View Full Version : Monsters & Memories - An Old School Indie MMO
PlanetMans12345
11-27-2023, 11:38 PM
this game owns
One Tin Soldier
12-01-2023, 03:36 PM
I can't believe I'm actually starting to feel excited about this game. I didn't think that was still possible for me.
I watched those videos. Glad to see swimming in and the water looks good. The bioluminescence in that cave was really nice. I think I'll probably try to get in on the next test.
I do have a question; what is "hardcore" mode that you can put your character in? Is that just PvP enabled or is it some kind of permadeath option for a character? If it is a permadeath mode I'd like to know more about it.
Topgunben
12-02-2023, 01:19 PM
Where are we at with development on M&M?
Zukan
12-02-2023, 01:55 PM
I can't believe I'm actually starting to feel excited about this game. I didn't think that was still possible for me.
I watched those videos. Glad to see swimming in and the water looks good. The bioluminescence in that cave was really nice. I think I'll probably try to get in on the next test.
I do have a question; what is "hardcore" mode that you can put your character in? Is that just PvP enabled or is it some kind of permadeath option for a character? If it is a permadeath mode I'd like to know more about it.
I'm glad there is something there you can get excited about!
Hardcore mode is a mode you can turn on per character by talking to an NPC. When a hardcore character dies that character is gone. It's not PvP, just one life. We also have Solo Only and Self Found modes. You can activate all modes or just one mode. It's just an optional extra for those that want it. :)
Where are we at with development on M&M?
We are in the building proof of concept phase currently.
Homesteaded
12-02-2023, 02:44 PM
When is the december stress/test session? Hopefully not middle of the day on a weekend. Bad time for Dad.
Zendir
12-02-2023, 04:50 PM
When is the december stress/test session? Hopefully not middle of the day on a weekend. Bad time for Dad.
next weekend, starts sat 1pm est, ends sunday 11pm est
One Tin Soldier
12-04-2023, 11:20 AM
I'm glad there is something there you can get excited about!
Hardcore mode is a mode you can turn on per character by talking to an NPC. When a hardcore character dies that character is gone. It's not PvP, just one life. We also have Solo Only and Self Found modes. You can activate all modes or just one mode. It's just an optional extra for those that want it. :)
We are in the building proof of concept phase currently.
Ok, thanks. I probably should have already known that but I'm really out of touch with this stuff. It's been ages since I played a MMO but I think I'm ready to release my inner nerd once more.
Zukan
12-04-2023, 04:29 PM
When is the december stress/test session? Hopefully not middle of the day on a weekend. Bad time for Dad.
next weekend, starts sat 1pm est, ends sunday 11pm est
Yup! Just made a little youtube short with the dates/times too. Feel free the share. :) Also in case anyone cares I'll post the full track from that, it's the latest zone music by our sound guy.
YeE9ZTnoCMM
cgrGFO8fNa8
Homesteaded
12-07-2023, 02:20 PM
Can anyone who's actually participated in these stress test respond. Is this game enjoyable in the stress tests?
magnetaress
12-08-2023, 10:14 AM
Can anyone who's actually participated in these stress test respond. Is this game enjoyable in the stress tests?
I-JnjDVowc4?si=KO9z0rjqcKtIPAfb
a lot more youtube videos out there on the ticker from their discord:
https://discord.com/channels/847846851478945802/934226749921837118
Zukan
12-08-2023, 09:43 PM
Test starts tomorrow! Hope some folks will come check it out. I think I'm going to roll an Inquisitor myself this time. But anyone who was in the last test(s) your characters from the previous tests will still be there too.
-4KcsWKY6Lo
Homesteaded
12-09-2023, 12:49 AM
I'm not sure if this has been asked but will this game be solved via API hooks and turned into WoW? Or do you guys have ways to keep some magic and mystery in the world?
Kolthek
12-11-2023, 11:14 AM
Had a blast this past weekend, looking forward to seeing this game progress and get fleshed out. Felt like EQ for real. INQ was a beastly tank, and MNK was real fun too
Zukan
12-11-2023, 05:49 PM
Had a blast this past weekend, looking forward to seeing this game progress and get fleshed out. Felt like EQ for real. INQ was a beastly tank, and MNK was real fun too
It was a lot of fun! I went through like 4 hardcore characters. With shorter and shorter life spans as time went on. Not the type of thing you can afford to get careless with. :D
Meneldor
12-11-2023, 10:55 PM
When are you opening up testing?
I have pretty extensive full development QA experience in the gaming industry and this looks like a fun project.
Toxigen
12-13-2023, 10:16 AM
how close is this to EQ? any big differences up front?
giving this a little looksie
magnetaress
12-13-2023, 11:27 AM
The biggest difference I can see is it is more group focused and less raid focused.
There will be camps, and spawns and grinding. And other things of that nature like dungeons where you will time spawns and look out for patrols and stuff. Classes are very similar, slightly adjusted and rebalanced towards the EQ versions. Stuff like inquisitor is new and unique. However the SK and Necro look a lot like EQ style ones.
Zukan
01-07-2024, 04:06 PM
A new update has been posted. It contains work from November and December so there is loads of info and art. Some stuff maybe people saw during the test and some new changes as a result of the test. :)
https://monstersandmemories.com/updates/update-38-nov-amp-dec-2023
magnetaress
01-08-2024, 10:18 AM
It was fun being around for some of all that.
M&M getting quite serious! Stay cool tho! Ya'lls game launching one day is one of those things I am looking forward too. And looking forward to supporting.
Lifebar
01-11-2024, 11:20 AM
M&M is what will bring me back into MMOs.
Zukan
01-18-2024, 04:32 PM
Hey all, I made an animated desktop background for Monsters & Memroies, you can use with Wallpaper Engine for those that have it. Here's a link to grab it for free: https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3141753920
Zukan
01-26-2024, 05:41 PM
Just wanted to share some sneaky peakies. The enviornment guys have been noodling on non-desert places. :)
https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/921362436345446410/1199418112416682014/image.png?ex=65c2782a&is=65b0032a&hm=552d1fb39ada17bc4495f5725e7da8ad117e64c4cb6de64 f05b791ff314fb68f&
https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/921362436345446410/1199418112794185839/image.png?ex=65c2782a&is=65b0032a&hm=8462a9e020cfe48773e60169105bbf0b10f713b001ac35a 7f10552843470d013&
https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/921362436345446410/1200141239631216801/image.png?ex=65c519a1&is=65b2a4a1&hm=d6a2cada3265376b5e14e78ecd0f8ebc1ce0d1d5a8f936e c9578612de2a39229&
https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/921362436345446410/1200142739329785866/LavaBiomeGif.gif?ex=65c51b06&is=65b2a606&hm=40d2270b91302a59b6b1bc1a5e50bc925321f052aedbfc2 93f6680e4960db02c&
It's over Anakin, I have the high roll!
Awesome
Zukan
01-31-2024, 01:30 AM
Not sure how to embed Twitch VODs but here's a link to ALovingRobot's twitch vod from today where he shows off more of the biome stuff we worked on this month if you don't want to wait until the monthly update to drop. :)
https://www.twitch.tv/videos/2048266600
Zukan
02-05-2024, 03:01 PM
Here is the full update including data from the tests: https://monstersandmemories.com/updates/update-39-january-2024
Patriam1066
02-06-2024, 02:23 PM
Cool stuff man
Castle2.0
02-06-2024, 04:11 PM
Gnomes out here looking like mini versions of Dr. James Tour https://www.youtube.com/@DrJamesTour
If their intelligence is equally high, I will certainly roll one for my wizard.
Zukan
02-09-2024, 05:57 PM
H6sdEDIpJeE
Zukan
02-25-2024, 02:17 PM
Here's a gameplay stream I did on Friday
aiauj0ZvxXQ
Iron Chob
03-08-2024, 08:38 AM
Awesome sauce, subbed to the mailing list :)
Zukan
03-28-2024, 05:58 PM
Feb and March combo undate just dropped. It's a big one. https://monstersandmemories.com/updates/update-40-feb-amp-march
Monsters & Memories will enter Early Access in January 2026.
Pulgasari
03-28-2024, 06:32 PM
2026 typo?
Zukan
03-28-2024, 06:35 PM
not a typo
Pulgasari
03-28-2024, 06:39 PM
That's 21 months?
Zukan
03-28-2024, 07:22 PM
The January 2026 date will contain the core gameplay elements and a handful of playable races and areas. There is more to do to complete the remaining world, races, and zones for them to live in.
Check out the Early Access FAQ here (https://monstersandmemories.com/early-access-faq) for the specifics. But feel free to ask questions and I'll do my best to answer them. :)
Swish
03-28-2024, 10:08 PM
That's 21 months?
Still ahead of Pantheon.
Tormac
03-29-2024, 02:09 PM
I won't hold you guys to that timeline, but that is exciting news!
One Tin Soldier
03-29-2024, 02:56 PM
Dang, I really do want to play your game. I couldn't get in on the test but I watched several videos of other people playing. Based on that and the info in your FAQ this is like the game I've been dreaming of since I quit EQ.
The only mild concerns I have are that you might make enchanters overpowered (specifically charm spells) and that hybrid classes might be kind of crappy like in EQ.
Sorry, I couldn't resist giving my 2 cents on those things. But whatever, I'll probably be playing a Troll Necro like all right thinking people.
Zukan
03-29-2024, 03:16 PM
Dang, I really do want to play your game. I couldn't get in on the test but I watched several videos of other people playing. Based on that and the info in your FAQ this is like the game I've been dreaming of since I quit EQ.
The only mild concerns I have are that you might make enchanters overpowered (specifically charm spells) and that hybrid classes might be kind of crappy like in EQ.
Sorry, I couldn't resist giving my 2 cents on those things. But whatever, I'll probably be playing a Troll Necro like all right thinking people.
Hey sorry you weren't able to try it out yet, but there will be more open tests in the future so hopeflly you'll be able to join in on one of them. No dates set for those yet but keep an eye on the discord.
We were talking a lot about the enchanter in our last internal play test. There is concerns about charm by some internally also. We'll see where things land. We're still shuffling things around and trying to come up with good solutions for problem areas.
Feel free to continue sharing the 2 cents, we read comments. :)
One Tin Soldier
03-29-2024, 04:01 PM
Feel free to continue sharing the 2 cents, we read comments. :)
You really shouldn't encourage me. I'm just chock full of stupid ideas.
For example: For paladins I would suggest playing up the self-sacrificing angle. It really fits with the psychology of people who want to play paladin from a Role Play perspective.
So maybe some ability with a long cool down that could be used when a group wipe looks likely. It would condem the paladin to certain death but give the others a chance to escape. Like a mega taunt that draws all agro to the paly and gives him major damage mitigation for a brief time but also roots him in place. Simultaneously it gives the other group members a brief invulnerability so they can try to run but also prevents them from attacking or casting spells.
Or...on a less dramatic note, give paladins a new type of buff which can be cast only on one other group member. It would redirect some percentage of incoming damage from that player to the paladin. It wouldn't compete with the buffs other classes have because it's not a hitpoint buff or a AC buff or a damage mitigator or absorber it is a damage redirecter.
Geez, see what you made me do. Ok I'll shut up now.
One Tin Soldier
03-30-2024, 09:35 AM
Hmm, sorry. My inner nerd broke completely loose for a while yesterday. I beat him up and gave him a wedgie and he slunk back down into the basement of my mind.
Back to lurker mode.
spoil
03-30-2024, 05:32 PM
Enchanters are 'overpowered' yet I see a lot more solo necromancers and shamans than solo enchanters. I think enchanter is properly powered if a lot of players avoid the class because it's challenging with little margin for error.
Knowing how gamers operate, any truly overpowered class would be ubiquitous, like mages on Quarm. When the ability to press "/pet attack" makes you the most sought after class for groups, that's overpowered.
magnetaress
03-31-2024, 10:57 AM
Playing a mage on Quarm is like doin time for ur pixels. G-d bless.
Iron Chob
03-31-2024, 04:30 PM
Hey sorry you weren't able to try it out yet, but there will be more open tests in the future so hopeflly you'll be able to join in on one of them. No dates set for those yet but keep an eye on the discord.
We were talking a lot about the enchanter in our last internal play test. There is concerns about charm by some internally also. We'll see where things land. We're still shuffling things around and trying to come up with good solutions for problem areas.
Feel free to continue sharing the 2 cents, we read comments. :)
As regards to charm, perhaps one solution is to have a sliding scale of mana cost relative to the health bar of the target....if target is on full health, the charm will cost more than the remaining health of the target to be successful. Buffs on mobs could be allocated a "hitpoint" value, which thus adds to the difficulty of charming - this then ensures re-charming a previously charmed and buffed mob, even at low health, adds to the cost. It would also increase the difficulty of charming a fully enemy-buffed mob from a static start (spawn) point.
Magic resist and level of target relative to the caster similarly remain in play.
Another idea would be to have charm have an ongoing mana cost. Should the caster have zero mana remaining, the charm will automatically break.
spoil
03-31-2024, 05:46 PM
Playing a mage on Quarm is like doin time for ur pixels. G-d bless.
It's exactly like picking the strongest class that takes the least amount of effort. That combination is what makes it overpowered. People can talk about enchanters all they want, player behavior reveals what they actually perceive to be optimal strategies. There are very good reasons that people choose not to play enchanter, we all know this.
enjchanter
04-02-2024, 09:10 PM
Yeah cuz their monitors are turned off and they're dual wielding left hands
Zukan
04-20-2024, 10:56 PM
Here's a cool video someone put together which is a great over view of the project.
q2jGo0kRNK0
Tormac
04-22-2024, 09:38 AM
Thanks for the update Zukan.
January 2026 cannot get here soon enough.
Zukan
05-09-2024, 02:46 PM
TAeNdRiyiBo
Hey all, we just put out our April 2024 update! I'll hit yall with some fun foot notes but worth checking out here:
https://monstersandmemories.com/updates/update-41-april-2024
Four new team members join
Another free public playtest slated for end of June (plus additional spontanious stress tests leading up to it)
Began concepting animated 3D class icons
Various art updates
Class design tweaks
Created new Thunderclap and Rolling Thunder sound events
Lots of tech fixes
Tons of UI work being done
Pulgasari
05-09-2024, 11:59 PM
Thanks for the update Zukan.
January 2026 cannot get here soon enough.
Is it only me that thinks 2926 release is a joke?
Zukan
05-10-2024, 02:33 AM
Is it only me that thinks 2926 release is a joke?
It's no joke our intent is to go into Early Access January 2026. I'm sensing some concerns.
Trexller
05-10-2024, 02:41 AM
jan 2026 is completely realistic
some trolling seems to have leaked from other threads into this one
magnetaress
05-10-2024, 11:15 AM
Asteroid will only be 3 years away at that point !
No rush. No pressure.
Zukan
05-13-2024, 04:56 PM
Asteroid will only be 3 years away at that point !
Can't wait! I hope it lands right on me, I'm not built for post apocalyptic survival.
magnetaress
05-15-2024, 05:11 PM
Can't wait! I hope it lands right on me, I'm not built for post apocalyptic survival.
I'm the same way. I want to be playing M&M though when it hits.
deathusurper
05-30-2024, 07:14 AM
The June 1st tress test is almost here. Still can't wait to explore.
magnetaress
06-02-2024, 09:35 AM
honorary bump this should rly be pinned tho :D
TheIrateTurk
06-02-2024, 02:36 PM
I played the stress test yesterday.
Differences from P99
My monk had FD at level 1. I hear that Clerics will be able to rez from like level 8 or 9.
There was also an interesting change whereby the vendors will not indiscriminately buy whatever it is you are trying to sell to them (and the ones that do give you worse prices?). So if you want to sell your cracked staff or whatever you have to find the guy who wants to buy it.
They did not have sense heading or /loc in the game. Not sure if either will make it to the final game (perhaps someone who knows more than I do can chime in?) I think some people have said there will be a compass which sounds good. I would feel lost without Loc but at the same time, it is not very immersive to have a game spit out some coordinates at you. And I would probably adapt to it.
Are these changes a a good thing? Maybe!? The best thing a dev can do is make what they believe to be a great game without listening (too much) to the little people. We are mainly imbeciles who don't know what we want. You can't create something good by committee.
It's difficult to know if the departures from EQ that were in the stress test yesterday will pan out or not, and it's also probably incorrect to judge them in a vacuum. We have to remember that there is a whole game being made and balanced, and there is a lot that I (and others) are not privy to.
The challenge here is to create a spiritual successor to EQ and the only way to do this is to consider the things that Blizzard got very right and very wrong with vanilla Wow, replicate what they got right, and try not to repeat the mistakes they made. Wow improved a few things about EQ, but also completely ruined many other things by watering the experience down. They added Blizzard polish to the game so that the combat/ raiding was a lot smoother and was more interesting, but they removed things like exp penalty on death, naked corpse runs, added a minimap, introduced fast travel into the world. The reason EQ feels so good is because the scale of the world is massive.
It's also a good thing that the game is grueling because when you finally complete something it feels like it was worthwhile, as though you have achieved something. There is a half-amiable half-selfish solidarity in the EQ experience. People know what a ballache it is to die three times in a row four zones over, so they will help you. As Yogi Berra said "Always go to other people's funerals, otherwise they won't come to yours."
The social aspect of EQ is unparalleled. If you look at what they did with Wow, the levelling is absolutely atrocious because they made it so that you can pretty much solo the game. And the quest system is terrible. It's too much spoon-feeding and handholding. Hemet Nesingwary wants you to collect 10 bear asses. This isn't good game design. Oh you've finished all the quests in Goldshire? Please deliver this barrel of milk to some dude in Westfall so he can tell you to do more mundane gathering quests there, brave adventurer!
As a priest who wanted to play a healer, I spent the first 60 levels playing in shadow spec and wanding things down to kill them on my own.
Compare the levelling experience to EQ where after you hit level 5 or whatever you go to Faydark and start killing Orcs, fighting your way to Crushbone in a group, where you actually play your class. And it's social too.
And because Crushbone is not instanced, you have glorious things like trains and you share the space with other players who may be higher level than you. It's great that you do not run the whole dungeon in one sitting. It's really good that you can sometimes catch a glimpse of Ambassador DVinn or the Emperor himself in the throne room while outside. It's very exciting.
M&M felt like P99 with improvements, even though it was incredibly laggy. Doing big damage during combat felt good/ satisfying. There was an evil looking glowing green wizard tower over off in the distance. So far everything I've seen bodes well.
https://i.gyazo.com/bf5305075399251cb54924b452966565.jpg
This is an image someone else posted on the Discord because I was too stupid to take my own screenshot.
I think these devs are trying to create something that most of us who reminisce over MMORPGs from 25 years ago and play p99 will consider authentic and fun to play. I am very grateful for them and will definitely be playing this game when it does eventually come out.
Zukan
06-02-2024, 05:17 PM
Thanks to those who were able to pop on for the stress test. There was lag but we collected a lot of data from it. Hopefully some fun was had!
Also, TheIrateTurk, cool write up! I passed it along to the team.
TheIrateTurk
06-02-2024, 06:14 PM
Thanks Zukan
I have interacted with various devs on the discord over the past day or so, so they are probably sick of me and my "insights". I will do a George Costanza and leave on a high note.
This game looks great. Sucks I missed the stress test... looking forward to trying it at some point! At least some people are trying to recreate a game similar in spirit as OG EQ!
Trexller
06-02-2024, 07:55 PM
This game looks great. Sucks I missed the stress test... looking forward to trying it at some point! At least some people are trying to recreate a game similar in spirit as OG EQ!
Yeah IMO the only way to do it right would have to be a non-profit project.
Even the OG devs couldnt both make a good game, and a profitable game
They made a good game, then screwed it up by trying to appeal to wall street
mokfarg
06-02-2024, 09:04 PM
I played the stress test yesterday.
Differences from P99
My monk had FD at level 1. I hear that Clerics will be able to rez from like level 8 or 9.
There was also an interesting change whereby the vendors will not indiscriminately buy whatever it is you are trying to sell to them (and the ones that do give you worse prices?). So if you want to sell your cracked staff or whatever you have to find the guy who wants to buy it.
They did not have sense heading or /loc in the game. Not sure if either will make it to the final game (perhaps someone who knows more than I do can chime in?) I think some people have said there will be a compass which sounds good. I would feel lost without Loc but at the same time, it is not very immersive to have a game spit out some coordinates at you. And I would probably adapt to it.
........
I think a compass would be the only thing needed. I have always wanted a game to use world drops as a way to obtain maps of zones. I think it would be neat to find a map of a zone, that also may have hidden secrets on them. (Maybe the map also unlocks a place in the zone to spawn a named, hidden treasure, or unlock secret cave.
Zukan
06-04-2024, 12:04 AM
Hey just as a heads up:
We will be holding a Stress Test on Wednesday, June 5th, 2024 at 1pm Eastern
It will run for 4 hours, ending at 5pm Eastern.
If we run into stability issues, we'll either immediately patch the game or, if absolutely necessary, end the playtest (with the hope of running another in the coming days or weeks after)
For the beginning part of the Stress Test, only Relle (US-East-1) will be available. For this test only (and possibly other Stress Tests), it will be an EU Region server. (But not the Weekend Test.)
Early in the test, we may be limiting characters to only the Night Harbor zone, but we will bring other zones online as soon as Stress Test data is collected.
If/when we hit a specific player count on Relle, we will also open Krivea (US-East-2). This server will also be located in the EU Region for this and possibly further Stress Tests. (But not the Weekend Test.)
----
Disclaimer: This is a Technical Stress Test, and some in progress work may not be as polished as in the upcoming weekend Playtest. There is also the possibility of lag and other stability issues.
----
I know this is a weird time for most but if you're able to join it'd be cool. We want to test out some changes made based off the Saturday test. :)
maxtorps
06-04-2024, 04:55 AM
I'm totally down for helping with that! I've created an account, downloaded the client and I'm ready to go! This is amazing.
Zukan
06-11-2024, 09:11 PM
Hey just in case folks don't check the discord:
We will be holding a Stress Test on Friday, June 14th, 2024 at 1pm Eastern.
It will run for 4 hours, ending at 5pm Eastern.
If we run into stability issues, we'll either immediately patch the game or, if absolutely necessary, end the playtest (with the hope of running another in the coming days or weeks after)
For the beginning part of the Stress Test, only Relle (US-East-1) will be available. For this test only (and possibly other Stress Tests), it will be an EU Region server. (But not for the Weekend Test.)
Early in the test, we may be limiting characters to only the Night Harbor zone, but we will bring other zones online as soon as Stress Test data is collected.
If/when we hit a specific player count on Relle, we will also open Krivea (US-East-2). This server will also be located in the EU Region for this and possibly further Stress Tests. (But not for the Weekend Test.)
Disclaimer: This is a Technical Stress Test, and some in progress work may not be as polished as in the upcoming weekend Playtest. There is also the possibility of lag and other stability issues.
Thulghor
06-14-2024, 07:46 AM
I have been messing with this as the playtests come up. It's a lot of fun!
Zukan
06-25-2024, 12:05 AM
Just a reminder that our big weekend long playtest is this week. Party starts Friday, June 28th, 2024 at 1pm Eastern and will run until Sunday, June 30th at 11:59 pm Eastern.
Make an accout and download for free here: https://account.monstersandmemories.com/
Topgunben
06-25-2024, 12:29 AM
Just a reminder that our big weekend long playtest is this week. Party starts Friday, June 28th, 2024 at 1pm Eastern and will run until Sunday, June 30th at 11:59 pm Eastern.
Make an accout and download for free here: https://account.monstersandmemories.com/
Sweet!!
maxtorps
06-25-2024, 02:18 AM
Great! Thank you!
magnetaress
06-25-2024, 02:51 PM
Going to support the game even if I can't really play it. Hopefully a lot of content creators find out about it. As I enjoy watching lets plays and lore videos these days. Or zone showcases.
Botten
06-25-2024, 03:01 PM
I think the game will draw more players if they go with a cosmetic micro transaction deal or a donation method.
Not crazy about monthly fee.
Trexller
06-25-2024, 03:52 PM
I think the game will draw more players if they go with a cosmetic micro transaction deal or a donation method.
Not crazy about monthly fee.
don't listen to this guy
definitely charge a monthly fee
in-game cash shops always become pay to win games, even if they don't start out that way
Thulghor
06-25-2024, 05:04 PM
don't listen to this guy
definitely charge a monthly fee
in-game cash shops always become pay to win games, even if they don't start out that way
Agreed.
magnetaress
06-25-2024, 05:56 PM
WoW Titan pantheon themed Star Pegasus mount grossed more revenue than Star Craft 2 lol.
I may even have one also.
Topgunben
06-25-2024, 09:55 PM
don't listen to this guy
definitely charge a monthly fee
in-game cash shops always become pay to win games, even if they don't start out that way
Amen. The devs of m & m seem to be doing this more out of a love of good gaming and not $.
TheIrateTurk
07-01-2024, 09:51 AM
Further to my post a few weeks back, I just finished playing a monk on the two day playtest.
I am continually blown over by how good this game is. I cannot state how enjoyable it was to play a new game where things were unknown and there was little to no hand holding. We had to figure things out for ourselves, and it was a great social and gaming experience.
M&M completely captures the spirit of EQ from the P1999 era, while updating some systems in a way which seems sensible and does not detract the authenticity of the classic MMO experience.
Changes
Monk has more buttons to press. We have a jab on a short cooldown which interrupts casting, and AOE stun which is on a 150s CD which also interrupts casting. A celestial punch which gave a buff which increased regen
Combat seems faster, there are many mobs in a zone and they have a short respawn time. We're talking 5-7 minutes. Regen is faster. Named mobs in dungeons seem to be a big deal relative to their placeholders and surrounding mobs. Yes, the Orc Trainer is higher level and harder to kill, but he is effectively just another Crushbone mob. The named ghosts which were level 8-10 in Wyrmsbane Tomb could heal, gate etc.
Corpse Runs are harder. Casters need their spellbooks to mem their spells and without this they are unable to cast anything. I heard the devs talking about buying a second spellbook and keeping it in your bank, or asking a rogue to drag the corpses for you. We were quite deep in Wyrmsbane Tomb and I was having to flop my way while dragging four corpses on a macro, and mending the damage I'd taken. Took about 30 minutes.
They have added a campfire system which from what I could tell, gave the group breeze as well as being a large light source. This is a profession of sorts, so any class could gather wood and build a campfire which gives the group vision and also MP5. There will probably be better campfires which provide different buffs etc.
Vision is really important. It's dark in the dungeons. Torches and candles and firebeetle eyes all have fuel which expires, so you have to use them sparingly.
NPCs do not give you quest breadcrumbs [like this]. They speak without square brackets, and you have to figure out what they want you to say if you want to progress a quest. There is a quest Journal which seems to capture any important conversations so you can remember what you have to do.
My initial thoughts of vendors who won't indiscriminately buy your gear was that it could be bad, but having played with the system for a bit, it really was not a problem at all. You quickly figure out who the Rusty Weapon merchant is and everyone was close together.
There is a navigation trainer/ skill but this was not working AFAIK so not sure what the system would involve.
All in all, this game is shaping up to be something special which I know fans of P99 would love.
One Tin Soldier
07-01-2024, 01:30 PM
I've tried to play in the last four tests and most of the time I can't even get into the game. The one time I did get in the lag was so bad I couldn't do anything. Admittedly I'm trying to run it on older PCs (two different ones). A friend of mine has had a similar experience.
Given the low end graphics (which I like so don't take that the wrong way) it seems like you shouldn't need a brand new, high end PC to play it.
I know it's still very early in the testing phase but it seems like something they might want to think about.
It may not matter for me in the long run though. If they stick to making the game as described in their FAQ I will be willing to buy a new PC just for this game. But not yet. After years of disappointment I have developed this nasty suspicious part of my mind that I can't quash entirely and it makes me worry that they might pull some kind of bait and switch trick. They seem like regular, down to earth guys so probably not but that suspicion still lurks in my mind.
Still, the more people who can run the game the more potential customers so, again, it might make sense to think about that.
maxtorps
07-01-2024, 02:13 PM
I tried it fro a few hours over the weekend and thought it was great! To me, it really captures the essence of a game with no hand holding. Even dying was a delight as I floated above my cold, dead corpse before hitting the loading screen!
It was good to see a quest journal, interesting there's no compass so you rely on the position of the sun and moon for directions. There's also other clues like "North Gate" for example as well as various signposts in the city, but it's not simple to navigate. It's just the right amount of awkward vs obvious.
Spells, gems, casting and abilities are very similar so you can get started right away. I spent about an hour killing rats and could afford three new L1 spells, once I'd found a shady peddlar that buys literally anything but at knockdown prices. Other merchants specialise and give you more of a reward. (Thanks to the player Bardarossa who led me to them).
Overall, I found it an enjoyable experience and will feature it more in my podcast as more access is given. On that note, my Twitch channel has some clips (https://www.twitch.tv/richardsonsrubicon) if you want to see, there's also an excellent channel run by one of the devs "ALovingRobot", definately worth a follow.
On saying all of that, P99 is still my current fave...
GardylooGubbins
07-01-2024, 11:52 PM
Played for a few hours this weekend. Looks quite promising. Interesting Zones, no hand holding, and actual player interaction as people were trying to figure things out. Played a beastlord, and it was fun. Made some money, got my spells/abilities, and slowly figured out where stuff was.
Night blindness was no joke though.
Topgunben
07-02-2024, 12:34 AM
Played for a few hours this weekend. Looks quite promising. Interesting Zones, no hand holding, and actual player interaction as people were trying to figure things out. Played a beastlord, and it was fun. Made some money, got my spells/abilities, and slowly figured out where stuff was.
Night blindness was no joke though.
Ya I noticed there was a lot of player interaction as well. I really like feeling like all of my answers to questions can be found in game, either through personal exploration or asking someone.
TBH the P99 wiki is a little immersion breaking because I don’t even need to ask people in game how or where or what something is.
Oh last thing. I made a necro in M&M and got my ass kicked by a beetle that was an even con. Strangely, It’s a good feeling to get ragdolled like that.
wycca
07-03-2024, 01:17 AM
I've tried to play in the last four tests and most of the time I can't even get into the game. The one time I did get in the lag was so bad I couldn't do anything. Admittedly I'm trying to run it on older PCs (two different ones). A friend of mine has had a similar experience.
Given the low end graphics (which I like so don't take that the wrong way) it seems like you shouldn't need a brand new, high end PC to play it.
I know it's still very early in the testing phase but it seems like something they might want to think about.
It may not matter for me in the long run though. If they stick to making the game as described in their FAQ I will be willing to buy a new PC just for this game. But not yet. After years of disappointment I have developed this nasty suspicious part of my mind that I can't quash entirely and it makes me worry that they might pull some kind of bait and switch trick. They seem like regular, down to earth guys so probably not but that suspicion still lurks in my mind.
Still, the more people who can run the game the more potential customers so, again, it might make sense to think about that.
I agree and performance is on our mind for sure.
It is low poly - yes. Model poly counts range from around P99 EQ up to actually pretty similar to WoW Vanilla. Most of our player models come in at around 800-900ish as a base, with attachments like ears, hair, belt, cloak, pouches, shoulders, backpack, held items, etc pushing them up to around 1100-1400ish, just depending on the mix/items. I think our npc models range from 60 (the wisp) to a special one (dragon) that's around 9000ish (they average closer to player models).
Despite all of that low poly stuff, there's some more modern things going on under the hood. Our textures are mostly authored at 2k (we display at 512). Our player gear visuals and mixing of them is handled on the models by shaders (pushing the limit of the api in fact). Much of the stuff behind the low poly & hand-painted textures is fairly advanced though in terms of lighting/shadows, water, etc. We have pretty much infinite draw distances - which looks great with some of our huge zones and we give you peeks at neighboring zones in our facades - such as a castle on a mountain that is 4 zone lines away. We have technical challenges few games face with some things - 100 lights in a scene may be a ton for many games - we've got to think about 1000 lights. Old EQ zones could handle 200-400 npcs roughly if I recall (depending on expansion in early EQ) - we have around 2500 and counting in a zone. Networking for player counts of a MMO-size is also not something many games have to deal with. Obviously that one is a particular focus right now. So low poly - yes. Low tech everywhere else - not necessarily like many might expect based on the poly count.
Some of the inspiration for our graphical mix described above can be found in some threads on this forum. Starting with some older render images (/wave toddfx), continuing through the various HQ texture packs and now all of those cool Unreal/Unity EQ takes. The team liked the feel of those sort of mixes, and we think it really brings to life the fantastic realism (our term) art style we're trying to capture.
So back to PC specs. Currently, the game is playable on both my ~2017-era laptop with an i5 (7th gen kaby lake) running at like ~3ghz boosted and a Geforce 1060 (75watts) at 1080p. I get around 20-55fps in an empty Night Harbor right now, depending where at in the city. I actually used it during this last weekend to help monitor CSR stuff on one server (I was logged in on multiple servers on different machines). I get 20-35fps on my M1 Macbook Air testbed laptop running the game via Crossover. All fairly low-spec nowadays and playable for a slower MMO. I have also dropped the resolution majorly on my i7 (12th gen) in my other laptop when I test run it on integrated graphics - its decently playable at a lower resolution at around 15-25fps in NH. GPU vram is around 2.6gb for our performance option vs about 3.1gb for our recommended option. Those with 3gb vram on cards are going to see a big drop in performance if they run above 1080p/performance for example.
There's some tweaks you can do to help improve fps right now - I put together a list which I have/can share via our discord. It depends a bit on your system, but basically on older machines, some of the easiest things are a couple of our settings, hiding corpses, watching what is eating cpu in the background, then adjusting resolution, etc. Longer-term, we hope to have more graphics options to help turn some stuff down, but it just isn't a major focus yet as we focus on building the game. We hope to eventually run better on integrated graphics, and even various handhelds (including Android).
One Tin Soldier
07-03-2024, 10:21 AM
There's some tweaks you can do to help improve fps right now - I put together a list which I have/can share via our discord. It depends a bit on your system, but basically on older machines, some of the easiest things are a couple of our settings, hiding corpses, watching what is eating cpu in the background, then adjusting resolution, etc.
I saw that list on discord and adjusted the settings. As for the hardware side of things I will freely admit that I'm a dumbass with this stuff. In my day to day life it's not necessary for me to know about it. Like I said I'll probably buy a new computer when MnM gets closer to release. It's just that it's been ages since I had any reason to care about this sort of thing.
Anyway, good luck to you guys.
Topgunben
07-03-2024, 01:01 PM
I saw that list on discord and adjusted the settings. As for the hardware side of things I will freely admit that I'm a dumbass with this stuff. In my day to day life it's not necessary for me to know about it. Like I said I'll probably buy a new computer when MnM gets closer to release. It's just that it's been ages since I had any reason to care about this sort of thing.
Anyway, good luck to you guys.
Hopefully by 2026 they have optimized a little better and computer performance / cost is more favorable.
I’m currently running a ryzen 5 5600 cpu with a xfx 6700xt video card and it seemed to run flawlessly. My machine isn’t any where close to top of the line - for gaming desktops I’d say it’s middle of the road.
But I’ll tell you, the older I get, the harder it is for me to get on my desktop to play (maybe it’s because I’m sitting at a desk for work 8 hours a day already). I’d prefer a laptop where I can play for an hour at night before I go to bed. Like I said above, hopefully laptops in 2026 are much cheaper and more powerful.
As a side note, One thing I’m impressed with after all these years is how well WOW was optimized in its early days.
wycca
07-04-2024, 07:09 PM
Hopefully by 2026 they have optimized a little better and computer performance / cost is more favorable.
I’m currently running a ryzen 5 5600 cpu with a xfx 6700xt video card and it seemed to run flawlessly. My machine isn’t any where close to top of the line - for gaming desktops I’d say it’s middle of the road.
But I’ll tell you, the older I get, the harder it is for me to get on my desktop to play (maybe it’s because I’m sitting at a desk for work 8 hours a day already). I’d prefer a laptop where I can play for an hour at night before I go to bed. Like I said above, hopefully laptops in 2026 are much cheaper and more powerful.
As a side note, One thing I’m impressed with after all these years is how well WOW was optimized in its early days.
There's a ton about WoW technically that is impressive as hell. If you want to know how something is able to be done efficiently/well in terms of tech in a MMO, it's hard to go wrong with looking at how WoW addressed the problem, even today.
Gaming laptops are pretty great honestly - I just found I need a lap pad to use them when not on a solid surface usually. They tend to stay warm even with the dgpu shut off. AMD came out with a pretty nice apu this year that is actually pretty solid at 1080p gaming. It's been super popular - it's in all of those windows handhelds that have launched pretty much. The next few years should see more releases and competition from intel with their arc-based APUs. So...that should be pretty nice IMO. Alternatively, ARM might be viable in the near future - already is IMO if you're on Mac, we'll see about Qualcomm.
Topgunben
07-05-2024, 12:33 AM
There's a ton about WoW technically that is impressive as hell. If you want to know how something is able to be done efficiently/well in terms of tech in a MMO, it's hard to go wrong with looking at how WoW addressed the problem, even today.
Gaming laptops are pretty great honestly - I just found I need a lap pad to use them when not on a solid surface usually. They tend to stay warm even with the dgpu shut off. AMD came out with a pretty nice apu this year that is actually pretty solid at 1080p gaming. It's been super popular - it's in all of those windows handhelds that have launched pretty much. The next few years should see more releases and competition from intel with their arc-based APUs. So...that should be pretty nice IMO. Alternatively, ARM might be viable in the near future - already is IMO if you're on Mac, we'll see about Qualcomm.
So true. Love or hate wow, the way they were able to optimize that game is nothing but a masterclass.
Ill have to start looking at gaming laptops. Im currently running a $300 acer laptop that I picked up for the kids, and it worked so well I bought 2 more for myself and the family. It does just fine for p99 and other classic games like stalker, gothic, wow etc. I need to figure out a good mouse setup for the bed haha. I dont really want to bring in mouse pad everytime i get in, so what i end up using is a book of sorts.
Wakanda
07-05-2024, 04:12 PM
One thing about modern WoW is that it's optimized terribly. I remember when I played the game for like 15 years on e-machines and it ran at high FPS on ultra settings. Now I struggle to run the game on medium settings. I remember when I upgraded to a 3080ti I thought my problems would be over.... it didn't change anything :eek: there are some zones like Winterspring where I'm literally playing at like 10-15 FPS anytime there's a fight, which is like.... the entire time you're in that BG. Super annoying.
They've also added a lot of load screens to WoW, which is super annoying since one of the biggest and most groundbreaking things about WoW was that you didn't have to load every time you went into a new zone.
Zukan
07-07-2024, 02:36 PM
Hey all, the latest update just dropped! It's a two-month worth update so there is a lot of stuff:
https://monstersandmemories.com/updates/update-42-may-amp-june-2024
https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/603cb2299959d83fcdc26265/1720361842762-PKYO7DLGYFALU6I5BK7Y/OgrevsHalflingcover.png?format=2500w
magnetaress
07-08-2024, 07:38 AM
This game is gonna be huge. I wish I could buy stock lol.
Wakanda
07-13-2024, 01:52 AM
I hope this is accurate^ I actually found out about it through friends who don't even knwo what EQ is. They said they like the weird old school art style.
Zukan
08-01-2024, 03:57 AM
Hey gang, just wanted to drop a heads up that we are looking into doing another Stress Test in the near future. We are still trying to figure out exactly what day and time so keep an eye on the #mnm-playtest-info channel in discord!
here's the discord link again for convenience - https://discord.com/invite/jvdKKc3CqW
Zukan
08-05-2024, 04:11 PM
Monsters & Memories Stress Test (August 10th, 2024)
We will be holding a Stress Test on Saturday, August 10th, 2024 at 1pm Eastern.
We'll all cram into one server to start the test.
If and when we get the data we need, we will open up the rest of the servers for an extended playtest. (Estimated 12-24 hours)
The sooner we get the data we need, the sooner the other servers will come up, so please participate in the Stress Test phase!
If we run into stability issues, we may patch the game or, if absolutely necessary, end the playtest (with the hope of running another in the coming days or weeks after)
Disclaimer: This is a Technical Stress Test, and there is lots of in progress work that may be unpolished, imbalanced, or broken. There is also the possibility of lag and other stability issues.
How To Register/Download Client
Register an account and log in at https://account.monstersandmemories.com/
(If you already made an account in previous tests, just log in)
Download the Patcher
Make sure you're patched on the day of the test
(Optional) Read up how to play on the Quick Start Guide https://monstersandmemories.com/quick-start-guide
We look forward to seeing you there!
Zukan
08-29-2024, 04:04 PM
Monsters & Memories Stress Test (August 31st, 2024)
We will be holding a Stress Test on Saturday, August 31st, 2024 at 1pm Eastern.
We want to test our netcode, which should be highly optimized compared to the previous Stress Tests!
We'll all cram into one server to start the test.
After we get the data we need, we will open up the rest of the servers for an extended playtest.
The sooner we get the data we need, the sooner the other servers will come up, so please participate in the Stress Test phase!
The Matswar and Sorophal servers are merged into Relle
The Trimminax server is merged into Krivea
If we run into stability issues, we may patch the game or, if absolutely necessary, end the playtest (with the hope of running another in the coming days or weeks after)
Disclaimer: This is a Technical Stress Test, and there is lots of in progress work that may be unpolished, imbalanced, or broken. There is also the possibility of lag and other stability issues.
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