1.0 - GENERAL GAME PLAY


1.1 - Is there a beta and when is the release date?
Yes, Earthrise is currently in a very limited CBT (Closed Beta Test). ALL information about it can be found here. The release date is tentatively set for Q4 2010. Masthead has not stated whether the game will be available as a digital download, box copy or both. Expect more information closer to release.

1.2 - What can you tell me about character creation? How much will players be able to customize their character?
Players will get all the typical physical customization that you would expect at character creation (gender, race, skin color, height, hair type and color, body shape, etc.). A color palette will be available to change your character's skin tone. You will also be able to switch through different facial attachments like glasses and helmets, plus beards for the males. It will not be possible to modify your character's face using sliders but there will be a multitude of distinctive facial templates to choose from, a different set for each race in the game. All characters will begin with standard suits that can be modified with looks as well as color(boots, legs, arms, etc.).

However, in game crafters are the true vessel of customization. They will determine the color, quality and special enhancements of each and every item they create. If you are picky on every detail and cannot find the exact item you want on the market, you can hire a crafter to make the item exactly as you see fit, or... you could of course do it yourself if you are sufficiently skilled.

1.3 - What will the new player experience be like? Will there be a tutorial?
When a character first arrives on Enterra they will arrive with a blank slate and have a great deal of freedom in deciding and experimenting which path they choose to take. Players will be introduced to the world surrounding them as well as participate in training missions. These will teach players how to survive as well as temporarily learn an ability from several signature skills (combat and crafting) in order to get a feel for them and how they play. Initiation training is designed to give you enough information so that you will be able to make a solid judgment on how to develop your character. This also applies to faction choice as characters will start neutral and be introduced to both political powerhouses without having to make a decision yet. At any time you will be able to choose a faction or remain neutral based on your knowledge and in game actions.

No matter what choices you make - in the starting area or in the general game world, no decision will have a permanent effect on your character that you may later regret. Because of the skill based system and sandbox style game play, players will be able to make any change to their character or play style they wish at any time. Some choices might take more time than others (like faction betrayal and switching) but any change will be possible. The starting area of the game can also skipped entirely or at any point whenever a player feels like it, although players are encouraged to complete the process.

1.4 - What races will I be able to choose from?
Since the setting of Earthrise is futuristic Earth, the only current playable race are humans(homo sapiens). You will be able to choose different ethnicities at character creation such as American, African, Asian, European, etc. Players will also be able to choose from distinct sets of facial features for each ethnicity. Although you will only be able to play as humans, that is not all that inhabits the island. Because of massive mutations from the fallout of WW3, players will encounter many different types of mutated and grotesque creatures.

1.5 - What classes will I be able to choose from and will there be levels?
Earthrise is a skill based game, meaning there are no traditional classes or levels. Instead, characters will advance through training in skills that will provide them access to new abilities and tactics to use. Any character will be able to progress in any and all skills in the game without a skill-cap. This does not mean that all players will become a generic jack-of-all trades able to use any ability they have learned at anytime. Even though someone has learned a skill, they are only able to use those skills with the proper type of weaponry and gear required to power/use it. With the use of tactics and devices(Tactics explained in section 1.7) it will allow for a large degree of customization while also allowing a lot of unique player builds. The game design means that players will be able to play any "role" they wish and can change that role at any time by advancing in other skills without being permanently locked into a choice. Some players will be naturally inclined to different "roles" and players will be able to customize their builds to to create a unique playstyle for themselves.  

1.6 - What are the basics of the skill system?
The skills will be divided into three basic categories - combat, crafting and social.

Combat skills such as shooting, hacking, healing, support skills, etc... will open new abilities and tactics that you can use while fighting. It will also unlock passive abilities that will strengthen your character.
Crafting skills such as extracting elements from debris and mutant tissue, constructing various items, designing new enhancements, repairing items, etc... will provide you with better recipes and designs.
Social skills are much different as they will be advanced offline while not playing. These skills will be used for social advancement and better income through "job" advancement. This "job" will be your characters place and role in the world when you are not out adventuring or stalking your next victim and will provide players with monetary income that will increase as your character "climbs the corporate ladder." Only one character (your main) will be allowed to have these skills to prevent exploitation.

Skill advancement will have a unique approach. Each of these 3 general categories have an experience pool that will be advanced through various actions associated with the category. I.E. Combat actions (killing mutants and completing quests) will raise your combat experience and crafting actions will raise your crafting experience. It is important to note that currently combat skills will only increase through PvE and not PvP but they have stated they are still debating this internally. Finally, players will be able purchase skills without the need to return to a trainer as well as being able to look over a skill menu that will show a list of all the skills(including crafting skills) that players will be able to work towards. Using the experience gained in each pool to train into different skills involves different approaches. Each category of skill is advanced and trained in a different manner than each other and is therefore explained in their respective sections. ( Social - Section 1.8, Crafting - Section 2.5, Combat - Section 3.8 )


Although it is possible to learn every skill in the game it is also possible to specialize in a select set of skills only. Depending on what you want out of your character will determine the time and investment players put into their skills.

1.7 - What are abilities and tactics and how do they work?
Abilities  will be learned through skill ups that will unlock both active and passive abilities.
-Active abilities  are actions that players execute through shortcuts the player picks to achieve an advantage in combat, heal themselves or others, etc...
-Passive abilities  are permanent enhancements that benefit your character. The most obvious version of these are equipment skills that allow you to use more complicated and better weapons, armor and devices. These 'permanent' passive abilities can be confusing as they are not always active. Although your character has learned them permanently they will only be active when the character is using gear that can activate the unique bonuses to your character.

Tactics  are small enhancements and modifications that players can apply to abilities that will modify the ability in a beneficial way to suit the player's needs (Increased damage, faster cooldown, healing bonuses, etc...).

Earthrise uses a complex system that matches different tactics with different abilities and allows for experimentation - mixing and matching as they see fit. As long as the ability type is compatible with the tactic type they will be able to be tied together. Currently there are 50 different tactics in 5 categories that players will be able to add to their abilities. Each ability will be upgradable with 2 tactic slots where players can choose separate or even the same tactic to incorporate into this ability in order to modify it. This will allow for a huge degree of player customization and experimentation with various builds - even between players with similar play styles.

Although you can theoretically unlock every ability and tactic in the entire game with enough time and effort, you will be limited by what abilities you can use at any one time by the choice in gear you have on. Certain abilities (both active and passive) will require certain choices in technology to function. These abilities will be provided by different make up's and types of gear. Not only this but once an ability has been combined with tactics only that version of the ability will be available until remodified. This prevents players from using several different versions of the same ability with different tactics at any time. This allows for skill to be a larger factor in PvP as you cannot execute every single ability you have at your disposal at one time. Instead you will have to think strategically and plan around your technology to provide the best set of Abilities and Tactics that you feel will be useful to you and your group in the battle.

1.8 - How will offline skill advancement work and what benefits will it provide?
Players will be able to advance their offline "careers" with non-linear development. As players gain Social experience they will be able to either advance into better paying jobs provided they meet the requirements, or continue to progress in their current position to get the associated benefits. Aside from money, players will be able to earn achievements at their workplace, that offer them items, designs or additional income that rewards the players for staying at one job long-term, instead of career-hopping. Also characters will not be punished for playing habits meaning consistent players will not earn less than more casual players who spend more time offline. Assuming 2 players have the same job, both will be paid the same salary on a daily basis regardless of how much time is spent offline. This income will provide casual players with a means of earning a small amount of money so they will not feel forced to log in everyday. It will also reward more serious players with the same bonuses on top of what they already achieve while playing.

1.9 - How does questing work?
Questing will take on several forms. The storyline quests will be focused on the main and side quests associated with the conflict between Continoma and Noir. These will range from simple quests to long and challenging chain quests that take you on an exploratory journey across the map and into some dangerous locations of the mutant infested island. Organizations (explained under Factions - Section 4.1) will also provide a system of one time and randomly generated quests with a great level of variety in their goals. Repeatable quests will vary in how often they are available from daily, weekly, etc... and will be easily accessible from many places. Guilds will also have access to specific guild quests that will take the cooperation of dozens of players to complete. PvP specific quests are currently not implemented, although many quests take place in low-security and areas where the chance of encountering or engaging in PvP will be a real consideration. Finally, almost every quest in Earthrise will have an effect on your Contribution score, a measure of your affiliation between Continoma and Noir, as well as organization quests that will provide faction specific rewards and bonuses.

1.A - Is Earthrise a PvE or PvP game?
Both. The game is PvP-centric since a major focus of the game will be the territory capture feature, faction fighting and resource gathering portions of the game. PvE will also play a large part of the game though as your characters skills will only advance in PvE, of which solo and group questing will be a large part. Crafting is a central part of the game and the economy and it will be directly effect by, and effect both PvE and PvP. Although crafters that wish to only participate in their choice of content will have the option to do so. Players can choose to remain in the safer areas where they are less likely to encounter the enemy faction and harder mobs or you can choose to venture out into the more wild, less secure areas where the rewards will be greater, but so will the danger. The greater the risk, the greater the reward.

2.0 - CRAFTING AND ECONOMY


2.1 - What sort of crafting system will be in game?
"Crafting in Earthrise is a complex process that is easy to understand but ultimately difficult to master." The crafting system will be very advanced with a large degree of customization and development available. The crafter producing the item will have the most control over the finished product, where they will be able to experiment with special enhancements that will determine the item's properties or bonuses. The color and quality of each item will also be determined during the crafting process. ALL items in game can be crafted and will be needed continuously to support players needs as players will not be able to acquire the majority of them otherwise. This will make sure that Earthrise will have a high demand for skilled crafters and a player driven economy. A unique feature of the crafting system is that crafters can recycle obtained parts into raw resources as well as disassemble items and use the components and resources from the salvaging process in creation of other items that use similar components. Players will also be able to take advantage of the complex crafting system from day 1 if they wish and not have to wait for a certain minimum level since there are no levels. At release most of the crafting skills will focus on combat related crafts with only a few that are used for social and miscellaneous crafts. The developers have a "steady expansion path charted" for more variety to add after release.

2.2 - What types of things will be craftable?
Everything in game. Consumables, devices and gadgets, blueprints, ammunition, buildings, weapons, drugs and medicines, vehicles - including mechanized exoskeletons and so much more. Only the most basic items and resources will be able to be bought by vendors and even those are sub-par comparatively, everything else will be crafted.  

2.3 - How much will items be customizable in the crafting process?
From what we know, appearance is set in the base templates. However, the crafter will be able to modify the color of the items they create as well as adding special enhancements that give innate bonuses through use of designs. With these designs implemented into the crafting technology, crafters will be able modify the item's properties and special effects of the item they are crafting. Quality of the resources and components, the crafter's skill, design availability and usage, combines and where the item is manufactured will all have an effect on the outcome of the final product. In this way crafters will have a large input into the crafting process.

2.4 - Will there be different crafting professions?
Yes and no. There will be different skills associated with different aspects of crafting, each providing their own unique utility and function in their industry. All of these specialties will be able to be skilled up by anyone, choosing to master in one specialty or several, but it will take a lot of work and dedication to master all aspects of crafting. Crafting consists of 80 skills each with 10 ranks within, covering mechanics, electronics, engineering, construction and programming in several different industries. While most items will be able to be manufactured fairly easy in your specialty, some of the most powerful and complex items will require several tiers of components from several different crafting specialties in order to produce. Its up to the player to determine how much time they want to invest in the unique skills that involve crafting or not invest in any of them at all.

2.5 - How do crafters advance?
Crafters will advance with skill-ups as well as rewards from reputation achievements. All the basic and common technologies(crafting recipes) and designs(technology enhancements) will be unlockable through learning crafting skills. The technologies within a chosen crafting skill will be skilled up and unlocked in sequential order from rank 1 to 10. In order to acquire the next crafting technology in the chosen skill the previous must already be learned. Also, each new learned crafting ability will be more expensive in regards to crafting experience than the previous one and it will count not only for the respective skill but also for all crafting skills in the game. This system will stimulate crafters to specialize in certain areas and open numerous opportunities for differing crafting builds. Players that wish to dedicate themselves to crafting will have a challenging but rewarding experience.

2.6 - How are designs obtained and how will they work?
Designs are physical items (blueprints) that can be used to enhance an item with special properties during the crafting process. The best items will be able to be crafted with 4 design enhancements (Note: May have been reduced to 2) included.

Obtaining a design: One method is learning crafting skills involved in experimenting on and transforming resources into design blueprints. This will allow you to convert specific items and resources into a related design. Designs can also be obtained from faction and organizational rewards. Some of the most powerful and desired designs will be from these special organizations that will reward you with designs for trading acquired favor points for them (explained under Faction benefits - Section 4.3). These blueprints will be available for trade so that both combat and non-combat orientated crafters have access to these designs. Crafters wishing to pursue some of these designs themselves will have the option to complete crafter-oriented organization tasks that ask for certain item(s) to be crafted and provided to the organization. Some of these quests will require a mix of crafting and combat as players might be required to hunt the parts and ingredients for themselves. Crafters will have to maintain a steady stock and re-supply of designs if they wish to be a resourceful crafter since design technology begins to wear down when used for crafting and will eventually lose its edge.

Edge is the amount of times that a specific design can be used before becoming useless. The initial edge count is determined while creating the design blueprint. The average quality of resources used as well as the success of the experiment in making the design will decide it's edge. The higher this number is the more use crafters will get out of it. The edge property requires crafters to have a continuous need for the resources as well as designs to craft customized weaponry. The edge is reduced each time it is used to craft an item or whenever it is slotted/unslotted from a crafting technology.

Crafting an item with a design: When a player wishes to craft an item with a design; it/they must be "set" into the crafting technology(recipe) that you wish to apply the design to. Of course only certain designs will fit with certain crafting technologies as there are so many variations not all are applicable to all crafting technologies. Setting the design blueprint into the crafting technology will remove the blueprint from your inventory and attach itself to the chosen crafting technology. Now whenever that specific item is successfully crafted it will also be created with the special enhancement of each design slotted. It will remain in that technology until either the edge of the design reaches 0 and removes itself or by manually unslotting it which will place the design blueprint back into your inventory. Designs will have different edge properties depending on how many times they have been used, slotted/unslotted and how well they were crafted - so it will be important to keep track of them, especially when crafting multiple items.

2.7 - Will crafters be able to mass produce items?
Yes, although crafters will only be able to mass produce items that they have accumulated enough materials to produce consecutively. Designs will also be another factor in mass-production since each time an item is made with design(s) attached, each one will lose a point of its "edge" rating. So crafters that wish to mass produce items with multiple designs attached will not only have to stock the raw mats to produce the item, but also a steady supply of designs, as well as have access to all the required skills or someone else who does to craft certain parts or designs for you. These hurdles need to be overcome if crafters wish to produce a specific "line" of items. Higher-tier items will have the same hurdles to overcome, but on a more difficult level. Resources and availability of designs will be harder to come by or require a bigger investment to secure as well as being harder to secure a steady flow of these for mass production. Crafters will also need to have more advanced crafting skills. Some higher end items will also require specific qualities of resource in order to produce.

2.8 - What is item quality and how does it affect crafting?
Quality rating  is a value on every single item in the game that will have a direct effect on the item, from unusable to exceptional. This effect also carries through to every item that is created with it or every component that is derived from it so quality is a very important factor in all aspects of crafting. The quality rating will be determined by a combination of the crafters skill, the quality of the components and resources used in creation or disassembly, the factory used, as well as luck.

Due to the damaging effect on the components used during the crafting process, the quality rating might be modified, returning a finished product with a lower quality rating than the input components. Currently with a combination of luck, player skill and location the rating can also be increased. This quality modification will also happen to items that are recycled or disassembled as the quality rating will follow an item into it's components. The amount the quality rating changes is determined by the crafters skill. If you craft an item or recycle parts from junk you will most likely return a junk item or component. Same applies if you try to disassemble a junk item you will most likely return a junk component. If a crafter with a high skill uses high quality components at a good factory he might return a finished product of exceptional quality. These exceptional quality items will have enhanced durability and a small bonus to statistics as well as being the most desirable in the game. Crafters will aim to produce these items, but it will be very difficult and time consuming to do so. Quality will also have a very important effect on durability.

2.9 - What is durability, can items be repaired and how do items exit the game?
Durability  is a rating that is included on every single item in game that isn't consumed upon use. It will be lowered over time as items are used(also includes non-combat related) or soak damage. It is currently not effected by player death. When the durability of an item gets too low it will have adverse effects, like weapons that have their damage modifiers reduced, armor that doesn't work as well, slower vehicles, etc.. Even though items can be repaired, each time the durability of an item is repaired the quality rating of the item will also be reduced by a certain amount. The lower the quality rating of an item gets reduced, the lower the maximum durability. After enough repairs the lower quality will affect the durability of the item enough that it will break almost immediately on use and effectively become useless.

All items in game will wear out and become unusable after a certain time allowing them to exit the game, continuing to making crafting a central part of the economy. It will be important to replace these items when they are no longer suitable for use. Some of these items are not necessarily trash though... several types of the same trash item can be refined to produce a single higher quality item.

2.A - How does recycling and disassembly work?
Recycling is a process that attempts to extract raw resources from collected parts(such as NPC drops or loot). This process is done with several sets of crafting related skills, but depending on how high of a skill they have, a fraction of the contained resources cannot be extracted and are lost in the process.
Disassembly is another crafting process that will involve taking a source item and breaking it into its components. This process will also have a particular set of crafting skills related to the item type being disassembled. Many items in the game will have similar components used in the crafting process that can be extracted from another item and used in the creation of similar or completely different items. Similar to crafting a new item, this process will also affect the quality rating. So if you disassemble the item into parts, the components will have a quality rating that follows through barring any good or bad luck that can modify it. The amount changed is again affected by the crafters crafting skill, location and luck. There is also a penalty applied for disassembling items that the player doesn't know how to craft.

2.B - Where will players be able to craft?
For almost all items in game you will be required to craft at designated manufacturing factories. These factories will be in secure areas where crafters will either perform their manufacturing or advertise their services. Players will also have to pick which factory to utilize as these factories have a direct effect on what can be manufactured and how well it will be produced. Other than the components, required skills and factories, player's wont need any other tools to aid in the crafting process.

Production units  are machinery specialized in the creation of certain types of items and each factory will contain a number of these specialized units. These production units will be used to create the specific type of items they are specialized in and players will have to utilize the proper production units to match the items they want to create. Each item crafted at the factory will require at least two production units, and both will need to be present at the chosen factory. Production units are also ranked in technological development - meaning the higher the ranking the better quality item it will be able to produce. To sum it up factory choice will determine if you are able to produce an item there and what the potential quality of the item will be.

Not everything will require the use of factories though. Some robotic assistants designed to aid in crafting will have limited crafting functionality and provide a personal crafting station for some uses outside of the factories. Although most items will still require full use of production technology at the factories.

2.C - Crafting FLOW CHART
Here is an example flowchart of crafting a rifle with 2 designs attached. As it states, it is very basic since it doesn't take into account many things like quality, skill rank, location, luck, combines, etc... It is just for a general guide to see the steps of crafting from start to finish and even on to disassembly. The various factors that can make the final product different for each crafter would be too complicated to include on a chart like this and are best read about in the section above. The process is taken from a 2 part QotW example on crafting - Part1, Part 2.

3.0 - COMBAT, INSURANCE, LOOTING, DEATH


3.1 - How do players enter/leave combat? What is battle and exploration mode and how does it work?
Players will enter and leave combat by manually toggling between two modes, Battle Mode and Exploration Mode.

Battle Mode will let players target their enemies using a muzzle-point cursor but can also easily switch to unlocked cursor for both shooting at any position on the screen with visibility being the only limiting factor. In this mode players will also be able to select and use interface items. Armor and weapons will be fully charged for combat but shield will not passively regenerate. Energy and Stamina will - the amount dependent on the gear being worn.
Exploration Mode will cause players to move faster than in battle mode as well as allow access to devices and terminals. In this mode players have no combat capability and are more vulnerable to attack. Also all resource pools including shield will regenerate passively.

In both modes there will be Abilities that allow for temporary boost of movement speed so the difference in speed between modes can be compensated to a degree by specializing in battlefield movement. Since players also take more damage in exploration mode it will have to be a cautious decision to use it for the speed boost while in combat for retreats and advances.

3.2 - Will we be able to switch weapons in combat?
Characters will be able to switch weapons in both battle and exploration mode. Changing your weapon in Battle Mode will take significantly more time than in Exploration Mode, making it a viable tactic to find protection from attacks while switching to Exploration Mode to change weapons. Additionally, switching gear in Battle Mode is limited to changing weapon only, while changing Armor and any Devices attached are only possible in exploration mode. Because of the primary weapon skill lines and their abilities tying into your main attacks it is unclear what, if any, limitations are in place with weapon swapping and other abilities.

3.3 - What resource pools can we expect? Will players have health and mana?
Shield, energy and stamina are the three resource pools that have been mentioned so far.

Shield is the protective shield that your gear generates to protect you from harm.
Energy is used to power and operate characters machinery(gear) and electronics.
Stamina is used for every action that requires physical effort and endurance. It will be expended whenever a character jumps or runs at high speeds. "Shooting with your weapon generally will not expend Stamina points, but combat Abilities may require Stamina points to execute."

3.4 - Is Friendly Fire on and is it possible to kill your own faction members?
There will be a form of friendly fire protection implemented in Earthrise, although you will still be able to damage and kill friendlies including your own faction if you want. The exact details on the friendly fire system are still not 100% clear and things might still get adjusted during beta testing. Here is what the developers have to say so far...

"In Earthrise, we have turned off friendly fire by default due to the dynamics of combat especially within mass Territory Conquest battles and to allow for a wide variety of area attacks. Players won't have to worry about damaging their own party members when hurling massive explosions on the battlefield and thus lose the combat momentum. Still, if they prefer to turn on their own, they can do that by holding an additional button while executing an attack. This enforces damage dealt to every target caught in the attack."

The developers have stated that there are several factors in their decision. One of these is the effect it will play in massive PvP battles like the Territory Conquest feature, which they believe will limit the usability of several skills and roles in the game - including melee and close combat as well as Area Effect attacks they have planned. They are also looking at faction standing, where accidental friendly kills (your fault or not) can cause gear and monetary loss as well as possibly disastrous faction consequences. The developers have also stated they are aware of the potential AoE abuse having friendly fire protection can lead to and are developing those attacks with this in mind. They are striving to achieve a game that is balanced but also fun, and will use testing to achieve this goal.

3.5 - How will movement, aiming and targeting work? Is it more like an RPG or FPS?
Combat and targeting update disclaimer: Due to a large amount of feedback and criticism of the released video showing the targeting system and some combat Masthead Studios has revised and improved the system to a great extent. "One of the major changes we have definitely improved on is the control scheme which has been made more responsive and ergonomic, making it much easier to move while targeting your opponents with special abilities." The improvements and changes to the system might have changed some of the aspects of combat listed below.

Movement  will be controlled by WASD, while aiming and camera movement will be controlled with the mouse. During combat, movement will play a role as players that move and jump will gain passive dodge bonuses (remember it costs Stamina to jump so don't expect constant bunny hopping). Also, players that are moving and jumping around a lot will have a harder time targeting and locking targets on their own enemy.

Aiming  will utilize an assisted cursor targeting system that will function in a way to allow fans of both shooter style targeting and assisted aiming, similar to Tabula Rasa to feel comfortable with. Targeting can be muzzle-point cursor based or unlocked cursor to target any position on the screen. Different weapons will provide different levels of targeting assistance, balanced against their lethal capabilities. There is no auto-attack in Earthrise and players will have to click to shoot very similar to a shooter. However, once a successfully aimed attack is scored on an opponent, futuristic weaponry provides broader aiming scope, allowing players to keep a steady shot at distant, small or fast-moving targets without having to be pixel-perfect in their aiming. Once a target is acquired this will not mean players can just recklessly auto shoot and score hits. Players will still have to aim and move to keep the target, it will just be assisted somewhat. The developers are aiming to make an RPG with shooter elements to make skill an important part of combat, as well as gear and ability/tactic choices.

3.6 - Is there a cover system and will players have hitboxes and locational damage?
No, currently players will not be able to hide behind small objects to increase their cover as they will have to completely break line of sight to not be able to be hit by direct attacks. Headshots will also not count for extra damage as there is only a single hitbox. No information has been released on whether shooting/striking a target in the sides or back will have an extra effect or not.

3.7 - How do the combat skills work?
Combat skills are broken into Primary and Secondary Skills. Within the Primary Skills are two major schools - Soldier and Tech.

Soldier skills are those that operate with an array of weaponry based on physical prowess and coordination - from melee batons and special power fists through a vast array of ranged weaponry.
Tech skills are based on knowledge and use of high-tech gear, including operating weapons with the power of emotion; nanocontrol over clouds of combat nanites, or psionic powers that enhance mental powers.
Secondary skills consist of First aid, scouting abilities dealing with stealth and confusion of your opponent, robotic control, Shielding and defensive abilities, offensive abilities, etc...

Primary Skills - are the skill lines that will be determined by what you have equipped as your main weapon. Unlocking the ranks in this skill line will provide players with various abilities and tactics associated with the specific weapon you are using. Further customization of your usable abilities are done with skilling and associating various tactics (explained under Abilities and Tactics - Section 1.7) to modify and customize each skill to suit your playstyle. There are 10 ranks in each Primary Skill tree with each rank unlocking an ability.

Secondary Skills - are the skill lines that will be determined by which device(s) you choose to have equipped in your characters device slots(in your inventory). Secondary skills are divided into 3 major groups - Defensive, Offensive and Support. Each device activates a specific skill line that bears the same designation such as the a Shielding Device activating the Shielding Skill line. Using this device will allow players to access any of the abilities that a character has unlocked within the Shielding skill line. There are currently 15 secondary skill trees each with 4 abilities in the tree, although they plan on releasing more in the future. The abilities used from secondary skills will have a greater cost and energy requirement to use compared with primary abilities. Secondary Skills are very important because almost all support and defensive abilities are included in them. Examples include defensive skills (Shielding, Phasing) offensive (Precision, Energy, Intimidate) support (Field Aid, Combat Medic).

Player builds - will consist of one Primary Skill (chosen by current weapon equipped), up to two Secondary Skills (chosen by current device(s) equipped) and the resulting Abilities as well as the Tactics learned and used to modify/adjust those abilities. This system will allow for a large degree of customization between and even within each player build to fit into whatever playstyle you wish to have. Although it is known that you will be able to modify your primary skill abilities with tactics it is still undetermined if you will be able to modify your secondary skills with tactics as well.

3.8 - How will players advance their combat skills?
Once players have acquired enough experience to invest their Battle Points they will be able to advance their skills in a unique manner. Upgrading your combat abilities will feature a hybrid system of free form and linear progression.

Combat skills - will advance with a free-form progression system where you won't need to purchase each rank of the skill in sequential order (1,2,3,4, etc...). You will be able to choose any ability out of the 10 ranks as long as you have the required amount of Battle Points to purchase the rank. Higher ranks will require a higher investment in BP. You will also be able to choose when to invest your BP into unlocking tactics that you can use to enhance and modify unlocked abilities in order to customize them how you wish. You might wish to only unlock a few abilities at first and then choose to enhance all of them with various tactics or go the route of unlocking as many varied abilities as you can from the start or save your battle points up to acquire a higher rank ability faster and skip an ability you don't wish to use. This will allow for a free-form progression of combat skills.

Equipment skills - on the other hand are learned in a strictly linear fashion. These skills will not provide new abilities to characters but will instead unlock the use of more powerful equipment. To gain access to use powerful weapons and devices, players will have to invest points into the linear progression of these Equipment skills. This is important because combat abilities have effects that scale with the power of devices or weapons that their effect is based upon.

The important thing to realize about this hybrid system is that the effect of an ability will not change based on how weak or powerful your weapon or devices are. It will only determine how effective the effect is(ie. numbers). An example of this would be if you have a basic shielding device. Although the abilities used will retain their defensive based effect the amount it helps will be lesser than with a higher grade device. This system will allow lesser skilled or newer players to still contribute in a battle with damage and support abilities although it will not contribute as much to overall numbers than if they were using higher grade weapons or devices.

3.9 - What weapon choices are available?
Currently there are over a dozen distinct weapon types. Only 2 of these are melee.

Ranged weapons  will be composed of everything from pistols to rifles and launchers. The distance of the target is important as each type of ranged weapon has its most effective range. If you are not in the recommended range for that particular weapon, its damage output will be reduced. The developers have stated that they would like combat to be within viewing distance of their opponents and for this reason there will be no sniper rifles in game. This will allow players to see what they are fighting against and try to bridge the gap if they are melee or close range and maintain their distance if they are medium and long range. Ranged weapons will also require ammunition to function of which there will be varying grades and damaging potential.

Melee weapons  will also have a place on Enterra although very few options will be available. Recent advances in technology have proven to make effective melee weaponry that can exploit certain weaknesses in personal shield technology. These weapons will be suited for ambushing or close overpowering attacks. Melee weapons will also contain embedded fuel cells and circuitry that power the damaging effects these weapons produce that will function much like the ammunition of the ranged weaponry.

Holographic, nanobotic, psionic weapons  are unique weapons that utilize different methods of control to operate/utilize them. Cybermentalists have weapons that look similar to ranged guns, but fuse with the body of the wearer and are controlled by his emotions. Psychics have locuses, mental power enhancers that use holographic technology to channel energy around the characters. Nanobotic controllers use nanite devices as weapons, shooting waves of nanoparticles at their enemies.

Ranged vs Melee  is something that the developers are definitely taking into consideration when developing and balancing the skills, weapons, and tactics of the game. Ranged fighters will have the advantage of the safety of range, but they will also be limited in the frequency they will be able to land powerful hits that trigger special effects and conditions. Ranged fighters will also have abilities they will use to try and keep their opponent at a distance. On the other hand... Melee and close combat fighters will have ways to close the distance such as sprint attacks, the ability to jam weapons from a distance, and slow or even paralyze players in order to get in close range. Melee will also operate on a different critical hit system that will allow them to score more powerful blows and more frequent triggering of special effects tied to them.

3.A - What armor choices are available?
Armor will be divided into 5 slots - Helmet, Vest, Leggings, Boots, Gloves. Each suit of armor contains an energy generator that uses battery capacity contained in each piece of the player's armor. Customization of the armor during creation will allow for players to create and use armor based on their play style. Players can choose to have low regeneration but higher values in other properties, and vice versa - high regeneration with disadvantages in other properties. Lighter armor will already have higher regeneration of energy and stamina naturally than heavier armor. Armor will play no role in movement speed.
      
3.B - What are the requirements to wear/use gear?
Equipment skills are the requirements to wear more powerful gear( explained in Combat Skill - Section 3.8 ). Characters will need to advance in equipment specific skills to wear/use the more powerful weapons and devices in the game. It's important to note that this better equipment will not have an overpowering effect compared to moderately powerful gear. The developers have stated that Earthrise will aim to have a low "power creep curve" where player skill will be an important factor that gear will not render useless.

3.C - Will there be stealth or disguises?
Yes, just as there will be means for players to detect invisible enemies. Players that have access to this advanced cloaking technology will be able to become invisible since the technology allows for light to travel through every angle to create an optical illusion to create the effect. Cloaking will also have severe limitations, requiring players to trade off the use of many power-hungry abilities from their suits and weapons to maintain the cloaking effect.  

Some players will have also have access to abilities that allow them to try and hide their affiliation with either Continoma or Noir to fool other players or bypass enemy guards safely. Some criminals will also be able to hide their fame, to avoid being hunted by the local security.  

4.0 - PVP, TERRITORY, FACTIONS AND GUILDS


4.1 - What factions are in game?
There are two major factions in Earthrise - Continoma and Noir and apart from these two remains a neutral segment. The main story will revolve around the struggle between the 2 major factions. Players will start with a neutral character in the starting area where they will be introduced to both factions. They will not need to immediately choose which faction to join at that point as players will be able to choose their faction at any point in their career. It is important to also note that players will not be forced to join a faction and it is possible to remain neutral (sort of a third faction). Some neutral players and guilds might include smugglers, criminals, bounty hunters, mercenaries, crafters that want personal access to both sides of the market, etc... Being neutral requires players to continuously mind their reputation to not either be viewed as too friendly to either side, making you become an enemy of the other.  Some criminal, mercenary, spy or outlaw organizations might stray from the overall conflict or change their faction/guild loyalties to suit their own interest or whenever they feel a potential for lucrative gain.

There are also several minor factions (called organizations) that are aligned with either Continoma, Noir or remain neutral in the conflict. These will play an important role in the overall conflict and for player advancement and development. Organizations are based around the strategic knowledge and closely guarded technology that they specialize in that are given only to people who are loyal to that organization, in the form of favors. Basic info on them can be found here and here.

4.2 - What benefits do factions and organizations provide?
Contribution score is a measure of your standing between the main political entities, Continoma and Noir. Faction based rewards such as faction exclusive items and crafting designs will be unlocked by gaining a high enough contribution score.

Organization based rewards will be unlocked by gaining a high enough reputation with a specific organization. Organizations will provide players with a rich and varied assortment of one-time, repeatable and random generated quests that will grant specific reputation points and favor points. Based on your reputation score with each organization players will be able to purchase rewards by trading in favor points to receive rewards. Some of these rewards will be exclusive and monopolized design technologies specific to the organization that are only rewarded to faithful contributors (favor points) to their cause. Some of these contributions include favors that involve combat, crafting and donation. Favor points are not static, so choose carefully - points specific to one organization may be lost when helping out enemy organizations, so you will have to decide where you want to be, what your goals are, and who your friends will be (NPC and otherwise) on the vast and rich global political map of Enterra.

4.3 - Are you locked into the faction that you've chosen?  
No, players will be able to work towards changing their faction affiliation when they see fit and some players will no doubt have good reasons and plans for such betrayals. There will be a system that does limit continuous "Faction-hopping". "In some cases where players attempt to shift too much from one side to another and then back (with the exclusion of spy missions), they will accumulate Traitorship. This is a negative score that takes time and effort to clear and as long as players are considered a traitor, they won't be accepted among the other faction members. ...But it won't take long for an active player to return to normal so they can choose their side again." It is important to note that not only are you not locked into the faction you have chosen, you are also not limited to who you associate with. Players WILL be able to group with members of the opposite faction or neutral characters as well as form mixed-faction guilds. Although players in these mixed groups and guilds might find a tougher time in game with their higher discrepancy value.

4.4 - How will faction identification work? Does enemy information only appear after targeting or is it more easily visible (ie. floating names)?
Players will be able to tell what faction a player belongs to with a specific icon located next to their name. High ranking factioned players will also have access to distinguishable faction specific armor that will make faction determination easy. Neutral players will not show a distinguishing icon next to their name. Players with a very low standing of the opposite faction will not bear an indicator next to their name as well making it a tougher job of determining whether they are neutral or a low ranked faction enemy.

It in currently unknown whether other player information will only be visible through proper targeting or through other typical MMO means. Old in game footage show information in HUD only visible after targeting but it is still unknown whether this was due to design or being a basic system.

4.5 - What role do factions play in PvP and territory conquest?
In Personal PvP factions will have a major, minor or non-existent role in PvP mechanics depending on the situation and playstyles of those particular players. For players that choose to align themselves with a faction (remember you can remain neutral) they will encounter situations where factions can play a role in their personal PvP choice. The simplest way factions will have an influence on PvP mechanics is the ability to openly engage an opposite faction member without risk of losing faction standing or becoming a criminal. This makes any opposite factioned player a potential enemy. Because of ER's open system this doesn't mean that someone from the opposite faction has to be an automatic enemy, it just makes it possible. Players are free to squad with players from the opposite faction as well as be in the same guild, although doing this will come with consequences (explained under discrepancy in next section).

Below is a basic listing of faction choice and involvement in faction PvP. Although the exact details are unknown there are some areas where penalties wont apply, even for same faction violence. This area is speculated to be the contested zones where territory conquest takes place. This list only applies to areas where faction penalties are considered.

• Continoma      -free to attack-       Noir without penalty
• Continoma      -free to attack-       Continoma  with penalty (except certain areas where penalty wont apply)
• Continoma      -free to attack-       Neutral (uninvolved) with penalty
• Continoma      -free to attack-       Criminal (Conti,Noir,Neutral) without penalty
• Noir                 -free to attack-       Continoma  without penalty
• Noir                 -free to attack-       Noir with penalty (except certain areas where penalty wont apply)
• Noir                 -free to attack-       Neutral (uninvolved) with penalty
• Noir                 -free to attack-       Criminal (Conti,Noir,Neutral) without penalty
• Neutral            -free to attack-       Any with penalties

Territory warfare can involve in both faction and non-faction warfare. Since the factions lack the power to control the contested lands, guilds fight each other for control and domination. It is up to each guild's personal morals and standards of whether they wish to remain involved in faction warfare only (only attacking opposite faction guild territories) or general warfare (attacking any territory, including same faction guilds) or some combination of both. Guilds will be able to disassociate themselves completely from the factions in territory warfare, attacking both sides and neutrals if they wish. In that same way, guilds may wish to align themselves with other same faction guilds helping them to defend/attack in the name of their faction. Territory conquest can involve both faction and non faction PvP mechanics based on how guilds choose to operate. In this way territory conquest becomes much more complicated than just simple faction vs faction mechanics.

4.6 - What is discrepancy value and what effect will it have?
Discrepancy is a value measuring the internal political or ideological turmoil of a group of characters. This means that groups made up of various faction allegiances  (including renown criminals) will have a High discrepancy value and will have a harder time taking on party quests. If most or all of the players in a group share the same political view then the group will find itself with a low discrepancy value or none at all. Discrepancy can also affect guilds... If a guild/group is seen as torn between its members interests, it may find itself temporarily in a position where it will be cut off from certain influential parties, impairing their progress and development. Although, all guilds (including mixed-faction) will still have the potential to conquer territory and make themselves influential through resource gathering and sheer fire power.

4.7 - Are there safe areas and NPC guards?
Safe Areas will be limited to small "social gathering places" where attacking will not be possible. The rest of the island will vary in security from High to Zero. Players can choose to remain in Medium and High-Sec areas where they are less likely to encounter the enemy faction and harder mobs, but this will also come with a downfall. It will take longer for players to advance their characters in these more secure areas, as opposed to the Non-Secure areas where players will likely be attacked by harder mobs, the enemy faction as well as criminals. Players who find themselves in these areas will advance at a faster rate, but the only security in these Non-Secure areas will be those provided by the players themselves. The greater the risk, the greater the reward.

4.8 - Where will NPC guards appear, how will they react and how will faction affect them?
Many parts of the island are under the protection of guards hired be either Continoma or Noir. The frequency of appearance, their number and relative power is dependent on the level of security each territory provides. Territories closer to civilized areas are more secure than others with Sal Vitas and Noir Base offering the most protection in game. Players will feel safe in these areas. As the security level of an area decreases guards will appear less frequently and will also become less powerful - even becoming matched by players. This also means that NPC guards will be attackable and killable. Although if enough guards are killed, stronger guards will come as reinforcements and eventually a squad of elite guards will charge in to fend off an attacking force.

NPC guards will be a deterrent for attackers as they will react to any known enemies or to any violence they witness. Some will also not tolerate criminals and will attack on sight. As was also talked about in the smuggling section various guards will also be actively looking for contraband that is considered illegal in their areas. The way guards react is dependent on the security level of the territory. In the higher-security territories protected by faction guards players will be able to kill a player of the same or neutral faction but they will suffer an immediate standing penalty and will be hunted down by the guards. The power of each of the characters involved in the conflict and their Contribution rating will be factors deciding what penalty the guards will provide to the players. Outside of the secure territories players will still suffer faction penalties or gain rewards but guards will not be called in to help in the fight. In even less secure territories there will be no penalty to faction standing whatsoever and no guards. These lawless territories will be clearly marked so players will know what repercussions venturing into these territories might have.

4.9 - What does becoming a criminal and criminal status mean?
Each faction - Continoma and Noir, has it's own set of laws regarding who can kill whom. Logically, Continoma are free to slaughter Noir, and vice versa. Players will find themselves in open warfare with other faction members often. But when Continoma or Noir players attack their own, or decide to kill a neutral player who isn't taking part of the conflict, they will be reported as criminals and they will acquire criminal status. Criminal status will open you to bounties where player bounty hunters will be likely to hunt you down to attempt to kill you. Criminal Karma is the measure of criminal level for a player. It is not lost from getting killed or killing other criminals. Karma is only lost over time. The more criminal karma a player has, the longer they will be considered a criminal.

Some players will choose to live the criminal life and doing this will allow you to join criminal guilds for their mutual protection - especially against these would-be Bounty Hunters. Having criminal status can also affect what areas you are considered welcome in. The more kills a criminal has and the more notorious they become the more hostile guards will react to your presence. Eventually this can prevent you from entering certain areas, although there has been mention of criminals being able to try and disguise themselves to try and hide their reputation. Criminal organizations and gangs will likely form criminal territories that will be extremely dangerous to tread through, sometimes even for criminals. Criminal status will not be a permanent thing as players can also work to clear their name, only if they want to of course.

4.A - What is the bounty system and how will it work?
"Bounty hunters are players who use their perfected player killing skills not to cause turmoil but rather bring justice and vengeance where needed." Whenever you are killed by another player that isn't of the opposite faction, you receive a death report from your watcher chip. The death report can be taken to a Bounty Hunter terminal to put a bounty on the head of the killer. Any registered Bounty Hunter (player character that has paid a large fee to register as a BH) can take the mission and hunt the "mark". The "mark" with a bounty on their head will not know if they have a bounty on them or not, or if there is, how much it is worth. When a player creates a bounty they will be giving BH's a reason to hunt these "criminals" as there are several reasons and incentives to complete these bounties. Players who place the bounty will also be given the opportunity to add a monetary reward on the bounty to encourage BH's to complete your job. As added incentive BH's will also receive rewards, both permanent and temporary for achieving their goals. The best Bounty Hunters will also get their services advertised across the city of Sal Vitas or the underground base of Noir.

Choosing which mission to take will be a top priority for Bounty Hunters, and they will likely prioritize them by biggest reward or the easiest to find being their primary choice. Several BH's will also be able to take the same mission, hunting the same mark at the same time. Once a mark has been picked the Bounty Hunter will receive "carte blanche" against them. This means they will be able to kill their mark without repercussions, including in secure zones. BH's will also have tools to track their mark which will make it much harder for players with a possible bounty on their head to feel safe or secure. If a bounty hunter does manage to eliminate their mark, the bounty will be considered complete and all other claims to the same bounty will be nullified. Also, when a player with a bounty on their head is killed by a BH, they will not receive a death report and the BH will not gain criminal status from the kill. This prevents the mark from trying to put a bounty on the BH that killed them. The developers have also stated they are working on a system that will try to limit exploitation as much as possible.

5.0 - TECH & MISC INFO, LINKS, RUMORS


TECH
5.1 - What platform is Earthrise being developed for and how much will the game cost?
The game is currently only being developed for Windows although they have stated that they will consider Mac OS after release. Earthrise will operate on a subscription model (pay to play) that is expected to be priced in line with other subscription titles on the market.

5.2 - Will the game support different languages other than English?
They have plans to localize the game, but have not revealed what languages they are aiming to support.

5.3 - What graphics engine and middleware is being used?
"We are developing our own engine from scratch and it is designed to meet all needs of the Earthrise game play - huge persistent world with no instances, great graphics...and lot of internal tools, which cannot be purchased on the middleware market... Earthrise uses a modern rendering engine. Multiple lighting modes are supported using shader model 3.0 and 4.0. It has specialized rendering for special effects and materials including metal, glass, water, heat, skin, hair and others. There's extensive scene post-processing with HDR support, depth-of-field, motion blur, particle system with soft particles, as well as specialized indoor and outdoor-specific lighting optimizations and support for multiple dynamic lights. The engine also features advanced animation, very large terrain, multi-channel audio with effects, ragdoll and physics, and environmental effects like rain and snow." They have also confirmed that the engine is complete.

The middleware they have released to us that Earthrise will utilize includes SpeedTree for flora and Scaleform for a customizable UI.


LINKS
There is lots of information out there. Below are a few links that might be helpful. If you feel you have a valuable link that they would like listed here please send me a PM.
 
Official Links
Earthrise website  - The Earthrise official website.
Official FAQ   - The Earthrise official FAQ.
QOTW Forum  - Question of the Week Forum to provide answers to specific questions from the community weekly.

Unofficial Links
UNNOFICIAL Earthrise PREVIEW from myself is a great introduction to the game for newcomers. Currently without a host
Unnoficial Eye-Candy Database from Melkathi has a large majority of released screenshots, concept art and renders organized by subject. Also, the first Earthrise teaser/trailer. OUT OF DATE.
Contibears - An Earthrise Comic by Melkathi


RUMORS & SPECULATION
This section contains some information that was either very confusingly stated, questionably worded, gathered from questionable translations or just out of place information or guesses. Anything really.



Please PM or post any suggestions or questions about the FAQ. If people find this information useful than I will continue to work on it and update it.

~Reserved

Thanks for the kind words everyone.

Vassago - by all means use it. That's what its here for.

Melkathi - Hah, that's not the reason I'm doing this But seriously Maelstrom has been a real help and a great fact finder and source digger.