based stuff, and characters quite a bit.

after going through the stuff that they put up on the new Amalur site I feel that the lore seems really solid, and pretty interesting, some concepts don't seem extreamly original, but others do.

like I said just curious why you dislike R.A, not trying to attack you or anything.

The dialogue tree seems very primitive.

I suppose it does, but the U.I is not entirely final yet, they just entered the polishing/bug fixing phase, but they have changed the U.I a few times according to fan feedback. I could see where it might look a bit primitive when comparing to something like Mass Effect, or the like, but their primary influences here are games like Ultima, TES(Rolston), and stuff like that, which I'm fine with. I prefer this style over the wheel style that Bioware has become so attached to.

There will be choices that must be made which will have lasting impacts on the story, but not every conversation will contain them.

 

[Nardonicus]

new video detailing combat is up:

http://www.gamespot.com/showcases/reckoning?sid=6346476&overridePid=

 

[Aaron]

This is what Fable 2 should have been, but I'm not really feeling any Elder Scrolls vibe from this. It just doesn't feel vast or detailed enough for that. It's much more open than the Fable series was, but that's really what I hoped would happen to that series, instead of turning to total shit.

 

[Macstorm]

This is what Fable 2 should have been, but I'm not really feeling any Elder Scrolls vibe from this. It just doesn't feel vast or detailed enough for that. It's much more open than the Fable series was, but that's really what I hoped would happen to that series, instead of turning to total shit.

It's got some ES in it as well. Just harder to show off in videos...but I guess I should ask, what ES parts are you looking for?

 

[bengraven]

WHOA.

Did this game get a coat of Bloom or something? It used to be kind of average, colorful, like WoW-generic. Now it looks like TOR, but that's a good thing. I think it suddenly looks a lot more polished.

This is what Fable 2 should have been, but I'm not really feeling any Elder Scrolls vibe from this. It just doesn't feel vast or detailed enough for that. It's much more open than the Fable series was, but that's really what I hoped would happen to that series, instead of turning to total shit.

I think the TES "vibe" is supposed to be the supposedly huge world. That said, the videos I've shown were simple narrow paths like in Fable or Bioware games, so where the TES thing is coming from, I do not know.

 

[Deleted member 81567]

It's a good contender for sleeper hit of 2012.

 

[Alexios]

First enemy is like a mature-fied fat bokoblin from SS, lol.

I really hope this game is as awesome as it seems. Like, Two Worlds 2 but with better combat and actually worthwhile story/quests, or something.

 

[Macstorm]

WHOA.

Did this game get a coat of Bloom or something? It used to be kind of average, colorful, like WoW-generic. Now it looks like TOR, but that's a good thing. I think it suddenly looks a lot more polished.

I think the TES "vibe" is supposed to be the supposedly huge world. That said, the videos I've shown were simple narrow paths like in Fable or Bioware games, so where the TES thing is coming from, I do not know.

Jumping from alpha to beta can do a lot for visuals.

As for the huge world thing, it IS huge, but is not just one large area like offered in Skyrim/Oblivion. The world is huge and divided into differing seamless zones that you can go to at any time. Want to head across the world first thing? Do it.

 

[bengraven]

It's a good contender for sleeper hit of 2012.

I hope so. Because I'll be skipping it at first and waiting for the inevitable GAF "under-rated game of the year" accolades.

Jumping from alpha to beta can do a lot for visuals.

As for the huge world thing, it IS huge, but is not just one large area like offered in Skyrim/Oblivion. The world is huge and divided into differing seamless zones that you can go to at any time. Want to head across the world first thing? Do it.

Right but you can't compare it to TES, because Bethesda creates worlds that you can literally walk anywhere. I have no issues with a hub-world based system and in fact I think a TES on portable with a few hub areas instead of one giant world would be perfectly fine.

My issue is that you look at a map of Elder Scrolls or Two Worlds or Risen or Gothic and you see a normal map. You look at a map of this world and it seems like it will look like

 

[Drazgul]

Want to head across the world first thing? Do it.

And die in a heartbeat when some high-level ogre smash you to bits. Unless there's level scaling... There's no level scaling, right? Right?!

Direct link to the world map: http://content.amalur.com/sites/all/themes/amalur/images/amalur-map-op.jpg

 

[syko de4d]

looks like Fable 2/3 only good and more open world

 

[Gueras]

This game will be awesome, but will sell so bad

Problably will die in it's first episode...

What a shame...

 

[Count of Monte Sawed-Off]

Single player eh? May have to look into this.