The Secret World’s First Developer Diary
The life of a Templar – ain’t it grand? With extensive resources and support, the Templars have battled evil for centuries, and are likely the least secret of the secret societies. With the ability to operate more openly and freely, the Templars (not to be confused with the Knights Templar) have maintained their influence and power into the 21st century. Of course, life is much simpler when operating under the guise of religious zeal and fervor.
The Templars base their operations in London, which also plays as The Secret World’s main player hub. Having such commotion and commerce nearby is likely both a blessing and a curse – for obvious reasons. Nevertheless, the story behind the Templars’ existence is well-rooted in the culture of the city, as well as the lore of the game. The first Developer Diary to come from Funcom’s The Secret World explores the starter experience as a fledgling Templar, from the discovery of your supernatural “gift”, to your induction into the faction itself. As you make your way through London, you will be summoned to the Templar headquarters, where you meet your superior, who reminds you,
“We are at war. Might will make right, and it will fall upon us to judge the correct application of might. It falls upon you, as a soldier of the Templars.”
After some shots of concept art, Martin Bruusgaard, a Lead Designer working on The Secret World, explains the introduction of the combat system. The video gives a clearer description (along with some much needed footage) of the combat system, but we know that players will not choose a predefined “class”, but rather a set of skills that will serve as a character build. These skills are all interchangeable, but we are not yet sure if players can switch skills at will, or if they must be present at certain trainers and/or locations. No more than seven active and seven passive skills can be in a player’s arsenal at any given time, and we can be sure to see some interesting combinations of complementing skills and abilities.
In the starter experience, players will get a rare glimpse into their future, where they will be pitted against demons and constructs that supposedly endanger their future selves. It’s a unique and original way to introduce game mechanics, and a decently spooky one, as well. Look out for some interesting tidbits from Ragnar Tørnquist in the video, as well.
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The future view seems a good idea! Helps give an idea of an overal story arc to the character. Hope other games take that idea up.