The year's almost up folks, and the minds behind the Darkfall MMORPG aren't about to let it go to waste. Associate Producer Tasos Flambouras has written up Aventurine's last dev diary of the year, which will cover the swarms of questions the game's community has been abuzz with as of late. More details are up ahead in the full article.

We know that lately you've been getting nothing but screens, interviews, and game details on the upcoming Aventurine-developed MMORPG, Darkfall.

Now while all that's well and good, let's face it. What we really wanna see is the action, right? I mean, let's see some bloodshed and limbs being cut off! Heck, what use would knowing the technical nitty gritty stuff be if we won't even get a preview of the battles, right? So...fret not fellas, because that's exactly what we have right now, a minute-long combat gameplay footage!

Darkfall won't be hitting shelves until later this year (FYI, it's just about to hit open beta), so while we wait for that, getta load of the PvP-fest in this vid right here. Enjoy! (Credits to Kotaku for posting the vid.)

All hardcore PvP gamers out there, please stand up. Now, join us all in saying "finally," okay? Here goes: one, two, three...

FINALLY! Some hard details for Darkfall, finally indeed! Would you believe that this game was first announced way back in 2001? Almost six years after, the game is still in development, a WIP, brewing in the studios etc. We bet even developer, Aventurine SA (formerly Razorwax), has run out of words to describe the game's development pace.

Associate Producer Tasos Flambouras explained in an interview why development is taking this long, as well as why there is still no open beta. He said:

We've mentioned before that it's difficult to run a beta test while continuing development on the game, especially when all our human resources are in development. We are now at a stage where we can and we are preparing the beta test which will allow external beta testers in and this is now a high priority for us.

High priority, eh? While we hope that Flambouras used the word high in its superlative form, it is still good to know that Aventurine is ready to invite the public to try Darkfall. Anyway, whenever a producer mentions an open beta, the release is usually just around the corner. But when asked if Darkfall is already in its polishing stage, the official somewhat double talk and argued,

Darkfall is a game which will undergo continual development throughout its life cycle. There is content which is constantly added, textures being brushed up, animations tweaked, there's a lot of testing going on, optimizations made etc.

Aside from the release date and development information, the associate producer discussed plainly and straightforwardly the game's other aspects. As always, he talked about the hardcore PvP as well as clans, mods, UI, and possible expansions in the future.

For the whole interview with Flambouras and more information about Darkfall, refer to the Read link below.

It's been quite a while since we last brought you guys an update on Darkfall, the upcoming fantasy MMORPG currently brewing at the Razorwax kitchen. So to make up for that one-month hiatus, here's a batch of brand new screens for you to store in your PC's to make the long wait easier.

As we've been saying in our earlier posts, Darkfall will be set in a world that's facing its imminent end so most of the game details and environments will reflect this atmosphere of decay. The game will also focus more on the bloodshed and violence you'll get to engage in, specifically, combat between players and full blown race wars.

Aventurine has remained pretty tight-lipped about Darkfall so game goodies are really hard to come by. Luckily though, our designated net hounders here at QJ were able to spot these brand new screens from the game site, so here they are! Enjoy!

Way back in 2001, Razorwax (now Aventurine SA) announced the development of Darkfall, an MMORPG that will feature unrestricted PvP. Six years later, the said game is still in private Beta testing. Its painfully slow development might have put off some online gamers, but the hardcore PvP players don't mind the long wait. As new info trickles in, interest in the game was revived.

Darkfall Art Director Henning Ludvigsen further made things interesting by talking about the game's area and character design. You have to admit that a character's facial variations, weapons, equipment, and hairdo (definitely!) add to the game's appeal. It's important for characters to have that cool factor to make players want to play. Even Orks and Dwarves need their beauty makeover some time.

The Darkfall creative team focused on making the characters look more realistic - no bright colors and odd shapes. It's also just fitting to make items and structures look "worn and gritty" to add to the effect. Female characters wouldn't look like they were taken from the covers of Maxim. They have to look the part of ass-kicking warriors. Male characters, on the other hand, were given a heroic look, so don't go looking for characters that look like they've been taking extra shots of steroids.

As Darkfall is set in a world that's about to end, the graphic style presents that of an atmosphere of decay - from architecture down to the props and items.

When asked about the biggest challenge as far as art goes, Henning said, "The terrain of Agon definitely sticks out as the biggest and foremost challenging part for us because we wanted to model and texture the entire world by hand."

While no new information regarding upcoming MMO Darkfall is currently available, we still are mesmerized by one of its creatures called the "death pig." And if only for that boar, we'd visit its world of Agon. We also wonder what the inhabitants of this world make out of this animal. Do the Humans and the Orks eat it, only the latter want it raw? Are the elven Mildrain keeping them in pens and taking care of them? We really are curious.

Aside from the above-mentioned, other races include Dwarves, the wolf-like Mahirim and the outcast Alfar. The game is currently in deep in development in Aventurine's studio as the developers don't want MMO players dismissing it easily as another WoW clone.

In the meantime, we guess that's all for Darkfall now. Just enjoy these new screenshots while we wait for further developments. And oh, we want our death pig crispy and roasted.

More screens await after the jump!

Darkfall, the fantasy online game being developed by Aventurine, is set in a world called Agon which has six playable races; the Humans, Dwarves, the elven Mirdain, Orks, the wolf-like Mahirim, and Alfar. The elven Mirdain are in friendly terms among themselves, while the Alfar are the outcasts who openly hate all the other races and maintains friendships only within their kind.

The ones who originally came up with the concept and started developing the game was a Norwegian team called Razorwax, but the task of developing the game was later delegated to Greek-based company Aventurine. Aventurine seems to be doing a good job so far, as the development of the game is now at the stage where it's just on track for release later this year.

There's not much info right now on Darkfall, but if you wanna know more about the game, let us know via comments and we'll keep you posted on more game updates. Meanwhile, enjoy the screens we have for you below.

  

We know the basics about Aventurine's fantasy online world Darkfall. We've been given a glimpse of the characters, the gameplay, what to expect from the game, while still leaving us wanting for more. Well, the information-drought seems to be over as we now have some new interesting updates about this PVP-enticing game.

So it is set in a world named Agon, where six playable races live together, though not always in harmony: Humans, Dwarves, the elven Mirdain, Orks, the wolf-like Mahirim, and the ethnocentric Alfar. Let's take a look at how you can start your own clan. According to Associate Producer Tasos Flamboras, it is fairly easy for anyone to jumpstart a clan in Darkfall. In fact, it is theoretically possible to have an all race clan. What the team primarily focused on is a "balance of good strategy and tactics, formations, missions, as well as logistics, supply and support roles [is] crucial to being successful in Darkfall's clan warfare."

Looking into the clan composition, compatible race and alignment make it possible for the clan to be at the same location and use the same NPC merchants and NPC guards, among other things. A caveat from Flamboras: there are NO CLASSES in Darkfall, only skills. And although the races are unique from each other, they all stand in an equal footing. So, you shouldn't confuse it with other games by arguing that Darkfall will be dominated by ARAC (all race all class).

As for the clan identity, they basically can build cities and own resource gathering locations, though not all will opt to build a city. As they are unique, you would encounter clans who are nomadic, opportunistic, seafaring and pirate clans, as well as mercenary ones. Clans control areas by occupying clanstones and bindstones.

The clans themselves follow an internal hierarchy which determines leadership by a ranking system. Expectedly, the clan leaders have the authority to promote and demote their clanmates. Interestingly enough, they won't usually do this on a whim as the system is made to be meritocratic. Meaning, the good performance and contributions of the members are measured and recorded accordingly for reference.

Learning from other MMORPGs, Darkfall has incorporated in its system a cap on how many characters can tie at clanstones and bindstones, fast transportation limitations, distance between cities, area of effect of spells and weapons, and more importantly, the full collision detection together with friendly fire. For these safeguards, Darkfall has coined the term "Zerg" to refer to the use of sheer numbers to dominate.

At present, many more gamers are signing up for clan beta and the Darkfall team will have further screenings of applicants to determine the clans selected for testing and the order in which they will be let in. Well, that's all the updates we have for now on this really intriguing game. Again, no date was mentioned as to the release of the game. But then, getting updates sure beats the hell out of nothing, right?

Just keep tuned here for more infos and breaking news about the game. We'll be sure to cover it for you.

Aventurine, the Greek software company that absorbed the original developer Razorwax, has announced that their upcoming MMORPG,  Darkfall, is now in preparation for beta testing.

Like other MMORPG's, Darkfall is set on a fantasy world (in this case, Agon), and features the usual cast of playable races - Humans, Dwarves, Elves and Orks. There are two additional races - one of werewolves called the Mahirim, and the other known as the Alfar - pale outcasts who reject all outsiders. Career paths include explorer, hunter, mercenary, ironsmith, magician and fishermen; there is also a "prestige" class system that include Paladin, Assassin, Gladiator and Enchanter.

What makes Darkfall different is its emphasis on PvP combat. According to Associate Producer Tasos Flambouras, old classics such as Ultima Online and Elder Scrolls were enjoyable, but restrictive in their use of classes and levels. "When faced with the decision of allowing players the freedom to take the skills they want and need as their character grows and the game evolves - or not - it was a no-brainer," Flambouras says.

Darkfall's system gives players the freedom to experiment with different combinations of skills. If a combination doesn't work as well as a player would like, s/he can re-invent their character with new skills easily, without penalty. Characters are more adaptable to the game's evolution.  Flambouras points out that in class systems, one's "original and often uninformed decisions could haunt your character forever." He adds that often, penalties are incurred by updates and other events beyond a player's control.

With at least one thousand different skills to choose from, character potential is endless. Says Flambouras: "Darkfall's skill system is all about player freedom, endless customization, adaptation and control. It adds great depth to the player characters, and to the process of developing them. Darkfall players will enjoy their unique characters, and will always be able to get the best out of them throughout the life cycle of the game."

Anyway, you gotta love a game with a creature called a "death pig."

Darkfall is not another WoW clone. According to Associate Producer Tasos Flambouras and Lead Programmer Kjetil Helland, Darkfall is the MMO game for all those gamers who are looking for something fresh.

This latest from Adventurine will feature a fast-paced PvP system wherein the player's skill matters as much the character's skill. And you better have the skills to make your way through this game – current MMO's safezones won't be present in Darkfall to protect you. This means that you can attack and be attacked at any time and in any place.

This also leads to more responsibility. Since you have the freedom to strike at a place and time of you convenience, you also have the freedom to attack members of your own race. But this comes with grave consequences to your character's alignment. Branded as evil, your character will no longer be able to trade in most cities and may be forayed on-sight by town guards. This won't apply only to the character you are playing but all characters in your server as well.

Read full article and view rest of the screens after the jump.