More Races!!!!!

[americanu]

In december 2000 i've read an article about Horizons: Empire of Istaria. there I've seen 15 races!!!!!!!!!! and here there are:
Ssslik, Ku'lak, dwarf, demon, elf, orc, saris, dryad, giant, goblin, angel, human, vampire, lamurian and Dragon.
Now in 2004 on your website you show only 9 races, 7 basic, and another 2. where are the other races?? are all the races mentioned above in the game??

Please respond!!

[Varangaard]

That is the before-blackout information back from when HZ was going to be a PvP game. As some races were designed for that environment, and today's HZ is not a PvP game, it is pretty safe bet that at least demons, angels and vampires have been permanently canned. Also, as expanding the game world underwater would be a major undertaking for the current dev team, we can rule out lemurians for a good long while. Once AE/Tulga gets back to spinning the game's story, I guess we may see orcs, goblins and welgars in the far future.

But really, besides incidental differences in starting statistics (you won't even notice that once around lvl 20) and two race-specific special abilities - most of which have no impact - there's no real point on choosing one race over another, except for looks. Well, dragon gameplay is different (read: we suck compared to uberpeds), but that's about it.

[gusi]

What's a 'Ku'lak'?

Btw, there are 11 current playable races.

In alphabetical order:

Dragon
Dryad
Dwarf
Elf
Fiend
Gnome
Half-Giant
Human
Saris
Satyr
Sslik

There have been 2 significant events that allowed the player base to 'unlock' the Satyr and Dryad races.

Goblins and Orcs would be cool - we need some ugliesamong the gifted [:P].

[Uro]

Kulaks where a race of giant bugs, sort of a cross between a centaur and a beetle with 4 arms.

[Cobal]

The concept arts for all to drool over.
Would have been so cool.

http://www.ancientorder.org/Pics/demon-concept.jpg
http://www.ancientorder.org/Pics/goblin-concept.jpg
http://www.ancientorder.org/Pics/angel-concept.jpg
http://www.ancientorder.org/Pics/kulak-concept.jpg
http://www.ancientorder.org/Pics/lamurian-concept.jpg
(these lamurians were supossed to be an underwater race)
http://www.ancientorder.org/Pics/orc-concept.jpg
http://www.ancientorder.org/Pics/orc-mounts.jpg
http://www.ancientorder.org/Pics/vampire-concept.jpg

[Atolmyth]

Here's another source for the concept races from 'pre-blackout':

http://www.geocities.com/hungryscot/

I've always liked the look of those Ku'lak, though their abilities were leaned towards a PvP environment i.e. when Ku'lak are grouped together they would get a stat' boost depending on how many there were. Apparently they were also meant to be able to spew acid, leap long distances and walk on walls. ^___^

In fact there were several sheets of concept art depicting their design only.

I had a picture of the racial line-up that also compared their heights - a Ku'lakwas around the height of a Dwarf - but I don't have the URL for that picture at hand at present.

[Firedragon]

I have never seen any images of what the Welegars are supposed to look like. Only that old screenshot of some monster that I doubt is aWelegar.

[Goriax]

At one point a welger model was purportedly being installed with the game, and some people generated a welger screenshot from it, or so they said. It was a big ole thing. Other rumor had it welgers would have a unique gameplay much like dragons have a unique gameplay although that's just rumor and not something to expect.

My guess from things they hinted at before release (and my guess on this board is worth exactly what you paid for it) is that they could introduce welgers fairly quickly and could probably introduce goblins with some work. I'd guess further that they probably decided to put a hold on races for the time being because:

1. They've got a bunch already.
2. If a new race is like the other biped races odds are there will be very little interest -- probably not worth the trouble of making it playable. Their time could be better spent cranking out some more mob models or something.
3. If a new race has entirely different gameplay then there will be balance issues, LOTS of whining (people playing the new race will complain they aren't uber, people not playing the new race will complainit is too uber, dragons will complain just to complain) and in general probably not worth the headache. Too bad players in general can't be mature, a lot of cool thingsmight be possible if the playerbase was mature.

Anyway, that's my wild guess based on a few things which have been said coupled with a lot of speculation.

[Bori Grimbattle]

http://hometown.aol.com/shadowlight01/quick.html

The above is the only pic of a Welgar I have seen....

[Kulamata]

I have always thought that the catapults used Welger skeletons.

I was struck by how conventionally "comic-bookish" the old concept art was. The current races are much more sophisticated IM(ns)HO.

[gopher65]

wow thanks for posting this:). very interesting. Welgers are funny looking, but I would LOVE to see those big bugs, as well as some goblin and orc mobs. Having biped mobs ride on mounts at about speed 90, then dismount and use their mount as an ally would be great hehe. These would make great defenders if a WA fortress should happen to pop up:)

Of course AE would then be sued by the tolkien estate for mentioning the words "goblin" and "Orc". Maybe they could be Goublin and Cro instead LOL

[Bori Grimbattle]

Although Tolkien popularized orcs and goblins I am pretty sure the existed long before that. If not Marvel is in deep trouble for the Green Goblin! [;)]

[imported_Ssilmath]

Well, first of all, goblins and orcs are used by Tolkien, Blizzard, D&D and many other fantasy worlds, they are by no means unique to Middle Earth...

Second , I started following Horizons back at the beginning, and was going to make a vampire and team up with my best friend who would play a goblin...Now I'm a Sslik, and I don't know if he plays at all...<Shrugs> I'd still like to see Vampires, Angels, Ku'lak, Goblins, Orcs and Demons added into the game...I'm sure that RP reasons wouldn't be that hard to come up with...

[Brambles]

Scale the dryads up, add some new textures, voice effects and racial abilities, and presto! Angels :)

[phinius pegasus]

At the mention of catapultsa above there, they should spend any SPARE time...on making usable siege weapons, do the WA or undead ever use siege weapons..? I would like to too!

[phinius pegasus]

Silmath...those new Chars (all except angel) that you mentioned could be on the undead's team? And if they payed something like 500cp they could get a few zombies to follow them, then like 23s for an avatar, or maybe 3s for a catapult and set siege to the living and creat a pvp, that\s just different! lol...:P

[Daedra]

I *think* (not 100% accurate so dont quote please) that DB said that we will not get any new races for a while as others things are being focused on (eg new resource manager and blighted equipment).
I dont think underwater races would work until we have a working world model...although it would be cool. I have seen some animations, eg dying,for Ku'lak once (cant remember where) and they did look really good.
The Welger is in the Scout Trailer if you want to see it in action, should be on the horizons website somewhere.

[Demelza Flameclaw]

******** i want the angel race itd rawk an angelic paldin weee

ok enough now, these images are from the old version of hz as varan said - but i would love for someof these to come out if ever but priorites first: world model, spawn system, client performance etc etc etc

[Lauryav]

Welger-Models are there.

Here are 2 Screens :

[Cylian Golas]

Goblins and Orcs would be cool - we need some ugliesamong the gifted [img]/Web//emoticons/emotion-4.gif[/img].

We need uglies you say? Ugly = Every race except Elves [;)]