New World (video game)
| New World | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developer(s) | Amazon Game Studios Orange County |
| Publisher(s) | Amazon Game Studios |
| Engine | Amazon Lumberyard |
| Platform(s) | Microsoft Windows |
| Release | Early 2021[1] |
| Genre(s) | MMORPG |
| Mode(s) | Multiplayer |
New World is an upcoming massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) by Amazon Game Studios set to be released in early 2021.[1][2] The game was previously scheduled to launch in August 2020 after being delayed from its May 2020 release date.[3][4] Set in the mid-1600s, players colonize a fictional land modeled after colonial America in the Atlantic Ocean.[5] The game will be using a buy-to-play business model, meaning there will be no monthly mandatory subscription fee.[6]
Gameplay
Character creation
New World is a MMO sandbox game in a Amazon Lumberyard-engine created world within the Microsoft Windows Personal computer platform. Prior to entering the game, a player chooses a default geographical Earth location "Region" to achieve their best game latency connectivity and a game server "World" to begin the game playing solo. The choice of an agreed upon common server is important to allow grouping-up with real world friends. Next, a player creates a character's appearance and names their character. The game allows a player to control a character or avatar within a game world in third- or first-person view. The player's New World character starts the game by arriving on a beach.[7]
General
The players may form groups of up to five members, join one of three factions ("Marauders", "Syndicate", and "Covenant"), utilize node resources, craft items, gain control over settlements, quest, just explore the sandbox, fight other players, or monsters.[7]
The gameplay involves no auto-locked targeting attacks (tab equals next targeting), and therefore, a steady hand at aiming is required. With each level, the hostile mobs are programmed with ever-increasing complexity and strength sequences of attacking behavior skill sets that will require the player to counter using their mana, stamina, and health with timed attacks dodges, weapon blocks, retreats, or crawling stealth. The weapon skill tree choices are currently for hammer, hatchet, fire staff, life staff, musket rifle, spear[8], and sword/shield.
As in every MMO, the character levels up personal attribute skills. There are "Constitution", "Focus", "Intelligence", "Strength", and "Dexterity". Diminishing returns scale as an attribute's skill level increases.[9] The player's character also levels up weapon and trade skills. The trade skills are divided into the three categories of "Crafting" ("Weaponsmithing", "Armoring", "Engineering", "Jewelcrafting", "Arcana", "Cooking", and "Furnishing"), "Refining" ("Smelter", "Woodworking", "Leatherworking", "Weaving", and "Stonecutting"), and "Gathering" ("Logging", "Mining", "Harvesting", and "Tracking and Skinning"). There is also a "Camping" skill ("Wilderness Survival"). Three quick travel methods exist. Although no fast speed mounts are available, there is a set of skills under the life staff tree for intermittent forward speed boosts.
The gameplay is unique in that no jumping exists, instead the player may dodge or climb most environmental objects or use the life staff to cross large aerial spaces.
The economy centers around gold coins. The player can dispose of unwanted items through a trader between players in exchange for gold coins, they can "salvage" (dismantle) the items for resources, they can discard the item on to the unsecured ground, or they can make a direct transfer to another player.
Characters that die cannot drop items, but with each combat encounter, use, or death, the player's items undergo damage. The damage can be repaired with repair items and gold coins.
The player may purchase personal housing and erect "Furnishings" to achieve aesthetic and utility bonuses, as well as, obtain a means for fast traveling to the settlement site.[10]
The game mechanics offer with-questing pvp combat and without-questing. Before leaving a safe-zone settlement, players have the option either or not to set the flagged-state which activates after leaving the settlement and then a cooldown period.
Synopsis
Setting
The game is set on a fictional island in the Atlantic Ocean known as Aeternum Island.[11]
Plot
A cinematic displays the player's character washing up on a beach and then the player can begin play. The starting state for the character is marooned with little resources in a single-player combat zone. Once the character completes the learning curve of the rudimentary movement, inventory management, and combat goals in the single-player instance, the character enters the open sandbox world of fellow players. There are four random lowest level areas on the map within which a new sandbox player may initially spawn. Those beaches are the territory outside of the settlements of "First Light", "Everfall", "Windsward", and "Monarch's Bluff". The character enters these beaches starting as a "level one" in experience gained. The character's maximum obtainable experience level is 60. The archetype hostile inhabitants are the "corrupted", "lost", "beast", "angry-earth", and "ancients".[10]
Development
In the September 2016, at TwitchCon, Amazon Game Studios revealed its first three PC games: Breakaway, Crucible, and New World.[12]
On March 31, 2018, Amazon Game Studios announced that the development of the game Breakaway had been put into hiatus status, and that they now would be focusing on its other titles, such as New World and Crucible.[13]
On September 21, 2020, the New World developers announced an end to the game's most recent non-NDA beta-testing gameplay and feedback.[14]
On October 9, 2020, Relentless Studios announced the cancellation of Crucible, citing the inability to see a sustained future as the reason for cancellation.[15] The studio shifted to aid development of Amazon's other upcoming title, New World.
References
- ^ a b "New World Update". New World. July 10, 2020. Retrieved July 10, 2020.
- ^ A., Aries. "Amazon's New World MMO delayed into 2021". JoyFreak. Retrieved July 7, 2020.
- ^ McWhertor, Michael (April 9, 2020). "Amazon delays its MMO, New World, due to coronavirus lockdown". Polygon. Retrieved April 20, 2020.
- ^ Conditt, Jessica (December 12, 2019). "Amazon's supernatural colonialism MMO 'New World' lands in May 2020". Engadget. Retrieved December 18, 2019.
- ^ Campbell, Colin (February 8, 2019). "Amazons questionable MMO has you colonize the new world". Polygon. Retrieved February 9, 2019.
- ^ Jagneaux, David (February 12, 2020). "New World: Everything We Know About Amazon's MMO". IGN. Retrieved May 10, 2020."
- ^ a b O'Connor, Alice (September 30, 2016). "Amazon Game Studios Announce Three Games". Rock, Paper, Shotgun. Archived from the original on October 18, 2016. Retrieved December 17, 2016.
- ^ https://www.newworld.com/en-us/news/articles/alpha-testing-resumes
- ^ https://www.newworld.com/en-us/news/articles/alpha-testing-resumes
- ^ a b "Character Progression". New World. June 9, 2020. Retrieved October 16, 2020.
- ^ "Amazon Games' New World Reactions Are Really Mixed". ScreenRant. June 18, 2020. Retrieved October 16, 2020.
- ^ Furniss, Zack (October 2, 2016). "Is Breakaway Appealing To More Than Streamers?". Rock, Paper, Shotgun. Archived from the original on December 23, 2016. Retrieved December 17, 2016.
- ^ Olivetti, Justin. "Amazon Game Studio's Breakaway is officially dead". MassivelyOP. Retrieved March 31, 2018.
- ^ "Thank you Adventurers". New World. September 21, 2020. Retrieved October 16, 2020.
- ^ "Final Crucible Developer Update". Crucible. October 9, 2020. Retrieved October 10, 2020.
Further reading
- Brown, Fraser (January 14, 2019). "Amazon's New World MMO is doing a Choose Your Own Adventure on Twitter". PC Gamer. Retrieved February 9, 2019.
- Brown, Fraser (December 20, 2018). "Amazon's MMO New World shows off fortress construction in new screenshots". PC Gamer. Retrieved February 9, 2019.
- Holt, Kris (October 4, 2018). "Here's what Amazon's 'New World' MMO looks like". Engadget. Retrieved February 9, 2019.
- Wilde, Tyler (February 8, 2019). "New World gameplay video: 10 minutes in Amazon's sandbox MMO". PC Gamer. Retrieved February 9, 2019.
