P.A.T.S FAQ

Welcome to the Camelot Unchained™ P.A.T.s forum F.A.Q.

A quick-start guide to the P.A.T.

Welcome! We are glad to have you here. You must have many questions regarding the Pre-Alpha Tests, and here is some information about them that we hope will be helpful! First, let’s start with some key definitions that we will use throughout this F.A.Q.

KEY DEFINITIONS

Archetype- An Archetype is a representation of a particular skill set. We CURRENTLY have the Healer, Fighter, and Mage Archetypes. We chose these to test different aspects of gameplay that will be universally useful (systems, mechanics, networking code, server code, etc.) in preparation for when we do add actual classes to the game. These are NOT representations of our plans for Camelot Unchained.

BSC: While we are on the topic of what this build represents, let’s point you to our “Bat-Shit Crazy” design docs. Check these out if you are curious about the direction we are headed. These are nested off our main page under Camelot Unchained/Design Docs, and include accompanying video discussions. Here’s where those can be found:

bsc_docs

Banes and Boons-  B&Bs are changes you can make to your character during creation that allow you to further customize your character. They cannot be changed once your character is complete. As of now, we have over 400 possible B&Bs that we are using as a “jumping-off point” in preparation for a final list of B&Bs. The current list can be found at this link.

Interrupts- The current interrupt system in the build is pretty basic. When using certain abilities, you can be interrupted by being hit by another ability (spell, melee attack), or even by moving. (Importantly, note that some abilities may lock you in place while channeling or recovering from using an ability.)

Installation:

I installed the game for the preview during BSC Days. What do I need to do to update it to the latest version? If you haven’t been part of Internal Testing, the best thing to do is:

  1. Uninstall the old version of the build.
  2. Then re-install it from the build here: https://forums.camelotunchained.com/topic/6282-client-download/

If you have been part of IT and have been on at least once in the last month, the client will update itself to the latest version.

I don’t have the game installed. What do I need to do in order to download and install it? See the link above.

PLAYING THE GAME

Step 1: Select a Server

After you have installed the game, you will see a shortcut for the patcher. Run the patcher and log in using your CSE account email and password. Choose “Wyrmling” for the server, and hit the “Play Now” button.

Step 2: Character Creation

  • If you have already created a character, you will then be on a character screen where you will see four buttons: Servers, Delete, Create New, and Start.
  • If you haven’t created a character before, select the Create New button to begin the character creation process.

create_new

  • Once you have selected “Create New”, you will be moved to the Realm Selection screen.

REALM SELECTION

On the Realm Selection screen, you will see three shields, representing the three Realms of Camelot Unchained. If you “mouse over” any of the three Realms you will be given a description of that Realm. To select your Realm, simply single-click on the desired realm shield.

choose realm

  • You will then be moved to the first character creation screen. You will see three race icons on the left side. Mouse over them to see the pre-selected Archetype for that race. Archetypes are NOT intended to be classes! For more information about Archetypes, please refer to the “Definition” part of this F.A.Q. above.
  • Pick your preference by clicking on one of these race icons. This will update your Character Sheet on the right side of your screen with the starting attributes/stats of your character, which are currently merely cosmetic. Additionally, your character’s abilities will now be listed on the left. Mouse over any ability to see a tooltip for that ability. In the center you will see an image of your character.

archetype select

  • Name your character by clicking in the Name field on the upper right of the screen, where it is currently titled “Name of Character.” Your name must be unique, not only to all your characters, but all characters created on the server. Names are shared across all servers of the same name. Wyrmling A and Wyrmling B, for example, would be considered the same server in this case. Click “NEXT” to move to the next step.

name

  • After clicking “NEXT” you will adjust your attributes using 20 available points. Left click the plus and minus signs to the right of each attribute to adjust the selected category. These are currently cosmetic, and have no impact on your character. If you mouse over any of the attributes, you will see a description of what the attribute’s effect in the game may/will be when implemented. You must spend all 20 of your attribute points before you can advance to the next screen. Until you do so, the next button will be greyed out. When you are done, click “NEXT” to move to the next section.

attributes

  • The next step is choosing your character’s Banes and Boons. Hovering your mouse over any Bane or Boon slot will bring up a tooltip description. You must choose between 5 and 20 points in Banes and Boons, and the Bane and Boon points must be equal. No skipping the bad to get the good! Some B&Bs are stackable (meaning you can have more than one level of them), while others are not. Remember: for now, these are cosmetic, and have no effect in-game.
  • Left clicking on a Bane/Boon will add that Bane/Boon to your character, while right clicking will remove it. If you want to get in-game quickly, choose a Boon worth ten points and a Bane worth ten points to finish that portion. Later, you can carefully choose which B&Bs will suit your intended playstyle.
  • We currently have over 400 possible Banes and Boons, which are broken down by categories: General (for all Realms/races, Faction (Realm), Race (your race only), and Archetype (which, again, is not a class, just a skillset for testing).

b&b

  • When your B&Bs are in balance (and less than 21 points), the Complete button will be activated. Left mouse click it to save your character and join the game!

Why is a race(s) that we showed during the B.S.C. not available? For this P.A.T. phase, we have 9 races, each representing one Archetype (just a testing skillset, not a class) for each Realm. While the final game will include many more races, we chose a modest number to build that would be achievable in time for the P.A.T.

Why can’t I make any Archetype from any race? Eventually, you will be able to choose your favored Archetype for any of the 9 races in the client, but we are not there yet!

Do the stat allocation and Banes and Boons impact gameplay yet? Right now, they are there for UI testing and do not cause any differences in character creation. OOooo pretty.

Basic in-game Commands:

T=Torch: For all you Dark Age of Camelot fans, Torch is back! This will toggle a light about your character. This is purely cosmetic right now, and is not visually represented as a swapped item in hand. Use this to navigate during the dark of night. However, remember that while you can better see at night, so too can your enemies see you!

I=Inventory: This will toggle a UI window representing a first pass at an equipped items list. It is NOT intended to be final, and is a work in progress. The only item you will currently see here is your torch.

C= Character equipped items: This will toggle a UI window representing a first pass at an equipped items list. It is NOT intended to be final, and is a work in progress.As stated above, your only inventory item is your torch. Toggling your torch will swap the item between your equipped items window and your inventory.

WASD and QE=movement: Basic movement layout.

 

  • W = Forward
  • A = Strafe left
  • S = Backwards
  • D = Strafe right
  • Q = Turn Left
  • E = Turn Right
  • Y= Target the nearest enemy
  • Z = Cancel the abilities currently being activated
  • You may also turn by holding the right mouse button down and panning left or right.
  • You can look around without turning your character by holding the left mouse button down and panning across the screen.

 

Note on movement: You may notice your character moving faster or slower, depending on how he/she’s moving or whether he/she is on an incline. Through our use of physics and the plan to use some real-world elements, your character will move slightly slower strafing forward or backwards vs moving straight forward or backwards. Going up an incline, your character will walk slower the steeper it gets, and just the opposite moving down it.

Tab or left click = target: Tab will cycle through targeting characters near you or in your view. Left clicking your target will directly select them.

1-9, 0, -, +, = abilities: Use your keyboard number keys or left click the ability icons on your ability bar located at the bottom middle of your screen. Mouse over and pause on an icon to see its tooltip.

R = respawn: Tap this key to respawn at your Realm’s starting point. Then go find the guy that just killed you and get sweet monkey revenge!

Holding both mouse buttons together will move you forward and allow steering solely with the mouse, freeing the left hand for using abilities.

(Note: These keys are configurable by bringing up the options window (ESC) and changing your key bindings. Key bindings are stored per character on the server.)

ESC = Options Menu: This will bring up three buttons. “Options” currently gives you the ability to change key bindings. “Quit Game” will let you tuck your tail between your legs and close the game, and “Close Menu” will….wait for it…close the menu.

In the chat window, type /realm before your message: This will send your message to other players on your Realm.

Gameplay:

What part of this build is a game, and does it have anything to do with the big rubber ducks on the map?

Of course it does! The goal of the game is to accrue as many points for your Realm as possible during the round. You do this by capturing and controlling points on the map, as well as killing members of opposing realms. The center capture point becomes live with three players in-game, while the secondary points become active with a minimum of fifteen people in the game.

Each game lasts one round. Each round is ten minutes, with one minute of free play in between.

Where are the capture points, how do I capture them, and how do I know I’ve captured them?

There are four capture points in the game. To find them, imagine the Arthurian spawn point at the large castle is the “south” end of the map. East and west of that, up on the raised areas of land, are one capture point each. Far to the north, between the TDD and Viking spawn points, is the northernmost capture point. In the center of the map, you’ll find the main “King of the Hill” capture point.

Points are accrued over time per capture point, while it belongs to a particular Realm. The central capture point is worth more than the other three.

To capture a point, walk up onto the dais. You will see a color-coded visual effect play, and after a few moments, the duck will change color to represent that your Realm has captured the duck. Note: you must be the only Realm present on the dais in order to capture the duck! If someone from a different Realm is on the dais at the same time as you, your capture will not start, or will be interrupted. You may need to walk off and on to the dais to trigger the capture if an opposing player has left the dais while you are on it.

Red: Arthurians

Blue: Vikings

Green: Tuatha dé Danaan

A few tips about playing the Archetypes!

  • Remember that Archetypes merely represent skillsets for testing, and do not represent our final classes at all.
  • Every Archetype has a small self-heal on their character.
  • As per the Kickstarter, this game is not about instant-cast abilities, so do not expect to see a lot of them in the build, nor the final game.
  • We have also slowed down the casting time of spells and abilities (including some with quite long casting times!) on purpose.

Playing a Mage – The Mage Archetype in this build can be effective both as a sniper and up close and personal, in addition to getting some useful AOE and wall-building spells. Mages and Healers both use health/blood as their power source, so every time you use an ability, your health will go down.

Besides their magical abilities, Mages also have a few not-too-strong combat attacks. Don’t let that stop you from playing a Mage, though! The infinite range of some of their projectiles, plus their tracking abilities and versatility make Mages a lot of fun to play.

Playing a Healer – Healers are both a lot of fun and a bit of a PITA to play in the build right now. They have a wide range of different types of healing spells, including balls (they are launched at their target but they do not track), fountains (channeling AOE heal) and other fun stuff. They also have some nifty combat abilities, and can sometimes prove very effective at close range, in addition to getting the fun of saving their teammates’ lives!

Playing a Fighter – Fighters are fast, tough, and boy oh boy can they do nasty things once they get up close. They lack range, that’s for sure, as all their abilities are melee for the moment, but on the other hand, they do not currently spend health to power their abilities.  Because they don’t spend health we have given their abilities a cooldown. This is not indicative of the final system. For more on combat see our BSC page HERE. With their brutal options that combine well together, Fighters can be seriously fun to play.

 

Is there sound in the game? Should I keep turning up my volume?

No, there is no sound yet added to the game.

 

Bugs and Error Reporting:

I got an error message, or my game crashed to desktop. What should I do now? Should I send CSE anything? If you have a repeated bug that causes the game to crash and cannot be “ignored,” please check this thread HERE. Look to see if others are experiencing the same issue. If not, please let us know, it will be much appreciated!

How do I take a screenshot of a problem I have found in game? How do I post the screenshot to the forum? On the upper right of your keyboard there should be a “print screen” button. Pressing that will paste a screenshot invisibly to your clipboard. Once you’ve made the screenshot, you will need to paste it to a program in order to see it. The most common way to paste it is into a Paint file. This will allow you to save it as an image file that can be transferred to other people or posted on the web. In the forum, when you make a post, there is a small button that looks like a webcam in between the “link” and “code” button on the top of the post that you can click to insert a link to an online image file. You can also attach it using the “attach files” option.

errorwindow

What kind of feedback do you want us to give? Right now, we are just looking for bug feedback and any exploits that you can find. Please provide any information on what you were doing at the time, where you were in the game if necessary, and any possible reproduction steps. Attempting to repro a bug before submitting will help us home in on the issue. (Game position can be found in the upper right of the game screen HUD.) The P.A.T. forums have a section for reporting bugs, as per above. For some issues, posting your DxDiag will be very helpful for us in debugging the problem, so please do so when appropriate. In order to grab your DxDiag, follow these instructions:

Windows XP

– Click ‘Start’- Select and press “Run”

– Type “dxdiag” and press “OK”

– In the window that appears, choose “Save all information”

Windows Vista & 7

– On your Windows taskbar, click “Start” (usually in the lower-left corner of the screen).

– Select and press “Run” (if you do not see “Run”, hold down the “Windows” button on your keyboard and press “R”).  A “Run” window should pop up.

– In the “Run” window, type “dxdiag” and click “OK”. A “DirectX Diagnostic Tool” window should pop up.

– In the window that appears, choose “Save all information”.

Windows 8

– From Windows desktop, press the Windows key and the R key to open the Run window.

– In the “Open:” field of the Run window, type “dxdiag.” Click OK or the Enter key to open the DirectX Diagnostic Tool (if prompted to check if your drivers are digitally signed, click Yes).

– In the DirectX Diagnostic Tool window, click the “Save All Information” button.

– In the “Save As” window, the DirectX information will be saved as a text (.TXT) file. Enter the path where the file should be saved and then click on the “Save” button.

Will the P.A.T.1 servers be up 24/7? If not, how will I know when I can login and test? The servers will be available at designated times for certain tests. We may have smaller groups on one day, and everyone in Alpha participating on another day. We will email you an update and post on the P.A.T. forums when those tests will be happening, so you can join us!

Can I stream or make a video of me playing the game? P.A.T. is under NDA at this time, which means

  • No re-streaming (or streaming) content
  • No posting information about what you are seeing except in this forum
  • No screen-caps of the game anywhere except in this forum

Thanks for understanding the rules and abiding by them, so we can all have a fun play experience. Remember the game will be undergoing many iterations, and we want to make sure that only the very best version gets public release!

Can I run the game on a computer running ANYTHING other than Windows?

As per the Kickstarter, we currently are not creating a Mac or Linux client, and do not have plans to do so at this time.

What are the required system specs to run the P.A.T. game? We recommend at minimum a 2-core processor, Direct X 11 video card, and 4G of RAM, with Windows 7 or higher. Specs for the game itself are lower, but we are not aggressively testing on lower than that. Certain graphics cards that only support DirectX 10, including most Intel Integrated Graphics Chips, currently will not run with the latest build of our Client. We will be optimizing the client over the game’s development, but if you are planning on running it on a 6+ year old system, we make no promises regarding the game’s ability to run on it.

Wait a gosh-darn minute! Is the game I’m seeing what you expect Camelot Unchained to play like? If so, I’m outta here! As stated previously, no. In order to make testing a bit more fun, we created the instance-style game of “Capture the Ducks!” using heavily-modified abilities from the game. This has and will continue to allow us to stress test the client/server code in a way that is more intensive than if we were trying to simply put up a basic version of the released game.

For example, Mages being able to fire multiple projectiles across a 400×400 map allows us to simulate a much larger group of players than are currently in the game. Some of these projectiles then have to track to their target, along with using the server-based Nvidia PhysX system. Additionally, longer cast times will allow more opportunities for interrupts, so when the interrupt system is fully in place, it will get a better workout. ☺ The IT testing so far has been incredibly valuable in exposing bugs and issues that might not have come up till later in the testing if we had been doing things in a more “typical” manner.

What sort of stuff will I see in the build? You will see the earliest work on our A.I.R. system, where spells/abilities interact with each other to create something different. Thus, if a fireball strikes a waterball, a steam cloud will result. You will see projectiles that track their target like a missile, while other move on a straight line, and still others will arc like a catapult. You will see AoE spells, buffs and debuffs. You will also see wall spells, jump spells, and other fun stuff in the build.

How stable is the client and server right now? Well, for a pre-alpha build, we are pretty happy with the server’s stability. We won’t guarantee that it won’t ever crash, but in the last few days of testing we have had zero server crashes. The client is not as reliable as the server, but that is to be expected at this point (and we are crushing bugs on a daily basis).

Please, if you are not running at least a minimum spec build, don’t try to play the game; it might not end well. Our focus now is not on optimizing the client, but rather the server, so don’t expect us to support systems that are below our minimum spec at all. Keep in mind that we are still 18+ months out from release, and now is not the time for us to be optimizing client performance to support those builds. Now, this is not to say that we have done no optimizations (far from it), but since we are building the engine from the ground up, stability trumps speed for now.

Why do certain elements of this game look familiar? You may recognize some UI design (the hotbar for example) that is typical of many games, and wonder where the systems are that we talked about during the BSC Days. The P.A.T. build is not meant to represent the game at launch, but is a build geared to helping us test key elements of the game engine.

OTOH, you might find that the new character creation UI, Banes and Boons, etc. are both unexpected (at this stage) and pretty cool! Have fun, and don’t be upset if you find yourself enjoying a game (or not enjoying a game) which is not what you thought it would be. The coming months will see this build change to become a game, and this type of testing was the best way we could build something fun for our Backers (which of course encourages people to test more), that is also very useful and necessary for us. This is a very early version, and everything is constantly changing. Exciting!

Okay, I’ve played the build in one test, am I done now? That’s up to you. We will be running lots of pre-alpha tests till the game goes into Alpha. You are welcome to participate in as many tests that you are invited to! You will be seeing a lot of changes during the P.A.T., so checking in every so often both on the forums and in the game is a good idea.

From all of us at City State Entertainment, we thank you for both your donations and support in helping to test and refine our game!

Some Final Thoughts

 

  • We are building the engine (client and server), almost entirely from scratch – While it would have been easy to use Unity or even engines like Unreal, they wouldn’t be able to deliver on what we need our engine to do: support large scale RvR battles. Neither Rome nor Unity were built in a day, and considering that our engine already supports a server-side physics system (which is a rarity in itself), things are moving along nicely.
  • This is a Pre-Alpha build, in every sense of the word – Before, during, and after the Kickstarter and beyond, we talked about how our Alpha/Beta testing periods were going to be be “old school” and not the more polished, marketing-oriented builds that most MMORPGs use these days. This is a very, very early build, and that means that our Backers will be involved in the game from its earliest stages of evolution. Exciting? Yes. At times frustrating, of course.
  • Optimizations come later – Our focus has been on stability, core functionality, etc. so we haven’t spent much time at all on optimizing either the client or server for performance. Considering that we are still more than 18 months from release, we know that focusing on building a stable and reliable engine trumps optimizing the client/server right now. Oh, BTW, the game runs just fine (around 60 FPS) on most relatively new, not top-end machines.
  • For those users of TeamViewer who also have the Quick Connect Button enabled – You will not be able to enter full screen mode when hitting alt+enter or using fullscreen=1 from the patcher. This is not an issue exclusive to our game, but is a known issue with DirectX 11 games and TeamViewer, which also affects some AAA titles.

 

The simplest fix is to disable the Quick Connect button:

The option to hide this button is hidden away in TeamViewer settings. Navigate through Options → Advanced → Show advanced options → Advanced Settings for Computers and Contacts → QuickConnect button → Configure and uncheck Show QuickConnect button.

 

  • DirectX 10 is an issue right now – Right now our focus is on DirectX 11 machines. We can however support DirectX 10 cards on systems that have DirectX 11 installed. Some of the cards with known issues are the Nvidia 8000/9800 series and the Intel GMA HD Integrated graphics chip used on many laptops. If you have any of these cards and/or a DirectX 10 machine, please understand that we know about these issues, and we will have fixes incoming to some of them during the P.A.T.
  • What about the folks that still use Windows Vista? – If you are a Windows Vista User, you need to have Windows Vista Service Pack 2 installed (which is available through Windows Update). If you want to install these manually:

 

  • There are some issues with Backers who have both an Intel Integrated Graphic Chip (such as the HD 4000) as well as a graphic card (such as Nvidia GTX 660) in terms of frame-rate. Very often these machines will display a low FPS because the Intel chip and the card are having trouble getting along well. To solve this problem, make sure that your machine is starting the GTX (or other) automatically (you can right click on the .exe) and/or manually enable the GTX through the Nvidia menu.
  • There are some issues with Backers who have Nvidia cards in the 2xx series. Please be aware that Nvidia cards that are lower than the 4xx series do not support DirectX 11 (even if you DXDiag says it does). We have some cards OTW and will be in-touch with Nvidia to see if there is a work-around. For more information on Nvidia and DirectX 11 please head here.
  • Have fun, lots of fun – Clear your mind of expectations and help stress test our systems in a fun little diversion. With about 100 mostly non-mirrored abilities spread over 3 Realms and 3 Archetypes, we think you could find yourself enjoying Pre-Alpha Testing more than you might have imagined. Well, at least we hope so!