Fallen Earth - Developer Journal @ Massively

The first of a series of 5 Fallen Earth developer journals can be found on Massively. The journal explores the various levels in Fallen Earth.

From high on a hilltop, gray prison walls cast a bleak shadow over the town of Old Kingman. Designed to keep society safe, Old Kingman Prison's purpose has been perverted. The tyrannical Casta Gaunt has captured the stronghold, and now leads his raiders from the safety of its cell blocks and guard towers.

Old Kingman Prison is the first major instance available to players in Fallen Earth. The level offers a compelling end to one of the early overarching plotlines in the game, and provides interesting group gameplay through a structured series of encounters. When we created the prison instance, we agreed on a few rules for our design. We wanted players to contribute directly to furthering the plot. We wanted the instance to be easily accessible. And of course, it had to look great and have enjoyable fights.

Our design took some intensive planning. Kingman County consists of three towns under attack from Gaunt's Raiders, Casta's gang of thugs. Multiple strands of Casta's story intertwine and lead players to the prison, where they can further the plot with sideline missions as well as the main mission to kill Casta. In the sideline missions, the player solves some of the mysteries surrounding Casta and serves up some well-deserved strong-arm justice, ensuring that the player's actions are a driving force in the plot.