Shadreg's GamesCom Diary - Wildstar

[Shardreg]

Hey guys,

since I'm currently on vacation at my family's home in Germany, I took the time and visited GamesCom (no idea why it's "m" instead of "n", but it is).

Shrivasta had set up a meeting with the Wildstar people for me, so I had the chance to present them with a few questions I gathered from the guild and the respective Grievance Wildstar guild leaders. IÔÇÖll simply list the questions here and outline the answers (or lack thereof) of the two devs; some of the information needed additional questions, but IÔÇÖll spare youÔÇÖre the detailed text there.

I'll copy my original post from the marketing forums here, so you can all read the goodies that they announced:


Questions from Grievance to Wildstar

Will there be collectible(s) (in-game pets)? If so, where do they come from?

Yes, there will most definitely be collectibles in-game. As things stand now, there will also be collectible pets.
The main focus will be the customization of the housing options, though. Defeating a boss may yield a head trophy to mount on your wall or hunting monsters may unlock a furry rug.

Source for all collectibles seem to be drops, quests and achievements.

Do collectibles have any noticeable effect in game?

Collectible decoration for your house increases the rested XP for your house. The rested XP currently has no real maximum, but will likely be capped at some point.

The houses are per character, not per account ÔÇô but you can still enter your other houses with all characters or even make them ÔÇ£caretakersÔÇØ, so every character (or friend) can move stuff around in your home.

Are collectibles also planned for a potential MTX system? And regarding that, how are you going to insure ÔÇ£convenienceÔÇØ doesnÔÇÖt go overboard into ÔÇ£need to haveÔÇØ for MTX items?

An MTX system is currently still being discussed and thereÔÇÖs no decision made. Cannot give any more statements or information.

Will there be a customization system for gear exceeding dyes, such as changing appearance (like ÔÇ£transmogÔÇØ in World of Warcraft?

Customization is a strong focus of Wildstar, starting with the character creation. Cannot rightly confirm a true ÔÇ£transmogÔÇØ system yet.

To put all concerns of previous NC Soft games to rest, freaks with balloon heads and stick figure limbs (like in AION) are not going to be possible.

Will there be a collectorÔÇÖs edition? What goodies will be in the CollectorÔÇÖs Edition?

Cannot comment (smiles) on any of that, itÔÇÖs all still ÔÇ£being discussedÔÇØ (smiles again).

Will there be merchandise at the release date? What about plushies?

They hope there will be, but it has not been decided yet. TheyÔÇÖd still need to talk to the manufacturers as well, so itÔÇÖs uncertain. It is however being talked about!

How is the loot system in the elder game raids designed?

Once the player reaches level 50, any additional XP goes still towards your XP bar, through which you earn ÔÇ£Elder CoinsÔÇØ, a sort of token system for Elder Game loot.
Other than that, itÔÇÖs good old fashioned Greed/Need/Master loot.

Is there any chance youÔÇÖll reveal the final two classes here at GamesCom or to get a sneak peek at them? If not, whatÔÇÖs the schedule for their reveal?

I guess you have to just stick around and see (wink, wink)

[My guess is that itÔÇÖs either being revealed today, Satuday, or, if not today, then at the upcoming PAX Prime.]

Regarding the two factions, will you be able to have characters of both factions on one server or account?

On a PvE server youÔÇÖll be able to mix factions, on a PvP server youÔÇÖre locked into one faction. Accounts are not ÔÇ£faction lockedÔÇØ.

Is there any schedule that can be disclosed about the upcoming beta builds and numbers of invitees? What about a guild beta?

They are pushed to Q1 2014 for release and want an open beta and a guild beta before that ÔÇô so we can basically infer the dates for those from that.

However, all the swag they gave us means something [they said (Troy)]. They really want to be friends with us and are very interested in what weÔÇÖre doing, especially all the charity work as well. We can certainly hope for the guild beta! (big smiles)


Personal Impressions of Wildstar

While that was it for the Q&A session (which was so hard to do, since the RIOT Games booths were right next to Wildstar and they have EU regionals going on), Troy actually jumped me ahead of the hour-long queue for the game. Talk about premium treatment!

They guys who were just about to get a machine for play-testing naturally gave me a good angry stare, but nonetheless, I got to play my 25 minutes of Wildstar.

What can I say?

My current game of choice is/was Neverwinter; for those of you who donÔÇÖt play it, when you attack (even a standard/auto attack), you are unable to move for a split-second. Many players donÔÇÖt like that, because it takes away dynamic. However, what it also does is, it gives you a feeling of impact: every attack actually feels meaningful, even a little stab with a dagger.

Wildstar, on the other hand, is a mix of the traditional MMO mechanics and the ÔÇ£guildwardizedÔÇØ approach. You can use most of your skills while moving around, so itÔÇÖs a very mobile fighting. Some abilities (channels) still require you to stand still. Overall, the game and handling feels ÔÇ£featherlightÔÇØ.

What makes it hard for me to judge the overall feeling is the missing sound (again, RIOT Games next door). Seriously, I don't get people playing without any game sound, it makes the gaming feel... "bereft" of a crucial element.

The impression is one of a Science Fiction World of Warcraft ÔÇô which isnÔÇÖt bad, WoW is still(!) one of the better MMOs out there.
The quests are standard (Kill X, Collect Y) with a few humorous intermezzos: soldiers caught in force fields need to be freed ÔÇô and you do it by jumping against them, knocking them out.

And then, suddenly, the 25 minutes were already up. The gameÔÇÖs fun enough to eat through time like the best of them!



That's it, I hope there's something in there for you guys that gets you excited.

Having never played any EQ before, I personally am very excited now, as I think those features are genius and gold!

Cheers,

Tilo / Shardreg

[Vors]

How is the loot system in the elder game raids designed?

Once the player reaches level 50, any additional XP goes still towards your XP bar, through which you earn ÔÇ£Elder CoinsÔÇØ, a sort of token system for Elder Game loot.
Other than that, itÔÇÖs good old fashioned Greed/Need/Master loot.

Great work and some good info, that part about the XP loot system is news to me.

Very interesting stuff and now I'm wondering if at level cap do you still get rested XP?

[Kannon]

Wow! I can't tell you how much I appreciate you doing this for us! /big german kisses for you!

lol

I am so glad to know the raid loot system now. Helps to tie up a few loose ends we had.

[SoulGuardian]

Nice job man! And I understand about the noise, I was watching the LCS finals and it was a mad house there!

[Nyogtha]

Awesome, awesome, awesome!

[Beriothien]

Thanks for the Post!

[Acha]

Good work!