Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning - Finally some info and a Trailer :)

[Roland]

http://www.rpgwatch.com/show/newsbit?newsbit=15370

The website for Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning is now online, with a cinematic trailer, handful of screens and concept art, FAQ and so on. The screens reveal some conventional fantasy elements, such as trolls and kobolds and an exaggerated art style. All the current media seems to use the same hero, so it isn't clear at this stage if the game uses a pre-determined main character or if this is just for their PR purposes. From the FAQ:

Q: What can you tell me about the game?
A:
Set in the Kingdoms of Amalur universe, Reckoning will offer unrivaled RPG action combat, seamlessly integrating magical and melee attacks into an innovative and visceral experience. Reckoning includes hundreds of quests, characters, creatures, weapons and spells. More details about the game will be revealed over the coming weeks and months.

R.A. Salvatore is the creator of the immortal Drizzt Do’Urden and author of The New York Times best-selling Forgotten Realms series. Todd McFarlane is a Grammy and Emmy-award winning artist, writer and toy designer best known for creating the fantasy series Spawn. Ken Rolston served as the lead designer of The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind and The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion before joining Big Huge Games development studio, the Baltimore, MD-based wholly-owned subsidiary of 38 Studios, based in Maynard, MA.

Reckoning is an epic, open world role-playing game that gives fans their first experience with Kingdoms of Amalur, a new universe imagined by R.A. Salvatore, brought to life by Todd McFarlane, and designed by Ken Rolston and his team at Big Huge Games.

Kingdoms of Amalur is an original fantasy universe that serves as the setting for both Reckoning and 38 Studios’ upcoming massively multiplayer game, codenamed Project Copernicus. Amalur's cultures and expansive history were created by R.A. Salvatore, and the world is being brought to life through the artistic vision of Todd McFarlane. Legendary game designer Ken Rolston provides players their first journey into Kingdoms of Amalur through the hero’s journey in Reckoning. The story of Amalur will continue to expand through comic books, novels, toys and additional games.

Q: What roles in the game design and development did Ken Rolston, Todd McFarlane, and R. A. Salvatore play?
A:
Each visionary brings a unique expertise to the team, and together they have made far more than just a game. They have created a living world with incredible history and depth, filled with breathtaking scenery and unforgettable adventures. Reckoning blends R.A. Salvatore’s storytelling mastery with Todd McFarlane’s eye for artistic excellence, all wrapped up in an expertly crafted RPG by Ken Rolston.

Looks interesting!

Official Site:

http://www.reckoningthegame.com/ag

[Renevent]

That...looked...AWESOME!

[Medea Fleecestealer]

Anyone played/playing this? I've just got it and am wading (599 pages) through the strategy guide, but so far I haven't found anything that explains exactly what trainers do for you. I assume it's something like increase your skill points in that particular skill, but nothing's really clear about the benefits of getting training in the game. Haven't looked at the in-game manual yet.

[Tyr]

Depending on your class, those extra skill points can be game-breaking. A high level in Sagecrafting and Blacksmithing for example gives you access to crafted equipment that can make even the highest difficulty setting a cakewalk. It's one of the reasons why Universalists (might/finesse/sorcery) are one of the strongest classes in the game - because they can max all their skills, and they can constantly keep all their skills well-leveled and useful.

There are basically three types of trainers: basic (only trains you if your skill level is 0-3), intermediate (4-6) and advanced (7-9). There are two basics trainers, one intermediate trainer and one advanced trainer for all skills. Skill points gained from trainers and books (each skill has a +1 skill book) are permanent, and count towards any requirements (like the previously mentioned training requirements).

[Medea Fleecestealer]

Thanks, Tyr, that's what I couldn't work out from what I've read so far. I thought they would probably give additional skill points with the training, but the huge tome of a guide doesn't make that clear. Why 2 basics trainers though? Any particular reason for 2 of them and only 1 of the others?

Apart from installing it and making sure it ran okay I haven't really tried it out yet so haven't gotten round to the in-game manual and what it might say. I know it seems clever, but I much prefer a printed manual that I can read at leisure rather than having to stop and refer to something while trying to play the game.

I think I'll start with just a straight Might toon to get a feel of the game and how it works and then think about other classes to play. I've got some idea of where I want to put skill points so I'm looking forward to trying it - once I work out how to do movements, etc. Because they wrote the guide to cover all formats they don't actually give any info apart from very general comments. Another reason to have a printed manual (sigh). I assume it's a WSAD type movement system rather than point and click, but I didn't even try that out when I had a quick look.

[jaelrin]

I assume it's a WSAD type movement system rather than point and click, but I didn't even try that out when I had a quick look.

WASD for movement, WASD+Space - dodge, left-click for basic attacks, up to for attacks in a chain, fourth attack is stronger then previous, right click for special skills, 1-9 switch between skills, and there's some left-click +button combinations for special attacks that are opened after investing in skill trees.

If you really want to maximize amount of learned skills, it's possible to respec just before training. Doing it a few times ensures you've learned from most trainers, but it costs money.

[Tyr]

Yep, there's a respec option so feel free to experiment. Arguably all classes are powerful late game, the problem is that early/mid game can be tricky for some so switching playstyles once or twice is encouraged.

I'm not sure why it's that way, only that it makes trying to get all 6 bonuses for all skills very tricky unless you're a might/finesse/sorcery character. Like jaelrin said it might be better to just max the skills you really like on your own, and then respec (only skill points from tomes/trainers are permanent, so by respecing you recover the skill points you invested in them). You can then backtrack and visit the trainers you missed. My advice is to max Detect Hidden on your first run through - they game is filled with hidden treasures/rooms/lorestones.

[Medea Fleecestealer]

Are trainers specific to a particular skill or do you get to choose which one you want to have? I've only ever dealt with trainers in Two Worlds and they are for specific skills and only to unlock them as it were, although they may have more than one they can train you in, depending on level/money. So a trainer dealing with archery could offer to train you in piercing and/or scatter shot for example, but you might only be able to get one depending on how much money you have and your level in the game. And to increase those skills you then have to put points in them.

[Tyr]

They're all skill-specific.

[Medea Fleecestealer]

Thanks, Tyr. I found the one in Gorthart; boy the prices are steep! I find it an extemely slow game to play, like Oblivion, but with a couple of toons running around I'm slowly coming to understand it a bit more. It's nice to see the rarer items available early in the game, even if I can't afford them yet! Also quite a few have dropped for me which is good, I even got a gold and a purple item the other day so was very surprised about those falling so early.

I expect I'll play it through a few times with various toon combos, but I know it will never have the replay value for me that TQIT has. Good looking game though and the animations are quite nice to watch. Just wish more money dropped at the beginning and that I didn't have to keep talking to all these people! Give me TQIT's quick and short answers any day, then I can get on playing the game.

Is it worth investing any points in dispel and lockpicking and if so how many? I haven't so far (and paid the penalty with some curses thanks to no dispel), but I'm just wondering how many make them useful without detracting from other (more needed?) skills. Not much mentioned about either skill in the guide that's actually useful info.