Camelot Unchained, an MMORPG in development for over a decade, has shared updates on its progress in a recent newsletter and dev blog. The focus this month has been on crafting mods, environment style packs, and NPC AI improvements.
Crafting Mods: Enhancing Player Agency
The game introduces ‘vox modules’, mods that players can slot into their crafting table to alter the crafting process. These mods can affect crafting time, item stats, or resources consumed, and players can use up to six modules in their vox. The number of times a module can be inserted depends on its rarity. This feature is still in the proof of concept stage but aims to give players more control and choices in crafting.
Environment Style Packs: Visual Diversity
Camelot Unchained is also working on ‘style packs’, preset rendering bundles that allow the art team to apply a wide range of visual styles to different regions. This approach will enable the team to quickly and efficiently create diverse and visually appealing environments.
NPC AI System: Smarter Behaviors
A significant part of the update is dedicated to the Unchained Engine AI System, which powers NPC behaviors. The team is focusing on improving line-of-sight, enhancing NPC alertness levels, and adding multiple behavior phases. These improvements aim to create more dynamic and responsive NPCs.
Additional Features and Updates
The monthly blog post highlights other features like critical successes and failures in crafting jobs, updates to the crafting UI and gameplay, faster server startup times, and fixing issues with ragdolled models. These updates are part of the ongoing effort to refine and enhance the game.
Camelot Unchained’s Ongoing Journey
Despite the long development period and challenges, Camelot Unchained continues to make strides in creating a unique MMORPG experience. With a focus on player agency in crafting and dynamic NPC interactions, the game is shaping up to be a deeply engaging world for players to explore.