More Races

[Velat]

I heard the Dryads and Satyrs came after events were completed in game.

Are there going to be more like this? At least a hint that there will be more?

Not that being a dragon is getting boring, far from it! But it would be neat to fly around with maybe angle-like people, your demons, hehe. Infact, doesnt ShadowBane have something like that?

Then again, would Horizon's engine, server thingy even be able to hold it?

Anyway, just a random thought. [:D]

[li]

[furian]

last time I checked at some Horizons site it looked liek there were orcs and some other races but htat was a while back. [*-)]

[Goriax]

There was some concept art and maybe even a preliminary model or two WAY back when HZ was nothing but ideas and concept art and the concept was much different from what it is now. They had concept art of orcs, goblins, angels, demons, vampires, ku'lak (a bug race) and several other races.

By the time HZ released most of the really unique races had been dropped (except dragons, thankfully). They did show one model of a goblin a year or two before beta but it got a lot of negative comments and they never showed another.

I wouldn't mind more races, especially if they were unique. I think it would be particularly cool if any new races they added were things you don't normally see in an MMORPG. Resurrect the demons, ku'lak, angels, goblins, etc.(Back in the old days there seemed to be a small but very loyal ku'lak following) Make themas unique in their own ways as dragons are in theirs. Give them their own lore, abilities, schools, progression etc.

Unfortunately, I suspect that's not practical. It probably multiplies the work required by a factor of 10 (thus making it less likely to happen, especially considering how few devs they have and how many other things we'd like to see). That's because they'd have to come up with new skills, schools, racial city etc. attempt to balance the whole thing, and then endure perpetual whines about how the new raceis either under powered or over powered (or both!) compared to other races. If it's truely different then it'll be virtually impossible to satisfy everyone that they're neither under powered nor over powered. I for one would be happy to live with some imbalance if it made for more unque races and a more immersive game. Even if I werethe one who wasweaker as long as it didn'tget tooridiculous and everyone was viable.Unfortunately history on these boards indicates that many people would not be willing and since it's impossible to have two different things which everyone agrees are equivalent, it may be best to skip having more and truly unique races. :(

P.S. Around the time HZ released they were mentioning something called a Welger which we never saw. It would have been a race we freed much like the Satyrs. I don't know if they're ever planning on releasing that.

[Finduilas]

One of the main problems with Star Trek was "race of the week" syndrome. They had way too many races, and because of this most of them were crap, only slight variations on humans. The best races were the ones that were repeatedly shown and more fleshed out, with history, culture and so on.

Right now the only race that seems fleshed out in HZ is the dragon race, and continues to get more content. I would prefer them to add racial quests, and full racial content, such as buildable structures for ALL races, lore, history, you know, stuff.

Adding a new race would stretch things out even more. A new class would be good, for the multiclass brigade, but a new race... not yet.

Unless you allow people to make WA characters, and PvP there gifted friends.

[imported_Kepesk]

I don't think a game can get enough races. One of my main draws to Horizons was the abundance of races, which I really enjoy. I came from UO, which is severely lacking in that aspect. ;)
I'd like to see Centaurs and Griffins myself, though I know any new races are a long way off and a low priority, as is appropriate. Still, it would be fun.


-Your friendly neighborhood stripey dragon


P.S.

[Bori Grimbattle]

The next race should be the Welgars as they were the natural enemy to the Satyrs. The Welgars disappeared around the same time as the Satyr race did, their constant warring had weakened both races to a point where the WA had an easy time to enslave them.

With all that TG has on their plate at present, I do not forsee the introduction of a new race for some time although in your directories (someplace) there have been Welgars for some time.

[Arekaine]

I think Centaurs would be cool (You know body of a horse, upper half of a man, carry bows). And yes I will suggest this, but first I am a guy and am not gay, Unicorns. Since Tulga is dwelving into the odd races i.e. Dragons. Haveing more would be cool as well. Unicorns could be the uber monk/ spellcaster. Then on the darker end of the spectrum you would have the Nightmares. Same thing as a Unicorn but minus the horn and thier hooves and manes are always on fire. So they could be the uber monk/ necromancer.

Insect races would be very cool. You could have the "human" looking ones, as they would walk on two legs but have insect like features, head, exo-skelaton. Or you could just have like large intelligent insects. Cause having a 8 foot tall praying mantis would rock.

Half-Dragons have always been a pretty standard idea as far as races go. Pretty much they would have some elven powers and maybe wings they could use at some point.

And there's my 2 cents

[imported_Twelvebagger]

I think Centaurs would be cool (You know body of a horse, upper half of a man, carry bows).

Nice, I like it.

[Larch_Order]

I want a playable Automaton that shoots lightning out of it's hands like the robot from Lost in Space.

[Goriax]

There has been a lot written about the lore for the biped races. It's just that bipeds don't get it in their face so much since they don't have an RoP and now an ARoP which drawheavily from the lore. There are reasons why there is a battlefield just east of Augnedell, why there are elves in exile in Tazoon, and why Old Rachival is blighted and the gnomes are now in New Rachival and you can get most of that from talking to NPCs in-game. When the game began the dryads had disappeared from Istaria, the Satyrs were ensorceled, and Feladan was inruins and blighted. The elves in Feladan seem to be grateful (they SHOULD be) that they are now free. That wall running past Faladin, Augendell, and Old RAchival has a lore behind it (not an entirely happy one either). I could go on.

I dug around and found this interview done before it released. There are undoubtedly other sources of lore but this might serve as an introduction:

http://pc.ign.com/articles/430/430356p1.html

Perhaps the biped races should have more quests based upon their lore. The lore will become even more obvious if those quests are more or less required for a biped to fully develop -- much like the RoP and the ARoP are pretty much required to fully develop a dragon character. Then everyone would do them and be forced to become at least noddingly familiar with their lore.

I think that, once they have time, there is room for more races in Istaria. HZ has already demonstrated with their dragon the capability to make a race playable which is WIDELY different from the usual humanoid race all the other games stick to. I think they should continue to emphasize that distinction with other races which most other MMORPGs would never dream of running (and probably can't run since they're built around the idea of a humanoid character). Sure there's lots of other things which need doing, and more races shouldn't be a high priority right now, but it would be cool if they could do that eventually.

[Velat]

Cool! Then with so many other people wanting more to maybe TG has some events planned to release another race. Maybe the dragons could go sniffing around some new mountain peak they found and discovered a great enemie holding the griffons captive? Or the Satyrs are living it up until one day they discover there natural enemies have been resurected by the WA?? Huh....huh....maybe? no? ::shrugs::



I dont know :P


[li]

[Arekaine]

******** I forgot bird people. Bipedal creatures that have the heads of birds and what not (hawks, ravens etc etc). Of course they would be able to fly at a certian stage. The wings could be in the classic on the back postion. Or they could be attached to the sides of the body and under the arms. So they would have to spread thier arms to fly.

Fighting would be right out for these creatures, hollow bones tend to make things very fragile. So they could be uber mages, rangers, monks pretty much anything that is long distance

[imported_Kepesk]

I totally like that idea! It would be great to see some sort of bird race flying around. ;)

-Your friendly neighborhood stripey dragon

[Nitestorm]

Kepesk, i like the look of the griffon :)

I think something like a Phoenix would be cool to have, or the wolf-like race (ive seen it in another thread here in Suggestions.)

:) yeah thats about it for me hehe.

[imported_Kepesk]

It's not my griffon. It's a model created by AE a couple of years before Horizons saw the light of day. I found it in the IGN archives. I wonder whatever happened to it...

-Your friendly neighborhood stripey dragon

[Zaishi]

There is/was a site back around release with some beta or hacked client screens of some of the other races that were coming. The satyr, welger, something else and the dragon's human form were all shown there. I have no idea what happened to the site or where it was, been almost two years. Anyway we were expecting the satyr first, then the welger, but instead we got dryads which were a surprise and now here it is over a year later and no welger. Not sure if they were scrapped or just put on hold. I don't remember the other race, the welgers are big kinda deformed guys with spikes on their back, they didn't look too great. Hard to really explain them since I don't remember the screenshots too well.

[Arekaine]

I like the human form for dragons. Pretty much any myth about the race gives people the idea that dragons in general have limited skills in shape shifting

[Cobal]

For those interested, here are some of the old concepts.
http://www.jaman.hu/horizons1.html
I borrowed my avatar from this place.

[Jaraiden]

I am sure other races are being planned and ummmm prepared for.

First though, they are working on (unless it was cancelled) tiered racial abilities, hopefully useful ones, to actually distinguish the races.

As for the "prepared for" . . . . yes, I was there when the Dryads were free. I saw how fast some were gaining levels. Yes, it will be like that ST's "race of the week".

And yes, Sb does have a low flying character - some winged thing - which likes to fly out of danger.

[IndyMan]

I'd like mine to shoot out of my .... wait a minute ... almost got myself modded. [:P]