Gaming Salem Preview

Seatribe's Salem is an MMO in which permanent death and long-term consequences play a key role.

http://www.bit-tech.net/gaming/pc/2011/02/04/salem-preview/1

 

Holy crap, that's extreme.

So if I have an off day my GF may return home to find me slumped in my chair with my head stoved in.

 

I think we need more titles like this, if it's F2P it'd get a healthy following depending on their method.

Too many MMOs are goign easy mode.

 

Sounds li really interesting title. Can't wait to find out more!

 

Hmmm, will this virtual Salem give the player the choice of becoming a crazed religious fanatic, whip up a witchcraft frenzy, hunt down innocent players and convict them to death by crushing them or burning them?

 

1. Organize gang of friends to all get game on release day
2. Plunder all resources
3. ?????
4. PROFIT!!!

 

On first glance it seems like a trainwreck waiting to happen, It's just to dependent on people not being assholes and ruining everyones time, which sadly seems to be what the internet is all about these days. (well, that and porn)
And yet I'm really intrigued by the concept. I think I'm gonna give it a try when it comes out and hope for the best.

 

Interesting... I'll keep a watching brief on this one.

 

It looks like Ultima Online with a different concept!

But I still want to play it

 

there is a current game around that whilst does not implement Perma death, is almost as brutal

Mortal Online, I keep plugging it but i really enjoy playing the game and want more people to enjoy it

 

thats the whole point, if people are arseholes the non arsehole majority can take them out permanently

(or live a slave like existence)

 

Perma death is all well and good, but it needs to balanced with a combat system that at least makes it reasonably difficult to die - dying because you fall 6ft or because somebody (or something) punches you would be extremely annoying. Perhaps they could implement an injury system whereby you get injured rather than dying, but it takes days or weeks (in game time) to heal properly...?

 

Perma death is a very interesting idea. But its going to have to be implimented is such a clever way im not sure how it will work.

Look at eve the sheer amount of douche baggery that goes on there. I can see someone running into the local government meeting with a keg of black powder and going all guy faulks.

 

I quite like the idea of perma-death... Means that people will need to use all their wits and skills in order to become a truly high level character, and it should mean that high level characters are popular (at least with a particular faction) leaders and not just people who go around killing others who are just starting in the game... I think it would be a great leveller for everyone. Although, like the first post on this discussion, as long as its not like The Matrix - die in the Matrix, die in real life!

 

I think there's a problem with how people see perma-death. Most people have commented that if someone's an asshat, they can simply be killed. That just kills their character - they're still an asshat, it's just now they've rolled a new toon so you don't know who they are.

Still, sounds interesting.

 

Sounds absolutely fascinating to me. I will be checking it out.

 

I think the best way to to combat major griefing, would be to charge a small sum for an account (say £2 or something) to stop a large amount of people just signing up to grief. They'll loose a few players from it most likely, but it would be worth it.

I for one am really interested in this sort of game, I love games where players can shape the world somewhat (it's one of the things that draws me to AO)

 

I don't get to spend as much time playing games online as I used to so a free to play option is the best option for me and will be interesting to see if this goes to to make the launch later this year, though with GuildWars 2 due to launch later this year too I may not have the time for both.

An injury based system that limits your activities for a set period of time or some sort of flagging system that alerts people to those who may be excessive griefers or who pick out easy targets would certainly make for a better balance before perma death hits.

 

Being evil sounds way too tempting in this game.

 

I hope they take some cues from Die2Nite (which is a browser game about a town of 40 random people surviving against ever increasing zombie hordes). There are plenty of asshats in that game, though they've implemented a banishing system, gallows and an attack to help prevent that. Sure, you get some towns full of them but you just respawn until you find a good one. The problem with that game was that once you got a good town the fun just disappeared, whereas with Salem it sounds like it just moves to another level - instead of bickering in a town and weeding out the asshats you move it up to an inter-town or -clan scale.

Another thing, what's this about cutesy graphics? AFAIK all that had been released was that one artist's screenshot, have you guys seen something we haven't?