We have two things for you today. One: we have a forum here on Indi DB! You can find it here: Indiedb.com Post pictures and storys about your experiences in the demo, post suggestions, or just talk about the game.
Two: we have had enough questions come in that I wanted to post a little FAQ section. Feel free to comment and ask your own questions if you don’t find the answers you are looking for below!
Q: This game is just like Minecraft!
A: That is not a question! However, is the most common thing I hear when people look at the game so I will address it. Well there is no arguing, Threshold IS like Minecraft. Just like Halo, Call of Duty, Medal of Honor, Quake, and Unreal Tournament are just like Doom.
Minecraft created a whole new genre and any game made in that genre is, on the surface, going to look like Minecraft until you dig in and start to play it. Minecraft is a wonderfully inspirational game, and now I want to improve upon the genre it created. In Threshold the structural integrity features will make building require a little more skill, and hopefully thus be that much more rewarding. Threshold also has a stronger focus on combat with more unique types of enemies. Also threshold has flyable airships, your argument is invalid.
Q: Will there be flying vehicles in Threshold?
A: Yes, Players will be able to build and fly their own airships. The airships will be constructed out of special prefab parts rather than blocks so you won’t be flying Borg cubes.
Q: Will there be land vehicles in Threshold?
A: Probably. We are playing with the idea of trains that can be used as fast travel to any location that is connected by train tracks. We are also considering mounts such as horses for regular travel. Whether there will be actual land “vehicles” is still up in the air though.
Q: Will Threshold be an infinite sandbox?
A: We honestly don’t know. The most prevalent idea at the moment is that Threshold will come with three to four very large handmade maps. By doing this we can focus on having more powerful story elements as well as greater control over the placement of threats and obstacles. This also opens the door for a map editor and player made campaigns but that is well in the future.
Q: I can’t do anything in the demo!
A: If you look at the acorn like tool and hit “E” you should pick it up and be able to whack things with it to break them. If you cannot pick up the tool, then you may have a corrupted download. Re-download the demo and it should work.
Q: Will there be live plants, trees and animals?
A: Yes there will be plants like trees that will grow over time. In the current design when you cut down a tree it leaves a stump. If you leave the stump in the ground it will eventually grow back into a tree. Otherwise you can hit the stump one or two more times with your axe to remove it completely and get a little more wood. There will also be some way for the player to replant trees elsewhere if they wish. There will also be animals such as Deer, Turkyducks and Daggerwolves.
Q: How smart are you planning to make NPCs?
A: The NPCs will be fairly self sustaining. They will require food and protection, both of which they will provide themselves. They will create farms and maintain them themselves. They will also have guards which will patrol the perimeter of town with guns and pikes to fight off pirate and daggerwolf attacks, and perhaps you if you raid their supplies too much. The shops will be a little more static. Prices will probably stay the same regardless of stock and we do not intend to have any form of dynamic trading.
Q: Can users run their own multiplayer server?
A: Definitely, in fact in the beginning it will probably be primarily users running the servers until we can write up a dedicated server.
Q: Any plans for mod support?
A: Absolutely. I love the longevity modding brings to the table and the massively creative ideas that we simply could not come up with alone.
Q: Will there be any signal system (electricity/digital)?
A: Probably. We currently have plans for a link tool that will allow players to link one object to another. For example, linking a button to a door will cause the door to open when a player uses that button. Linking a door to an explosive will cause the explosive to go off if someone uses the door. Players could even link the button to the door that is linked to the explosives, allowing them to press the button, open the door, and blow the explosives all at once. There will probably be some sort of limiting distance for the link tool, and perhaps wireless relays that would simply carry the signal further.
Q: Will there be any mechanics or electronics?
A: There are several machines planned for the mid and late game stages that will do all sorts of useful stuff. Some of them will be required to make yet more advanced machines tools, weapons and armors, and others will simply improve efficiency so players will have less of a grind as they require more resources in the late game.
Q: Are you planning different game mode like survival and/or sandbox?
A: There will probably be some form of sand box mode where players will have infinite resources and can just build whatever they want. The survival game mode will be the primary focus of the game though. In this mode players will have to survive, but there will also be a non-invasive story that will give players and easy way to learn the game and also give them some long term goals. It can also be completely ignored if they want.
