Pantheon: EA Release

[Xenich]

It uses resolution scaling at all performance levels, btw.

Deal-breaker for me. Not because it can never be fixed, but because it says a lot about the people working on it.

Imagine working on a game all day and tolerating that.

They hide it from the users btw. If you're using an Ayymd GPU, the graphics look like shit because it either uses linear scaling or FSR1. Only reason I know it uses resolution scaling at all perf levels is because I installed a DLSS->FSR3 wrapper, even at the highest setting it was using ultra quality DLSS, which is what, 75% resolution or so?(1.3x upscale)

That does suck, I am glad I am not a real stickler for this type of thing. So far, it looks and plays fine (GPU isn't overtaxed), so I am good with it, though I won't be singing its praises on graphics, but the games overall symmetry in art style is consistent, so its fine for me at least.

[Xenich]

Well, I got my monk to 10, also leveled a Summoner to 10, Necro 4, Enchanter to 6.


You can solo in the game, just have to pick your targets and yes, it is slow depending on class (though for now as far as I have seen S-Tier classes are basically Shaman, Summoner, Necromancer, and I have heard Dire Lord, but have not confirmed that). The rest can solo, but have rough spots and you really need to learn your class if you are going to do it.

Combat system is actually fleshing out pretty well.

They use a synergy system along the classes. Basically... each class gets various abilities that create an opening for another class to use a skill that exploits it. What the exploit does depends on the ability the class has.

The abilities are paired between an opener and an exploit, for instance a monk has an ability that is called an [expose] and the Summoner has an ability that can exploit that state which will slow the mob by 25%. More than one class can function off those states if their skills are designed for it. When the Summoner exploits that state, it changes to another state called [Containment] and I believe (not sure on this) another class that has an ability that can work off that can activate their skill for other purposes (obviously depending on what the skill says it does).

Anyway, it creates a nice dynamic in play which gives the means for many classes to have added abilities between each other.

Definitely more to the system, that is for sure... but I haven't got to see it really play out yet because its not something a lot of people understand yet and have gotten into the hang of.




Classes are not EQ like now that I have experienced it. Summoner is nowhere near, very different in how it works, very powerful though.

For instance, it has a spine shard spell that is a builder. You can cast it up to 3 times, then you hit what is essentially a "throw" like ability that hurls the shards at the mob. Damage is obviously relative to the stack size.

Also, it has an ability called "mana bomb" and this ability will land on the mob, count down a 3 second tick and then explode doing magic damage to the mob, and giving you a burst of mana back. If timed well and used intelligently, a Summoner can keep fighting non-stop without medding to an extent (there is a diminishing return if you push too high a level of a mob). Aside from that, the rest is working your pet and using some of its abilities.

Pet system is cool. Mage and Necromance pets can wear gear (I am not sure about Dire Lord and Shaman pets). Necro pets can wear anything that drops, but Mages can only wear summoned gear.

Mage pets are traditional (ie different pets for different styles).

Monk is fairly traditional as I have mentioned before, can solo up to 10 fine, but has some issues depending on mob Con.

Cheveron mobs are a bitch, period. I can't even kill a light blue, yet I can kill orange normal mobs. I think the greens would even give me a run for my money. Though, these mobs are the ones that drop most of the prized gear. Gear progression is slow as well, you don't upgrade every kill, or every level... in fact, I have had the same stuff on for 10 levels (obviously if I were grouping chevrons Id have better gear).

Anyway, game is continuing to grow, servers are filling up (got on the other day and over half were full with the rest varying.

I think this could be a good game, if... they don't drop the ball, but we will see.

[rusty_shackleford]

Surprisingly seems to be continuing in growth. Just hit a new 24 hour peak. https://steamdb.info/app/3107230/charts/


nu-EQ could have easily capitalized on this market if it wasn't ran by incompetents who hate the (original) game.

[Xenich]

I wouldn't call it nu-EQ to be honest. Far closer to Vanguard than anything else.

Combat is fun though and the classes are a lot of fun with interesting abilities and systems.

A lot to the game really, but you don't notice all the differences until you dig into it a bit.

Like I said though, game is FAR from finished. Most of the crap is place holder, so there really is no point in judging all those things other than to comment on the current state.

I enjoy it though. And I have despised ALL of the MMOs for years. So, it seems to scratch some of that itch. I hope they are able to see it to finish. /shrug

[Xenich]

they even use EQ loading screen tips word for word

Running joke, and lets be honest... it is a Brad McQuaid game...

[rusty_shackleford]

it is a Brad McQuaid game...

It's not and I wish they'd stop pretending it is.

[Xenich]

it is a Brad McQuaid game...

It's not and I wish they'd stop pretending it is.

It is, the base idea, the original core, etc... It is... I was there in the forums talking with brad for the first few years when they were working on it.

He may have died, but they continued on and while Joppa may changed some focus, the core is still there as Brad wanted.

[Xenich]

Surprisingly seems to be continuing in growth. Just hit a new 24 hour peak. https://steamdb.info/app/3107230/charts/


nu-EQ could have easily capitalized on this market if it wasn't ran by incompetents who hate the (original) game.

This guy is kind of a dip shit. He complains about the bars, but doesn't understand how they work.

Each bar is a group for a specific set of abilities. Each bar limits how many you can have. The misleading aspect is that the spell book just bunches them all together so it isn't very intuitive, because the UI is really just a place holder for the most part.

[rusty_shackleford]

it is a Brad McQuaid game...

It's not and I wish they'd stop pretending it is.

It is, the base idea, the original core, etc... It is... I was there in the forums talking with brad for the first few years when they were working on it.

He may have died, but they continued on and while Joppa may changed some focus, the core is still there as Brad wanted.

It's not. They could say it's inspired by, but it is not a McQuaid production. The game has been in development without Brad longer than it was with him.

[Xenich]

It's not and I wish they'd stop pretending it is.

It is, the base idea, the original core, etc... It is... I was there in the forums talking with brad for the first few years when they were working on it.

He may have died, but they continued on and while Joppa may changed some focus, the core is still there as Brad wanted.

It's not. They could say it's inspired by, but it is not a McQuaid production. The game has been in development without Brad longer than it was with him.

Ok?

So?

It was "inspired" by brad, and when I say "inspired" most of the systems, interfaces, game mechanics, etc... were all there as I have watched videos with brad playing it with the group while it looked VERY similar to this.

[rusty_shackleford]

It is, the base idea, the original core, etc... It is... I was there in the forums talking with brad for the first few years when they were working on it.

He may have died, but they continued on and while Joppa may changed some focus, the core is still there as Brad wanted.

It's not. They could say it's inspired by, but it is not a McQuaid production. The game has been in development without Brad longer than it was with him.

Ok?

So?

It was "inspired" by brad, and when I say "inspired" most of the systems, interfaces, game mechanics, etc... were all there as I have watched videos with brad playing it with the group while it looked VERY similar to this.

I don't like when companies use dead people to sell their products.

[Xenich]

It's not. They could say it's inspired by, but it is not a McQuaid production. The game has been in development without Brad longer than it was with him.

Ok?

So?

It was "inspired" by brad, and when I say "inspired" most of the systems, interfaces, game mechanics, etc... were all there as I have watched videos with brad playing it with the group while it looked VERY similar to this.

I don't like when companies use dead people to sell their products.

Considering it was his brain child and like I said, the way it is very close to when he was creative director, umm... I don't see a problem with it personally. It has a lot of Brads flare...

Oh, and by the way? Those stupid bind stones? Yeah... Brads idea. Also the camps you see around the world, those are his as well... but he wanted to allow people to log out at them for later with some type of group mechanic (caravans).

[Xenich]

I have gotten 3 classes to level 10 now. Monk, Enchanter, and Summoner. Not EQ in design, way different in how they work.

What makes it EQ like is honestly... the interface for the most part.

Mob mechanics, combat, etc... more vanguard. World design nothing like EQ. The whole Chevron system, not EQ.

Quest system? Nope... more vanguard like and when the perception system is put in, even more different.

Mob spawns with PH? EQ like, but far more dynamic than EQ ever was.. again... more Vanguard here.

What else is EQ like that isn't the interface systems? hmm.... camps, sitting and getting mana back. Pretty much it.

So, once the PH interface is changed out for whatever they put in, unless they really push EQ like, chances are it won't even look like that anymore.

To be fair a lot of the people who say "its EQ" really haven't played it much.

[Xenich]

Game is picking up, servers are all starting to turn red on populations, at this pace they are going to have to start adding more.

[Xenich]

Apparently this is being passed around:

https://shalazam.info/

Info on details of the game if anyone is interested in seeing what is there.

The guides section has some interesting details on various mechanics.

[WaterMage]

How is TTK in high levels? I got bored in EQ - p1999 because after lv 30 everything takes 3 eternities and half to die.

[Xenich]

How is TTK in high levels? I got bored in EQ - p1999 because after lv 30 everything takes 3 eternities and half to die.

Not sure in high levels. Current 10-14 seems... pretty quick for my liking... I would say combat needs to slow down a bit in the dungeons, but this is all stuff that would be tuned later on in a beta stage.


There is a lot more convenience than I prefer, but it still has flavors of older penalty systems. Honestly, people complaining about the game being too hard, tedious, etc... aren't an honest evaluation as their entire concept of what is good mechanics in games is the fast food crap of modern MMOs, it's all they really know.

The video above is a good example of someone who doesn't grasp these mechanics and why they exist.

[Xenich]

They seemed to have taken the concept of "Kithcor at night" to heart. It seems that every zone has a complete night and day cycle to its mob systems.

First zone forest area has typical animals, bandits, and the like with the occasional oddity, but when night hits, many of those mobs will de-spawn and you get a transition over the course of the night of more nasty higher level mobs spawning in. You will go from boars, deer, snakes, etc.. to Rabid Bats, Gremlins, Ghost Vipers, etc... and in some areas everything starts spawning skeletons.

In the next zone, it gets worse in some areas from normal day like animals, to full on casting skeletons, night cultists, etc... some are flipping hella nasty, making a somewhat dangerous zone go full on nasty.

This seems to be a theme throughout the game, so they certainly have these systems imbedded throughout and it isn't just the mobs, some types of harvestables won't be available except at night and many events and the like occur only at those times.

I think this will be a really cool feature as they add more content, balance and flesh it out throughout the game. I would imagine this is where the acclimation system comes in as well because at certain times it will start raining like crazy, with wind blowing hard where you can barely see.

[Xenich]

How many people do you think they would need subbed to sustain a profit and continue content with a game like this?

5k? 10k? (including primary game + expansion sales)

[Xenich]

Well, they broke 5k and are rising... I would imagine that once more reviews get out, you will see even a sharper increase.

Though... eventually that will decrease as people run into higher content (not sure how "thin" it is at the upper levels, been playing numerous classes up to around 10-13)

Shaman... is a power house, but nothing compared to a Paladin, man they take a licking and keep on ticking.

Paladins don't use mana, they have a combination system of "readiness" which is built up by melee combat and a "Wrath" system which is built and used by certain skills.

Hecka fun class though, nothing like EQ in how it plays. They start right off the bat with an undead damage spell, a melee attack, and a complete heal and by the time you are 6, you have a nice set of abilities that work well with the Readiness/Wrath system.

They just did another patch a minute ago (talk about fast turn around, they patched and were back up and running in like 5-10 mins or so). I will post it when it shows up in the launcher.

Standard stuff, class balancing, NPC fixes, quest stuff added, Wiz ports added, new vendors, etc...

If they keep consistent patching AND are able to move in new content/systems, I think this game will do well...

[Xenich]

Here is a vid that is interesting. Pretty fair assessment, though I completely disagree with his take on adding QoL for the retards (ie maps and no exp loss). This is a conflict I have had over the years... the reason you have CRs, no maps, exp loss, etc... in terms of exploration is that this is a "risk vs reward". That is, those who take the risks find the neat secrets, learn the zones, the named, items, the good camp spots, etc... because they risked the journey to do it.

His point is that people won't want to do these things because of the risk... yep... exactly! Welcome to a dangerous world where "exploration" actually is a part of game play and not simply chasing dots that run you to the next objective.

Regardless, I liked his video and he is pretty fair about things.

[Xenich]

Well, It looks like in a week or two, they will have druid added, and some changes to a few other classes.

Word is a PvP ruleset server is in the works (Joppa is playing with rule set servers which is a good sign) and rumor is maybe Feburary for that. No real attention is being put to it though (and no plans either), meaning PvE rulesets are what it is, like or don't oh well.. it won't be getting special development attention such as class balancing, it is just there for "those who want it" and likely testing for future plans on special servers (ie mainstream vs traditional mechanics).

I moved to an empty server (very small pop). Servers are crowded and due to the content not being ready for it, things get a little thin.

Shaman is a monster though, but so is a Paladin, sheesh.

They claim shaman is fine (no further balancing at this stage), but the other classes are getting tuned, added abilities, etc... to bring them all up. Eventually enchanter will get charm as well (this will be hella cool considering how they function now)

From what I understand, the mastery system is implemented, but not turned on because they wanted to do data collection on base class performance. At some point it will be turned on and open up further development within the class for the levels.

I think there is a strong pull for mainstream here and they are worried about scaring them away. Joppa seems to be... catering to a bit too much IMO, but... as long as we can get a server ruleset for traditional mechanics, I don't care to be honest.

Also, there is the possibility the could even apply this concept to the pay model as well.

I hate MTX and all the QoL crap, but wouldn't it be possible with the server tech to do both?

You know, cater to the mainstream retards with "relaxed servers" that also have MTX/FTP and all that garbage, and then have a Sub server with traditional mechanics in play?

Could it work? Could you essentially have a dual system and retain the integrity of the game since their rule sets can be easily managed between the two? Would it not be the best of both worlds?

We know mainstream will consume like locusts, but if they pile in, buy the game plow through the content, buy in the store, get bored and then leave? What is the down side if you still have a sub server that has no store, traditional mechanics of play, etc...?

Maybe? Or bad idea? Hmm...

[Xenich]

Just checking interest, but would people be interested in a detailed review of this game at some point? A full dive into the classes, mechanics, environment with screens, etc..?

Or is general interest "meh"? Because I really don't want to put the time in if nobody is really interested.

[Xenich]

Looks like Patheon is now 52 on steam sales.

Not sure on the actual numbers, someone pasted this, no idea if it is accurate. If they are around 40K plus players now, that is a success (if they can retain them) for a niche game I would think.

Heck, if they could sustain 10-20k players, that would be more than enough if it were a sub game + expansions I would think?

Pantheon already #53 top steam sales

Copies sold: 41.8k (22.6k - 61k)
Gross revenue: $1.5m ($813.6k - $2.1m)
Players total: 44.2k
Average playtime: 60.7h
Average daily concurrent players: 3k
Followers: 11.2k
Copies sold in the last 7 days: 19k
Players by country:
US
~ 60.3%

CA
~ 5.6%

GB
~ 5%

others:
~ 29.1%

over $750k in sales in the last 7 days

[GhostCow]

Just checking interest, but would people be interested in a detailed review of this game at some point? A full dive into the classes, mechanics, environment with screens, etc..?

Or is general interest "meh"? Because I really don't want to put the time in if nobody is really interested.

I personally won't care until the game is complete. I am very anti-early access

[Xenich]

Just checking interest, but would people be interested in a detailed review of this game at some point? A full dive into the classes, mechanics, environment with screens, etc..?

Or is general interest "meh"? Because I really don't want to put the time in if nobody is really interested.

I personally won't care until the game is complete. I am very anti-early access

That's fair and prudent considering the history with this game.

Besides, due to a lot of the PH stuff, things may change dramatically anyway.

Will likely just collect data, screens, etc... and then see how it goes as it nears release.

[Xenich]

On Zone size...

Massive. Seriously, I didn't realize how large the zones are until I really started to explore them. They are HUGE... I would say much bigger than even the largest EQ zones. Different setup and design, but they use every aspect of space and there are tons of secrets with layered mountains that have shelfs and caves, etc... While there are still many "invisible" walls blocking things, it looks as if there will be multiple entry points to the other zones from different paths.

I have no idea if this is going to be in, or if it is still planned, but a while back when Brad was still alive, he talked about a concept of wanting to connect these zones together both above ground, yet also have a complex cave system and world underground where you could technically travel to a lot of the zones though an alternate path below ground which would have its own cities, dungeons, etc...

If they can pull this off, I don't know... it will be rather "next gen" in that concept of play as I don't think there are many MMOs out there that even attempt to have a cohesive zone structure similar to that (I could be wrong, I haven't played MMOs past the "old ones" in years).

Anyway, things are looking cool.

Also, supposedly a big content update tomorrow (no idea what is planned, so we will see, but the game is going to be offline for several hours).

Oh and @rusty_shackleford , do you still own the game or did you refund? If you didn't refund, get on and play something more than 10 mins, I think you would really like it.

[Ranselknulf]

I bought Pantheon because money is fake and gay.

Probably never play it, but who knows.

[Xenich]

I bought Pantheon because money is fake and gay.

Probably never play it, but who knows.

Just play it long enough to give it a realistic yea/nay.

There were several people who jumped the gun, refunded... then came back later tried it again and are now 80+ hours into it.

If you have issues with Alpha's (ie don't like bugs, unfinished things, place holder systems, etc...), then just wait till it is near release or released.

If you don't mind that, game has a lot of hours in it to easily recoup your 40 bucks.

[Ranselknulf]

It's more that I'm balls deep in other games at the moment.

I might rediscover it in my steam account at some point though.