PAX Day 1: Wildstar Demo
By Darren Henderson (DizzyPW), OnRPG Editor-In-Chief
Hey this is DizzyPW reporting in from PAX Prime in Seattle, Washington!
To say today was a hectic hellish day is an understatement. I was awake at 2am to drive to Los Angeles International Airport for a 6am flight. We hit the ground running and got a preview of the Lord of the Rings Online upcoming expansion (more on that tomorrow!).
Then after checking out the camera it was on to a private meeting with Carbine Studios discussing recently announced SciFi Fantasy MMO Wildstar. The meeting was amazing and we really got a feel for how the minds at Carbine Studios tick. We will be posting a video on the full meeting soon but for now I’ll give you the main points.
Carbine Studios is designing Wildstar to be based on layered gameplay providing a near infinite ways to experience content and be rewarded for it. They get that most MMO gamers are only interested in getting phat loot and so they design the greatest rewards around the things that are most fun. As such each individual mob gives you bonus experience for beating them with grace and style. Dodge an attack? + Exp. Interrupt a special ability? + Exp. Kill two mobs simultaneously? Double Kill and + Exp!
They also follow closely to the concepts being focused so heavily in Guild Wars 2, and are designing their game to allow players to play the way they want to. The path system is the ultimate example of this. They revealed to us the Settler, Scientist, Soldier and Explorer paths and here is the breakdown.
Players that are interested in building the world around them and interacting socially with their fellow players will love the Settler path. It allows you to begin events ingame that benefit all in attendance and benefit you as the settler based on how many people attend your event. They can also help construct defenses in town and other structures to really leave their mark on the world. If you’re a social butterfly that loves to make people happy, this is the path of play for you!
The scientist path is designed specifically for lore lovers and those who appreciate minute details. Using a custom scan bot, you can explore the world and scan anything of interest. As a result, you may find cookies and tid bits that not only reveal more of the backstory of the game, but also open up new quests and objectives for you and your friends to profit off of!
The soldier path exists for players who only care about action and love being the center of attention. They have the unique ability of creating public quests which make various nasty monsters spawn and reward everyone involved in fending them off. If you can’t get enough combat and want to prove your skills, you won’t find a more challenging position in this game.
If you are the kind of person that likes to try to break games by going outside the contained boundaries, you might make for a perfect explorer. Explorers get hints about special areas on a map and are rewarded with new quests, extended storyline, and exp rewards for reaching these areas. Don’t think this is an easy task by any means though as you will be forced to push through some of the toughest jump quests and naturally obstacles ingame to reach your goals. Easily frustrated players need not apply.
Beyond this we discussed how the world of Wildstar is made to feel alive. The dynamic example given was a small hunting village plagued by lions. The lions exist out in a field with various huntresses (friendly npcs) patrolling the area. You are given a main storyline quest to kill a few lions and, if you so choose, you can move on to the next part of the story from there. But there is oh so much more for those willing to test the waters!
If the huntresses see you slaying lions, you will gain bonus reputation points and can eventually be considered a hero of the town. You will also be viewed as an enemy of the lions and eventually will be forced to confront the leaders of the pack in an epic battle to the death. Should you succeed, the rewards will be ample.
But wait, that isn’t the end of the story. A scientist will be able to notice that some of the lions are mutated and acting strangely. If you scan a sample of a mutated lion you will gain knowledge that a much darker threat is present in this small hunting village. Should you choose to investigate, you will end up encountering a big ass boss monster responsible for spreading poison in the region and mutating the lions. Defeat this boss monster and a social event will become available in town with parades and rewards for the player responsible for slaying the creature.
But then in the field there is also a massive tree that only the bravest of men would dare to climb. As an explorer if you do so you will gain even more rewards (both tangible and just feeling special about yourself). Explore even more and you might find a hidden dungeon cave only available 4 hours a day! Or a scientist being eaten by a dinosaur that can share valuable items and quests should you rescue him in a given time limit.
I could go on and on but the main idea is this. Wildstar is being developed with fun in mind at all times and you would be crazy not to give this game a try when it comes out!
