Havenhold News

We are very excited to give you our next development update on Starkeepers!

With player choice being such an important aspect of Starkeepers, we knew that combat will be a huge part of that. You will be able to gear up and put your skills to the test against the many creatures that inhabit the world of Starkeepers. For those competitive players out there, you could always try your hands against other players in arena and siege battles to see who comes out victorious!

We approached Sheldon, our Studio Head, to ask a few questions about what players can expect from Starkeepers.

Buu and Eva in combat


[h3]What can players achieve through combat?
[/h3]
Dungeon runs and raids are the bread and butter for you to level up through combat. While siege war combat is how you and your clan will be able to claim stakes over territory and become its ruler, declaring war and besting your rivals is how you will expand your empire.

In the case you find yourself bested in a battle, fear not, because it’s far from the end of the world! You and your clan will retain a healthy level of autonomy and full access to the resources and territory controlled by your Starkeep. However, you will become a vassal clan to the winner. We don’t want players to be overly penalized if they are not the victor in every battle. Not to mention, there are plenty of opportunities to turn the tables!

PvP encounters range from small group battles, to siege wars with fifteen players per side. Understandably, the more Starkeeps your clan and fellow vassal clans control, the more likely you are to succeed in the seasonal strife for domination, but a single well-coordinated clan and fortified Starkeep can more than hold it’s own, and may even prove to be the next re-enactment of David vs Goliath.

If you are more PvE inclined, then we also have you covered. We will have plenty of dungeon quests for both solo and co-op, as well as challenging bosses for you to slay. Both PvP and PvE use the same combat system, so you have access to the same awesome hero skills and cool combat mechanics!

There is a recognition and achievement system, where you can track your progress and rewards in both PvE and PvP, throughout your journey playing Starkeepers.

Encore showing no mercy.


[h3]How is combat different, and what makes it stand out from other MMOs?
[/h3]
We are taking a lot of cues from fighting games (the action combat genre) and want to ensure that there is that same satisfaction of beating an enemy, but it will be done in a more approachable environment — easy to learn, challenging to master.

Combat will be incredibly approachable. There are some mechanically dependent aspects that you can hone with practice, but we strive to make sure combat is engaging starting from your first hands-on. Plenty of spells and some sweet skill-combos that you will be able to pull off.


[h3]Are new players able to remain competitive when playing with veteran players?
[/h3]
We have made it relatively easy / achievable for players to reach the level cap of each hero they unlock, so that they can get involved with the full combat experience much faster, and battle alongside friends who have had more time and experience in the game. The horizontal progression can help bring together players with wider ranges of experience, especially in co-op. Even though newer players may not yet have access to all the heroes that a veteran player has, every hero has abilities that ensure they will be competitive.

Approachability is important to us. We want combat to be easy for new players to pick up and be able to experiment with how they want to fight. We stay away from forcing players into PvP content if it is something that they don’t want to engage with.

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So what do you think of our combat plans so far? If you have any thoughts, then why not stop by our Discord server to let us know? We would love to hear what you have to say!

Until next time,

Drew & Angela

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Wishlist Starkeepers on Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2015760/Starkeepers/

Discord: https://discord.com/invite/3mCSmsgMfv

Twitter: https://twitter.com/PlayStarkeepers

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@playstarkeepers

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/playstarkeepers

Website (sign up for future playtests!): https://starkeepers.com/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtmRqaLdiusy5FKg4dk2New

Welcome back to another dev update on Starkeepers!

For this update, we sat down on a zoom meeting with our Narrative Producer, Rudolf, and our Junior Narrative Designers Kirsten and Niea about making relatable game characters.

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

[h2]What got you into writing for games?[/h2]

Rudolf:
When I was younger, I played a lot of games and enjoyed the narratives they told. This led me to recreate these stories in my own way. As I got older, I realized I could actually make that into a career, through writing for games.

It also comes from wanting to create a very immersive story world, that made sense and brought an emotional and moral weight that I felt that some games were missing at the moment.

Kirsten:
I got into writing for games around the time that I started getting into drawing. Through that, I combined my interests for the two and told little stories. It was through role-playing games that a light bulb in my head went off going like, “Wait a minute, I’m pretty sure someone actually designs the narratives of these games I play!”

So I started practicing and writing my own tiny little stories that I could play with my friends who are also into that sort of thing.

Niea:
I can clearly remember the first instance I got into writing and it was because of the Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children DVD I discovered when I was 11 years old. I had only heard of the franchise in passing, but from the second I played the film, I was mesmerized and confused beyond belief having never actually played any of the games before.

I was completely sucked in and I remember it was during that same evening that I wrote my first piece of work based on the world that I saw in the movie, adding my own characters and scenes. It was completely terrible, but it brought me to where I am now. The movie changed my life because up until then, I didn’t think it would be possible to create my own world through writing. Here I am now living the dream of my 11-year-old self!

[h2]What is your narrative design process like?[/h2]



It is not just a solitary process, it’s also about brainstorming and collaboration.

Rudolf:
Writing is stereotypically seen as a solitary activity. If I asked you to imagine a typical writer and you may think, all alone they sit on their desk, pen and paper in hand, finishing their next brilliant masterpiece for their readers to be in awe of. That is the complete opposite to what we do as a narrative design team. We first accept that human beings are flawed and we always want to improve on our first few ideas. We do a lot more than just type or scribble away on our keyboards or papers.

“Taking the best ideas and formulating them into a coherent story.”

Whenever we start off on any project, the first thing that we do is get together as a team and brainstorm a variety of topics and ideas. We put ourselves in the shoes of a character and ask ourselves what would we do in a certain scenario? Which approach would we take when faced with obstacles? It’s all about taking the best ideas and formulating them into a coherent story. Through that, we develop the strongest ideas and pitch them to the rest of the game design team.

Additional filters — convincing everyone on the team to go with a story concept.

There are additional filters when it comes to writing for games. As a team, we have to convince everyone else to be on board with the story we want to tell about a particular character. So the pitching element of the story is also very important. We get the critical points of feedback like, “I don’t get it”, “there’s just too much detail there”, or questions like, “why is this character suddenly here when it wasn’t there to begin with?”

We also get to see if people are actually excited about our additional ideas.



The actual writing process! Getting from A to all the way down to Z.

We start to do the actual writing after the pitching stage. It’s where we take the skeletal elements of a story and build on the backbone of the story, considering how things go from point A to Z.

We critically examine each other’s bullet points of steps that are going to happen within a certain story and decide whether it feels logical and believable. This is the actual stage where our ideas become text on a screen that players can digest.

Tying up the loose ends.

Narrative design for games is different from writing a novel. There will be lots of text that’s going to be good to read, but we limit that to important moments within the game otherwise, you would read a book instead! As a team, we have to ensure that the text in the game is motivating and with purpose.

[h2]How do you create interesting characters?[/h2]

Kirsten:
That is the big old question, isn’t it? Because whenever you write for games, you want people to play and feel for the characters and stories. To achieve that, I first have to care about the character and the story.

There is something very personal about wanting to create a character that is relatable and someone people can empathize with. As for myself and I believe also other writers, we’re always trying to empathize with the beings in stories, which is why we enjoy writing them so much.

I also tap into some of my own characteristics — or someone else’s — that forms a direct inspiration and are able to recognize myself in this. I believe that is at the core of creating a relatable playable character.



“Making a character I want to play as.”

Rudolf:
There’s a very selfish answer to that question, which is I create the characters that I would want to play as, getting to decide how characters express themselves and how they might navigate the world they live in. We also have art and animation that’s already been done before we do any of our writing, so there is already some framework to work with.

Once we have some foundation to work with, we try to express that to the best of our capabilities. We begin by linking cultural associations that other people may have. We also make use of emotional associations that are broadly shared with people across the world when working with a roster of characters. As a team, we have to make sure that there is a diverse range of personalities that people can relate to.

Niea:
I focus on the believability and relatability of a character by figuring out their quirks, habits, and how they might react to a certain situation. I also focus on not trying to create a flawless superhero that always has things going well for them.

I want to create characters that have their own strengths and struggles that are communicated through their backstory. My hope is that the ideas that we as a narrative design team put into these characters get felt by the players that experience their stories.

[h2]Where does research come in?[/h2]

Niea:
I absolutely love doing research and I will take any opportunity to do that. So when we receive concept art of a character, I focus on the main things that I can see. What are the colours? What link can I have to real-world cultures and countries? Once I have that figured out, I research on cultural nuances of a specific country. The nature of how we create our characters requires us to make these references as ambiguous as possible while showcasing all the wonderful cultures we have in our world.

[h2]How important is representation when creating characters?[/h2]

Kirsten:
Representation is everything and comes back to that relatability. I am in a privileged position as a white woman where I can see myself represented in games. As a narrative designer for games, I am aware that I am in a position to do the same for others with a dedication to respect and research. You can’t just slap a label on a character and say, “oh, this is X, so now you are represented!”, because that’s not how that works. There is a need for authenticity and conversation. There’s this saying that goes “if you’re doing something for us without us, you might as really not be doing it at all.” So that is definitely a thing that I like to keep in mind.




[h2]Which Starkeepers character do you like most?[/h2]

Rudolf:
I know it’s a very lame answer, but I like all of them. [laughs] I think that they’ve really come out of the woodwork very well. But my favourite so far is Colborn. He is stoic and has a very strong presence, but at the same time, there is a secret funny side to him, something that people probably wouldn’t expect from his character at first glance. I always like characters that surprise you in the way they present themselves.



Kirsten:
My favourite character so far is a fennec fox-like character named Encore. They are passionate, cool and confident. I poured my heart and soul into that one and it is the type of character that I would enjoy playing as because they’re similar to me enough that I can relate, but different enough that they have these qualities that I aspire to be.

Niea:
My favourite Starkeeper character out of the ones we have so far has to be Rika. I love her attack animations as well as her sassy and sarcastic attitude. Her character design is one of my favourites out of all of our heroes. I also might be biased because foxes are one of my favourite animals!


Until next time,
Drew & Angela


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Wishlist Starkeepers on Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2015760/Starkeepers/

Discord: https://discord.com/invite/3mCSmsgMfv

Twitter: https://twitter.com/PlayStarkeepers

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@playstarkeepers

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/playstarkeepers

Website (sign up for future playtests!): https://starkeepers.com/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtmRqaLdiusy5FKg4dk2New

In today’s post we’ll be answering your top questions about Starkeepers. We’ll share details about what the gameplay looks like, what to expect for the lore, and how you can get involved in the early stages!



[h2]What is Starkeepers?[/h2]

Starkeepers is an action-packed massively multiplayer game set in a celestial realm which spans multiple worlds and spiritual dimensions, rich in fictional mythology. It’s a game that can both be enjoyed with friends or explored on your own. Each seasonal epic will uncover different corners of this world with new landscapes, quests, and conflicts.

In Starkeepers, players are cast as Astrals — higher dimensional beings called on by the universal gods to maintain balance in the realm. Our core gameplay includes gathering, crafting, building, trading, action combat, forming family clans, strategizing for political power, and waging wars against rivals to establish your empire.

Check out our Twitter page for daily updates!

[h2]Is Starkeepers Strictly Multiplayer?[/h2]

We want to be inclusive and aim to create a game that accommodates a range of player preferences. Solo players can unlock heroes, gather, craft and quest to contribute to their personal progression. Quests are also designed for a healthy amount of replayability in mind. However, some actions like Starkeep construction and siege battles require a degree of interaction with other players. The beauty of Starkeepers is to immerse in a game that is very much alive with player-governed clans, player-made Starkeeps, and player-driven economies. In those aspects, you can be involved as much or as little as you desire. Starkeepers can certainly offer a fun solo experience, but its best enjoyed with others.

[h2]What is the lore and game setting like?[/h2]

Older than time itself, the cosmic creators stitched together the fabric of the celestial multiverse. The All Father placed the stars and planets in the galaxy, creating light that broke through the void of darkness. From the cradle of light, the All Mother created life, filling the lonely expanse with newfound chatter. However, entities from outside the universe envied its power, and sought to seize it for themselves. The Cosmic Gods then called upon their beloved children, the Astrals, to defend the universe in their wake. As an Astral, you will learn combat skills from star relics and morph into different ancient warrior heroes. Master their power and make them your own.

In the first Season, a clash between the Aesier and Vanir tribes destroyed the wall of Asgard. With the city vulnerable to attack, Hokh the Astral God of Crafting offered to repair the wall in exchange for the hand in marriage with the beautiful goddess, Freya. The other Astral Gods assist him in this endeavor, but they all each have their own agendas in mind. As the story unfolds, you will hunt down clues and secure objectives, raid and destroy rival factions, all while trying to make Hokh’s dream wedding become a reality.

The stories in Starkeepers are dynamic. Both individual and group decisions will determine how each season unfolds…

[h2]Is Starkeepers Free to Play Friendly?[/h2]

Yes! Starkeepers is designed for maximum accessibility. The game is free to download. We aim to create an equitable playing environment between F2P and paying players. Core game features such as unlocking and playing any Starkeeper heroes, and participating in all sorts of questing content will be available to all players for free. We want players to enjoy the game before considering supporting us! Paying is not necessary to remain competitive in Starkeepers, and we value everyone for being a part of the Starkeepers community.

[h2]How Many Heroes Are There?[/h2]

There will be around ten Starkeeper heroes available by Early Access! We encourage eventually unlocking them all, and fighting with them for a well-rounded experience. Actions and decisions during quests will influence how the traits of these characters develop, as you progress through the story, making the experience more personalized to each player.

Here are some of our current designs as of June 2022.

Buu Colborn Encore

[h2]When will Starkeepers be released?[/h2]

The release date has not been announced. Follow us on Twitter and Medium to stay up to date on our latest announcements!

[h2]How can I get involved in early tests of the game?[/h2]

You can sign up to be selected here! Filling out the survey will improve your chances of getting selected. We’ll be sharing updates through email.

Until next time,
Drew & Angela


—

Wishlist Starkeepers on Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2015760/Starkeepers/

Discord: https://discord.com/invite/3mCSmsgMfv

Twitter: https://twitter.com/PlayStarkeepers

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@playstarkeepers

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/playstarkeepers

Website (sign up for future playtests!): https://starkeepers.com/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtmRqaLdiusy5FKg4dk2New