September 24th Livestream Transcription
Design Team Update: We’re working extensively on the synergy across the nodes, such as the alliances between nodes, sieges, how nodes will take over territories and take over nodes. This is the most complex nature of design and we now have a visual representation to provide a preview of things. You’ll be able to see which nodes have ZOI (Zone of Influence) over other nodes, how they expand territory and how the power levels of the different nodes scale up. This also simulates sieges and events, including a health ticker- which when impacted will result in services being hindered or invasions from enemy monsters. In the simulation we have 111 nodes, unsure of the tick frequency, each second is probably 24 hours. This simulation allows the design team from a tools perspective to see strange happenings that we could not have predicted. This helps us make the necessary changes after assessing the various outcomes that could potentially take place across various servers since players can be unpredictable.
Engineering Updates: We want to implement more modular quest types that can change based on the ever changing world. Since nearly every system touches or interacts with the node system, it is integral that we get the node system right. Up next is the various iterations we’d like to go over, including the combat changes from Alpha 1. Next, it is our responsibility to plan ahead and think about the fidelity of the game not just in the present but also once it releases. A few months ago we evaluated Unreal Engine 5. A few weeks ago we made a strike team to go through tech for Unreal Engine 5. We will keep you informed if we do make a decision to fully switch over to UE5.