Folks,

Good afternoon everyone! Time for part two of my “talking head” chat about my thoughts on combat in CU and I’ll also talk about what’s coming up this week. Additionally, here are some thoughts in regards to things that I’ve seen in the comment section here as well as around the web the past few days.

In terms of archers, I think that people need to understand how important archers/scouts are to so many people (including myself) and to Camelot Unchained. I just want to work on them a while before I commit to putting them in the game at launch. Frankly, I think we have the opportunity to do something really interesting with archers/scouts because that class will no longer be bound by having to succeed in a PvE-leveling track. I want to make archers/scouts awesomely fun to play but to do we should be willing to take some chances especially now and before Beta. Oh, and for those that think that only archers are being singled out for the whole “no tab-targeting” thing, I wouldn’t count on that. ☺ Again, my #1 priority is to experiment with different concepts and no matter what, to make them all awesomely fun to play.

This brings me to my second and final point of this update, backer and potential backer perception of myself and Camelot Unchained. I knew from the beginning that an RvR-focused game was going to be niche, no denying that. Over the last few days I’ve seen comments and received emails that urge/beg/yell at me to put in PvE, to simply try to clone Dark Age of Camelot’s look/gameplay and not try to be different or better. I’ve even received a couple of emails suggesting I’m simply too stupid to understand that. Well, that’s not going to happen. I do know how we could immediately double/triple our pledges and it would go something like this:

“Folks, after much thought and consideration, I’ve decided that I was wrong not to include a major PvE component in Camelot Unchained and I have some revolutionary ideas on just how to do that. I’m also happy to announce we will have at least eight classes at launch and hopefully ten or more! And more good news, I’ve decided that our vision for Camelot Unchained needs to be much darker and grittier so forget what you’ve seen so far, we’re going to be the darkest game ever! Also, I’m tired of taking the high road in regards to the past and so I’ll be doing my best Commander Queeg impression next week on GBTV so bring your popcorn! Oh, and everyone who pledges to Camelot Unchained gets a pony and a light-saber!” ☺

Now, we know that’s never going to happen, no way. We set out on this journey together to try to create a unique MMORPG with, I hope, the expectations that I’m not going to lie, bend the truth, throw people under the bus, bash companies, etc. to get pledges. Together, I want us to create an MMORPG that can stand not only as a great game but one that took some chances and was willing to go its own way. I’d rather this project not fund (no matter how much I want it to) rather than say things that either aren’t true or that I know from experience would be mistakes (too many classes that haven’t tested enough at launch, spreading resources too thin, etc.) for us. I want Camelot Unchained to launch as a great game, not as a game that had to launch unfinished, unbalanced because we tried to do too much. Our backers have been outstandingly generous (please, don’t buy more add-ons yet), kind and supportive (even when we disagree) and I’m not going to let you down just to get some more pledges. Even if it worked, the result would end in tears and frankly, I couldn’t live with myself for taking that approach.

That’s it for today’s update. I’ll be hanging around answering comments, taking care of email for a little longer and then I’m taking the rest of the afternoon and evening off for a change.

I hope everyone has had a good weekend so far!

-Mark

Video Found Here