COMMUNITY - FORUMS - GENERAL DISCUSSION
Will the first weeks of launch be special?

Lord Cromulent in his thread question how we will manage to handle the influx of new players at launch.

That discussion made me realise how strange those days are going to be in Elyria.

On the surface those days are going to be like any other day during exposition, no more characters, no big political change, no fire ball in the sky...... But underground all will change, myriads of characters that were NPCs yesterday will turn PCs and start to act strange to totally nuts.

will the story/system do something special during those days to mark them as special, will they be tide to some lore event, or shall we do it ourself, like give them a name, the years of the great incarnation wave or the days of souls or whatever to refer to them and build our own lore about it, maybe warn our npcs for what might happen and plan ahead and store food and ressources, shut doors at night and such or gather in temples and prey .....


3/17/2017 3:35:40 PM #1

For a player to take over an NPC, thus becoming an NTC, they would need to spend Story Points earned through playing the game before they could do so :-) As you are referring to the first weeks of launch, this won't be as common an occurrence as you might fear, as new players would not have accumulated the SP required to become an NTC and players who have established themselves during the Exposition would, most likely, prefer to continue their dynasty rather than begin anew.

Keep in mind, as well -- the Exposition lasts for three months, and it will be in the last month that open-world PVP will be activated. It is still very possible that those from the Exposition would survive into the first weeks of launch.


3/17/2017 3:53:07 PM #2

Posted By Caeoltoiri at 11:35 AM - Fri Mar 17 2017

For a player to take over an NPC, thus becoming an NTC, they would need to spend Story Points earned through playing the game before they could do so :-)

I think I'm confused now. After the exposition ends and the game becomes available for everyone, how will the new people join the game, en-soul the existing NPC or spawn a completely new character when they first log in?


3/17/2017 4:06:53 PM #3

Posted By Caeoltoiri at 4:35 PM - Fri Mar 17 2017

For a player to take over an NPC, thus becoming an NTC, they would need to spend Story Points earned through playing the game before they could do so :-) As you are referring to the first weeks of launch, this won't be as common an occurrence as you might fear, as new players would not have accumulated the SP required to become an NTC and players who have established themselves during the Exposition would, most likely, prefer to continue their dynasty rather than begin anew.

Keep in mind, as well -- the Exposition lasts for three months, and it will be in the last month that open-world PVP will be activated. It is still very possible that those from the Exposition would survive into the first weeks of launch.

Sorry i was unclear, i was refering to all the teenagers that will switch from NPC to PC, those teenagers will be existing during exposition right ?

And yes, i was not talking about PVP, just that for us players it will be a very special time, players from exposition will see an influx of new players, the new players will enter the world, but for the world, the NPCs that do not change status and every thing but us players, it will be normal time, business as usual.


3/17/2017 4:41:07 PM #4

Actually I feel there will be less confusion at/after launch simply due to the fact that many of the common problems or confusion will come during Exposition. Think about being dumped into a world by taking over a NPC and someone says "have fun" and you are on your own. At least after Exposition there will be more infrastructure, guilds and possibly maps/guides to which you can direction your questions. So in my opinion it will be confusing for those just starting however keep in mind it was worse for those that were in Exposition.


"Count Eldric Blackmoore of The Haven, offering direct support for the Hunters, Explorers and Gathers of Elyria" the

3/17/2017 5:16:17 PM #5

Posted By Aionion at 10:53 AM - Fri Mar 17 2017

Posted By Caeoltoiri at 11:35 AM - Fri Mar 17 2017

For a player to take over an NPC, thus becoming an NTC, they would need to spend Story Points earned through playing the game before they could do so :-)

I think I'm confused now. After the exposition ends and the game becomes available for everyone, how will the new people join the game, en-soul the existing NPC or spawn a completely new character when they first log in?

They will take over an existing child of a family be that NPC only or PC family if they leave a child unlocked.

NTCs are already established adults with titles, land and such. On the other hand a child has literally just a bag of starter stuff (required to have a kid) and a room in their parents house. So the NPC child becomes a pc when someone new joins the game they just don't have much stuff.

The other possibility is to start as a ward. In which you will not have a family so might not even start with a room of your own. Details are scarce on wards at this point.

3/18/2017 1:59:11 AM #6

Posted By markof at 12:06 PM - Fri Mar 17 2017

Posted By Caeoltoiri at 4:35 PM - Fri Mar 17 2017

For a player to take over an NPC, thus becoming an NTC, they would need to spend Story Points earned through playing the game before they could do so :-) As you are referring to the first weeks of launch, this won't be as common an occurrence as you might fear, as new players would not have accumulated the SP required to become an NTC and players who have established themselves during the Exposition would, most likely, prefer to continue their dynasty rather than begin anew.

Keep in mind, as well -- the Exposition lasts for three months, and it will be in the last month that open-world PVP will be activated. It is still very possible that those from the Exposition would survive into the first weeks of launch.

Sorry i was unclear, i was refering to all the teenagers that will switch from NPC to PC, those teenagers will be existing during exposition right ?

And yes, i was not talking about PVP, just that for us players it will be a very special time, players from exposition will see an influx of new players, the new players will enter the world, but for the world, the NPCs that do not change status and every thing but us players, it will be normal time, business as usual.

So it will be more like our characters looking back years (weeks) later and saying to each other:

"Remember the year all the children went mad together?"

"Yes, that's why we don't use the well in the north end of town anymore. It's cursed."

"Oh, is that why? That explains a lot." takes another sip of mead



Friend Code: B8ADDD

3/18/2017 3:25:33 AM #7

"And on that day, our children together heard word of our Lord and Saviour, [insert relevant religion/cult figurehead here], and were enlightened."

Story wrinkle handled ;)


To touch Divinity, one must be prepared to brave Reality.

3/18/2017 12:09:48 PM #8

In a nutshell those of us in Exposition are the pathfinders setting up the infrastructure for the game. We will be the one with the maps and guides of how things work. So we will be the teachers of the new people on launch.


Mayor, Settlement of Otterbear Creek, County of Sagehaven, Duchy of Mytharbor, Kingdom of Alesia. Friend Code: C3A1F2

A good commander knows when to fight, a great commander knows when not too.

3/19/2017 6:43:38 AM #9

Yes, but what the OP may have meant was, what about day one after the Exposition when the game goes live and all of a sudden a town or city has a "ward" explosion or the coming-of-age of several heretofore children. Do we explain the wards as recent war/plague/disaster orphans or will the story-engine create something to explain the population explosion.

I mean if I've known the NPC Baker family and their four kids throughout exposition and then "BAM" all the kids become 15yr olds at game start, is there some in-story reason?


Three aberrations that have plagued gamers from the beginning: The Lag Monster, the Mistell Maven and the Typo-Daemon. Their actions have to led to laughter, anger and tears since the beginning of the Internet.

3/19/2017 8:16:49 AM #10

Posted By Jourfrend at 07:43 AM - Sun Mar 19 2017

Yes, but what the OP may have meant was, what about day one after the Exposition when the game goes live and all of a sudden a town or city has a "ward" explosion or the coming-of-age of several heretofore children. Do we explain the wards as recent war/plague/disaster orphans or will the story-engine create something to explain the population explosion.

I mean if I've known the NPC Baker family and their four kids throughout exposition and then "BAM" all the kids become 15yr olds at game start, is there some in-story reason?

Yes that is the idea, details are not totally like that as wards, just like children, will already exist in the world, but yes as you say, since those character exist we may have interacted with or known them for some time during exposition and then "suddenly" they start to change.

That NPC baker family you talking about, the ones on Oak street, i remember their kids, the elder son was helping his father at the bakery, every body was sure he'll take the shop after his old man retire, but hey, that will not happen, on THAT day he and his sister and brother, they all went out into the world, they were only talking about adventure and grand stories, only young timmy stayed, was too young to leave any way. You know what those kid became ?

Not sure, heard the sister married a baron in the south and became a lady or something, she never came back to see her parents, the elder son would have better taken after his dad cause after a few years of adventuring ended up hanged for banditry they said, think that broke the baker's heart, he never recovered.

What about the other son, any news ? yes that one came back he said he traveled parts of the world, tried to be a merchant but finally came back home to take care of the family when the old man got sick.

That was a strange day right ? people have said what happened to those bakers happened to lots of other families too.....


3/19/2017 11:03:51 PM #11

I actually plan to have first few weeks post launch special events in my duchy to guide and help newly awakened, all done in IC of course if possible give them starting quests and tasks and have fun watching if they can guess that we are PCs or NPCs, also presenting them with some memorable moments short from them logging for very first time in game.


3/21/2017 2:46:35 AM #12

Posted By Sullen at 11:41 AM - Fri Mar 17 2017

Actually I feel there will be less confusion at/after launch simply due to the fact that many of the common problems or confusion will come during Exposition. Think about being dumped into a world by taking over a NPC and someone says "have fun" and you are on your own. At least after Exposition there will be more infrastructure, guilds and possibly maps/guides to which you can direction your questions. So in my opinion it will be confusing for those just starting however keep in mind it was worse for those that were in Exposition.

Definitely something we'll need to prepare for, come to think of it: not only having guards work overtime (you know it'll be necessary), but it'll be a big opportunity to get loyal followers.

That, or we can scam them all into signing themselves into slavery. That works too.


3/26/2017 10:22:46 AM #13

This is when out Culture missionaries have to do their thing the hardest.


3/26/2017 12:59:49 PM #14

As mentioned earlier, those of us in exposition are getting the infrastructure set up so we have viable settlements. That is the first priority. Secondly and just as important we have to be thinking up and setting up quests for the influx on day one of launch. As PC's are the quest givers here (i.e. contracts) we need to be ready to put them to work so they can learn the game. This doesn't mean to consider them a bunch if free labor. They do a job, they get paid for it. Example: 1. You are a black smith, have them collect raw materials for you and they get a piece of armor or weapon. A lot of material, the get a full set of initial armor.

  1. You use then to deliver stuff you made to customers, they get room and board for the first few days (if a ward) or some food.

While the above examples apply to crafters/merchants any PC can come up with errands they need done.


Mayor, Settlement of Otterbear Creek, County of Sagehaven, Duchy of Mytharbor, Kingdom of Alesia. Friend Code: C3A1F2

A good commander knows when to fight, a great commander knows when not too.

3/26/2017 8:52:47 PM #15

I don't think we'll have a sudden influx if children in towns. Since from what I remember about choosing a character it gives you options where those options are available and say a town has no npc children left or unlocked by a family I doubt you can just create a new child there. On the note of wards, I'm not sure how that will work probably similar to children. Each settlement has so many wards and when they are used up you can't pick it for that settlements I assume. Then you'd be left with picking a npc in another town. The interesting thing will be to see how big cities and trade towns will grow in size once players may try to settledown near those towns and perhaps you end up with many small settlements near the trade hub forming into a multi-city area, that may transform into districts under different governing bodies. That would be cool