FAQs

General

What is Dawn of Fantasy?

Dawn of Fantasy is an upcoming MMORTS (Massively Multiplayer Online Real Time Strategy) game set in the fantasy world of Mythador. For more information, check out our About Dawn of Fantasy article.

What is Dawn of Fantasy rated?

Dawn of Fantasy has not yet been rated.

What are the system requirements?

Minimum:

Microsoft Windows 2000/XP/Vista®
2.4 GHz Intel® Pentium® IV or AMD® processor
1 GB RAM (XP), 2 GB RAM (Vista)
4x CD-ROM/DVD-ROM drive
1 GB of free Harddisk space
nVIDIA® GeForce 7600 256MB memory or equivalent
DirectX 9.0 Compatible Sound Card

Recommended:

Microsoft Windows 2000/XP/Vista®
2.4 GHz Intel® Core 2® Duo or AMD® processor
2 GB RAM (XP), 3 GB RAM (Vista)
4x CD-ROM/DVD-ROM drive
1 GB of free Harddisk space
nVIDIA® GeForce 8800 or ATI® 1950 512MB memory
DirectX 9.0 Compatible Sound Card

When will Dawn of Fantasy be released?

Although no official release date has been announced, we have been told somewhere in Spring of 2010.

Will there be a demo?

There will be five beta phases. The first three will be closed, meaning access by invitation only, and will launch sometime within the next couple of months. The last two will be open, meaning anyone can download it, and will launch closer to release in early 2010.

How much will it cost?

No price has been published at the current time.

Production

Who are the developers behind Dawn of Fantasy?

Dawn of Fantasy is developed by Reverie World Studios, INC. Based in Ontario, Canada, Reverie was formed back in 2001. Although DoF is their first project a team, some of its members have a vast history of game design, having worked on popular RTS titles including Empire Earth and Empires: Dawn of the Modern World.

Who are some of the more notable developers?

Some of the more notable Reverie developers you might catch wandering through our forums or in other DoF-related press material are Konstantin Fomenko (CEO, Game Producer & Director), Gordon Farrell (Lead Writer), Alexander Flegler (Lead Game Designer), Ryan Zelazny (Marketing Director), Danny Vink (Public Relations Manager), Joseph Visscher (Lead Level Designer), John Lockwood (Lead Programmer), Oleksiy Maksymenko (Lead Artist), and Andy Joslin (Lead Scenario Scripter).

In addition to their involvement in Reverie, many of the developers also have interesting histories with HeavenGames, where several of them first got into the game design industry. These developers include Konstantin Fomenko, DoF’s Producer and the former leader of SCN Punk here at HG; Gordon Farrell, DoF’s Lead Writer and the writer of HG’s SOLO Blog and a former HG scenario designer; Alexander Flegler, DoF’s Lead Game Designer and staff at Age of Empires III Heaven; Andy Joslin, DoF’s Lead Scenario Scripter and an active member and scenario designer at Age of Kings Heaven; Doug Bonds, DoF Map Designer and former scenario designer at Age of Empires III Heaven; and Patrick Flynn, DoF Map Designer and former scenario designer at Age of Mythology Heaven. So if you see any of them around, be sure to give them a thumbs up. You should be able to pick them up pretty easily based on their pretty blue names in our forums.

And the publishers?

On July 31, 2008, Dawn of Fantasy was signed by Netherlands-based publisher Lighthouse Interactive. Unfortunately, Lighthouse declared bankruptcy in March, 2009 and has since shut down. Reverie World Studios developers confirm that they have secured a new publisher; but they have not unveiled the name.

Gameplay

What races can I play as in Dawn of Fantasy?

Players can choose from three races: Humans, Orcs, and Elves. Each race has a completely unique structure and each bring their own advantages and disadvantages to the battle field. Earlier on, dragons were discussed as playable races but have since been scrapped from the initial product. However, Reverie has expressed plans to keep at least one of the dragon builds as a mercenary unit in single-player and online play. Dwarves will make their way into the single-player campaign, but not as a playable faction. There has been some talk about adding the dragons and dwarves as playable races in future expansions, but nothing has been confirmed.

What is an MMOG and how does it affect DoF?

An MMOG is a Massively Multiplayer Online Game. In MMOGs, thousands of players can play online simultaneously in a single, persistent realm. Typically in MMOGs, players can interact with each other in a variety of ways. In Dawn of Fantasy, these will include waging war on your enemies, allying yourself with your friends, and trading resources. MMOGs are typically RPG-type games (Role Playing Games), and it is rare that RTS (Real Time Strategy) games, like DoF, are made as MMOGs. At the current time, there is only one other MMORTS published by a well-known publisher: Tom Clandy’s EndWar.

What this means for Dawn of Fantasy is that there will be two multiplayer modes: normal, in which you can set up games with up to six players (although Reverie is currently aiming at increasing this number to eight) similar in style to the Age of… series; or MMO, in which everyone is playing the same general map. Within the MMO mode, there are two play options: PVP (Player vs. Player) and PVE (Player vs. Environment), in which the player sets out to complete various quests and missions rather than invading other players. There will be four multiplayer skirmish modes: Regular/Build and Destroy, Attack the Castle, Defend the Castle, and the Custom Scenario. All skirmishes are limited to four players at the current time. While it is unknown whether you can use the AI as a player in a regular online skirmish map, the AI can be a player and Attack/Defend the Castle maps. All 12 of the NPC towns from the MMO mode will be available as castles to defend or siege.

What is an RTS and how does it affect DoF?

An RTS is a Real Time Strategy game, DoF’s gameplay genre. RTS games are traditionally third-person tactical strategy games that “do not progress incrementally in turns.” This means that in RTS games, there are no turns or pauses, it is just a continuous period of action.

As an RTS, Dawn of Fantasy allows all players to play simultaneously and it incorporates the element of continuous time by having each minute in the game represent one hour in ‘real time.’ To go along with this, DoF features a Day/Night Cycle which brings about both aesthetic changes in the setting and contrasts in gameplay. For example, the aesthetic appeal of the cycle is a rarely seen dynamic lighting system. This means that in the late hours, your town will not merely become a shade darker. The overall atmosphere will be fairly dark to resemble realistic settings and torches and window lights will light up all throughout your town to cast some light on your units and buildings. As for gameplay changes, when night comes, your siege weapons and archers will be able to be equipped with flaming projectiles and an added emphasis will be placed on sneak attacks, thanks to the more limited Fog of War. In the night, melee battles will be increasingly common as your archers will experience a temporary accuracy reduction.

How does Dawn of Fantasy incorporate elements traditionally found in FPS (First Person Shooters) games and RPGs (Role Playing Games)?

Whereas most Real Time Strategy titles emphasize numbers rather than individual units, Dawn of Fantasy puts an emphasis on both. Reverie World Studios added unique gameplay elements traditionally found almost exclusively in the RPG and FPS genres, such as swimming, running, charging, mounting, and corpse looting, to make Dawn of Fantasy as original and non-linear as possible.

All units will be able to toggle between walking, running, and charging. Although running and charging is limited by a stamina system, each of these modes offers a unique strategy and benefits for your army. Likewise, nearly every unit can mount/dismount. When mounted, the rider and the mount take separate damage, meaning one can die while the other survives. Each race has a different primary mount: Humans have horses, Elves have unicorns, and Orcs have wargs. Idle mounts can be captured by the enemy to increase his or her own army and vice versa. And finally, nearly every unit is capable of swimming short distances, a feat found in extremely few, if any, other RTS games. This enables armies to swim across short rivers and ponds to launch a surprise attack on their enemies D-Day style.

In MMO Mode, can my city be attacked even if I am offline?

No, your city will remain untouched from the time you sign off to the time you sign back on.

What are the resources in DoF and how do you gain them?

The four resources are Food, Wood, Gold, and Stone. These resources are vital to gameplay and you must use them to purchase new troops or infrastructure. They can be gathered at your home-city or they can be earned through quests and battles. Quests and battles is the quickest way to earn resources, but the risk is much higher.

In addition, there is Influence. This resource is used to research technologies, advance your troops, expanding your home-city, and teaching your wizards new spells. Influence can be gained through quest completion, military victories, and “generally doing productive things in the MMORTS world.”

How does magic factor into Dawn of Fantasy?

Along with human conflict and nature, magic brings a third sizeable force to the game. Wizards will be able to learn spells that can burn entire cities down and devastate armies. Each spell is based on the four elements: earth, wind, fire, and water. In addition to devastating offensive spells, DoF features counter-attack spells and spells containing both positive and negative effects as well as bonus side effects.

Will the AI be a possible opponent in skirmish maps?

In singleplayer, you can play against AI-controlled teams, but multiplayer skirmishes are restricted to player vs. player.

What if I don’t want to accept a fight in MMO mode or wish to stop fighting before more damage is done to my city?

Players can get out of either situation by paying tribute to their opponent.

What happens if someone signs off in MMO mode in the middle of a battle?

That player will automatically lose the battle and must pay reparations to the winner.

Platforms

What platforms will Dawn of Fantasy be available for?

Dawn of Fantasy will be available for the PC and the Xbox 360. With the exception of the interface and controls, both versions will be almost identical.

Will the game be released simultaneously for both platforms?

No. The PC version will be released first, in Spring of 2010, and Reverie will work on the Xbox 360 version after the PC version has been released.

Will the Xbox 360 version be moddable feature the World Editor?

Granted the limited controls of the Xbox 360, this version will not be moddable and there will not be an editor. However, Xbox 360 players can download custom maps via Reverie Online.

Will Xbox 360 players be able to play with/against PC players?

Although it has not been confirmed, Reverie has expressed interest in making this a possibility.

Any chance of a Mac version?

At the current time, there are no plans for a Mac version.

Editing/Modding

Will Dawn of Fantasy feature a scenario design editor?

Yes. DoF boasts one of the most powerful, yet easy to learn and understand, of any PC game. Designers can submit their map to the Reverie team and upon review, the map may be added to the next patch, greatly increasing its availability and popularity. The designer(s) will, of course, receive full credit and a rating system may be implemented into Reverie Online. Also, Reverie will include a number of custom scenarios to be shipped with the game.

Will the editor revolve around scripting or triggers?

The editor will allow for both scripting and triggers, depending on individual preference.

Will I be able to play my custom maps online?

Yes, players will be able to load custom maps on Reverie Online, DoF’s multiplayer software. Custom maps cannot be loaded in MMO mode.

What type of scripting does the editor utilize?

DoF utilizes a scripting language called Lua. It is a fairly simple-to-learn language and shares many similarities with JavaScript, since both Lua and JS were influenced by Scheme. Other games using Lua for game scripts include Baldur’s Gate, Crysis, Dawn of War, Company of Heroes, Homeworld 2, Supreme Commander, Warhammer Online, and World of Warcraft.

Will the game be moddable, and if so, to what extent?

Yes, the game will be extremely moddable. All game files will be completely open to modding and anyone with 3D Studio Max will be able to create and add custom units. In addition, to the off-game modding, Dawn of Fantasy will include a World Editor, Unit Editor, and a Model & Animation Viewer.

Misc.

What languages will Dawn of Fantasy support?

Dawn of Fantasy will have English, French, German, Russian, and Spanish versions.

Will there be guild/clan support?

Yes, Reverie Online will feature guild/clan support and Dawn of Fantasy Heaven has plans to incorporate our own clan and design team support.

Will there be recorded games support?

Yes, on both Reverie Online and Dawn of Fantasy Heaven.

Will Dawn of Fantasy have a monthly fee for playing online?

No, there are no additional fees to play online.