• Open world is a term so widely used and drained of meaning now, it is practically meaningless. A true open world is best rendered, in modern engines, with an approach based in continuous unpredictable evolution, lifelike immersion and personality, and legitimate options ranging across softcore, risk, and hardcore styles. Any open world that falls short of this ideal in a contemporary title is by default selling the player short.
• Ranked Versus can and should, in modern MMOs, encompass the traditions of 1v1, 2v2, and 3v3 Arena, TDM, BR, and other such competitive circuits. Further, Rank 1 on any ladder must be defined as actual Rank 1, not some non-literal bracket like top 0.1%. Ranked Versus can take it one step further, integrating not only Named Maps but randomly generated Mystery Maps with unknown terrains and unknown teams, massively shaking up the competitive world and making the ability to easily solve and metagame tougher.
• Hardcore must, in any legitimate sense of the word, be defined as actual genuine permadeath, incurring the total loss of one’s character and all one owns. Anything less is cupcake shit disrespectful to the spirit of HC itself. Hardcore can also go one step further, attaining the form of multiple Ranked Hardcore divisions, each with their own seasonal ladders, titles, and rewards.
• Dungeons were, in the old days, by and large preset, eventually preknown encounters. This has vintage charm like much of the retro MMO sphere. In modern MMOs, copying this model is simply unimaginative and lackluster. Labyrinths in Chaoscraft utilize complex procedural generation to randomize dungeon layouts, monsters, and treasure, shifting experiences unexpectedly and embracing the rawness of adventure.
• Raids were almost always, in traditional olden fantasy, one-life encounters with great foes. There is not a single work among the origins of fantasy in which whole raids of heroes can repeatedly die over and over for no real price, reducing death to a meaningless inconvenience. Chaoscraft is fully prepared to invest heavily in experimenting with advanced boss intelligence, hidden and evolving spellbooks and powers, and, in the end, a passionate embrace of what it really means to want to face down mighty enemies for honor and glory.
• Character customization can be absolutely infinite with the right systems, studio, and team. It is nonsense to sell an MMO in the 2020s that places hard limits on what a character can be and why. This is now a profoundly soulless and corner-cutting model.
• Experimentalism is our approach. We value experimentation, fun, and individuality above all. This is not about making an MMO because it’s a safe investment. This game is not safe. There is a market for this in our world. We seek to experiment broadly with the ultimate limits of MMOs for the sake of experimentation itself.
• Cheating, RMT, and P2W has zero place in authentic MMOs. Any MMO above a certain paygrade today that is infested with cheats and pay-to-win has zero claim to any legitimacy, and any interest in such MMOs by real gamers tends to be because they’re games people have always played and there isn’t much else out there. Truth is, just about everywhere you look now, cheaters have rotted MMOs from within. If you believe we will be no different, we respectfully request you review the site at your leisure, and understand how seriously we take anti-cheat and what it will take, over years, to do this.

Now we reach the point of highest controversy:

We are fully 100% transparent we choose, as an indie team of three devs with limited capital and no concept artist on our team at this time, to use high-quality AI art models in the creation of the initial prototype concept art featured on our website. We absolutely detest any higher-level use of AI in the arts and plan to hire a digital artist soon to remake the over 500 pieces of art on this site.

Backlash in response to our use of AI has amounted to hollow, poorly worded complaints akin to, “AI bad!”

AI indeed can never surpass the soulful authenticity and living passion of art made by a living artist. We three devs each specialize in our own personal fields. We acknowledge publicly we do not possess the extreme skill required to create pieces of this depth, detail, and range. Most people on Earth do not possess these skills either. This is why we’re hiring artists with an interest in practicing their craft.

It is perfectly reasonable that people are fed up with “AI slop” and the cheapness and overuse of AI in multiple fields. We do not judge critics for their principles on AI in the arts. We share similar principles. The problem is not dislike of AI art. The problem is lack of insight into a new MMO’s true scope and direction independently of AI itself.

In a recent reveal by a major MMO studio, they announced their continued commitment to replace real players in BGs and elsewhere with mindless AI. This is a multi-billion dollar corporation using AI to replace real people in a triple-A game. This is an example of horrible use of AI that completely kills the soul of a once great game. It’s another case of an out-of-touch company who think they’re being “trendy” using AI in an actual game. Our use of AI in preliminary concept art, as a small studio, pales in comparison to this flagrantly anti-immersion use of AI by a triple-A studio. We know for a fact some of our first haters continue to support that studio while hating on us for using this form of concept art when we don’t have a concept artist. This is total hypocrisy. If a gamer absolutely detests our current use of AI, but continues to support a studio that uses AI to replace real players, such a critic has no authentic basis. It’s a complete contradiction.

These are two completely different uses of the same tool. If someone is going to hate one, it would be totally unprincipled to not hate and actively oppose the other by refusing support for their model.

This is a groundbreaking game.

We will set out to prove that over the next year, during development. We stand by this conviction.

Our studio’s principles and design philosophy far outweigh complaints about the method behind mere concept art. What an MMO is, what it’s founded upon, and who directs its development is vastly more important than any bias against artificial intelligence in any field. We love human artists. We are human artists. This is why we seek other artists like us as we present this precursor blueprint.

This is a blueprint. This is not a finalized game.

Any great game by definition requires an original conception, a conception developers use to inform the game’s direction. Every single game in all of history stems, at its source, from the mind of an individual or group. This MMO is no exception to this rule. It’s a new imagination. It is a pure fact a game necessarily requires a concept to create.

This is Chaoscraft’s concept.

To any critics who dismiss Chaoscraft off-hand because of its use of abstract AI concept art on the website’s first version, from a team of three devs who specialize in specific fields outside the visual arts, we say this:

1. If the game’s concept art were created by a human instead of a machine, it would, 99% of the time, closely resemble the portraits, scenes, and styles seen on our site, point for point. In other words, it would look like it does now, same style, same spirit.
2. A small indie team’s use of AI in initial prototype concept art does not define the soul, scope, and vision of the studio’s MMO. It does not reflect negatively on the game whatsoever. In fact, it is a positive indicator of our ambition and passion to bring to life this new kind of MMO as we envision it.
3. If someone refuses to read the site, but decides to be a hater anyway, they can respectfully get bent. This site is not meant for anyone who is going to judge it at first glance without taking the time to understand the game. Haters have zero basis to accurately judge our studio or our anthology if they haven’t even reviewed the entire game in its actual depth. If all they have to complain about is our use of AI, we invite them to try their hand at making their own MMO.

We’ve made crystal clear, both here and on the Visual Art page, we do not prefer to use AI whatsoever. People who cannot grasp this nuance and who judge this game for its concept art rather than on the merits of its design, vision, and passion are the real bane of the MMO industry – not soulless corporations, as one might believe. The real problem with the modern industry is people who don’t think. There is a statement to be made here.

Sentiment about AI has reached a form of mass hysteria. Anything even remotely attached to AI is – ironically – automatically rejected as “slop” – even an MMO that, beyond any doubt, has clearly set out to break the industry mold and hire living artists as our capital expands.

This is the lack of nuance in our world. It is a sad sight to see, but we are not deterred. We know there are people out there, perhaps like yourself, who can actually read, can actually see, and can actually appreciate what this MMO is about, what it stands for, and what it’s destined to be.

You have to imagine how much time, energy, and limited resources would be diverted from making the game in an engine if I were to take the long, long time to work closely with a concept artist or team of artists on the over 500 pieces of art, going back and forth about minor details, artistic intent, and similar issues – for over 500 damn pieces, while also balancing engine development, hiring developers, querying publishers, marketing online, and organizing infrastructure. Given it is so many works, this process alone could easily take 3-6+ months to render this level of detail and depth, especially if we can only afford a single artist. It is an objective fact this would be extremely impractical for our studio, and would likely detract significantly from this first stage of development and its very real priorities.

Face this reality, we ask: Making the game wisely, with the tools and funds we have available, is far more important than how we create concept art at this stage, especially when doing so with this level of thematic expansiveness would non-trivially detract directly from precious attention to development of the actual game. That’s if we could even find an artist to complete all this work, which we lack funds for. This is totally irrelevant to the merits of the MMO itself.

There is no contradiction between A) not having the necessary skill to render 500 visual artworks and B) having the skill to begin basic engine development, launcher creation, and UI design. We three can do the latter, to some degree. Concept art is its own field with its own skillset.

Just because we have no concept artist and do not specialize in making this kind of art ourselves does not mean we cannot make a small version of the game. We can and will. It will be even deeper as we expand our team.

We also want to ensure the MMO community knows, so there isn’t any ambiguity around this. We want to make this game with a team of real people. Our use of AI we plan to reserve solely for 1) possible randomization in some maps/dungeons to create novel unpredictability and 2) dynamic non-player character personalities. Do not mistake this game as some kind of “AI game” or some such silly shit. Nor will we ever use AI for teams like customer support. This game is being made by real gamers, for real gamers.

We are a team of three devs:

• Myself, creator of the game
• A first-time web editor, image editor, and coder
• A programmer, tarot reader, and business executive

We are indie devs and friends. We will never be deterred from making this game by any haters who lack the open-mindedness, perception, and discipline to fathom what advanced engines are actually capable of.

For real, to anyone who wants to support us. If you see people online calling this some kind of “AI game” or any clownomatic stuff like that, please do call it out where you can. It’s legit false. Straight up false. We use AI concept art currently. There is a good, professionally valid reason for this. Our games are being made by real devs.

Aside from this, we’ve also faced allegations already of being scammers. About this, I want to state publicly as the creator of Chaoscraft, if you think we’re scammers, come debate us live on our Twitch when we go live later this year. I challenge any critics to pinpoint even a single part of this game that can’t be made in modern engines, with the capabilities of a well-resourced company. Our capabilities depend heavily on the level of community support we receive. This MMO requires a large-scale project to be made into its final form. It takes time.

All of it is possible.

To anyone who thinks we’re scammers: Go fuck yourselves.

To anyone who sees this MMO’s potential: Welcome.

So there isn’t any ambiguity, we ask players be aware we have never once made any promise every single planned feature will be immediately available at 1.0 launch. It may take years to fully implement each. This is our long-term development goal.

Early Access is planned as a small-scale first test, to experiment with key pieces of class and world design. When you review this site, be sure to do so in the knowledge Chaoscraft is presented as a futuristic path beyond the current industry-defined limits of MMOs. It must be said by someone, at some point or another: The industry does not define the actual limits of MMOs. They’ve set them artificially for their own reasons.

Engines themselves are the real limits.

We’re open to interviews on any stream. This is a major topic that involves in-depth discourse. We also invite anyone to join our live stream. We will not ban any critics.

We’ve been told this MMO is “trying to do everything at once” or “all over the place” – both valid responses. We are not trying to do everything at once. We will begin with the simplest basis, then expand out from there. Start small. Build big. This is how every game is developed. As for the latter take…

Our games channel the chaos of the universe itself. As such, the universe is itself “all over the place” and so our games may feel like chaos. We call them what they are: Highly complex, vivid, dynamic parallel realities.

Color categories we use to improve textual clarity and convey central aspects. We find if the entire site were to use no color, it would be very monochromatic and uneasy on the eyes. Our style we employ to paint a vivid picture.

We’ve also received some complaints about the website’s style/format. This tends to translate to, “Your site doesn’t look like every other mainstream website.” Yes. It doesn’t. There is a reason for this. It’s because our studio isn’t the average studio, both in terms of our principles and path.

So, if you find you love the game, feel free to support us. We will make it regardless of our initial reception. We know players are going to love this game. If, for whatever reason, you’re against it on the mere basis of its use of AI concept art, so be it. Maybe one day, when people peer within their imaginations, and what can come to pass, they’ll see what matters most, in the end, is a game’s core design. That’s it.

Industry Originality and Adaptations

Before we close out this intro, we want to talk a bit about one of the elephants in the room. This is a topic that’s seen some renewed interest since a certain indie game made a big splash in the world two years ago.

Classic archetypes like warriors, rogues, and wizards were not invented by any modern company. These fantasy archetypes predate the modern era by many centuries. Warriors have existed for millennia. Rogue is a word with Old English origins in the 1500s. Wizards, obviously, also originate from folklore of many centuries ago. Even demonics and psychics are not concepts invented by us, nor anyone in particular. These are cultural threads.

There is no one single studio who can lay claim to any of these concepts. Every single studio who’s used these concepts in their games has adapted them from preexisting origins and sources. No one invented them. They’re part and parcel of fantasy itself, transcending copyright.

Chaoscraft is not a “copy” of any one MMO. In fact, a number of MMOs, including some of the biggest, directly derive their material from preexisting universes like The Lord of the Rings, Dungeons & Dragons, and others. Our use of these archetypes is in the spirit of the original archetypes themselves, not any one modern studio’s adaptation.

For any who doubt this, we invite doubters to study the history of fantasy and the true origins of modern MMOs.

Likewise, use of the craft suffix does not have origins in any one particular studio. Craft, as a suffix, also stems from Old English words many centuries ago. ‘Warcraft’ itself comes from a word first recorded in the 1400s. Whether Chaoscraft, Warcraft, Minecraft, speechcraft, or stagecraft, the use of this word is very, very old. We’ve invented a new form of it, with its own unique meaning and lore.

Chaoscraft is a magical philosophy. Warcraft is, in simplified terms, a school of magic based in third-person rated T. Chaoscraft is, in simplified terms, a school of magic based in first-person rated M. These are two sides of a coin, each of them equally valuable. Each of them has their own trade-offs, yin and yang. No one invented or trademarked use of the craft suffix itself. Warcraft is its own use of this suffix with its own magical philosophy. This is its own MMO with its own magical philosophy. It is centered around this philosophy itself, and the beings who harness it.

Just like with our concept art, there is bound to be some controversy or dispute around our use of classic fantasy archetypes and the craft suffix. We are not a private server. We are an indie MMO. These archetypes do not belong to any one entity, nor does the craft suffix. Don’t get it twisted.

As a last point, we want to publicly state our revenue model.

We will generate revenue from four sole sources:

• Base copy purchases
• Monthly subscriptions
• Magic Realm server hosts
• Crowdfund

This is our revenue model. We will not ever use microtransactions of any kind. Nor will we ever allow anything in our games to ever be pay-to-win using real money. This is the point in your review when you have to ask yourself: Do you think we’re legit or not?

If there is any part of a player who still struggles to trust in this MMO, one has to ask oneself why this is. How many have lost faith in this industry, rightfully so? Can you really blame players for doubting us? This game sounds too good to be true. There must be some kind of catch.

Yes. I’ll tell you what that catch is.

It doesn’t exist yet. Its final evolution depends on you, the player, choosing to take a leap of faith. If all people do is plug their ears and call us “scammers” and “slop”, then… We’re still going to make the game. You’ll get to play it then, and make up your own mind about this new MMO.