Dawn of Fantasy Beta Contest

[Darvin]

So, the Dawn of Fantasy Beta is fast approaching, and I'm sure there are plenty of you here at RTSC who want your opportunity to get in on it.  Courtesy of those fine folks at Reverie, we have several beta keys to give away, and you'll have the opportunity to win one of them!

To enter in our contest, submit a short essay describing why you are anticipating Dawn of Fantasy.

Rules:

• Please keep your entries under 1000 words; short and concise entries are preferred
• Your submissions must be in the form a forum post in this thread.
• Please do not embed any media in your submission (this thread will load slowly if many people do this).  Links are okay
• Please do not make multiple submissions.  This will result in disqualification.  You may edit your submission at any time.
• All posts in this thread should be a contest submission.  Posts that are not contest submissions will be removed. 

There is currently no deadline to this contest, and we will not announce one until Reverie formally announces the beta and its starting date.  We will provide at least 24 hours notice of the deadline. 

If you have any questions regarding the contest, you may ask me in the form of private message, email, or simply an open question on the forums.  Once again, please do not post in this thread unless it is a contest submission.  Any posts which are not contest submissions will be removed.

Good luck to you all!

Darvin

[Omnicras]

   The most basic reason I'm interested in Dawn of Fantasy is that I love fantasy RTS's.  Ever since I saw the Lord of the Rings trilogy, I began to develop all kinds of ideas about elements I would like to see in the games I played.  

   To name a few of my ideas, I dreamt of walkable walls that you could build, customize and use in sieges, building men with no inherent specialization's but then customize them to use swords, pikes or mount horses, Realistically sized buildings and ships, navel battles where you can put men on board and have them board the enemy ships, and online battles where you control one of the Rohan soldiers defending Helms Deep individually against an army of human controlled Urugs.

   I’ve seen a few of those ideas surface over the years in various games across the industry but many of them are still unfulfilled and I’m waiting for a new game to advance ever closer to a game which comes close to the one I imagine.  Dawn of Fantasy looks like a game with potential in any case but what is most important to me is that it is attempting to be ambitious and to forward the progression of the gaming industry.  It has ships with men in them, massive cities with walkable walls and fortifications that you can customize,and an entirely new genre MMORTS (however that works).  Based on what I’ve seen I think this game has the potential to really impress me.  

   I’m hoping that Reverie has made a game which will put them on the map.  I hope Dawn of Fantasy will have a strong back story because that is very important to me, I hope it has a good system and so I would like to test it to see the innovation first hand and to help make it ready to be successful.

[Neotyguy40]

Hi, I am new here, I saw this on the official forums and decided to take a look at it.

There are multiple reasons why I am anticipating DoF... Mostly for it's originality mixed in with classic RTS feel. I use to play a game called Ballerium, an RTS game that had a persistent world. One where if you logged off, you are still playing. I always thought of DoF as a game similar to that, where it is very unique in the idea of persistence. Not of course talking about in the MMO mode.

[Nick-SoD]

I could probably write a 5 to 10 page essay on why I have been looking forward to this game, but I will keep it short...

I have followed the game from when it was first brought to the attention of RTSC. The fantasy/Tolkienesque setting for an RTS is the first thing that grabbed my interest. Being a fan of the EA title - The Battle for Middle-earth, and still self-labeled member of the Bfme community, of course, the game was intriguing. Bfme was somewhat of a let down so I guess I am still in look of that awesome fantasy-strategy experience; this game seems to have unlimited potential. Springing from an originally Indie developer, DoF has that 'made-with-care' feel to it. The developers really seem to have the best possible product in mind instead of just another money-maker which would obviously appeal to a Bfme Oldie.

Beyond the general appeal to the game, there are specific features that excite me about this game. The idea of building up your town to a small city and then further into a bustling metropolis is cool. The focus is obviously more on duking it out, but, from what I've seen, the attention to detail on the buildings (bases) may make you sit back at times just to watch your town/city at work. Then there is the MMORTS feature being implemented. It sounds very ambitious, but with the heart of an Indie developer behind it, I can see it succeeding. The idea of a living, changing world of warfare over the internet is extremely cool and may bring something entirely new to the beloved RTS genre.

There is plenty to be excited about from Reverie with DoF and I hope to be part of it, even if it is just a tiny part like participating in a Beta test. Hopefully I am selected as one of the beta key recipients, but, if not, I will still be watching and anticipating this most intriguing game.

[Kire]

I anticipate this game cuz my kitty wants to kill some more orcs. Soon. And i must obey my master.

[Liljagare]

Well, here is another RTS comin' at you, and why look forward too it?

There are alot of them around, and they keep being pumped out. But frankly, most are if not pure clones, almost clones, new games with old content, slapped with a hard to work interface and some wacky story.

Packaged and sold, make a buck.


Yes, the reason I am looking forward to Dawn Of Fantasy is because it does bring a feeling of freshness with it, sure, we've seen alot of the content in other RTS games, but not quite with the combination we have here. The team has put time and effort into races, stories and gameplay, you can tell by simply looking at the history of the game.

Usually this is a decent indicator that they want to put out something interesting, something people really will enjoy rather than making another War in the Middle Earth clone, or another RA2, or.. well, I think you get the idea.

I am not a hardcore gamer, but I enjoy games, they should be fun, and innovative because after a few years of gaming, you start to feel like "I've played this before" too often.

Nothing like seeing a game like this in the pipe, they only come once in a blue moon, and most of the time they get cancelled! It is very nice to have seen the journey of it all, and to see that it will soon be here with a combination of innovative features and interesting gameplay.

And I'll certainly place my grubby paws on a few copies when it's in the store..

[Emperor Nero]

Hmm... why am I anticipating Dawn of Fantasy?

I'm extremely excited about the MMO aspect of it, of course! Although its still not the MMORTS I envision, its definitely a gigantic leap forward towards what I envision compared all of the other water-downed MMORTS's. RTS's are my favorite genre of game, and I've been patiently waiting(For nearly a decade now!) for a true MMO/RTS hybrid. I think we've found it. You can choose between the classic death match or a persistent online world where your entire empire is saved after each game, what could possibly be cooler than that in todays market?

I love the fact that you can play single-player in a campaign mode, which will be filled to the brink with lore. It allows those who don't wish to or can't play online the ability to still play the game, and you can play the game and get a feel for it without jumping straight into online combat not knowing what to do.

The units can swim you say? I don't know of any RTS today that gives you this ability, almost every unit can swim, now thats realism. Now, I don't know about you, but I always thought it was unrealistic when my unstoppable army of infantry suddenly got stopped by a tiny 5 foot wide stream, and the ability to just swim across will be a unique feature of this game.

I honestly think that this game will turn some big heads in the video game industry. I'm very happy to see that theres still some developers out there willing to be ambitious for a change and do things differently than the tried and true method. I don't know about you, but I'm sick of the same old skirmish matches in C&C and Supreme Commander. This is definitely a game that RTS fan's everywhere need and deserve.

Oh, and did I mention the fact that characters have emotions? That's definitely not in any other RTS's today! And the terrain actually looks believable, thousands of trees, real growing grass, forests that burn down and grow back. This game is going to be so epic!

[skybladerz]

Well, i wont make a long message because then it might just be skimmed though instead of fully read if it'll be read fully ill remake this message(PM me)  . Lets see, the reason i would like to have a beta key for DoF is because one, i love RTS games and i honestly think this might be one of the best Online RTS games out there. Two, I've been anticipating this game for several months now and been praying to God to let me in the CB.Third, I played this game called Boundless Planet(ehh, dont get me started, bad graphics, hard to master, and control) but my goodness,it was a CPU generated world that has players near each other so they could fight(im a Real PVP person). From what i been talking.hearing about with fellow players and looking at the screen shots, i think DoF might be like that but i wouldnt tell for sure intill i play DoF. Well i can keep going on and on, but ill leave it at that I hope this was enough to get a Beta Key, and not enough to put you to sleep


-May Dawn of Fantasy Live on! (Even if its not with me and my obsession of Dragon Meat!)
If i dont get a Beta Key i understand, ill just sob for in till it comes out

-Judges Thanks for Reading

[`kook]

I'll kill myself if I don't get into the beta. Pick your testers wisely.

[Litos]

To enter in our contest, submit a short essay describing why you are anticipating Dawn of Fantasy.

I'm not anticipating Dawn of Fantasy. Sorry
Will I get a beta key though?

[oblitteras]

i crave a new rts i have played almost all of them out there and they either dont do it for me or a temporary fix to my need. this is my favorite genre of games even more so then rpg so a beta would be awesome.

[Zwartkrijt]

I’m almost sure Dawn of Fantasy is the game I was waiting for . It looks great and the features are complete, it contains everythink i missed in other rts games
I’m a great fan of the “the battle for middle-earth” series. Me and my friends even play it today. I always thought it was a shame that EA removed the walk able walls and de building plot system.
There is nothing more exciting then when your enemy tries to reach your walls. Will your archers withstand all those ladders? You fire and fire, and think: oh no, this won’t do. The first berserkers enter your walls, quickly you call Aragorn, Gimley and Legolas. The pressure is getting bigger and bigger. Finally you’ve concurred your enemy, your heroes have levelled up and you get ready to ride out and strike your enemy down.
In the beta I will test if I get this feeling again. Of having your own base and that enormous motivation to defend it. Also I’m very curious about the heroes, I think it’s important to be able to indentify yourself with them. That they are really brought alive. In addition I really hope the cavalry can rush over a pack of ground units, just as in Rome Total War ore BFME. The smoothness of the gameplay is also very important in such an RTS game I think.
I’ve also a suggestion. In life you appreciate most, what you’re about to lose. If you want people to really love their heroes, let the heroes stay dead after murdered. No resurrection at all. It will bring a lot more emotion into the game, and now not only the best heroes will be made, but also the heroes that are left behind. Because the best have fallen.

[Darvin]

The contest will officially close at noon tomorrow (PST), and winners will be declared shortly afterwards.

A reminder that this thread is still only for contest submissions; post any comments you may have here.

[phylast]

   I’ve been following this game for over two years now, and I was so interested in how Dawn of Fantasy was going to be produced that I was motivated to contribute on the forums about my ideas.  This is actually a big milestone for me because I had never done this in the past neither had I planned on ever doing anything of the sort.  This game has the potential to be the game that I’ve been waiting for my entire life, a real time strategy game where the base that you build is saved and expanded upon in future games.  I love the idea of siege combat, and I want to make sure the game feels like a legitimate real time strategy game.  I was concerned about how the hero system was going to be handled, but from what I read this aspect of the game will be a rewarding experience. 
   I was worried about not having enough time to properly beta test this game, but now that I have a lot of free time, I’ll be able to adequate test this game and fret out any bugs, imbalances, and issues that I may have with the game play.  I’ve previously covered my concerns in the dawn of fantasy forums, and I’m eager to find out how these aspects of the game were handled.  I’ve been playing real time strategy games for years and there are numerous gimmicks that ruin some nice games.  I want to make sure that there are no infallible strategies and most importantly to me that the different races are equal.  I know making the races equal is an extremely difficult challenge, especially as there will be varying strengths and weaknesses between the races.  Bringing the different races at least close to equal is well worth the effort.
   A challenge that I will attempt to fulfill, and I hope everyone that has a beta key will attempt, is to continually try new strategies.  Even though one strategy may work, other strategies should have their merits as well.  All in all, if I receive a beta key, I will do my best to test the subject matter that the producers want tested and give my honest opinion to make this game a great game.

[Darvin]

Contest is now closed to submissions.  Winners will be announced shortly.

i wont make a long message because then it might just be skimmed though instead of fully read if it'll be read fully ill remake this message(PM me)

I made a point of not reading them fully until the moment of judging... so the answer is yes, I am reading these fully, but it's too late now to change it.  Sorry, man, I have to judge your entry as-is...