The Chronicles of Spellborn
| The Chronicles of Spellborn | |
|---|---|
| File:Spellborn.gif | |
| Developer(s) | Spellborn International Ltd. |
| Publisher(s) | Frogster Interactive |
| Engine | Unreal® 2.5 Engine™ |
| Platform(s) | PC (Windows) |
| Release | Q1 2008 (estimated) [1] |
| Genre(s) | MMORPG |
| Mode(s) | Multiplayer |
The Chronicles of Spellborn (TCoS) is a MMORPG, developed by Spellborn International Ltd. and distributed by Frogster Interactive, set in a post-apocalyptic fantasy world. Spellborn uses the Unreal® 2.5 Engine™, featuring a so-called European Art approach and contains noteable contributions from Jesper Kyd[2].
Spellborn distinguishes itself from other MMORPGs by emphasising the focus on story line, separating the look and the statistices of gear, integrating PvE (Player vs Environment) and PvP (Player vs Player) and offering combat that is fast paced and more reliant on player skill[3].
Lore
Setting
Shards[4] of rock, remnants inhabited by the survivors of the ancient world's cataclysm, are floating in a tempest consisting of magical energy that was set free by the destruction. Since it is the magical color changing maelstorm, that creates the night and day cycles, the Deadspell Storm is an important factor for setting the mood of the different shards.
While the process of exploring new shard realms is still in progress, there are five Shards already discovered and to be visited by players, each with its very own vegetation, terrain and communities. When players for the first time enter the game world they will soon set foot in the city of Quarterstone, with its merchants and the Arena District an important social hub and also home of an ancient Oracle and capital city of the Enclave.
The Enclave of the Five Sacrifices is what the survivors call themselves refering to the five political High Houses, one of which players can choose to join. Even though there is a certain rivalry among the High Houses, for each one of them has its very own agenda, the Enclave is a stable political system, as it is a common interest to reestablish the shattered culture. So far the Enclave effectively defends their conquered territory and political interests against other fractions like the Ousted or the Arionites, followers of the traitor Aryones.
Storyline
Since gameplay in Spellborn focuses in a large part on questing, the game provides a detailed world background. Spellborn's fictional history[5] is divided into eight ages; players enter the world at its current age known as "The Time of the Enclave", 998 years after the shattering of the world. The storyline is not only presented in text form by NPCs, but the game also makes use of flashbacks, in the form of Ancestral Quests. Over the course of these special events, players can witness certain turning-points and key events of the storyline.
The destruction of the Ancestor World marks the gravest cut in Spellborn's history and is the beginning of the current calendar. Little is revealed about the pre-cataclysmic age, its origins or the creatures living on it at the time. The world then was an empire ruled by eight god-like demons. They created races to serve them; among them were Humans, who served as soldiers Years of oppression finally brought about a rebellion which culminated in a battle between five armies of uprising humans, the allied Daevi, and a powerful demonic guardian. The fight escalated when a magical structure was destroyed, unleashing an energy force large enough to cause the destruction of the Ancestor World. During the cataclysm, a large part of the population was killed, and the surface of the former world became shattered and covered by a thick layer of ice, freezing the few remaining survivors.
Survivors surfaced 500 years after the cataclysm, and a new era of restoration began through expansion and exploration. It was during this time that the five High Houses were formed. However, this rebirth was marred by betrayal and several battles. Only by the sacrifice of the young Deavi champion Graidlon Marrow, and the help of a greater spirit, calling itself the Oracle, were the High Houses able to conquer new territory from a powerful creature called the Princess of Sculls. The following 350 years were characterized by similar events, with the price for peace being the death of the Enclave's warlord, Aryones Ithkari, whose actions turned out to be controlled by the enemy, and the death of the rising tyrant Tykaru, who was eventually killed by his own lover, Evhiel.
Characters
In Spellborn the player can choose Humans and Daevis as race, who can become all classes and feature no special advantages or flaws. At character creation he can select one of three archtypes, which then spread into three different classes each at level 5 [6].
| Warrior | Mage | Rogue |
|---|---|---|
| Bloodwarrior | Ancestral | Deathhand |
| Wrathguard | Void Seer | Skinshifter |
| Furyhammer | Rune Mage | Trickster |
Every class gets access to a great number of different skills, which can be used in combat, but due the Skillwheel system players can only choose between a few at any time. Reason for this simplification is the FPS style combat system.
Every skill a character has learned in his career is listed in the skill book. The possible skills a character can learn are diveded into one half which is shared between all classes of an archtype and one half which is unique to his class. Characters learn a new skill every, or later every other, level. At maximum level a character can also learn the skills of the other archtypes (but not classes) by seeking out special NPCs and solving quests for them.
Skills stay viable for the whole career, as their effect is based on the guiding attribute (Body, Mind and Soul)[7] and such increases with level. They can also be customised with Sigils, special magic items found in the world, which offer benefits like increased damage or speed. There is no mana, energy or similar mechanic, and skill usage is only be limited by cooldown and the number of times players can place them in their Skilldeck.
The Skilldeck decides which skills are actually useable during a fight, and a player can customise his Skilldeck from all his skills in the skill book. The deck starts small (3 by 2) and increases up to 6 rows (tiers) with 5 slots each.
Gear
Armor and weapons in The Chronicles of Spellborn are unique in that they don't provide any statistical improvements to your character[8]. They are all completely for aesthetic purposes; allowing every class to wear all armor and wield all weapons. Players are even given the chance to pick out their starting gear, allowing players to distinguish their appearance from the very beginning. While armor and weapons no longer serve their traditional purpose they still have level requirements and must be obtained through questing, monster loot, or crafting recipes.
Players can influence their stats through the use of Sigils, or interchangeable enchantments. Based on the type of Sigil, it can be equipped to jewelry, weapons, or directly to various skills. The number of Weapon and Skill Sigils that can be equipped is dependent upon the character's level, while the number of Sigils that can go into jewelry depends on the item's quality.
Combat
The combat system in Spellborn tries to elevate the tactical decisions of a player. Contrary to most other MMORPGs there is no randomness involved in combat aside from the performance of the players. Instead of miss and hit chances and varying damage players have access to a large array of buffs and debuffs. Also no debuff ever takes the control completely away from the player, although it can still be quite hampering.
One of the main differences of Spellborn is the targeting system. Unlike other MMORPGs with target selection and automated attacks, Spellborn employes a FPS style system[9], where the player selects an available skill while aimimg with a reticule at the opponent to actually hit. Such the outcome of a fight is solely dependent on skill.
When a fight starts the Skillwheel pops up on the players screen with the first tier from the Skilldeck offering him a choice of attacks (or buffs, heals, etc. - depending on his earlier choice while creating the deck). After using one skill from the first tier the Skillwheel rotates on to the next tier, with speed depending on the skill used and the actual attack speed, according to active buffs and debuffs. After reaching the final tier or when not using an attack for too long the Skillwheel rotates back to the first tier.
Players have also two special options during combat. The first is the selection of the Bodyslot he uses, which offers different effects for each class, like buffs, auras or even a combat pet (a NPC ally). The second option is to create combos[10], which starts with an opening skill and increase the power of the finishing skill for each skill used in between, as long no attack in between misses and thereby breaks the combo.
Gameplay
Quests in Spellborn are interwoven with the lore of the game world. Many of the story based quests are part of quest chains, meaning the player completes the quest over a long period of time and over several levels. Quest rewards include experience points (fame), in-game acknowledgement in the form of player statues, as well as weapons, armor and trinkets. Quest completion also leads to advancement of the player character's personal storyline.
Spellborn currently provides over one thousand story driven quests[11], with the majority being non-repeatable. Additional quests are planned in future content updates and expansions. There are no random quests, and completing quests is the primary means of earning experience points. Grinding, or repeatedly killing creatures to gain levels is not a practical option in Spellborn. Quest providers are visually distinct, with an indicator floating above their heads. These NPCs can be found in major cities as well as in the landscape of the different Shards.
Among the quests offered, there are be both class and house specific quests. There are also a significant number of non-combat based quests, and players are able to participate in individual and/or group based quests. Separate from other story-driven quests are the Ancestral Quests, which allow the player to take the role of a major character in Spellborn's history at a point in time when an important event is unfolding, to accomplish a specific story requirement. Players need to complete certain Ancestral Quests in order to advance their character's story arc, and continue through to the endgame content.
Endgame Content
Spellborn’s endgame content features both PvE and PvP content.
Special details about PvE are mostly unknown at this point, but one can expect some powerful monsters and rare quest to further upgrade armor and Sigils while complementing the personal story line. Noteable achievements, like the first kill of certain bosses, are also honored with player statues in the captial Quarterstone. Players also gain the ability to further customize their character by obtaining the skills of other archetypes.
World PvP[12] is available in some but not all zones, with the ratio of PvP enabled zones increasing with higher levels. These zones include different landscapes like mines and city quarters, and while both PvE and PvP zones offer quests and loot, the rarest materials for crafting can only be found in PvP zones, although these can be traded regulaly afterwards. Dying carries imposes no penalty, although the current PeP (Personal experience Points) rank, a staying alive buff, is reset.
The other possibility for PvP is the arena, with two different types of possible arena games, Battles and Challenges. The primary difference is that Battles are matched randomly, while Challenges are specifically requested fights between players. Players can choose the type of fight from among deathmatch, time trial and last man standing. Group, and guild-group PvP fights are possible, and can offer rewards if they take part in ranked tournaments. The size of a groups is expected to range from one to eight players, and they can eventually compete on a ranked ladder, as well as seasonal tournaments. Rewards for successful matches range from custom statues, to unlockable rooms for the team's guild hall.
Post-release Spellborn will include large scale encounters that will incorporate both PvP and PvE objectives. These encounters are currently called Shard Conquest[13]. It is unknown how Shard Conquest will fit into the game as it was delayed in order to be redesigned. However, past iterations have shown ideas of capturing and holding points of interest while others complete more PvE oriented objectives, such as fighting a large boss monster.
References
- ^ "Successful stress test and release schedule of the upcoming MMO Game" (PDF) (Press release). Frogster Interactive. Oct 8th, 2007.
{{cite press release}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ "The Chronicles Of Spellborn Features Original Score By Jesper Kyd". Jesper Kyd's Homepage. Apr 14th, 2006.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ "Chronicles of Spellborn". IGN. Dec 7th, 2005.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ "The Chronicles of Spellborn Diary #2". IGN. Jan 31st, 2006.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ "The full Spellborn Timeline revealed!". The Chronicles of Spellborn Website. Jan 22nd, 2007.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ Spellborn Video Interview from Leipzig. MMORPG.com. Sep 1st, 2007.
{{cite AV media}}: Check date values in:|date=(help); External link in|title= - ^ "Chronicles of Spellborn: Attributes". MMORPG.com. Jun 22nd, 2007.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ "The Chronicles of Spellborn Impressions". IGN. Mar 20th, 2007.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ "Chronicles of Spellborn". IGN. Dec 7th, 2005.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ "Fan-Submitted Q&A With The Chronicles of Spellborn Developers". TenTonHammer. Sep 28th, 2007.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ "Exclusive Spellborn Interview". CuppyCake.org. Jul 4th, 2007.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ "Chronicles of Spellborn Arena and PvP Q&A". MMORPG.com. Oct 4th, 2007.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ "WarCry Exclusive Chronicles of Spellborn Q&A". Warcry Network. Jul 20th, 2006.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help)
External Links
- The Chronicles of Spellborn - official Website (English, French, German)
- Dev Journals (Official Previews on many Game Features)
- Wikiborn (Spellborn Fan Wiki)
- Frogster Interactive (Publisher)
- Spellborn at IGN
- Spellborn at MMORPG.com
- Spellborn at TenTonHammer