Eternal Crusade AMA

7/28/2019 Eternal Crusade AMA

1/20

Q.) I remember hearing in one of the interviews about "massive PvP battles." How

do you plan on implementing something like that without introducing massive lag as

well? I remember an mmorpg called RF Online try to do this with their chip wars,

but the second I would teleport to the location, the game would turn into a

slideshow. For a more contemporary example, look at the large scale battles in EVE

and how much they slow down when a large number of ships is present in one

place.

A.) Patrick: well there is 2 things to consider to this problem:

1) network: we cannot send unlimited amount of data to each client, first because

the servers internet is limited and second there is only so much information the

client can process in a certain amount of time.

2) rendering: a pc is limited by hardware on how much polygons can be drawn on ascreen, so only a limited amount of players can be shown.

Now we have the possibilities to address both things with the right engine and the

right architecture - we cannot give numbers yet and we cannot say anything about

the tech yet in specific, but soon there will be more info on this.

Q.) Donno if you'll read this but PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE make the game optimized

for at least medium range PCs.

Planetside2, CompanyOfHeroes2, SWTOR all were so badly optimized, engine-wisefor PC that it was a chore to even login even if you like the game.

So please!!! please optimize it first. And Guild Wars is a very good MMO, love that

you're looking into it. I can't wait for a W40k MMO. A good one. With Space

Marines!

A.) Patrick: We have 2 years to do this. No promises and nothing i can say for

sure, but ofc it is also in our interest to make the game available to as many

players as possible!

Q.) Is the game lore set in fairly "current" period of time?

A.) It's set approximately in the year 40,000!

Q.) Will we be able to play as Psykers? (warlocks, librarians, etc.)

A.) Psychic powers will be present in the game!


2/20

Q.) What about Easter Eggs? I would love to find a very large grumpy yellow NPC

Marine somewhere, shouting at me.

A.) Haha!

Q.) How are you going to handle lore vs game mechanics. 1 space marine being

able to take on X orcs makes sense in lore, but in tabletop a spacemarine can

easily die to orcs.

A.) We've touched on this in a few places- see here for a good explanation.

TLDR: We want to respect the lore and the tabletop, but we have to make the

choices that are right for us as a videogame. We want every player to have a great

experience.

Q.) Hi and thank you!

Will there be plenty of options for more PvE oriented players and/or

players that are less good at twich combat and precision?

A.) Patrick: The game is going to be war - PvP is a given; That said, there will be

options for more PvE focused players in our game too, just don't expect the usual

MMORPG style quests, that does not fit the lore and will not fit the gameplay we

are focusing on

Q.) Yes but what kind of options!

A.) Steven: The Tyranids are our primary PvE enemy. You and your friends

who prefer a PvE experience will be critical in driving back the Tyranid threat,

clearing them out of important locations, and securing powerful relics from

hives deep under the planet's surface. If you're wondering what kind of

experience we're thinking of offering... look at games like Diablo 2 and Mass

Effect 3's cooperative multiplayer. :)

Q.) How many players per map/battle? Did you already check and plan what will bethe limitations of your servers and the game engine?

A.) Patrick: I believe I answered this already, at least the first part of it: no

numbers official yet. Expect it to be a lot! As for the limitations and engine - no

information we can reveal yet.
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3/20

Q.)

1. How much of a priority is the development team going to give to

user-controlled optimization (ex. complex graphical options to

enable/disable/change) and ensuring that the game can run "good enough" onsystems that are average (some gaming components, but not too powerful)?

2. What tools is the development team using for this game (ex. a game

engine)?

A.) Patrick: I'll answer the technical questions here:

1. This is going to be an ongoing process. Ofc we will try to push the

hardware to it's limits, but we also want as many players as possible. So

basically don't expect a high-end rig to be necessary.

2. This we cannot reveal yet.

Q.)For Eldar, will you be able to choose various aspect warrior shrines to be a part

of, etc.? Are aspect warriors basically the class structure of eldar, and how does

that interact with the player?

A.) We want to be sure the iconic unit types from the tabletop and lore are

present in game. Some of the classes available to the Eldar will be Aspect

Warriors, for sure.

Q.)Will there be any imperator titans in the game?

I've always wanted to see what the inside of an emperor titan might look like. Is it

a giant walking cathedral with big aww guns or what?? That would be interesting as

hell.

A.) We're focused on the infantry and vehicles experience- titans aren't our focus

for this game, but we're considering whether or not they can be present in some

small way.

Q.)Give me Necrons and Tau at release. PLEASE!

A.) Patrick: I fear those races will not make it for release - but we want to add all

races at some point after release, probably in form of updates of some sort.


4/20

Q.)So I have played a few different structures of MMO. One thing that always bugs

me is the "MMO" feel of gameplay. Most MMOs have garbage quests where you

just kill some stuff for a reward. In the 40k universe a space marine does not need

any reward outside of the opportunity to slay enemies in the name of the emperor.

Defiance is the only game I have played that comes come close to being a leveling

up game without actually leveling up. The gun's damage never changes, and the

character only becomes slightly better at some abilities.

How do you plan on tackling the leveling/questing/rewards in a universe where

there is little room for advancement?

Again, if you need daemonic intervention of any sort... Seriously, I spent a good

long part of my life working towards being a game developer.

A.) If your Strike Force leader, who is another player, says to you "gwarsh41, the

Chaos have taken a manufactorum critical to producing Krak Missiles, which we'll

need for an attack on the Eldar front in a few days. I need you to take a few goodmarines with you and harass to destroy some of their defenses... our Strike Force

will hit them hard tonight."

Is that a quest?

We will not have any NPCs asking you to collect Hormagaunt venom sacks- this is

a world run by the players, and it's up to you all to shape the face of the conflict.

As for advancement, we're a pvp game, so as you say, your gun won't magically

start doing more damage, and you won't magically gain more health. You'll be able

to use equipment which may change these, but you'll have to make a tradeoff

elsewhere to bring these items with you!

Q.)Let's talk customization. As an Ork player, I loves me some smashy bitz.

What can I expect in terms of weapons and classes?

A.) We're not ready to talk specifics, but you can rest assured you'll see all the

iconic weapons and classes from the tabletop! We want to get as much

customization as possible within the restrictions of a) our tech, and b) keeping the

battle and your enemies and allies readable.

Q.)That's where you guys come in. Will the galaxy be in flames, or will we spend

most of our time collecting wolf pelts?

A.)The galaxy will be in flames. If you want wolf pelts involved, you'll have to

wear them. ;)


5/20

Q.)Will the spess meehrines be true-scale and with believable models?

A.)If you've played Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine, that's a good guideline

for understanding the direction we want to take with our visual style.

Q.)I've heard that Ork Boyz will be "free to play" and you can pay to unlock

Nobz. My question regarding Boyz is how you plan on making it fun. As an Ork

player on the tabletop I have no problem with sending my boyz to their deaths in

reckless suicide charges, but playing as one of those expendable troops in a video

game doesn't sound very enjoyable. Will you do something like the Banzai Charge

in Rising Storm, where you get more damage resistance the more players you

have in a charge? I like the idea of a Waaagh! charge.

A.)We're right there with you- it's important that free players have a good

experience with the game, and we don't intend for them to just be cannon fodder.

We've touched more on this answer previously- see here for more info.

Q.)There is a growing concern among 40k players that the game will be incredibly

unbalanced since it's suppose to take five Ork players to kill one Space Marine

player.

Is there a strategy or game design to keep the game fair and balanced for all four

races or would you assume that everyone is going to play as a Space Marine a

couple of weeks after launch?

A.)This is a misconception- 5 orks to one Space Marine is more like what you see

in the Lore or on the Tabletop.

For us, we're looking at attaining an asymmetric balance between the races and

classes. For example, an Ork Boy may be a terrifying force in close combat,

compared with a Tactical Marine- but the Marine will have a clear advantage at

range. Which will win any given combat depends on the situation, and which player

can press their unique advantages to secure the victory. We want the game to be

fun for every player, while still getting the experience to feel like the lore and

tabletop, and we're discussing how to do that without having wild power differences

between players of different races.

We're also aware of the appeal of Space Marines; one of the reasons we want to

offer Orks as a free-to-play option is to help even the numbers a bit. This is just

one of our tools for ensuring a good asymmetric faction balance, and we're

constantly evaluating other ways to ensure a good experience for all races.

David
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6/20

Q.)5 f2p ork boys. Paid ork players, as nobs, will be on a more equal footing.

A.)See our answer below- this is actually a small misconception. We want to be

sure every player (even free players!) have a good experience with the game, but

the balance between races and classes will be asymmetric.

Q.)What kind of functionality will there be for role-players? I'm very interested in

role-playing in this game, being an avid fan of the pen and paper stuff such as Dark

Heresy, so my questions really relate to this subject area.

Will we have things such as custom emotes and, by extension, a well functioning

chat system? Will we see gear customisation and appropriate aesthetics for each

race? I'm really interested in the tools to help us really identify with and flesh out

our characters into individuals that we want to play as, so I am curious to see how

the game will cater to the role-playing crowd.

A.)Custom emotes- you mean like /emote 'cackles wickedly at you'? Since the

cooperative experience is so important to us, it's very important to have a well

functioning chat system. We're not a classic MMORPG, we're a third-person

shooter, like Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine, or Planetside and Borderlands-

so we'll be working hard to get a chat system that supports that experience well.

Gear customization and aesthetics: yes!

For all of us, we want to get the feeling and experience of inhabiting the 41st

millennium. When the wind blows and the smoke shifts on the battlefield, when the

cries of war ring in your ears, when your plasma gun gets hot, when your Strike

Force rescues a critical manufactorum from the forces of Chaos and you celebrate

with your friends... these are the experiences we want you to have.

Q.)Is there any chance for additional playable races to be added like Tau or

Tyranids?

Are these going to be persistant never ending conflicts like planetside? Or will

factions win worlds and have vast galactic territory to fight over and hold.

How are you going to balance un-even player count?

A.)Yes! We're wanting to add every race, after launch. We're reserving the

Tyranids as an NPC threat, though- but they'll be in the game from the

beginning....devouring... ;)

Steven says: The conflict will be persistent, but our Campaigns will focus the battle

on a single continent at a time. Meeting your faction's objectives will be important


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and give your faction a sense of accomplishment and permanence, even through

the persistent nature of the... Eternal Crusade. (see what I did there? :D)

Q.)I have some questions....... ->1. there will be other NPCs except the Tyranids

? I mean can we meet Failbaddon ? or BOREAL ? or etc. characters from other

games/lore ? (i would really want to meet a Primarch).........-> 2. daemons will

help the forces of chaos ? or there won't be any ? and can we play as a daemon ?

like a gift from the gods if we kill many enemies or if we rank up high enough.........

->3. there will be any mutations for chaos or implants/augments for space

marines ? 5 arm and 7 mouth for a chaos marine ? :D....... ->4. can we deep

strike in drop pods ?....... ->5. can we dual wield melee or ranged weapons ? like 2

chainswords.....

A.)

1. There will be other NPCs, and some of them may be iconic faction

leaders you know from lore- but the focus of the game isn't on them... it's on

the players, and how they shape the face of this conflict!

2. Daemons are a race that won't be in the game at launch... but after

launch, we're aiming to eventually release all races!

3. You will be able to customize your Space Marine or Chaos Space

Marine's abilities- internally we've talked about what it might be like to get a

Boon of Slaanesh, for example.

4. Yes!

5.We're still working on exactly how this will work, but yes- certain classes

will be able to dual wield. Rather than two chainswords, for example, you may

see something more iconic- like two lightning claws.

Q.)Will the game support Addons? (Much like WoW has embraced them) I feel like

other MMos that are hesitant about them are just a poorer experience for the

user. (See: SW:ToR)

A.)Patrick: the game is designed to live on after launch - that means we will

continuously add to the game after launch. In what form

(addon/update/unlockable/etc.) is not decided, but there is plenty of ideas to

expand the game in many ways!

Q.)I think this will sum up the majority of peoples question.

Will any amount of begging and or bribery get my favorite Legion/ Chapter/ Craft

World/ Warband into the game?


8/20

A.)Patrick: haha, well what did you have in mind? We will always listen and try to

make the game for you guys out there - but we do not have unlimited time and

money to make everything at once :) Soon the launching chapters will be

announced!

Q.)Well if I've got your ear for a moment, I'd perform unspeakable

quantities of promotion for this game if I could play as a member of the

Night Lords legion.

But my own hopes and dreams aside, I think its important to note that every

outlet for warhammer 40k like to cover the same basic factions. I think It

would be a great fan service to include Chaos legions from outside the big 5

(Black Legion, World Eaters, Death Guard, Emperors Children, Thousand

sons). Or Space Marines from outside The UltraMarines or Blood Angels.

Orks and Eldar have gotten less time in the spotlight but they have just as

many people devoted to s specific clan or craft world.

A.)Patrick: Well it will not be easy to make everyone happy, but we sure

will try to make as many as possible happy! I know this is a very vague

answer, but rest assured, the more people ask for specific legions, chapters

etc, the more likely it will be we can add them at some time - we are

building a game that does not stop with it's launch! There will be

opportunities to get more inside!

Q.)Will Dreadnoughts be present in the game? If so in what capacity? Will they be

NPCs or playable? Thanks for making the game!

A.)Dreadnoughts are tricky, since they're not a living space marine, nor a vehicle!

We're evaluating how to handle options like these.

Q.)I thought that the List of influential games located at the bottom of the first

Mailing list Email was easily the most informative thing I've read on this game.

So if you Had to do a classic elevator pitch for the game ( It's like X, but with Y and

Z) what would you say?

A.)Disclaimer: we're our own game, and any elevator pitch misses out onnuance, but since you asked.....

"Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine plus Borderlands on Planetside." :)

Q.)How destructible will the terrain and buildings etc be?

A.)See some of our other answers. TLDR: parts of buildings will definitely be

destructible; terrain, unlikely. :)


9/20

Q.)In terms of Eldar I'm assuming that the different warrior aspects will translate

into different classes but do you have a line-up of on-launch aspects that you are

aiming to use? E.g. Striking scorpions as a stealthy class and Dire avengers as an

all-rounder?

Basically I want to know when I will get to play a warp spider and jump around the

place :D

A.)Steven: I love the look of Warp Spiders, and I think there could be really cool

ways of representing their jumping ability.

We're not yet ready to release the classes that will be available to each race, but

don't worry- you'll see a strong representation of the most iconic roles from the

tabletop.

Q.)will there be character customization in which you can create your own

chapter like some of the tabletop players have? and Will you be able to grab the

gear of the dead?

A.)Currently, we're planning to offer a selection of chapters for players to join.

You'll be able to tweak your armor and color scheme within the overall scheme of

your chapter. We made this decision to help keep allies and enemies clear, and

help the battlefield look more organized.

Gear of the dead- this is something we've talked about! Could be, but with an

enemy's gun you simply won't be as effective as with your race's weapons.

Q.)I would much rather pay a subscription fee for access to all of the game rather

than pay individual microtransactions. Will a system like this be available?

A.)You're in luck! If you buy the game, then (like Guild Wars) everything will be

unlocked for you. Currently, we're not thinking about a subscription based model.

Of course, if you don't want to buy the full game, you can still play for free, and

unlock pieces with individual microtransactions.

Q.)

1. How destructible terrain/buildings will actually be? Will the damage leave

permanent marks and will it be repairable/usable buy players? Can players dig a

tunnel to enemy base?

2. How much of an impact will weather have? And are Warps Storms to be

expected? Can weather kill?


10/20

3. What tools for specialization will players have? Talents? Classes? How many

active ability slots will we have? Will there be a choice of character traits that are

not bound to a certain class/talent tree?

4. As I understand - there will be more than one SM Chapter available at start.

Will the choice of that chapter affect talent trees, available classes, usable abilities?

A.)

1. There will be parts of buildings (gates, turrets, etc) that are destructible.

Tunneling or other terrain deformation is probably not going to be possible on

the massive scale we're aiming for.

2. We're evaluating weather as a feature. If we have it, we'd like it to be

important on the battlefield... but we may have to make a trade-off if we really

want it to feature. We're looking at it!

3. You'll be able to play as different classes with different specializations,

and different equipment loadouts! You won't have "active ability slots," sincewe're not like a classic MMORPG- we're a third person shooter, so imagine

something like Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine, Planetside, or Borderlands.

4. Your choice of chapter will have a gameplay impact like this, but we don't

want it to be unbalanced.

Q.)Hi, there

How many Players will be able to play on a server at the same time ? How many

Players will be able to play in a Battleground at the same time ?

A.)Patrick: again - no numbers yet. We will make sure to give those numbers as

soon we can!

Q.)

1. In a recent interview, the developers said that they will available all the of

the Order of the Space Marines. Will be available to all Legions of Chaos?

2. Will be a difference in perks, and abilities between the different orders and

legions? Will Chaos Space Marins choose a Chaos Gods?

3. Are there any special classes? What role do they perform?4. Will be at the Military consulate, or Master of the Order the ability an

orbital bombardment or Exterminatus?

5. Each Order will have a master?

6. Can we play for an Imperial Guard?

7. Want to know more about starships, said that each player will be given

at the disposal of one starship, and that players will be able to combine them


11/20

into one. Is this true? If so, who will lead such union?

8. Will be able such groups to paint vehicles in the coloring of his order?

A.)

1. We'll offer the major chapters, legions, craftworlds, and clans- but wewant players to be able to recognize their allies and enemies on the battlefield,

so we probably won't have ALL of them.

2. Chapters, legions, and more will have some gameplay differences yes-

but we don't want them to be huge.

3. We'll talk more about this later... but we think important HQ units like a

Space Marine Chaplain (for example) are so iconic, it'd just be a shame to leave

them out... ;)

4. We're unlikely to offer an Exterminatus, since that would destroy the

entire planet! Massive effects like an orbital bombardment or shelling from

heavy guns- we're looking at how to get this into the game. :)5. Your Strike Force (our version of guilds) will have a leader, yes!

6. Launch factions currently planned are Space Marines, Chaos Space

Marines, Orks, and Eldar. We intend to add the other factions over time after

launch!

7. It's not that you'll combine your ships into one, but that your group of

friends- your Strike Force- will collectively own your own Strike Force Cruiser.

This would be lead by your Strike Force's leader, naturally.

8. Like choosing your character's chapter will affect his armor's color

scheme, vehicles will reflect this as well.

Q.)Jump Packs?

A.)Yes

Q.)

1. How will different factions rank up differently?

2. How will Aspects for the Eldar work?

3. Will you gain XP for completing orders from your superiors?

4. How will Chapters work-specifically with spacecraft and vehicle options?

Will numbers be the sole deciding factor in what vehicles and arms are available

to us, or will rank be a factor?

5. Will there be Titans? And if there are, will run-of-the-mill foot troops be

eligible to operate them, or will there be certain classes dedicated to running the

god-machines?


12/20

A.)

1. (Will ask Brent to give his thoughts!)

2. Different Aspect Warriors will be present as different classes for Eldar

players to select from!3. We definitely want to motivate players to want to follow the suggestions

of their Strike Force and faction leaders... XP is one of the levers we may tweak

to make sure following orders is attractive.

4. (Will ask Brent to give his thoughts!)

5. We touched on this elsewhere, but Titans aren't the core experience

we're focusing on. We'd love to see them have a small presence, but the focus

of the game is on the infantry and vehicle combat iconic to the tabletop game.

Q.)Who is your Publisher?

A.)We're in talks with a number of publishers, so we can't comment at the

moment. Soon! :)

Q.)Hi, How do you plan on incorporating the meta aspect into the game to keep

it interesting? Without dedicated end game, ala theme park MMO style, I've

noticed many MMO's lately struggling to hold player attention(PS2 comes to

mind). EVE Online is legendary for this, but because of it's sandbox nature, do you

plan on modelling anything you do after the lessons people such as CCP games

has learned in the last few years with player driven content?

A.)Eve Online and CCPs lessons about player driven content are absolutely

valuable, and something we're paying attention to. We're definitely looking at what

we can do to encourage a shifting metagame to keep your interest for years.

Another feature we hope will help with that is the Campaigns, which will push

players to make certain choices on the battlefield, and to (attempt to) control

certain objectives. Depending on the territory you currently control, and the

objectives you're trying to take, your strategies may have to vary wildly!

Q.)Will this be anything like the Dark Heresy RPG from Fantasy Flight Games? (My

favorite RPG, btw). I want to play a Tech Priest because they are kinda awesome.

A.)Steven: Dark Heresy is a great pen-and-paper game. I played it a few times

with a couple friends, and I love how it really feels like you're investigating the

sinister plots in the Imperium.


13/20

We're focusing on a different aspect of the 41st Millennium- the massive warfare

the races are locked in. Instead of investigating carefully hand-crafted mysteries

and stories, we're throwing open the surface of an entire planet for you and your

faction's armies to battle over, entirely lead by the players.

Regardless, it will feel like the same universe, just a different side of the same coin.

Q.)How is the user interface going to look like? Something like Elder Scrolls Online

(as little clutter as possible) or something along the lines of WoW or Guild Wars?

A.)We're very different from a classic MMO like these, so our UI will be very

different. Take a look at games like Planetside 2, Borderlands, and Warhammer

40,000: Space Marine for some ideas on what we are hoping to end up with.

Q.)What kind of worlds will we fight in? How will you differentiate each world

enough so that they don't feel repetitive?

A.)We'll actually be fighting across the entire surface of a single Imperial planet. It

will feature a number of different environments!

Q.)If Orks are a F2P race for Xenos, would you ever consider having Imperial

Guard as a F2P race for the Imperium or Lost and the Damned for Chaos?

A.)The plan is to eventually add all the factions, but we want this game to launch,

and to launch as soon as possible! That means we have to make some choices,and to keep within our budget, we chose the four iconic factions of Warhammer

40,000: Space Marines, Chaos Space Marines, Orks, and Eldar.

David

Q.)Heya, guys. First, thanks for reaching out to the community, especially so

early in development. I've always thoroughly enjoyed the entire idea of

"Warhammer" (both Fantasy and 40k), so naturally I'm very excited for this game

even though I've only just recently reallydelved into the lore and getting into the

tabletop.Now, forgive me if any of this has been answered whether it be at e3 or some

other interview with a gaming website, however I've wanted to ask the following

questions.

1. I know in one interview, Miguel has stated (multiple times) that the

combat you're aiming for is very "Visceral" and you want to be compared to


14/20

other games such as Call of Duty. Now, by this, are you aiming WH40k:EC to

be sort of a MMO-Third person shooter with the combat of an fps? (e.g.

Planetside 2)

2. I also saw in an interview Miguel talking about micro-transactions since

you will have a f2p option (where he described a lowly f2p git teabagging a

famous, well known marine), will these micro-transactions be strictly aesthetic?

3. You spoke a bit of customization, and how much you want people to

customize as much as possible (e.g. dying just about everything excluding large

things as chapter icons or whatnot), so on the subject of dyes - will there be a

system where every dye is available within the item, or a vendor? Or will it be

similar to Warhammer: Age of Reckoning where the vendors have a certain

number of "basic" dyes, with a lot of the more desireable dyes (such as chaos

black, skull white, etc) being very rare/expensive? I would love you guys if it

were the former, and every dye is available with no hassle.

4.

Now, as much as this may be possibly a bad idea (and there are manyreasons it is...) will you have a voip-like feature built into the game (call it vox,

maybe? :p), which can be heard cross-faction (this is where the majority of the

issue with this idea is), so that I can scream into my microphone "BLOOD FOR

THE BLOOD GOD, SKULLS FOR THE SKULL THRONE!" as an ever faithful

worshipper of Khorne?

A.)

1. Yes! We'll be action based, like a 3rd person shooter. Planetside 2,

Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine, and Borderlands are all inspirations for ourgame.

2. We're a premium game (think Guild Wars 2), with a free-to-play option.

We will never offer pay-to-win in the cash shop. Players who opt for the

free-to-play option will be able to unlock different classes through

microtransactions, but buying the game will give you access to everything.

3. We're working on the customization with our Tech Lead- we want to

ensure a great experience for massive battles, and we want players and

chapters to be recognizable. At the same time, we want you to feel like you

can tweak your appearance, so we're still investigating what we can get away

with!4. Haha! We like the idea. We're definitely looking into voice communication

systems, but we're currently thinking more within your own faction. We're big

fans of games like Chivalry, that have a hotkey for a battle cry, though!


15/20

Q.)Will there be classes to choose? Or will everything be totally horizontal? Don't

you fear the One-Man-Army problem?

A.)You can ask multiple questions! Just one per comment, since it helps us keep

track.

Brent: You'll be able to choose a class, but these will be more like containers that

define your options. As far as we're concerned, everything is horizontal in that

(when constructing your build) you'll always have to make a sacrifice in one area in

order to improve in another. It's a PvP game, so everyone needs to play within

relatively the same power levels.

Q.)Will you be able to pick different space marine chapters/imperial guard

force/etc other than the announced defaults before? (Dark Angels, etc)

A.)Yes! There will be a release on this soon- keep your eyes out for Phase 2,which (we hope!) will be out next week sometime.

Q.)Can you walk through other players like other MMOs

A.)Haha, no - everyone is solid. Of course, we're going to make sure friendlies

can't get you stuck either.

Q.)Hey guys, I'll skip the formalities and just ask:

1) Will we see Titans in the game? I was thinking along the lines of Vanilla WoW

where each faction can complete quests to summon a large raid boss2) Will there be multiple servers, or one giant one like eve

A.)Steven: 1) The focus of the game is on the infantry and vehicle experience,

and not on Titans... but we are looking at how to give them a small presence.

Patrick: 2) has been answered already, but in short: more like EVE

Q.)Is sticky cover a game mechanic?

A.)Hope you liked the visual demonstration! =)

ed: Cover will be important, but we're evaluating whether it will be "Sticky" or not.

For a race like the Space Marines, it doesn't make much sense, since they have

much more faith in their armor than any piece of plasteel wall or rubble. We want to

find a cover system that works well for all races.


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Q.)Tell us a bit about graphic style? Will it be more cartoony as dark millenium

was going to be, or is it more realistic looking?

A.)We're going for a less cartoony approach than Dark Millennium Online,

something a little darker and more realistic. If you look at Warhammer 40,000:

Space Marine, we're aiming for something along those lines.

Q.)Just the fact that you said a "plasteel" wall and not something else makes me

have complete faith in you guys as 40k fans

A.)You know it. :D

Q.)Do you have a ETA on forums?

A.)I will NOT go on vacation until they are up, and believe me, I WANT to go on

vacation. =)

Q.)Will orks have a waaagh ability that buffs them? If so will it increase the power

of the buff depending on the amount of orks doing the waaagh ability yea gitz?

A.)The Waaagh! is a core feature of the Orks! We've gotta have it in there

somehow. :)

Q.)Hey guys what kind of environments are we going see? Ice planets, Forge

worlds? What about terrain features, I would love to see a battlefield with

trenches. :)

A.)We're currently focused on one planet, but it would get boring fighting in the

same environment all the time! Expect to see a variety of types of terrain, like ice

or volcanic fields. Trenches- these certainly could be present, as long as it doesn't

lead to stalemates! We want the battle to always be raging.

Q.)What will the server structure be like? For example, will it be like EVE in the

way that everyone plays in the same universe, but different areas are different

servers, or will it be like WoW with servers for the whole realm and people pick a

server to play on?

A.)Patrick: From technical perspective we are aiming to have something similar

to the EVE experience - no shards, no instanced world - all playing together on the

same world. How the tech behind this is actually going to look like is something we

cannot reveal at this point.


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Q.)Thank you for doing this AMA devs we as the fandom really appreciate it. For

reference my username in the Twitch stream is Craedathi. One question I have is:

Fortress building and resources are going to be a big part of the game from what I

can tell. Will it be automatically collected and deposited in a faction resource bin or

will resources be a physical item that has to be transported to safety? If so will it be

possible to gather resources from an area then move them to a different zone?

Overall what plans do you have for the resource system in the game?

A.)We're focused on the experience of being a mighty warrior of the 41st

millennium, so you'll never see a Space Marine mining ore with a pick. Instead, for

resources, you'll be securing critical facilities that unlock options for your faction.

Steven: We do want to give resources some physical presence in the world-

maybe you'll store them somewhere, for example, and then that location becomes

a prime target for your enemies to either conquer or sneak in and steal from. We're

still evaluating exactly how this can work.

Q.)Since your focus is on realistic warfare, will things such as terrain effect

combat? Such as elevation and difficult terrain. Will it be harder to charge up a hill

or though difficult terrain? Can players become invisible if they hide in say a

Forrest?

BTW will you guys plan to have to go to any future Games Day events?

A.)Since we're a skill-based third-person-shooter kind of game, terrain absolutely

will effect combat! We want it to be natural, though, so we won't (for example)

apply a debuff on you when you're walking over rocky ground. It will be more

like... trees will shelter you from bullets!

Q.)Any plans for playable Imperial guard characters, and if balance is the hurdle to

implementing them, how will it be addressed as between Asartes and non-Astartes

PCs?

A.)Imperial Guard will be one of the factions we add after launch. :)

Regarding Astartes versus non-Astartes... this is a challenge. We want to make

sure the experience feels good for every player, even if they're not playing a SpaceMarine.

Roughly speaking, each class will be about equal in power to each other class, but

the balance between them will be asymmetric. An Ork Boy, for example, may be a

terrifying melee combatant, but a Devastator Marine will be a truly punishing force

from range. Attaining victory over a single enemy will be about exploiting your


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strengths and minimizing your weaknesses, while forcing the opposite for your

opponent.

With that in mind, we still want the experience to feel like the lore or the tabletop,

so we're currently discussing ways we can keep the Orks feeling like a savage

horde, the Eldar feeling like an army of specialists, etc.


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Eternal Crusade AMA

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