I've been following this game for a while and was wondering if there are any teamliquid users playing. As there's no thread I figured I'd just open one.
Das Tal is an interesting take on the current MMO/DotAlike Hype. It is essentially a skill-based MMO with ending worlds and winning conditions. The devs wrote a pretty good summary about what the game is over here:
As someone pretty annoyed at current combat systems in MMOs, even in games I like (such as Albion Online), the combat system of Das Tal is refreshing to see. Fights are fast but don't end in mere seconds, you have lots of opportunity to outplay your opponents and the skillshots/100% friendly fire are very interesting additions, too.
But the best thing about the combat system is the vision: You only see things that are in front of you(direction you're aiming), and people can hide behind objects or inside bushes. Creates lots of interesting dynamics!
When I first learned about the game and searched for videos, this is what I found: (that video is from years ago, it looks quite different now)
So yeah, I'm pretty hyped about the combat system. Paired together with full loot and settlement sieges I'm looking forward to the game overall. I instantly got a DayZ vibe in the first hours I played. Sadly, it's another game yet to be finished. It's in alpha(or pre-alpha? I don't even know...) currently and thus obviously lacks a lot of features, content etc. But what they already have is pretty good.
They had a failed kickstarter, but continued and are currently funding the game through Founder's Packs (it just seems to be the best tool for MMOs, especially indies). They even got money from Bavaria's games fund recently because they're operating out of Munich! If you want more info, either check out their website ( http://www.das-tal-game.com/home ) or forums ( http://forum.das-tal-game.com/index.php )!
Should you be playing the game already (or plan to; there are 24/7 alpha servers for "Vanguard Supporters", as well as dedicated testing phases), you can find me under the name "Zerus". As always, just message me ingame if you need any help or just ask me here. Currently the servers are not too crowded so it'd be great to have a few buddies to play with.
I like how they're taking a fresh approach to the game. But I still don't see how they're trying to integrate 'meaningful combat' with casual gamers. One the one hand, PvP can cost you your real inventory, but then again, it states somewhere that inventory isn't that important. So how will a player feel it's a 'meaningful loss'?
I think the way casuals are kept playing is either 1) have continuous progress, like WoW, Diablo, Clash of Clans. You don't lose anything valuable (just some repair cost, gold, etc) and your character gets too precious to stop playing, or 2) start every game from scratch, like the whole MOBA genre. The casual player will always lose to the serious gamer, and getting your weapon robbed twice a week is going to become monotonous pretty fast. I don't know how this is going to feel in Das Tal...
random: I hope they decouple the Reaper's Cleave ability from the unit origin as soon as it's cast. Keep it up, guys!
While your inventory is lost on death, the upgrades on your skills and your skill setup/overall level is kept. You don't start from scratch everytime. However to get all these upgrades, you need to get into a Dojo to learn or a workshop to craft.
It currently goes like this: You go out into the world, fight NPCs, loot animals/meteors, then go back to a building to upgrade/learn/craft. You're not safe at any of these processes. You might get robbed while looting, while transporting and even while processing. Once you've managed to upgrade your abilities etc, your character's abilities and upgrades are safe and thats where you will have a sense of progression.
I've done this in relatively quiet areas. While on one side there were big fights between guilds, I was on the other side sneakily looting my stuff and having the occasional brawl with other solo players (until we banded together to kill other groups. Enemy of my enemy~).
Combined with building/upgrading your settlements together with your guild you have another form of progression - your guild's influence/power in the world which is something even casual players can enjoy (I think).
What happens when a server ends I don't know, but I can see them implementing some sort of meta system with progress that carries on into next worlds, even if it's purely cosmetic.
Maybe dbltnk can talk a little bit about their idea/plans Welcome on TL btw!
You'll also have a different motivation when you defend the town that you build over two weeks against the approaching Zerg Clan or when you are in the massive end fight of a four-week-old server where you know that this world is ending and this is your last chance to turn things around.
The game is not completely finished yet. It is in a early stage of development and there is a non-negligible chance that we might not be able to finish development. Please be aware of this risk before you support us.
I tought about buying a pack but this really turned me off. If it is a non-negligible chance then it is a pretty big deal for me. Also, you could read that statement as "if we want, we might just sudenly decide to drop the project for no reason and keep all the money you payed us, but you have been warned so it's ok".
I don't think you really have to worry about that, they're just being up front about it, funds may run out...but $60 to be able to play an unfinished indie game now is too steep for me.
You have to keep in mind that 60 bucks are for playing >right now<. The game is in a very early alpha state right now and as soon as real alpha testing starts, every pack(including the 30 bucks one) will get you access to the game.
Understandable. That sentence was specifically designed to turn you off. Because even though I spent half a dozen years and all of my savings on the game there cannot yet be any guarantees that it will survive - until it's good (and thusly profitable) enough to sustain the full dev team indefinitely. So if not having those $60 makes a big difference to you then I'd suggest not spending it yet, signing up for our newsletter and checking in with us regularly. We'll get to the point where I'll remove the disclaimer. =D
Aside from the bad animation its a game that fits my needs very well(if the gameplay is good). Might give it a shot actually, its still in development?
Tl;dr: Alpha #2 is planned to launch in April. New features for both veterans and newbies are in development. Stay tuned
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More detailed list of plans:
Goal System (Respect / Valley Defense / Leaderboards) [done] - Server End Event (the last hours of a game world) [WiP] - Opportunities System (nudging newbies to explore the game) [WiP] - Flagging System (allowing players to flag themselves as friendly) [WiP] - Emote System (allowing for faster communication in tense situations) [WiP] - Clan Management (leadership voting, kick, disband) - Building Permissions (access rights for buildings for clan members and other) - Caravan Raids (a new event type during non-prime time hours) - We also decided that some other systems needed major overhauls:
Siege / Capture / Respawn (more interesting flag fights, less respawn hassle) [WiP] - Macro Game Balance (prime time duration, drop tables) [WiP] - Equipment Progression (more motivation to upgrade your gear)
So if you don't want to spend 60 bucks to play the game right now, you can wait until April and either buy in or hope to get a key(not sure if they'll actually give out keys, but they did so in the past).
Last playtest weekend the respect/valley defense systems were tested for the first time and they made for quite some interesting gameplay. Mostly it was about trying to donate resources, then defending it & crossing fingers no one'd steal your stuff(because ninjalooting was really strong). It's not perfect yet and needs some tweaking, but it was cool.
Game has got quite a few new features. There's also a big alpha coming up that will last 30 days, you're guaranteed access if you sign up now in february! (over here -> http://buy.das-tal-game.com/signup/ URL says buy, but it's just a signup).
Summary taken from the news:
- Added the “Caravan Raid” event. Caravans are now starting out from resource camps every 10 minutes. They carry the same kinds of resources. Raid them to get their content. Clans with both settlements and resource camps are advised to defend their caravans as they will gain a hefty resource bonus if their caravans arrive unscathed. - Added the Opportunities system to advertise game features to new players. - Added the Equipment Drop Chance system to protect newbies from too much gear loss. - Added Practice Dummies to the game so you can try out new abilities easily. - Added a Clan Leader role that has the power to invite and kick clan members and disband the clan. - Added a new Clan Elections system that allows clans to vote for a new leader at any time. Clan leaders can now give Recruiter Status (invite rights) to other clan members.
On March 20 2016 03:43 Reaps wrote: Downloading Alpha now, i know almost nothing about the game just gonna log in and check it out.
Are you playing in "March Mayhem"? I've been trying to get to know the Totem/Splint combo, seems decent for solo stuff. Though I mostly enjoy watching other guys bash their heads in.
On March 23 2016 20:19 Reaps wrote: Yes that seems to be the only server, but i had to stop playing due to there being no EU servers yet, the delay is unplayable for me.
Usually the test servers are on Europe, just this test phase was specifically for US-based guilds with EU players still able to join.
And they just posted that summer alpha is coming up: (https://www.facebook.com/das.tal.game/posts/668446206637927 and here http://forum.das-tal-game.com/viewtopic.php?f=17&p=8436#p8436) So if you're part of a clan, you can sign up here for access to the summer alpha. Looks like it will be on EU servers this time!
I'm playing with a friend again currently and will also participate in that summer alpha( since vanguard supporters get access anyway). Offer still stands: If you guys wanna team up, let me know!