A remake of Dark Age of Camelot the classic MMORPG in the Unreal Engine and it looks stunning. Could these guys actually pull off remaking a classic MMO like Dark Age of Camelot in Unreal? We've all dreamed of seeing games like EverQuest, Ultima Online, Final Fantasy XI remade, and one of my favortie MMORPGs from the past is Dark Age of Camelot and seeing this as a project being worked on has me VERY excited. We're going to be taking a look at the footage released, talk about the possibilities, discuss how we would like this remake to play out and more!
Now, it's no secret that I plan to play and stream the new Eden Server launching here on December 2nd, and I had a blast with Season 1 and I just love me some Dark Age of Camelot but there is no denying that some of these classics feel a little clunky especially with their UI's and early 2000s graphics. Dark Age of Camelot released in 2001 : and although it's nostalgic for me, I've always dreamed of it getting a graphic overhaul : We've had projects like Camelot Unchained by the same main guy behind the original Dark Age of Camelot : but that project is so far in the weeds, I've all but given up on it : And lo and behold the team releasing the Eden Servers has announced they've been working on Dark Age of Camelot in the Unreal Engine and this footage is jaw-dropping. The Eden Team says they are fueled by passion and a deep respect for the original masterpiece, and have began meticulously redesigning Dark Age of Camelot using the Unreal Engine, in order to bring the realms of Albion, Midgard and Hibernia into modern day graphics. They say it isn't just a facelift : it's a complete reimagining that stays true to the soul of the game while propelling it into the future. They say that their vision for Dark Age of Camelot in Unreal is to capture the essence of what made the game extraordinary and to enhance it in every way possible. End quote.
Now, looking at the UI, it is obviously still in the works and not complete, but you can see that it's going to be modernized. I think the animations already look really good and the look of the models is pretty darn good so far : I'm not sure what wizardry they are doing to convert the animations from the orignal into these new models so flawlessly, but they've even got swimming and swimming animation in and the water looks awesome. Here you can see some of the lighting effects in action, that also looks really well done.
For those that don't know, remaking a game in Unreal isn't an easy process, it's meticulous and takes a lot of skill and time and talent : what these guys are pulling off is amazing, and Dark Age of Camelot is especially challenging because it's 3 different realms with 3 different sets of races and 3 different sets of classes and then the network code has to be able to support hundreds of people battling it out in the frontiers : I hope with their experience with the Eden Dark Age server, they can pull it off, and if they do : Broadsword : The owners of the Dark Age of Camelot IP should seriously consider hiring them and pulling their project and team in-house and make this official, it would be an amazing story in the MMORPG industy and could breathe new life into this aging classic.
Now as far as design, we don't know much yet, but I'm hoping for this remake the leveling process takes some time, I would hope for at minimum a time to level to max to be in-line with something like World of Warcraft Classic because the original Dark Age of Camelot wasn't JUST a PvP masterpiece : the PvE was fun and the journey was part of the secret sauce : the dungeons and camp spots hold many memories for many of us and we would love to experience both sides of the coin : if the remake focuses too hard on getting us all to endgame and into the frontiers they will have to waste so much development time on making each of the 3 realms in DAoC just for us to blaze through them and never look back : this is why I believe we will get a more classic style experience and the leveling will be slowed down a bit in order to appreciate this world and all the cool nooks and crannies. Also, I think for development time sake : They should start with Classic Dark Age of Camelot : No Shrouded Isles, just the original : This gives them some time to work on content down the pipeline and release as they are ready : and since you are remaking it anyway : Make it the original classic Frontiers, I think that would really get Dark Age of Camelot fans hyped.
Dark Age of Camelot Eden Server Website: eden-daoc.net/home
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